| United States of America |
| Delaware |
| Charley’s
Family Restaurant 1705 Pulaski Hwy Bear, DE 19701 302 836-4936 Charley’s is the best breakfast restaurant in the entire universe, bar none. Their potatoes and gravy are to die for and the other stuff is just as fantastic. They even make fantastic lunch and dinner. It is owned by Turks and, since we lived in Turkey for two years, we enjoy talking to them. But we keep going back for the food and service. Getting there: It is on the north side of the road in a small strip center along US 40 |
| Carolina Crossing Restaurant 218 S. Main St. Grover, NC 28073 704 937-9393 This restaurant is on the border of North and South Carolina, right next to a railroad track, and less than a mile from I-85. We got hooked on the hamburger basket, which comes with plenty of French fries, but there is plenty of other good home cooking on the menu. Grover is a little Norman Rockwellesque town. We found it while volunteering at the Kings Mountain National Military Park, SC—about seven miles away. All of the people are extremely friendly and the atmosphere is clean and homey. If you want to go native you can order red eye gravy (coffee mixed with ham drippings) and grits. We tried it and have decided it is a taste you must be born with. Getting there: From the north exit I-85 at NC exit 2, turn right. At the T turn left. Continue about 3 miles to metropolitan Grover. Just before the gas stations on the left, turn right and cross the railroad tracks. The restaurant is ahead on the right. From the south, exit I-85, in SC at the Grover exit, turn right past the gas stations into NC (gas is cheaper in SC than in NC). Turn left at the first railroad crossing. The restaurant is ahead on the right. |
| Pennsylvania |
| Rettew’s Twin Kiss 309 S Main St. Manheim, PA 17545 717 665-2897 One of the few remaining Twin Kiss drive ins still remaining. The car hops are gone, replaced by a sit-down room with booths. Make sure to order a root beer in a frosted mug and finish off your meal with a vanilla/chocolate twin cone. We like the Hollywood burger and the chili dogs, but they also have a new favorite—sliders (see Krystal below). Getting there: From Lancaster take PA 72 north to Manheim. The TK is on the right as you come down the hill into town. (If you get there early and need breakfast we would recommend the Barron—a true diner at the top of the hill on the right.) |
| Valentino’s Cafe 132 Rider Ave. Lancaster, PA 17603-4831 This is a small family restaurant and bar, with the emphasis on small. My Italian friends keep reminding me that their spaghetti is not authentic Italian—We don’t care, we just love the spaghetti with marinara sauce. One word of warning: order a small or child’s plate. The only person I ever met who ate a large got sick from eating too much. They only have about a dozen tables and little room to wait for someone to vacate a table so you end up eating with people standing next to you waiting for you to finish and leave—it is surprisingly collegial. The waitresses are mostly family and are super friendly people. But, patience is required to eat here. Some people adopt the European dining practice of inviting others to use empty chairs at their table. Getting there: From downtown Lancaster head west on Chestnut St which merges with King Street and becomes Columbia Avenue. Two blocks after the merge turn left on Rider Avenue, the restaurant is two blocks on the right. Rider Avenue ends at Columbia Avenue just in front of the Hamilton Arms Apartments (formerly Hamilton Watch Company) |
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The Fast
Food Compendium (by country)
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| Germany |
| McDonalds This is the only place we know of where the Combo #1 is a Big Mac, pom frits und bier. That is the ONLY way to eat a Big Mac. However, the red wine at the Burger King in Madrid, Spain does come in a close second. |
| United States of America |
| Steak and Shake Top of the heap, king of the world, best plastic meal on the road anywhere. Located only in the Midwest and South, the Combo #1 gives you a double steakburger™, two sides (Glenn always gets double fries) and a milkshake. We like our milkshakes thin so that is always a challenge for us. Their staff is routinely very friendly and service is usually first rate. It is a bit pricey for fast food but it is worth the additional cost for the food and the service. |
| Krystal We grew up on White Castle (sliders, belly bombs, and some less attractive nicknames) and always considered it a treat. We still enjoy White Castle but in the south we truly enjoy the Krystal burger. They also have a free wi-fi connection at each store which is a great help to those of us who travel. |
| Taco Bell We like Taco Bell because it is cheap and is just about everywhere. As we travel we know that we can usually get a meal that we can eat and enjoy and it won’t cost us an arm and a leg or take all afternoon. |
| In-n-Out Burger Only in California, Nevada and Arizona this is one of those unique places where the menu is only a dozen or less items. It is primarily a drive-thru with limited inside seating. When you get your burger it is wrapped and put into a box so that you can reach over while driving, pick up your burger and commence to eat. |