Alton Brown's favorite restaurants from a cross-country trip

When Food Network star Alton Brown traveled the country earlier this year on a 46-city lecture and performance tour, he got restaurant recommendations everywhere he visited. "These were all places that fans put pretty high up on their list," he says. "When you're eating there, you very much feel like a part of the community." Brown, who's also a best-selling author and James Beard Award winner, shares some all-American favorites, perfect for a July Fourth holiday weekend trip, with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY.

Eventide Oyster Co.
Portland, Maine
The secret's out about Eventide, which was nominated for a James Beard restaurant award after Brown's visit. He calls it the best oyster bar he's seen in his life, but he loved the Fried Oyster Bun and was blown away by the Brown Butter Lobster Roll. "It was only about 4 inches long, but every morsel was absolutely perfect, from the meat to the seasoning to the butter." 207-774-8538; eventideoysterco.com

Hank's Franks
Lodi, N.J.
New Jersey knows its hot dogs, which is why Brown recommends this unassuming stand. "If I could turn on everyone in America to one hot dog, this would be it. There's no table. There's no menu," he says. "In my mind, it's the perfect hot dog." But don't come for the ambience. "Hank's friendly, but not too friendly. Hey, it's Jersey." 973-473-8589

Franklin Fountain
Philadelphia
Try this old-school soda fountain for a phosphate, a tangy vintage soda. Brown liked Hemingway's Dream, made with lemon juice, mint, anise syrups, seltzer, citric acid and an absinthe-soaked sugar cube. "You feel like you've stepped back in time in the best way possible," he says. 215-627-1899; franklinfountain.com

Ross' Restaurant
Bettendorf, Iowa
Diner lovers rejoiced when they learned this 24-hour diner was relocating. It was facing closure to make way for a new highway bridge, and when Brown visited he understood the concern. The Magic Mountain—a base of Texas toast covered with ground beef, French fries, cheese and chopped onions—is a thing of wonder, he says. "You feel 20 pounds heavier after eating it, but it's totally worth it." 563-355-7573; rossrestaurant.com

Block 16
Omaha
Brown calls the Croque Garcon his favorite hamburger in the country. It's made with a 1/3-pound burger, cheese, ham, a sunny-side-up egg, mustard and truffle mayo on a ciabatta roll. He says it has the perfect meat-to-bun ratio. "They've turned the hamburger into high art," he says. 402-342-1220; block16omaha.com

Nifty Nut House
Wichita
Brown says this huge store is a national treasure with hundreds of different regional candies and nuts on offer. The third-generation business offers nuts raw, roasted and salted. "Roasted nuts don't sound like a big deal, but they do them perfectly. I'm a huge cashew fan and if you told me I could only have cashews from one place, it would be here," he says. 316-265-0571; niftynuthouse.com

Cyd's Gourmet Kitchen
Peoria, Ill.
Brown was surprised by this bistro, which served one of the best breakfast sandwiches he's had in his life. The Breakfast BLT had fresh tomato, crispy bacon, lettuce, a fried egg and basil mayo on toasted Italian bread. "It was the most perfectly cooked egg. I could take that sandwich and walk it to New York City and we'd make a million dollars in a week." 309-685-1100; cyds.biz

Westside Drive-In
Boise
Brown had never heard of finger steaks until he tried this retro Boise eatery. The red-meat version of chicken fingers were better than he could have imagined. "They're the crack cocaine of fried beef," he says. "It's everything perfect about French fries, fried chicken and steak at once." 208-342-2957; cheflou.com

Tucson Tamale Company
Tucson
While Brown doesn't pretend to have discovered this local favorite, he's a believer now. "I stood 20 minutes in line to get two tamales and I would have spent 20 minutes to get another two," he says. After his show that night, he snacked on more. His top tamale picks: the Santa Fe, with pork loin, green chile sauce and cheese; and the Chile relleno, with green chiles stuffed with cheese, and wrapped in a roasted red pepper. 520-305-4760; tucsontamale.com

11:Eleven Café
Fort Myers, Fla.
Brown was dubious when he first saw this strip-shopping center eatery. But then he discovered one of the coolest restaurant concepts he's encountered: a menu based on grilled cheese, naan flat bread, baked potatoes or waffles. He ordered avocado grilled cheese, and a Buffalo chicken, mac and cheese baked potato. "Afterwards I could have laid down under a bush like a stuffed python," he says. "They are masters of the combinations." 239-208-8100; 11elevencafe.com