Road Food – Memorable Meals From My Travels Part 2

It’s summer and that got me thinking about vacations and more of the memorable meals I’ve had along the way. Those meals were enjoyed at many types of establishments from a food stand on a dock in Alaska, to a food truck in Islamorada, Fl, a B&B in northern CA, hot dogs in Hawaii and NJ, and a liquor store 5 minutes from our house. You will notice that in this post, there are no fancy restaurants on the menu.

        Let’s start on the island of Kawaii. One of the staff at our hotel mentioned a little hot dog stand called Puka Dog that was in a nearby strip mall. Of course, we had to try it and it did not disappoint. A Hawaiian take on the hot dog consisted of dogs with various tropical toppings (pineapple relish, Maui onion, and various other island ingredients) in addition to many standards. The dogs were grilled and placed into a hole cored out of the center of a not-sliced bun (Hawaiian bread of course), with toppings generously inserted for a punch of flavor. To this day, one (to be honest, two) of the best hot dogs I have ever had.

        A very close second to Puka Dog is Rut’s Hut in Clifton, NJ. Dogs fried in oil that may be as old as the place. Their relish is unique and phenomenal, and you haven’t had a hot dog until you’ve tried on of their fried beauties. As a bonus, Ghost Hawk Brewing is essentially across the street. It wasn’t there the last time I was at Rut’s but there’s a beer story to be told. We were sitting at the bar on the restaurant side of the place enjoying our dogs and a couple of beers when a guy sat down and ordered a Coors Light. The cranky older gentlemen behind the bar poured it and the guy complained that it was flat. At that, the bartender grabbed a straw, stirred the beer vigorously and told the guy to order a real beer next time. The look on his face was priceless.

       From NJ, we jump to Alaska where we had the best – and freshest – salmon we will likely ever get. Exiting our cruise ship for an excursion we saw a little stand on the dock that had fried salmon and haddock. We made a mental note to stop there on the way back to the ship. After a fantastic helicopter flight that featured landing on and walking on a glacier, we were ready for some fresh fish. Salmon were heading up the stream in town and haddock is a local fresh catch. I hedged and got the haddock as I’ve had a lot of “fishy” salmon but my wife wisely chose the fish that had just been swimming up the stream nearby. The haddock was fantastic but the salmon was amazing. Flaky, juicy and sweet. That meal spoiled us for salmon and though I’ve had many great salmon meals, nothing has come close to that – and it was fried!

       We’ll stay on the west coast for the next three memorable meals. On a trip to northern CA to see the redwoods we stayed at The Lost Whale, a B&B overlooking the Pacific. Our stay started with a takeout prime rib dinner from a nearby restaurant that we shared with one of the B&B’s cats who snuck into the dining room and promptly curled up on my lap while eyeing my steak. Breakfasts were the real treat here though as the owner/chef created several masterpieces each morning. Amazing food and communal tables so not only did we get gourmet food, but we met people from all over the world. From there we headed to Bodega Bay (yes, the Bodega Bay made famous by Hitchcock’s “The Birds”). We stumbled upon a bait and tackle shop/seafood market/snack bar right on the water. Amazing seafood chowder and fresh fish sandwiches with a beautiful view of the bay. And we did not get attacked by birds.

Back to the east, about as far from northern CA as we could get, in Islamorada, FL, a food truck at Florida Keys Brewing, turns out fantastic Mexican food – tacos, tortas, burritos, etc. All made with fresh ingredients and authentic. It was here that I took the plunge and tried tongue (lengua) tacos after having several other dishes there. Normally we would try each other’s food, but these were all mine as no one in our group was interested. More for me! The meat was tasty and very tender – no surprise – and I was glad I dared to try something new. Not sure I would get beef tongue back here in NJ, but every trip to the brewery after that included tongue tacos for me.

Last stop for this post is a nearby liquor store with a bar – The Bar on 22. Not only do they have 12 craft beers and 18 wines on tap; this place turns out amazing food from a tiny kitchen. There are the pub standards, along with several higher-end dishes, and three specials each week (including a homemade soup during the cooler months). One of my favorites here is the tuna nachos which starts with about a six-ounce tuna filet lightly seared and sliced. It’s laid over a bed of homemade pita-type chips and seaweed salad. Not your typical bar food and a big reason I can be found there often. Oh, and the liquor store has a HUGE craft beer selection, and a wide variety of wines and various spirits.  

That concludes this food trip across the US. There are so many more memorable meals to cover in future posts, but those above jumped out as I got ready to write this. When you travel, get off the beaten path and away from the tourist spots. Explore, enjoy new experiences, new places, and savor the local flavor.

www.RetiredandInspiredat55.com  08-04-2025