Eating Cheap Doesn’t Have to Be Fast

My husband, kids, and I like to travel, and we like to eat well when we travel. We’re willing to pay for good food, but it’s possible to eat well and not pay a fortune for it, which is good if we’re all traveling together. Even if we go to a fast-food restaurant, unless we just want something off their dollar menus, the average cost of the meal, per person, is $8-9. Since we don’t consider fast food “eating well,” here are some other places you can go that aren’t fast-food restaurants, and they won’t break your bank.

1. Cheddars – You can get a variety of foods at Cheddars. They have a long list of appetizers. Two of my favorites are their Texas Cheese Fries and the Onion Rings. You can get pasta dishes, sandwiches, cheeseburgers, and salads. Most of these choices are less than $8. Add your drink, and you can have a meal for $10-11.

2. Five Guys – If you want something besides a hamburger and French fries, go somewhere else, but if you’re in the mood for a great hamburger and fries, go to Five Guys. The hamburgers at Five Guys are made fresh and put those of fast-food restaurants to shame. You can add a variety of toppings to your burger, and you can get your fries regular or with Cajun seasoning. Again, you can get your total meal for about $10-11.

3. Johnny Carino’s – Here you can get a variety of Italian dishes, and if you go during their lunch hours, you can get an entree with a soup or salad for $7.95. They have a rather large selection of menu items available for this great lunch price. I’m particularly happy because my favorite dish, bowtie festival, is available, and the lunch portion is just the right size that I can finish it all without having to get a to-go box. And, once again, even with your drink added in, you have a meal for abour $10-11.

There’s nothing wrong with having fast food every once in a while. But if I’m given the choice, when I consider I’m only going to be paying another $2-3 for my meal and will be able to enjoy much better food, then I’m going to go to one of the three restaurants listed above. And if anybody has other choices where I could get a meal for around $10-11, please share with me. I’d love to give them a try.

Driving My Day Away

I am worn out, and I haven’t really done much today. Except drive, but for today that was enough. Our four-hour drive to Pigeon Forge took six and a half.

The first third of the trip was pretty good. We made good time. The weather was good. Traffic wasn’t bad. I didn’t miss the exit for the rest area at the foot of Jellico. That’s when things changed.

We’d seen a sign around Williamsburg that warned there would be a one-lane road twenty miles ahead, and that we should be prepared for delays. Talk about the understatement of the century. After we got back on the road and started up Jellico, it didn’t take long to hit those delays. All in all, it took us nearly two hours to drive sixteen miles. After what seemed an eternity, we finally saw the sign that indicated the right lane was closed, and everybody started merging into the left lane. We drove three or four more miles like that before we finally hit the one-lane traffic.

Had I known before we started that part of the road on the southbound side was breaking off and we were going to have this delay, we would have changed our route in Hazard and gone through Whitesburg instead of taking I-75. What I really don’t understand is why traffic got so backlogged, often stopped completely, miles before the one-lane road. People were merging easily. Drivers in the left lane were being very friendly and letting people in. And when we drove through the work zone, there were no workers, no equipment, nothing. I’ve driven on other roads where work was being done, and it didn’t take two hours to drive sixteen miles, and traffic did not come to complete stops just because the road was being reduced to one lane ten miles ahead.

I tried to keep it in perspective, but when you’re driving in that kind of stop-and-go traffic, it’s more tiring than if you had driven twice as far. It was just really frustrating to be there for two hours, when TomTom kept telling us we would reach our destination in an hour and a half.

I did manage to be thankful for some things while we were inching our way up the mountain. First, I was thankful I hadn’t missed the rest area exit so we had our bathroom break before we started up the mountain. Second, I was thankful we’d gotten that bag of pretzels to munch on. Third, I was thankful the downpour of rain that had hit at the rest area had stopped so at least we weren’t sitting there inching along in a downpour. Fourth, I was thankful I didn’t have any small children with me, as I’m sure they would have not been in a good mood after those two hours. And last but not least, I was thankful that I had good company with me.

After two hours, we were through the “construction zone” and on our way again. We followed TomTom’s instructions for getting to our condo instead of coming in the way we know. TomTom got us here, but that was the first and last time we’ll come in that way. We did avoid all the traffic coming in to Pigeon Forge, but we saw way more of Ridge Road than we cared for.

By the time we got checked in, I was starving. I’d only eaten a couple breakfast burritos before we left and that bag of pretzels from the vending machine. Thankfully, Five Guys has quick service. I think I inhaled that burger and fries, but I feel much better.

I’m still tired from the driving, but I am glad to be in our room for the night and I look forward to our weekend in Pigeon Forge. And you can bet the next time I plan a trip, I do a little research first to see if there are any major delays expected along my route.

We Never Travel on an Empty Stomach

My husband and I love to eat out. Whenever we are planning to travel, one of the first things he does is to look online to see what restaurants are available in the area. When he finds one that piques his interest, he will pull up the menu to see what food choices are available. After that, he will send me a link to the restaurant’s menu and ask if I’d like to eat there. Over the years, he has found some very good places to eat. I’ll share a list of some of our favorite places to eat. Trying to rank this list became nearly impossible, so I’ll just list them alphabetically.

Aunt Catfish’s in Daytona Beach, FL – Located on the Halifax River, Aunt Catfish’s serves traditional seafood, catfish, steak, gator, crab cakes, and soups and salads. If you need a suggestion, try the catfish and the crab cakes.

Bucca di Beppo in Louisville, KY – This restaurant serves traditional Italian dishes, family style. The portions are huge, and you will definitely need to get a to-go box when you leave.

Calhoun’s in Pigeon Forge, TN – Our first visit to this restaurant was on our honeymoon. The loaded potato skins appetizer (stuffed with bbq pulled pork) made Jimmy ignore his no potato peels rule. The steak dinner was also amazing.

Dustin’s BBQ in Daytona Beach, FL – We ate here for the first time this past summer while on vacation. Our waiter had a wonderful Australian accent, but the best part was the food. The portions are huge, and the bbq pulled pork was fantastic.

Fat Patty’s in Huntington, WV – This is another new addition to our list of good places to eat. The prices are very reasonable and the food was really good. Portions here are also huge. They serve a variety of burgers; we tried the Burger on the Bayou. The onion rings provided a great side dish, and Nicole ordered a West Virginia Steak Sandwich – fried bologna and cheese – which she said was very good.

Five Guys – If you want a hamburger, forget McDonald’s or Wendy’s, you need to go to Five Guys. They make their burgers fresh as you order them, and they don’t use pre-made, frozen patties. You can order a wide variety of toppings for your burger, and the French fries are great. Jimmy will even eat some of the fries, in spite of the fact that the skins are still on the potatoes.

Japanese Steakhouse in Pigeon Forge, TN – Our honeymoon provided us with our first dinner at this restaurant as well. The Hibachi-style food is fabulous, especially the fried rice. After eating this rice, Jimmy looked for a recipe, found one that was close, and now we can have great fried rice whenever we want. I’ll warn you, though, that after having their fried rice, plain, steamed, white rice just won’t do.

Johnny Carino’s in Lexington, KY – This is my favorite of all the places on our list. I always order the same thing – Bowtie Festival. Jimmy will try different things, but I love the Bowtie Festival too much to order anything new.

Malone’s in Lexington, KY – This is Jimmy’s favorite of all the places on our list. It’s probably my second favorite. The filet mignon is definitely what you should order from here. Have the waiter butterfly it, and don’t be afraid to tell him to cook it well-done. The meat is still so tender and juicy and has such a great flavor that you’ll never want anything but a well-done steak again.

Old Chicago in Lexington, KY – For a variety of pizzas, this is the place to go. We generally get the supreme. These pizzas are loaded with toppings, and you’ll need a to-go box when you leave.

Outback Steakhouse – As you know, you can find an Outback almost anywhere. You can’t go wrong with a good steakhouse. The one thing you have to get at Outback, though, is the bloomin’ onion. Others may have a version of this wonderful dish, but Outback has the best.

Penn Station – Again, this is a place you can find all over the map. For sub sandwiches, Penn Station is the place to go.

Peking’s in Pikeville, KY – When we’re in Pikeville, Jimmy always takes me to Peking’s for a great Chinese buffet. The crab Rangoon won-tons are among the best I’ve had, as is the Mandarin chicken.

TGI Friday’s – This is another huge restaurant chain that can be found almost anywhere, and if you get the chance you should try their Jack Daniels steaks, with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. It’ll be one of the best meals you will have.

Variety Pizza in Jackson, KY – The only place from my hometown to make the list, Variety Pizza is locally owned and operated. The supreme pizza with everything (except mushrooms) is the best pizza they have, but even the one-topping pizzas are the best in town.

One of the great parts of a vacation is finding a good place to eat. I hope if you’re ever in the areas listed above that you’ll give these restaurants a try. If any of these are also among your favorites, be sure to let me know. And as we are always looking for another good place to eat, if you have a favorite that’s not on my list, please share it with us.