Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run by by Alton Brown, Jean-Claude Dhien (2008)

There are still back roads in America leading from Louisiana to Minnesota following the great Mississippi, lined with all kind of (in many cases hole-in-the-wall) eateries. While the author comes through as a flaming a*hole, he seems to be able to talk to folks running said establishments, and get them to share their authentic recipes. The koolickles (Kool-Aid pickles) are worth mentioning, but there are a good number of other recipes too, from bread pudding, through BBQ sauce, to Russian borscht. No chain restaurants in this book.