Two for the Road: Our Love Affair with American Food

by Michael Stern and Jane Stern

Book Overview

Part memoir, part guidebook, part cookbook, and all parts hilarious, Two for the Road shares the lessons the Sterns have learned during thirty years of sampling regional fare on America's back roads.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618329633
• ISBN13: 9780618329632
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A Fitting Salute to American Roadside Dining

This is my first "taste" of one of the Stern's books, and the read was a fast, wry, humorous journey into the back roads of America and its roadside eateries. The Sterns venture deep into rural areas where probably many Northeasterners have not dared to tread, and they do it with grace, aplomb, wit and a sincere and mutual appreciation for kitsch of all kinds (including unusual Americana only available in prison gift shops), and for genuine down-home, regional, American fare. I fully appreciated being the recipient of the Stern's tried and true methods for scouting out outstanding food. If I am ever on the road, off the beaten path, I will certainly take the Stern's advice. If I happen to spot a giant pig or cow (which signifies the specialty of the house) on the roof of the eatery, and if said pig or cow is dressed in a tuxedo and carries a walking stick, I will pull over immediately, because there is an excellent chance that there are untold gastronomic treasures hidden within, just waiting to be consumed and never forgotten. The book provides a glimpse into rural America and a way of life that is foreign to many, including myself. It is a glimpse into towns with less than a population of 500, towns whose inhabitants are so isolated from one another that farmers' wives depend on the "radio homemaker" for helpful hints and to satisfy their need for some kind of daily human contact and connection, towns whose inhabitants look forward all year to the state fair where they can show off their preserves, pies and livestock, with roomy overalls being the preferred mode of dress to allow for expansion which will result from the requisite sampling of the delicious, carb-overloaded foods typically featured at these events, towns with cafes where personalized mugs are hung, waiting for their owners to fill them for their daily cup of Joe, and where everyone really does know your name and the number of dairy cows you have. I find it refreshing that the Sterns have turned dining-out snobbism on its face, and they have elevated the status of American roadside dining. Yes, the Sterns have dined at Lutece and Four Seasons, but they would much prefer to dine at a rib joint in Tennessee, marveling and fully appreciating the wonder of a menu with barbeque sauce hardened and aged in the corners. Although I would never eat the fat and cholesterol-laden food they adore, where everything seems to be fried and smothered in gravy or sugar, I thoroughly enjoyed traveling down America's back roads with the Sterns.

Road Hogs

Jane and Michael Stern love those little hole-in-the-wall diners that always seem to have either the best food you've had in ages, or the worst. They have asbestos-lined stomachs and aren't easily scared. These traits serve them well in their chosen career as low-end restaurant reviewers and kitsch collectors. Two for the Road is their story, or at least an entertaining collection of stories from their thirty-some years on the road together. For a book that's about finding great food, there are an awful lot of gross-out episodes here. But that's only to be expected from people who eat twelve meals a day when on the road, and whose criteria for which eateries to try include whether there is a smiling cow or pig statue on the roof. And let's face it, who doesn't love a good gross-out story? In addition to stories about great diners and really awful ones, there's the occasional detour to pursue their interest in kitschy pop culture. It seems they love to visit prison gift shops. (How did they discover that prisons even have gift shops?) Jane and Michael tell how they stumbled into the inmate-filled exercise yard of Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary while searching for the gift shop. As the inmates ponder this unexpected development, Jane asks a group of prisoners where the gift shop is. Quickly determining that there is no gift shop (or guards), they scoot out through the unlocked doors and resume their journey. Unbelievable? Sure, but they've got a million of 'em, and whether you envy their career or find it as appealing as being force-fed lard through a tube, you can't help but enjoy their enthusiasm and humor.

So good, you can almost taste the food...

If you haven't caught up with Jane and Michael Stern -- a regular feature on "The Splendid Table" with Lynne Rossetto Kasper -- you're missing out on the best that America has to offer in REAL, non-corporate, non-chain, honest-to-goodness food. The Sterns seek out the lesser known cafes, diners, bistros, and greasy spoons that are such a vital part of the American fabric. Whenever we travel, we consult Jane and Michael's excellent "Road Food" a guide to some great eats. They have steered us to some great barbecue in the South, lobster rolls in Maine, great burgers in the Midwest, and some of the best desserts we have ever had. Over the years their tips and insights have helped keep many mom-and-pop operations alive. Long live slow food! In this book, they include a nice collection of American recipes with accompanying anecdotes from their travels. The Sterns are in love with American food and their passion really shows in their writing. If you like food writing that is so good you can almost taste it, this book is for you! . Three Guys From Miami -- authors of "Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban," and Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban."

On the Road and On the Money

We've used Roadfood, Roadfood Goodfood and all other Jane and Michael Stern books for years. Two for the Road is the behind the scenes of all the wonderful reviews and all the terrific places that the Sterns have traveled to and eaten at for the past three decades. And the story behind the great food is as good as the food itself: it's all sumptuous, homey, loving, funny, feisty, unpretentious - a look at America that is open and gracious and filled with appetite and wit. I love this book and after reading it over the weekend with family in Kennedale, we drove back to Houston and stopped for lunch in the small town of Calvert, Texas - and all that I had read and fantasized about popped into a very happy reality at The Otherplace Cafe where the lunch consisted of the best chicken fried steak I've ever had, a salad with home grown tomatoes; fried corn, sweet potatoes, a "thirteen vegetable stir fry", Mexican green beans, home baked rolls (the kind that break into thirds) and chocolate cake with nuts - plus iced tea. All for eight bucks. The only choice on the menu apart from the meat, was the kind of potato to get and I'm not touting the place which was certainly very good, I'm touting the book and the Sterns, who have helped all of us stop and try new things and new places, meet new people (the cook worked in the Navy for eight years teaching high pressure welding) - and to experience and explore America in all of its beauty, strangeness, friendliness, hopefulness and culinary genius.

Delightful

This book is a delightful narrative of the adventures of Jane and Michael Stern as they travel the USA in search of interesting roadside food. Starting in the early 1970s, with an original goal of eating and reviewing every restaurant in America, they quickly realize that they need to narrow their focus. Henceforth, they travel the byways, staying at mom and pop motels (some downright scary - but mostly just good fun), and eating at the kind of cafe that the locals enjoy. In a sense, this book isn't just about food, but also about the kind of smalltown goodness (with a bit of eccentricity thrown in) that one often finds in the USA. The descriptions of the food are sheer poetry of yumminess. I wouldn't think that something like "stuffed ham" (boiled ham with greens and spices stuffing it, that is then "shocked" cold and served) would sound aluring, yet they manage to make it sound like the food of the Gods. I recommend this book for anyone that enjoys food books, travel books, or welldone memoirs.