Road trip from Tx to Il to SC. Points not to be missed?

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Sid Post

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I'm soliciting thoughts for a road trip from East Texas, through Memphis (TN), touching Chicago (IL), Cincinnati, Knoxville (TN), Charleston (SC), North Atlanta, and Gadsen (AL)?

Does Chicago proper or Detroit warrant a detour and/or an extra day there?

I've done a lot of the Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia area before so, I'm mainly looking to pass through those areas in transit. Atlanta proper, Huntsville, Al, and Chatanooga, Tn are places I have spent a lot of time in so, while I'm not avoiding them specifically I also don't want to spend much time in them either.

About the only things I have picked out so far are:
  • Interstate BBQ at the original location by the river in Memphis
  • Lou Malnati pizza on the Southside of Chicago

I have thought about Detroit 'pan' pizza and "multi-way" spaghetti in Cincinnati. Suggestions for a 3-way or 4-way spaghetti place? Or a Detroit "parts pan" pizza maybe in Indianapolis or Cinncinatti, or should I detour to Detroit?

What BBQ or other dining experiences should I be considering? :hungry:

I'm not much for 'boozing' it on a road trip but, local wines of note or beer or breweries are of interest. Unique distillery tours too are viable options as well though Dickel is the only one I have 'missed' in the SouthEast.

What other sights or activities are trip worthy along the way? :decision:

TIA,
Sid
 
Jumble Jim's has a good reputation as a grocery store. Is it a nice "tourist" place too?
 
Is Usinger's worth a visit? Or, am I just better off hitting a grocery store and buying a Usinger package or two for motel grill/Hibachi session?
 
When in Charleston, be sure to hit up Lewis BBQ and Rodney Scott's.

Husk is also a good stop. Tattooed Moose for the best Duck Club sammich, ever.

If you'd like to empty your wallet, Hall's Chophouse or Peninsula Grill will do it and it will be delicious!
 
PatAttack said:
When in Charleston, be sure to hit up Lewis BBQ and Rodney Scott's.

Husk is also a good stop. Tattooed Moose for the best Duck Club sammich, ever.

If you'd like to empty your wallet, Hall's Chophouse or Peninsula Grill will do it and it will be delicious!
Click to expand...

The Tattooed Moose looks really nice.

I've always wanted to try Rodney Scott's BBQ. Looks like both of his places are along my route of travel (didn't realize he had a location in Birmingham :eek:, having been through there a few times).
 
If you are continuing north through Ohio, Schmidt's Sausage Haus and Restaurant in Columbus is a can't miss IMO.
 
Memphis has Gus's world famous fried chicken, always worth a stop. The original Gus's is just NE of Memphis in Mason TN. A little south of the border in MS is Memphis BBQ Company.

Going north to IL on I57 is 17th Street BBQ in Murphysboro. Most of the Lou's put out great Pizza, if I recall, the original Lou's is north of Chicago in Lincolnwood. Another good place to try downtown is Pizzeria Uno, the inventor of the deep dish pizza, if it's full, Pizzeria Due is just down the street. Lou Malnati used to work for Ike Sewell at Pizzeria Uno way back in the day.

If you like smoked fish, try Calumet Fisheries just southeast of the city. On 95th and the bridge. AKA, the Blues Brothers bridge. No tables, eat in or on your car/truck.

Downtown is good for sightseeing, The Bean, Millennium Park, head down to lower Michigan Ave. for a Cheeseborger at Billy Goat Tavern made famous on SNL years back. A dive bar that all the newspaper guys used to hang out at. Now it's kind of a touristy place. Still a dive though.

John Hancock has better views than the Sears Tower. Navy Pier is Chicago's biggest tourist spot for some reason. Gotta get a Chicago hot dog and an Italian beef, wet.
 
Sid Post said:
Is Usinger's worth a visit? Or, am I just better off hitting a grocery store and buying a Usinger package or two for motel grill/Hibachi session?
Click to expand...

Usinger's is pretty good, stop at The Brat Stop on I94 outside of Kenosha, fun place, good food. If you do go up to MKE, snap a pic with the Bronze Fonz then stop into the Safe House. It's down an alley, entrance is marked International Exports Ltd. You'll need a password to get in.

Also, Sobelman's on St. Paul. Great food and Giant Bloody's.
 
I am not familiar with most places along your route. But if you get close to the Missouri bootheel and Sikeston, MO you could swing in and catch some "Throwed Rolls" at Lambert's Cafe. They make some good home-style food such as fried chicken, fried fish, hog jowl, and more. I like the constant feeding of rolls, black-eyed peas, okra, fried potatoes, macaroni and tomatoes along with other sides.
 
jermoQ said:
But if you get close to the Missouri bootheel and Sikeston, MO you could swing in and catch some "Throwed Rolls" at Lambert's Cafe.
Click to expand...
CRAP! I drove by there about a month ago. Totally forgot about it, would have definitely stopped in.
 
In Little Rock there is the Whole Hog Cafe that's well worth a stop. There's also Sim's and their Mustard sauce that many like but I've never been a fan of since they cut off and throw away the bark.:shock:

In North Little Rock there is another Whole Hog that's as good as the original in Little Rock plus they have a good version of Shack Sauce.

There's also Lindsay's Hospitality House that's pretty good.

Further East off I-l40 in DeVall's Bluff there is Craig's BBQ. One of my all time favorites.

In Memphis I'd avoid Interstate BBQ and even more so I'd avoid the Rendezvous. My recommendation is Central BBQ on Central Ave.
 
If you go to Chicago, get an Italian Beef at Johnny’s or Beef Villa. Also, I travel all over and have had some great meals, but last month I had dinner at Rosebud on Rush and it was the best Italian meal ever.
 
What is your route when you are around Chicago and how much time will you be in the area?

Lou's is worth a visit, and depending on your route you may be near an Al's Beef for a Chicago Italian beef sandwich.

Also, if you have time, you should experience a Chicago tavern-style pizza, much different than Lou's. Villa Nova is the best in the city.

Depending on the amount of time, downtown Chicago is definitely worth a visit. Great museums, shopping, sight seeing, etc.

As far as other things, again, depending on your route you may want to stop at a place for a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. These are common in Iowa, central Illinois and Indiana.

For Cincinnati style Chili I prefer Skyline, and they can be found almost everywhere in Ohio :-D and some places in Indiana and kentucky.

When are you making this trip? I am planning the annual Brethren lunch on January 25th somewhere in the Chicago area :-D

Sid Post said:
Is Usinger's worth a visit? Or, am I just better off hitting a grocery store and buying a Usinger package or two for motel grill/Hibachi session?
Click to expand...

I haven't been to Usingers, but that is quite a detour to get to Milwaukee :) If your travels take you near a Woodman's store they are a Wisconsin owned business and carry a lot of Usinger products.
 
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