Daniel Mercer

Fall color and prime rib on the same drive? Wisconsin is making a very convincing case for leaving…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 12

Some seafood meals are best treated like a solo mission, while others practically ask the whole table to…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 11

Mexican food in Ohio has no interest in repeating itself. One family-run kitchen may lean into recipes that…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 11

Cars buried nose-first in the Nevada desert, every inch of them covered in spray paint, stacked in towers,…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 10

An hour down a road most people never turn onto, past a suspension bridge and through forested island…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 10

Frankly, New Jersey never needed a food trend to make the hot dog worth crossing town for. These…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 9

Before noon, Pennsylvania becomes a very persuasive reason to leave the pillow behind. These breakfast spots earn their…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 9

Who says a fall road trip needs to behave like a road trip? In Virginia, this one works…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 8

This roundup has a serious beef with small plates. Pennsylvania diners ignore reasonable portions. Here, chicken-fried steak arrives…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 8

Ohio has plenty of restaurants claiming family recipes, but this one seems prepared to defend every page. The…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 7

Indiana may be famous for basketball, but this Italian restaurant is quietly running a full-court press on your…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 7

Some Mississippi roads do not need loud stories to feel memorable. A quiet stretch of parkway can look…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 6

Fried fish has a way of exposing the truth about a lunch spot. There is nowhere to hide…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 6

Walk in for a sandwich, and suddenly 1911 is staring back at you. This Tennessee country store has…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 5

Fall is when Georgia starts tempting you outside again, and the snakes did not get the memo. The…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 5

This Indiana festival seems to have misplaced its fairgrounds. Instead of staying in one spot, it takes over…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 4

Soup weather has officially entered the chat. Once Asheville cools down, a warm bowl starts making a lot…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 4

Prime rib after four? Okay, dinner just got promoted. This Bellevue stop leans into the kind of meal…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 3

This burger joint seems to be playing hide-and-seek with the highway. You leave the busier part of Hawkinsville…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 3

Sandwich loyalty gets serious in New Jersey. These family-run delis and sub shops have built reputations around the…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 2

A sandwich line gets a lot more interesting when fresh bread is waiting at the other end. In…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 2

Green chile at breakfast? Now the burrito has something to prove. Virginia breakfast counters take that idea in…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 1

Twenty-five thousand square feet of antiques? Clear the afternoon. This Virginia mall gives you more than 140 vendor…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 1

Wait for the price drop, or grab it before somebody else does? This Georgia bin store turns shopping…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 31

Small-town diner rule: if the counter looks original, I’m already curious. This Ohio spot keeps breakfast and lunch…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 31

Ever walk in with a grocery list and leave wondering who added half the cart? At this Farwell…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 30

Country-music history with biscuits on the side? Now that is a road-trip stop. This Tennessee restaurant has been…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 30

If the bread basket lands first, my dinner plans are already in trouble. Alabama’s Italian restaurants make it…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 29

Seafood in Nebraska? That already makes the map more interesting. The state may be landlocked, but the menus…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 29

Grandma still has the crown, but Delaware is making this interesting. The state may be small, yet its…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 28

Michigan comfort food knows exactly when to bring out the gravy. These restaurants serve the kind of meals…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 28

Pumpkins are cute, but October gets more interesting after dark. If you like your fall nights with a…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 27

Friday has a standing reservation in Wisconsin. This Randolph supper club has been in the same family since…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 27

Fall called. This farm answered with cider donuts. Apple season in Ohio can easily take over an afternoon…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 26

Lunch on the plate, dinner in the cooler. That is a pretty efficient seafood stop. This Virginia spot…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 26

Forget the towel. I’d be watching the sand. Edisto Beach keeps things simple, with a long South Carolina…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 25

Road-trip rule: if the diner sign makes you hungry, pull over. This Michigan stop sits right along M-22…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 25

Here, old-school counters share the map with newer pastry shops doing things their own way. That means breakfast…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 24

Some diners chase attention, but this one has been quietly earning it since 1960. This North Carolina mountain…

By Daniel Mercer · Aug 24