 I come home to see friends and family but I also come home for the food. Not the home-cooked variety, but the greasy, tasty fast food options that we only have in my home town. My goal is to hit all of them at least once. Seriously, I woke up this morning full. Full!! I'm stuffed ... here it is the next day... and I'm not even a little bit hungry. Yet there are two places on my list today and a sista has to do what a sista has to do!
Mr. Hero: When I try to explain the Romanburger to the uninitiated they look at me in queasy confused horror. But hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. The Romanburger (I had it on Monday) is a cheeseburger sub, topped with American-Swiss processed cheese and then topped with a few cold cuts warmed up on the grill. On top of the cheeseburger and the cold cuts is tomato, lettuce and a tasty oil and vinegar mixture. I wash down with a Pepsi and a side of waffle fries. If you are feeling adventurous, you can dip those in a thick and tasty cheddar cheese sauce.
Ho-Wah’s: I’ve had the pleasure of eating Chinese food all over this country and I still come back to Ho-Wah’s for shrimp toast and Hunan Chicken. I was there on Tuesday and tried to branch out and get the sesame chicken. Good but not memorable. I have to make another trip back before I leave and go back to what I know!
Manhattan Deli: I don’t know why in some of the places I’ve lived, places insist on making a Reuben by melting the cheese on the corned beef (the cheap corned beef) in the microwave. You cannot microwave corned beef, people! It makes it chewy and salty and nasty. Basically it just wrong!!! But I had a good one yesterday. Thick, lean, real corned beef grilled and not microwaved. Mmm, good!!!
Mr. Chicken: Good bless, Mr. Chicken! Every Wednesday, they have a 3-piece special with two sides for $5.19. I’ll be honest. I wasn’t even hungry when I got to Mr. Chicken (still had half of my Reuben in the back seat). But it’s Wednesday and it’s tradition and damn it, it was good!
Whitmore’s: Just the name sends me into Homer Simpson mode “Whitmore’s” I say as that glassy look takes over my eyes and drool runs down the side of my mouth in yummy anticipation. In my younger years, I went for the polish boy (white bread hot dog bun lined with cole slaw then topped with a barbequed kielbasa and then topped with fries and then covered in Whitmore’s BBQ sauce. Nowadays, I go for the short rib dinner. This is on tomorrow’s menu.
Arabica: It broke my heart when I drove by and this coffeehouse had changed names (and I assumed owners). This was an independent coffee house that put Starbucks to shame!
Yours Truly: My Fast Food Feast ends on Friday at Yours Truly, a quaint and cute little café that does an amazing Fish Fry every Friday. Gotta go at lunch because it’s first-come-first-serve and a lot of times it’s gone by dinner time.
Looking at this list, it’s no wonder one of the best heart hospitals in the world is located in my hometown. As for me, my heart is fine; I’ll get back to counting points when I’m back home. For now I’m on vacay … and planning another visit to Mr. Hero before I leave. Labels: Hometown |
