Mon Amie Chez Daisie

Bonjour my fellow PM's. I have found a gem in upstate New York. No, not wings. I for one cannot do the whole wing thing, I just am not capable of the whole grinding on meat off the bone thing. Yes, I am sure it's delicious but I don't paint on cave walls with my hands and fight off wooly mammoths at every turn so I wont be using my newly minted opposable thumbs to gnaw on some meat fresh of the bone.
Sorry... tangent!
Anyway, the gem I found that makes the blandness of upstate NY stand out was a quaint little Crepe place in Schenectady. It is called Chez Daisie and it serves up both sweet and savory in a cute café like atmosphere. Check it out.
183 Jay StSchenectady, NY 12305(518) 344-7082

The World of Virginia Drive-By Cuisine

Anyone who has been assigned to Richmond 7 times in the course of one BER year gets to know the Virginia landscape pretty well. It's a beautiful state, full of green farm fields and great historical places, along with tasty eats. In this post, I want to discuss the options for the horrible 3 hour Roanoke to Richmond drive, since I've done it twice this year.

You have two options for driving:

Option 1 is what your Garmin will suggest automatically--driving the diagonal, more direct route through Lynchburg (worst named city in the country imho) and Appomattox. On a three hour drive, you will most likely want to stop and eat somewhere. DO NOT assume that Appomattox, with the reconstructed courthouse where the civil war ended and it's sign advertising "Restaurants and Antique Shops" is a good place to stop. Unless you want Dairy Queen, the only currently open restaurant is Grannie Bee's. This is a place where the over 60 set gather to share "Sahl-oh-mahn" cakes and "the extra vegetable of the evening... mac'n'cheese" while waiting for karaoke night to start. I am not joking. This place is a living, breathing southern Twilight Zone episode. You can get sweet tea, but from the look of it, you can also get food poisoning, or at least a loss of appetite. Beware, and get dinner in Farmville or Lynchburg instead.

Option 2, in which you pass through Charlottesburg, is the longer route, but has WAY better options as far as dinner is concerned. Charlottesburg has in fact completely won me over--thank your lucky stars if you get a seminar in this adorable college town near Jefferson and Madison's homes. The first time, I passed through as a drive by dinner stop, where I had fabulous chicken catchatorie at the South Street Brewery in the historic downtown area (South street and 2nd). They also had an amazing-sounding porter that had "chocolate" in it's name, if you're not a lightweight, don't pass out after a beer, or if you can get your sober presenter to drive the rest of the way... There's also a great pedestrian walking area not far from the brewery, where you can find a ton of good options. If your presenter has hinted at taking you out for a nice dinner, or has expressed a craving for crab, look no further than Hamilton's on the Pedestrian walk way near 2nd street. Their crab cakes (pictured at left) were their specialty for good reason. It's not quite as good as dungeness, but full of huge lumps of crab. I shared them with my presenter, along with a salmon dish which was very nicely done as well, and then the "chocolate many ways" dessert, which was to die for. We caught a glimpse of the key lime and coconut cake as we were walking out, completely stuffed, and wished we had just another inch of space in our stomachs. There are non-seafood dishes on the menu, all looked very well done.

The Drive: Richmond to Roanoke, or visa versa, via Charlottesburg. (or Appomattox if you're brave)

The Place: Charlottesburg Historic Downtown district, with the South Street Brewery and Hamilton's

The Food: The brewery has decent pub food, including some lighter options like chicken catchatorie. Hamilton's has good seafood as well as other gourmet dishes. They also have a decent appetizer menu that could serve as a multiple-items shared meal, lowering the cost a bit.

The Price: South Street Brewery is under $20. Hamiltons is mostly under $30.

Eating at the Marriott, Richmond

Sometimes you don't want to go very far once you've gotten to your hotel. You've valet parked your car and just want a quick bite at the restaurant in the hotel, but cringe at the prices and the lack of taste. Lucky for you, the Marriott at the Richmond Convention Center actually has a decent restaurant, The Bluefire Grill. I ordered their Bluefire salad and asked if they could put some grilled steak on it. For under $25 I had an amazingly well cooked medium rare steak of decent size over a delicious salad with a glass of red wine. It pays to be creative since that exact dish wasn't exactly on their dinner menu.

Watch out on this place at lunchtime though, I went there with two other PMs during a same city and it was a slow-and-painful hell hole. The kitchen cannot support feeding the local government types along with a seminar crowd, so if you want lunch there order early. Also, don't push it from the pulpit during the announcement, you'll get lots of angry participants who got their lunch at the last second.

The Place: The Bluefire Grill at the Marriott in Downtown Richmond, VA

The Food: They cook a decent steak. Also, they have many "gourmet" options that actually come out well... the portobello burger is tasty and their salads avoid iceberg (well, except for their tasty-looking wedge salad)

The Price: Lunch under $20, some under $10, Dinner under $30

A Free Breakfast Worth Paying For

If you're ever at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Norfolk, VA but lack Priority Club Gold status, put on your nicest smile and ask for the free breakfast coupon. Even if it is not forthcoming from the lovely hotel front desk staff, I'd recommend even *gasp* paying for their buffet. Why you ask?

Waffles.

Fresh strawberries.

Blueberries.

REAL whipped cream.

Never have I seen such amazingness at a breakfast buffet. They have re-done their restaurant recently and are evidently putting forth some decent effort to up their Holiday Inn caché.

Southern Seafood In Raleigh, NC

Ahh the South... So much good fried food available. But what if you want something a little lighter? Like maybe seafood? Do you tuck your tail between your legs and wimper? No, you go to Fishmongers in Durham, NC.

Only a short drive from the Marriott Civic Center and across the street from the main block of Brightleaf Square, this place has a long list of good beer and a fresh selection of fish and sides. The picture is the barbecued shrimp, but any of the fish selections "blackened" are winners too. Their soups are great for lunch and it's a Seattlites dream in the deep-fried south to find a decent piece of fish. Get the more southern-style sides (butter beans are amazing if they have them) and ask for a reccomendation for what's the freshest.

The Place: Fishmongers, W. Main St. Durham, NC in the Brightleaf Square area

The Food: Fresh fish, southern-style side dishes, long beer list

The Price: The fish is around $15-20 an entree, but many options are closer to the $5-15 range.

Fresh Vegetables in State College, PA

When I'm on the road I find that decent vegetables are the hardest thing to find. You can get a good steak, frothy mashed potatoes, a tasty salad, a Panera sandwich... but finding broccoli or green beans is near impossible. So if you're passing through State College, Pennsylvania and have only gotten vitamins via the Flinstone chewable variety, walk past the Panera and stop in at the Green Bowl.

Make sure you're good and hungry before you go... This is an all-you-can-eat, make-your-own stir-fry bar (but don't call it mongolian grill). For about $8.50, you can go to the bar as many times as you want... and all the ingredients of your dreams are there: veggies, tofu, eggs, noodles, and a bar of sauces you can mix and match to your heart's content, all finished off by selecting what kind of meat you want. Chicken, beef, shrimp, calamari... and it's not those frozen sheets of slivered meat you'd get at a mongolian grill. You pick a colored swizzle stick to denote what meat you want and the stir-frier adds good sized shrimp or chunky steak, plus it doesn't take up space in your bowl. They bring the dish to you at your table and provide you with a bowl of brown or white rice (the brown rice was cooked perfectly, btw). Get creative... if it tastes horrible, you can always go back and try again.

The Place: The Green Bowl, on E Beaver Ave in the same block as Panera. Walking distance from the Day's Inn and a short drive from Toftrees.

The Food: All-you-can-eat, load-up-on-veggies, stir-fry bar

The Price: Under $10

A Taste of Tibet in Madison, WI

If you're up for something a bit off from the typical fare, there are a million ethnic restaurants on State St. in Madison. You gotta love a college town for the plethora of coffee houses and decent Asian restaurants.

After a nice walk down State street, we ended up at Himal Chuli. There, they serve tasty Himalayan cuisine, very similar to Indian but still distinct. Their dal is more like a split pea soup than the lentils you'd get at a traditional Indian restaurant, but the flavor is stupendous. Their menu, like a good indian menu, covers a wide variety of vegetarian options as well as lamb, chicken, beef, and what looked like very tasty soups (perfect for a frozen day or to help you recover from a cold). The brown rice was a bit "al dente," but overall it was delicious and the lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender.

The Place: Himal Chuli, 318 State St, Madison WI

The Food: Vegetarian options galore, succulant lamb dishes, and tasty rice pudding

The Price: Under $20, but most Veggie dishes under $10.

Wings!

OMG, if you're going to be in White Plains, New York in the next few weeks, count yourself as lucky because you will have the opportunity to experience the BEST WINGS IN THE COUNTRY! I'm telling you, the Sicilian chicken wings from City Chowhouse in New Rochelle, New York (White Plains area) are the most amazing I've ever had. They're marinated in special sauces for 24 hours, then baked with onions and olive oil in a cedar-fired oven and tossed with reggiano cheese and fresh herbs. Holy crap, you've never tasted anything so good.

The Place: City Chowhouse in the Radisson Hotel in New Rochelle, NY

The Food: Sicilian chicken wings, or try the mac & cheese or the burgers!

The Price: Since this is essentially a hotel restaurant, it can be pricey, especially if you're like me and you want to order 3 or 4 different dishes. The entrees are mostly under $20 unless you're interested in the steak or the fish which can be a little over $20. (But it's all worth it!)

Finally, the atmosphere of this place is Sex-in-the-City-chic meets black-and-white-Vegas-nightclub. They have sleek white booths and shiny surfaces and candle lights and movies playing on the walls. It's a great place to have a drink with a colleague...or down a glass of wine yourself.

Tasty Italian in East Peoria

Right across the parking lot from the Stoney Creek Inn in East Peoria, IL is a nice little Italian restaurant. Basta East Port has extremely reasonable lunch dishes (sandwiches, pasta, entrees, and salads all under $10, and generously portioned!) that taste amazing. I had a grilled chicken and portabella sandwich which was accompanied by a small cup of penne with marinara sauce.

Anyone who craves simple pasta on the road should definitely stop here--the pasta was super flavorful, and while the sandwich was a bit drippy from the mushroom's marinade and pesto spread, it was damn fine. The restaurant is right on N. Main Street, next to the shell station in front of the hotel, so easy walking distance. They also have a similar dinner menu, although at higher prices, and a decent selection of wines and beer.

The Place: Basta East Port, N. Main St. East Peoria

The Food: Sandwiches and Pasta, Entrees too!

The Price: Lunch menu is almost entirely $10 or less, Dinner is generally under $20

A note on the hotel room... it was adorable and had a teddy bear living in it when I arrived. He liked the look of my lunch as well.

A Blog for Foodies on the Road

Hello fellow BER Program Managers! Have you gotten incredibly sick of food options on the road? Have you had one too many bad meals or hotel lunches? Is the lack of bagels making your tummy growl more often? Do you dream wistfully of simple spaghetti, a decent sandwich, authentic ethnic food, or a fresh stir-fry? Let's help solve the problem of "where do I eat today?" by creating a database via this blog.

Here's how I envision this working: Find a decent meal somewhere and post about it here, adding tags for city, type of food, price range, and whatever else we decide to tag on. Pictures are encouraged, but not required. Please include the address or general location, any recommendations of what to order while you're there, and whether it's accessible from a specific hotel by walking/shuttle or requires a car/taxi. Add stories, side comments, and whatever else you want, as long as it focuses on food. Above all, TAG TAG TAG! Because that's the magic: when you arrive in a city and are unsure of what to eat, go to the tag list and find your city. Once we all contribute for a while, we should develop a good sized list of eating options across the country, and none of us will ever have to fear another crappy dinner.

Hopefully we can create a useful site that can facilitate not only tasty meals, but even more camaraderie between all of us traveling nomads. Feel free to add in stories, fun tidbits, local color, and whatever else made your meal enjoyable. The only thing I'd ask us to refrain from is naming names in a negative light, especially when it comes to presenters. Make up a name instead, to protect the not-so-innocent. Here's to good food, good friends, and safe travels.

Cheers!