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By Root 832 0

décor, one can quaff many beers with platters of such blue-plate fare as chicken croquettes, stuffed cabbage, Jersey pork chops, and bean-heavy chili by the cup or bowl. Prices are low, and the food we have tasted is mighty satisfying. But if you are coming to Rutt’s only once, eat hot dogs at a counter. It’s a Roadfood experience to remember. Dine in a wide-open mess hall with high counters at the windows that provide a view of the parking lot. Stand and eat off paper plates, and for entertainment, enjoy the calls of the countermen as they sing out, “Twins, all the way,” meaning a pair of rippers with mustard and relish.

White House Sub Shop

2301 Arctic Ave.

609–345–1564

Atlantic City, NJ

L | $

Each White House sub is a good two feet long, requiring a brace of paper plates to hold it. Ingredients range from fancy white tuna fish to meatballs and sauce, and the Philly cheesesteak (arguably a subcategory) is excellent. The go-to variation is known as the White House Special—Genoa salami, ham, capicola, and provolone cheese all rolled and tightly packed inside the loaf, lubricated with olive oil, decorated with lettuce and bits of sweet pepper.

The ingredients are excellent, but submarine connoisseurs know that it’s what’s outside that counts. White House bread, obtained throughout the day from a local bakery, is robust and soulful, not nearly as dainty as the loaves used to make po-boys in the South, but similar to what’s used for Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago.

This place is a landmark for sandwich connoisseurs, and like the cheesesteak shops of Philadelphia, it likes to boast of a stellar clientele. Pictures of celebrity customers line the walls, inscribed with praise for the excellence of the cuisine. News clippings tell of the time the astronauts came to scarf down subs, and of Frank Sinatra once having a bunch of them shipped from New Jersey across the world to a movie location. For all its stardust, the White House remains a humble Naugahyde-and-neon eatery with a row of booths along the wall and a counter up front. The lighting is harsh, the napkins are paper, and the service is lightning fast: it would be a sin to sell subs any other way. Expect a long wait at high noon.

New York

Anchor Bar

1047 Main St.

716–886–8920

Buffalo, NY

LD | $$

The Anchor Bar was established in 1935, but it wasn’t until July 29, 1977, officially proclaimed by the City of Buffalo to be Chicken Wing Day, that anyone other than its loyal local clientele gave a hoot about it. In the last quarter century, chicken wings have become an American obsession.

Teressa Bellissimo, who ran the bar with her husband, Frank, invented wings as we know them in 1964. Mrs. Bellissimo’s genius was to cut the wings into two wieldy sections (drumettes and bows) and, after deep-frying them, stir them up in buttery hot sauce. Her presentation is now classic: they are served under an upside-down bowl (for bones) with a few stalks of celery and a bowl of creamy blue cheese dressing. The wings are crisp, a lovely orange-yellow, not dripping sauce, but imprinted with it. They are available hot or mild. Hot is fiery and will burn your lips; mild is more butter-flavored.

Mrs. Bellissimo’s invention has proven to be a sublime combination of tastes and textures, as well a significant thirst-inducer, hence ideal bar food.

Barney Greengrass

541 Amsterdam Ave.

Between 86th and 87th

212–724–4707

New York, NY

BL | $$

Food trends come and go, great New York bakeries have vanished, and it is harder and harder to find a good babka on the Upper West Side. Barney Greengrass still has these dense, sweet cakes that go so well with coffee, and although babka is not the main attraction, we cannot come to this storefront restaurant without taking one home.

The food that put Barney Greengrass on the map is not pastry; it is smoked fish. In the glass case of this restaurant and take-out store, you will find lean, silky sturgeon, salty cured salmon (known as lox), not-so-salty cured salmon (novie, short for Nova Scotia), snow-white