What/Where Should I Eat When I Come to Your Town/State

[easterntraveler]

My favorite thing about traveling is the food. If you visit Minnesota I would definitely say you should try a Juicy Lucy primarily from the 5-8 club, the Nook, or Matt's Bar Essentially it is a burger with the cheese stuffed in it. The blue door pub has also reinvented the burger stuffing it with other items such as bacon, mushrooms etc...
Walleye is also a popular fish to eat.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If you come to Alabama, you'll have to check out Dreamland. Not the clean new fancy one in Birmingham, but it is worth the drive to Tuscaloosa to eat ribs from a smoker seasoned with decades of excellent pork fat. A slab, a loaf of sliced bread, and whatever you want to drink as long as it comes in a can. Oh, and wear your old clothes, because it's going to get nasty, ha ha.

 

[huntertrw]

Try Grandma's Kitchen in Rochester, Minnesota. Best home-cooking in town!

 

[papipeguy]

If you ever find yourself in the Lehigh Valley of Pa (i.5 hours west of NYC and 1.25 hours north of Philly) I'd recommend these fine dining places.

Bethlehem: The Edge, Bolete

Allentown: The Cosmopolitan

There are many others but those 3 would rival any major city's finest restaurants.

Have fun with your gustatory travels.

 

[newbroom]

When traveling in Florida, you get some tasty bbq and fixins @ Sonny's "Real Pit BBQ"

 

[ravkesef]

There is no question but that the New Haven area has the best pizza in the country. Whenever President Clinton was in the area he would always send out to Pepe's pizza and have it delivered to his airplane. The Rat Pack would send a plane to New Haven to pick up from Sally's pizza. The pizzerias in New Haven this Little Italy have lines stretching around the block on an almost daily basis. There is truly something about New Haven pizza that pizzerias elsewhere can't seem to match, and pizza tasters have noted it.

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

Well, in Wyoming, beef is the quintessential staple meal. I usually don't get too excited about paying 20-30.00 for a good steak at a restaurant though. If you come to Wyoming, I would stop at the Lander Bar/Gannett Grill in Lander (center of the state). They serve a line of locally raised, never frozen burgers that are spectacular- and great local beer.

 

[huntertrw]

Renee's Cafe in tiny Bangor, Pennsylvania is superb, and has the longevity to prove it.

 

[homeguard95]

If you're ever in Alabama, head for Decatur, Big Bob Gibson's Barbecue is some of the best I've ever eaten. Make sure you get the stuffed potato.

 

[huntertrw]

revkesef:
Is that New Haven, Connecticut? If so, I do not equate Connecticut with pizza; baked beans and brown bread, perhaps, but not pizza. Having said that, my eldest brother and his family live in Storrs, so I'll have to give your suggestions a try on my next visit to the Constitution State.

 

[iamn8]

Birmingham, AL

Hot & Hot Fish Club and/or Highlands Bar & Grill

Two of the most highly rated restaurants in America

 

[sablebrush52]

Los Angeles may be a ghost town when it comes to tobacco shop and pipes, but the food scene is alive and ever expanding.
Want a really good French dip sandwich? Head to Philippes, where it was invented and which has been serving them for the last 103 years. Or there's Cole's, which also claims to have invented the French dip sandwich, and is also located downtown. Buy one from each and compare then you decide.
If you like pastrami, LA has the best in the country and it's found at Langers, near downtown on Alvarado St, which has been serving it by the ton since the 1940's.
Pizza is alive and all over L.A. For a traditional pizza, head to Casa Bianci in Eagle Rock or Paoli's in Woodland Hills.
For excellent Mexican food you have hundreds of choices. Amongst the best known are El Tepeyac - whose Hollenbeck burrito could feed a family of 6, La Cabanita in Montrose, the downtown location of El Cholo, and Siete Mares in Silverlake.
The San Gabriel Valley is also home to the best, widest, and most varied Asian cuisine in the US. If your thing is the real deal in Chinese or Vietnamese cuisine, head there.
That's only the tip of it.

 

[brewshooter]

I wouldn't even know where to begin with dining suggestions for the San Francisco Bay Area, too many choices! I will say this, if you are a beer drinker, spend a day walking the city or on the train and visiting the many local breweries. If you are into wine, Napa and Sonoma are certainly an option or even the 40+ excellent wineries out near me in Livermore, CA.
If you are not a wine or a beer drinker...well, I am just confused by that thought!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Homegaurd, Big Bob Gibson was one of my uncles. Small world. I grew up on white sauce and their Brunswick stew.
iamn8, you must have some bankroll to eat at the Hot & Hot. I can't even afford to look at the menu, ha ha.

 

[dochudson]

Columbus, OH you need to do Thurmans Cafe for pub grub, Jake and Benny for breakfast and the The Top for awesome steakhouse fare in a real 50's steakhouse. Jeni's ice cream and a Massey' s pizza would round out you stay.

 

[phred]

Denver, Colorado is a surprisingly foodie town. Lots of good local restaurants serving all sorts of cuisine, so picking a single exemplar is kind of futile.
Rioja is good if you're looking for a fine dining experience, and Trillium is quite nice as well. If you're looking for breakfast, Denver Biscuit Company is the place to go (Snooze has lines down the block, but it's overrated, frankly). For comfort food, try Steuben's. For sushi (yes, you can get excellent sushi in Denver - it's flash-frozen at sea and flown in daily), there's Sushi Den or Sonoda's. Also check out Domo's for a more country Japanese dining experience. A lot of Japanese-American folks wound up in Denver after the WWII interment camps shut down, as the mayor of Denver specifically invited them to settle here.
Even fast food has stepped up its game in Denver - Chipotle got its start near Denver University, and Good Times is proving to be a serious competitor to the national burger chains. A lot of New Mexican cuisine has emigrated, and you can get decent breakfast burritos just about anywhere.

 

[cortezattic]

In Chicago, the de rigeur meal is the Italian beef sandwich -- preferably smothered in hot giardiniera.

Portillo's, next door to the pipe show venue, has one of the better offerings; but just about any beef stand

will do since, in Chicago, a joint with an inferior sandwich wouldn't survive.
The famous "Chicago Hot Dog" is also a signature offering, and many beef stands sell them too.

 

[huntertrw]

"I wouldn't even know where to begin with dining suggestions for the San Francisco Bay Area..."
I would: Fisherman's Wharf for crab salad on Boudin Bakery sourdough bread!

 

[homeguard95]

OH MY GOD!!! Cosmic, You had an awesome childhood. Everything I've had the pleasure of trying there has been great. You are are right Sir, it is a small world.

 

[papipeguy]

I'm remiss by not mentioning the Wooden Match in Bethlehem, PA. Excellent pub menu and you can smoke cigars and pipes at your table. This is where the Lehigh Valley Pipe Club holds their monthly meetings.
http://beermeatcigars.com/