Unique Eats (2010)

We feature restaurants who are pushing the envelope on some of America's beloved comfort foods. Plan Check in Los Angeles, CA offers the most indulgent burgers, fried chicken, and pastrami sandwiches, plus a unique towering donut dessert. A food truck in Nashville, TN uses big fat biscuits for hearty sweet and savory sandwiches. Cold fried chicken and baked potatoes are transformed into imaginative pizzas at Pete Zaaz in Brooklyn, NY. And in Atlanta, GA guilty pleasures can be found in creative hot dogs, sausages and fries at HD1.

Yardbird in Miami gives a taste of the true south with its unique fried chicken and fried green tomatoes. Dinic's in Philadelphia's Reading Terminal has been serving up some of the best old school sandwiches to crowds for decades. In New York, old school meats new school at Quality Meats steakhouse, and La Camaronera in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami honors a family seafood tradition.

Atlanta is a hotbed for unique eats. Heirloom Market BBQ brings together Korean and American barbecue in a quirky roadside eatery. Seafood dishes are brought to delicious new heights at swank newcomer The Optimist. Cozy corner restaurant One Eared Stag serves edgy American food. And Abattoir adds global touches to Southern dishes.

Americans continues to pine over all things swine. Korean restaurant Palsaik in Los Angeles serves bacon in eight different flavors. Martin's Bar-B-Q in Nashville smokes whole hog right in the center of their dining room. At Cemitas Puebla in Chicago, diners sink their teeth on quesadillas stuffed with chicharones or their signature Mexican sandwich stuffed with sliced deli ham, fried pork and grilled pork. NYC's The Cannibal celebrates nose-to-tail eating with their whole slow-roasted half pig's head, whipped lardo toast and boudin noir sausages.

Chicago continues to draw hungry foodies from all corners of the country with their innovative restaurants. Publican Quality Meats sells farm-raised meats and housemade charcuterie from their butcher counter, but the real draw is the hearty, meat-filled sandwiches. Yusho creates a buzz with their creative Asian-inspired street food. Antique Taco in Wicker Park offers authentic Mexican tacos and classic American comforts foods with a Mexican twist. Familiar brunch dishes get a fine-dining makeover at the Trenchermen.

Why not sample everything on the menu when it comes in the form of small bites?

Perla in New York City's West Village; Baco Mercat in downtown Los Angeles; Merchants Restaurant in downtown Nashville.

Balaboosta in NYC; Riff's Fine Street Food in Nashville; Cook's Torta in L.A.; Pecking Order in Chicago.

Krescendo's Finoccio Flower Power Pizza; Court Street Grocers' deli sandwich; La Vara's Spanish food; Pies-n-Thighs' fried chicken.