Buz and Ned’s Real Barbecue, Richmond, Va.

I’ve always been one to want to try great restaurants, but when I first made the move to Idaho in 2009, Man vs. Food was a new show that hadn’t yet attracted my attention. Its second season began the week after I arrived in the Gem State, and it didn’t show an episode in my part of the country until that second season.

As a result, despite spending 17 years of my life in Virginia, it took me until this past May on a visit to my family to finally visit a famous restaurant in the Old Dominion State. That’s appropriate for Buz and Ned’s, because the restaurant itself is a result of a guy traveling the country before winding up in Virginia with the knowledge he’d acquired.

Buz and Ned’s gets its name from restaurant founder Buz Grossberg, who learned the art of barbecue in meccas for the delicacy, such as Texas, Kansas City, Memphis and North Carolina, which all have their own styles of successful barbecue. Some point before opening his restaurant, Buz’s and Ned’s site claims Buz met Ned in the mountains of southwest Virginia, discovering the best barbecue he’d tasted. Ned has apparently passed on, but Buz said that before doing so, Ned passed on his recipes and made Buz promise to keep the tradition of great barbecue alive.

If that’s true, Ned knew what he was doing. Buz and Ned’s calls itself the only real barbecue restaurant around for 100 miles (which basically means the entire corridor between DC and North Carolina), and although I can’t verify that claim, I can confirm that this is very real barbecue. What makes Buz and Ned’s barbecue worth the visit is that the sauce works perfectly with its meat.

Few people realize it until they have a bad pairing, but a sauce can make or break a barbecue meal. Too much of a sweetness in the sauce can overwhelm the meat and mask its taste. Too much vinegar can make the taste acidic rather than complementing the meat the way sauce is supposed to do.

Buz and Ned’s sauce, however, is a great combination. It has to be, because unlike Jethro’s, Buz and Ned’s only uses one sauce, made with over 20 secret ingredients. Given that they cook and smoke multiple meats, the sauce has to be able to work with the taste of pork, beef and chicken, which are three very different meats.

However, the sauce manages to work well. It’s not too sweet, it’s not too sour, it’s not too acidic, it’s not overwhelming. It’s not quite as good as a specialty sauce would be, but it works very well. You get the taste of the meat with flavor added, and that’s what really good barbecue is supposed to be. Clearly, Buz has learned well. My pork sandwich was moist, juicy, flavorful and had the right amount of sauce. Absolutely a wonderful meal.

His knowledge also shows in the side dishes available. Standards such as baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw and a three-cheese macaroni dot the menu. I can’t speak to the first three, but the three cheeses in the pasta work great, and it’s cooked very well.

But the real jewel among the sides is the cinnamon bourbon apples. These are also found at barbecue places across the country, but Buz and Ned’s really knows how to do these well. The taste of cinnamon permeates each bite, and the apples stay together, keeping a firm texture despite the infusion of the cinnamon-bourbon glaze. It’s sweet, and works great as a contrast to the barbecue.

It took me a while to find a place to review in my home state, but it’s a pretty nice debut. I’m not sure if Virginia has any other places that really know barbecue, but Buz and Ned’s certainly does.

Recap

Time to go: Lunch or dinner. I would not advise going before a Richmond Flying Squirrels game, as this place is very near the ballpark and likely gets crowded.

Wait during my visit: Minimal. The line moves quickly, and there is an ample amount of seating, because Buz and Ned’s provides a tent for people wanting the picnic feel along with their space in the building.

Location: Buz and Ned’s can be found at 1119 N. Boulevard in Richmond. There’s a second location on Broad Street in the suburb of Henrico, though it has a Richmond address.

Cost: Most meals are going to be around $12.

Parking: Challenging. The lot is not big enough to hold all the cars. You might have to find street parking, which is available.

Website: Buz and Ned’s

Specialty items: Barbecue

Trimbo’s Off the Hook, Butte, Mont.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about Trimbo’s is a lot of snow. There’s a reason for that. Butte, Montana is a very snowy city because of its northern location and its high elevation. As such, when I came through Butte on my way home from a game Eastern Washington (I had gotten the bright idea to drive to Cheney instead of fly to Spokane), I entered in the midst of a raging snowstorm.

That meant two things. First, I was going to have a long and difficult couple hundred miles ahead to what was then my home in Idaho. Second, Trimbo’s had better be worth the arduous task of getting it.

It certainly was. Nobody thinks high-quality pizza when they think of Montana, but Trimbo’s isn’t exactly the typical mountain pizza joint. In fact, the restaurant was started by two guys from the east who wanted to open their own pizza place and finally decided to go ahead and do it. Why they picked Butte, I’m not sure, but it’s obviously worked out pretty well for them.

What sets Trimbo’s apart is their commitment to fresh ingredients and the size of their meals. This isn’t Big Pie In The Sky, where one slice can feed a person, but their pizzas are a pretty good size and they pride themselves on including more ingredients at a lower price than their competition.

As far as the fresh ingredients, you wouldn’t think so, but it’s actually not that hard to get high-quality ingredients in the Rockies. California isn’t too far away, nor is Oregon, which leads to a good amount of quality at a price that isn’t too taxing and allows Trimbo’s to shine.

Where Trimbo’s really stands out is its calzones and strombolis. The difference between the two is that a stromboli has the pizza sauce baked inside the dough, while a calzone serves the sauce outside the dough and uses is it more for dipping. Either way works pretty well, but I’m definitely more a fan of dipping rather than having it inside, so for me, the best option was a calzone.

Trimbo’s offers 12 standard calzones, with the option to add as many toppings as you want to create your masterpiece. I just decided to go with a simple favorite, the New York, which includes ricotta and mozzarella, along with bioth marinara and ranch for dipping. OK, not too original, but I figured that if their ingredients are as good as they say, they don’t need a lot of toppings to have it taste good.

The choice was excellent. The dough gets baked to perfection and topped with plenty of oregano, which just happens to work perfectly on anything Italian. Even better, there’s oregano in the calzone itself, making for a flavorful experience on every bite. The ricotta adds a new texture to it, and of course, the mozzarella is nothing short of outstanding. With either sauce, or without sauce at all, this thing is totally worth the visit.

For the more creative, Trimbo’s features calzones with items like fried peppers, Canadian bacon or even anchovies. And again, if nothing appeals to you, you can always add more toppings. For the really big eaters, Trimbo’s offers the ultra-ridiculous Jumboli Challenge.

The challenge is a five-pound stromboli, stuffed with three meats, four vegetables and two kinds of cheese. Basically, it’s not for the people with small stomachs, and even if you can eat a lot, this could be really tough. You have an hour to get the job done, and they require reservations so they can have it ready for you. It’s that much food.

Challenge aside, quality is what makes this place great. Should you ever find yourself where I-15 meets I-90, a detour into the city is a good idea.

Recap

Time to go: Lunch/dinner. Trimbo’s also offers free delivery in Butte north of Interstate 90, if you’re staying there.

Wait during my visit: None, but the calzones and strombolis take a while to cook. They say you should allow 25 minutes for them to cook, and that’s probably accurate.

Location: Trimbo’s can be found at 43 East Park Street in Butte, Mont.

Cost: Regardless of ingredients, every calzone is $7.50 unless you start adding toppings. The biggest pizzas will be under $20.

Parking: It’s Butte. One lot is enough.

Website: Trimbo’s

Specialty items: Calzones

Kopp’s Frozen Custard, Milwaukee

Prior to moving to the Midwest in college, I had no idea what frozen custard was. I had grown up on ice cream in the east, never realizing that there is in fact a difference in the two products. Ice cream, by definition, has to contain fewer than 1.4 percent of egg products. If there’s any more egg in there and it’s not a soft-serve ice cream, the result is frozen custard.

In the Midwest, frozen custard is the preferred dessert, and the place to find the best is in Milwaukee, where an abundance of local dairy products make it a natural spot to serve the best frozen dairy treats. Several places claim to serve the best in the Brew City, but there’s only one that was the first to go beyond the basic chocolate and vanilla, and that’s Kopp’s Frozen Custard. Kopp’s is actually in the suburbs of Milwaukee, but it’s close enough for me.

The way frozen custard stands work in Wisconsin is nothing like what you find at places like Baskin-Robbins or Cold Stone Creamery, where you can get whatever ice cream you want any day of the week.  At Kopp’s and other Wisconsin custard places, you need a calendar to know what flavor is going to be available on your visit.

That’s because Kopp’s only produces four flavors a day and rotates which flavors it chooses to make. Chocolate and vanilla are always offered, but the other two choices could be anything. On one day, you might have red velvet cake and pomegranate available. A return trip might produce butter pecan and chocolate peanut butter, or red raspberry and key lime pie. On the signs outside the restaurant, Kopp’s will announce which flavors are being produced that day, information that also shows up on their website.

On my visit, my choice was mint chip, as you’ve probably gathered by the sign and the picture at the start of the post, thus eliminating any suspense. Suspense aside, this was heavenly. As I said before, frozen custard has to contain at least 1.4 percent egg, which makes for a richer, creamier dessert than the standard ice cream. The texture is so smooth that it’s almost like a soft-serve with the taste and fullness of regular ice cream. It’s soft and spoonable from the second it gets out of the machine.

Kopp’s uses dark chocolate chips in the mint custard, which is an easy way to win me over, as that means two of my favorite tastes are combined into one. The mint is cool, creamy and refreshing. It’s a perfect treat on a hot summer day.

But custard isn’t the only good thing you’ll find at Kopp’s. Unlike many other frozen custard places, Kopp’s also serves up a full lunch/dinner menu of burgers, chicken and fish sandwiches. Since a burger and fries just go together with ice cream in my opinion, it was a natural choice to combine them all together before heading off to Mitchell Airport to catch my flight.

This burger is very juicy and tastes fantastic. It’s hard to stand out with a basic cheeseburger, but Kopp’s manages to do it with a burger that is cooked to absolute perfection. It’s hot and fresh, yet not overcooked so that the meat is too tough. This is the way the best burgers are, and it makes Kopp’s worth a visit for any meal.

You don’t stay in business for over 60 years in the frozen custard capital of the world without doing something right, and Kopp’s certainly knows what it’s doing. Any time my plans call for a trip through Milwaukee, I’m checking the calendar to see what’s on the menu.

Recap

Time to go: All three Kopp’s locations are open at 10:30 a.m. and close late. 10 p.m. is closing time in Brookfield, with Greenfield and Glendale closing at 11.

Wait during my visit: Not long, despite a packed restaurant. They move you through quickly.

Location: I visited the one in Greenfield, which is at 7631 Layton Ave., Greenfield, Wis. It’s a Milwaukee suburb near Mitchell Airport (MKE).

Cost: With burger, fries and custard, you’ll still get out for around $10. It’s more costly if you want a sundae, but that is to be expected.

Parking: At Greenfield, it’s in a shopping center. There’s plenty of parking to be had.

Website: Kopp’s

Specialty items: Frozen custard

Lindy’s On Fourth, Tucson, Ariz.

This will be my second no-food picture one, as, like Ike’s Place, my visit to Lindy’s on Fourth predates when I took pictures of food. So I’ll just have to give everything a description as best as I can of the burgers that make Lindy’s a Tucson institution.

Basically, Lindy’s is to burgers what Ike’s is to sandwiches what Voodoo is to doughnuts. The restaurant loves to come up with creative names for its multiple burger creations, and its abundance of burgers puts it on a par with Vortex. Lindy’s boasts 23 burgers, and like Vortex, for a nominal fee, you can substitute a meatless patty or a chicken breast for those who simply aren’t fans of beef.

Once there, your first choice is how many patties you want. Most burgers come with one, two or three, with each patty weighing in at 1/3 pounds. For the people with ridiculously huge appetites, however, Lindy’s offers the AZ Hooligan, which features five patties. If that’s not enough, you can take on the challenge of the OMFG burger, which features nine patties, plus Swiss and cheddar cheeses and the traditional burger toppings. Finish in 30 minutes and you win and get a picture on the wall. Get it done in 20, and your burger is free. If not, you’re paying $25.

With the huge portions out of the way, it’s time to get down to the creativity that is Lindy’s menu. Options include the Ninja, which features pineapple, provolone, ginger and wasabi, the Spartacus, featuring feta cheese and Greek tzatziki sauce (although Spartacus was Roman, not sure what that’s about), the Picnic Basket, which tops your burger with a mound of potato salad and the Fat Bastard, which adds a fried egg and bacon to the burger on a glazed cinnamon roll.

In the face of all those options, I went with something else I’d never tried: the Mac and Cheese burger. It’s your standard burger, with one big change. The burger patty is covered with Kraft macaroni and cheese, combining two of America’s most loved comfort foods. The result is a tasty mess that is all but guaranteed to fall apart, but it’s so worth the hassle.

The noodles and cheese sauce work very well with the tastes of the perfectly grilled burger, and the macaroni has the unintentional effect of turning the fries (if you chose to order them) into an impromptu plate of cheese fries. Would that I could discover mistakes like this more often.

Besides the burgers, Lindy’s also serves cheesesteaks, with far fewer options to them than exist on their burgers. There are a few things you can play around with, but cheesesteaks are not one of them. Staying true to how it’s done in Philly, your only cheese options on these are provolone or Whiz. It is strange that no American is offered (for those unfamiliar, American is also considered perfectly reasonable on a true Philly, but Swiss is never allowed), but I guess they voted to focus the creativity on the burgers, and given the results. I can’t fault them for that.

Sure, Arizona might be known for Mexican and Sonoran cuisine, but there’s always room for a good burger, no matter what part of the country you’re in. When you’re as creative with your burgers as Lindy’s is, you’re going to find a following no matter where you are, and deservedly so.

Recap

Time to go: Depends on the day. Lindy’s is closed at 4 p.m. on Mondays and 5 p.m. on Sundays, but it stays open as late as 2 a.m. on Thursday through Saturday. If you’re going on a day that isn’t Sunday or Monday, a late visit works.

Wait during my visit: On the longer side, as the restaurant is in an old town section of Tucson somewhat close to the University of Arizona.

Location: Lindy’s is at 431 N. 4th Avenue. Be especially vigilant here, it is not easy to find from the road.

Cost: Not bad, a burger and fries should run you about $11.

Parking: Good luck. There’s only street parking here, and this street gets very busy. I don’t even remember where I managed to find a space, I just remember I was pretty sure I was parked illegally in one area. Just grab the first open spot you can find.

Website: Lindy’s On Fourth

Specialty items: Burgers

The English Grille at The Brown Hotel, Louisville, Ky.

It’s not often you get to taste a famous creation at the place that is the unquestioned creator of the dish. It’s even rarer that such an event takes place in an atmosphere that is the ultimate in upscale, and rarer still that the atmosphere is inside a hotel.

But that’s exactly the situation at the English Grille inside the Brown Hotel in Louisville, the home of  and inventors of the Hot Brown, an open-faced turkey sandwich covered in bacon, cheese and Mornay sauce that has become the signature dish of the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky since the Brown Hotel created it in 1926.

When you walk into the English Grille, you immediately realize that you’re in a four-star restaurant all the way. I actually found that out the hard way on my trip to Louisville, when I attempted to walk into the English Grille while wearing my standard T-shirt and shorts. Wasn’t going to happen. No pants, no entry into the English Grille. Luckily, at the advice of my wonderful girlfriend Amy McFann (seriously, where would I be without her?), I had packed one pair of pants on my nine-day Southeast expedition, so I headed back to my car, changed clothes and returned to the Brown Hotel.

Once inside, you see why there’s a dress code. I’m not a fashion expert (certainly not anywhere near the level of my friend Courtney), but I’m pretty sure the waiters were all wearing tuxedos. The menu is designed with a leather-like covering, and everything’s written in the fancy print. Put simply, you’re a long way from Applebee’s.

In case the decor and presentation wasn’t enough to alert you to that, the English Grille staff lets you know this place is something special with its free samples. A few minutes after taking my seat and placing my order, a waiter came by with a slice of cucumber, topped with goat cheese, tomato and lemon zest, a complimentary taste from the chef. Upon handing it to you, the waiter informs you that it’s meant to be eaten in one bite to get all the flavors, and it’s certainly a great taste. I’m going to have to make this myself someday, because the ingredients work so well with each other.

Of course, genius that I am, I made a rare mistake and forgot to take a picture of the creation before devouring it. However, the English Grille staff being the helpful people they are (think Jimmy from Mi Nidito), when I explained what I do, the waiter grabbed another one for me.

With the new taste handled, the English Grille follows with an array of bread and butter. Your table is provided with blue Kentucky cornbread, cumin crackers and regular bread, along with three types of spreads: unsalted butter, butter with chives and olive oil mixed with vinaigrette.These are all delicious, but my favorite has to be the cornbread with chive butter. Such a wonderful mix of different flavors that goes down perfectly.

If you remember Lynn’s Paradise Cafe, bread there is also served with two butters and a red condiment. However, my friend and Louisville resident Amber Millay assures me that this is neither a Louisville requirement nor tradition. It is an oddity, but I’m not complaining.

OK, I’ve set the scene well enough. It’s time to bring up the reason people come to the English Grille: the often imitated, never duplicated (their words) Hot Brown, which of course gets its name from the Brown Hotel itself. The sandwich starts with a layer of Texas toast, with one slice on the plate and the other split in half and anchoring both sides of the sandwich. The bread is topped with roasted turkey and tomatoes, then covered with Mornay sauce, a cream-based sauce with cheese mixed in. More Pecorino Romano cheese is added, and the whole thing goes under the broiler to heat up.

Once the sandwich is bubbling, it comes out and bacon is added to it. More cheese gets thrown on the bacon, and dried parsley and paprika are added for the finishing touch. It is wonderful. The bacon, turkey, tomato and cheese work so well with each other, and when combined with the creamy and hot Mornay sauce, it’s no wonder that they claim the Hot Brown has never been duplicated, nor is it any wonder why it has become associated with the city of Louisville.

It seems strange to eat an open-faced sandwich in a place nice enough that it would be the ideal place for a CEO to hold a business meeting or take his wife out for their anniversary. But that’s what happens when you invent something as delicious as the Hot Brown, an experience that shouldn’t be missed.

Recap

Time to go: Dinner only, as the English Grille is only open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Saturday

Wait during my visit: None. There was plenty of seating in an intimate and classy atmosphere.

Location: The English Grille is inside the historic Brown Hotel, located at 335 W. Broadway in Louisville, Ky.

Cost: Oh boy. You’re paying for the tradition, hospitality, classiness and experience of dining at the English Grille. As such, this will not be anything close to inexpensive. Plan on about $30 a person, but as with Wintzell’s Oyster House, it’s worth it.

Parking: Here’s an adventure. Louisville has a pay lot across from the Brown, but after a certain time, the guard goes home and the lot becomes free. I would not advocate trying this if there’s an event happening, such as a Louisville Cardinals basketball game, but I got free parking. Street parking can be found if the lot isn’t an option.

Website: The Brown Hotel

Specialty items: The Hot Brown

Rockies Diner, Boise, Idaho

From the second you step into Rockies Diner in the Gem State’s capital, it feels like you’ve gone back to the 1950’s. The waitresses are on skates, the music is from two generations ago and the lights and checkerboard floor are exactly what you’d find in the old movies. In every sense of the word, Rockies is the classic American diner.

Of course, that includes the food. Whether it’s breakfast or lunch, you’re bound to find something good at Rockies, a statement I can make because I’ve managed to show up at both times of the day (thank you, Idaho state basketball tournament) to try some completely different options.

On the breakfast side of things, Rockies is known for its wide variety of burgers. These aren’t ridiculous-sized burgers, with the exception of the Johnny B. Goode and the Earthquake, but they certainly are delicious and creative. Options such as the Sourdough Burger, the Zorba (gyro meat on the burger), the Bleu Cheese, the Mushroom and the Colossal (pastrami-topped) dot the menu on the normal burger side. Open-faced burgers are available, covered in chili and cheese for a delicious combination that is best tried while wearing a color other than white. You can also get the chili cheeseburger as a standard, topped burger.

On my two burger visits, I’ve gone with the Mushroom and the Chili Cheeseburger, with a side of fries added. Rockies’ fries are standard and thick-cut, exactly what you’d expect from a diner. They’ve got plenty of potato (it is Idaho, after all) and plenty of taste.

The two big burgers, which I wasn’t touching, include one regular burger and one open-faced. The Earthquake adds a second patty to the mix, and adds pastrami, bacon, chili and two kinds of cheese. The biggest is the Johnny B. Goode, which is part of the Rockies’ Challenge. The burger includes three patties, a hot dog, pastrami, two cheeses and is smothered in chili. Somehow, it costs less than the Earthquake. I have no idea what kind of accountants they’re employing at Rockies, because this burger weighs 4 1/2 pounds.

When the Johnny B. Goode is made a part of the challenge, it gets paired with a 16 ounce milkshake and a 1 1/2 pound plate of chili cheese fries, and you’ve got a half-hour to get those down with the entire restaurant staring at you in order to try to win a guitar. I do not recommend even trying it, but going to Rockies and not getting a milkshake is a mistake. I’ve only tried the chocolate, and with a full serving of whipped cream, it’s wonderful. Other flavors include vanilla, strawberry, Oreo, cherry, caramel, black raspberry and banana.

On the breakfast front, Rockies delivers in the form of omelets. Nine different omelets are available, including a mushroom Swiss omelet that is basically a siren song for me (about the only greater siren song for me is peanut butter pie). The combination of egg, shroom and cheese works perfectly, and when paired with some high-quality hash browns (it’s Idaho, you cannot find a bad potato in the state) and sourdough toast, it’s a perfect way to start your day.

Diners from the 1950’s are all over the country, but few provide the food quality that can be found at Rockies. The wide options available make this place stand out from the genre, and make it worth a visit.

Recap

Time to go: Anytime. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, Rockies has a satisfying meal available.

Wait during my visit: None. Diners tend not to have long waits, and Rockies is no exception.

Location: Rockies is at 3900 West Overland Road in Boise, Idaho.

Cost: Most burgers are under $10. You should be able to get out of here for under $15.

Parking: Not a lot, and the lot isn’t easy to navigate, but you shouldn’t have too many issues finding a spot.

Website: Rockies Diner. The restaurant also advertises specials on its site and Facebook page.

Specialty items: Omelets, burgers, milshakes

Benji’s Deli, Milwaukee

The word delicatessen didn’t appear in the English language until the 1880’s. Not coincidentally, that was around the time when the Jewish population began migrating to New York City in large numbers, bringing their favorite foods with them to set up their culture in their new homeland. Since that began, the deli has become associated with the Jewish culture, mainly because it’s hard to do it better than the juicy, meaty sandwiches that a good, locally-owned deli provides.

It’s also hard to do it better than Benji’s, which is nowhere near the Big Apple but is the quintessential Jewish deli in every sense in its Milwaukee location. It’s a small, no-frills restaurant that serves high-quality and large sandwiches and serves as a daily stop for several residents of the city. In fact, it’s so low-key that if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for and where you’re going, there’s a great chance you’ll miss it, because signage is not really something Benji’s is big on having.

Missing it would be disastrous, because Benji’s serves some of the best and biggest sandwiches you’re going to find. It doesn’t get any bigger than Benji’s Hear O Israel, which is a half-pound sandwich filled with four kinds of meat (corned beef, pastrami, salami and pepper beef), Swiss cheese, cole slaw and 1000 Island dressing on the classic rye bread. It’s big enough to be a food challenge on a smaller scale, and I wasn’t going to be foolish enough to try to get that much sandwich into my body.

Instead, I went with the classic Reuben, loaded with corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut. I’m actually not a fan of sauerkraut, and corned beef is not something you’re usually going to find me eating, but the flavors just work together so well here. It’s been voted the best corned beef in Milwaukee (aside: how do they come up with these categories?) and I can certainly see why. The hand-carved meat is cut to perfection, and with some dressing thrown on along with the kraut and Swiss, it’s a heck of a sandwich. The rye is toasted, adding a layer of texture that takes the flavors to an even higher level.

I was not fortunate enough to be able to try a soup of Benji’s I surely would have enjoyed, the mushroom barley soup. Unfortunately, this soup is only served Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and I showed up on a Wednesday. Oh well. When the mushroom barley soup isn’t there, you’ve got options of chili, borscht or their mish mosh soup, chicken broth with the works. Apparently, the works is quite a lot of stuff, because they say it’s too big to serve in a cup. Not sure how soup manages to achieve that, but whatever works.

Other Benji’s sandwiches include the Gonzo, a smaller version of the Hear O Israel served with corned beef as the only meat, and the Benji, which is solely corned beef on rye. The Jewish staple of latkes can also be found on the menu (although it’s listed as potato pancakes so as not to confuse those who don’t know what the term means), as well as several different deli meats as a sandwich and several traditional American staples.

Benji’s also serves breakfast all day and features a menu of omelettes, benedicts and their special, the Hoppel Poppel, which is a blend of scrambled eggs, fried salami and hash browns. It can even be upgraded to a Super Hoppel Poppel with the addition of vegetables and cheese. The omelettes and benedicts aren’t your typical fare either, as lox and corned beef become options.

I’m not completely sure why the deli became associated with Jewish culture, but I’m glad it did. Benji’s certainly knows what makes a great sandwich, and the result is something everyone can enjoy regardless of culture.

Recap

Time to go: Breakfast/lunch, but really any time of day is good for a visit. It does close at 8 p.m.

Wait during my visit: None. This place might be famous and ooze culture, but it doesn’t usually get packed.

Location: Benji’s is at 4156 N. Oakland Avenue in Milwaukee.

Cost: Sandwiches run about $10, soup is about $3 or $4.

Parking: There’s a lot there. You’re set.

Website: None

Specialty items: Sandwiches

Wintzell’s Oyster House, Montgomery/Mobile, Ala.

There’s no doubt about it, to get the best oysters at any time of year, you head to the warm waters of the Gulf Coast. Oysters Rockefeller was invented in New Orleans, and with the population thriving in the Gulf of Mexico, it’s almost a given that you’re going to find the rich treat served the way you like it somewhere in the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and Louisiana, as we got a glimpse of at Skipper’s Smokehouse.

It’s not so sure that you’re going to find the best oysters inland in these states, but that’s exactly what you get at the Montgomery location of Wintzell’s Oyster House, an Alabama seafood institution. Wintzell’s is based in the much more aquatic city of Mobile, located where Interstate 65 meets the Gulf of Mexico, but at 170 miles to the northeast, it’s a natural move for it to have a location in the state capital, given the concentration of Alabama’s population in the northern part of the state.

I’m darn glad they did, because even after the short trip, the oysters at Wintzell’s are fantastic. Wintzell’s has been around since 1938, and it now offers a location as far north as Huntsville, just under six hours north of Mobile and a lot closer to Kentucky than it is to the Gulf. Apparently, it works, because Wintzell’s is planning to expand to Birmingham soon. That’s what happens when you serve the best oysters in the state, and Wintzell’s has proven itself time and time again over the past 74 years, serving up witty sayings and jokes on its walls along the way.

The main reason for Wintzell’s success is the quality of the oysters. Being based in Mobile, Wintzell’s knows how to spot good oysters, and they’ll serve them to you raw, grilled or fried depending on your preference. Personally, I don’t trust raw (maybe someday) and while the fried oysters are based on a 75-year-old secret recipe, I couldn’t pass up the sheer variety that is Wintzell’s grilled oyster sampler platter.

Wintzell’s offers four different kinds of grilled oysters, varying in the kinds of toppings used. First, there’s the standard grilled oysters, which Wintzell’s covers with butter and a mix of Parmesan and Romano cheese. Those are followed by the standard in the Gulf Coast, Oysters Rockefeller, with a delicious spinach topping. Up next is the Monterey, aimed at the person who likes a little bit of heat and a little bit of meat. It’s covered with cheddar cheese, bacon and a slice of jalapeno. Finally, for the seafood lover, the Bienville covers the oyster meat in a Parmesan cream sauce that includes crabmeat and shrimp.

It adds up to 16 oysters in all, and there’s not a bad one among them. My personal favorite was the Bienville, but the grilled oysters give it a great run for its money. All of them are delicious, and all will give you a true taste of why Wintzell’s will celebrate its 75th year in business next year.

That’s not to say that you should stop at the oysters. Fish can also be found throughout the menu, with favorites such as flounder available. Prior to your entree, you’d be remiss not to try one of Wintzell’s homemade soups, and good luck trying to decide which one to go with. Wintzell’s menu includes four soups that all sound excellent, with each providing something different. It proudly proclaims its seafood gumbo as the Gulf Coast’s best, it touts its L. A. (Lower Alabama) Seafood Chowder for its rich and creamy taste, its cream of crab soup features a bit of sherry and if you’ve had enough seafood (what are you, nuts?), they feature a Jamaican Jerk chicken chili.

While gumbo and chowder are certainly intriguing, there are few creatures I love eating more than crab, and Wintzell’s didn’t disappoint. The soup is loaded with good crabmeat and has a creamy taste and texture that makes it simply one of the best soups I’ve ever had. With dried parsley on top, it’s just perfect.

New Orleans might be the place that started the Gulf Coast’s love of oysters, but it’s hard to see how the Crescent City could do better than Wintzell’s. Should you find yourself anywhere in the Yellowhammer State (it’s the state bird, and I seriously think they just made up the species name to rhyme with Alabama), you’ve got some great seafood nearby.

Recap

Time to go: Lunch/dinner. Oysters are a perfect dinner meal, but work well at any time after breakfast.

Wait during my visit: None beyond the standard wait on your meal. I got a table immediately.

Location: Pretty much anywhere in Alabama. My visit was in Montgomery, which is located at 105 Commerce Street near the state capitol.

Cost: Oysters aren’t cheap, and you’ll pay over $20 for the sampler, plus another $5 for a cup of the soup. This is one time to just throw caution to the wind and pay the extra money, though, because the oysters and soups are that good.

Parking: The city had some, but it was metered. I would wager other locations for Wintzell’s do have parking lots.

Website: Wintzell’s Oyster House

Signature items: Oysters, soups

Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, Fla.

Because of its location on the Gulf Coast, the Tampa Bay area is home to some of the best seafood available. If it swims, you can probably find it on a menu in Tampa, and it’s hard to do seafood better than Skipper’s Smokehouse, which doubles as a small concert site as well as a fine restaurant in the northern part of the city.

What makes Skipper’s worth the trip up I-275 is the wide variety of seafood available and the ways they serve it. One of its more famous meals is a blackened grouper reuben, served with the fish instead of the traditional corned beef. Other items you’re not likely to find elsewhere include conch fritters, crawfish tail, beer-boiled shrimp and alligator ribs. Along with that, Skipper’s boasts a fine selection of more common sea creatures, like catfish, crab and clams. They call it “Floribbean”, and it really works.

Those were merely the things I didn’t order, which tells you how diverse this menu truly is, and it starts with its soups. Skipper’s boasts three soups on the menu in the form of clam chowder, conch chowder and black bean gator chili, which I simply had to try. I had never had alligator before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect beyond the tired cliche that it tastes like chicken.

Alligator doesn’t taste like chicken. What it does taste like is a really good cut of pork, meaty, flavorful and delicious. When mixed with the black beans and spices that create a good chili, it’s a taste with a bit of a kick that shouldn’t be missed. The exception, of course, is if you’re trying one of Skipper’s other quality soups. My wonderful lady Amy McFann was with me on this occasion and had the clam chowder, which she said was one of the best she’d ever tried. I had one small taste (one of the many great things about having her with me) and can vouch for it, it’s really, really good. The chowder is similar to a New England clam chowder, with several spices that give it a great and different taste.

So, the entree you see at the top of this page? It’s the dish of choice at Skipper’s when you’ve got more than one person in your party and care to sample a large chunk of the ocean. Skipper’s Platter includes fried shrimp, oysters, gator tail, fish dip, calamari, catfish and hush puppies, plus two sides. It is the perfect sampler platter and is great for two people to enjoy. The squid is as meaty as you’d expect, the oysters have the perfect taste and texture, the shrimp is fresh and there’s the aforementioned gator tail, which has the same wonderful taste as found in the gator chili. The fish dip is the only forgettable thing about the platter, as it’s really just a small bit of tuna dip (or at least, that’s what it tasted like), but with a tour of the ocean on your plate along with fries, rice and black beans (or a different side, that’s just what we had available), one mediocre portion is totally acceptable.

Skipper’s might be known as an outside concert place to some extent, but that’s not the reason you come here. You come to enjoy fresh and different Gulf Coast seafood at a location that’s about as close to the ocean as you can get.

Recap

Time to go: Dinner, and go on the early side unless you want to possibly pay more for a concert. Skipper’s does bring in acts nightly, although they’re not really anything special. These are local guys looking for a gig, so it’s only going to cost an extra $5 if it’s concert night. However, it can be avoided.

Wait during my visit: Substantial. This place is definitely popular, and we actually had to go to the bar area to get our meal without waiting forever, which was necessary because Amy had to watch her beloved Kentucky Wildcats drill Western Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament that night. Did I mention how awesome she is?

Location: Skipper’s is located at 910 Skipper Road in Tampa, Fla.

Parking: Not easy, as the lot fills up, but there is some available.

Cost: Plan on about $15. Not cheap, but not bad.

Website: Skipper’s Smokehouse

Specialty items: Seafood, gator chili

Chino Bandido, Phoenix

When you think of Arizona, you tend to think of quality Mexican food, as we saw at Mi Nidito in Tucson. When you think of Arizona, you do not tend to think of quality Chinese food, and if you do, you certainly don’t tend to think of quality Mexican and Chinese food together in one restaurant.

But that’s exactly what you get with Chino Bandido, which successfully manages to combine two great tastes into something wonderful that is a little bit of both. As far as I know, short of a buffet, this is the only place where you can order Chinese and Mexican in the same meal, or even put a Chinese creation on a Mexican tortilla. The creation came about when two native Arizonans went into the restaurant business, with the wife of the married couple possessing an Asian background to go with both’s knowledge of Mexican cuisine.

What makes it impressive is how well the tastes blend together, which is probably a result of the relatively small menu at Chino Bandido. Their menu includes 14 different ways the meat is prepared, with almost every entree involving either pork or chicken. Of the options on Chino Bandido’s menu, seven are chicken, three involve pork, one is beef and three are vegetarian options.

The difference comes in the preparation. Want some Caribbean-style heat? Go with the Jerk Chicken, marinated with spicy seasoning and some really hot peppers. Prefer a milder, Asian flavor? Try the Emerald Chicken, served in a green onion sauce with ginger. Carnitas offer a straight Mexican pork option, and egg foo yung is as Chinese as it gets. There’s something on the scale for every taste.

Once you’ve chosen your meat or meats (you can get either one or two in a combination), your next choice is how you want them served. You can get your entree served as it is, or put it into a burrito or a quesadilla. Yes, you can have an egg foo yung burrito if you wish, for example. Anything is an option, and that means 42 possible entrees.

For my trip, I went with a carnitas burrito and an Emerald Chicken quesadilla. Both were simply perfect. The price is unaffected in regards to your choice, which you mark on an order sheet. Each entree is given a number, and what you write is what you get. For instance, if you want the Emerald Chicken, you’d write 10. If you want it in a burrito, it’s 10B. In a quesadilla? 10Q.

But Chino Bandido doesn’t stop there with the choices. As with most Mexican places, they throw on beans and rice as sides. However, these aren’t the typical refried beans and Mexican rice that you come to expect. While you can get the refried beans, you’d be missing out on some quality mashed black beans, which are far less common and are very delicious. On the rice side, the Asian side shows through again as Chino Bandido allows you to choose white rice or fried rice, offering four different kinds of the Asian delicacy.

The meal finishes off with the one part that is neither Asian nor Mexican, but comes standard with every meal and is probably the most underrated part of a visit to Chino Bandido. This would be Chino Bandido’s homemade snickerdoodle, which is one of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. It’s got the perfect amounts of cinnamon and sugar and the right amount of crunch and chewiness that you would expect a bakery-quality cookie to have.

It’s not something you expect from a Mexican restaurant, but then again, neither is Chinese food. Chino Bandido left what you would expect from a Mexican restaurant behind a long time ago, and it’s substantially better for it. It’s certainly one of the most unique food experiences you’ll have, all the way to the statue of a panda in a sombrero.

Recap

Time to go: Lunch/dinner. Chino Bandido opens at 11 a.m.

Wait during my visit: Not bad. The line can get long, but it moves quick. You shouldn’t have problems.

Location: Chino Bandido can be found at 15414 North 19th Avenue in Phoenix, with a second location operating in the suburb of Chandler.

Parking: They’ll have it. It’s in a small shopping center.

Cost: Most times, you’ll get out for $10 or less.

Website: Chino Bandido

Specialty items: Chinese, Mexican