Everywhere I ate on my road trip
Cook Eat 014: plus how to cook perfect fish with just lemon, salt, garlic inspired by my catfish cooking adventures in Arkansas
Happy Monday! Today’s Monday is last week’s Thursday - if that confuses you, ignore it. I have just returned to my little townhouse in Toronto for the first time in six weeks, and it’s great to be home. If you follow along on my Instagram, you may of noticed that I have been on the road for the last nine days doing a road trip from Palm Springs to Toronto. Why? Well, here’s the backstory:
For the last five years, my parents have gone to Palm Springs to escape the winter months. Two months is a long time, and I like my parents a lot, so as the good child that I am, I always visit them. They drive their car down from Toronto to PS, and then my dad does a road trip back with a friend (this is a long story, and not worth explaining). The important part: for the first time in five years, my dad’s friend who normally does the road trip with him was unable to.
So, my dad was in need of a road trip companion, and I happily volunteered. The primary mission: accompany my dad while he drives the car back from Palm Springs. No problem. The secondary mission: ask my dad as many questions as I can possibly think of, and try as much food as humanely possibly. Before the trip my dad asked me, “what are you most excited for on the road trip?” and I told him, “seeing what it’s like to spend 47 hours in a car with my dad.” It was an incredible experience, and something I will remember forever. My dad and I both LOVE music, and especially the blues, so we designed this road trip specifically around music, and tried to go to as many music cities as possible such as Clarksdale, Austin, and Memphis.
Aside from countless hours of conversation while driving and incredible music, OBVIOUSLY my favourite part of road tripping was seeking out delicious food. In 9 days (47 hours) total of driving, we did not go to one single fast-food restaurant. If we wanted a quick and convenient lunch, I would seek out a mom n pop style-sandwich shop off the highway, or a quick take-out Mexican joint for a taco, or a tiny no-frills diner. To me, there is no reason to stop at a McDonalds ever. I can find tastier, cheaper, more filling food that supports a food system I believe in. Also, I love embracing the food culture wherever I am, and I had SO much fun finding places to eat all along this road trip.
Below is our route and everything I ate along the way. Also, I’ve included a recipe below for “How to make perfect fish with just lemon, salt + garlic” inspired by my Airbnb home cooked dinner in Arkansas.
-xoxo Maddy
This week on Cook Eat 014:
How to make perfect fish with just lemon, salt + garlic (recipe below)
Everywhere I ate on my road trip (see below)
Everywhere I ate on my road trip:
If you’re wondering why I was on a road trip, and who I was with, read the intro to this email. Below is all my stops, and where I ate along the way <3
Note: If it’s listed as a stop, it’s because we spent a night there. If it’s just listed as a place, it’s because we just drove through there and grabbed lunch!
We started in Palm Springs.
Goodyear, AZ - Sandwich Masterz (click for link)
Lunch: Got a turkey avocado sub for lunch, they were massive and amazing. This little shop has been around for ten years and makes a perfect sub. Byeeeee Subway. Crazy selection and all natural meats.
Stop 1 - Tucson, Arizona
Dinner: Tito and Pep (click for link) - seafood forward, tons of craft beers, fair pricing, LOVELY friendly service. Great dinner. Get the shrimp and masa dumplings!
Breakfast: Bobos (click for link) - cutie diner that was absolutely packed! I loved it. Honestly, I love most diners.
Stop 2 - Marfa, Texas
Dinner: Margarets in Marfa (click for link) - owned by a woman from Toronto! This is by far the best restaurant in town, it’s also pretty much the only restaurant in town. Marfa, TX is tiny but oh so adorable, and if you find yourself there, Margarets is a must-go. Also, shoutout to El Cosmico, which is a little RV rental park that has the most incredible renovated RV homes to stay in while you’re visiting Marfa. We LOVED it.
Fredericksberg, Texas - Martinis Seafood (click for link)
Lunch: Stopped in this random town in Texas (random to me, home to fredericksbergers of course) and found this packed seafood joint. I got a shrimp po’boy and it was INCREDIBLE and very large. I was full for approximately 92014904 hours after consuming.
Stop 3 - Austin, Texas (stayed for two nights!)
Dinner: Peacock (click for link) - delicious family-style Mediterranean restaurant, would definitely go back. Super bright bold flavours. Definitely get the manti dumplings!
Lunch/Dinner: Franklin’s BBQ (click for link) - Austin’s most famous BBQ joint known for having INCREDIBLE brisket and long lines. We got lucky because we went on Easter, and it looks like BBQ + church don’t go well together. We only had to wait about 30 minutes in line (SO lucky) and this BBQ lived up to the hype. It was probably the best thing I ate the entire trip.
Breakfast: Toast Badger (click for link) - modern “diner”-style brunch spot serving eggs benny and other cute breakfasts with a very warm interior.
Stop 4 - Little Rock, Arkansas
Dinner: fried catfish in our cute Airbnb (a restored home from 1895) and some broccoli and asparagus to accompany. We needed a break from restaurant food and this was perfect. See below for how I cooked perfect fish with just lemon, salt, garlic!
Carlisle, Arkansas - Advada’s Diner (no link - 604 Frances Street in Carlisle, Arkansas)
Breakfast: stopped by this tiny diner in Arkansas filled with biscuits, gravy, and a lot of Jesus memorabilia. I left with a belly full of biscuits n gravy, and a “Jesus loves you” mug.. very successful. I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way for this one but if you happen to be in the area it’s definitely a vibe!
Stop 5 - Clarksdale, Mississippi
Dinner: Yazoo Pass (click for link) - we were in Clarksdale for the music, so the last thing I expected in this TINY music-oriented town was to have an outstanding meal but WOW was Yazoo Pass good. I got the gumbo, and it was so flavourful, filling, belly warming, and delicious. Every single thing about Clarksdale is amazing.
Breakfast: Our Grandma’s House of Pancakes (click for link) - I met a woman named Colleen while I was eating dinner at Yazoo Pass, and she told me this spot is a must-go for breakfast in Clarksdale. As you can imagine, they specialize in pancakes so I got a blueberry pancake and was in heaven.
Stop 6 - Memphis, Tennesse
Dinner: Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken (click for link) - Quite literally the best fried chicken i’ve ever had in my LIFE, and by a landslide. It’s juicy and flavourful, the breading is thin but crispy, the sides are delectable. I am genuinely happy that there is not a Gus’s in Toronto because I would likely form a fried chicken addiction that I do not need.
St. Louis, Missouri - Blues City Deli (click for link)
Lunch: found this deli specializing in good tunes and a variety of sandwiches. I got a prosciutto, mozzarella and arugula sandwich that was quite literally outstanding. I would actually love to go back here and try every single sandwich on their menu - highly recommend going here if you can!
Stop 7 - Springfield, Illinois
Unfortunately no good food was eaten here, so I will not share.
Stop 8 - Chicago, Illinois
Lunch: Giordanos Pizza (click for link) - I was excited to try Chicago-style deep dish pizza…. unfortunately this pizza was a massive miss for me. I love dough, and this pizza dough resembled cardboard (imagine cafeteria style pizza, it’s similar). The only thing good about this pizza was that you don’t have to order extra cheese because the pizza is 99% cheese, and 1% cardboard. I’m sorry but NY pizza is still by far my favourite.
Dinner: Boonies (click for link) - Incredible Michelin-recommended restaurant serving Filipino food in a casual but cool interior. The service was a tad-bit stiff but the food made up for it all. The flavours in every course was truly out of control, and I will be dreaming of how to recreate them ASAP.
We ended in Toronto.
How to make PERFECT fish with just lemon, salt + garlic
Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serving Size: 4 servings