Roadfood: The Coast-to-Coast Guide to 900 of the Best Barbecue Joints, Lobster Shacks, Ice Cream Parlors, Highway Diners, and Much, Much More, now in its 9th edition

Jane and Michael Stern regularly make my mouth water with their commentaries on NPR's "A Splendid Table" so I jumped at the opportunity to pre-order this book. I was excited to page through it and pick locations I could visit.I have taken this rather thick volume with me on two road trips and have visited a total of eight restaurants listed. Those can be easily divided into three sets. Two I would never visit again because the food had serious quality issues (Al's Corner Restaurant - an Honor Roll Top 100 location - served us cold, mushy, leftovers). Another two might be given a second chance if someone else really wanted to go (another Honor Roll entry, Southern Kitchen, had wonderful service but my ham was coated with a sticky, gooey, overly sweet sauce). The remaining four would be an acceptable stop if I were in the area but would not justify a detour (Young's Jersey Dairy was a lot of fun even if the food and ice cream were nothing remarkable and Stewart's Original Hot Dogs in Huntington WV was under construction but the staff soldiered on and served us beneath a painting scaffold). None of them were especially memorable or special.Do not think from these criticisms that I am especially harsh - on these same trips I found several small local spots that I would recommend to anyone.I know things can change in the restaurant business quickly, but I also found hours or days open listed in the book at variance from the website or telephone call to the location for several spots (maybe 3 out of a dozen that I took the time to look up, including Belgrade Gardens which I understand has always been open for both lunch and dinner).This is not a book for casual reading as the listings are dense and full of information. It is a book I would like to pull out with confidence when I am visiting a new town along the road. Unfortunately, my experience to date has not given me confidence in what i will find.

For as long as the Sterns have been publishing their guides to road food I have been buying them. Some previous issues have edited out some spots. They were lost for no discernable change that I could tell in their food, ownership or quality. I was extremely pleased to see all of my old favorites back in - all across the country and some new ones too.The USA is divided into regions. Each section has a map in the beginning to give you a general idea of where the establishments are. In the section each state has their spots listed in alphabetical order, with address, phone number, website, breakfast, lunch or dinner and a price guide. There is a paragraph or 2 that tells about each place and what they are noted for and recommendations.There is also a list of the Roadfood Honor Roll, 100 of the all-time favorites.I have only been disappointed once in all my years of traveling with these suggestions. I have given these books as wedding and shower presents, to friends leaving for permanent change of station and to some friends from overseas who were visiting the US - so they would know what real America tasted like. Everyone has loved them.I wish that in the index restaurants were listed alphabetically by state instead of keeping to the regional divisions. But for a book that is less than an inch and a half thick there are an extraordinary amount of choices in here, I just can't wait to get on the road again.

I've had this book since the first edition was printed. I'm not a constant traveler but a yearly traveler. This guide has always been helpful to locate local restaurants where locals know and frequently eat at. This latest edition not only has websites listed but also maps that pinpoint where each restaurant is from major interstates and state roads. They are all within 15 minutes from a major highway. By using common sense it's always easy to order something that is healthy from the menu and avoiding the high calorie, high cholesterol items on the menu that each restaurant may be most known for. Including the phone numbers in the listings is also a big plus to call ahead to be sure they are open when in the area. I'm so glad the Sterns continue to update this guide after so many years. It's a great reference to seek out alternatives to chain eateries and discover a part of Americana.

When my family travels on vacation we have a policy that we do not eat at restaurants that we could eat at in our hometown. This book in all the editions that we have bought has helped us to find the quirky, interesting, fantastic locations of restaurants that we would've never known how to find otherwise. If you are a traveler I highly recommend this book . Use it. Enjoy it and share with everyone you know. It is a terrific aid in travel dining.

I bought this book as a Christmas present for a friend who loves to eat and is planning an extended cross-country trip. Having lived in a few areas of the country that offer totally different cuisine, I wanted to go through and highlight the places I loved. I was disappointed to find that this book not only didn't supply recommendations for my favorite restaurants (which wasn't expected but would have been nice), but , more importantly, for ones that are commonly known to be iconic, legendary and must-visits if you are in a specific area. The eateries that were recommended were ones I generally consider subpar.I want to be clear that I for sure did not expect all (or even the majority) of my personal favorites to be in the book. But I do believe the reason this book is so popular is because it is the only one of its kind, not because it is thoroughly researched or particularly accurate.

I don't know if I would compare the Sterns to Guy Fieri -- to begin with, without the Sterns there would be no Guy Fieris or Andrew Zimmerns; they were the first people to write primarily about regional American cuisine (in the process, validating and popularizing it) and are still the best. While Fieri's schtick gets tiresome very quickly, the low-key Sterns are always fun to read and their suggestions are always worth checking out.

I didn't like this book because it only had one restaurant reviewed in the region I visited plus it is very bulky so definitely not to take with me when travelling.

Ich hatte dieses Buch für unsere USA Reise gekauft.Leider kam es aus verschiedenen Gründen kaum zu Einsatz:1. Das Layout ist eine Katastrophe, denn die Staaten und "Restaurants" sind alphabetisch geordnet. Für mich keine sinnvolle Reihenfolge, wenn man in bestimmten Regionen unterwegs ist. Dadurch blättert man ständig hin und her.2. Es gibt keine Karte in der die "Restaurants" eingezeichnet sind. Dies wäre hilfreich, denn oft sind die Orte so klein, dass man durch Lesen nicht weiß wo sich diese befinden und man muss doch wieder googeln.3. Die Restaurants waren nur mäßig ansprechend, jedenfalls in der ganzen Gegend in Neu-England.4. Wer gerne Blogs liest oder sich selbstständig auf die Suche macht im Internet, der findet einen Haufen guter Tipps wohin man zum Essen gehen kann. Hinzukommt Google und deren Bewertung. Das Buch ist daher einfach hinfällig, auch weil es mit der Aktualität des Internets nicht mithalten kann.In der Prä-Internet-Ära sicher mal ein hilfreiches Buch gewesen, inzwischen würde ich mir das Geld sparen. Lieber eine Sim-Karte mit viel Datenvolumen für USA kaufen!

Excellent Service, Quick Delivery, Item As Described, Would Recommend. Thank You