New Mexico Chile Country

Pittsburgh long ago shook off its image as the capital of steel, smog, and soot. Still, there's at least one reminder (other than the Steelers) of the city's gritty past: the food. Many of the people who worked in the coal mines and steel mills emigrated from Central Europe, and their hearty cooking was the ultimate comfort food after a dangerous day on the job. Today's Slavic and German cuisine is every bit as satisfying as the bratwursts of yore, but you'll often find it prettied up a bit, too—not unlike Pittsburgh itself. ­—Mary Miller, The Fork and the Road blog (theforkandtheroad.com) Braddock's American Brasserie and BarAmid the upscale menu at this New American brasserie are sophisticated nods to Central European classics such as braised short-rib pierogies with leeks. At brunch, try the Braddock's Benedict, which subs in griddled kielbasa for the classic Canadian bacon. 107 6th St., Pittsburgh, 412/992-2005, braddocksrestaurant.com, short-rib pierogies $8. Jozsa CornerReservations are crucial at this cash-only spot, where Alexander Bodnar cooks intimate, no-menu Hungarian meals. What the place lacks in space (you'll squeeze between a piano and mixed tchotchkes), it makes up for in charm, such as the plastic forks needed in a place too tiny for a dishwasher.  4804 2nd Ave., Pittsburgh, 412/422-1886, $10–$15 per person. Max's Allegheny TavernThe multicolored tile floors and beveled glass mirrors still glisten as they did more than a century ago when this was a hotel for wagon drivers delivering produce and wares to the city. The spaetzle, wurst, and sauerbraten can't be beat. 537 Suismon St., Pittsburgh, 412/231-1899, maxsalleghenytavern.com, sauerbraten and sides $15. Pierogies PlusHoused in a renovated gas station, Pierogies Plus dishes out made-from-scratch dumplings. The Slavic voices behind the counter aren't faking it—they're direct from Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. In addition to traditional flavors like potato and sauerkraut, Polish owner Helen Mannarino crafts unusual (and tasty) fillings like jalapeño and apricot. 342 Island Ave., McKees Rocks, 412/331-2224, pierogiesplus.com, pierogies from $4 for 6. Bardine's Country SmokehouseKielbasa, klobas, kubasa—whatever you call it, this country smokehouse is the place to buy it. The proof: Gary Bardine won six gold medals at the International Quality Sausage Competition, beating, among others, the Germans. Pick up some bread and grainy mustard, and go eat with the cows outside. 224 Bardine Rd., Crabtree, 724/837-7089, bardinemeats.com, kielbasa $4/lb.

Maybe it's the region's connection to Lewis and Clark that makes the food culture of the Pacific Northwest both pioneering and close to the earth. Dishes take full advantage of abundant local treasures: coastal Dungeness crab and salmon from the Pacific, free-range cattle from the high desert, foraged wild mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns from the Cascade Range. Even better, because these world-class ingredients don't have to travel far from source to table, chefs frequently leave them alone. The result is simple yet innovative, whether you're eating in a five-star bistro, a cozy diner, or a green market. ­—Liz Crain, Food Lover's Guide to Portland blog (lizcrain.com) Hopworks Urban BreweryNothing goes to waste at HUB: Recycled kegs double as decor, and the kitchen's used frying oil becomes biodiesel. The spot is so ecofriendly that you can buy a bike tube right at the bar. There are 12 rotating taps, with organic brews ranging from crisp and light to hoppy and bold. Naturally, all the hops are grown in the Pacific Northwest. 2944 SE Powell Blvd., Portland, 503/232-4677, hopworksbeer.com, beer $3.50. The Farm CaféOne thing you'll notice right away—there's no farm in sight. Housed in a restored Victorian in the Lower Burnside area, the café brings the farm to you: tomatoes from Junction City, eggs from Scio, hazelnuts from Monmouth—all less than 120 miles away. Among the café's fans: the Food Network, which touted the eggplant-filled veggie burger on its show The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  10 SE 7th St., Portland, 503/736-3276, thefarmcafe.com, veggie burger $11. Tasty n SonsIf you don't like sharing, don't bother coming to this popular family-style spot. Chef John Gorham sends local ingredients on exotic vacations: Moroccan chicken hash, Burmese red pork stew, chocolate potato doughnuts. The chalkboard at the entrance acts as a sort of birth certificate, listing names and locations of farm suppliers. 3808 N. Williams Ave., Ste. C, Portland, 503/621-1400, tastynsons.com, pork stew $9. Sauvie Island FarmsIt's hard to say what's more delicious about Sauvie Island Farms: the setting or what comes out of it. The family-owned farm is a go-to spot for pick-your-own fruits, flowers, vegetables, and fall pumpkins. Flanked by the Willamette and Columbia rivers, the island is quilted with trails and beaches to explore after filling up on freshly harvested pears and marionberries. 19818 NW Sauvie Island Rd., Portland, 501/621-3988, sauvieislandfarms.com, seasonal market price produce by weight. AlliumAbout a half-hour south of Portland in West Linn, Pascal Chureau's Allium serves French cuisine with a Northwestern twist (think grilled wild sturgeon with green lentils and truffle-thyme butter). Reserve a spot at one of the seasonal farm dinners, when local growers sit alongside guests to talk turkey, among other ingredients. 1914 Willamette Falls Dr., West Linn, 503/387-5604, alliumoregon.com, entrées from $13.

Texans have never been accused of being modest, but singing the praises of the state's barbecue is boasting that's warranted. Unlike the pork belt of the Carolinas and the Deep South, Texas is all about beef, specifically smoked brisket. Near Austin, little has changed since the days more than a century ago when Czech and German butchers began using hickory, mesquite, and oak to smoke leftover cuts of meat. To visit the temples of Texas barbecue, you'll have to hit the road and travel to the sleepy ranch communities and small farming towns of hilly central Texas.­—Daniel Vaughn, Full Custom Gospel BBQ blog (fullcustomgospelbbq.com) Franklin BarbecueIf you're looking for a Texas barbecue tutorial, make this urban Austin joint your first stop. Aaron Franklin got his start in a vintage trailer—complete with garden gnome—and moved into his current location this year. He'll school you in the relative merits of brisket (fatty or lean?), pulled pork, and even how to make sausage with beef heart. 900 E. 11th St., Austin, 512/653-1187, franklinbarbecue.com, brisket $13/lb. Smitty's MarketOnce upon a time, the knives at Smitty's were chained to the tables as communal cutlery. Those days are gone, but the market still fancies itself a shrine to the state's culinary history. Beef shoulder clod has fallen from popularity in most spots, in favor of brisket, but here the cut comes beautifully marbled and moist. 208 S. Commerce St., Lockhart, 512/398-9344, smittysmarket.com, shoulder clod $10/lb. Cele StoreCele Store is only open for dinner on Fridays—football night!—and you need reservations, but this place is far from exclusive. Housed in an 1890s saloon, Cele feels like a honky-tonk. Choose from ribs, brisket, and smoky sausage (or all three). It all comes piled high with pickles and cheddar cheese. 18726 Cameron Rd., Manor, 512/869-9340, celestore.com, 3 meats $9.50 per person. Louie Mueller BarbecueYou'll wait in line here, and there's not much to look at aside from the smoke-darkened ceiling and the wall of soot-covered business cards. Well, there is the James Beard Award, awarded in 2006. We're sure the massive, Flintstone-worthy beef ribs, coated in a simple salt and cracked black pepper rub, had something to do with it. 206 W. 2nd St., Taylor, 512/352-6206, louiemuellerbarbecue.com, beef ribs $13/lb. City MarketThe beef with most Texas barbecue joints is that the sauce usually gets second billing. At City Market, however, the spicy, mustard-based concoction ups the ante; slather it on brisket for that extra kick. 633 E. Davis St., Luling, 830/875-9019, brisket $9/lb.

If you're looking for a life-altering culinary experience created by a made-for-TV celebrity chef, it's easy to find a lovely restaurant in New Orleans that will do the trick. What's harder is to locate an authentic Cajun meal served without all the food-mecca fanfare. Like all regional cuisine, Acadian food has a humble side, which is what you get when you toss fresh crawfish, crabs, and the occasional turtle into the pot. In the most traditional spots in and around New Orleans, eating is both a cause for celebration and a centuries-old way of life. ­—Peter Thriffiley Jr. and Rene A. Louapre IV, Blackened Out blog (blackenedout.com) CochonThe essentials of Acadian home cooking are all on the menu at chef Donald Link's Cochon, but they tend to speak with some unusual accents. Classic Cajun hog head cheese, for example, might come served alongside seasonally appropriate produce like beets, citrus, and tarragon, while crispy pig ears show up in a fresh arugula salad, dressed with pickled squash and charred cayenne dressing. Vegetarians and light eaters, take note: Animal fat turns up in nearly every dish on the menu, including the lard in the house-baked bread and stone-ground grits flavored with what seems to be several cows' worth of cream. 930 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, 504/588-2123, cochonrestaurant.com, crispy pig ear salad $10. Mahony's Po-Boy ShopYou can find New Orleans's classic sandwich, the po'boy, in just about every neighborhood haunt, but Ben Wicks thought it deserved better. At Mahony's Po-Boy Shop, located in a small, blue house on Magazine Street, Wicks creates sandwiches as if they were royalty sitting on a throne of crusty yet cottony New Orleans–style French bread. Toppings include grilled jumbo shrimp with fried green tomatoes and tangy rémoulade, root-beer-glazed Chisesi's ham and cheese, and deep-fried chicken livers with Creole slaw. 3454 Magazine St., New Orleans, 504/899-3374, mahonyspoboys.com, po'boys from $6. Abita Brew PubThe Sazerac is the official cocktail of New Orleans, but the unofficial beverage of Cajun Country might well be Abita beer. This craft brewery in the tiny outpost of Abita Springs now produces more than 100,000 barrels of beer annually, in brews including golden, bock, light, and even Strawberry Harvest Lager—a wheat beer flavored with fresh berries grown less than 30 miles away in Ponchatoula. For the full-on Abita experience, take a leisurely bike ride along the historic Tammany Trace, stop in the tasting room, and then make your way to the nearby Abita Brew Pub, which serves up classic muffuletta sandwiches, rosemary BBQ crab claws, and spicy crawfish pasta. And unlike most breweries, Abita also makes a wickedly tasty root beer, flavored with pure Louisiana cane sugar, vanilla, and yucca for extra foam.  72011 Holly St., Abita Springs, 985/892-5837, abita.com, beer from $4. Spahr's SeafoodIn 1968 Bill Spahr built a filling station along Highway 90 in the tiny fishing village of Des Allemands. Over the years, his homemade "catfish chips" became a bigger draw than the gas, so he decided to turn off the pumps and convert the space into Spahr's Seafood. The waitresses still wear gas-attendant uniforms, and though Spahr retired from the daily operation years ago, he still makes the seafood gumbo every week from his personal recipe. 3682 Hwy. 90 E., Des Allemands, 985/758-1602, spahrsseafood.com, cup of seafood gumbo $5. Middendorf's Seafood RestaurantWhen they say that the catch is fresh at Middendorf's Seafood Restaurant, they're not kidding. Every last catfish, shrimp, and oyster comes from area farms or fishermen, some of it even from brackish Lake Maurepas, not far from the restaurant's front door. Middendorf's has been in business for 76 years, and its signature dish is fried catfish cut so thin, it crunches like a potato chip. The sky-high platters of crispy fried oysters and shrimp are also popular, but don't overlook the broiled seafood, especially the flounder filled with a huge ball of crabmeat stuffing and basted with melted butter. 30160 Hwy. 51 S., Akers, 985/386-6666, middendorfsrestaurant.com, catfish $11.50. Nobile's Restaurant & BarAs the Mississippi River snakes toward the north, its banks are flush with rural communities serving both as navigational markers and ports for cargo. Nobile's restaurant is a holdover from the town of Lutcher's heyday as a thriving logging community. The well-worn 1895 clapboard building houses a restaurant and an antiques shop. You'll find standard (and delicious) oyster po'boys here, but don't miss the crawfish pies and shrimp-and-crab sauce, served on fried fish, pasta, and even baked potatoes. 2082 W. Main St., Lutcher, 225/869-8900, nobilesrestaurant.com, crawfish pies $8.