What restaurant in this area would you think would qualify for an America's Classic Award from the James Beard Foundation?
America's Classic Awards are given to restaurants that have "timeless appeal and are beloved for quality food that reflects the character of the community."
The prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards annually honor the nation's professionals in the food and beverage industry.
Following are the five restaurants honored this year. It's something to keep in mind if you are traveling to one of these cities.
1. Kramarczuk's, 215 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis
Owner: Orest Kramarczuk
The northeast neighborhoods of Minneapolis have had a vibrant Eastern European enclave for more than a century, and Kramarczuk's is a landmark sausage-making company and restaurant.
The business dates to 1954, when Ukranian refugees Anna and Wasyl Kramarczuk purchased Central Provisions, one of the city's oldest butcher shops. Kramarczuk Sausage Co. has been at the same address, just across the river from downtown Minneapolis, since 1967.
Kramarczuk's more closely resembles a cafeteria, with polite, mostly Ukrainian young women working behind the counter.
It still serves family recipes, including gigantic pork- and rice-filled cabbage rolls smothered in tomato cream sauce, dumplings stuffed with potatoes and cheese, and thick Polish sausages stewed in pungent sauerkraut. The piroshok -- soft, golden buns filled with hard-cooked eggs, mushrooms and seasoned ground beef -- continue to be a staple.
2. Frank Fat's, 806 L St., Sacramento, Calif.
Owner: the Fat family
Frank Fat's is a political landmark in California, once known as the "Third House" and one of Sacramento's oldest restaurants.
The restaurant serves Chinese-American food and is known for its honey-walnut prawns, Frank's-style New York steak (grilled, sliced and smothered in sauteed onions and oyster sauce), brandy fried chicken and banana cream pie.
The founder, Frank Fat, came to California from China in 1919 at age 16. He worked odd jobs for 20 years before opening his restaurant in 1939.
3. Prince's Hot Chicken Shack, 123 Ewing Drive, Nashville
Owner: Andre Prince Jeffries
Hot fried chicken is synonymous with Nashville. A visit here doesn't count until you have made a pilgrimage to this joint, located in a strip mall alongside a nail salon, for its crispy yardbird with a cayenne-soaked coat of armor.
As the story goes, a girlfried of the original owner, Thornton Prince, grew weary of his late-night carousing and as a revenge doused his Sunday morning favorite, fried chicken, with cayenne pepper. It backfired; he liked it.
By the mid 1930s, Prince and his brothers perfected the process and opened a cafe, originally called BBQ Chicken Shack.
Current owner Andre Prince Jeffries, great-niece of Prince, continues the tradition. She brines the chicken, flours it and slathers it with a secret layer of hot spices. You can order it mild, which it really isn't, to extra hot.
4. C.F. Folks, 1225 19th St. NW, Washington, D.C.
Owner: Art Carlson
Art Carlson's weekday-only lunch haunt on Dupont Circle is a 600-square-foot temple of honest cooking. The vibe is loud, and Carlson, the ever-present host, is one of a dying breed of a hands-on owner who smoozes and teases his customers who occupy the 11 counter stools.
George Vetsch does the cooking. The menu is mostly sandwiches and salads, but Vetsch offers daily specials such as garlicky roast chicken with hand-cut fries, mahi mahi with herbed cream sauce, pork tacos with jalapeno-cilantro sauce and chicken korma on basmati rice and chutneys.
5. Keens Steakhouse, 72 W. 36th St., New York City
Owner: George Schwarz
It's nothing short of astonishing that a 120-something-year-old restaurant manages to stay both relevant and wildly popular in the middle of Manhattan.
Albert Keen opened the restaurant in 1885, when the Herald Square Theater District thrived and actors came in for a drink between acts. Today, the walls are decorated with more than 50,000 clay pipes, some from celebrated customers such as Teddy Roosevelt and Albert Einstein.
George Swarz took over the restaurant in the 1970s and invested much money reviving the restaurant.
Keens was one of the first restaurants to dry-age beef. It's a great place for prime T-bone steak, well-charred on the outside and juicy within, served with tangy-sweet house steak sauce. But its most famous cut of meat is not beef, it's the 26-ounce mutton chop. In a nod to modernization, the mutton is now lamb, but it still is accompanied by housemade mint jelly.
The bar room is especially welcoming in the winter, when the fireplace roars and regulars nibble on complimentary chicken wings or drink their way through the 275-plus selection of single-malt scotches.
Only active print or digital subscribers of the Tulsa World are allowed to post comments on stories posted to Tulsaworld.com. After you fill out the form below and click submit, your comment will be published instantly online along with your screen name.
By clicking "Submit" you are agreeing to our terms and conditions.
