Photo by Josh Hockett
Hockett's favorite PokeDoke bowl
In my line of work, I often find myself on the road, traveling to conferences, expos, summits, symposia, etc.—then add in the five-hour road trip straight north to Madison, Wisconsin, to visit my hometown, and the monthly travel for a powerlifting meet or mud run… I wonder why I pay rent and utilities some months! As an athlete, fitness professional and coach, spending time driving here and there is part of my normal routine, and what I eat on the run needs to be as healthy and sensible as my routine at home, not a rare indulgence in road-trip junk food. Especially when a big race weekend or meet is the objective and my performance peak is key. Here are some of the go-to stops I’ve found for solid local eats, so you can make sure life on the road doesn’t sabotage your health, fitness, or budget. They’re all within 60 miles of downtown St Louis, easy to find, with options that are affordable, varied, and quick.
Sybergs: In biz since 1980. For local day trips I find myself having work lunches or dinners here often; I’ve been to three of the six STL locations so far. Sybergs is casual but not divey, sporty but not a sports bar, chill and laidback but suitable for a business meeting, too. There’s a large menu of the basics, done well, with good prices and portions. You could certainly find it easy to indulge and eat some calorie-heavy gut bombs here, but many items I find are very suitable for a clean meal or can be modified to fit your needs—and they’re very accommodating. Their salads, wraps and sandwiches have ample picks with several healthy side options available. The dinner menu also has several grilled seafood options that rock the house. My best picks so far: Syberg’s seafood salad, grilled salmon dinner, top sirloin dinner, sunset turkey club.
Subway: With their $5-6 specials going on at almost all times for select subs, you can’t find a better bargain with good fresh quality and taste. I almost always get one of two things here, pending my dietary needs that day. The Black Forest ham and egg (no cheese due to lactose issues), with tons of veggies, piled inside a flatbread with salt, pepper and avocado…money every time! $7 bucks to boot! Or, on lower-carb days, I go with a double chicken chopped salad with bacon and avocado and all the veggies tossed in. $8 bucks, delicious, and nutritious! Be careful, however: Not everything here is healthy or low-cal. The steak n’ cheese, chicken bacon ranch melt and meatball marinara 1’ long subs are over 1,000 calories each. Fifty locations within 11 miles of downtown.
Jimmy Johns: I’ve been making travel stops at JJ’s for years; it’s my default dine and dash for cheap eats that don’t break my diet and still taste darned good. Options abound, with freaky fast service, and there are multiple sandwich sizes, toppings, and bread types—even a lettuce wrap. Consistency between locations has always been the norm as well. Thirty locations within 35 miles of downtown. The #14 bootlegger, sub mustard for mayo, on nine-grain bread….winner! Unless you’re an Ironman Athlete in training, though, bypass the J.J. Gargantuan with its 2190 calories.
PokeDoke: The first STL location just opened in November 2017, and it’s walking distance from my apartment in the Central West End. I was spoiled with endless poke hot spots in San Diego and craving something with a healthy Asian twist that was nutritious, affordable, and delicious. PokeDoke has filled the void! Tons of seafood and grilled chicken options plaster the menu, with rice and other grains, soba noodles, greens, various toppings, and mix-in sauces. A great place for an out-of-the-office meeting, grabbed lunch, or post-workday booster meal. I opt for the large-bowl 50/50 mix of salmon and ahi tuna, brown rice, greens, seaweed salad, green onion, all the veggies, and mild spice and top it with lemon pepper and sesame seeds. My body thanks me.
Jubelt’s: I passed the sign for this place outside Litchfield on my first drive back north, when the major breakfast munchies hit me. I decided to stop and found out this place has been in business since 1922! It’s been at its current location since 1982, and it’s as true as a local diner could ever be. Solid breakfast and lunch classics, all scratch made. Breakfast and lunch and dinner seven days a week. What to order? Here, I give you a pass: You’re here as much for the nostalgic experience as the nutrition. One look at the bakery case, and it’s game over anyway! If you do manage to resist, as I sometimes do, opt for the “slim down scramble” or even the #7 with a ham steak and 2 jumbo eggs with hash browns and dry whole wheat toast in place of a biscuit. I make a ham and egg sandwich out of this and it rocks!
McAlister’s Deli- The most recent addition to my go-to road food favorites. On a trip to Monmouth, Illinois, for work, I found one smack next door to my hotel, and it was late, and I was starving. Super-wide menu of sandwiches, soups, salads, and spuds! The options are endless, and the quality is so good, I ended up eating here three times in three days. I now rank this as one of my top chain-deli venues. Fifteen locations within 30 miles of downtown STL. I suggest the grilled chicken spud, the garden-fresh turkey sandwich, or the Southwest cobb salad. The fire-roasted veggie soup is amazing as well.
What to do when you can’t stop, or you can’t find any good place to eat at all? I have a plan for this, too! My emergency meal on the road is fresh fruits, nuts, beef jerky (Clover meadows beef from Pacific, Missouri, is my favorite) and a protein shake or bar. Getting low blood sugar and hunger pangs on the road is neither fun nor safe. Having a plan B is key to owning the road.
