Roadside Quest .....time to put some thought into your cooking

[Patrick]

My friend Rich and I will try to go out on our "motorsicles" every weekend and search out a hole in the wall roadside eatery. So far, what we have found is extremely typical. Let me clarify first that we aren't looking for fancy restaurants but simple places with simple food, ie; a really good dog and a chocolate malted. Simple, right? In theory, yes. In practice these places thus far have failed the grade. Yesterday, we stopped in a place that has been touted as being an active drive-in since the 1950's with good 'ole simple food. The place was rife with vintage decor plus they even feature old car nights and curb service. We had to try it out and we did. I liked the vintage items that abounded, but the food lacked by a long shot. I ordered a dog with chili and onions and Rich had a double tomato burger. We each got a chocolate malted. Now let me say that I never heard of deep frying a hot dog until I came to Connecticut which seems to be the norm in this state. Deep frying a dog is one of the stupidest things I have ever seen or tasted. They need to be split and laid on the griddle lubed with butter! Not to mention they need to be natural casing dogs. Anyway, the chili was runny, unspicy and had beans in it. You don't put beans in a chili made for dogs. Chili for dogs is unique to dogs and requires a special recipe. They use the same chili whether you are requesting a bowl or as a topping on an item That, my friend is pretty lame. Salty, salty, salty! The dog itself was saltier than the Dead Sea and was not a natural casing. The bun was not toasted, open faced on the griddle the way connoisseurs of simple food do it. The malted was ok, but small. Instead of giving us the metal mixing cup with extra shake in it, the just filled our glasses and dumped the rest out. What a bunch of bone heads! Then the bill came. A dog, a burger, and 2 malteds came to $16 and change! Total over charge!.

Now the point of my story. Simple food like the dog, burger, etc may not have the esteem as some fancy assed concoction but they still deserve some thought when preparing. It is possible to turn these simple foods into unbelievable delights if some care and thought is put into them. This is true for a roadside eatery or in your own kitchen. Sure, creating something more interesting and great tasting may mean a little more mind work and perhaps mild physical labor but as the old saying goes, " you reap what you sow".

One final note. The place mentioned above has been in business a long time so either they are doing something right or maybe people in general don't know the difference between crappy food and good food. My guess is the second reason since poor food places are prolific in this country and they survive.

I for one will never return to that place since I know better but for the rest of you........my sympathies. The search continues!

[John Barrows]

Sounds like a book idea to me - and a good one. Get on the damn bike and ride out to Portland, and try to find some decent roadside places along the way. I think that once you get out of Connecticut and into mid-America, you might find some.

[John Barrows]

Remember the "Gopher Hole"?

[Patrick]

Connecticut indeed is a different animal, especially Fairfield County. Total lack of substance where glory lies in the size of your house, how many vehicles you own and how many Mexicans you have tending your gardens.

I remember the Gopher Hole for sure. However, they stopped serving before I was old enough to remember their food. Eateries of any kind were few and far between way back then. Mom and Pop grocery stores, butchers, bakeries, etc were the biggies.Most people cooked their own food. Today, restaurants/eateries at any level are as common as calluses on a couch potatoes ass.

[Debbie Barrows]

It is the care and proudness that goes into cooking whether it is at home or as a business. Today, there is a lack of this and it shows in the food served at greedy prices. Remember "Greasy Nicks" in New Rochelle? Well, they made the best cheeseburgers on earth! (or at least in Westchester). There is a deli that just recently opened up here in Fairfield that deserves to be acknowledged. The owner is from Italy, ran into some hardships along the way, losing a leg and his first business. He just recently began again and in speaking with him, you sense the pride in him and how he feels for his customers. It does give you a sense of hope.

[Patrick]

Oh, yeah, Greasy Nicks for a greasy burger loaded with sauteed onions. Must not leave out Walter's in Mamaroneck. Now here they split the dogs and buns and fried them on the griddle as I mentioned above plus to top it off, I believe they used Sabrett's dogs. (A NYC natural casing sidewalk staple)

[John Barrows]

What about that little Italian place we went to with the meatball sandwich?

[Patrick]

That wasn't meatballs, it was sausage with a hot meat sauce. THAT was a REAL hole in the wall but good stuff.

[Patrick]

Patrick's "Roadside Sausage"

Sweet Italian sausage with my 5th Ave onions. Yeah, baby!

[Debbie Barrows]

Patrick's version of the 5th Avenue onions is excellent! And good for you to boot!