Poll of the Day > Great US Food Road Trip

(+) Yeah! (+)

Long term plan for a road trip I'm thinking of doing (after everything hopefully opens back up).

Concept is pretty simple, I wanna try the best pizza places, mongolian bbq places and Chinese food places across the US.

Preferably i'd like to hit every state, and try and hit most major cities in each state as well. That would take awhile.

To conserve on cost I would either try and do Van Life (live in a van, but not down by the river), or some kind of mobile RV situation etc). I would probably also use AB&B occasionally for comfort etc, but not on a regular basis.

Totally have power/internet figured out already so that isn't a problem (Even in a van), but what I need to start doing is research on the best places of each type, in each state (and sometimes city)...as that is going to take along time I think.

So, in the spirit of generating a good list, if you have a favorite place in your location, especially if it's waaaay better than anything else you have tried, let me know and i'll add it to my list or at least consider it when doing research for that area!!

Pretty sure i'm gonna go down south through CA to start (so much good food there and I already know the best pizza places, really good mongolian BBQ/Chinese as well) so it makes for a great start (since I can compare to CA right off that bat).

I may do a trip to CA first in fact just for the food before I actually do the whole road trip (just fly there, use AB&B and get some good chinese food finally, it's been years now (6 or so!!).

May be a long time till mongolian bbq opens up again since it's a comunal/buffet style and we might not have em back anytime soon (hopefully not never!!).

Would prefer sit in dining for sure on the good chinese as well (to go is usually not as crispy/good even at a high quality place).

Food is life!

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In the Lansing, MI area I'd recommend Detroit Frankie's or Cosmo's. Frankie's has a chili dog pizza that somehow works and is amazing. Cosmo's has a ton of good ones like the runny egg pizza or the garlic shrimp pizza pictured below:

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hockey7318 posted...

n the Lansing, MI area I'd recommend Detroit Frankie's or Cosmo's. Frankie's has a chili dog pizza that somehow works and is amazing. Cosmo's has a ton of good ones like the runny egg pizza or the garlic shrimp pizza pictured below:

Wow, those are some unique pizzas!!! I wouldn't do the runny egg one (not a fan of eggs) but the garlic shrimp might be good (usually I don't mix fish/shrimp with cheese, but i'd give it a shot).

I will not EVER mix hot dogs with pizza though, that kinda seems like sacrilege to me tbh. Sausage works but hot dogs just seem too mundane to me (tho I love chili dogs mind you, just...not on my pizza!!).

Now a good sausage sandwich with melted mozz on it (and a good tomato sauce) can be divine (much like a good meatball sub), I just can't see a hotdog making a pizza better.

Thank you for the recomendations!!

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I thought the chili dog pizza sounded disgusting, but it somehow works really well. They use some kind of pretty solid hot dogs sliced pretty small, replace the sauce with a meaty chili and put a little mustard on it. I really don't know why it's good, but Frankie likes trying different stuff and that one worked really well. Everyone I've suggested it to has been very happy with their choice.

Frankie actually brought his food truck to my rehearsal dinner last year and was making unique pies for a couple hours. So amazing.

hockey7318 posted...

I thought the chili dog pizza sounded disgusting, but it somehow works really well. They use some kind of pretty solid hot dogs sliced pretty small, replace the sauce with a meaty chili and put a little mustard on it. I really don't know why it's good, but Frankie likes trying different stuff and that one worked really well. Everyone I've suggested it to has been very happy with their choice.

Frankie actually brought his food truck to my rehearsal dinner last year and was making unique pies for a couple hours. So amazing.

Hmmmm so like, less of a pizza with hotdogs on it, but more like a chili cheese dog in pizza form?

I could see how that could work.

I have not had a chili dog with mozz on it, but I don't do melted yellow cheese (of any kind) so I have never had cheese on my chilli dogs. I never thought of trying mozz on it.

But yeah if you have a pizza crust with chilli on it for sauce + good hotdog + mozz, your basically making a chilli cheese dog in the form of a pizza, so yeah, i could totally get behind that.

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You're gonna be shitting in so many strange toilets

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Metalsonic66 posted...

You're gonna be shitting in so many strange toilets

this should be its own type of trip.

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Dmess85 posted...

this should be its own type of trip.

Sounds like a shitty trip to me!!

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go to Lawrys

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If you can stop by one hit up a Portillos if youve never had it

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Mead posted...

Portillos

Haven't heard of em. looks like there is one in AZ and CA. I have SO many places to try in CA though (or try again because i miss them).

I may try and hit AZ in the winter when it's cooler and maybe try it there.

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DirtBasedSoap posted...

Lawrys

I can make a really good prime rib at home, usually for a fraction of the cost, so i won't really be searching for good steaks (mongolian bbq is different). I got steaks covered.

I just can't make really good chinese at home. Mongolian bbq is just so good if they have good ingredients (and you semi make it yourself), and while my pizza is ok at home, there are great places out there that blow mine away.

Steak tho, i got handled.

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im really good at making prime rib too but theres is still way better. plus all of the sides are incredible.

New Mexican food is amazing. I HIGHLY reccomend La Choza in Santa Fe.

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You say you already know all the SoCal spots to hit up, so I trust you'll be hitting up Pizzeria Mozza in LA?

The best mongolian bbq place I know of in the South Bay just closed down unfortunately, but there's a couple spots in Cupertino worth hitting. I'll ask my friend for the names, because I can't remember.

You're going to need to spend at least a couple weeks in Chicago and a month in NYC for pizza alone.

Why are you narrowing your food choices to only three genres? Are you making like a YouTube review series? In which case that makes sense. But if not, there's so much fantastic food across the country I feel like you're really limiting yourself. Like, you're going to go to New Orleans and seek out pizza and Chinese food?

I prob won't only look for pizza/chinese and mongolian, but that is my main focus as it's the kind of foods it's hardest for me to get here (that is good or great).

BBQ would also be worthy of a stop (especially beef ribs which don't exist here).

I do have a pretty restricted pallet and I can make really good steak/chicken etc. The things i can't make myself at high quality taste are Chinese food mainly. Even mongolian I can make fairly well at home (It's just not easy and I don't have a hot enough grill etc). I could buy things to make it possible in a pinch though.

Yeah CA is crazy, I don't remember the places in LA, I know there was a great on on Sunset blvd, for instance but don't remember it's name. My uncle lives in Malibu though and between me recognizing the places and his knowledge I should be good there.

Meanwhile I have the bay area on lockdown for good food, at least as far as places that have not opened in the last 10 years or so. I used to know all the good mongolian bbq places there but i'm sure many/most have closed either over time or due to covid at this point *sigh*.

Porky's pizza in San Leandro is a def stop though. Pnochios in Gilroy as well, there was one in Millipetes that was yum and another in pleasanton (in the shopping center that used to have safeway/albertsons but now that they are the same company who knows what happened to them).

Meanwhile there is good Chinese food everywhere in the Bay, I literally have way to many places I want to go try again, I almost need to be there for a month just to get started. I mean, there are places that have the best *blank* that I wanna try again, enough that I would be eating for like 20+ days straight just to try each lol.

I would def need to stay awhile in other places as well. Don't know chicago for instance, but NY is gonna be hard, I wouldn't just do the pizza there (though I know one of the best pizza places, it's on Long Island and my family basically swoons over it and grew up there). There is also REALLY good meatball subs in NY along with the best (that I have ever had) Calzones as well. I will have to kick it there for awhile as well, and that isn't even touching the Chinese food situation there as well (and the fact that so many of the good places deliver lol).

I also love fish and chips for instance, but I would prob hold off on trying that much on the trip. I wanna kinda hit that when I travel over seas where it's not likely i'll have many good pizza/Chinese choices etc (especially since I'll be in Ireland/England alot).

Not gonna youtube it either, just ....wanna travel while I still can, if it becomes possible again. Can't do the whole mask thing for hours, so it pretty much is gonna have to be a road trip (and means no Europe trip for awhile till/if things even get back to a semblance of normal).

I love pizza probably more than anything, but I miss good Chinese more than that (because there is still semi-decent pizza available around here, and I can make fairly good pizza myself (just can't get really good cheese is the biggest restriction for me).

Pot stickers at Pinapple Express in Gilroy are superb (I can make a similar type/method but mine are not nearly as good, and those are just insane). Mongolian Beef at shangralai in dublin (not the best chinese in that area, but the place that was right next to outback steakhouse in dublin seems to be gone!!).
So many good places looking em up would take hours actually. Even just in Hayward/fremont there are like 10+ I would want to try again. I so miss the good (actual chow mein) compared to the (low mein) here in washington (chow mein here is different...and the low mein isn't nearly as good).

As far as mongolian bbq, I knew a bunch but don't remember the names. I don't think I hit cupertino much though, so maybe I missed those. That being said there were so many good choices in the bay I never had to travel far to get my mongolian bbq fix (as apposed to here in Olympia, where the closest one takes over an hour drive now (there was one in olympia that was good but it closed within 2 years of moving here...sigh).


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DirtBasedSoap posted...

La Choza in Santa Fe.

Hmm, added to my list, but mexican I have mainly covered. There isn't any good let alone great mexican food in this area *sigh*, but I can make really good tacos myself still (steak again) and I will be hitting CA (which again has so much good mexican food I won't really be able to even touch a list there).

I could do a taco road trip all on it's own to be honest, and if there are any insane places I'll prob give em a shot, but, steak is steak, and with good ingrediants I can make a killer freaking taco. Fish tacos, steak tacos, chicken tacos, if I can find a better taco.......I'll Eeeaaaaat IT!! *hehe*

Now I want a taco.

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The Minnesota state Fair is the most densely attended state fair in the US, and has loads of food to sample. Takes place ~2 weeks leading up to labor day.

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Clench281 posted...

The Minnesota state Fair is the most densely attended state fair in the US, and has loads of food to sample. Takes place ~2 weeks leading up to labor day.

Think I have seen a few shows about that in the past and yeah, I'd prob try and hit it. Not usually a big fan of extremely crowded fairs though, but if I was anywhere nearby I'd give it a shot.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival kinda blows food wise though, it's usually insanely hot as well, and the crowds are just annoying AF. I'll give some fairs etc a try elsewhere, but if too many end up being like Gilroy's I'll just stop. There are many good food options without dealing with masses of humanity.

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wolfy42 posted...

but mexican I have mainly covered

New Mexican food is different from straight up Mexican food

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I could recommend two great pizza places around here but I'm sure there's far better in places like Phoenix so there's no point.
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wolfy42 posted...

BBQ would also be worthy of a stop (especially beef ribs which don't exist here).

Texas brisket. Go to Franklin or La BBQ in Austin.

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Revelation34 posted...

I could recommend two great pizza places around here but I'm sure there's far better in places like Phoenix so there's no point.

I mean, I recommended two in Lansing and literally no one wants to go to Lansing.

If youre in Oklahoma City you have to try Big Truck Tacos.

Also if youre there longer try Vast, Castle Falls, and Bobos Chicken. Those are more for the experience.

DirtBasedSoap posted...

New Mexican food is different from straight up Mexican food

Green chile is really good

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DirtBasedSoap posted...

New Mexican food is different from straight up Mexican food

what are some examples of New Mexican food or dishes?

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I travel a lot and always try new foods in different areas.

Famous foods in each area and their grades:
Pittsburgh, Primantis cheesesteak: 4/10
Philadelphia, Pats cheesesteak: 8/10
Cincinnati, Skyline chili: 6/10
Louisville, Brown Hotel, hot brown: 9/10
Indianapolis, Edwards drive in, fried pork sandwich: 7/10
Seattle, pike place bakery, hom dow: 7/10
Memphis, Commissary, bbq: 11/10
Nashville, Gus' hot chicken: 10/10
Kansas City, KC Masterpiece bbq: 9/10

Those are off the top of my head. I'll add more if I think of them

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Mead posted...

what are some examples of New Mexican food or dishes?

red and green chile and sopapillas my favorites
theyre the chile capital of the world!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexican_cuisine


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Some states can be trips all by themselves like cali, ny, nevada, etc.

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ohhh yeah a Nashville hot chicken sandwich is a good one to add

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Mead posted...

what are some examples of New Mexican food or dishes?

Just put green chile on literally anything. It is now New Mexican.

DirtBasedSoap posted...

red and green chile and sopapillas my favorites

waaaat that sounds amazing, I've only had the dessert kind with cinnamon sugar and honey

Sopapillas in New Mexican cuisine are pillow-shaped fried pastry dough, distinct from Latin American variations. Similar to Native American frybread, they are typically served as a bread, and used to mop up sauces, scoop up tidbits, or are shredded into stews. It's been called "the doughnut of the Southwest", while other authors have said "this non-yeasted, simply flavored bread is definitely not a donut, but it's not really a fritter either".

In northern New Mexico, they are often filled with savory ingredients such as ground beef or chicken, covered with chile and cheese, and served with lettuce and tomato as an entree, but such "stuffed sopaipillas" are a relatively new innovation and are still fairly unknown in the southern part of the state. They are sometimes eaten as a dessert, drizzled with honey or anise syrup. but are often eaten this same way during the meal itself as New Mexican cuisine tends to be very spicy and sweet syrups reduce the sensations of heat.

Sopapillas in Tex-Mex cuisine are a puffed pastry, but otherwise similar to New Mexican-style sopapillas, except that they are always served as a dessert item, coated with cinnamon sugar and served with honey. Many Tex-Mex restaurants in Texas and Oklahoma will serve dessert sopapillas as part of the complimentary "set-up": chips and salsa served before the meal, along with sometimes queso sauce, pickled vegetables and flour tortillas and sopapillas served at the end of the meal.

Sopaipilla and strudel were together designated as Texas' state pastries from 2003 to 2005.

Interesting! I'll have to try those in New Mexico some time.

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Sopapillas are great. I have a lot of family in New Mexico and lived there for a few years in elementary school, so I grew up eating them. My grandma used to fry up her own.

If you go to Maryland then eat crab cakes

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Zangulus posted...

St Paul, MN: Mamas Pizza.

They were started by an Italian immigrant like 50 years ago and her son still runs it and makes the pizzas himself. I still have never found a pizza place I like as much. I also love their mastacholi and spicy Italian sausage with cheese. Sooo good.

Sweet. Totally writting this down, thanks for so many ideas/places everyone!:)

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The Big Chief in Glencoe Alabama is rated as having the most delicious road food (like, what truckers eat) in the world

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JigsawTDC posted...

Just put green chile on literally anything. It is now New Mexican.

My mom lives in New Mexico and she told me about this

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you can even get chiles on burgers at McDonalds in New Mexico

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Maybe I should buy a can and keep it in my car

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DirtBasedSoap posted...

you can even get chiles on burgers at McDonalds in New Mexico

Yeah, fast food, pizza chains, breakfast diners, etc. I do not think I have ever eaten anywhere in New Mexico that didn't offer green chile, including any major chain you can think of.

Actually I just remembered. The best pizza in San Diego is Filippi's Pizza Grotto. So if you go down there get that. It's a local chain. I worked with the owner's nephew at a grocery store for awhile.
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Revelation34 posted...

Actually I just remembered. The best pizza in San Diego is Filippi's Pizza Grotto. So if you go down there get that. It's a local chain. I worked with the owner's nephew at a grocery store for awhile.

Bronx pizza is better.

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BADoglick posted...

Philadelphia, Pats cheesesteak: 8/10

Lulz if pats is an 8/10 then so many others are 15/10.

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Revelation34 posted...

Actually I just remembered. The best pizza in San Diego is Filippi's Pizza Grotto. So if you go down there get that. It's a local chain. I worked with the owner's nephew at a grocery store for awhile.

SunWuKung420 posted...

Bronx pizza is better.

I know nothing of San Diego, havn't gone there much if at all. I don't know if I would swing by since i have so many places already to go to in CA. I gotta hit a bunch in the bay area, and in LA for sure, as I already know they are seriously good.

If I do swing by San Diego though, I will try both:)

Probably the only reason I would is if i was gonna do a quick trip over to mexico to see if the food there (street tacos from heaven) is still as good. I already know they are like $2 a pop now instead of 10 cents though sigh, but they were good enough back in the day to still be worth it.

Fresh meat on a rotating stick that they slice right off and into your taco,.......heavenly.

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Well it is a huge city near LA. Lots of great places in both cities. Just more in LA because of obvious reasons.
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