Like no other highway in our nation, Route 66 has an allure that’s hard to explain. It could be the song about it, the romance of the open road or maybe it’s just that Route 66 represents Americana at its best. There’s one person who has a lot to say about Route 66—which this year celebrates its 90th anniversary—and that’s Michael Stern, an original foodie, who along with his collaborator, Jane, created Roadfood, a trusted trailblazing guide to America’s local eateries, in 1977. Now 40 years, 40 books and 10 editions later, the allure of the local eatery as well as America’s vast regional cuisine has never been greater. Read on as Stern, a James Beard award-winner, shares his thoughts on the magic of Route 66 and why he’s so excited about recently discovering smashed crispy burgers.
So what’s the appeal of Route 66 anyway?
In some ways, it comes with the history of the road. Even though it got started in the 1920s, in the 1930s with the Dust Bowl and John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath people came to know Route 66 as this great road for getting away from your troubles and going to the promised land. Very few people think of going west to east on Route 66. It’s always ‘Go West Young Man.’ Route 66 symbolizes this leaving your old life behind, shedding your old skin and finding promise and a new life.
How many times have you and Jane roadtripped on Route 66?
We’ve done this many times. Just recently we took a trip the wrong way on Route 66 from St. Louis to Chicago. It’s funny the appeal of it. When it was originally designed, people thought it was a soulless bureaucratic mistake to name it this way. At the time there were roads like Lincoln Highway and Skyline Drive. Calling it Route 66 seemed so impersonal but now, thanks to the Route 66 song, it has such romantic appeal. I can’t even count how many musicians have covered that song.
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Not to mention how scenic it is.
Definitely—one thing people may forget is that, unlike modern highways which make a point of going around cities, Route 66 takes you through the heart of so many American towns and cities.
You have to tell us: What’s your favorite Route 66 eatery?
Well I could give you a favorite in every state, but one of my favorites is the Frontier restaurant in Albuquerque. It’s open 24 hours a day and it’s on Central Avenue which is right in the heart of the city.
After covering the regional food beat for all these decades, has anything remained exactly the same as when you first wrote about it?
Frontier restaurant in Albuquerque! Actually, one of the frequent visitors to our website went through our original Roadfood book to see how many original restaurants still exist. Of the 400 in the original book (there are 1,000 in our current edition), he found 70 to 80 that still existed. A lot of places, like the Cozy Dog in Illinois—which claims to have invented the corn dog on a stick—still exists and it’s also right on Route 66.
You must be fun at parties.
Whenever I meet people the first thing I ask is where they’re from. Right away we have a conversation starter because I probably know the regional specialty from their town. For example, in Northern Maine, locals eat Ployes, which are buckwheat pancakes. Ployes are eaten with every meal as a side with pot roast, for example. They’re elegant, like the Russian blini, but they’re a blue-collar food that’s only found in that part of the country.
What is it about regional food that creates a bond with people?
At the end of the day everyone has fond memories of food from their hometown. There’s a commonality among people and there’s a real sense of community. For example, on our site, people read reviews we post, they post their own reviews and they’ll post an Instagram picture of the stack of pancakes they’re about to eat and someone will respond. There’s a real passion for this food.
And it’s fun to see how Cincinnati chili differs from Texas chili.
Absolutely. Over the past 40 years, Americans have come to truly appreciate the variety and colorfulness of our country’s cuisine. For example, people who grew up in Chicago only eating Chicago-style hotdogs, won’t recognize a Sonoran hot dog served throughout Tucson or bright red weenies along the coast of Maine. As foodies, we’re still in the process of discovering immense varieties of foods. Take barbecue as another example. You know how serious it’s taken in Texas. Start talking to someone from North Carolina about what sauces you should serve or what the sides should be and and you’ll start another Civil War!
Sounds like you’re still discovering new things 40 years later.
During the Route 66 trip we took six weeks ago from St. Louis to Chicago, we discovered a smashed crispy burger in Central Illinois, in three to four restaurants. It’s basically rounded beef that’s smashed on the grill—hard—so the edges turn lacey. They’re served in stacks of doubles and triples. They’re good in a sliderish sort of way, but the way these are made is unique to Central Illinois. We’re always discovering new things. One of the things about American food is that it reflects the incredible diversity of this country. When we started in the ’70s, it was rare to find good or decent Mexican food other than along the border. Now every city has a wonderful Mexican restaurant.
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