10 great places to eat regionally, eat well

— -- This country's most unique foods are best experienced in native settings. Jane & Michael Stern's new book, 500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late, (roadfood.com) is a state-by-state guide to must-eats across America. Michael Stern shares his favorites with Kathy Baruffi for USA TODAY.

Hell's KitchenMinneapolis "Chef Mitch Omer got the idea for mahnomin porridge while reading the Lewis and Clark diaries," Stern says. "Explorers described a Cree Indian dish based on the region's hand-parched wild rice. To the native Minnesota grain he adds enough cream to give it an oatmeal-like consistency, then he flavors it with roasted hazelnuts, dried berries and maple syrup. It is deeply satisfying, fascinating, and just plain delicious." There's also an outpost in Duluth, just over 155 miles north of the Twin Cities. 612-332-4700, hellskitcheninc.com

Frank Pepe Pizzeria NapoletanaNew Haven, Conn. "This is the daddy of all pizza," Stern says. "Pepe's signature is white clam pizza, invented half a century ago when a clam vendor in an alley near the pizza parlor convinced Frank Pepe that the two of them could make sweet music together." They have succeeded. The combination of fresh clams and garlic is worth the wait in this inviting Italian neighborhood on Wooster Street. 203-865-5762; pepespizzeria.com

Keaton'sCleveland, N.C. "There is fried chicken, which is crunchy-chewy-juicy bliss, and there is hot fried chicken, which just might make you swoon, not only because it is dizzying delicious but because it is thermonuclear," Stern says. "Here, after being fried to a golden crisp, the parts are dipped in simmering barbecue sauce for a hot-pepper zest. It belongs in a food group of its own." 704-278-1619; keatonsoriginalbbq.com