America

Only in America would you find a restaurant like America. Housed just off of the main hall of Union Station (but spilling back over into the hall via outdoor-cafe-style seating), America is a homage to the culinary diversity of our great nation. On the face of the menu is a collage of faces atop a stars-and-stripes design. The long list inside associates most dishes with a specific place in the Union. Some connections (the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and Plains, Ga.) are more obvious than others (the Fluffernutter and Las Vegas). Your eighth-grade history class likely glossed over the link between the brave men and women of Myrtle Beach, S.C., and the tuna-steak sandwich on focaccia. Luckily, America�s version is big, and though it�s a bit oily, the fish is cooked to a delicious crisp while remaining soft inside. And it comes topped with onions that taste as if they�ve been cooked for hours in molasses. The griddled Reuben is another good choice; though America�s rendition is a little soupy, it brings no shame to New York City. The restaurant�s perfectly spherical dinner rolls could be from pretty much anywhere.
—Coco Krumme, August 3, 2007