Longtime readers know how I overplan our trips and leave with a ridiculous book of directions and maps. I was all set to hit the print button on November 28 when Serious Eats’ incredibly fun Hamburger Today blog had a “chain reaction” post about the midwestern Maid-Rite shops, which don’t quite sell hamburgers as much as they sell loose meat sandwiches. If you recall television’s Roseanne, she sold those in her diner. If you never watched Roseanne, you may recall the fascinating chapter about loose meat sandwiches, a.k.a. “canteens,” “charlie boys,” or “taverns,” in John T. Edge’s great book Hamburgers & Fries: An American Story. I certainly did, and abruptly put the second day’s itinerary on hold until I could see whether there was a Maid-Rite within driving distance of Dayton. There was, barely, forty-one miles northwest in Greenville, a town that’s just as close to Muncie, Indiana as it is Dayton. Well, that settled that. Directions were revised. Continue reading “Maid-Rite, Greenville OH”
Month: December 2012
B & K Root Beer, Troy OH
We got very lucky about finding lunch in Ohio. We dropped Marie at the facility where she was training the team there and got to meet some of the group. They had a ball getting to see the baby they’d heard so much about – and the teenager, I suppose – and were interested in what the three of us would be doing and eating during our time in Dayton. I mentioned that, among our destinations, we’d be visiting a popular place in town called the Root Beer Stande. Continue reading “B & K Root Beer, Troy OH”
Bill’s Donut Shop, Centerville OH
It took us twelve hours, but we finally made it to Dayton. The toddler was unbelievably good for the trip. He whimpered and got frustrated a few times, which was to be expected, but he handled the road trip like a champion, even as we got caught in the northbound sludge of Cincinnati’s evening rush hour, and was rewarded with the awesome and welcome sight of Mommy in the hotel lobby. Continue reading “Bill’s Donut Shop, Centerville OH”
Marion’s Piazza, Dayton OH
This is Marie, contributing an article about Marion’s Piazza. Not a misspelling or typo – that is actually their name. They aren’t putting a weird spin on the misspelling-for-advertising gimmick, but rather the founder wanted to have an Italian piazza experience, knew that was not exactly practical in the coolish climes of Dayton, and made an indoor courtyard. This was unusual at the time (1965), because his principal local competition offered only carry-out. The place hasn’t been glossed over with a modern sheen, either – they still put paper orders up on a spinning wooden rack, for the exceedingly efficient-looking pizza team behind the counter to make the pies in full view and very, very quickly. Continue reading “Marion’s Piazza, Dayton OH”
Camp Washington Chili, Cincinnati OH
One of the really nice things about taking a road trip like this one is that you can occasionally knock a longtime favorite from your wish list. So it was with Camp Washington, which many people in the know have claimed is the very best of Cincinnati’s chili parlors. Continue reading “Camp Washington Chili, Cincinnati OH”
Parkette Drive In, Lexington KY
In the previous chapter, I explained that when the children and I made our first stop on the trip to Dayton to join Marie, my daughter ate very lightly. This is because we watched the segment of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives where Guy Fieri visited Lexington’s Parkette Drive In and she decided that she really wanted to indulge here. Regular readers may recall that she has, in her mercurial teenage way, gone back and forth over whether she actually enjoys fried chicken or not. The segment sold her on the idea. Continue reading “Parkette Drive In, Lexington KY”
Hoskins Drugs, Clinton TN
Marie’s job had taken her back to Ohio, setting the stage for our biggest road trip since we started the blog, since our honeymoon expedition to Montreal and back, in fact. She flew to Dayton on a Sunday for a week. On the following Wednesday morning, about three minutes after the baby finally spotted a photo of Marie on the wall and remembered who it was he’d been missing – “Mommy! Mommy!” – the car was packed, and the baby and the teen girlchild were strapped in and we were off to join her. Continue reading “Hoskins Drugs, Clinton TN”
Marie, Let's Eat! 