What to eat sur la Etat Unis - Route 66? culinary specialties and gastronomy

In addition to the burgers and salads of fast-food restaurants, or the grilled meat restaurants where beef, chicken and pork are in the limelight, there are gastronomic establishments in the big cities with very reasonable prices. You can enjoy American cuisine, sometimes revisited by foreign chefs (including some French ones).

For meats, it is imperative to specify your cooking method, otherwise you will have overcooked meat on your plate: rare: blue, medium rare: rare, medium: medium, medium well: cooked, well done.

Meats usually on the menu are: sirloin, ribeye, hanger steak, porterhouse steak , t-bone steak, flank steak, short ribs, brisket, beef tenderloin, ribs.

In the casinos, the buffets are good deals. You can eat as much as you want at very competitive prices, with possible discounts for seniors. Some establishments only offer this type of formula on Sundays.

For families, children's menus are served everywhere.

Mexican food is extremely common and can be enjoyed with little spice, as long as you mention "no spice" when ordering. The most common dishes are tacos (corn cakes filled with different ingredients), enchiladas ( tortillas - wheat cakes - usually filled with meat, rolled and covered with spicy sauce), quesadillas (made with tortillas and cheese), fajitas(tortillas filled with meat, various raw vegetables and condiments)... Guacamole, an avocado puree, is everywhere.

Italian and Asian cuisines are also very common. As for the previous cuisines, restaurant chains are dedicated to them.

Remember that if for breakfast or lunch, the schedules are similar to ours, dinners are served very early. In general, dinner is served from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, exceptionally 9:00 pm in the big cities. Please ask for information when you make your reservation.

The breakfast is quite copious and varied. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, French toast and cereals are among the essentials.

Lunch usually includes a Today's Special. Buffets are called " buffets" or " all you can eat ".

Dinner is usually a little more expensive than lunch, for the same food, plus soup.

Brunch is usually served on Saturday and Sunday mornings until mid-afternoon.

Most of the time, the drink (soda, iced tea, etc.) is paid for in the ordered menu and thenrefilled. If the soda machine is in the room, this is probably the case, if not, don't hesitate to ask the waiter.

As far asalcohol is concerned, the United States has a fairly prohibitive policy. The purchase and consumption of alcohol is forbidden for those under 21 years of age. Don't be surprised if you are asked for anI.D. when buying a beer or a bottle of wine at the supermarket or gas station! At the cash registers, when alcohol has been checked in, you will probably have to show your age to an employee who will check your age. Do not carry an open bottle of alcohol in the passenger compartment of your vehicle.

On Native American reservations, there is a total ban on the sale, transportation and consumption of alcohol (including in casinos). A heavy fine can be issued to motorists who are found in violation.

Here is a non-exhaustive overview of the specialties that you will be able to taste all along your route, from Chicago to Los Angeles. You will see that the diversity of Route 66 is also reflected in your plate.

In Chicago, the specialty not to be missed is the deep-dish pizza. What is a deep-dish pizza? It's a pizza first made in Chicago in the 1940s, baked in a pan and characterized by its thick dough, topped with tomato sauce and generous layers of cheese, but also with a multitude of other ingredients of your choice. One of the best places to try it is the Giordano's chain. Also in Chicago, the Chicago dog, is a long bun cut in half with a beef sausage inside and topped with sweet mustard, white onions, various condiments and pickles. There is no ketchup, at least for the purists. This specialty was born in 1893, during the Chicago World's Fair.

In Shirley, a few miles south of Bloomington, Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup Farm gives you the opportunity to taste maple syrup. The syrup is harvested from trees on the property from early spring through August. You can taste it, including in candy form.

In Springfield, the capital of Illinois, the cozy dog has been served for decades by the same family (that of Bob Waldmire, the iconic Route 66 artist). This kind of hot dog wrapped in fried corn and attached to a stick was invented in the 1940s by Ed Waldmire, Jr., inspired by a similar sandwich called a corn dog discovered in Oklahoma. With the help of a friend and then his wife (who advised him on the current name), he improved on the original recipe and was soon successful. The first Cozy Dog House opened in 1946 on South Grand, between 5th and 6th Street. Don't leave Springfield too soon if you want to try another of its specialties, the horseshoe sandwich, so called because of its horseshoe shape. This open-faced sandwich consists of thickly sliced toast, a patty of cooked ground beef (which can be replaced by chicken or other meat), French fries and a sauce of eggs, butter, beer, cheese, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. There are several variations of side dishes. A smaller portion is called a pony shoe. This sandwich is said to have been created in 1928.

In Missouri, the specialty is meat served on the barbecue or shredded. In the latter case, the meat, usually pork, is cooked slowly between 12 and 24 hours in a huge wood-fired oven to be served melting, accompanied by a sweet and sour sauce. Pulled meat is a dish that originated in the southern United States, particularly in Kentucky and Tennessee. It is called pulled meat. The Missouri Hick BBQ in Cuba is well known for this dish, which is on the front page of its menu, but you can also easily find it elsewhere, such as in St. Louis at Pappy's Smokehouse.

Once in Oklahoma, and once you've visited the Round Barn in Arcadia, you can stop a few miles away at Pops 66, which you can't miss with its giant 66-foot bottle in front of the entrance. In addition to its classic menu, this boutique restaurant offers an assortment of more than 500 sodas of all flavors and colors in a decor true to the 50s and 60s.

The MidPoint Cafe, in Adrian, Texas is known not only for its location in the center of Route 66 but also for the quality of its homemadepies and cakes. To be enjoyed without moderation.

Further on, in Amarillo, the Big Texan is a must. You can taste excellent grilled meats with the possibility of participating in the test which makes the reputation of the place: to swallow a 72 oz (2,041 kg) piece of meat and its filling in less than one hour.

Let's leave Texas and head to New Mexico. Whether in Santa Fe, Albuquerque or Gallup, Navajo tacos are a must-try. Deliciously crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, Navajo tacos are made with Indian fry bread filled with a mixture of ground beef and beans, topped with cream, cheddar cheese lettuce and tomatoes. A treat that you can also find in Arizona, especially near the Grand Canyon and the huge Navajo reservation!