February 14, 2002

8:14 PM

With the relentless march of the franchises on one hand, and the onslaught of health-conciousness and fad food on the other, that venerable culinary institution, the neighborhood greasy spoon, is becoming an endangered species. Well, fear not, Roadfood.com is the web resource for those of us who like our food drippin' with grease, smothered with chili and served in an unpretentious enviornment. two of my local faves are there, along with mouthwatering pictures of their specialties. I'm sure your local house of grease is featured as well.[warning: will induce major muchies.]
posted by jonmc (18 comments total)

Bastard! Now I got to drive an hour to Rhode Island to get me a wiener, a doughboy and a lobster roll from Haven Bros. This is truly an Awsome Link™.

grumble, grumble, where the hell did I put those car keys!<clap /><clap />. ahh, there they are...
posted by dchase at 9:23 PM on February 14, 2002

Two of our local favorites - The Sycamore, making their own root beer and this burger rolled in chopped onions then fried, and JK's with their signature "Texas Hot Weiners". And the potato salad. Though they're not quite as good as Big Ed's, jonmc, who have this onion sauce that's out of this world. And I'm surprised the Sterns haven't ever been to Blackie's, which is somewhere in the middle of CT...they're a great hot-dog stand with this hot pepper relish that's simply amazing. (btw, jonmc, is one of these places the one you told me about the other day?)
posted by kittyloop at 9:26 PM on February 14, 2002

I bet if you mail them about Blackie's, they'll mail you back and say, "oh yeah, we've been to Blackie's. Thinking about putting it in the next edition, maybe we should head out there again." It's happened to me (plus, didn't they go to college in CT?).
posted by jeb at 9:29 PM on February 14, 2002

kittyloop-nah, the Merritt Canteen and Tomlinsons(I'm munching a chili-cheese-bacon-honey mustard sub from there as i type this) didn't make the list for some reason, nor did Pat's Hubba Bubba down in Port Chester. They dont have websites either, other wise I'd post links. Rawley's and Swanky's do produce righteous cholesterol packed goodness though.(as does the Sycamore)
posted by jonmc at 9:30 PM on February 14, 2002

A second helping, but one worth indulging in. A friend used to manage the Cafe Poca Cosa, which I heartily recommend visiting when in Tucson.
posted by liam at 9:41 PM on February 14, 2002

jeb, they live in CT, maybe Westport? Washington? In one of their reviews they say they live close to a chocolatier in state, which is a stone's throw from my parents'... but here in CT a "few miles" can mean anything.
posted by kittyloop at 9:42 PM on February 14, 2002

Holy crap, Mom's is in there!

I have a four-day weekend, I may as well make the 325-mile round-trip for a chicken-fried steak and scone breakfast. I've almost finished digesting the one I had the last time I stopped in, six years ago.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:29 PM on February 14, 2002

My favorite. I am going there today in fact. YUUUUUUMMMM!
posted by bjgeiger at 5:06 AM on February 15, 2002

I wish I liked food. Every time a food thread pops up, people start making guttural crooning sounds, and I am reminded that my indifference to food is costing me a sensation which many folk seem to find nearly as pleasurable as sex (to which I am assuredly not indifferent). I mean, I can taste it OK - no shortage of buds or anything - I just don't care anything about it. If I could take a pill and avoid eating altogether, I'd do so, to save time and to conserve energy lost to chewing. Of all my friends and family I can think of maybe two other people who, to a somewhat lesser degree, share my indifference.

I wonder how many of us there are. Food Apatheticus...the silent fun-killer...
posted by Opus Dark at 5:44 AM on February 15, 2002

Primanti Bros. in Pittsburgh (my favorite one is in the Strip District) is where we had our rehearsal dinner (Mrs. Alums is a lifelong native 'Burgher from Mt. Lebanon).

Too much fun!
posted by alumshubby at 7:41 AM on February 15, 2002

When I went to bed last night, there were only about 3 comments. I come back this morning and there are 10 and everyone's linked to his pictures of his/her favorite greasy delight. We have created carnivore porn, folks.

BTW, I believe the Sterns come from West Redding.
posted by jonmc at 8:55 AM on February 15, 2002

It's been nice knowing you folks...
posted by websavvy at 9:07 AM on February 15, 2002

Ah, I knew there had to be a smug killjoy comment in here somewhere. Thanks for not letting us down, websavvy! We'll be sure to rain on your parade next time you're eating rabbit food. :)
posted by jammer at 10:01 AM on February 15, 2002

Nothing in South Dakota at that site. Does that mean that they've never sampled SD, or that nothing in SD is worthy?
posted by yesster at 10:34 AM on February 15, 2002

The Sterns' knowledge of the west is somewhat spare. They have great listing in CT and NY. I used their Eat Your Way Across the USA book to guide me into many delicious spots while going cross country. And I think that they also do some writing for Gourmet. Another site (if you can navigate the interface where you can find lots of tips for anything from greasy spoons to Maison de la Casa House style spots is Chowhound. NYC is the best represented on the message boards, but LA and SF have active communities, and Chicago is on the rise.
posted by sfz at 10:59 AM on February 15, 2002

It was more of a forlorn killjoy comment.

I long for the carefree, nitrite-fueled days of yesteryear.
posted by websavvy at 11:37 AM on February 15, 2002

Why am I not suprised there are no eateries listed for Orange County, CA?
posted by EatenByAGrue at 5:36 PM on February 15, 2002

For all of you SXSW geeks making the trek next month, you could search all over Austin and not find a place as great as Threadgills. Janis Joplin got her start playing here and it's got a huge variety of veggie choices for you "sensitive non-meat eaters."
posted by ColdChef at 9:26 AM on February 16, 2002