Food and music – name a better duo, we’ll wait. Flight Centre staffer Robyn takes us on a flavour-packed road trip through the Deep South of the USA, where every stop hits the sweet spot. Buckle up for ten days of rhythm, ribs, and ridiculously good food.
Posh & Becks, Taytay & Travvy, Robyn & Jack (that’s me and my husband) – true love is rare and beautiful.
But the ultimate match made in heaven is food and music.
I’m Robyn, a Graphic Designer at Flight Centre, and there’s nothing I love more than eating – much to my doctor’s dismay. Which is why I was so excited to be chosen to experience Cosmos’ Rhythms of the Road tour, a 10-day trip through America’s best food and music spots.
Chicago
“This is my kind of town, Chicago,” sang Frank Sinatra, and I am inclined to agree. The start (or end, whichever way you look at it) of Route 66, this city has such a cool vibe to it. As an artist, it’s so inspiring, with its interesting architecture and sculptures. And the thing it has over New York – a white sandy beach in the centre of the city.
It is also a foodie’s dream.
The first Nutella® Café was opened by Ferrero in May 2017, located right in the heart of the city on iconic Michigan Avenue, also known as Magnificent Mile. It’s a perfect spot for brunch, with their wide range of crêpes, waffles and pastries. I had the Croissant French Toast with banana, crushed hazelnuts and whipped cream, with a Nutella® Iced Cocoa. Absolutely delicious and very reasonably priced.
The Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Chicago, which opened on 15 November 2019, is the largest Starbucks location in the world. The building at 646 North Michigan Avenue has five stories and includes a coffee bar, cocktail bar, and Italian-style sandwich shop. Inside the building are eight 56-foot-tall copper tubes that transport coffee beans from floor to floor. Each floor has a theme and variety of delicacies. The first floor is the main floor for customers to grab coffee and treats to go, roasting equipment, a coffee bean scoop bar, as well as souvenirs and merchandise. The second floor has cafés and restaurants. The third floor consists of barrels filled with Guatemalan cold brew and other rare coffees. The roastery's cocktail bar is on the fourth floor; it serves both classic and modern drinks including a flight of Espresso Martinis. The fifth floor is a public roof terrace.
America is known for its hot dogs and Chicago is known for their hot dogs ‘dragged through the garden’ (from the sheer number of toppings piled on). Chopped onions, neon-green pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato wedges, pickled peppers topped with American mustard and a dash of celery salt. With all those veggies, it’s almost good for you!
I know what you’re really here for. Chicago’s most famous delicacy – the deep-dish pizza. We went to Giordano’s, but I’ve also heard Lou Malnati’s is great. I have a disclaimer – it’s more pie than pizza, definitely not like the deep pan pizzas we get at home. The crust is super thin, almost like a pastry, shaped into a pie. What blew my mind is that the toppings are in reverse – the pepperoni is directly on the crust, then the cheese, then the whole pie is topped with a generous serving of marinara sauce. The first bite was heavenly. I was expecting a super thick, stodgy base and I wasn’t looking forward to it, but the crispiness was welcoming. However, I don’t really like my pizzas to be well sauced as is, and the marinara sauce is so sweet it got sickly quickly. When the pizza arrived, I thought to myself ‘this is small for America’ but even though it was the size of a personal pizza from Domino’s, I couldn’t finish it. If you’re like me, I’d recommend sharing, but if you love your marinara sauce, this is the dish for you.
St Louis
You might know St Louis as the place with the big arch. Or that it’s Chuck Berry’s birthplace. Or from the film ‘Meet Me in St Louis’ where they pronounce the name wrong (fun fact, it’s LouiS not LouE). What St Louis should be known for is a restaurant called Blueberry Hill located in University City. The food is standard American diner with plenty of local beers. But the place itself is absolutely wild. It has multiple rooms with such eclectic décor, I didn’t think it could get crazier than the Crazy Bear in Beaconsfield, but it can. There are so many sculptures and trinkets, including a mannequin of a satyr cuddling Yoda, along with hundreds and hundreds of framed photos of the owner, St Louis entrepreneur Joe Edwards, with literally every celebrity you can think of. It was a random Wednesday in April and he was there working. We were very lucky to meet him and get a photo of him for our walls. I had a grilled cheese toastie and some frickles (fried pickles), which tasted as American as they sounded. An authentic American experience – a must-visit if you’re in the area.
Memphis
If you’re a barbecue sauce fan like I am, Memphis is the place for you. Even the streets smell of the smoky, sweet goodness.
When we arrived, we went for lunch at B.B. King’s Blues Club on Beale Street – no prizes for guessing the legendary founder. I had a pulled pork sandwich and let me tell you, I would do this whole trip again just for that pulled pork. We went again the following night. The smell of delicious barbecue paired with the sound of live blues music feels like a time warp back to the 1950s. Next door, they have a merchandise shop and I bought some of their barbecue rub and sauce to take home with me.
I am not a huge fan of ribs, but I’m told the best place for them is the Blues City Café – also on Beale Street. Beware, the portions are American, so come with a big appetite or share. My friend ordered the ‘Golden Fried Catfish Plate’, a delicacy in Memphis. It was good! Very meaty and a slightly stronger taste than cod.
New Orleans
Our final stop is the beautiful city of New Orleans. If you don’t eat anything else on your trip here, you’ve got to try a beignet – basically a doughnut topped with an avalanche of icing sugar. Make sure to have plenty of napkins to hand. I really recommend Café du Monde for super fluffy ones paired with great-tasting coffee.
Although New Orleans is heavily French influenced, their most famous sandwich is actually Italian (specifically Sicilian) inspired. The muffuletta is a gigantic sandwich made from a Sicilian sesame loaf, filled with layers of mortadella, salami, ham, provolone cheese, and an olive salad made from olives, pickled vegetables and capers. Think Subway’s B.M.T. levelled up. The origin spot for this delicacy is Central Grocery, but we went to the Market Café over the road as it has a nice outdoor seating area – with live jazz, of course.
Other iconic New Orleans delicacies such as gumbo, crawfish cakes, fried alligator and po’boys can be enjoyed at Charters House Café.
My favourite thing about New Orleans was the number of frozen cocktail bars there were. I very much enjoyed plenty of New Orleans’ signature cocktail, the Hurricane. It is made with three different rums – white, dark and overproof – passion fruit syrup and lemon juice. Best enjoyed on the Natchez steamboat at sunset.
From deep-dish pizza in Chicago to beignets in New Orleans, this trip was a full-on flavour fest. Ten days of eating, dancing, and soaking up the vibes in some of America’s coolest cities – what more could one want! A perfect blend of iconic eats and legendary beats, this is a tour that hits all the right notes.
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