Here are the Best Cheap Eats in the U.S.
I love high-brow food, but I also love cheap eats. There’s a guy named Hollister (Holly, for short) who makes it his business to travel around the country and try hot dog stands, diners, and other small eating places, and then promote the best of them on his website. Holly has a degree in hotel/restaurant management from Cornell, has owned his own restaurant in Philadelphia, and has worked in the food industry for decades.
Here’s Holly’s philosophy about food:
I have nothing against high cuisine. Probably the most memorable meal I’ve ever had was when La Truffle (a very good French restaurant in Philadelphia, no longer around) re-created the dinner from the movie Babette’s Feast [Editor's note: this is one of The Boomer Chronicles' favorite films]. A gaggle of food writers attended the preview of the movie and then headed to La Truffle for the real thing. It was an incredible feast. But I am much happier foraging about for an out-of-the-way barbecue shack, the best bowl of chowder on the Maine coast or a truck stop that still does home cooking. Three or four times a year I hop in my car, pick a state or two, and eat my way through them.
Here’s Holly’s Hot Dog page, which includes Boston’s famous Speed’s Hot Dog Wagon; the New England Coast; Charleston, South Carolina; Philadelphia; the Midwest; California and Las Vegas; and more. Check out Holly’s Eats.
June 18th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
A-yuh, there’s nothin’ like a nice bowl of chowdah in Maine to make one happy!
June 19th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Hear, hear on on the dogs. My contribution to this would be Al’s Hot Dogs in Naugatuck, CT. No ambiance, excellent eats! And to be honest, I’ve never had a bad chowder anywhere on the Cape.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:23 am
He needs to come to Frances’ Diner here in Hazard. Three homegrown veggies for 2.50.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Oh, and either rolls or cornbread included.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:28 am
I hope Holly moseys over here to check out the recs y’all are leaving here.
June 19th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Wow – the comment I posted twice disappeared twice – must be the links.
Anyway, apparently Holly forgot that NY extends west past Binghamton to Buffalo. We have more here than original chicken wings and great authentic pizza. Ted’s Hot Dogs, Andersons, Louie’s and more.
Nelson Starr did a few mouthwatering tapes for Anthony Bourdain on the Travel channel just to brag about it all.