Dine & Dash Blog

Nashville, TN, [September 18, 2012] Following a summer of long road trips, weekend getaways and stay-cations, we at LocalEats are happy to report a renewed appreciation for breakfast. The original social networks were, and still are, conversations over coffee at the neighborhood diner, and there's an undeniable satisfaction to discovering a great breakfast restaurant while traveling - either way, breakfast fulfills needs beyond mere sustenance. Breakfast joints are frequently the most treasured institutions in town, worth their weight in bacon. So, it was our mission to identify these early morning gems.

Comparing our notes, research and memories of shortstacks past, we've compiled a list of what we consider the 20 Best Breakfast Restaurants in America. From the oven-baked soufflé pancake at Bette's Oceanview Diner in Berkeley, CA, to a plate of eggs and spicy half-smoke at the Florida Avenue Grill in DC, and from the Door County cherry-stuffed French toast at the White Gull Inn in Fish Creek, WI, to the "High and Lonesome" (steak with house made steak sauce, eggs and home fries) at Big Bad Breakfast in Oxford, MS, breakfast is alive and well at independently owned restaurants across America. These restaurants inspire an unparalleled devotion among locals and tourists who are willing to line up around the block and wait to snag a coveted booth or counter stool. Without further ado, we present LocalEats' choices for the best breakfast restaurants in America.

View a slideshow of the 20 Best Breakfast Restaurants in America 2012.

LocalEats 20 Best Breakfast Restaurants in America for 2012:
In alphabetical order

• 11-Worth Cafe - Omaha, NE
  
• Al's Breakfast - Minneapolis, MN
  
• Bette's Oceanview Diner - Berkeley, CA
  
• Big Bad Breakfast - Oxford, MS
  
• The Breakfast Klub - Houston, TX
  
• Brother Juniper's - Memphis, TN
  
• The Chef - Manhattan, KS
  
• Florida Avenue Grill - Washington, DC
  
• The Grove Cafe - Ames, IA
• Hominy Grill - Charleston, SC
  
• Lenny's - Clearwater, FL
  
• The Magnolia Pancake Haus - San Antonio, TX
  
• Matt's Big Breakfast - Phoenix, AZ
  
• Miss Shirley's Cafe (2) - Baltimore, MD
• Mrs. Olson's Coffee Hut - Oxnard, CA
• Paris Coffee Shop - Fort Worth, TX
  
• Penny Cluse Cafe - Burlington, VT
• Tecolote Cafe - Santa Fe, NM
  
• White Gull Inn - Fish Creek, WI
  
• Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe - Chapel Hill, NC

LocalEats 20 Best Breakfast Restaurants in America for 2012: Honorable Mentions
In alphabetical order

• A1 Diner - Gardiner, ME
• Ann Sather - Chicago
• Aretha Frankensteins - Chattanooga, TN
• B. Matthew's Eatery - Savannah, GA
• Balthazar - New York, NY
• The Breslin - New York, NY
• Capitol Diner - Lynn, MA
• Cattlemen's Steakhouse - Oklahoma City, OK
• Eggs 'n Things - Honolulu, HI
• The Fly Trap - Ferndale, MI
• Founding Farmers - Washington, DC and Potomac, MD
• Goode's Q & Bayou Grill - Great Falls, MT
• Gwennie's Old Alaska Restaurant - Anchorage, AK
• The Hamburg Inn - Iowa City, IA
• Hash House a Go Go (original) - San Diego, CA
• Honey's Sit 'n Eat - Philadelphia
• Ina's - Chicago, IL
• James Brown's Place - Rochester, NY
• Je's - Newark, NJ
• Katz's Delicatessen - New York City
• Kelly's Diner - Somerville, MA
• Kuba Kuba - Richmond, VA
• Lou Mitchell's - Chicago
• Lynn's Paradise Cafe - Louisville, KY
• Maialino - New York City
• Manny's Coffee Shop & Deli - Chicago
• Marston's - Pasadena, CA
• Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar - New York City
• Mother's - New Orleans
• Nate 'n Al - Beverly Hills, CA
• Nicks on Broadway - Providence, RI
• Omelet House - Las Vegas
• Pamela's Diner - Pittsburgh, PA
• Pancake Pantry - Nashville, TN, and Gatlinburg, TN
• The Pancake Shop - Hot Springs, AR
• Riccobono's Panola Street Cafe - New Orleans
• Tick Tock Diner - Clifton, NJ
• Tommy's - Cleveland Heights, OH
• Uncle Bill's Pancake & Dinner House - St. Louis, MO
• Waysider - Tuscaloosa, AL
• Zell's Cafe - Portland, OR

About LocalEats
LocalEats is a company dedicated to providing the best hand-curated restaurant guide in America. Founded in 1991, the company began as Magellan Press, Inc., an independent book publishing company which created a popular dining guide for travelers called Where the Locals Eat. In 2008, the guide went completely digital and was the top paid dining app in the App Store in 2010, according to iTunes. Today the LocalEats^® iPhone and iPad apps and website are leading sources for the best regional dining information nationwide. More information is available at www.LocalEats.com.

The LocalEats app is free on the iPad and costs 99 cents to download on the iPhone. Listings are updated regularly without additional charge to the user. LocalEats.com features the same restaurant content as the app, as well as links to the nation's best dining blogs, local and national dining news, and the ability to find restaurants near popular U.S. landmarks. The app has received national recognition by The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, USA Today, Budget Travel, Business Week, Mashable, and CNET.

Contact: Pat Embry
Editorial Director
Magellan Press/LocalEats
615-263-7725

###

Nashville, TN, [May 24, 2012] Memorial Day weekend is here and neighborhoods will soon be engulfed in the low smoke of backyard grills. Friends and loved ones will inevitably invite us over "to barbecue." But confusion sets in when one is only greeted by burgers and a few sad looking hot dogs. Where are the dry-rubbed ribs and pork shoulder sandwiches? Why would our neighbors misappropriate the good name of barbecue when they really mean, "grilling out."

At LocalEats^® we take our barbecue (and barbecue terminology) seriously. To kick off the beginning of the 2012 summer season, we're pleased to announce the winners of our first annual 20 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America. This year's picks include a mix of both town and country and a variety of regional styles from the Carolinas to Texas, through Kansas City and Memphis and even up to Portland and Chicago. Be it wet or dry ribs, slow-smoked whole hog or brisket burnt ends, topped with mustard, vinegar or tomato-based sauces, if it's among the country's best barbecue, we've got it covered.

The winning selections represent the opinions of LocalEats' editorial staff, which has spent months researching, compiling and drawing from their personal experiences and collective barbecue obsession. LocalEats Editorial Director Pat Embry headed the selection committee and is excited about the final result. "The winners of our top 20 barbecue restaurants not only serve outstanding barbecue, but are unique places for discerning diners, families, and barbecue connoisseurs alike. Choosing the winners was not an easy task considering the outstanding quality of all our nominees, but we're confident it's a worthy representation of the very best barbecue restaurants in America."

View a slideshow of the 20 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America 2012.

LocalEats 20 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America for 2012:
In alphabetical order

• 17th Street BBQ - Murphrysboro, Marion, O'Fallon, and Sparta, IL
• Angelo's Bar-B-Que - Fort Worth, TX
• Arthur Bryant's Barbecue - Kansas City, MO & KS
• The Bar-B-Q Shop - Memphis, TN
• Bill Spoon's Barbecue - Charlotte, NC
• Central BBQ - Memphis, TN
• Clyde Cooper's Barbecue - Raleigh, NC
• Fette Sau - Brooklyn, NY
• Franklin Barbecue - Austin, TX
• Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue - Kansas City and Olathe, KS
• Kreuz Market - Lockhart, TX
• Louie Mueller Barbecue - Taylor, TX
• Podnah's Pit Barbecue - Portland, OR
• Pappy's Smokehouse - St. Louis, MO
• Scott's Bar-B-Q - Hemingway, SC
• Scott's-Parker's Bar-B-Q - Lexington, TN
• Slows Bar B Q - Detroit, MI
• Smoque BBQ - Chicago, IL
• Snow's BBQ - Lexington, TX
• Wilber's Barbecue - Goldsboro, NC

LocalEats Best Barbecue Restaurants in America for 2012: Honorable Mentions
In alphabetical order

• 12 Bones Smokehouse - Asheville, NC
  
• Allen & Son - Chapel Hill & Pittsboro, NC
  
• Archibald's Bar B Q - Northport, AL
• Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q - Decatur, AL
  
• Black's Barbecue - Lockhart, TX
  
• Blue Smoke - New York, NY
  
• Bobby Q's - Cookeville, TN
  
• Brobecks Barbeque - Overland Park, KS
  
• City Market - Luling, TX
  
• Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que - Fort Worth, Llano and New Braunfels, TX
  
• Cozy Corner - Memphis, TN
  
• Craig's Bar-B-Q - De Valls Bluff, AR
  
• Dreamland BBQ - The original in Tuscaloosa, AL
  
• Everett and Jones Barbeque - Oakland, CA
  
• Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue - Kansas City, MO
  
• Germantown Commissary - Memphis, TN
  
• Interstate Barbecue - Memphis and Southaven, MS
  
• Jack's Bar-B-Que - Nashville, TN
  
• The Joint - New Orleans, LA
  
• Lamberts Downtown Barbecue - Austin, TX
  
• LC's Bar-B-Q - Kansas City, MO
  
• Lem's Bar-B-Q - Chicago, IL
  
• Lexington Barbecue - Lexington, NC
  
• Little Pigs Barbeque - Columbia, SC
  
• Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint - Nolensville, TN
  
• McClard's Bar-B-Q - Hot Springs, AR
  
• Melvin's Legendary Bar-B-Que - Charleston and Mount Pleasant, SC
  
• Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn - Owensboro, KY
  
• Parker's Bar-B-Q - Wilson, NC
  
• Payne's Bar-B-Q - Memphis, TN
  
• The Pit - Raleigh, NC
  
• Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge - Shelby, NC
  
• Ridgewood Barbecue - Bluff City, TN
  
• Rudolphs - Minneapolis, MN
  
• The Salt Lick - Driftwood and Round Rock, TX
• Shealy's Bar-B-Q - Leesville, SC
• The Skylight Inn - Ayden, NC
  
• Smitty's Market - Lockhart, TX
  
• Stanley's Famous Pit Bar-B-Que - Tyler, TX
  
• Uncle John's Barbecue - Chicago, IL
  
• Van's Pig Stand - Moore, Norman and Shawnee, OK
  
• Winslow's BBQ - Kansas City, MO
  
• Woodyard Bar-B-Que - Kansas City, KS

About LocalEats
LocalEats is a company dedicated to providing the best hand-curated restaurant guide in America. Founded in 1991, the company began as Magellan Press, Inc., an independent book publishing company which created a popular dining guide for travelers called Where the Locals Eat. In 2008, the guide went completely digital and was the top paid dining app in the App Store in 2010, according to iTunes. Today the LocalEats^® iPhone and iPad apps and website are leading sources for the best regional dining information nationwide. More information is available at www.LocalEats.com.

The LocalEats app is free on the iPad and costs 99 cents to download on the iPhone. Listings are updated regularly without additional charge to the user. LocalEats.com features the same restaurant content as the app, as well as links to the nation's best dining blogs, local and national dining news, and the ability to find restaurants near popular U.S. landmarks. The app has received national recognition by The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, USA Today, Budget Travel, Business Week, Mashable, and CNET.

Contact: Pat Embry
Editorial Director
Magellan Press/LocalEats
615-263-7760

###

Four of our Feature D.C. Bloggers are combining efforts and starting a new media company:

Four Entrepreneurial D.C. Bloggers Launch New Marketing Effort
Lauren DeSantis, Lisa Shapiro, Mary Kong and Johnna Rowe form media collective, 4Bitten Media.

WASHINGTON, DC (April 9, 2012) - Lauren DeSantis of Capital Cooking, Mary Kong of Girl Meets Food, Lisa Shapiro of Dining in DC and Johnna Rowe of Johnna Knows Good Food, have teamed up to create 4Bitten Media.

4Bitten Media is a media collective formed in 2011 to offer businesses branding opportunities on Capital Cooking, Dining in DC, Girl Meets Food and Johnna Knows Good Food.  Through the power of group social media outreach and advertising, 4Bitten Media offers exposure to a focused audience of home cooks, restaurant customers and savvy consumers. This is especially valuable to restaurants, food brands, beverage companies, businesses and retailers.

Although there are countless food blogs in the Washington, DC area, these well-connected blogs have maintained large followings due to consistent, useful and relevant content, and regularly garner attention from the Food Network, Washington Post, WUSA-9, Washingtonian, NBC Washington, Eater, Washington City Paper, and more.

"I have always been a big proponent of the collective reach of bloggers," says co-founder Lisa Shapiro. "People rely on us as their ultimate resource of recommendations, and we take this trust very seriously. Working together, we have the power to bring businesses to the forefront of the market share."

Since its official launch last month, 4Bitten has received an overwhelmingly positive response by key restaurant industry players and local media. Several local, national, and international businesses have already signed on, looking to tap into the collective's expansive reach, including RAMMY 2011 Chef of the Year Todd Gray and co-owner, Ellen Gray of Equinox Restaurant, The American Lamb Board, Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, VegWeek 2012, and many more.

In addition to traditional advertising and marketing, 4Bitten Media has future plans to expand their media services to include planning events, editorial integration, social media outreach and strategic planning, and sponsorships.

For more information, please email 4Bitten Media at info@4bittenmedia.com or visit http://4bittenmedia.com. Also connect with 4Bitten Media on Twitter: http://twitter.com/4BittenMedia, and on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/4BittenMedia

About 4Bitten Media
4Bitten Media is a blog collective formed by Lisa Shapiro, Johnna Rowe, Lauren DeSantis and Mary Kong.  Lisa Shapiro established Dining in DC in 2007, with dining reviews, recommendations, tips, news and is well-known for its DC Restaurant Week coverage.  Johnna Rowe started Johnna Knows Good Food, featuring recipes, drink mixes plus restaurant reviews, and the highly-acclaimed "Etiquette Tuesday."  Television series Capital Cooking with Lauren DeSantis has been exploring the culinary and cultural riches of capital cities around the globe since 2008, and now reaches 20 million homes. Mary Kong started Girl Meets Food in 2009 to highlight unusual food finds, and today continues to feature quirky food stories and offbeat dining guides.

This simple and healthy recipe comes to us from one of our featured bloggers, Lori Winter, at LaurelofLeaves.com. Surrounded by fresh greens, these eggs are pretty enough for Easter Brunch.

Are you one of those people who don't eat breakfast? If you are, I have no idea how you manage to make it more than a couple hours into the day on a regular basis. I knew so many people in college who didn't let a morsel pass through their lips until at least noon. How do you people function?!

I've long considered breakfast my favorite meal of the day. Now that I've graduated from processed, sugary cereal soaked in pasteurized, fat-free milk, a whole world of delicious and nourishing breakfast options has opened up-from muffins to muesli and pancakes to omelets.

This 'recipe' is embarrassingly simple, but the one-pan technique makes it so incredibly fast and easy. The greens give you a nutrient packed energy boost to begin the day, and the protein from the eggs will keep you moving til lunch (or at least until elevensies).

One-Pan Eggs & Greens

Ingredients:

2-4 eggs

handful of greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc.)

butter for cooking

sea salt & ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt 1-2 Tbsp. of butter into a stainless steel or cast iron skillet (you'll have to forgive me the non-stick pan in the pictures! I made this dish when traveling, and when you're having to rely on other people's hospitality, you do your best with what you have.)

When the butter is nice and hot, crack 2-4 eggs into the pan. Scatter greens around the edges, then turn the heat down to low and cover with a large lid.

Walk away for just a few minutes (pack the kids' lunches or prep tonight's dinner). When the egg yolks have set to your liking (I don't mind mine swimming around the plate, but my husband prefers them cooked a bit more thoroughly), take a spatula and transfer the whole thing to a plate.

Season with salt & pepper to taste and enjoy!

http://www.laurelofleaves.com/

It's the first day of spring and we can't think of a better way to celebrate than with ice cream, in pie form, of course. This delicious Mud Pie comes to us from one of our featured bloggers, Chef Jessica Bright, at www.cookingbright.com.  Chef Jessica starts the dessert with crushed  Oreo cookies. Can't miss. Happy 100th birthday Oreo!