news-record.com

GREENSBORO — Fifteen restaurants in five days.

It was a food spree that spanned four states -- Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois.

Vestal Palmer and Judy Conover will travel for food.

They've been close friends and traveling companions for more than 25 years. They never know exactly where their quest for a certain restaurant will lead them. They've driven several hours just to try a diner or a plate of barbecue ribs at a place they heard or read about.

Their recent Midwest food tour included cafes, diners, an Irish pub and an upscale steakhouse owned by Brett Favre.

"And I only gained four pounds," Conover says while dining at an Italian restaurant in downtown Greensboro. Palmer and Conover are sharing details about their trip during lunch with their coworker Mary Simmons. Palmer owns and operates Carolina Publications, a North Carolina furniture guide.

Their food journeys are part of Palmer's overall goal: to eat at 1,000 different restaurants in 50 states by July 12, 2010.

He got the idea after reading a Wall Street Journal article about a guy who had eaten in 853 different restaurants.

"I thought that was real interesting," Palmer says.

So, given his love of food, Palmer was inspired to try it, too.

His first visit: Sam's Corner in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on July 12, 2003. He went there with his father and ordered two hot dogs with everything but onions.

Since then, Palmer has eaten at nearly 700 different restaurants in 22 states. He rates and records each visit in binders with the receipts. Some entries include handwritten notes about the experience.

But for Palmer, this isn't just about the food. It's the journey to these culinary destinations -- and his experiences along the way -- that he enjoys the most.

* * * *

Entry No. 187

Double Wow!!!! What a pleasant surprise!!!! I've been driving by this place for 28 years!! It looked like a smoke-filled beer spot. But el contrare! (sic) Great lunch: baked Greek chicken, black-eyed peas, tatoes & gravy & rice & banana pudding. All very good & for a total of $6.15

Rating: 9.25

It would be inaccurate simply to call Vestal Palmer, 63, a "foodie."

Sure, he'll drive 100 miles out of his way just to find an old-fashioned soda shop or a restaurant featured on his favorite Food Network show, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." And he's been known to coordinate his vacations solely around certain dining spots he wants to try.

Although he may be drawn to certain cities for their food, he also enjoys the historic sites and attractions.

And he doesn't just limit his visits to diners, drive-ins or dives. His collection of receipts includes sandwich shops such as Jimmy John's, Chinese takeout places and expensive, fine-dining restaurants.

He rarely eats an entire meal by himself. He can't. Take his barbecue blitz in Macon, Ga.: five barbecue restaurants in one afternoon.

He often shares plates with dining companions. His barbecue buddy that day was longtime pal Don Raker.

"We didn't eat any barbecue for about a week after that," Palmer says.

Conover says she has started taking cholesterol medicine since they began these restaurant tours. Palmer says he's afraid to get his cholesterol checked.

Since he started his quest, Palmer has learned some things about eating out. He calls beforehand to ensure a restaurant still serves lunch. Or that it is still in business.

He avoids restaurants that are empty or have few customers during peak lunch and dinner hours.

And if he passes a restaurant with a full parking lot or a line of people standing outside, he will stop, whether he's hungry or not.

Palmer also learned a restaurant can't be judged solely on how it looks. Occasionally, good food can come from what some people would call "a dive."

Take Entry No. 181:

Geez!! What a dump! I think it is also falling apart. All the tablecloths were dirty and the booths were falling apart. Fairly good pizza though!

Pizza: 7.25

When it comes to rating a restaurant, Palmer considers its decor, service and food.

He often comments on a restaurant's decor, particularly if it displays a lot of memorabilia, or if it's in a historic building.

The decor documented in Entry No. 215 says a lot about the town's history.

Wow!! What an interesting place!! In business since the 1920's. This restaurant was in the heart of the downtown furniture manufacturing district. Unfortunately, most of the manufacturing had left for overseas. Many pictures, plaques & other interesting memorabilia & artifacts.

Ambience: 10.0

Food: 7.75

Overall: 9.0

Sometimes Palmer notes really good — or bad — service. Some entries don't mention the decor at all, and others may only say, "average," with a simple score.

Palmer doesn't spend a lot of time contemplating a score. He doesn't ponder too long over minute details or nuances in flavors. He goes with his gut reaction: Either it was good, or it wasn't.

Entry No. 313

Well, they can't all be winners.

Rating: 1.25

He's not a food or restaurant critic, he says.

"The best thing about it, it's not a life-threatening situation," he says. "It's a fun deal."

* * * *

Entry No. 238

A little too dainty for me. Naturally, Judy loved it.

My meal: 5.0

Her chicken, fruit & nut salad: 9.0

Palmer and Conover don't always agree on a restaurant's rating. But their overall scores are usually just a couple of points apart.

"There's only been one time that I had to ask, 'Are you outta your mind?' " Palmer says.

"I don't particularly like all the places he goes to, but I go to be with him," Conover says.

Palmer prefers independently owned restaurants that serve simple, American fare.

"I just like the food a little better at mom-and-pop-style places," Palmer says. "The people who run these things are extremely hard-working."

They tend to know their customers by name and order. And their customers are down-to-earth, working-class people.

"You can talk to people more at these places," Palmer says.

But restaurants like these aren't typically what one might call "fine dining." Sometimes the stuffing oozes out of the chairs. Or the tables might be sticky with syrup or jelly residue. But if the food is good, those things don't bother Palmer.

Conover prefers more refined establishments: French restaurants, tea rooms and lodges with roaring fires.

So, they have a deal. For every handful of diners or dives Palmer drags her to, Conover gets to pick a restaurant.

"And he's glad to get there sometimes," she says with a grin.

* * * *

These binders are more than just food diaries. They document Palmer's life.

The restaurant he discovered on a whim while going to a funeral. Or a place he and Conover stumbled upon.

Entry No. 266

Wow! Oldest restaurant. Unique building. Almost dumpy looking. Great 'home-cooked' restaurant. Very ancient and old in every way.

8.0

They reveal who was with him or when a certain food reminded him of something or someone from his past.

Entry No. 531

Love the banana pudding (like mother used to make).

With Fred and Don Raker.

5.0 (except for pudding)

Or certain details about a trip

Here begins the northern trip of 9/28/05 to 10/02/05

Richmond, Williamsburg, Fredericksburg, Baltimore, D.C.

Entry No. 262

Richmond, Va.

Overall fairly average food. Decor really nice.

5.5

And every now and again, he really strikes gold.

Entry No. 365

Ok, this was the MO-JO!!

You go and pick out your own lobster from the holding vat!! And it is (expletive) good and fresh.

10.0

Ogunquit Lobster Pound.

This entry was one of just three 10s Palmer has ever given.

He and Conover just happened to discover the restaurant while on a visit to Maine.

"Really, I've changed my whole attitude about restaurants since tagging around with him" Conover says. "Vestal can really find great restaurants out of the way. He has sort of a GPS built in."

That's how they found Ogunquit Lobster Pound. On their return from Nova Scotia, they drove past the restaurant. Palmer looked back and noticed a packed parking lot. They had to turn around.

And then there was the time Palmer and Conover knew where they wanted to eat but couldn't find the restaurant. BBQ Shack had been featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," and when the couple visited Kansas, they knew they had to go.

But when they finally found the restaurant, it had just closed for the day. Palmer walked to the back of the dark restaurant and pounded on a screen door.

"Come on in," the owner yelled to them.

Palmer explained they had driven from Kansas City to Paola — about 50 miles — just to try his barbecue.

The owner enthusiastically dished up a jumbo barbecue platter: smoked ham, barbecue chicken and ribs. And after learning Palmer and Conover were from North Carolina, he showed off his collection of Andy Griffith and Barney Fife photos in the dining room.

"They were so friendly and so nice and so happy that we came in, and they were in no hurry for us to leave," Conover says.

Because the restaurant was closed, she and Palmer ate their barbecue in a nearby McDonald's parking lot.

Score: 8.5

Palmer and Conover's next gastronomical adventure will lead them to try Texas barbecue. They might even learn to dance the two-step.

They have some ideas about where they want to eat. But they're always open to new discoveries, too.

Contact Tina Firesheets at 373-3498 or tina.firesheets@news-record.com

Vestal Palmer's Perfect 10s

Three restaurants that earned perfect ratings from Vestal Palmer:

• Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steak House, Atlanta
• Ye Old Country Kitchen, Snow Camp
• Ogunquit Lobster Pound, Ogunquit, Maine

Vestal Palmer's seven strangest meals:

• Cow stomach stew at AH, Chihuahua Mexican Grill, 2428 High Point Road, Greensboro
• Pig brains and eggs at Miller's Restaurant, Mocksville
• TurDucKen (turkey, stuffed with chicken and duck) at Alpine Steak House, Sarasota, Fla.
• Pork pie with eggs at Red Arrow Diner, Manchester, N.H.
• Smoked mullet at Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish, South Pasadena, Fla.
• Chicken bog at Richard's BBQ & Restaurant, Loris, S.C.
• Mixed grill of quail, antelope and elk at The Log Cabin Restaurant, Highlands

Tips for finding good restaurants

• Visit www.roadfood.com
• Read travel guides.
• When traveling, ask the locals where to they like to eat.
• Read Our State magazine for dining in North Carolina.
• Watch the Food Network show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives."

Generally avoid restaurants...

• If the wait staff is dressed to imitate famous people.
• In train stations or in a "free-standing" rail car.
• That have empty parking lots between noon and 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 and 7 p.m.
• That have less than three or four customers during peak lunch and dinner hours.
• That claim to specialize in both seafood and steak.

More Palmer tidbits:

• Best fried meal: David's Catfish House , Monroeville, Ala.
• Best cities for dining: Savannah, Ga., and Highlands
• Best retro soda fountain: S & T Soda Shoppe, Pittsboro
• Oldest continually operating restaurant in the U.S.: Union Oyster House, Boston
• Fastest to close as soon as they run out of food: Johnson's Restaurant, Siler City
• Most barbecue restaurants visited in one day: Five, in Macon, Ga.
• Best, largest and most authentic diner: Eveready Diner, Hyde Park, N.Y.
• Most rundown looking restaurant with the best food: Riverside Restaurant & Ctrng, Hillsborough
• Best atmosphere/most romantic restaurant: The Ocean Room at the Sanctuary, Kiawah Island, S.C.
• Most impressive train station with good restaurants: Union Station, Kansas City, Mo.
• Best all-around barbecue restaurant with pork, ribs, ham and chicken: The BBQ Shack, Paola, Kan.