Offbeat Eats

Back when I lived in Minneapolis, every day on the walk to work I’d walk past this little tiny storefront between Simms Hardware and Espresso Royale in the Dinkytown neighborhood. So tiny, that it looks like a roofed-over alley, which is exactly what it is. I also quickly noticed that quite a large number of people passed in and out of that door, enough that it was like a circus act. So it wasn’t long after moving there that I tried out Al’s. And not long after that I became a regular, going at least every Thursday (and, now that I no longer live there, I make it a point to go at least once every time I’m in town).

(Closed) This weekend, Carol and I were craving another round of pancakes, so we decided to try out Blanche and Bill’s Pancake House in Bridgewater Corners, VT, stopping off to pick up Graham for a third opinion. After a fairly long drive out to Bridgewater Corners that reminded me that Bridgewater is actually a bit of a haul from the Upper Valley proper, we arrived at Blance and Bill’s, which at 9am was still fairly quiet (but by the time we left, the place had a pretty long line starting to form).

(Closed) Coming back from a hike in the White Mountains, Carol and I were both craving a hearty dinner, so we decided to swing back home via the Lakes Region (note that travel between the White Mountains and Grantham is a classic case of “can’t get there from here”, since the roads all go perpendicular to that route). From my few previous trips out there, I recalled that the New Hampton and Meredith area had a few decent-looking restaurants, so we decided to swing down that way. Sure enough, we happened upon Bobby’s Girl Diner, a classic Worcester Diner Car (with a large dining room added on to the back), and decided to stop there (later we came across Hart’s Turkey Farm, which is what I had been thinking of, so we’ll try that place next time). We both had the open face turkey sandwich with cole slaw, which was quite generous, with nice, chunky skin-on mashed potatoes, the turkey of reasonable quality, sliced from a whole breast, and the bread was nicely toasted. Overall, a nice way to round out a day of hiking in the mountains.

Anyone that has had breakfast with me knows that I’m a pancake aficionado. I’m very particular about my pancakes (they must have the right flavor, texture, crust, and toppings), and if I find a proper pancake I’ll go way out of my way for them. Which brings us to Polly’s Pancake Parlor, where we went on Saturday. We make it a point to go at least once a year, usually combining it with hiking in the White Mountains. Located in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire (about 20 minutes from Franconia Notch), Polly’s is a modestly-sized pancake dining room attached to an old sugarhouse (in which they make their own maple products). Sure, New Hampshire and Vermont, especially during mapling season, are chock full of sugarhouses and pancake joints. But, in my not-so-humble opinion, Polly’s is the queen of New England pancake joints, and forever tied for first place on my list with Al’s Breakfast of Minneapolis for Best Pancake Ever and Best Breakfast Ever.

First of all, I’ll admit, I’m a pizza snob. There are only a handful of pizza places in existence that I consider great (and most of these are in or around New Haven, CT), a few more that I consider good (American Flatbread, for one example in these parts), and the other 99.9% are just plain mediocre. Northern New England, in particular, is mostly filled with mediocre “Village Pizzas” and “Houses of Pizza” serving bland pizza with questionable cheese on soggy crusts, or places with elaborate brick ovens that, despite having good equipment, manage to turn perfectly good raw ingredients into leathery pucks. Pie-casso in Stowe, VT, however, is one of the notable exceptions to this rule….

(Closed) Since Brooksie’s in Sharon, VT burnt down a few years back, I haven’t really been back to eat in town. However, several times driving between Sharon and Royalton I noticed Dixie’s and an ice cream stand, and figured that at some point I’d try them out. Well, this weekend, Carol and I had to go up to Burlington, so this was a handy opportunity for us to check out Dixie’s. Myself, I had to do my regular order of Biscuits and Gravy, while Carol had a stack of pancakes.

(Closed) Since I live in Grantham, if I feel the need to duck out for a quick bite, it’s often easier to drive down to Newport, NH than the Upper Valley proper, since (a) it’s closer (9 miles vs 16 miles), and (b) there are actually some interesting places to eat in Newport. Indeed, among other places, it sports a good (and reasonably authentic) Mexican place (the oddly-named Lil’ Red Baron, which for some items I prefer it to Gusanoz), a pretty good tavern (Eagle Tavern), and a drive-in complete with carhops. I’ll focus on the last one for this review (since I ate there today).

(Closed) Saturday, I got up too late to do one of my diner reviews. But, lunch time was rolling around, so after 30 minutes of checking out the latest at the Cooler Gallery, Carol and I headed over to the Tip Top Cafe to check out the third cafe to inhabit this nice little spot for lunch (since it was lunchtime, and they don’t do breakfast). We ended up having quite the good lunch at the Tip Top…

Several years ago, when I first starting watching Iron Chef (of which I’ve tired), there were frequent references to serving items shabu shabu style , in which thinly sliced meat and veggies are served along with simmering broth, and you prepare your meal by swishing the meat in the broth. Basically, making your own soup at the table. It sounded intriguing, but, until recently, I didn’t have much of an opportunity to try it out. However, after a recent BeerAdvocate event in Boston, a group of us were looking for some interesting dining in Chinatown, and I recalled hearing of a Shabu-shabu joint that had decent reviews. And, indeed, at 16 Tyler Street (across the parking lot from the Bao Bao Bakery where we always get our post-beer-festival bubble tea), was Shabu Zen.

Well, over Memorial Day weekend I was down in Boston with family, so I decided to do another non-UV diner review. Since I had to wait for my brother’s train, I decided to duck over to the South Street Diner (which has an official address of 168 Kneeland). This is an odd little diner, in that it’s kind of a little food oasis in an otherwise fairly non-restauranted part of Boston (unless you count the food court over at South Station). And, during the late morning when we ate there, it was surprisingly quiet. In fact, most of the time we were the only people eating there. But the place is definitely well-worn, so this (and the fact that it is a 24 hour establishment) mean that it’s primarily a night owl establishment…