Speaking of regional delicacies, meet Cheerwine. The super bubbly cherry soda from Salisbury, North Carolina is the perfect companion for a hot summer day or a trip the your favorite BBQ spot. In fact, Manhattanites rejoice, Cheerwine is available at Brother Jimmy’s and I’m sure a few other locations throughout the city. The delicious soft drink lays a serious ass whoopin’ on Cherry Coke, and I don’t even ever drink Pepsi products so whatever they make that is cherry flavored probably isn’t as good as Cheerwine either.

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A Biscuitville near Greensboro, North Carolina.

The thing that makes homogenization work is that it makes people comfortable; you can go to Starbucks in Chicago or Dubai and it will basically be the same thing. While this can be soulless and depressing, it can also come in handy. A hungover breakfast in Tokyo for instance (#eggmcmuffintime). But I also love to discover the regional spots that have yet to fully conquer the landscape. In Ohio this manifests itself in the form of Bob Evans. This past weekend I was in North Carolina and couldn’t miss the always delicious and still privately held regional chain Biscuitville. To me, Biscuitville is the Southern breakfast equivalent of the West coast burger mecca In-N-Out. The biscuit making began in 1966 as a way for founder Maurice Jennings (who owned a Pizza chain called — wait for it — Pizzaville) to do a breakfast business. In 1975 the first full time biscuit operation opened in Danville, Virginia and Biscuitville was born. The rest is history.

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What could be better than lunch at the Darien, Connecticut institution the Sugar Bowl? In my book, not much. The greasy spoon is known by locals and non-locals alike as the place to eat in the posh Connecticut suburb. Breakfast on the weekends is a crowded affair, but a late Friday afternoon lunch ensured space at the counter complete with a cheese burger, chocolate shake and a belly ache. Once you’re done, head over to the Darien Sport Shop for some sneakers and go for a run.

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The scene: Monday at midday on Tonnele Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey; it’s lunchtime and sustenance is essential to my survival. Where could this possibly be going you ask? The answer, my friends, is the old school diner White Mana. New Jersey is famous for its diners with their extravagant architecture and their all encompassing menus, but this particular place is special. Originally opened for the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens — or so the owners claim — White Mana has been serving up super flat hamburgers to generations of hungry customers. If you are out in North Jersey or just a hamburger lover it is worth the trip. I’m one to seek out old school spots like this and when my friend took me for the first time I was as happy as could be. Now when I head out to my ACL bag factory in Jersey (coming soon I promise), I always try to make a point to stop at White Mana.

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It all started in 1985 when — in an effort to save money — Coca-Cola stopped using real cane sugar and reformulated the iconic drink to be made with high-fructose corn syrup. The U.S. government subsidizes corn growers so much (some $40 billion since the mid 90s) that HFCS is cheaper than sugar, and when you are producing on the scale that Coke is material costs are crucial to the bottom line. What does this have to do with Mexican Coke you ask? Well, the bottlers south of the border never made the switch to HFCS, so people (like myself) feel that Mexican Coke has a better taste than American Coke. I think the Coca-Cola made with real sugar is less sweet tasting and has a smoother finish than HFCS Coke and thus is superior. There is also some Coors beer action going on (ever see Smokey & the Bandit? They’re thirsty in Atlanta and there’s beer in Texarkana) because Mexican Coke is harder to get.

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Bourdain’s No Reservations: Disappearing Manhattan was broadcast a while back, but it is still worth a watch if you haven’t seen it. Fuck, it’s worth a watch even if you have seen it ten times. Eisenberg’s, Manganaro Foods, Keens, Le Veau d’Or (which I leaned about when The Trad took me for lunch), this show is like my NYC gastro-playbook. Watch it, love it, live it.

Part 1/5: “Keens is meat and liquor, plain and simple.” -Anthony Bourdain

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When I think of the summertime I think of New England. Growing up my family spent a lot of time on Cape Cod and in Eastern Connecticut, close to Mystic / New London where my mother grew up. I have fond memories of those times, the music, the sun, the smells and the food. Especially the lobster. Without a doubt my all time favorite lobster place is Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough in Noank, CT. The picturesque little shack of a restaurant sits in the most beautiful little corner of New England, facing a quaint harbor of wooden sail boats. The whole thing just makes me want to buy up some land and start painting pictures.

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Anyone that has tried to sneak off the island through the Holland tunnel will tell you, timing is everything in New York City. Same thing goes for new restaurants. You have to get there before the crush of humanity does, or you are in a word, fucked. The best possible time to nab an easy reservation is a holiday weekend, when Manhattan is at half capacity. So last night I took the opportunity to hit the new restaurant Macao Trading Co. If you are unfamiliar, Macao was for many years a Portuguese colony off the coast of mainland China, which helps explain the menu at the new TriBeCa spot. It is also important to point out that MTC is the second undertaking from the team behind Employees Only, has an excellent drink list (said drinks can be pricey) and is fully ACL endorsed.

Thanks to Urban Daddy for the tip and the images.

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Everything is better in Japan. McDonalds recently launched two Japanese concept restaurants in Shibuya and Omotesando called Quarter Pounder. As expected, or not expected, the place is totally amazingly on-point. The super simple menu is limted to a Quarter Pounder, Double Quarter Pounder, fries and drinks. That’s it.

Curious why they would open a restaurant that only sells Quarter Pounders? According to Business Week, it all comes down to the grill. “McDonald’s has sold its Quarter Pounder in the U.S. since the early 1970s. But until a few weeks ago there was only one place in Japan where you could get one: in Kumamoto prefecture, on the southern island of Kyushu. Former McDonald’s officials say the fast-food chain’s outlets in Japan lacked the proper grill to churn out the burgers in big quantities.” There you have it.

Dear McDonalds, please open a restaurant in your own country that is cool. Thank you.

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Earlier this week Charlie Rose sat down for an interesting and informative interview with Chef Thomas Keller. The full episode is below.

Further Reading:

The French Laundry Cook Book

Animal Farm Butter

Elysian Fields

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