Looking for a Lunch Break on Our Drive North?

November 4, 2011 6:56 AM

We are looking for the best food-related stops on our drive from Washington D.C. to central Connecticut.

We normally take 95 to the NJ Turnpike to the Garden State Parkway to the Tappen Zee Bridge to 84, but would make a small detour for something worthwhile. This would ideally be a stop for lunch and would be something like 3 or 4 hours into the trip.

We like any type of food, so long as it's worth a special trip.

posted by Xalf to Travel & Transportation (8 answers total)

Best answer: The United Plates of New Jersey
posted by mlis at 7:00 AM on November 4, 2011

This is more of a suggestion for when you arrive in Central Connecticut, but --

Shady Glen. You must buy and eat cheeseburgers and milkshakes at Shady Glen.

TRUST ME ON THAT.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:06 AM on November 4, 2011

You might need some pie, because some people always need pie. I recommend Dangerously Delicious Pies in Baltimore. You might need pie for breakfast, or even after-breakfast. Or, just to take on the road in case you have a pie emergency.
posted by peagood at 7:13 AM on November 4, 2011

Best answer: It might add a little time to your trip, depending where you end up on 84, but you could try taking 95 through New Haven and coming up 91 instead. New Haven Pizza is deservedly a thing. Louis' Lunch, also in New Haven, claims to be the origin of the "hamburger sandwich" in America, and might be worth a stop as well (I haven't been there because whenever I'm hungry in New Haven, pizza is the order of the day, but I've often seen a line out the door).

Further up 91, there's Ted's, which is home of the steamed cheeseburger, also kind of a thing in Connecticut.

Empress, Shady Glen looks amazing. I'll definitely be making a trip soon.
posted by gauche at 7:24 AM on November 4, 2011

Best answer: This was asked in the opposite direction, but there may be some ideas here.
posted by JoanArkham at 7:49 AM on November 4, 2011

Paesano's in Philidelphia... It's about the right timing into your drive and HEY - They beat Bobby Flay in a sandwich contest, and I can understand why. Best sammich I've ever had.

I went to the location in the Italian Market... hard to find parking and TINY little shop, but oh man that sammich was worth it. The other location listed on their website might be more convenient.
posted by matty at 8:19 AM on November 4, 2011

Only a little ways off the Parkway somewhere around exit 102 is Max's Famous Hot Dogs. I dream about these hot dogs sometimes - totally unique, and you'd need their 75-year-old grills to make them. And also the funny round fries.
posted by Miko at 6:15 PM on November 4, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks to mlis's link, we stopped at Grand Shanghai Chinese in Edison, NJ on the way up. It was perfectly located and had perfect soup dumplings. We stopped at Kamil's in Clifton, NJ on the way down, which was fine but nothing special. It is just down the street from Corrado's, though, which is a very impressive supermarket.
posted by Xalf at 5:45 PM on December 4, 2011