Road Food -- Favorite Coast-to-Coast Eating Spots of the Stars!

   They travel millions of miles on tour buses, riding from town to
town,
   state to state. And along the way, like anyone else, they get
hungry.
   Real hungry.

   Yes, the stars know where to go when it comes to good eats on the
   road. And whether they crave Italian, Mexican or good old country
   cooking, all artists know that a great meal makes life on the road a
   little more bearable.

   One of George Strait's and Robert Earl Keen's favorite places to eat
   is a tiny restaurant in San Marcos, Texas, called Herbert's Taco
Hut.
   "They have the best cheese enchiladas on the planet," says Robert
   Earl. "It's a small place, but it's famous." George, who went to
   college in San Marcos, goes there "when he can sneak in and sneak
   out."

   Charlie Daniels is a connoisseur of international cuisine. And with
   his extensive touring schedule, he can recommend the best
restaurants
   in practically every city on the globe. "I really look forward to
Joe
   T. Garcia's in Fort Worth, Texas. It's just the best Mexican food
   there is," he notes. "For French food, Chez Grand-mére in Durango,
   Colo., is the best restaurant I've ever eaten at. I also love the
   Piccolo Venetsio in New York. It's the best Italian food I've ever
had
   ? including in Italy!"

   Henry Paul eats with gusto whenever he's at Vincent's Restaurant,
   another Italian eatery located in New York City. The BlackHawk
singer
   says that the food is so good that he schedules concerts in the area
   just so he can have lunch there. "I always get cherrystone and rock
   clams on the half shell," he says. "And they have a mouthwatering
dish
   of fried calamari with this incredible tomato sauce they serve over
   linguine that's out of this world! We go there to stuff ourselves,
   drink Chianti and have a great time."

   Chely Wright loves chowing down on barbecue ribs. "Whenever we roll
   through Memphis, we make a point of stopping at Rendezvous for
ribs,"
   says the "It Was" singer. "The owner will usually open up a back
room
   for us and we'll just load up on those famous dry-style Memphis
ribs,
   beans and coleslaw. That's great eatin'."

   Danni Leigh loves barbecue, too, but her favorite can't be found in
   Texas or Tennessee. "The next time you're in Sao Paulo, Brazil, you
   have to eat the barbecue," she says. "It's much different than the
   barbecue in the USA ? it's a dining experience."

   Being on the road away from loved ones can make some stars yearn for
   the comfort food of their youth. So they head for the next best
thing
   ? Cracker Barrel. "It's like [eating] home-cooked meals, and they
play
   country music too!" says Shane Minor. Roy Clark agrees. "It's like
   Mama used to cook. They're consistently good all over the country."

   Georgia native Mark Wills enjoys the food and the familiarity of
   Waffle House, which is found predominantly in Southern states.
"Waffle
   House is one of our eating mainstays," he says. "And we know if
we're
   close to a Waffle House, we're ? generally speaking ? close to home.
   When you start hitting them every exit, you know you're real close
to
   home. At Waffle House, I'm a patty-melt-plate kind of guy. That's my
   favorite on-the-road food."

   Newcomer Rebecca Lynn Howard is another Waffle House fan. "You can
see
   them cook the food, so if they drop something, they don't put it on
   the plate ... hopefully!" she smiles. "The food is good, the
   waitresses are friendly, the service is quick, they're open all
night
   and they normally have a parking place for the bus. The only
downside
   is usually not having a separate smoking area."

   Mindy McCready doesn't care where she eats, as long as steak is on
the
   menu. "I love to eat ? and I have a passion for steaks," she says.
   "When I'm on the road, I'm always looking for the well- known area
   steakhouse. I want the restaurant, no matter what it looks like,
where
   all the locals go. If it's a hole-in-the-wall place, that's fine."

   John Berry hankers for the seafood at the Boiling Point, in New
   Iberia, La. "It's got the absolute best Cajun cookin' and seafood
   you'll ever find," he says enthusiastically. What's more, there's no
   need for napkins at this establishment. "Right in the middle of the
   restaurant is a big laundry sink," he says. "You go over, wash your
   hands and go right back to the table for more grub!"

   Brad Paisley favors Lambert's Cafe, a homestyle restaurant in
Missouri
   that serves up plenty of food ? and plenty of attitude. "Lambert's
has
   what they call 'throwed rolls', " Brad says. "First they come around
   to your table and bring you big bowls of green beans and potatoes.
   Then they bring you your entrée, like a steak or country-fried
   chicken. Then for the rest of the meal, they walk around and
actually
   throw rolls at you if you want them!" He laughs. "They'll dump some
   potatoes on your plate, and then they'll come back around and dump
   more on your plate. If you eat long enough, they'll feed you until
you
   blow up! It's pretty cool."