Memorial Day is days away, and with it comes the unofficial start of summer. Ah, the possibilities of where the road can take me just make this bird giddy. Weekend trips to the beach, treks to visit friends in Charlotte, respite from the heat in the cool of lush, rolly-hilled Asheville – so much fun to be had within a few hours of my little perch in the Piedmont.
No need to compromise good taste or judgement somewhere between a Stuckey’s and that road trip hunger pang that screams “Feed me salty fatty goodness…with ranch or nacho flavoring”. I’d hate to hear that you succumbed to the lure of the vending machines at a rest stop on I-40. With a little planning, you can make informed dining choices when you hit the black top. Here are some of my favorite online resources to consult in advance.
1. Roadfood.com – The team behind Roadfood.com includes Jane and Michael Stern, winners of three James Beard awards and weekly contributors to the “The Splendid Table” on NPR. This is an essential resource when looking for the best eats in unexpected places while traveling the backroads of the American highway system. The site favors dives and places best described as joints rather than restaurants. Use this tool to research in advance while mapping your travel route if you can. That said, I’ve found the mobile version extremely helpful on my iPhone in some pretty remote areas of Virginia. Click here for more information about the site.
2. Chowhound.com – People who are interested in the vox populi often use this as a go-to resource for restaurant reviews. Keep in mind the whole credibility issue when you read this site. Who knows if the people with time to comment on chowhound.com (or any crowdsourcing site like yelp, etc.) consider the unlimited breadsticks at Olive Garden the highest step in the evolution of doughy products. Note: Chowhound is part of a lesser known but more awesome site called chow.com, a refreshingly hilarious food site that features articles that cover everything from cool DIY food projects like How to Make Goat Milk Caramel to Graduation Gifts by College Major.
3. Animal Welfare Approved – I am the truest of omnivores, but I favor a vegetarian diet. No political or economic reasons, no soap box. I eat plenty of animal products that offend sub-cultures the world around. When dining out, it’s really important to me to choose restaurants that serve animals that lived a happy life. Animal Welfare Approved offers a thorough search engine that allows you to identify products, restaurants, farms and stores that serve Animal Welfare Approved stuff. Headed to Manhattan this summer? Click here for my test search results for Animal Welfare Approved purveyors and restaurants. Better yet, try a search yourself by clicking here.
And what about you. Do you chance it at random spots or rely on your buddies for recommendations? Leave a comment below about how you avoid dining disasters on your way from point A to point B.
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