Customer Reviews

Two for the Road: Our Love Affair with American Food

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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.

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.

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.

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.

It would seem impossible for one long-married couple, no matter how satiated their palettes may be, to cover the vast highways and byways of this country to serve up a fair assessment of the best road food available out here. However, authors Jane and Michael Stern, both aged 59, true kindred spirits and the most mobile of lowbrow epicureans, have over 72,000 meals under their belts and three million miles on their odometer. In their journeys, they have visited many of the diners and roadside cafes that many of the rest of us speed by en route to the big cities. From these experiences comes this light, eminently readable tome. The dead giveaway is the teal cover with the picture of the plastic ketchup and mustard squeeze bottles. This should give you an indication that this is no bible for the food snob.

The Sterns' focus is strictly on the homemade regional food served up by independent restaurants, and they make every mouthful quite a palpable experience. It astounds me that they would go through twelve meals a day to taste everything they wanted to, but in their goal to survey the variety of options across the country, that's exactly what they did. Yet, at the same time, the book is about their evolving relationship whose mutual passion for truck stop dining started when they were both Yale graduate students in the early 1970's. Consequently, what we have is a conglomeration of dining recommendations, select recipes (for example, concoctions like Drunkard's Soup and Sweet Tea) and a wry memoir of how despite their differing personalities and tastes, they became so attuned to the best that the road has to offer for the hungry traveler. It's all quite entertaining and certainly a lot healthier than trying all the artery-clogging temptations they extol here with colorful vibrancy.

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!

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Three Guys From Miami -- authors of "Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban," and Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban."

What a fun read!
Jane & Michael Stern wrote a very entertaining book about their experiences on the road. Their adventures were hilarious and a pure joy to read.
I look forward to reading more books from these talented writers.
I recommend this book to all gastronomics and anyone with a big appetite!
Grab yourself a copy of this book.

Jane and Michael Stern are a married couple renowned for their love of what they call "roadfood." In other words, the kind of uniquely American food you find in small cafes off a main highway - serious comfort food. They've been traveling the country for decades writing about their finds in a series of food travel books and cookbooks as well as a regular column in "Gourmet" magazine. I have a number of their books and always enjoy them. "Two for the Road" details a bit more about their adventures - the behind-the-scenes of how they find this amazing food all over the country.

Most of the stories are humorous in nature, and their light writing style is welcome here. They tell tales of language misunderstandings (thinking that the waitress in a small southern cafe was offering then "bald corn" when in fact it has been "boiled") and food culture clashes (ordering vinegar steamed tripe and finding the stink overwhelming). The couple has a series of running gags - the challenge of eating 12 meals a day, having to replace their car every few chapters, their love of menus, and so forth.

"Two for the Road" goes down very easily; it's kind of like a James Herriot novel for food lovers instead of animal lovers. Your mouth will likely be watering throughout, helped along by the inclusion of two to three recipes at the end of each chapter. The Stern's also helpfully include addresses of most restaurants they discuss (one glaring oversight is the Bunton Cafe in Nashville). Some of the text is "borrowed" from their other books; for example, several entries from their classic "Roadfood" book find their way into this book as well. However, overall, "Two for the Road" is a very enjoyable, fun read that will likely be well received by food lovers of all kind.

I started reading this book and told myself I'd stop when it got too cookbookery. Surprisingly, it never does. This is a successful eating-and-traveling book of Americana of the last 30 years. The Jewish couple's delight in all things Southern and porky is a refreshing surprise. Their backroads culinary discoveries a treat for the eyes and stomach. The first night I read this book in bed, I got hungry for potato chips late at night. And I don't normally get hungry late at night.

Although this is first of all a book of downhome cooking and less about travel (when one eats twelve meals a day, where's the time to travel and explore the countryside?), the couple's demands are simple: make the food tasty, heap on the mounds, and don't charge an arm and a biscuit. Oh, and don't forget the pies!

My one complaint, and here's my bias, is that the Sterns tend to ignore New Jersey's great diners. There are so many wonderful restaurants in Jersey that are worthy of a gourmand's critic: Russo's Italian Diner in Southampton, NJ, Apane's south of Pemberton, and many other historical eateries hidden in the Pine Barrens.


Reading this book may make people want to write to the authors and demand that they critic their own favorite dining experiences. (I'm sure that is why they keep on traveling, to follow the leads of passionate eaters across this country) Then there are other great Amish places in Ohio and Indiana...may I recommend The Dutchman's Essenhaus off Route 20 in Indiana, not too far from Shipshewanna? Food there is served family-style, all-you-can-eat served right at your table. Meals are $14 or so a person but well worth the visit.

This book and others by the Sterns succeeds because of the passion of this topic to them and many other Americans. I can not eat 12 meals a day or else I'd be easily three times the size of Jane. But I do appreciate the recommendations of this book, the quirky writing style of the couple (even when they write about themselves in the third person), and the recipes at the end of each chapter.

I loved this book. If there was ever a comfort book to complement comfort food, this book is it. The Stern's are a charming pair with wonderful senses of humor and great attitudes. I loved that they approached eating in the middle of nowhere with the same zest that urban foodies approach a dinner at Charlie Trotter's or Tru. I love that the Stern's love food, the people that cook it and the fantastic stories that come with a great meal from the heart.