One of the hallmarks of the Midwest is gathering - and eating - together. Whether it's family or a chosen family of friends, we love to sit down to good food, laughter, and great conversation. However, each area in the Midwest has different traditions - and Wisconsin has a unique one: that of supper clubs. The state is covered with them - homegrown, comfortable restaurants that serve excellent, tasty, homemade food with such friendliness that other restaurants will start to look rude.

It was a gorgeous August day - the kind you hope for when planning a trip, smile at your good luck with the weather during, and remember fondly for years afterward.

When we were in Milwaukee last weekend visiting family, food was never far from our minds. This could be because we are food people, or because Milwaukee has more great food than you can imagine, or a lovely confluence of the two. We were “researching” an article on great eating in Milwaukee for i8tonite.com - my Cheat Sheet to Eating in Milwaukee, and had great difficulty narrowing down the recommendations.

Traveling to Texas for the holidays means dining on the best Mexican food and barbecue in the country. But during the Christmas season visitors to the Lone Star State can also feast on stellar seafood dishes.

At La Cantera Hill Country Resort SweetFire Kitchen restaurant, visitors can dine on shucked oysters on the half shell, marinated mussels, and savory salmon. Chef Jake Andrews has curated the most incredible, edible cuisine available at one of San Antonio’s best resort hotels.

Home cooks aren’t the only ones planning the annual Thanksgiving feast. Chef Jake Andrews of the newly opened SweetFire Kitchen restaurant at La Cantera Hill Country Resort offered a preview of his Thanksgiving menu recently.

The Tampa Bay area is vast and it has some great restaurants in every niche. Recently there was a sushi battle event where over 50 sushi restaurants around the Tampa Bay area participated by submitting their best sushi rolls and there was even a sake tasting. The following are some of the best sushi restaurants from around the Tampa Bay area. 

I don’t think there are many people who will disagree with this statement: Food is an important part of every culture. It follows then that one of the great pleasures of travel is the opportunity to taste the local cuisine. There's something about sharing a favorite dish with a friend or stranger that makes it taste even better. We truly do bond over a meal.

St. John’s (one of my favorite places in the world!) has a wide variety of places to eat, from small to large, ethic to local, cheap eats to gourmet cuisine. But where are the best places to feed your kids – and yourself? No overplayed children’s menus here – these are great restaurants that serve excellent food. 

Here are my top 10 family-friendly restaurants on the Rock

(in alphabetical order so as not to play favorites - they are all favorites!)