John's Best of 2023: Roadfood

From New England to New Mexico, this year brought dining adventures

It’s a roadfood revisited post.

I visited 27 states in 2023, driving in all of them. Along the way, I stopped and snacked. This post is a tribute to dining in 26 states, from New England to California. (I’ll revisit Iowa dining in a later post.)

These are the Best of 2023, broken down into eight categories that seemed to fit the best.

Warning: This column may make you hungry.

Seafood boil at Broadview Seafood in New Orleans, featuring shrimp, crab legs, crawfish. (Photo by John Naughton.)

BEST BREAKFAST

Winner: Franks Diner, Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Honorable mention: Loveless Cafe, Nashville, Tennessee, and Hollandberry Pannekoeken, Rochester, Minnesota.

The chili-topped omelet at Franks Diner in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Naughton.)

Franks is a narrow counter restaurant (with a few tables) that packs in customers with great food and a sassy, sarcastic attitude. It’s big on character and big on breakfast.

The menu includes Garbage Plates (a combination of meat, eggs and potatoes), thick slices of bread smothered with butter — we are in America’s Dairyland — and a variety of omelets. Lunch specialties are available, but I haven’t been able to skip eating the magnificent breakfast here. The restaurant has been open for nearly a century.

Runnersup: The Southern style breakfast at the Loveless Cafe and the Dutch pancakes topped with rum raisin sauce at Hollandberry Pannekoeken, Rochester, Minnesota.

BEST BURGERS

Winner: Cozy Inn, Salina, Kansas.

Honorable mention: Sid’s Diner, El Reno, Oklahoma.

The delightful tiny burgers at The Cozy Inn in Salina, Kansas. (Photo by John Naughton.)

The slider-type sandwiches at The Cozy Inn have been served since 1922. And they’re still a hit at this tiny diner. Watching the grill in operation is part of the show. The buns — produced by special order from a bakery — are a perfect compliment to these tiny gems.