10 Travel Foods I Can't Stop Thinking About
When traveling, I love discovering and trying new foods -- and then fantasizing about these foods long after I get home. Now, during this time of Covid-19 and limited travel, the daydreaming about returning to these places has gone to another level. Assuming I am probably not the only one in this boat, today I thought I would share ten travel foods I’m most often dreaming about.
Michigan & Trumbull Pizza
THIS PIZZA! Oh. My. God. Did you know Detroit is home of square, deep dish pizza? I did not, and all I have to say is, “Thank you, Detroit!” But I have never been to Detroit. I actually discovered Michigan & Trumbull’s pizza during my time in Pittsburgh last July. They were set up at Federal Galley, a Pittsburgh based food hall designed as an accelerator program for new restaurants. The founders, Nathan Peck and Kristen Calverley, started Michigan & Trumbull after struggling to find pizza in Pittsburgh that reminded them of home - Detroit.
After their time at Federal Galley, they decided to move home to Detroit. So, to make my tastebuds dreams come true, I can’t return to Pittsburgh; I will have to travel to a new city. Amazing pizza and a new city?! Agh! Covid can’t go away quick enough.
Cacio e Pepe
Cacio e Pepe is a traditional Roman pasta dish with just butter, black pepper, and Pecorino Romano. You can find it at most traditional Roman eateries. It seemed so simple that I didn’t expect to be raving about it. But after all these years, I have failed to replicate it, and I continue daydreaming about it on a regular basis. I had mine at a hole-in-the-wall spot, down an alley, in Trastevere named Trattoria Da Lucia.
Cheese Curds
Cheese curds are the excess cheese curdles that don’t make it into the wheel or block of cheese during the cheese-making process. They are often served fried but are also served just as they are. During my visit to Madison, Wisconsin last December, organized by Destination Madison, we went big on the curds because, naturally, I wanted to try all the curds!
We tried goat, cheddar, mozzarella, and cheeses I can’t even remember now. We had so many curds that towards the end of the weekend I had to start asking the restaurants to bring me smaller portions just so I wouldn’t eat as many. I learned that the sign of a really fresh cheese curd is that it will squeak when you’re chewing. It’s rare to have a squeak when they’re fried, but we actually did get some squeaks out of the curds we had at The Old Fashioned. My trip to Madison was such a neat introduction to Wisconsin and reminded me how many fascinating places there are in our country that we often overlook. I can’t wait to get back there -- and not just for the curds.
Stroopwafel
One of the must-have foods in Amsterdam is a stroopwafel. While there are many mass produced opportunities to try stroopwafel throughout the Netherlands (and even in America), Rudi’s Original Stroopwafel food truck at the Albert Cuyp Market is one of the only spots where you can try a stroopwafel prepared in the traditional way. These “proud craftsmen” have been serving up the original at Albert Cuyp for generations.
Spicy Egg & Cheese at Dooby’s
I was introduced to Dooby’s in Baltimore on the first morning of a mini trip organized for me by Visit Baltimore. Growing up in South Jersey, I had taken field trips to Baltimore and even stopped by the harbor for lunch a time or two. As an adult, I never saw much but the baseball stadium (amazing!) and the Planet Hollywood & Hard Rock Cafe (meh!). Before my Visit Baltimore trip, I had no idea how much there was to see and do there.
Dooby’s understated, surprising and absolutely delicious Spicy Egg & Cheese breakfast sandwich -- an egg and cheese biscuit topped with pepper jack cheese and pepper jelly -- set the tone for the entire trip. Full of flavor, it offered the perfect blend of sweet and spicy.
Now that I live in Virginia, every time I drive past Baltimore on the way to visit my family in NJ I imagine taking a detour off the highway to grab one.
I just googled it and, supposedly, it will only add 27 minutes to my drive -- sooo maybe next time I actually will stop.
Il Maritozzo
Besides the Cacio e Pepe, my favorite food in Rome was the Il Maritozzo. To indulge in this large pastry puff made of light airy dough and overflowing with whipped cream, I had to walk a mile and a half out of my way to visit Il Maritozzaro, a little bakery in a completely unsuspecting part of town. The walk was rewarded, not just with this heavenly treat but also with the opportunity to get away from the tourist center of the city and experience a more local feel. No one was tailoring their English to me, and I was able to stand in the corner of the bakery, enjoying my treat and observing the local conversation.
Hyppo Pops
Four years ago my mom and I spent a few days in St. Augustine, Florida while in town for a friend’s wedding. While exploring the city, we discovered Hyppo Pops. These all natural, pure fruit popsicles come in completely insane and delicious combinations like Blackberry Clove, Honeydew Basil, Blueberry Goat Cheese, Cucumber Jalapeno, and Chipotle Peach. Not only were they perfectly refreshing for us while wandering the city’s hot streets, but they also powered us through our time since they’re packed with fresh fruit and limited sugar.
Panzarottis
So… technically the panzarotti is not a food I discovered while traveling. It’s actually a South Jersey favorite from my childhood. And now that I’m living 8 hours away, it has become a food I have to travel for, so it’s going on this list. If you have been hanging around my instagram for any period of time, you’ve probably heard me ramble about my love for this deep-fried delicacy. But just in case you still aren’t sure what it is, a panzarotti is a deep-fried pocket of pizza dough stuffed with sauce, mozzarella cheese and your choice of pizza toppings. And no -- it is not just a calzone or fried pizza turnover -- it’s the stuff of dreams for any lover of cheese and deep-fried goodness.
O Wow Cow Ice Cream
Bucks County is just about an hour north of Philadelphia and offers all kinds of small town charm, outdoor activities, and fascinating culture. But it was their Ice Cream Trail that drew me in! There are more than 9 stops along the trail, each with their own specialities to set them apart. While they were all pretty delicious, if I had to pick just one, O Wow Cow was my favorite. Their unique ice cream flavors are made from fresh, locally grown and sourced ingredients (not that some of the others aren’t also) and you can taste the difference. I particularly appreciated their “Cow Flight” option which allows you to choose 5 mini scoops. Because how are you supposed to pick just one!?
Tamales in New Orleans
New Orleans is known for incredible food, but, sometimes in my line of work, you might spend an entire day running around interviewing people for a story about that incredible food only to realize at 10 pm that you have yet to eat. Enter Man with Backpack. Last year while in New Orleans researching a handful of stories for USA Today, I found myself in this exact predicament. Luckily that night I was being guided around the city and different cocktail bars by a local, award-winning bartender - Chris Hannah. Chris pointed out a man standing on the corner with a cooler backpack and declared, “He sells tamales out of his backpack!”
Buying my dinner from a stranger with a backpack, on a random corner of the French Quarter is maybe something I should have found to be a little sketchy or at least a little concerning. Instead it felt like the exact right thing to do, perfectly on brand for NOLA. The tamales were delicious and powered me through the rest of the evening.
The thing that makes my tamales experience so perfect is that if I tried I would probably never find that man again. I can never go back and have those tamales; I can only look forward to traveling again and finding a new tamale guy.
What about you? What travel experiences and foods are you missing most?