I've been thinking about good local food in the (few) places I've lived. I decided to list my very favorite places for anybody who may have the patience to read through it.
UTAH
Hoovers. (Marysvale Canyon) Not even going to lie, this is a favorite for two reasons. 1) My great grandma started this business and 2) even though it's not in the family anymore, Hoovers still has killer french fries. Everywhere I go, I'm looking for a local greasy spoon place that has fries that good. Only two others so far in my life. www.hooversresort.com
Lotsa Motsa Pizza. (Small chain in Southern Ut) Who doesn't love pizza, right? Well, this place has the best breadsticks on the face of the earth, I would swear to it. And super yummy ranch dressing to dip them in. Additionally, there is the chicken, bacon, ranch pizza. At first the thought of cooked ranch dressing grossed me out, but then I tried it. I'm sold.
Sunglow Motel and Cafe. (Bicknell...Capitol Reef Natnl Park) The thing about this place is pie. Pickle pie. Pinto Bean pie. Oatmeal Pie. They have a list of regular pies, too. But those odd-balls are the really good ones. www.sunglowpies.com
IOWA
The Hungry Hobo. (Small chain in Ia) Sandwich shop that I have not been to in years and just thinking about those sandwiches makes my mouth water. The bread is good, the meat is good, the veggies are fresh and delicious. I love the hobo. I crave the hobo. www.hungryhobo.com
Venuto's World Bistro. (Iowa City) At the front of this place, they have gelato. Gelato rocks my world. Especially when, like at Venuto's, they serve it in a cute way and it's all sweet and fruity and delicious. In the back, a resturant. Favorite item: Steamed artichoke. Yep. So good. And if I recall correctly, it was served with a garlic/butter/lemon dip. Venuto's World Bistro, I love thee.
Leondardo's Pizza. (Cedar Rapids) This pub had good pizza, which is a score. And I believe (I really hope my memory serves me) they served Pepsi products which always feel like something that an establishment does especially to please me. Conversely, when a food joint only serves coke products, I feel almost as though they do it specifically to hurt me. At any rate, Leonardo's is on the list because they had deep fried cauliflower. And I'm not talking like when you order deep fried zuchinni or pickles and they've been dipped and then frozen before they're deep fried so when they show up at your table they're all slimy and limp. The deep fried cauliflower was firm, and tasty.
One more from Iowa, Mondo's. I think Mondo's is a chain, but I haven't seen it since I came back to the West. There were two in Coralville. One was a stand-alone resturant. But the one I wanted to visit was the one in the food court at the mall. They served tomato soup with slices of tough skinned bread. I know not everybody likes tomato soup. I do. And this soup was more like a bisque. It was goooood.
WASHINGTON
Mad Jack's Icecream. Sadly, Mad Jacks has closed since I used to frequent the place. But Mama Jack still makes her amazing, thick fudges in an array of flavors (which, truly, was my favorite thing about Mad Jacks anyway) and I believe she sells them at local fairs. Based out of Spanaway if anybody's looking for some killer awesome delicious fudgenation.
The Burger Ranch. (Tacoma) Again, I display my affection for the greasy spoon. The best things about this place are 1) soft serve icecream. I'm a soft serve kind of girl, and this is the kind that really gets me. Not all thick and creamy, but light and sweet. And cheap. 2) French fries with ranch dressing. They're not the same kind of fries I would have at Hoovers, but they're a good substitute, distance considered.
Towers Cafe. (Tacoma) Towers is right across from Bates, which is convenient for me. It's also the first food place I checked out in Tacoma. It's a cute little eclectic place. It's a coffee shoppe. It's a sandwich shoppe. And the absolute best thing about it is the "Grilled Gobbler." It's a toasted ciabata bun with turkey, swiss, cranberry sauce, lettuce, tomato, cream cheese (and for me, pickles and mustard). It's bliss all wrapped up in gingham printed paper.
Twede's Cafe. (Northbend) Again, I'm on a search for good french fries and ranch. Always. I found it at Twede's when we were out for a tourist-style train ride. Twede's was a good greasy spoon. Also, an odd entertainment as it is positively filled with all sizes and varieties of Tweety Bird memorabilia.
Parkway Tavern/Hob Nob Resturant & Lounge. (Tacoma) Near Wright Park, I love the area where this little bar hides out. It's a local favorite. I'll admit, the turkey sandwich I had at the Hob Nob was something I could have made at home for free. There was nothing special about that sandwich at all. But they won my heart with a seasonal strawberry beer from the tap.
OREGON
VooDoo Doughnut. (Portland) The magic is in the hole. Good things come in pink boxes. I got VD in Portland, OR. Good local donut shop with a cool, almost diry atmosphere. I would reccommend hitting the location on the east side of the river. It's bigger and there's not nearly the line to get your goods as there is down town. Oh, and FYI: they only take cash. I love me a Portland Creme (think Boston Creme with eyes), but their stable is the Bacon Maple Bar. Yes, there is a strip of bacon atop the maple bar. And, yes, it's pretty good even for a girl who doesn't like maple. www.voodoodoughnut.com
Skinny Dip. (Portland) Frozen yogurt in plain plus various fruits for me, please. Of course, you could go for the sugar added yogurts and add things like mini-marshmallows and fruity pebbles, but I probably just hit VooDoo, so I'm trying to watch my sugar intake.
Goodfoot Pub & Lounge. (Portland) Hit this place for a few rounds of pool. I'm decent at shooting pool by sheer luck, so this sounds like a good idea to me. There is art displayed all over, and I believe it's for sell. There's a basement where you can take in local bands. Plus, their spicy garlic fries (with ranch, of course) are really, really good. Pool+drinks+music+art+good french fries=revisit, for sure.
Burgerville. ( OR Chain, I'm sorry, but I just had to) It's your basic fast food burger joint. Except Burgerville uses locally grown products, plastics that are derived from corn, and promote recycling. (Fresh. Local. Sustainable. is their slogan.) Hit them in the late summer when strawberries are abundant and snag a fresh strawberry shake. They also have a low-fat grilled chicken sandwich on a whole wheat bun that makes me pretty happy. www.burgerville.com
I feel like I've left out some really awesome eateries, but these were the first things that came to mind as I thought about good food. I guess...most food is decent. I mean, I like to eat. But these places, these are the places I crave.
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