Twitter Travelogue: Eating Across the Country in 140 Characters or Less

by Jamie Feldmar

@WanderingFoodie25 / 9 April
Gearing up for cross-country road trip. Bringing extra suitcase for edible souvenirs. Not looking to repeat Ferry Plaza fiasco of ’04.

@WanderingFoodie25 / 10 April
Hitting the road from NYC. East Coast send-off: bagels and lox from Russ & Daughters. Thanks @LoxPopuli! #illmissyou

@WanderingFoodie25 / 10 April
Side note: are there any good appetizing shops in Middle America? #doubtful

@WanderingFoodie25 / 10 April
Approaching first stop, Pittsburgh. Love @PrimantiBros sandwiches as much as the next, but anyone have any recs for something a little lighter? #nooffense

@PittsPicks / 10 April
@WanderingFoodie25: Try @BonaTerra on Main St—would tell you what to order but the menu changes so often I can’t #justdoit

@WanderingFoodie25 / 10 April
Great din @BonaTerra—quail with rhubarb compote, who would have thought?! Tx @PittsPicks!

@WanderingFoodie25 / 11 April
Breakfast on the road. Why does all gas station coffee taste the same? It’s a feat of science. #incredible

@WanderingFoodie25 / 11 April
Closing in on Chicago. Torn between stuffed pizza, hot dogs, or Italian beef for din. Maybe all three?

@WanderingFoodie25 / 11 April
Going for hot dogs unless my buddy @ChiCityChow snagged a spot @Aviary. #fingerscrossed

@WanderingFoodie25 / 11 April
@Aviary impossible to get into. Oh well. @HotDoug’s, I’m looking at you! #foiegrasdog

@WanderingFoodie25 / 12 April
2 stops in and already 5 lbs heavier. Gotta love the Midwest. 
Quick stop in WI for cheese curds and we’re on our way to KC for some BBQ.

@WanderingFoodie25 / 13 April
Hitting the town w/ @KCPitMaster. My arteries hurt, but overdoing it on @DannyEdward’s slow-smoked brisket is a good way to go.

@WanderingFoodie25 / 14 April
Up early for big drive to Denver. Gas station coffee yet again. Also, my hair smells like smoked meat #notcomplaining

@WanderingFoodie25 / 14 April
Load up on red pepper jelly & pumpkin butter @GrandmaHoerners in Alma. Grandma no longer with us, but memory is well preserved #punintended

@WanderingFoodie25 / 14 April
Made it to Denver just in time for din @Fruition. OMG—Potato-wrapped oysters Rockefeller just what I need after 600 miles on the road.

@WanderingFoodie25 / 15 April
Seeing some nature in UT before hitting the slots in Vegas. Looking forward to some old-fashioned Mormon cuisine.

@WanderingFoodie25 / 15 April
Smuggling bottle of wine from Denver’s @SipWine&Spirits into UT—Mormon liquor laws be damned #morepuns #butseriously

@WanderingFoodie25 / 15 April
The scenery at Bryce Canyon is amazing. The diner meat loaf not so much. But gotta love a roadside shack selling homemade pies.

@WanderingFoodie25 / 16 April
Nature’s great, but I’m ready for Sin City, baby. Wonder how many meals I can pack into 24 hours in Vegas? #letsfindout

@WanderingFoodie25 / 16 April
Met up w/ old pal @LuckBeTheLunch in Vegas—he’s taking me to the original @LotusOfSiam, can’t wait to try their drunken noodles #meal1

@WanderingFoodie25 / 16 April
@LotusOfSiam outrageously good—not kidding when they say spicy! Now getting dressed up for tasting menu @JoelRobuchon #meal2

@WanderingFoodie25 / 16 April
Highlight of 16-course menu @JoelRobuchon: Truffle tart w/ onion confit. Can’t believe 2 days ago I was eating dry meat loaf at a hwy diner.

@WanderingFoodie25 / 17 April
Still reeling from tasting menu but can’t leave Vegas without hitting a breakfast buffet—@SinSnacky, what’s your pick for the best? #meal3

@SinSnacky / 17 April
@WanderingFoodie25: Try @TheBellagio, Bouchon @TheVenetian, or Le Village @TheParis—or hit the $2.99 special @GoldCoast #goodluck

@WanderingFoodie25 / 17 April
Le Village it is. Guilty buffet pleasure: prime rib hash. #onlyinvegas

@WanderingFoodie25 / 17 April
Driving through the desert till we hit L.A. Is it my imagination or is even the gas station coffee drier out here? #probablyimagination #butstill

@WanderingFoodie25 / 17 April
Have resy @Lucques tonight, but need a snack beforehand. Solution: taco trucks! This is why I love L.A. #streetfood #carneasada

@WanderingFoodie25 / 17 April
After amazing meal @Lucques, @LAFoodista took me to an 
underground tiki hut hidden in an industrial warehouse…only in L.A., kids.

@WanderingFoodie25 / 18 April
Last leg: north up the coast to San Fran. Hwy 1 through Big Sur. Incredible scenery. Bag of almonds rapidly diminishing.

@WanderingFoodie25 / 18 April
Break in Santa Cruz to tour @BonnyDoone winery—incredible stuff. Wish I could have swallowed more of it #sipswishspit #repeat

@WanderingFoodie25 / 18 April
Made it to San Fran, now unwinding @Benu w/ wholly unique dish: abalone grenobloise w/ cauliflower #whoa

@WanderingFoodie25 / 18 April
Sweet tooth kicks in—need to hit @Bi-RiteCreamery for salted caramel ice cream #heaven

@WanderingFoodie25 / 19 April
Last day. Just enough room in suitcase for trip to Ferry Plaza Mkt for @CowgirlCreamery cheese & @RanchoGordo beans. #mission-accomplished

Jamie Feldmar is a food writer based in Brooklyn, New York.

This article originally appeared in the June 2011/July 2011 issue of JBF Notes, the James Beard Foundation member newsletter. Don't miss out on future articles; become a member today!