1. STEAKBURGER - 7120 NE Hwy 99, Hazel Dell, Washington • 360-694-3421
Steakburger is my very favorite hamburger, which is fitting since I was born in nearby Vancouver. Its a Paget family tradition to stop there EVERY time we drove through Vancouver on the way to Portland or Disneyland or college in California; we stop on the way back too.

2. LOU MITCHELL’S - 565 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL • 312-939-3111
Best breakfast in America and a Chicago institution. Famous for the double-yolk egg omelettes and Milk-Duds (for ladies only). Ask for Sheri and tell her I sent you.

3. LA NOVA PIZZA – 371 W. Ferry Street, Buffalo, New York • 716-881-3303
Voted #1 Pizza in America in numerous taste tests AND is also the #1 Independent-Owned Pizza Parlor in annual sales. Has such a lock on the Buffalo market that chains like Pizza Hut and Domino's have not been able to establish a franchise there. Its rumored to be mob-run. It could be: its the only pizza place I've seen where the delivery boys drive Cadillac Escalades.

4. JOHNNIE'S GRILL - 301 S Rock Island Ave., El Reno, Oklahoma • (405) 262-4721
Near Oklahoma City, this is the best burger I've had on Route 66. Get a whole sack or you'll regret it.

5. ARTHUR BRYANT’S BBQ - 1727 Brooklyn Ave. Kansas City, MO • 816-231-1123
Best BBQ in America, and a regular campaign stop for Democrats Harry Truman to Jimmy Carter. Some reviewers have called it not just the best BBQ restaurant in America, but the best restaurant in America, period.

6. WEBER’S SUPERIOR ROOT BEER & GRILL - 3817 South Peoria Avenua, Tulsa, Oklahoma • 918-742-1082
This little stand on Route 66 is the birthplace of the hamburger, as established by the meticulous investigative research of historian Michael Wallis. Then there's the handcrafted root beer, brewed in the same original barrel they've used for 100 years, and served in heavy ice-encrusted mugs. It really is superior.

7. FRONTIER CAFE - 2400 Central Ave., Albuquerque, New Mexico • (505) 289-3130
A University of New Mexico hangout: inexpensive, cafeteria-style authentic Mexican, open 24 hours. Its on Central Ave. (aka Route 66 ) across from the UNM campus. Try the cinnamon bun and breakfast burritos with green chile.

8. 13 COINS - 1125 Boren Ave. N., Seattle, Washington
The chefs are freakin' pyros! And the decor is so ridiculous it's good. How to describe it? 1967 Bachelor Bad? Maybe Elvis decorated it. One reviewer called it "the American diner as upscale as it could go." There is also a location right next door to SeaTac Airport:. 18000 Pacific Hwy S. • 206-243-9500. If you're flying through Seattle, it's definitely worth missing your connection. Always open 24 hours.

9. HEAVEN ON EARTH - I-5 Exit #86., Azalea, Oregon
Eighty-six yourself off the freeway and enjoy some honest sustenance at this mystical joint that somehow lives up to its name. Maybe its the giant, fresh cinnamon rolls - one will feed six people. An aromatic ambience, friendly staff, generous homestyle portions. It's provided me a second wind during many long I-5 treks.

10. CONWAY’S RED TOP - 1228 E. Filmore, Colorado Springs, Colorado • 719-329-1445
I'd heard legends of a hamburger so big it filled an entire dinner plate. But I thought it was a myth. Then I discovered "The World Famous Giant Hamburger" at Conway's Red Top in Colorado, est. 1944. Most people order a half.

11. THE VERSAILLES - 1415 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, California • 310-289-0392 plus other locations in LA area
Try the pollo con arroz amarillo (chicken and yellow rice). I remember eating there a few times with Matt Valentine while working on Saints of the Revolution. The best Cuban food.

13. COZY DOG DRIVE-IN - 2935 S. Sixth Street, Springfield, Illinois • 217-525-1992
Founded by Ed Waldmire, the inventor of the corn dog, and still run by the Waldmire family, this is holy ground. Fair food and school lunches have given the corn dog a bad name. They are totally different here...crunchy, corn-flavored crust, juicy and meaty inside, delicious. But don't call them corn dogs. Here they deserve the more affectionate term Cozy Dogs.

14. JOHN’S ITALIAN VILLAGE – 313 Grant St, Buffalo, New York • 716-886-8285
Props to my buddy Mark Cerbone for discovering and recommending this joint to me. A kind of last bastion of the Italian-American community on Buffalo's westside. Mark is on a one-man crusade to keep the place in business, so please help him out and enjoy the most delicious authentic Italian dishes around.

15. MARLOWE'S and more Memphis BBQ- 4381 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN • (901) 332-4159
Located just down the street from Graceland on Elvis Presley Boulevard. Great BBQ, apple pie and a giant, pink, pig-shaped delivery vehicle. Open 24 hours during Elvis Week. Two other Memphis places deserve visits: Cozy Corner BBQ (745 N. Parkway), a plastic-tray/paper-plate kind of joint, has the best bbq in Memphis. (why does it always taste better in humble environs?) You can get the standard pig or smoked cornish game hens, BBQ spaghetti and BBQ Baloney. And then there's The Cupboard (1400 Union Ave.), with all the great Southern staples like fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, fried catfish, and more fried things. Their cuisine is officially listed as "Meat'n Three." Also known as comfort food. This is where Kacey fuels up on corn puddin' before her training runs for the Elvis 5K race.

16. GLORY DAYS SPORTS BAR - LaCrosse, WI
This looks like the bar they would 'go live to' during the SuperBowl pre-game show when the Green Bay Packers are playing in the SuperBowl. It has the largest collection of Packer memorabilia outside of the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame itself, plus beer. In fact, several pieces encased in locked glass and double-bolted to the walls trace their descent to the official Hall, and it ranges from genuinely valuable ephemera to kitschy breakfast cereal giveaways. Maybe its just me, but there's something wrong about making a bobblehead doll of someone so hallowed as Vince Lombardi. 364 days a year its full of Cheeseheads, but one day a year pompadours and sideburns invade: Glory Days is the unofficial home of the Elvis Explosion wrap party.

E-mail me your favorite places.

Since I've driven across the country a few times on Route 66, and a few more times chasing Elvis impersonators (who obviously know good cuisine), I herein offer my list of roadside diners, greasy spoons and other eateries not to be missed. In honor of my favorite food, many of these are hamburger joints.