Off the Beaten Path - Ruby Tuesday, Colonial Heights VA

Many moons ago, when the weather wasn't so godawfully hot, I found myself in the Richmond area, with no trailer attached, and 2 days off with nothing to do. 2 days off with nothing to do? Liz, you're bobtail, there's plenty to do! (assuming the truck can get there)

So I fired up Google Maps to scout out a plan for the day, and lo' and behold, I found ways to get my truck to each place I had in mind.

First up, well, I am a girl, so I scouted out a nail salon that had high ratings on Yelp and was close by. Turns out I was about 1-2 exits away from one and the way to get there was super-easy! So off I went to go get my nails done!

Afterwards I really wanted to go to a bookstore, and at that very same exit I found a Books-A-Million that was in a nice large mall area and, again luckily for me, I had no trouble getting the truck there, so yay books! (I also came upon a Starship Enterprise pizza cutter but I'm not a Star Trek fan but I know people who would love it! and also KISS Pez dispensers that my brother would love and in hindsight I should have bought them) But I digress...

Lunch time was quickly approaching and I wanted something decent. I wanted to treat myself to something I haven't done in awhile or to a place I normally couldn't get to. Then I saw a sign and thought, you know what, we haven't been to Ruby Tuesday in a very long time...let's go check it out!

My first impression was that it felt kind of modern. Much different than the last Ruby Tuesday I had been into years ago that felt kind of dated and that they were trying to be cool. This one had style of it's own and I liked it. After looking at the menu, several things popped out at me that I felt I really had to try.

First up, the limited time lobster dip.

Now, I wasn't too sure about this but for the price I figured I should really give it a try. When I took the first bite I had a stark realization...I think this is real lobster. So I tried it again. Yeah, I'm pretty sure this isn't fake. Then I said to heck with this, let's just get some by itself so I grabbed my fork and began fishing around...lol..get it? lobster? fish..nevermind that was stupid... so I went fis...searching around for a big hunk o' lobster, took a bite and...yeah, I'm almost positive this is the real deal. Yummy!

Then lunch came. I haven't had steak in awhile. I'm not one to pass up a good steak but I've been burned (get it? steak? burned? nevermind that was stupid) I've been burned before by places where I thought I would get a good steak and it turned out to be rubbish. However, the choices of side items really caught my attention. Potatoes, yeah...vegetables, yeah. Wait...spaghetti squash? Omg, they have spaghetti squash?! I'm getting it! And get it I did....

The steak was wonderful, cooked just the way I had requested. The broccoli was nice, as well. However what blew me away was the spaghetti squash, which I had never tried before. It was like you were eating mashed potatoes but it was a vegetable! It was good for you! It had a stringy consistency that seemed to feel like mashed potatoes and it had a buttery flavor that was incredible! I thoroughly loved it! I think spaghetti squash might be my new addiction, it was delightful!

...and then dessert. Tiramisu. My weakness. My kryptonite. My reason for being this.....size. 

Oh heavens this looked amazing and I couldn't wait to dive into it. Coffee and creamy and not very heavy and not loaded up with cinnamon on top that spells out "Tiramisu" in case you don't know what you're eating... it was heavenly! I told friends about it! I told my mom! It was the perfect ending to a fantastic meal and afterwards as I was laying in bed my thoughts bounced between "omg I'm so full" and "omg that was fantastic"

So where the heck was I and how can you re-create this day yourself? Well loyal 18-wheelers (and equally loyal 4-wheeled friends), the Ruby Tuesday I was at is located at 431 Southpark Circle in Colonial Heights, VA. That's I-95, exit 54. Luckily for you (and me in writing) the exit coming from both directions puts you at the same stop light and intersection, so if you're coming north or south, when you take the exit, turn right at the light. Go under the highway and the mall and a variety of different places to shop and eat are on your right-hand side. Now I went bobtail which made coming and going super easy, but I did see a few trucks with trailers in there as well. 

Ruby Tuesday is a stand-alone restaurant on the perimeter circle drive so you can easily park in the mall parking lot and walk over. Books-A-Million is also located in here as well, just a little further down Southpark Circle. As for the nail salon...I'm keeping that one a secret. :p

Florida represent!

Isn't it nice when a chicken tender reminds you of home?

Poutine!

Oh, Canada. Why do you keep being awesome?

I don't know about you, but when I think of Canada the first thing that comes to my mind is...Rob Ford. Wait, bad example. Okay let's try this again. Um...Justin Bieber! Shoot, okay, one more time. Um..beer! Hockey! Maple syrup!

Poutine!

Ah yes, poutine. That gluttonous concoction of french fries, cheese curds and brown gravy. So good and yet so bad for you. The poutine variations are endless but the classic never gets tiresome.

But no! Leaving well enough alone wasn't good enough for Canada. Oh no. They got together collectively and thought "How can we make poutine even better?"

..and then it happened. "Why don't we use McDonald's french fries?" The country gasped in shock and awe. McDonald's french fries are spectacular. If you use them for poutine, the world might implode from the awesomeness!

Some daring food lab scientists (and probably some R&D number crunchers) got together, probably in Toronto because...why not everything else happens there..and created a food masterpiece known as:

(just for the record, it's not McPoutine, okay snarky people?!)

What mastery could be concealed in this smartly designed box that includes a wax-like lining and a well manufactured container that doesn't result in leaking gravy to get on your clothes?!

THIS!

(if you need a moment to yourself, I completely understand. I needed one myself to be honest)

My only complaint with poutine until now was that the fries would get soggy and mushy and blah, but now you can have the crisp, golden, yummy goodness of McDonald's fries in poutine! 

So how did it taste? Wonderful! I devoured it. I threw all lady-like manners to the side and relished in how great this was. I would have gone back for another but...I kind of had a border to cross and a delivery deadline to make. Such is life.

I experienced this joy at the Duty Free in Fort Erie, Ontario, so if you're crossing back into the US here, you'll pass by it on the way to the bridge. If you can find truck parking, stop in and get'cha some. I'm pretty sure this is available nation-wide. What I am curious to find out is if it's better or worse in Quebec, since, you know, what's where it started. We'll see how the poutine masters can compare to the french fry masters! It could be quite the epic showdown, you know?

So anyway. Poutine just got better because McDonald's had a brilliant idea. It's worth trying, no doubt. Don't pass this up, even just for the novelty of trying something Canadian.

Long time, no read, eh?

Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to take a look at my blogger page to see whatever happened to my Truck Stop Food Blog, only to find out that not only are people still reading it, but some of the reviews I've done have received A LOT of page views. I honestly had no idea that my write up about the newly opened restaurant at a truck stop in Newcomerstown Ohio would be this popular. Seriously!

Also, apparently, people have been looking around for some reviews about Ugalde's Family Restaurant in Indiana (where I wrote about their amazing wet burrito).

So I thank google for sending traffic to my site.

As a result, I've decided to do some writing again. I may not be back on board like I was when I first started, but I do have a number of pictures that I haven't written about so look forward to those in future.

Speaking of which, I'm about to write one right now...

Yes I know it's been awhile

Sorry for the lack of blog postings for..goodness I have no idea how long it's been. I'm kind of taking a hiatus from writing, lack of motivation being the reason. I have pictures...I just have no motivation to write anything right now.

I apologize for that.

If you follow me on twitter, just keep following and when the urge strikes again, I'll post links and whatnot on Twitter. Same with Facebook, I'll post it there, too.

Travel Center of America's Homestyle Meals

First, let me apologize for the blog delay. I just haven't been in the mood to write lately. I've had a lot going on in my personal life. Anyway, let's not dwell on that.

Travel Centers of America recently started a menu insert of homestyle comfort foods. A small array of entrees to choose from that comes with a side of corn bread and the soup and salad bar. The price seems a little steep for the portion size but hey, maybe it doesn't come out of a can for once and it's actually decent quality.

Well....yes and no. I've tried two entrees thus far and while the entree itself was not bad, the side of cornbread, each time, was horrible. Usually cold (cold corn bread is the worst!), dry, falling apart. Basically a train wreck of an accompaniment. (side note, first time I've ever used that word)

The first dish I tried was the goulash. I really wasn't sure what goulash is or what it's supposed to look like. I mean heck, she set it down on my plate and my first thought was "oh. chili mac."

It looks like chili mac to me! Frankly, it tastes like it too. Okay so I guess it's chili mac with a fancy name. Unsatisfied with my own conclusion, I took to the almighty Google for some clarification. Turns out goulash is, at least from what I found, pretty much exactly as what was in front of me. It might be missing some herbs and spices but overall it looks...just like this. So I guess they nailed it in that regard.

The cornbread however, while it looks great in the picture, was horrible. I think I had two bites (one to try it, the second to see if it really was as bad as I thought during the first bite) and then I was done with it.

Would I order it again? Probably...not, and the main reason was the price. I think it was $9.99 and for the same price I could get a huge bowl of chicken fettuccine alfredo instead.

NEXT!

Next up, (well not in the same day I mean these are spaced out) I tried the chicken and dumplings. You know who has really good chicken and dumplings? Cracker Barrell! You know who has mediocre chicken and dumplings? This place...

...it almost looks appetizing.

...it almost looks like chicken helper, too.

I'll give it to T/A. They tried. They really tried. It almost hit the mark. 

That deceptively enticing cornbread is just sitting back there just calling out for you to try it. Don't do it! The cornbread is supposed to have bits of bacon mixed in with it which, you know, cornbread really is fine on it's own. Adding to it to try and make it better usually ends up making it worse. I'm sure when Jiffy was coming up with the recipe they tried variations and finally realized, "you know, people just really like our plain cornbread" so they left it alone.

At one location it was a bacon cornbread, at another location they were out of bacon (*gasp* out of bacon?!) and the chef took the liberty of mixing in green onion which...I don't know why. It wasn't very good either. That begs the question, do these cooks even try what they're making? I doubt it. 

So yeah, that's two of the homestyle comfort foods T/A is offering lately. The other choices really haven't appealed to me in the slightest (ham and beans? ugh, no thanks) so I've pretty much shyed away from trying anything else.

Hidden Gem: Indian food at the Napoleon Ohio T/A!

This is going to be a slightly biased blog entry, I guess. I don't have anything bad to say about this place. None, zero, zilch, nada. I LOVE THIS PLACE! I stop here every chance I get just for the Indian food.

Alright, so where is Napoleon, Ohio? That's a really good question, actually, because it's not on one of the major interstates in Ohio. It's actually on US-24/US-6, between Fort Wayne Indiana and Toledo Ohio. Don't be fooled though, US-24 is a major thoroughfare with an interstate feel to it. On this heavily traveled-by-trucks road is Napoleon, home to a few major truck stops and..Campbell's Soup. (among a few other places but last time I was there, this is where I had to go).

This is not your typical T/A. It's a little older, yes, but it did have some remodeling done which has made a difference. They have a Chester's Fried Chicken and a Blimpie's..or was it Quizno's?...no I'm pretty sure it's Blimpie's. They have the usual Country Pride menu but they also have their own special Indian menu, and this alone is worth stopping for. Also worth noting is the Indian menu is part of their all you can eat menu, and you can reorder the same thing but a little more spicy if you want to turn it up a notch.

I began my introduction into Indian food with a simple mild chicken curry with basmati rice and naan. What's naan, you ask? It's a type of flat bread. There, now you have a new word you can throw around and sound pompous and arrogant "Oh, I could really go for some naan right now!" and people around you will be like "wtf are you talking about, Willis?" Yeah okay I know that's not what Gary Coleman's character said exactly but I changed it with the times.

Can we just get back to the food, please? So, right, the chicken curry was really good. It was surprisingly good. I had never had Indian food before so I wasn't sure what to expect. The one thing that did seem unusual was...the color. Bright colors because of the spices that go into it. Green, yellow, orange..such an interesting departure from what I'm used to.

After a great first time experience (and filling, too, by the way), I made a note to always stop here if I had the time. Believe me, I try to make time to stop here. While I don't have pictures of chicken curry, or the other chicken dish I tried the second time I was there, I do have a picture of my third visit and what I tried that time.

Haag chicken..or chicken haag? It's one or the other.

Liz, what is that green unappetizing mush I see before me? Well let me tell you, it's delicious green mush! Haag chicken is...chicken (shocker), with spices and spinach. It's amazing. It's wonderful. It's tasty. It's worth trying. Like every other time I've ordered Indian food, I ordered it with basmati (long grain) rice with naan on the side. I tried the plain naan and that was fine, but then I tried the garlic naan and that's what I've ordered on the side ever since.

Naan! You better get some now before there's...naan left. (the puns just write themselves here)

See? Nothing fancy, just an oven-baked flatbread that you can eat along with your tasty Indian cuisine or you can break it off into bite sizes (well you should do that anyway because you, my loyal blog readers, are sophisticated individuals and not hulking neanderthals). Where was I again? Oh right, you can break the naan off into smaller pieces and put some of your delicious Indian cuisine on top and eat it that way. Both ways are perfectly acceptable and you're not going to offend someone if you don't eat it a particular way.

So how was that Haag chicken, Liz? IT WAS FANTASTIC! It was delicious, it was great, it was worth ordering a second time. It was also filling. I never leave that restaurant hungry, not by a long shot. Usually by the time I'm done, I don't want to look at food for the next hour. It's a little bit more expensive than the normal truck stop menu, which I attribute to higher cost of imported spices, the extra effort involved in making it and the extra training involved by the cooks who actually make it. Rumor has it (and this is coming from one of the cooks), this food is so good that a few Indian patrons were convinced that it was made by a man from India and the men were surprised it was prepared by a Caucasian lady from the US. That's just the rumor I heard! Don't go spreading that around.

I guess it goes without saying that I highly recommend stopping here. How often do you get to find Indian food at a truck stop? Well there's that one place in Tennessee that I haven't tried yet. Okay, where else can you find Indian food at a truck stop? Exactly! 

Don't be intimated by the odd colors or the weird names. Try something new, try something different. Another thing worth nothing about the Indian food here is that you can get it in 3 levels of spiciness: mild, medium or hot. If you're new, get the mild just for starters. You can always reorder and try the medium. Funny thing about those Indian spices: the burn stops shortly after you finish eating. Unlike spicy American food where the heat lingers long after, shortly after you've stopped eating, the spicy burn stops. I didn't believe it myself until I tried it myself and the lady was right! Now in my defense, I've only tried mild and medium. I'm tempted to try hot next time but I usually just play it safe and go with medium.

Next time you're in Napoleon, don't stay at the Pilot or the Petro, try this place instead for a break from the norm. :)

Things in your food that don't belong there.

First up, Wendy's in Ruther Glen, VA. I decided to try their salad that came with chili on it. Seemed like an odd combination to me but hey, maybe it works! When I was about 3/4ths of the way done with my salad, I bit into something that shouldn't have been there.

(please pardon the white ring on my thumb from where my thumb ring normally resides)

Yes, that was in fact a plastic bread tie in my salad. The only explanation I had for this was that I had ordered a small sandwich in addition to the salad, so when they were making my order, they started the salad first and then went to make the sandwich and by unfortunate luck, the bread tie for the buns fell into my salad. I can see that being an honest mistake, and I didn't cut my mouth open on it or get it wedged between my teeth so I was really understanding about how this could have accidentally happened.

I sent a message on Twitter to Wendy's and received a response within the hour. That, on it's own merit, was pretty impressive. They asked me to email them with the picture and they'll have someone take care of it. So I did just that. I emailed them and attached a picture for their records (if they needed it, I don't know). I told them I wasn't looking for a hefty cash settlement or free Frosty's for life because of it, I just wanted the employees there to be a little more mindful when they're working. I'm sure it's a fast-paced environment and trying to hustle to get food orders out, things happen.

The response I received was very polite and nice. It was actually from someone at the Flying J truck stop where this location is found, and in fact she was next to me in line that day and saw what I had ordered and it looked so good she decided to order one herself. While I again stressed I wasn't looking for any handouts or free stuff, the really nice lady was insistent that she'd like to send something out to apologize for my inconvenience. I included my mailing address but last I checked, I don't believe anything has arrived at home from Pilot or Wendy's. I'll check for sure myself next time I'm home, though.

Second instance was at Arby's in Nitro WV. I love Arby's, even if you need to take out a second mortgage to pay for lunch, their mozarella sticks are addicting! They have a new smokehouse sandwich that looked really enticing and appetizing. So much so that on this particular late night, I decided to give it a try.

A few bites into my sandwich, however, I found something that didn't belong there.

At first glance you'd think this was a piece of lettuce or something. Let me assure you, it was paper. And not just a piece of paper but a tightly folded up piece of paper. In this particular instance, I don't think this was accidental, just by the nature of what it was, and how it was found inside my sandwich. Could it have been an honest mistake? Maybe, but doubtful. Could it have been the result of two of the three employees working there being stupid kids? Possibly. It was late at night and I was the only customer so an accidental happening due to a long line of customer orders doesn't fly in this case. I think this was the result, like I said, of two young men being dumb, thinking it would be funny to do.

Like the Wendy's incident, I sent a picture of this to Arby's on Twitter and so far currently, I have yet to receive a response back about it. I'm extremely disappointed by this.

Off the Beaten Path: Prince's Hot Chicken, Nashville TN

This particular blog entry is long overdue.

Like...way long overdue.

If this entry had been a library book, I would have owned it by now just in the total cost of overdue fines. (those quarters add up over time)

Every time I have an opportunity to spend the night in Nashville TN, I contact my friend Julie to see what she's up to. Some times we just spend a few hours at a truck stop catching up, talking about whatever, and laughing a lot. Other times...she takes me to new and exciting places! This particular dining adventure was..exciting to say the least.

Now here's my disclaimer for the truck drivers reading this blog: you won't be able to get to Prince's chicken in a truck. I'm very sorry to report that. There's simply no room. No room for a tractor and trailer. Considering how popular Prince's is, there's really no room for a tractor. I'm also not exactly sure if the main drag that this is slightly off of is even a truck route. However, if you have a friend who has a car, or know someone who has a car, or hell, you rent a car! then you'll be fine.

So what's the deal with Prince's Hot Chicken? I mean it was on the Food Network so that means the prices are automatically inflated 20%, right? Maybe, I'm not sure. I don't set the prices, talk to the management. Prince's has a lot of good things going for it. Granted some of it is good in a bad way, and the rest of it is good in a good way. There's just one teensy little detail that might give people hesitation, I know it did for me but Julie assured me we'd be fine. Besides, she's got street cred (I didn't ask to see said credentials, I just took her word on it). So what's that teensy little detail? Well....it's....um....it's in the ghetto.

Don't worry, you're not going to get shot, mugged, carjacked, robbed or have your hubcaps stolen. I mean, Julie and I went around 9/10pm AT NIGHT and we were just fine. Nobody approached us, nobody tried to sell us drugs or fake rolex watches or try to flash us. Her car was still there when we left the restaurant, it wasn't up on 4 cinder blocks with the tires removed.

So why am I making such a big deal out of this? Not everyone is racially accepting, and going somewhere to eat where you're the minority for once can be intimidating to some people. And trust me, you'll be in the minority here. But are you going to let that stand between you and some freaking amazing fried chicken?

I know what you're thinking: "it better be some damn good fried chicken, Liz"
Oh....it is, and I don't usually eat fried chicken.

So where is this place, Liz? Well I'm glad you asked, brave foodie adventurer! The address is: 123 Ewing Dr #3. Nashville TN. Don't ask me for directions, because I have no clue since I wasn't driving. US-41 was the main street. Once you get to Ewing (assuming you're driving...north? whatever up is on the map, lol), turn left and it's in a run down strip mall on the right hand side.

So before we talk about the food, let's talk about the peculiarities of this joint, shall we?

First of all, Prince's is open late. This makes it a God-send to us truck drivers with wonky schedules who have a friend in town who wants to take us there. If you come during the day time, there's a good chance you won't find parking. I mean there is parking in the strip mall but chances are it'll be full...and there may be people parked on the street just to get some of this chicken. Yes, it's that good that people park up and down the street for it.

Second of all, the restaurant itself is...small. In a typical business day for them, they probably violate some capacity code every hour, no, half hour. They have really good chicken and a lot of people want it.

Third of all, the furnishings are....dated. old. run down. beat up. worn. tattered. used. seen-better-days. It's not high class by any means, and that actually adds to the charm of the place. It's very much a hole in the wall. Come to think of it, that's also how you order..at the hole in the wall, but I digress.

Fourth. You're totally safe here. They have an armed off-duty police officer. But don't you dare touch the TV set that he's watching! He also has no qualms about plainly showing that he is in fact packing heat, so don't try any funny business. Besides, we're all here for insanely good chicken, let's just all get along and not try to have a heart attack after eating. (BYONitroglycerin)

Fifth. The window painting out front. It's faded, it's scratched, it looks like it was done in the 70s because, surprise! it was. I'm sure it's lead-based paint, too. But who cares, we're here for chicken, not lead poisoning!

Sixth. This was probably the most surprising to me, but..it kind of wasn't. Prince's is incredibly popular among the Black community (that wasn't the surprising part). As such, it's a popular place where you'll most likely run into people you only kind of know but have seen frequently like from church, or the grocery store, or dropping/picking up your kids from school and you're like "hey I know you, your son is friends with my son!" Or you'll be walking in and standing further up in line could be the pastor from your church. You'll never know who you'll run into at Prince's and that's the community beauty of it: Prince's brings people together.

So I've talked this place up (I hope?), so I guess it's time to mention the food.
The beauty of Prince's is also it's simplicity: it's fried chicken, well here in Nashville it's hot chicken. Hot chicken not only means temperature hot, but also spicy hot. I should make a second disclaimer about the food here: you're going to have to wait for it. All the fried chicken here is made fresh to order. It's not sitting under a heat lamp until you order it. It's cooked fresh, and loyal readers, that makes a world of difference.

As I said, there are degrees of spiciness: mild, medium, hot, extra hot, and ... believe it or not, extra extra hot. I wouldn't recommend the XX hot. In fact I think you actually have to sign a waiver for that one. People have gone to the emergency room over the XX hot chicken. Now is not the time to prove how manly you are, cowboy. I went with the mild, and even mild had a little bit of a zing to it. Julie, I think, ordered medium but she's used to it. She suggested to me that I start with mild. So that's my hot tip for Prince's Hot Chicken: err on the side of caution!

That's my Prince's Hot Chicken mild edition picture showing off a breast and a wing, potato salad, pickles, sweet tea and....the bread. It's not fancy by any means. No expensive plate. No sprig of parsley you're just going to throw out the window (if you're eating in your car...and people do!). No frills. Nothing fancy. Simple and easy.

I'm really not sure if the side dishes are home made or bought from like Sysco or something. Really though, side dishes here are just turn it into a complete the meal. I felt like sweet tea was the ideal compliment to fried chicken (being in the south and all). Julie had some type of fruit punch that I forgot the name of.

What's the purpose of the bread, Liz? Well I'm glad you asked because that, too, is just as important as the chicken it's cradling. The bread itself is dual purpose. It can help calm your burning tongue because it some how makes the burning feeling go away (as does milk, just fyi) and it also soaks up the grease from that freshly fried chicken on top of it. Now you have two options: don't eat the bread because it's nothing but white bread and chicken grease, OR...eat the bread because it soaked up the chicken grease along with some of the spiciness of the chicken as well.

If my cardiologist just so happens to read this, I'll be happy to inform you that I did not eat the grease-soaked bread.

If my cardiologist isn't reading this: I totally ate the bread! It has just enough spices soaked in to give you that reminder zing of heat. For the record, eating the bread is completely optional. Everyone who comes to Prince's has their own stance on the bread issue. Some eat it, some don't. Either way is fine, it's personal preference.

So how was the chicken, Liz? It was....really really good. Surprisingly good. Unbelievably good. Shockingly good, even. I mean..it's fried chicken! You've had it, I've had it. Then you try Prince's and you'll be like "You know, I've had fried chicken before but this....this is something else. How did they improve fried chicken?! They totally took fried chicken and made it better. How is that possible?!"

Okay so maybe that's what I thought.
How....I mean....you just....and they.....how'd they do that?! Is it the spices? Is it the freshness? Is it the batter? How do you take something so simple and basic, that doesn't need to be improved and some how manage to improve it and make it better? It's mind boggling but they did it! I was blown away with how good this was.

Put this place on your bucket list: eat at Prince's Hot Chicken in Nashville TN.

Prince's Hot Chicken: GO THERE! actually go with a friend, it's more fun that way. :)

P.S. I probably should have been referring to it as hot chicken and not fried chicken. I mean, hot chicken has it's own Wikipedia page. So for that I do apologize and ask you not hold it against me.

The Diner - Pine Grove PA

It's about time I review this place! Lord knows I've stopped at the Pilot here in Pine Grove PA (that's I-81 exit 100) so many times. But why have I stopped here so many times and never tried the restaurant? Because they have AUNTIE ANNIE'S! Who needs a sit down meal when you could have a freshly made, hot buttery pretzel instead? Exactly. Well, that's assuming you're stopping when Auntie Annie's is actually open...which the last few times I have not. :(

But no! We're going to talk about the restaurant that was brilliantly and simply called...The Diner. Not Pine Grove Diner. Not Grove Diner. Not Ye Olde Diner. Just...The Diner.

Okay...whatever works I guess...

This....diner...is open 24 hours, thankfully. IT'S 50'S THEMED! They have old pictures. They have memorabilia. They have a juke box ... no wait, that was a claw machine game. There were 2 things that seemed really out of place here and I'm going to look past it and pretend it doesn't exist: they serve beer and they sell beer...meaning..they have...beer coolers. Yeah with like 12-packs and stuff. Yeah, like what you'd normally see at a gas station. Huh?! *scratches head*

Okay...whatever works I guess...

I was here for breakfast and the service was...mediocre at best. It really set the tone for what could easily be a lousy breakfast buy a server who didn't give a crap about me being seated in her section. I was having trouble deciding what to order for breakfast. It was too early for lunch, which is a shame because their appetizer menu included: pierogies (will have to come back and try those) and a crock of French Onion soup (will really have to come back to try that!).

I did notice a Jersey special for breakfast that involved taylor ham. I have no idea what taylor ham is but apparently they love it over there. I'll have to try that, too, next time. I was kind of in the mood for an omelette and one in particular really jumped out at me: Greek omelette. Spinach, olives and feta cheese. I dismissed it because I don't like olives but the more I kept looking at other things in the menu, I kept going back to that darn Greek omelette. Alright, Liz, just get it!

So, Greek omelette, home fries with onions (or without, she asked), and toast. Oh and coffee.

...man that's a lot of olives. Baked in olives, at that. 

So how was it? The home fries were pretty good. They tasted fresh and home made. I could do with or without the onions next time, didn't really add or take away from anything. The wheat toast was nice, and the coffee was really good except my server was really lacking in the refill department.

Oh you wanted to know about the omelette, didn't you? I was afraid you were going to ask me about that. Okay, okay. I'll tell you about the omelette. Oh hey, the 50s decor was really fun and they even have a frequent diner card if you stop in frequen...

..you really want to know about that omelette don't you? Geez you're pushy, alright! I'll tell you about the omelette...

AFTER THIS WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS!

I'm stalling aren't I? Yes, yes I am. I don't want to talk about the omelette!


Alright I'll talk about the omelette...



...TOMORROW! Sorry kids, we're out of time today. Tune in tomor...

...

...fine I'll talk about the stupid omelette.

My general enjoyment of feta cheese almost made up for my general disdain (ooo! nice word choice, Liz!).. sorry I'll start over. My general enjoyment of feta cheese almost made up for my general disdain of black olives. They were so gross! The first bite I thought "okay, this isn't so bad, I can do this." Second bite, "well, I really like the spinach and the feta cheese!" Third bite "this isn't enjoyable any more". Fourth bite "OH MY GAWD I CAN'T MASK THE FLAVOR!"

So I'm sure you're asking one of two questions, and I'll address them both.

Question #1) Why did you keep eating it, Liz?
Answer #1) For the sake of writing this blog. I suffered for my craft. Plus I thought maybe, MAYBE, when you cook olives the flavor and texture wouldn't be as bad. I was wrong. Even the strong taste of the feta cheese didn't cover up the flavor of the olives. And then the texture. Ugh..the texture. Don't make me order that again, please.

Question #2) Why didn't you just take the olives...out?
Answer #2) They were cooked into the omelette! Do you realize how much of an OCD freak I would have looked like taking my knife and fork and cutting...every..single..olive...out of that omelette? And then, say I did do that. Do you realize what my omelette would have looked like when I was done? It would be a very hole-y omelette! Think of how ridiculous it would look to see one slightly neurotic lady truck driver with an omelette full of holes and a pile of black olives off to the side with little bits of egg still attached. They'd put me in the nuthouse after observing such a scene!

Question #3) Why didn't you order something else?
Answer #Mind_Your_Own_Business) I didn't want to be a bother.

(hypothetical exchange that never actually happened)
"Is everything alright?"
"I really don't like this, can I order something else?"
"Was something wrong with it?"
"...I don't like olives."
"You didn't know it came with olives? It says so on the menu. Why did you order it if you knew you wouldn't like it?"
"BECAUSE I'M AN IDIOT! Can I have the mushroom and swiss omelette even though I hate mushrooms but maybe there's an off-chance cooking mushrooms will cancel out the flavor and texture that I find so repulsive?"
"Leave before I call the cops."
(end of hypothetical exchange that never actually happened)

So there you have it.
If you like black olives, you'll love the Greek omelette!
If you hate black olives, get some cereal or something. Don't get the Greek omelette!

Let's talk about something better, shall we?
While I was checking out to pay for my wretched Greek omelette, I noticed the muffins under a glass lid by the register. Blueberry or chocolate. They looked enticing. They were presented nicely. I could use a snack for later.
"How much are the muffins?"
"$1.99"
"Could you add one to my check, please?"
"Sure, sweetie, which one?"
(I never get tired of it when a woman calls me sweetie in a nice way, I don't know why)

Here is where I conducted my own very carefully crafted and executed opinion poll. Gallup would have been really proud of me. I asked the lady assisting me, which would she suggest and she said blueberry. So I asked another lady behind the counter who was taking an interest in our conversation which one she would suggest and she said blueberry. Finally a third server behind the counter came out from the back and fell victim to my carefully crafted and executed poll which muffin she'd recommend and she said blueberry. So that settles it! 100% of The Diner servers polled preferred the blueberry muffin over the chocolate muffin. Sample size - 3. Check this out: no margin of error! 100% accuracy, baby!

Now granted they did ask me if I liked chocolate, to which I responded, "I'm a girl, of course I like chocolate" which garnered a few understanding laughs. So they wrapped up a nice, fresh, blueberry muffin for me to snack on later. But before I were to tear into it, I thought it would be a good idea to take a picture first.

Looks nice, right? I love how they did that paper instead of a usual muffin cup thing. It looks fancy. It looks snazzy (do people even say that any more?). It looked high-quality and pricey.

And loyal readers, it tasted as good as it looked...no...it tasted even better than it looked. This muffin was delightful! It was scrumptous. It was moist and soft and tasty and...it was one of the best muffins I've ever had. No wonder 100% of servers I polled suggested it! It was so good! I almost turned around to go get another (not really, I was already in New York by that time). It was...really really good. I should have had that for breakfast instead.

..but then this blog entry wouldn't be as interesting. or as long (sorry about that).

Ugaldes Family Restaurant, Warren Indiana

Alright! Let's switch gears! Let's go from bad Tex-Mex to good Tex-Mex! I'm changing it up a bit and doing this out of order to keep with....a "theme". So if you remember from the last entry, I had an awful Tex-Mex dinner at a Petro, well let's talk about a place that did it really well.

I'm talking about Ugaldes Family Restaurant in Warren, Indiana. This is on I-69, south of Fort Wayne at exit 278. Good news for you truck drivers reading this (as I hope you would be), there's truck parking in the back for like 10 trucks. If you're coming south, you'll see Ugalde's on the right. If you're coming north, after you exit the interstate, turn left (and go under I-69) and it will be on the right hand side. Extra bonus, it's directly across the street from another truck stop, so worst case scenario you just park across the street (more truck parking over there, by the way) and walk across.

I stopped here around lunch time. I had some time to kill and I've never been before. It seemed decent, it's open 24 hours. Something just told me, "Liz, go try this place out." So I walked in and it had a regular diner feel to it, nothing fancy or out of the ordinary. My server was this really sweet young lady and I told her, "I've never been here before, what do you recommend?" (I do this a lot when trying out a new restaurant)

Without hesitation she said "The wet burrito". She eats them herself, so that's a fine testimonial. While she also suggested the burgers, she did say the wet burrito was really good. I'll take it! She said it comes with chips and salsa, too. Great! Free appetizer!

So she brought the chips and salsa out and my only question was: how hot is it? You see, I can do mild. I can do medium, but when it gets hotter than that is where I start having reservations. Plus I saw a few Hispanic gentlemen working so I was a little worried because I'm sure they like their food, *ahem* muy caliente. (is that racist?)

My cute and adorable server assured me the salsa wasn't that hot and in fact...she would drink it if she could. Kinda of an odd thing to say but...okay! Thanks, honey, I'll give it a try. She also told me it's homemade.  I just imagined a dark kitchen illuminated with some dramatic lighting and fog while two Hispanic gentlemen in aprons laugh maniacally while shoving ghost peppers into a food processor..wait, is that racist?

Oh I totally got sidetracked. Yeah the salsa was good. It was mild. I don't know if they have options to make it spicier or not, I didn't ask, but yeah it was good. Runny, but good.

Then..the wet burrito. Cue the bold ray of light. The singing of angels...and the dramatic thud of it landing on the table.

It's a shame I didn't give a perspective shot. This was a large burrito. It was thick. It was stout. It was...covered in queso. IT REQUIRED A KNIFE AND FORK!

Let's get the side items out of the way. Refried beans with un-melted cheese on top. Sure. Spanish rice that wasn't screwed up because the person making it actually knew how to make rice. Wonderful.

This. burrito. was. heavenly. Beef and rice and lettuce and tomato and onion and sour cream and then the queso from on top mixes in with it and you have to cut it in half twice just to make bite size pieces and..yeah, this was a damn good burrito. In fact, I was so busy devouring this burrito that I totally forgot to do a picture of the insides after I cut into it to show you everything that was inside. It was just that tasty and delicious.

You're darn right I'll order it again! This is worth stopping for.

Ugaldes Family Restaurant, Warren Indiana. I-69 exit 278 (on the west side of the highway). Truck parking in back, or across the street at another truck stop. Open 24 hours and they take credit cards.

GO THERE!

Petro makes a run for the border.

That's Petro, not Pedro. It's not a typo. I really meant Petro Stopping Centers.

I think this entry might be a little late, either that or this is coming in at the tail end of their special "South of the Border" menu. They did some Tex-Mex entrees and unfortunately I haven't had an opportunity to stop at Petro aside from once this past month, but I did try an entree and I am happy to report...

..that it sucked.

To be honest, I'm not happy to report that it sucked. I'm really sad to report that it sucked. I apologize for not getting a full plate picture, as one of my key gripes is something you can barely see other than a green....thing at the top.

Okay so what the heck is all this mess?

Well on the left is your gassy friend, refried beans. 

Next to the that is an enchilada that was really lackluster and a disappointing.

Next to that is a burrito that was actually pretty good and was the highlight of the entire dish.

Next to that is a taco that you can file away with the enchilada as dull and lackluster.

Above those is Spanish rice, that will inevitably get screwed up because the kitchen staff doesn't care and isn't good at cooking rice anyway so why would this be any different.

That green thing is a fried jalapeno. This was one of the things they specially mentioned about this dish. "You get X, Y and Z and on top of all that, a fried jalapeno". I've never had a fried jalapeno before so that seemed interesting and what the heck, I'm stocked up on Tums in case it gives me heart burn, bring it on!

Now when they said 'fried jalapeno', I was assuming it was fried when they were preparing the dish. Meaning, while they were assembling everything, there was a jalapeno on the grill sizzling away to heat up the juices and get everything all spicy and hot.

I didn't know 'fried jalapeno' meant "fried....some time ago and put in the refrigerator until we need one." Now if this was a refried jalapeno, maybe I could give them some credit.

But no, they slapped that thing down on my plate straight out of the cooler. IT WAS FREAKING COLD! Do you know what a 'fried and then put back in the refrigerator for a few hours' tastes like? It's disgusting. Not only is it not the temperature you were expecting, it also has.....a film on it.

But it was spicy. Yes I muscled past the yucky texture and lack of temperature of it and gave it my best attempt, much like those people on Survivor when they have to eat weird stuff to avoid elimination.

I wouldn't do it again.

Nor would I order this again.

Nailed it!....almost

Yeah..I...um...

Just looking at it makes me giggle again.

The two black balls (please, no comments about that please) are bubble gum. Doesn't have the same effect when they're frozen, but hey, small sacrifice, right? The bar itself was actually not that bad. Cotton candy and (another flavor). Since it was only 100 calories, I didn't feel guilty!

Those teeth and those eyes tho. *giggle*

The forgotten foods

Apparently I'm getting old.
I took these pictures and cannot for the life of me remember exactly where I was or what restaurant I ate them in. Perhaps I should set a self-imposed blog posting time limit for writing these up.

Well, let's fire up these pictures and see what memories they conjure up, shall we?

Okay. These are obviously mozzarella sticks, and the last place I had them was at IHOP because they were huge! (thanks for noticing, Liz, I've been working out). So there you have it. Mozzarella Sticks. IHOP. Big. Tasty. Big. Marinara. I don't even want to know how many calories those were.

So that wasn't so bad, let's move on to the next one. :)

Okay. Hmm. This is chicken alfredo of sorts with tomato and broccoli. And that's where the thought train derails. Going by the table, it's not the same as the above so it wasn't IHOP. Where did I have chicken alfredo last? It wasn't Petro, theirs sucks. It wasn't Country Pride. I..don't..think it was Denny's? Also, did I even like it? Did I enjoy the tomatos? So many unanswered questions....

Well that was a downer, let's try the next one.

 

Ah ha! A sandwich! Hey look, it's like you're looking at it through rectangle glasses. Pretty nails, by the way, I love that color! Oh wait, that's my hand. Hey, what are you doing with my sandwich?! Help! Food thief! Stop them before they get away with my crummy roasted chicken sandwich with roasted red peppers on a ciabatta bun from Denny's that I wouldn't order again! 

(did you like how I worked it all in there? Crafty Liz is crafty)

So that's it for now. The forgotten foods. I have a weird feeling this won't be the first time it happens.

Liz returns to IHOP

Last time I was at IHOP, the food I ordered was a little...lacking. If you recall, I tried the IHOP version of chicken and waffles and was not impressed at all. I felt it was a half-hearted effort to capitalize on a trend. They could have done better, no doubt about it.

This time, however, I decided to give breakfast a try. Curiously enough, I was at the same IHOP as last time, The Detroiter, located just south of Detroit on I-75. This time I got a pot of coffee and tried the international crepe' passport.....I think.

2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, 2 sausage and 2 crepes. You could get the crepes one of two ways and I looked over my options and went with the ligonberry option. What the hell is a ligonberry? I have no idea, that's the fun of discovery! I'm suffering for my food blog that hardly anyone reads, so why not.

So...crepes. Yeah I am not using the right letter e for these, I don't think. It's late, I'm tired and I don't really care. I know they're pronounced "cray-ps" so I'm not worried about spelling. You can pronounce it "creeps" for all I care, this isn't a spelling or pronunciation bee, this is just a food blog. Hey, can we stop arguing and get back to the food? Thank you...

CREPES!

Looks pretty harmless, right? A thin pancake with some raspberry-blueberry love child on top, what could go wrong? Well, it's probably really good....but it's not for me. For starters, while the crepe was very thin and it was folded several times to become the shape you see on the plate...it...tasted funny. That was the first thing that struck me as odd because these two crepes weren't filled with anything! I checked! I unfolded! I re-folded! 

I guess crepes aren't made with a pancake batter, either, because that was my first thought "oh, it's just a really thin pancake" but it had this odd aftertaste where I thought "okay, this isn't pancake mix" I'm not exactly sure what it was but it just tasted....weird. Ligonberry is, like I said, the love child of the raspberry and blueberry. That was the fruit you see in the picture. The lump of something in the center of the picture is like this ligonberry butter. Sure.

Would I order it again? Probably not, it...I mean....well...I was just put off by the taste of the crepe and the after taste it left behind (that's why it's called as after taste, Liz!) Would I try the other crepe option they had? Maybe? If I didn't have a food blog, probably not.

By the way, that white stuff sprinkled on top isn't dandruff, it's powdered sugar....

Denny's in Canada is better...

Denny's in Canada offers beer, wine, and select mixed drinks along with those two +coffee drinks.

Not to mention they have eggs benedict, lovingly called Denny's Bennies.

Our U.S. Denny's sucks in comparison. :(

Pittsburgh Salad: One of the oddest things I've had

I've tried a variety of different foods. I've had some different things (kangaroo, anyone?). I've had some normal things made with unordinary items (buffalo meatloaf, anyone?).

But nothing, NOTHING, compares to the oddity known as a Pittsburgh salad. On paper, and in theory, it seems mostly harmless if you look at these items individually, but put them together and it becomes...odd.

So what is a Pittsburgh Salad? Well you take a regular salad..put french fries on it..and then put a steak cut into strips on it. Voila! Pittsburgh salad.

Observe...

I wasn't sure if I should be reaching for the ranch dressing or A1. Now I'm sure you noticed there are no french fries on this salad...because I asked for them on the side. I couldn't do it. I could...not...do...it. That would have been just too weird, too unusual, too....just no, my brain couldn't handle it. Add french fries onto the salad and I wouldn't know if I should be reaching for the ranch, A1 or ketchup! That's too much decision making for my little brain to handle.

Sans fries, this was still pretty odd. My brain was still grasping at the concept of steak on a salad. A freshly cooked, medium, steak no less. Sorry my camera doesn't do depth really well either but this salad was large. I had to carefully eat this thing strategically and cut things strategically to keep it all on the plate and not falling on the counter all over the place. 

I'm still not exactly sure what to make of all this. It was just too weird! I can do chicken, I can do deli meat sliced up, I can do a blob of tuna salad. Steak though was just....it didn't feel right. It was like I was having my appetizer and entree at the same time. May as well slapped a piece of pie on top to get the whole meal on one plate, you know?

If you're a truck driver (hi!) and you're curious to try this freak of dinner, you can mosey on over to Jim's Truck Stop in Buffalo NY (maybe it's Cheektowaga). It's on I-90 exit 53-E, right on Walden Avenue next to K-Mart. 

The price was pretty reasonable, too! $8 I think? A good price for a big salad that will blow your mind.

It's nothing special, just a cup of ranch dressing. I only used half of it because I dip my fork in the dressing first, instead of pouring it all over. Egads, that would have been dripping off the plate and dripping onto the counter and onto me...ain't nobody got time for that! 

Pittsburgh salad! Um...it was...different.

Heartburn, Anyone? Chili Burger, Florence KY T/A

Florence, Y'all!

There, I finally got to say it. After passing that water tower numerous times I finally got to put that down in writing. Say it with me again, "FLORENCE, Y'ALL!" Doesn't it feel good and particularly southern? I thought so, too.

So! Florence (y'all?) Kentucky. Just south of Cinci...Cinccinn...Cincinatt...Cincinnat..Covington KY which is directly across the river from that other place I can't spell that's home to the Reds and the Bengals (you know what I'm talking about). Wait, is it Florence or the next one down? It's not the first T/A you'll pass on I-71/75 south, it's the SECOND one (that's across from Pilot and White Castle). That's the one I'm talking about. That's right, that first one had no parking available and I was like "wtf, really?!" so I boogied out of there and went down to THIS one where I found some parking spots.

Hungry for something yummy I went inside, knowing I would have to eat at the Country Pride because the Taco Bell Express* was closed. On the way in the sign caught my attention touting a chili burger and fries as their local special. Well yeehaw, serve me up some of that! I was either that hungry or from driving all night it sounded that good. Not exactly breakfast food but it was 3-4am and that was my dinner.

So out it comes and...woah..this could get messy.

First let me just say that there is no humanly way possible you could pick this up and eat it like a burger. No. Freaking. Way! I think they planned it to be open faced, to be honest with you. Let's dissect this like a dead frog in Anatomy & Physiology class, shall we? 

The burger itself was..larger than expected. It was almost like a patty and a half and it almost stretched across both buns..almost. What didn't reach was covered in chili. Which leads me to the chili. Heavy on the beans, not so heavy on the heat or spice. Onions, yes. Shredded cheese you'd normally find on Cin..oh god not that name again..(city known for the Reds and the Bengals) chili indigenous to this region in places like Skyline and Gold Star (you know what I mean). Overall, at 4am for dinner when most normal people are eating breakfast, this was pretty good. The fries were..okay. They weren't cold or mushy for once so that was a plus.

Would I order this again? Probably not, and not because it sucked because it didn't! But because I don't need the heartburn or the gas a second time. I mean come on, chili without beans is like country music without heartache. It's a key component!

I say, try it once! (like I did). Bring some Tums and Beano (like I didn't). 

Grab a fork and knife and dig in, cowpokes! 

I have no idea why I said that, it just felt right for some reason.

*So yeah about that Taco Bell Express. It's not a full Taco Bell, they have a limited menu that they can pump out quickly. The lady told me they don't have a fryer so no chalupas, no gorditas, no cantina bowl. So if you do decide to stop there for Taco Bell, what they have on the menu is all they can make. If it's not on the menu and you usually get it at Taco Bell, they can't make it at this one. (they get asked this dozens of times a day so I'm just giving you a head's up if you go.

**They're also only moderately impressed that you just delivered 42k lbs of Taco Bell sauce packets to MacLane, who in turns supplies Taco Bell (and some other chain restaurants).

Off the Beaten Path - SubCentral, Richmond VA

Now depending on where you are and where you're going, this may not actually be off the beaten path for you. SubCentral is located on US-60/Midlothian Turnpike. Actually the address is 5599 Midlothian Turnpike. I know it's directly across from the Celedon terminal in Richmond and I believe there's a UPS terminal nearby? It's also located on a HUGE parking lot for ROC, Richmond Outreach Center so it's very possible (depending on which way you're traveling) to get a truck and trailer in here. Bobtail is super-easy, I'm just trying to remember if turning right into the parking lot would pose a problem if you have a trailer.

SubCentral is a no-frills eatery. Very plain, very boring, usually all the booths are full. They have, you guessed it, subs. and gyros. You can see the lamb roasting behind the counter and it looks delicious! They have specials painted on the glass windows, so I opted for the steak and cheese sub and this is what they gave me:

I know you can't tell but there's actually lettuce, tomato and onion in there! Oh and cheese, can't forget the cheese. While the meat wasn't seasoned, there was a lot of it. Almost, dare I say it, too much? I almost couldn't eat it all but like a trooper and in the name of reporting for the food blog, I muscled through and downed it all! (you're welcome)

I was so full afterwards, but oh..my..goodness was it good. It just needed some seasoning. The price wasn't too bad, either. Pretty cheap (I'm stalling here because I can't remember how much it was, I want to say $5? $6? $7? Oh no I remember now! $8. They're normally $8.95 and I remember the gyro was the same price and I was like "that's a lot for a gyro", but I'm tempted to try the gyro anyway.

Sadly, fries or potato salad or cole slaw are all extra. I figured the sub would be enough so I didn't bother with anything extra and I'm glad I didn't! 

One thing I do know, though, is if I'm in the area and will probably be there overnight, I'm not ordering pizza again, I'm going across the street to SubCentral! I'm glad I discovered this place because I really enjoyed the steak and cheese sub. They also have, well hell, I'll just give you the link.

Go here! http://www.thesubcentral.com/

You can thank me later. :)

Liz gets addicted to something healthy

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