Food On the Road

Vince Pitelka, 2006

This is a list of interesting restaurants all over the US (by state alphabetically), plus a few in British Columbia.  The primary point of this list is to offer travelers some good alternatives to fast-food and chain restaurants, (although a few select small chains are included), especially in out-of-the-way places on American highways and back roads, but I also include some favorite restaurants in major cities.  Many of these are by no means great restaurants, but are included by virtue of their location in remote places where any sort of decent food is to be treasured.  I have eaten at all of these restaurants, but in some cases it was quite a few years ago.  If you discover that one of them has gone out of business, please email me and I will delete it from the list.  Please note that I only list places where I have personally eaten the food.  If you know of a great restaurant along the highways and back roads somewhere in the US or Canada, I'd love to hear about it, but I won't put it on this list until I get a chance to eat there.  

*Asterisk indicates restaurant conveniently located near major highway or interstate.  

If the restaurant name is highlighted, click it to access their website.  

ALABAMA
Dreamland Barbecue
5535 15th Ave. E
Tuscaloosa, AL 35405
(205) 758-8135
Excellent pork ribs and pulled pork, served with Sunbeam white bread.  The menu is simple, but it's good.  
This place deserves the legend.

Original Ben's Jr.
552 N Section St
Fairhope, AL 36532
(251) 928-1211
Good barbecue, eat in or take-out

Wintzell's Oyster House
805 S Mobile St.
Fairhope, AL 36532
251/929-2322
Nice restaurant and oyster bar.  During their happy hour, Monday through Friday from 4:00 to 7:00, raw oysters on the half shell are 25 cents apiece.  I ate 36.  Good seafood including a wide variety of oyster dishes.

ARIZONA
*Beaver Street Brewery and Whistle Stop Cafe
11 South Beaver Street
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
520/779-0079
Decent pub food, good beer. Take I-40 exit #191 from the west, or I-40 exit #201 from the east.  In either case, follow I-40 Business for approximately five miles until you get to old town Flagstaff, turn south on Beaver Street, go one block.   

Delhi Palace
*2700 South Woodlands Village Blvd. #640
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928/556-0019
Excellent Indian food, comfortable, informal atmosphere, good service.  Take I-40 exit #195 on to I-17 north towards downtown Flagstaff.  The freeway ends almost immediately - take first left on to West McConnell Drive, and the first left on to South Beulah Blvd., and first right on to South Woodlands Village Blvd.  Restaurant is in the big strip mall.   

*El Norteno Mexican Food
1002 N. 7th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ
254-4629
Hole-in-the-wall take-out place one block south of I-10 at exit 144, North 7th Avenue exit, first exit east of I-17.  Excellent Mexican food, everything’s good, try the machaca chimichanga.

Jerome Brewery
111 Main St
Jerome, AZ 86331
928/639-8477
Great food and good beer in a nice setting on Highway 89A in the middle of town.

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Banana Leaf
820 West Broadway
Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1J8
Tel: (604) 731-6333
Excellent Malaysian cuisine, including fabulous seafood dishes.  Try the "Abundance Seafood in Gulai Sauce for $20, containing a wide range of seafood: scallops, prawns, fish, mussels, clams, and cuttlefish in spicy turmeric coconut sauce made with tamarind, galangal, lemon grass & ginger."  Mmmmmmm.  Three Vancouver locations listed on website.

East is East
3243 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6K 2H5
604/734-5881
Good organic Afghani take-out, specializing in Eastern roti rolls and soups, and wonderful fruit/yogurt smoothies.  Also sit-down dining with full dinners and live music. 

Original Tandoori Kitchen
689 East 65th Ave.
Vancouver, BC V5X-2P7
604/327-8900
Very fine Indian cuisine, and of course excellent Tandoori.  Other locations in Vancouver, Surrey, Whistler, and Burnaby are listed on website.  

Sui Sha Ya
1401 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6H 1H6
604/733-8886
Small, informal place, excellent Japanese food, including bargain all-you-can-eat sushi and sashimi.  

Tanpopo
1122 Denman St .
Vancouver, BC V6G 2M8
604/681-7777
Larger and more formal than Sui Sha Ya, excellent Japanese food, including bargain all-you-can-eat sushi and sashimi.

CALIFORNIA  
El Sombrero Mexican Restaurant
221 N Franklin St.
Fort Bragg, CA
(707) 964-5780
Casual atmosphere with inexpensive, high-quality Mexican food, North Coast Brewery Red Seal Ale on tap.

*Ellie's Mutt Hutt & Vegetarian Cafe
732 South State St.  (Business US-101)
Ukiah, CA  95482
707-468-5376
Ignore the strange name.  This place is very popular among locals, and has been there for a long time.  It's a small place with a comfortable atmosphere and a varied menu including both vegetarian and meat dishes including excellent "stuffed spuds," salads, sandwiches, Mexican dishes, and great "mutts" (hot dogs).  Take the Gobbi Street exit from US-101, go west on Gobbi Street for about eight blocks to State Street, turn left.  The Mutt Hutt is one block south.   

Everest Burgers
2314 N. Lake Ave.
Altadena, CA 91001
626/797-8013
Great burgers and fries.  Try the avocado bacon cheeseburger.  

Father's Office
733 10th St. #A
Santa Monica, CA 90402
310/393-2337
Great pub with at least 30 top beers on tap, excellent burgers and tapas.  In their words, "redefining the local pub . . "

*Granzella's: Restaurant
451 6th St.
Williams, CA 95987
530/473-5496
This place is pretty special.  The food is good, the atmosphere is excellent, and it's just a fun place to stop.  They have a restaurant, a sports lounge, a coffee shop, and a good delicatessen including a beer store containing one of the largest selections of domestic and imported beers I have seen in one place.  Its location right off I-5 north of Sacramento at exit #577 makes it a real treasure for north/south travelers in California.  Williams is where I-5 intersects US-20.  To the west, US 20 leads to Clear Lake, Ukiah, Mendocino, and Fort Bragg.  To the east, it leads to Colusa, Marysville, Yuba City, Grass Valley, and Nevada City  

Houston’s
320 South Arroyo
Pasadena, CA 91105
626/577-6001
No reservations, be there early, wonderful atmosphere, excellent in every way.  Houston's is a chain, but in this case, you just can't hold that against them.  

*Lost Coast Brewery
617 4th St.
Eureka, CA 95501
707/445-4480
Good food, great beer, located right on US-101 south in downtown Eureka.  

Lucky Baldwin's
17 S. Raymond Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91105
626/795-0652
Classic pub with nice outdoor patio.  Good pub food, amazing selection of beers on tap.

*Margie's Diner
1135 24th Street
Paso Robles, CA 93446
805/238-4305
High quality American diner food in huge portions, two blocks west of US-101 at exit #231.  

North Coast Brewing Company
455 N. Main St.
Fort Bragg, CA 95137
707/964-3400
Great food, great beer on US-1 in downtown Fort Bragg - the Red Seal Ale is excellent.  

*Robin's Woodfire Barbecue and Grill
395 N. Rosemead Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107
626/351-8885
Excellent barbecue - the pork spareribs are the best.  None of this fall-off-the-bone stuff.  Who came up with the idea of overcooking baby back ribs?  Take the Rosemead/Foothill Blvd. exit off I-210 and drive north on Rosemead several blocks.  Restaurant is on the left.  

Senor Fish
618 Mission St.
South Pasadena, CA
626/403-0145 or
4893 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
323/257-7167
Top-quality Mexican food, especially seafood dishes.  Variety of excellent salsas.  Eat in or take out.  

Shiro
1505 Mission St. 
South Pasadena, CA 91030-3215
626/799-4774
Combines Californian and Asian influences - excellent seafood.  Pricey and worth every penny.  The whole sizzling catfish with ponzu sauce and fresh cilantro is amazing as a group appetizer or as a main course for one.

Shish Kebab Express
2495 Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91104
626/398-9777
Very good Middle Eastern take-out, including excellent lamb and beef shish kebab.  Having a party? Consider the whole stuffed lamb for $175.00

Trattoria Tre Venezie
119 Green St.
Pasadena, CA 91105
626/795-4455
Excellent Italian food - wonderful osso buco.  

*Wagon Wheel Restaurant
2420 Needles Highway
Needles, CA 92363-2109
760/326-4361
Just off I-40 across from the Shell station.  Decent road food, including good potato salad, meatloaf sandwiches, hamburgers.  In Needles, way out in the Mojave Desert on the Colorado River, this place is a treasure. 

*Zankou Chicken
1296 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91105 (plus numerous other regional locations)
626/405-1502
Good take-out Lebanese food, best rotisserie chicken you've ever had.  This is great road food.  Take the Hill Avenue exit (I think it's exit #27) off I-210, go south six blocks to Colorado, turn right, the restaurant is on the left.

*Zono Sushi Japanese Restaurant
290 C South Lake Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91106
626/284-3873
Good sushi, reasonably priced. Take the Lake Avenue exit off I-210, drive south on Lake Avenue approximately ten blocks. 

COLORADO
Old Capitol Grill
1122 Washington Ave.
Golden, CO 80401-1143
303/279-6390
Located in old-town Golden.  Pleasant atmosphere, varied menu of American and Mexican dishes.  Good hamburgers, fish tacos.  Breckenridge Brewery Avalanche amber ale on tap.  

*W W Peppers
753 Horizon Ct.
Grand Junction, CO
970/245-9251
Yes, good food in a very nice atmosphere right there in Grand Junction, Colorado. Take I-70 exit #31 and go north one block on Horizon Drive, turn right on Horizon Court.  Restaurant is located next to Best Western Horizon Inn

FLORIDA
*Big Pine Coffee Shop
US Highway 1
Big Pine Key, FL 33043
305/872-2790
Great standard American fare - the skillet breakfasts are tasty and filling.  Located at mile marker 30

*Square Grouper Bar and Grill
US Highway 1
Cudjoe Key, Florida
305/745-8880
Excellent seafood lunches, dinners, and sense of humor.  Try the conch and the fried grouper sandwich.  Located at mile marker 22.5  

INDIANA
St. Elmo Steak House
127 S. Illinois St.
Indianapolis, IN 46223
317/635-0636
Open since 1902, great atmosphere, excellent steaks and standard accompanying fare.  Get a 32-ounce porterhouse for only $41.95

KANSAS
*Montana Mike's
3216 Vine St.
Hays, KS 67601
785/628-8786
Classic middle-American small town steakhouse, and they have Fat Tire on tap.  This a limited chain, but in places like Hays, Kansas, you can't be too picky.  Take I-70 exit #59, drive south on US-83/Vine Street several blocks, the restaurant is on your left.

KENTUCKY
Bistro 301
301 West Market St.
Louisville, KY 40202
502/584-8337
Very nice small restaurant across the street from the Kentucky International Convention Center.  Good food, and they have Stone IPA.  

*Cobbler's Cafe
125 East Dixie Ave.
Elizabethtown, KY, 42701
270/982-2233
Nice upscale small-town cafe, good food and coffees, in downtown Elizabethtown.  Take Elizabethtown exit off I-65 and head west into town, turn left on East Dixie, heading south, go around Courthouse and continue south several more blocks.  Watch for Cobbler's Cafe on the left.  

Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse
325 West Main St.
Louisville, KY 40202
502/584-0102
One of the best steak's I have ever had - the "Cowboy Steak" - a spiced ribeye, 2" thick, cooked to perfection.  This place is pricey ($100 per person for full meal with drinks), but a good atmosphere, great service, and very good food.  

*Saffron's Persian Cuisine
131 West Market St.
Louisville, KY 40202
502/584-7800
Wonderful Persian food, nice atmosphere, great service.  The rack of lamb is excellent.  On Market Street close to the interchange of I-65 and I-64.  

MARYLAND
Rallo’s Restaurant
838 East Fort Avenue
Baltimore, MD
410/727-7067
Good standard American fare and seafood in the Harborview district near the Museum of Industry.

Sushi-San
Japanese and Thai Cuisine
2748 Lighthouse Point East
Canton, MD 21224
410/534-8888
Good sushi, reasonable prices.

MASSACHUSETTS
*Black Sheep Deli
79 Main St
Amherst, MA 01002
413/256-1706
Gourmet Deli with excellent pastries, cheeses, olives, pickles, sandwiches, etc.  Have a picnic.  Take the Amherst/Route 9 exit off I-91 at Northampton, and head east across the Connecticut River for five miles.  When you get to the traffic light in the old part of Amherst, turn left on North Pleasant Street, go two blocks past the common, turn right on Main Street, and the deli is two blocks down on the right.   

*Bub's Bar BQ
676 Amherst Rd
Sunderland, MA 01375
413/548-9630
Great barbecue - rolls of paper towels on every table.  Wonderful buffet-style side dishes.  A ways off the Interstate, but worth it.  Take the Amherst/Route 9 exit off I-91, cross the Connecticut River and drive east about four miles.  Just past the Hampshire Mall, turn left onto Route 116 and follow it north about four miles to Sunderland.  Watch for Bub's on the right. 

MISSOURI
Big Sky Café
47 South Old Orchard
Webster Groves, MO 63199
314/962-5746
Same ownership as Remy’s and Blue Water Grill - American comfort food and wine.

Blue Water Grill
343 South Kirkwood Rd.
Kirkwood, MO 63122
314/821-5757
Same ownership as Remy’s and Big Sky Cafe - fresh innovative seafood dishes.  

*Gates & Sons Bar-B-Q 
3205 Main St.
Kansas City, MO 64111 
816/753-0828
Excellent barbecue in one of the cities that made American barbecue famous.  Three other locations in Kansas City are listed on the website.  Gates is run a little like an assembly line, and you are the object moving along the assembly line.  It's unusual atmosphere is partially due to this no-monkey-business policy.  Curiously, there's no pork other than ham - the choices are beef, ham, chicken, mutton, and beef sausage.  Take I-35 south from I-70/270, proceed 1/2 mile, and take exit 1B onto Penn Valley Drive.  Proceed through Penn Valley Park, and at the south end of the park, turn left on West 31st Street.  Go several blocks to Main Street, turn right, proceed several blocks to Gates Bar-B-Q.  

Melange
512 N. Euclid
St. Louis, MO 63106
314/361-8883
American bistro with good comfort food.  

Remy’s Kitchen Wine Bar
222 South Bemiston Ave.
Clayton, MO 63105
314/726-5757
Same ownership as Big Sky Cafe and Blue Water Grill.  Great lunches and dinners in a comfortable atmosphere just off Forest Parkway in Clayton. 

Savor
4356 Lindell Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63108
314/531-0220
Eclectic international cuisine - pricey, but very good.

The Scottish Arms
8 S Sarah St.
St. Louis, MO 63108
314/535-0551
Great old-style Scottish pub, excellent food, great selection of beers on tap, including many from the British Isles.

*Sweetwater Barbecue
14076 Highway Z (on I-44)
St. Robert, MO 65584
573/336-8830
Good barbecue, just south of I-44 at exit #159.  

*Take Away Café
2217-B South Main St.
Joplin, MO 64804
417/206-9299
Lunch or dinner in Joplin - good hot and cold sandwiches and wraps, salads, and entrees made with fresh ingredients.  Take I-44 exit #6, head north on South Main Street a few miles.  Restaurant is on the right.

NEVADA
*Red's Old 395 Grill
1055 South Carson St.
Carson City, NV 89701
775/887-0395
In the beautiful Eastern Sierra south of Reno at the intersection of US-50 and US-395.  Very good grilled and barbecued entrees, enormous salads, wide selection of draft and bottled beers, great decor and atmosphere. Carson City is a good full-service stop on the western edge of the Great Basin if you're taking US-50, "the loneliest road in America," or if you are traveling north/south on US-395 along the Eastern Sierra.  Located right on US-395/South Carson Street at the southern edge of Carson City.

NEW MEXICO
*Chelles Restaurant
2201 West Highway 66
Gallup, NM 87301  
505/722-7698
On historic Route 66 at the western edge of Gallup.  Good quality American fare, popular among the locals, good salads, steaks, etc.  Take I-40 exit #20, drive south on Route 602/Munoz Drive two blocks to West Historic Route 66, turn right, go about ten blocks, restaurant is on your left. 

*Roadrunner Cafe
3014 66 Avenue (old Rt. 66)
Gallup, NM 87301
505/722-7309
Little hole-in-the-wall with great breakfasts - try the Mario's Special with green sauce and the special potatoes - yep, you gotta put the word “special” in there twice.  Take I-40 exit #26, drive east ten or twelve blocks, restaurant is on your left next to Best Western Red Rock Inn.

Rockfish Seafood Grill
*4441 The 25 Way NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109
505/343-8500
Seafood in Albuquerque?  What we had was good.   This is a small chain, with restaurants in various locations in the Southwest and several in North Carolina.  Take I-25 exit #229, go one block west on Jefferson Street NE, and turn right on The 25 Way NE.  

*Route 66 Restaurant
1819 Will Rogers Dr.
Santa Rosa, NM 88435
505/472-9925
Classic American diner food and atmosphere, plus Mexican dishes.  Take I-40 exit 275 on to Historic Route 66, go east several blocks.  

NEW YORK
Maxie's Supper Club and Oyster Bar
635 W State St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607/272-4136
Eclectic good food, Ithaca Beer Company beers.

Moosewood Restaurant
215 N Cayuga St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607/273-9610
Legendary restaurant, creators of famous Moosewood cookbooks, excellent vegetarian food, and they have Ithaca Beer Company beers.  Try the Cascazilla "monstrously hoppy" red ale.

Rogue's Harbor Inn, Pub, and Restaurant
2079 East Shore Drive
PO Box 97
Lansing NY 14882
607-533-3535
Beautiful old multi-story brick inn with a classic pub and very nice restaurant.  Dinner entrees include steaks and Italian dishes.  Located in Lansing on the east side of Cayuga Lake in the heart of the Finger Lakes region, north of Ithaca.  

NORTH CAROLINA
Pancho Villa’s
2629 Battleground Ave.
Greensboro, NC 27408
336/282-1359
Yes, good Mexican food in Greensboro. Black velvet portraits of Pancho Villa on the walls.  

OKLAHOMA
*Hong Kong BBQ and Dim Sum Restaurant
I-44 at 11th St.
11630 E. Skelly Dr.
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74128
918/438-8878
Good dim sum in Tulsa?  Yep.  This place doesn't look like much from the outside, especially since it's attached to the Econo Lodge, but they offer good Chinese food every day and dim sum on weekends.  Take I-44 exit #235, East Skelly Drive is the frontage road on the south side of the Interstate.  

OREGON
*The Burger Queen Drive-In
109 South F St. 
Lakeview, OR 97630
541/947-3677
Lakeview, Oregon is a bustling little community of about 3000, center to the local ranching economy, located at the intersection of Oregon Route 140 and US 395, just north of the California border and Goose Lake, about 100 miles east (on 140) of Medford, Oregon, and 225 miles north of Reno.  It's out there, but it's convenient to the incredible scenery of Goose Lake, the Warner Mountains and Surprise Valley.  The Burger Queen is a great little drive-in.  There are no chain businesses in Lakeview except for gas stations, so privately-owned drive-ins actually have a chance, and there are at least three of them.  This one is my favorite.  They use excellent-quality materials, and you can't find a better burger and fries.   Great malts and shakes too, made from real ice cream.   

*Leo’s Bistro Grill and Coffee Bar
190 Ashland Lane
Ashland, OR 97520
541/488-5367
Good lunches and dinners, great coffee, just east of I-5 exit #19. Great stopping place for north-south travelers on I-5.

McMenamins Rock Creek Tavern
10000 NW Old Cornelius Pass Road
Hillsboro, OR 97124 (suburb of Portland)
503/645-3822
Good pub food, great beer, wonderful setting.  This place has a long and colorful history, and when it burnt to the ground in 2002, McMenamins rebuilt it to the original plan.    

*Seven Feathers Travel Center and Creekside Restaurant
130 Creekside Drive
Canyonville, OR 97417
541/839-3100
Located on the frontage road on the west side of Interstate 5 at exit #99 in southern Oregon, slightly north of and across the highway from the Seven Feathers Casino and Resort.  The travel center features a bakery, deli, and the Creekside Restaurant.  The Deli offers huge subway sandwiches with excellent breads and high-quality fresh ingredients.  The Creekside Restaurant features high-quality American diner food and specialty dishes, all well-prepared.  All prices are reasonable, and the gas prices are among the lowest in Oregon.  

Zenon Café
898 Pearl Street
Eugene, OR 97401
542/343-3005
Eclectic international fare, all good.

PENNSYLVANIA
A Taste of India
4231 N. Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
717/233-5479
Excellent Indian food in a fairly formal atmosphere. 

Garden Vietnamese Restaurant
304 Reily Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
717/238-9310
This place is a real gem - excellent Vietnamese food in a little hole-in-the-wall place.  Excellent spring rolls, wonderful variety of pho (Vietnamese soup, pronounced "pha").

KClinger's Publik House
895 Old Trail Road
Etters, PA 17319
717/932-0575
Eclectic varied cuisine, all good, and one of the best selections of beer I have seen, including over 60 beers on tap.  

SOUTH CAROLINA
Thomas's Low Country Cafe
703 Front Street
Georgetown, SC 29440
843/546-7776
Great regional food including seafood.  Try the shrimp n' grits with fried green tomatoes.  Located on US-17 in Georgetown.  

TENNESSEE
*Blackstone's Restaurant and Brewery
1918 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
615/327-9969
Good food and beer on West End near Vanderbilt University.  Take I-40 exit #209 and drive south on Broadway, keeping to the right on West End where it splits from Broadway several blocks south of the Interstate.  Restaurant is 3 1/2 blocks south of the split on the right. 

Bobby Q's
1070 N Washington Ave.
Cookeville, TN 38501
931/526-1024
Excellent dry-smoked barbecue, but they don't serve beer, so you'll have to get take-out.  Get cole slaw, and specify half-and half regular and "pool room" slaw.  Good hush puppies.  

Foglight Foodhouse
275 Powerhouse Rd
Walling, TN 38587
931/657-2364
Great food, including Southern specialties and excellent pit-barbecued meats, great deserts, nice atmosphere.  Bring your own beer or wine.  This place is out in the middle of nowhere, but it is a very special restaurant.  Print out a Mapquest map to find your way there.  

Koreana
Korean and Japanese Food
1107 Gallatin Pike South
Madison, TN 37115
615/868-9393
Korean and Japanese food, all good.

*Noshville Deli
1918 Broadway 
Nashville, TN 37203
615/329-6674 
Good kosher deli on Broadway near Vanderbilt University.  You'll find a bowl of good half-sour kosher pickles on every table.  Take I-40 exit #209 and drive south on Broadway, keeping to the left where Broadway and West End split several blocks south of the Interstate.  Restaurant is four blocks south of the split on the corner of Broadway and Lyle Ave. 

Royal House Thai Cuisine
208 E 8th St.
Cookeville, TN 38501
931/526-2478
Yes, there's actually good Thai food in Cookeville.  It's a ways off I-40, but worth it.  

TEXAS
*Big Texan Steak Ranch
7701 I-40 East
Amarillo, TX 79118
806/372-6000
Big hype, good steaks, otherwise mediocre food, worth a stop just to say you’ve been there.  Home of the 72-oz. T-bone - it's free if you finish it.  Feel your arteries constrict.  Take exit #75 and drive west a few blocks on the north frontage road. 

*Billy Bob's Texas
2520 Rodeo Place
Fort Worth, TX 76106
817/624-7117
Billed as "The World's Largest Honky-Tonk," this is not an "on-the-road" stop, nor a place to take the kids, but it is a Texas institution and worth a visit.  The place has literally acres of indoor space, with at least four bars, three barbecues, several other restaurants, an area with live bull-riding, and scheduled country-western and rock concerts.  Located in northeast Fort Worth.  Take I-35W exit #54 and head west on Northeast 28th Street about a mile and a half.  Turn left on North Main Street, and Billy Bob's is several blocks down on the left.  

The Ragin' Cajun
16100 Kensington Dr
Sugar Land, TX 77479
281/277-0704
Pub atmosphere, good Cajun food, great oysters, raw on the half shell or the fried basket dinner. 

Teotihuacan Mexican Cafe
1511 Airline Drive
Houston, TX 77009
713/426-4420
Excellent Mexican food - try the tequila shrimp.  Tuesday is one-dollar margarita night. 

UTAH
Cafe Adobe
16 N Main
Hatch, UT 84735
435/735-4020
Excellent burgers and salads made with high-quality materials - a wonderful surprise on US-89 south of Bryce Canyon National Park.

WASHINGTON
Ajax Café
271 Water Street
Port Hadlock, WA 98368
360/385-3450
Wonderful eclectic restaurant, right on the waterfront across from the wooden boat school, excellent seafood, great informal atmosphere, Port Townsend Brewing Company beers. 

Fiesta Jalisco Mexican Restaurant
10893 Rhody Dr.
Port Hadlock, WA 98339
360/385-5285
Good Mexican food on the Olympic Peninsula south of Port Townsend, about as far from Mexico as you can get in the continental US

Monsoon Vietnamese Restaurant
615 19th Ave. E.
Seattle, WA 98112
206/325-2111
According to their website, "traditional Vietnamese cuisine blended with Pacific Northwest innovations."  That sounds about right.  I just remember excellent Vietnamese food in a nice atmosphere. 

*Mount's Cafe
1860 Main Street
Ferndale, WA 98248
360/380-4638
Good sandwiches, salads, malts, floats, coffees - a great alternative to fast food.  Take I-5 exit 262 and head west several blocks.  Restaurant is on the right.   

Port Townsend Brewing Company
330C 10th Street
Port Townsend, WA 98368
360/385-2056
No food, excellent beer. 

Taqueria Guaymas
213 Broadway E.
Seattle, WA 98102
206/860-7345 
Good Mexican food.