Bob Evans Restaurants: In Memory of Bob

by Jamie Rhein on

I never met Bob Evans, but I’ve written about him–not him, exactly, but his restaurants. You can’t be the Calendar Events editor and the Restaurant Guide editor at Ohio Magazine without mentioning Bob Evans restaurants at least once a month. When those were my jobs, the magazine ran “The Best ” restaurants type article. Bob Evans received the top number of nominations for one of the catagories even though it wasn’t eligible. The contest rules stated “no chains.” Ohioans are relentless when it comes to hearty, comfort food, and the ballots for Bob poured in.

Bob Evans died yesterday at age 89 leaving quite the legacy. Ted Strickland, the governor of Ohio even made a statement about Bob’s impact on more than the Midwest gastric experience. Bob’s is a story of how loving one place, his farm in southeastern Ohio grew into a mighty business that served folks passing through. Originally, he sold meals and sausage to truckers after WW II. These days, you can barely pass a major highway exit in Ohio and in several other states without seeing a Bob Evans sign. There are 579 restaurants in all.

While I don’t frequent Bob Evans restaurants often, I can’t remember the last time I ate at one, I always associate them with the joy of breakfast on a road trip. The last one I went to was on I-70 between Wheeling, West Virginia and Columbus. I can picture the biscuits and that bottomless cup of coffee.

Besides going to a restaurant, you can also get the Bob Evans down home experience at the Bob Evans Farm where Bob lived with his family for 20 years. The family farm has been turned into a museum and craft store, plus it still functions as a farm, although none of the animals here will end up on a breakfast table. From April to December the farm is open to tourists. Click here for the activities calendar. One day, I’ll make it here. It’s been on my places to go with the kids list for years.

In the meantime I may head on over to the closest restaurant to my house (about two miles) and have a biscuit and think of Bob. One of my friends who worked at Ohio Magazine with me suggested all the writers who’ve had a Bob connection in any way should have a gathering in his honor. We’re thinking about it. He’s given us all something to write about.

Warwick: Sip Wine at Applewood; Dine at Ten Railroad

by Kelly Amabile on

I meant to write about Warwick last week, so you’d still have enough advance notice to make a visit for the Shawangunk Wine Trail Festival. But it’s too late now, so you’ll just have to make note for next year. The event has a really cool travel theme — every year for Around the World in 80 Miles each of the 11 participating vineyards represent a different country. They serve international cuisine that complements the local wines, and provide cultural entertainment about each country.

Two weeks before this annual event I visited one of the participating locations, Applewood Orchards and Winery, where for just three bucks you can taste six wines. The actual space where the tastings take place is fairly small, but the scenic grounds include a rose garden, barn with rotating art exhibits and a few token sheep and chickens.

We snacked on oyster crackers while sipping wines, but decided to head into downtown Warwick afterward for a late lunch/early dinner. The village was much quieter than Rhinebeck, partially because it was a Sunday afternoon, but also because Warwick is tucked away in a different part of the Hudson Valley — still accessible by train to NYC, but located on the opposite side of the river in more rural Orange County.

An artist at the winery told us to try Ten Railroad, which serves a well-done mix of Spanish, Italian and American dishes. The waitress told us that the chef was fairly new — I’m not sure how new, but it didn’t matter. The food was delicious and very affordable. Portions were generous and tasty — calamari, shrimp scampi, salmon — and service was excellent. The owner is originally from Asturias in Spain, so there is paella on the menu too. I’m guessing it’s pretty darn good.

The Weird Things People Eat Around the World

by Justin Glow on

Half the fun of traveling is getting out and enjoying all sorts of foods you’re not used to eating. A simple trip to the corner market or grocery store in a foreign land can keep you amused for hours. Take the example above for instance: Cone Pizza! This picture was snapped in Seoul, South Korea, and you know what? It looks pretty damn tasty. Can I get one in the States yet? Anywho, check out some other weird foods from around the world, and be sure and share your own experiences in the comments!


So is it pickled snake head? Or is snake head a type of fish? Either way, I’m not eating it. Spotted in an Asian market in Vancouver, British Columbia.


Black beans are good. Cheese is good. But black bean cheese? I dunno — it sort of looks like a bowl of ash. I guess I’d try it; it is the natural black foodstuffs, after all.


Found in San Francisco.


It’s tough to read the label, so I’ll just tell you: it’s cow lung.


Trout isn’t that weird really, but they hardly look “live.”


Spotted at the Raleigh, N.C. BugFest.


Ay-yo Adrienne… you got something in your teeth.


What’s Haw anyway? Found in Beijing.


Scary.

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Thai Beer & Formaldehyde, Plus Other Beer Myths, Exposed

by Martha Edwards on

When I was backpacking around Thailand a couple of years ago, there was a persistent rumor (often mistaken for fact) that Chang Beer and its competitor, Singha, contained formaldehyde. Apparently, that’s why they tasted so good, and also why we felt so awful the next day (right, because the fact that we had 12 of them had nothing to do with it.)

According to one of the locals, the government took the formaldehyde out of the beer, only to be met with outrage from its loyal drinkers because it just didn’t taste the same without that toxic preservation agent in it. After an instance of gut rot that I blamed on the formaldehyde, I decided to stay away from the Thai beer.

Turns out that’s all a load of hooey — there’s no formaldehyde in the beer, so I needn’t have avoided it so fervently. Other beer myths that you might have heard while traveling? That Guinness tastes better in Ireland (I still believe it does, if only for the atmosphere) and that Corona contains Mexican urine (apparently, this one was started by Heineken.)

Rhinebeck: Terrapin Bistro and Oblong Bookstore

by Kelly Amabile on

I was in Rhinebeck, NY last week, a trendy Hudson Valley outpost in Dutchess County. I could do without the Manhattan-size prices I noticed while window shopping, but it’s still a charming spot to visit for a weekend or Sunday drive. If you’ve only got a few hours to spare (which was the case with me and the friend I was visiting) here’s my one-two punch suggestion for a pair of places to visit:

Dine on duck quesadillas at Terrapin, a New American “Best of the Hudson Valley” restaurant housed in a renovated First Baptist Church, originally built in 1825. The building is fantastic, but we chose to eat outside — despite the close proximity to the street, the veranda seating can be quite nice. Our waiter was uber-attentive but not overly annoying, possibly a chef-in-training at the Culinary Institute in nearby Hyde Park. The place is pricey, but the level of service and quality of food make it a deserving choice for a treat. Save money by eating at the bistro instead of in the main dining room.

When you’re stuffed to the gills on nachos and tapas, take a walk along Montgomery Row and pop inside indy bookshop Oblong Books and Music for some post-lunch browsing. Oblong has that lived-in feeling that makes bookstores so comfortable–the shelves are organized but there is still a sense that you’re roaming through an extra large and overstocked living room. Find one of the few comfy chairs you can collapse in, but be sure to do so with book in hand.