Tag: travel

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breakfast tio wally travel

Tio Wally Eats America: Hen House

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Pontoon Beach, Illinois.

Greetings from Pontoon Beach, Illinois
N 38° 45.620’  W 090° 04.033’  Elev. 417 ft.

I’m not a nutritionist. Nor am I a doctor, though I admit I hope to one day play one on TV. Nevertheless I believe Cream of Wheat constitutes a nutritious breakfast, providing you don’t load it up with butter and sugar (which I highly recommend). The chances of finding Cream of Wheat on the road, however, are slim to none. But there is always oatmeal.

I usually pass on ordering oatmeal on the road. I don’t know the actual process involved but when a handful of oats crosses a restaurant’s threshold it goes through a mysterious transformation and its value skyrockets.

I once saw foo-foo designer “stone-milled” oatmeal listed on a menu for 7; I noted the lack of a dollar sign, decimal point and zeroes which usually means it’s grossly overpriced and thus healthier … for the restaurant’s bottom line. I asked the waitress if it was better than, say, oatmeal. She replied that it came with pieces of seasonal fresh fruit in it. (It turned out the seasonal fresh fruit was: Apples!  Do you have any idea how long apples last in cold storage?) I can’t imagine why I didn’t order it.

I’m always surprised if I find oatmeal (served with the obligatory trinity of raisins, brown sugar and milk) for less than $3.50. So imagine my surprise to find it in a Hen House for $2.25!

The Hen House is a four-restaurant chain of breakfast-to-dinner restaurants in Illinois. And all of the breakfasts everyone else seemed to be enjoying the morning I was there appeared to be pretty substantial and reasonably priced. None of the breakfasts were as reasonably priced as the oatmeal, of course.

But easily the best thing about going to the Hen House for reasonably priced oatmeal is this: I now have another opportunity to shamelessly retell a reasonably (to me) good joke I wrote:

There is a group of truck drivers in Wahoo, Nebraska who haul bulk grain most of the year. One winter during their downtime they formed a band that plays Philly soul-pop. They originally called themselves The Quaker Avena Sativa* Truckers. But the name proved to be too cumbersome and difficult to fit on a marquee. They now call themselves Haulin’ Oats.

And so we roll.

*Avena sativa is the scientific name for domesticated oats. Now the joke is ROTFLMFAO-funny, right?

Hen House, 1250 E. Chain of Rocks Rd. (I-270 & Hwy. 111, Exit 6B), Pontoon Beach, Illinois, with restaurants in Arcola, Springfield, and Mahomet, Illinois

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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italian travel

Spring Garden’s Meatball Stromboli (Philadelphia, PA)

We came down to Philly last night to play our friend, Paul’s show at the PhilaMOCA (Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art). I walked in next door to Spring Garden Pizza & Restaurant and ordered a small Meatball Stromboli ($8.95). I asked the sweet old lady if I could get a beer. She told me go a block away to the bar (where you can get beer to go) and also bring her one back. I brought back two Coors Lights. She wasn’t joking. She took one. That was pretty cool.

Meatball Stromboli was huge. This is a small? What’s the large? Really good. Sliced meatballs, onions, peppers and lot of cheese! I texted my bandmates to come help eat it. We couldn’t finish it. Left a whole quarter. So stuffed …like that Stromboli.

Look how huge this small Stromboli is!

Photo by Shonali

This place felt like an old traditional family establishment. Customers came in and knew the sweet lady and the staff. A real feel-good restaurant.

Spring Garden Pizza & Restaurant – 1139 Spring Garden St (btwn N 11th & N 12th St)Philadelphia 19123

The PhilaMOCA (Zoodada) show was a lot of fun. A variety show of poetry, comedy and bands. I liked the bands —Tutlie and Break it Up. There were sandwiches, but I was too stuffed to eat. Somehow I still managed to put a whole lot of beer in my stomach. I even made eye contact with a pretty cute girl and missed my mouth, pouring half a can down my shirt. It was pretty smooth though. It went right down my collar and no one wouldn’t have ever known.

I took this picture in Philly. I kept thinking it was a place to wash your hands. I just got it.

We’re playing again tomorrow (Sunday April 1st) at Littlefield in Brooklyn. Come out! Not an April Fool’s joke.

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fast food tio wally travel

Tio Wally Eats America: KFC’s Chunky Chicken Pot Pie

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Clarksville, Arkansas.

Greetings from Clarksville, Arkansas
N 35° 27.197’  W 093° 27.954’  Elev. 328 ft.

If you sail the Interstates for a living, eating fast food is an inevitability. Eventually you will be tired enough or hungry enough or it will be the only thing available or whatever. It’s going to happen. While I avoid fast food as much as possible, sometimes there are actually good things to be had, occasionally at a reasonable price.

Here’s another example:

I have a very dear friend who hates — HATES! — Kentucky Fried Chicken chicken with a frighteningly deep-seated passion. I don’t understand why, exactly. But I suspect he’s hated it since before Yum! Brands bought Harlan Sanders’ singular claim to fame and changed the name from Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC, effectively removing any charm the chain ever had. Yet he likes either Swanson or Banquet (frozen) Fried Chicken; I can’t remember which brand.

But what does this too-wordy, purely aberrational introductory unconclusion mean to you? Absolutely nothing. I’m merely highlighting another one of life’s mysteries that the entire crew of the SS Me So Hungry has failed to figure out. Heck, even crack lead navigator Skippy scratches his head; of course, he’s always scratching his head. (Does scurvy make your head itch too?)

Personally, I kind of like KFC’s Original Recipe fried chicken. Sure, it’s greasy and grossly overpriced but I like it. However, I rarely eat it. The only time I do is when I run across an all-you-can-eat Colonel’s Buffet, it costs less than $6, I can park nearby, and there’s not much else around.

There is something KFC makes, however, that I think even my friend would like, especially if he didn’t know it was from KFC: Chunky Chicken Pot Pie.

Lord knows it’s hard to find a good chicken pot pie anywhere, much less on the road. And as we’ve learned, sometimes a pot pie isn’t even a pot pie at all. Lately, however, KFC has reintroduced its Chunky Chicken Pot Pie, and they are excellent. In fact, I was trying to think of when I’d had better and couldn’t.

It’s rather bizarre: KFC introduced them years ago, had them for a while and then suddenly didn’t. Then the pies reappeared and just as quickly disappeared again. Hell, they became the chicken pot pie equivalent of sea serpents — you never knew when they were going to pop up.

Currently KFC is offering its Now-you-see-’em-Now-you-don’t Chunky Chicken Pot Pies for $3.99. And unlike a certain Pennsylvania Dutch concoction, it actually resembles a pie, with a light, flaky crust (top only) that’s chock full of chunks of chicken, carrots, potatoes and peas, all bathed in a tasty gravy.

But are the decent-sized (6”?) pies really worth $4? YES!

Why the geniuses at Yum! Brands don’t keep the Chunky Chicken Pot Pie as a regular menu item is beyond me. With any luck they will. They’re delicious and, according to at least one Colonel-ette, extremely popular. More importantly, I love ‘em.

I wonder: Did a signature white-suited Harlan contact Yum! Brands from the afterlife to persuade and/or haunt them into reintroducing Chunky Chicken Pot Pies without consulting me, without giving me a courtesy heads-up?

Freakin’ clown! Oh, wait. Wrong McRestaurant.

—> Note: The museum-quality photo of the Yum! Brands KFC Chunky Chicken Pot Pie box, while unquestionably “a Classic”, was taken on the step of the yacht. To the best of my knowledge there are no fuel vapors and/or risk of explosion associated with KFC’s Chunky Chicken Pot Pie. Indeed, it’s merely another example of freakin’ trucks screwing up my inimitable, world-class photography. Nevertheless, I wish to extend my sincerest apologies for any alarm and/or confusion this unfortunate photographic merger may have caused. Please be aware, however, that while (to the best of my knowledge) a KFC Chunky Chicken Pot Pie will not release harmful vapors and/or explode, its contents are, in fact, HOT, and should only be eaten with appropriate caution. Enjoy! <—

And so we roll.

KFC, nationwide

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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sandwich tio wally travel

Tio Wally Eats America: Mr. Fuel

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Foristell, Missouri.

Greetings from Foristell, Missouri
N 38° 49.093’ W 090° 57.262’ Elev. 667 ft.

I was sailing east on I-70 near St. Louis, Missouri one day and wanted a cup of coffee. Knowing I had to stop before I got into “town,” I ended up at Mr. Fuel.

I went into Mr. Fuel for the caffeine but I came out with one of the best Meat Loaf sandwiches I’d ever had. I’d love to show you a picture of it but this happened BC (Before Camera).

Mr. Fuel is a small chain of truck stops. I would tell you more about them but I’ve only been to this one (11 Highway W, Foristell, MO; I-70 Exit 203) and the one in Pevely (south of St. Louis). It turns out that Mr. Fuels have nice little delis inside. And every month Mr. Fuel features one hell of a sandwich special for $2.99. (Mr. Sandwich?) The special consists of a very respectable sandwich, a small bag of chips and a 32-ounce fountain drink; curiously, you can get iced tea but not coffee with the special.

For the month of March Mr. Fuel’s Mr. Sandwich is a Rueben. In Foristell it was made up of really great, high-quality Pastrami, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut, served warm on a really decent, thick-sliced rye bread. When I was here before the sandwich special came with a bag of Lay’s potato chips. This time, however, they were giving away Uncle Ray’s brand chips, which, according to the package, are “Beyond Good!” They’re “Not bad.”

A couple of weeks later I ran across the Mr. Fuel in Pevely. I stopped to get a couple of Mr. Rueben Sandwiches and was surprised; they were making the Rueben with Corned Beef. Personally, I think the Pastrami is more fun but, hey, it’s all good. But the Pevely Mr. Fuel also bummed me out. They were selling Sloppy Joe’s on Tuesdays for 79¢! I was there on a Wednesday, of course.

Another great thing about Mr. Fuel’s Mr. Sandwich special is that they will dress it up anyway you like for free, with the exception of adding cheese which costs 50¢, I think. Moreover, they have real lettuce — Green Leaf! For the Mr. Rueben Mr. Sandwich I just had them add 1,000 Island Dressing.

Mr. Fuel’s Mr. Sandwiches are so good and such a great deal that I’ve actually taken to calling them if I’m passing by to find out what that month’s Mr. Sandwich special is. Seriously. For the ridiculously low price of $2.99 you simply can’t possibly go wrong. Did I mention Mr. Fuel’s Mr. Sandwiches are delicious?

By the way, I apologize for not getting a proper picture of the Foristell Mr. Fuel, but there were too many damn semi-trucks in the way. Gawd how I hate ‘em! Those damn trucks are always getting in my way, taking up my road, parking in my space, screwing up my photographic efforts, and on and on. Freakin’ trucks!

And so we roll.

Mr. Fuel, locations in Foristell, Villa Ridge and Pevely, Missouri; Indianapolis, IN; Girard, OH; and Ruther Glen, VA (and possibly elsewhere).

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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fast food tio wally travel

Tio Wally Eats America: Arby’s Fish Sandwich

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Greencastle, Pennsylvania.

Greetings from Greencastle, Pennsylvania
N 39° 04.743’ W 076° 342.668’ Elev. 627 ft.

If you sail the Interstates for a living, eating fast food is an inevitability. Eventually you will be tired enough or hungry enough or it will be the only thing available or whatever. It’s going to happen. While I avoid fast food as much as possible, sometimes there are actually good things to be had, occasionally at a reasonable price.

Here’s an example:

Arby’s, the nationwide chain that built its business based on possibly the weirdest excuse for roast beef in the known Universe, actually does a couple of things right.

The first is its Three Pepper Sauce. They have it in most of its restaurants but it’s only available in the pump dispensers; it doesn’t come in packages. The stuff is fairly spicy and really tasty.

Depending on the price of a Jr. Roast Beef — they used to be a dollar everywhere but I’ve seen the price as high as $1.49; I won’t pay over $1.20 — I’ve been known to buy a couple of them just as an excuse to mix a little of the Arby’s Horsey Sauce (a faux creamed horseradish affair) with the Three Pepper Sauce.

By and large, though, the Jr. Roast Beefs are pretty paltry meat-wise. Curiously, some Arby’s serve Jr. Roast Beefs that are markedly more generous with the meat than others even though they all supposedly weigh the portion.

But the thing Arby’s is really doing right these days are Fish Sandwiches. I kept passing by and seeing either “Try Our Fish Sandwiches, 2 for $5” or “Get Hooked On Our Fish Sandwiches …” on the marquees. So I finally bit like a fish and, lo and behold, they are great. And here in Pennsyl-freakin’-vania they only cost $4 for two. Because it’s closer to the ocean?

The sandwich is a gigantic piece of cod, served on a sesame-seed bun with lettuce and tartar sauce. I would recommend getting them with extra tarter as the piece of fish is so big they’re a little dry otherwise. Of course, it’s all a matter of taste. The fish itself is actually really moist, and it isn’t greasy at all.

Overall I still find Arby’s to be kind of suspicious. In fact, I’m convinced — with no proof, of course — that Arby’s Roast Beef is actually constructed by Buddig, the company responsible for what can only be described as the weirdest luncheon meats ever devised by man or machine.

And evidently I’m not the only one that feels this way. There is an episode of The Simpsons — based on William Golding’s literary classic Lord of the Flies — where the Springfield Elementary kids become stranded on a tropical island. Starving, one of the twins (Sherri or Terri?) utters the classic line: “I’m so hungry I could eat at Arby’s.” Ouch.

And so we roll.

Arby’s Roast Beef, nationwide

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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tio wally travel

Diner Train

Here’s a cool pic Tio Wally sent me…

“Bellville, Ohio. (One of my “trick” parking spots.) Out the window is this place that’s never open. Bummer.” –Tio Wally.

 

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sandwich tio wally travel

Tio Wally Eats America: Casey’s General Store

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Williamsburg, Iowa.

Greetings from Williamsburg, Iowa
N 41° 41.433’ W 092° 00.707’ Elev. 815 ft.

Here was an wholly unexpected score. I was driving on Interstate 80 through Iowa one night looking for a place to park for the night and, hopefully, get a decent cup of coffee in the morning. I ended up stopping at a Casey’s General Store in Williamsburg (130 W. Evans St., Hwy. 149 and I-80, Exit 220).

Casey’s General Stores are mainly little convenience stores/gas stations of various sizes, with various amenities. A few of them have diesel and a bit of parking. This particular one had a restaurant attached to it, which is unusual for a Casey’s.

Unbeknownst to me, some Casey’s also have little deli’s inside that feature pizzas as well as sandwiches; $5 for their “Classic” foot-long subs.

I’ve made no secret of my fondness for Tuna Salad. Most places charge extra for tuna, if they even have it. But lo and behold, not only does Casey’s have it, it’s considered part of its “Classic” menu.

I ordered one because it looked so good and was not disappointed. It was great. Moreover, the lady that made the sandwich put five giant scoops of it on the sandwich. I have no idea how many ounces of meat was there, but I’m thinking it was well over a pound; it was definitely more than one of those containers from Braum’s contains. It was huge! Enough for four meals for me.

There was also another special of sorts going on in the parking lot that morning that was strictly for the birds. A truck had spilled some feed corn and the local avian community was going crazy. At times the pile was nearly covered with three or four different species. Unfortunately, I was never able get a shot of the “big gang.” They were very skittish and, much like the Amish, refused to pose.

I also made another major score on that cruise. I was in Norfolk, Nebraska and hit the Hy-Vee for dinner. One of the specials that day was a monster stuffed pork chop with two sides and a roll for $5. For the sides I got scalloped potatoes and baked beans. Needless to say, it was great and made for multiple meals.

And so we roll.

Casey’s General Store, throughout the Midwest, primarily in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas and Nebraska.
Hy-Vee, throughout the Midwest

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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tio wally travel

Tio Wally Eats America: Ole Hickory Bar-B-Que Express

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Portia, Arkansas.

Greetings from Portia, Arkansas
N 36° 05.246’ W 091° 04.178’ Elev. 270 ft.

The adage “If something is too good to be true, it probably is” is generally spot on. However, there are rare and, in this case, spectacular exceptions.

I was driving north out of Jonesboro, Arkansas on US 63 one evening and saw an intriguing sign. It read: BBQ, 5 BBQs ONLY $5.99. Naturally, I was curious as hell, not only as to what a “BBQ” is, but what do you get five of for 6 bucks? Unfortunately, by then I was on a narrow WPA-era two-lane bridge and couldn’t turn around.

(As you probably can’t imagine, turning a 40-ton land yacht around isn’t quite as easy as, say, a puny-assed car. In fact, until you’ve had to do it you’ll never fully appreciate what it actually involves. But take my word for it: It’s much, much easier said than done.)

Nevertheless, I made a mental note that the next time I went by the place I would stop. I had to know.

Well, I was on the same stretch of highway headed south and was able to stop at Ole Hickory Bar-B-Que Express and find out. And, boy, am I glad I did.

The “BBQ” turned out to be barbecued pork sandwiches. The pork is smoked Boston Butt, chopped and served on a grill-warmed hamburger bun, with a little barbecue sauce and, if you want, cole slaw on it. And to be succinct: These bastards are freakin’ awesome!

The lady chops the meat as the sandwiches are ordered, so it remains really moist. At first I thought it didn’t have enough barbecue sauce on it but, as I took another bite, it hit me: This is exactly how barbecue should taste, with the flavor of the hickory smoke wafting through without being covered up by sauce. Moreover, the sandwiches have about in inch of the scrumptious meat generously piled up. Freakin’ awesome, I says.

According to the menu board, these little gems normally sell for $1.99. At that price they are still a steal. But jeez Louise, a bag of ‘em for $6.51 after tax?! That’s not a steal — that’s akin to a dine-and-dash, if not an out-and-out robbery!

But Ole Hickory Bar-B-Que Express really needs to put a warning label on these things, reading: DO NOT EAT OUR BBQ WHILE OPERATING LARGE MOVING OBJECTS. Seriously. I dropped a teensy little piece of that awesome chopped pork on my lap and … thankfully, no one was injured or killed during the ultimately successful search for the morsel. It was delicious.

And so we roll.

Ole Hickory Bar-B-Que Express, 308 W. Front St. (US 63), Portia, Arkansas

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.