Crazy D’s, Buffalo Wings and more fireflies – Michigan to New York

After Chicago, we headed for Michigan to see Richard and Shannan, and their baby boy Evan.  We had a nice time there, and did visit-y things - went out for dinner, met Richard's parents, etc - but really nothing touristy.

 

From there, we went to Indiana to visit some other friends that I'd known from high school days.  There, we also did visit-y things - went for dinner,  etc. etc.  Again, nothing touristy.

 

In each state we were in, I tried to buy a postcard for my scrapbook. (This was before the days when on-line photobooks were convenient ~ but not THAT long ago!! Don't get sassy!)

 

So, as we were leaving Indiana, and headed for Ohio, I suddenly realized I had no postcard, so we pulled over at the first available gas station.

 

I ran in to check out the postcard supply (the gas station was on the interstate, and just passed Indianapolis, so I thought it'd be a successful search.)

 

The gas station attendant, missing at least one tooth, dressed in overalls, with the classic one-broken-strap, and covered in...oil?  Very friendly and helpful, he said, "How kin ah hilp yeh?"   (I'm sorry, Indianans (er Hoosiers?) - this is really what he said.) I said, "oh! Actually, I need to buy a postcard that represents Indiana."

 

He steered me to the postcard display, and picked out a postcard OF the gas station.

 

I wasn't completely certain that THAT was the postcard I had in mind, until he said, "This par-TICK-ular pick-chur's of this here gas stashun frum wee-in it first opened up."

 

Oh! That IS interesting! It was all faded and worn out, and looked like those postcards from 50's, so I said, much more intrigued! "OH! Wow! Ok! I WILL buy that postcard. When did the gas station open?"


He said, "See-ix munce agoooo".

 

Oh goodness! Best part of my day! I will NEVER forget this!

 

We spent a night in Dayton, Ohio, with some friends, and then headed off towards Buffalo, New York.

 

We drove along Lake Erie for about 3 hours.  I meant to stop in Hamburg for a hamburger.. (technically, "hamburgers" are said to originate in Hamburg, Germany, but Hamburg, Pennsylvania, is named for Hamburg Germany, sooo, having a hamburger there seemed appropriate.)

 

But, we were heading for the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, which was only 26 miles away - so...I forgot about Hamburg, until we were long passed.  (While we're talking about places to which we didn't go, we also didn't go to Niagara Falls, even though we were only about 1/2 an hour away.  BUT,  that is because 1) we had to be to Maine in time to catch our ferry to Nova Scotia, and 2) we'd already been twice  (future blog) (although it's definitely worth seeing over and over!!) so it was easier to not go...if we hadn't been there, we would've gone FOR SURE!! (and so should you, if you haven't been before.)

 

The Anchor Bar is the place where Buffalo Wings were invented (in Buffalo), by Teressa Bellissimo, in 1964.  She happened to have some chicken wings that she was, it seems, going to be used in soup, but her son, the bartender, Dominic, and a bunch of his friends were hungry.  So, Teressa threw together some ingredients and deep-fried the wings, and Voila ! Buffalo Wings!

 

Of course, lots of places claim to sell "Buffalo wings".  But, as always, it's pretty tricky to compete with the original.  Frank and Teressa's wings apparently hold the title "Best Wings in the World."  And that's how it should be. 

 

Since their recipes are a "closely guarded secret", there is the option to buy their sauces.  (Currently, anywhere in the Continental United States, the shipping is a flat rate of $9.99, but they also ship to Canada and some other countries - you can contact them for additional costs for each country.)

 

Their site also includes recipes people have sent in, with meals that include their sauces.

 

Delicious and yummy.  The ambiance was fun – exactly as it should be. The owners were mingling, the regulars were dressed up in velvet suits, and wearing hats (one even with a feather) like from the 1970′s….if you are getting the mental picture…

 

We camped somewhere east of Buffalo, and spent the rest of the evening counting Fireflies!
 

Wednesday, on to Boston.

 

The Shanty (Diners Drive ins and Dives)

Well, it finally came to our last morning with Richard, Shannan, and the boys.. :( We wanted to just spend the time visiting, but instead, of course, we had to pack up the trailers, get everything organized, get the puppies and kids settled in their respectable vehicles...

Oh, AND, we had to clean up after a pesky raccoon from the night before! (Which, I kinda was excited about, having never been a victim of a raccoon's mischief before, and Daisy & Coco (the puppies, if you are reading for the first time) were REALLY excited about it!!) (We thought we'd taken care of all of the food items, but apparently we'd missed a plate...)

By the time we had time to sit around and visit...we had nothing to sit on...

 

But, Shannan and Richard had one final surprise for us. We were instructed to follow them down the highway, towards Chicago - no questions asked.

 

Well! It was a GREAT surprise (PLUS, it lengthened our visit by another hour or so) - you probably have guessed what it was, based on my blog title...

 

They found a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, from the Food Network - The Shanty, at Wadsworth, Illinois. (http://www.theshantyrestaurant.com/)

 

We arrived just before lunchtime, and were seated right away. There were a few other people there, but it certainly wasn't crowded. And, we had the personal attention of the servers...which is good, because we felt like visiting with them.

 

First, of course, we ordered. I don't remember exactly what I had for an entree, but it was a yummy burger of some sort. I think maybe we all had burgers, actually.

I DO know exactly what we had for appetizers, though! I had the Whiskey Shrimp (the menu describes: "Four fresh jumbo shrimp flamed in our signature Jack Daniels cream sauce served over garlic toast points with sautéed vegetables"). MMmmmmmmm.. We also had Alligator Tail, which I'm sure was yummy, too, but the shrimp was really my favorite! We must've gotten a few orders, too, because I don't remember sharing.

While we waited for our food, we had a nice talk with the server - about:

• the impact of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the business and the design of the building - (Since The Shanty episode aired on The Food Network, the Shanty had to double the size of their eating area, and change their kitchen around - I think they had to expand the kitchen and add more cooking area, but I don't exactly remember those details...)
• the wood covering the walls - (in the main eating area, the wood is all "reclaimed" wood, so weathered and multi colored - reclaimed barnwood from local farms - I love that look!)
• Olive Oil - (the owners of The Shanty,
  
  
  the Kallianis family, have their own olive oil, imported from their own grove in Sparta, Greece. It's called "The Lonely Olive Tree", so named because in 1910, the grove was destroyed by frost - all except the one lonely tree... Parts of that tree were used to replant the grove.) (There's a nice article about that at
  
  http://newssun.suntimes.com/photos/galleries/12866741-417/olive-oil-brand-next-project-for-shanty-owners.html).
  
  
  Of course, we had to take home a bottle of this very special olive oil!

 

Unfortunately, we did eventually have to leave, and after a tearful "see-you-soon" in the parking lot, we were back on the highway, heading towards St. Louis, Missouri. 

 

Sunday - Springfield, Illinois and the tomb of Abraham Lincoln.