Road Trip - Food on the Run

Sometimes you just need a road trip right? Ok, it’s not that much fun when you don’t have a choice, but one benefit of my recent road trip is that I had the ability to try some fun road food, and a great brunch restaurant in Chicago.

I sincerely had no idea there were so many resources for people looking for food on the road. But there is an entire website/message board dedicated to just that proposal, called Roadfood.com. Since I knew we would be stuck on the turnpikes all the way from Pennsylvania to Chicago, and usually the only food you see is at those awful rest stops.

Instead of being trapped on the turnpike in Ohio, we decided to leave the soul-crushing monotony, and traipse up to Seven Hills south of Cleveland and stop at an old fashioned drive in ala 1950s car service. The prices at Swenson's were cheaper than McDonalds, and the quality was significantly better. They are known for their Galley Boy sandwich, a double-cheeseburger with two sauces: a barbeque-base (sweet and savory) and a mayonnaise-base (reminiscent of tartar sauce, but creamier). Coupled with extra-crispy and delicious onion rings, fried zucchini, and a couple of old-school phosphates, it was heart-attack-inducing, juicy, and delicious.

Once in Chicago, there was a disappointing dinner at Volo Restaurant and Wine Bar. While they had a really reasonable wine list that was paired nicely with the food, and the bone marrow was huge and delicious, the crab appetizer was a complete miss, and the service was at glacial pace. But, it was a great location for relaxing outside and sharing some wine.

Due to the lack of serious food the night before, there was a certain amount of starvation the next morning. Fortunately, we found a wonderful breakfast spot in Logan Square, Lula Café. Using fresh, local ingredients, and a fusion of Latin, Asian, and American food, the food was excellent, service was friendly and efficient, and it is clearly a great local destination. Starting with the Bloody Mary made with Sambal Chili, rather than the usual Tabasco, there were surprises everywhere. The eggs benedict were perfectly poached, and served on top of tiny baby summer squash, squash blossoms, and arugula, then topped with crispy Serrano ham, hollandaise, and basil pesto. A perfect balance of creamy, tangy, salty, and crunchy. The roasted pork shoulder over black beans was hearty and delicious as well. All in all, a great destination for brunch.

Finally, as a last meal in Chicago, we stopped at the institution of Lou Mitchell’s downtown on our way out of town.

Touristy, yes, but also full of locals and old-school waiters and waitresses. The homemade orange marmalade was delicious and sharp on their homemade thick wheat bread with a hint of sweetness. But the star was the massive portions of delicious eggs and potatoes, not to mention the melt-in-your-mouth pancakes with real maple syrup. A two egg breakfast was, in fact, a four egg breakfast, enough for a lumberjack, but everything was cooked well and the fastest breakfast service I have ever seen.

Definitely worth the trip.