ON THE ROAD

I actually never check this thread, not sure why I just did. Don't travel much. Anything else interesting here?

 

Avoid the Oasis Motor Inn (http://www.oasismotorinn.com/) like the plague, because you might just catch it there. That's where most of the visiting minor-league baseball teams stay even though there are holes in the walls and uh, well, questionable heat and air-conditioning. When the state tournament organizing committee heard I was coming up by myself, they refused to let me stay there and instead booked me at Sabatini's (www.sabatinislittleitaly.com). From the photos on the website, it seems they've kept the lovely combination of animal prints and purple in the hotel rooms. ;D

I vaguely recall good cheap food in the restaurant next door, but I had walking pneumonia on that trip so your mileage may vary.

By the way, while you're in Cooperstown, check out the National Soccer Hall of Fame in <b>Oneonta</b>.

 

Shot, I'll be in Sac at the end of January. What kind of food do you get at California Fats?

 

If you're in Louisville drop me a line and we can meet up and have a beer. Haha anyway, Lynn's Paradise Cafe is good eats. The head chef is kinda a local celebrity and she is catering one of the inaugural event's dinners. Good food, not too pricey.

There are a couple great burger joints here called W.W. Cousin's. A little pricier than fast food but damn good. They have a toppings bar with anything you could want on a burger or chicken sandwich. The burgers are freshly made and the buns have butter or something in them that is killer.

If you have the college kid in ya and want to go out and do some partying my recommendation is Bardstown Road. Lots of bars for a lot of different tastes. Live bands, sports bars, bar/restaurant combos, quieter settings, pool halls. Downtown just opened a thing called "Fourth Street Live" which is nice, but always f'in crowded. It has your Hard Rock Cafe, Friday's and some other places like that.

And whatever you do, avoid Derby Pie if you come Louisville. That is, unless you have a sweet tooth the size of a Mack Truck tire. Damn stuff is loaded with chocolate, sugar and other stuff. It is way too sweet.

 

No one asked, but if you're in Charleston, S.C. (college of charleston, family circle cup), take the drive up route 17 to See Wee. Best food I've ever had for the price. Low Country cuisine (the fried green tomatoes, the seafood, the shrimp and grits) for half of what you'd pay in downtown Charleston. It's the definition of where the locals eat.
Get anything tuna and start with the stone crab appetizer. And the greens are awesome.
Setting is way off the path. It's basically a country store that's been turned into nouvelle cuisine in a honky-tonk -- right down to the long necks in a barrel of ice that you pay for at the counter like penny candy. It defines a hidden treasure.

 

Hard to go wrong there, but my fave was the Honey Walnut Prawns.

Link to menu: http://www.fatsrestaurants.com/calfats/dinner.html

 

I like The Boathouse in Charleston. Perfect seafood, and the cole slaw is made with blue cheese. Not cheap, though. So many great restaurants in that town.

 

Any town you're in that has a Bonefish Grill, check it out.

Often, they're located near the footprint of major malls (Cool Springs outside Nashville, the same with Asheville and Birmingham). It's run by Outback but it's not cookie-cutter seafood. All fresh and a damned good wine list.

Yum.

 

If you go to Louisville and don't get a slice of Kern's Derby Pie then you should be shot on sight.

Yes, 4th Street Live is crowded, but it's also new. That means old haunts (places in the Highlands and Butchertown) are less crowded. If you like good live rock music, Phoenix Hill Tavern is still the place to go. Molly Malone's has the best Irish food in town.

Also, I'll take Adam up on his offer for a drink. You can meet us, too, if you're in town.

 

Four ideas for those who love to eat well:
New Orleans: The Times-Picayune guys took us to Jacquomoes (can't vouch for spelling) during the SEC tournament a few years ago. Awesome place far from the tourist crowd. Amazing meal, fun setting, and as a previous posting urges, a first-come, first-served hassle. (but worth the wait).
Hilton Head: (which either means you're a golf writer or on vacation). Le Bistro Mediteranian is my wife's favorite restaurant world-wide, and my wife is a well-bred Southern lady who is very picky. It has no view and is in a strip mall, but the locals swear by it. Get the Steak au Poivre, or if you swear off red meat, then anything seafood. She's right, it's incredible.
Portland: Jake's (the original McCormick and Schmicks) lives up to its reputation in every way. The key to seafood is fresh ingredients, and their insistence on that is most impressive. Go there.
Chicago: Most good Chicago steakhouses do a filet on the bone. The idea (it's an Italian principle) is that meat is always more flavorful if cooked on the bone (that's why soup is....soup). Thought it was a gimmick, but it's true. Filets are tender and low-fat, but they often lack flavor. Cook them on the bone and they taste much more like a sirloin or a T-bone. Try it; you'll be surprised by the difference.

 

Perhaps Jeff_Welsch will come back on and answer this one for me ...

Anybody else have any occasion to ever go to Bozeman, Mont.? (Don't laugh) I stay kind of far from downtown out near I-90, but I've never really found a great place to eat there. I know Missoula inside out, but Bozeman escapes me. I'm heading up there next weekend? Any help? ???

 

I covered the soccer hall of fame inductions this fall and I stayed at a Super 8 in Oneonta, was right next to a Denny's. Not bad, provided an OK bed for the night and certainly not far from Cooperstown.