If you Love to Eat -- Have We Got the Blog for YOU!

Dear Friends,

We want to thank you.

We at MyEverydayLife have been overwhelmed by the amount of interest in our websites. We've had a great beginning and now we just want to say Thank You to all of our readers.

So starting tomorrow and continuing for EVERY SINGLE DAY in March The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes Blog will be running our "March to Recipes Celebration".

Okay, that's a hokey name but it's really a great celebration.

Every single day in March The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes Blog will feature at least one new restaurant recipe (many days more than one) and also give away a FREE downloadable cookbook to EVERYONE that visits.

Everyday -- All Month -- 31+ Restaurant Recipes -- 31 FREE Downloadable Cookbooks

If you've enjoyed The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes Blog so far, you are going to love it when we go to a daily schedule. We will now be bringing you the best make-at-home restaurant favorites (including those you requested by your comments and our poll) EVERYDAY!

And in addition to the great tasting dishes from Olive Garden, Applebee's, Red Lobster and More, for 31 days you can download a new cookbook every single day.

31 FREE Downloadable Cookbooks

Now, to be honest, it wasn't possible for us to put together 31 Copycat Restaurant Recipes Cookbooks (we wish we could have done that for you) but these are some very nice cookbooks with some delicious recipes. Many of them have 100+ pages and 100's of recipes. They are the same ones selling all over the internet for up to $19, $29 even $49+! And they are your's completely free just because you have the good taste to read The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes Blog.

We are very excited about this and just to get you a little bit more excited here are just a few of the titles that will be yours for free next month:

• Starbucks Recipes


• Recipes from South of the Border (247 pages!)


• Camping & Outdoor Recipes


• Sandwich Recipes (439 pages!)


• Pizzeria Recipes


• The Ultimate Chicken Wing Cookbook


• Coffee Recipes


• Blue Ribbon Winning Recipes (505 pages!)


• The Appetizer Collection


• ...and 24 more.

And don't forget -- It all starts tomorrow over at The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes.

And if you're not interested in the cookbooks, you can still get the best in Copycat Restaurant Recipes everyday in March.

Visit The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes Blog tomorrow, follow the instructions and get your free cookbook. Not to mention all of the best in restaurant favorites that you have come to expect from The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes Blog.

Mark

#3 In-N-Out Burger - Southern California

I had wanted to try an In-N-Out Burger for quite some time. I first read about them in the very first Top Secret Recipes book several years ago. The very talented author, Todd Wilbur, calls it the "best hamburger in the world."

On a recent family vacation to Southern California, I finally got my chance.

The first impression I had upon entering the In-N-Out Burger at 500 Mile of Cars Way, National City (just south of San Diego) was, "is this it?" It is nothing but a modern version of a "burger joint." The menu, such as it is, consists of about 5 items. If I remember correctly they are: Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, Fries, Sodas and Shakes. That's it. Having become accustomed to the "everything under one roof" approach taken by most restaurants today (including formerly good burger joints) I was quite surprised. How can this be restaurant command so much devotion with just 5 items.

But it turns out, that is exactly why. They are a throwback to an era when restaurants did just a few things but did them exceptionally well. This is the burger joint that McDonald’s was when the McDonald Brothers invented the idea of a burger joint and the way it was when Ray Kroc began to franchise it … six years after In-N-Out opened in 1948

I ordered a couple of burgers, some fries and a shake.

Everything is fresh made when you order it. The burgers are made from fresh, never frozen beef. The shakes are made from real ice cream, not a mix. And the fries are hand cut in the store. Read that again. Hand cut! I watched them.

Was it good? OH YEAH!! The burgers are not huge but they are nice and juicy with lettuce, tomato, and 1000 Island dressing.

It is one of the few chains that Jane and Micheal bother to detail on Roadfood and one of the few that are worth it. I will eat at In-N-Out as often as I can.

In-N-Out appears on the Roadfood Website

In-N-Out website

A very comprehensive and interesting piece about In-N-Out appears on Wikipedia

Mark

Oh, one more thing that makes In-N-Out Rule! It is probably the only restaurant with a "stealth menu". The stealth menu is only for those in the know (which is you, now!)

Here's the deal -- there are several dozen variations on the traditional menu that you can order if you know the name. They do not appear anywhere in the restaurant, you just have to know them.

Here is a site with a few examples with photos -- In-N-Out Secret Menu

There are others scattered around that I will let you have the fun of finding.

But there is one other "secret" I have to tell you about. You can order a "Blank by Blank" Burger. The first blank is the number of patties and the second is the slices of cheese. So a "4x4" burger would have 4 patties and 4 slices of cheese. So you can theoretically order as big a burger as you want, right? Actually it's not a theory. You can!

You just KNOW I've got an example for you. don't you? Well even if you think you are ready for it, this is gonna knock your socks off.

Get ready for the now-famous -- 100x100 Burger -- Yes, with Photos.

BIG NEWS for Roadfood Blog

BIG NEWS!

At least it's big to me...

Roadfood Blog is now part of the MyEverydayLife.net Family of websites.

It has been my hope since I started working on the web to build sites that people can use. Sites that would make their lives better in some small way. MyEverydayLife is my attempt to pull these websites together in one place so that we can learn from each other. Everyone involved hopes to offer tips and tricks, advice and commentary to help make our normal days easier and more fun.

So far I have included several of my sites as well as the sites of some other talented individuals on the home site and I have several more that may join us in the near future.

Besides Roadfood Blog, my sites include:

Everyday Internet Marketing - A blog of my journey as I try to learn the internet marketing game.
The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes - Clones of you favorite restaurants like Applebees, Outback Steakhouse and Red Lobster that you can make at home.
Internet Marketing for FREE - The best resources on the web of free information, reports, audio and ebooks about internet marketing. Trust me, you'll be surprised at the amount and quality of the free information available.
1000 Places to See Blog - My attempt to see the 1000 places mentioned in the book, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.

Along with BBQ Master, Jamie Clark of Derby City Sauces I have:

The Weekend Grillers - A site dedicated to bringing the Tips and Tricks of the BBQ and Grilling Masters to the Weekend Griller in all of us.

We have more sites devoted to health, travel, music and other everyday things. And more will be added everyweek.

Check out MyEverydayLife.net today!

#2 Charlie Vergos Rendezvous - Memphis, TN

When I learned that the company I worked for would be sending me to Memphis, TN for two weeks of training one thought popped into my mind before any other -- BARBEQUE!

I'm not kidding. Ask my old boss.

The first thing I did is go to the internet and look up the location of my hotel (the Marriott) which proved to be downtown. This gave me a reference for my next stop -- Roadfood.com!

I printed out all of the restaurants that J&M recommended that were within walking distance of the Marriott (I wouldn't have a car) and started to dream of 'Que. The trip was still four months away.

Finally we headed to Memphis and the first night I hit Charlie Vergos Rendezvous along with 5 of my new friends.

Jane and Micheal were right as usual -- it was some of the best ribs I had ever had.

I wasn't as impressed with the service as they were though.

I wrote this review as soon as I came back for my Barbeque and Grilling site The Weekend Grillers.

The first thing you notice when approaching Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous is, like all good BBQ restaurants, the aroma of charcoal-cooking meat that wafts to meet you. The next thing is the large number of people waiting in the alley to be seated. Yes, you enter the restaurant from an alley. How can you not love a barbeque joint that has its front door in an alley?

I had flown down to Memphis for a week of management training in a former job. Truthfully, I didn't give one whit about the training but knew that I had to eat the famous Memphis barbecue as often as possible.

The first day I told some of my classmates that I was going to eat barbeque that night and they were welcome to join me. Five of my new friends did.

The restaurant is in the basement of the building. Legend has it that the restaurant was started in 1948 when Charles Vergos discovered a coal chute in the basement of his diner. The chute acted as a vent, enabling him to set up a grill. After he perfected his BBQ the diner closed up and almost sixty years later the barbeque is still smoking. The alley and restaurant were packed on this Tuesday night so we enjoyed beers and that wonderful bbq smell in the bar upstairs for about 45 minutes until we were seated.

The decor can best be described as cluttered, with historical political and entertainment relics spread throughout the rooms. The guests were a mixture of obviously locals and obviously tourists. Most of the waiters looked like they had been around since the restaurant opened.

I would like to tell you that we tried everything on the menu like you should if you are reviewing a restaurant. But I can't. We all had the ribs. How could we not? Five half slabs and one full slab. Me, of course.

I was not surprised when the ribs arrived without sauce as I know this restaurant is famous for its dry ribs, but I did wonder how I would like them. I'm definitely a barbeque sauce guy. I love bbq sauce so much that I don't just save it for actual bbq, I slather it on most every meat.

I needn't have worried. The pork ribs were delicious. Smokey sweet with a hint of pepper. The thick rub turns to a sauce as soon as you start to chew and release the juices of the meat. A cold beer helps this, too. The full slab of ribs was the size of a skateboard and cooked perfectly.

The side of vinegary cole slaw was good but barely more than a spoonful. Minisule side dishes, I would discover, are apparently a Memphis tradition. The star is the BBQ and side dishes afterthoughts.

The only bad part of the night was the attitude of our waiter. He started off surly and I assumed that it was just local flavor (like the waiters at Mike Linnings in my hometown of Louisville) or an act (as at Ed Debevic's in Chicago). But no, unfortunately, he was just plain rude. And he got worse as the meal went on. This was surprising to me since every review I had read prior to visiting had praised the wait staff. It was a sad sour note to an otherwise wonderful meal.

The service notwithstanding, the ribs carried the night into BBQ heaven and I rate Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous...

As Good as I've Ever Had

This review can be found along with many more on the Restaurants Page of The Weekend Grillers.

I must try the BBQ Nachos next time I go.

There will be a next time -- trust me!

Mark

Charlie Vergos Rendezvous website - http://www.hogsfly.com/


Rendezvous is featured on the Roadfood.com Website

#1 Mike Linnig's - Louisville, KY

Let's start this list off with on of my all time favorite restaurants, Mike Linnig's in my hometown.

My Uncle Dude, a real character in every way, loved Mike Linnig's so much that we would have to go with him every time he came to Louisville to visit us. Not that I minded. I loved Mike Linnig's too. Some of my earliest memories of eating out are in a back room in the restaurant or being called from the swings outside when the food arrived.

Uncle Dude was so fond of the seafood that he would sometimes fly his small private airplane from his home in Franklin, Ky up to Louisville, a trip of about 125 miles, and rent a car at the airport just to drive to Mike Linnig's for supper and then fly home again. He would always call and ask if we wanted to meet him there.

I've grown up now and sadly Uncle Dude is no longer with us, but I still love going to Mike Linnig's.

When I first bought the Roadfood books, long before the website was created, I was shocked to not see Mike's included. Thankfully the Sterns have since been and are able to share this wonderful old fashioned "fish camp" with the world.

A few words of advice:

Go in the summer and sit outside (when I was a kid it was closed in the winter).

If you don't like fried seafood, don't go. Oh, I guess they might serve something that isn't fried, but I've never bothered to look. Get the Seafood Plate or Frog Legs. Get plenty of Tartar Sauce. Get the sweet tea. And enjoy life.

And tell'em Uncle Dude sent ya.

Mark


Mike Linnigs Website - http://www.mikelinnigsrestaurant.com/
Listen to J&M talk about Mike Linnings here - http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/whereweeat/stern_linnigs.html
A review by Marty Rosen of the Courier Journal - http://www.realpagessites.com/linnigsmike/page2.html


Mike Linnigs appeared on the Roadfood.com Website

PS Mike Linnigs is a "Fish Camp". Fish Camps were popular many years ago and there were hundreds of the lining the backroads of America. Mike Linnigs is one of only a handful remaining. If you know of one for us to try please leave a comment.

Thanks.

What Can We Expect From YOU!

I tried to explain in my last post why I was doing a Roadfood Blog. Now please bear with me while I try and outline what I hope to do with the Blog and with the posts.

It's probably easier to tell what I will not be doing (since I really don't know yet all the things I may do).

What I will not be doing is straight reviews. I will give my opinions and suggestions from time to time but never a full-on review. I'm really not qualified. Besides, Jane & Michael are great at reviewing restaurants. It's why I love reading them so much. Their reviews are the reason I try the restaurants in the first place. So please read J&M for the reviews.

What I hope to do is to tell you the why and how of my visit to the restaurants and what I thought. Then, ultimately, I hope to attract enough readers that we can "discuss" the restaurants and make suggestions to each other.

Please take a moment from time to time to leave a comment or two.

Yeah, that sounds like fun!

Mark

Why a Roadfood Blog?

If Jane and Michael Stern have road food covered so well, why write a blog about it?

Good question.

The number one reason is pretty simple -- I'm tired of living my life half-awake. I'm tired of spending the best part of my day at a miserable job I hate. I'm tired of all the "couldas, shouldas and oughtas" in my life.

It's time to get out and do all the things I want to do.

But, having lived for 43 years half-asleep, it's not going to be easy to change.

So I need some guides.

One of my favorite things in life, even when I was sleep-walking, is food. I love all kinds of good food. And road food is some of the best.

I first discovered Michael and Jane on the Splendid Table Radio Show (there will be plenty more about this wonderful show in upcoming posts). From there I bought the Roadfood books and discovered the website. Their picks have never yet let me down.

Okay, fine, but why the Blog?

Because writing and (hopefully) interacting with others will keep the Old Life from retaking me. Already I feel the pull of the couch (my new term for sitting at home and doing nothing). I need to beat the couch and I think this Blog will help me do that.

Please join me in my new life and let's eat some good road food.

Mark

My First Step for Every Trip

No matter where I'm going in the USA, I never start a trip with out first making a trip to RoadFood.com and scoping out my destination in the numerous books by Jane and Michael Stern.

Never.

And if I'm driving, I save a place in the front of the car for the Roadfood books just in case I get hungry on the road.

So what exactly is "Roadfood" and who are these Jane and Michael people?

Road food (two words) is those wonderful regional meals along the highways and backroads you find in small towns and city neighborhoods. It's found in diners, truckstops and joints. It's made by cooks, bakers, pitmasters and sandwich-makers. It's almost always informal and inexpensive.




The best road food restaurants are those colorful places enjoyed by the locals and the savvy traveler who knows where to look.

Knowing where to look is what Roadfood (one word) is all about.

Jane and Micheal Stern's Roadfood comfortably crosses several media telling people where to find good road food across the USA.

They have written several excellent guidebooks about road food.

They write a monthly column in Gourmet called "Two for the Road" about road food.

They appear weekly on "The Splendid Table" talking about road food.

And they have a delicious website devoted to...you guessed it!...road food.

We'll talk more about the various places to get your Roadfood fixes while we discuss where to find good road food in upcoming posts.

The next post tells you about me and why I am doing this Blog.

Until then,

Mark