Jane and Michael Stern have one of the more enviable jobs in Creation: They drive a quarter of a million miles a year looking for good restaurants to write about for their column in Gourmet magazine. They somehow found time to eat at 500 inexpensive, interesting, mostly unsung little diners, storefront eateries, bar 'n' grills, BBQ shacks, and other places which they claim offer "the best food in America." They're probably right. In their 20-year career, the prolific and brilliant Sterns have written witty, incisive books about Elvis, pop culture, bad taste, weird roadside attractions, and always food, food, food. They know where to get Basque cuisine in the Rockies, who has the best Dutch funnel cakes, and what goes into Cincinnati five-way chili. They also know how to get it all on the cheap—you can eat at most of these places for less than 15 bucks—and best of all, they know how to make your mouth water just reading about it all. The Sterns don't pretend to be trendy, fat-free or heart-smart, or otherwise indulge themselves in any of the useless pretense that makes most food writing and almost all restaurant reviews unbearable. They simply enjoy driving around and eating, and who doesn't? If you ever take a road trip that lasts more than a couple hours, odds are you'll stumble across a place that was written up in Eat Your Way Across The U.S.A. That makes this book an essential resource, and possibly the best automotive accessory since the radio.