Quick: Think of your most recent food craving. Maybe it’s the Italian sandwich you picked up across town and, succumbing to its aroma, had to pull over to start eating. Or the time you drove to the next town, 45 minutes away, to eat the best fried chicken of your life, again.
Folks in the tourism business know the power of food to entice travelers. Hence, the popularity of the food trail, a curated road trip to satisfy a passion for…well, you name it, from Buffalo wings to pizza, oysters to barbecue. Caution: There’s a delicious detour ahead.
ENJOYING UPSTATE EATS IN NEW YORK
Sure, New York City is foodie heaven, but point your car north, and the sheer number of regional specialties astounds. Discover your favorites on the 225-mile Upstate Eats Trail.
In Buffalo, pay homage to Buffalo wings at Anchor Bar, where Teressa Bellissimo first deep-fried wings and doused them in hot sauce in 1964. Feast on the Garbage Plate at Nick Tahou Hots in Rochester, where a hefty mound of home fries, French fries, baked beans, macaroni salad, meat and hot sauce first came together in this signature—and singular—creation. Snack on salt potatoes in Syracuse and spiedies in Binghamton, the best sandwich you’ve never heard of—marinated meat on a toasted roll.
PURSUING PIZZA IN NEW JERSEY
A few years ago, Food & Wine magazine declared New Jersey to be the best pizza state in the country. You be the judge as you follow the state’s pizza trail with 10 official stops and, of course, many unofficial ones to discover along the way.
Toward the northern end of the Garden State, Benny Tudino’s in Hoboken is a marvel, with just the right crackle and crunch of crust and the perfect balance of acidity with cheesy goodness. In the center of the state, Calabria Restaurant & Pizzeria in Livingston keeps thin-crust lovers happy with a marriage of sauce and cheese built for pizza purists. In The Boss’s stomping ground, Talula’s in Asbury Park goes new school with sourdough and a range of gourmet toppings that make space at the table for vegetarians and vegans.
SAMPLING HISTORY ON THE PLATE IN DELAWARE
Delaware has a slew of historic restaurants with their own stories to tell. Twelve dining stops along the Delaware History Trail stretch from Wilmington to the beach towns.
In Wilmington’s oh-so-grand Hotel Du Pont, Le Cavalier at the Green Room has set the city’s fine-dining bar for more than a century. A bit farther south in Old New Castle, Jessop’s Tavern, located in a 300-year-old building, serves Colonial faves like oven-baked pot pies and Dutch pot roast. Gus & Gus Place in Rehoboth Beach has been dishing up the same consistently tasty chicken and ever-juicy burgers to beach goers since Elvis Presley hit it big with “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956.
CONSUMING CRABS AND OYSTERS IN MARYLAND
Track the treasures of the Chesapeake Bay along the Maryland Crab & Oyster Trail, with more than 100 restaurants, seafood markets and even festivals like the J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake held each October in Crisfield. The trail hopscotches through the Eastern Shore, Central Maryland, the Capital Region, and the state’s Southern and Western quadrants.
In Hagerstown, Chic’s Seafood is famous for its signature jumbo lump crab cakes as well as crabmeat imperial, served solo or stuffed in a fresh fillet of flounder. Just 30 minutes from downtown DC, Bethesda Crab House has kept it old school since 1961 by steaming vats of Maryland blue crabs. On the Chesapeake Bay, Abner’s Crab House in Chesapeake Beach has dished the freshest crustaceans since 1966. Try the Seafood Treat, a combo that includes the day’s catch, a crab cake, shrimp and clams.
BELLYING UP FOR BARBECUE IN THE CAROLINAS
Barbecue is almost a religious experience in the South, and both of the Carolinas have anointed their own barbecue trails.
In North Carolina, pitmasters like to say that Easterners cook every part of the pig except the squeal. That’s because Eastern style puts the whole hog in the pit, while barbecue purists in the Piedmont and western region generally prefer only the shoulder sections. The Historic Barbecue Trail created by the North Carolina Barbecue Society spotlights both in more than 15 stops. Wilber’s in Goldsboro cooks delectable whole hogs over oak embers on open pits all night long. At Lexington Barbecue in Lexington, the classic chopped pork is divine, moist and full of smoky flavor.
Along the South Carolina BBQ Trail, pitmasters take special pride in pulled pork cooked “low and slow” and dressed in one of four regional sauces. Although some restaurants offer all four, light tomato sauce is popular in the state’s northeast corner. A heavier tomato-based version is common in western areas. In the center of the state, mustard accents a vinegar slurry, and along the southern coast, vinegar pepper sauce goes with everything. From James Beard Award-winning pitmasters like Rodney Scott at his eponymous Whole Hog BBQ in Charleston to the laid-back scene at Henry’s Smokehouse in Greenville, carnivorous bliss awaits.
Of course, there’s so much more to savor, with every pocket of our country proud of its own special eats. Why not plan that next road trip around a favorite craving for a tasty itinerary that’s sure to delight all the senses?
