Lambert’s legacy: Throwed rolls and a whole lot more

As any of my few faithful followers could tell you, when I post about an eating or drinking establishment, I often try to chose ones that are either off the beaten path, relatively obscure or simply underappreciated.  

Lambert’s Café is none of these.  In fact, if you love your road food as much as I do, or if you take frequent road trips through the South or Midwest, chances are you’re already familiar with one of the three Lambert’s Café locations.  For me, the one in Sikeston, Mo. – the original – is almost always worth the stop while traveling Interstate 55, and it’s one I’ve been making for as long as I’ve taken road trips to Memphis or New Orleans (and that’s since I’ve been able to drive!). 

But, what has made Lambert’s Café such a popular place to pig out and a bona fide tourist attraction?  Is it because of so many appearances on various popular food-related travel shows and websites?  Is it the constant barrage of billboards along I-55?  Is it having earned a reputation for being the restaurant with “throwed rolls” – a practice which began way back in 1976 when an impatient customer couldn’t wait for his to be served?  Or maybe, as I’d like to think, after four generations under the same family’s ownership, it’s still the down-home country cooking.  

For all the reasons I mentioned, Lambert’s is destination dining.  So, when the opportunity presented itself a while back, Punky and I decided to take the Kiddo – herself a foodie in training – to Sikeston, Mo., for her first Lambert’s experience.   

Revel in the retro at the Thunderbird Inn, Savannah, Ga.

Whenever I plan to visit a destination for the first time, I always try to find a place to stay that is unique, out of the ordinary and every bit as interesting as the destination itself.  Cookie cutter chain hotels are fine, but they seldom enhance the experience. 

So, when Punky and I started researching our first trip to Savannah, Ga., my first inclination was to book at one of Savannah’s historic inns, boutique hotels or bed and breakfasts that dot the city’s historic district.   But many proved to be either cost prohibitive or not close enough to the riverfront and downtown for our liking.  Then I discovered a place that seemed to be a perfect fit with Punky’s love for all things mid-century modern, and it was relatively close to where all the action is downtown and on the edge of the historic part of Savannah – the Thunderbird Inn. 

Relishing Relish, Grinnell, Iowa

When one thinks of where to find a finer dining experience with a Mediterranean flair, a small Midwestern college town in central Iowa probably wouldn’t be the first place you’d look.  That’s why discovering Relish was such a pleasant surprise for this commoner when my work travels took me to Grinnell.