• The Inn at Turner’s Mill
36 E. Streetsboro St., Hudson
330.656.2949
We have spent literally millions at this bar and restaurant. It is like a second home, but one that doesn't have any place to sleep.

• Pad Thai
5657 Darrow Rd., Hudson
330.650.9998
Great Thai and Chinese food, and an even greater bar. Tell Jimmy we sent you. Dianne’s usual: tall Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold, spicy peanut tofu. Dan’s usual: tall Great Lakes special, curry chicken fried rice.

• Luigi's
105 N. Main St, Akron 330.253.2999
If you don't enjoy your meal at Luigi's, then you need to see your doctor about your tongue. An Akron institution for decades, Luigi's is an old-style Italian joint, whipping up simple delicacies like baked rigatoni (Dianne's fave), meatballs and the like, and also the only pizza that makes Dan forget about New York-style slices. The salads are a bed of greens covered in a mound of the greatest mozzarella you'll ever taste (it's also what the pasta and pizza is drenched in). Really, we could talk about that place all day, but we'd rather just eat. Keep in mind they don't take credit cards. But they do take local checks and have an ATM in the back, and they're dirt cheap to begin with. Beer and wine are served, and the hours are also friendly to Dan -- open until 1 a.m. on Sun.-Thurs. and 4 a.m. on Fri. and Sat. But before you make it out there, may wanna call to make sure they have normal hours over the holiday, both at night and for lunch.

• Marcelita’s
7774 Darrow Rd., Hudson
330.650.1121
A delicious Mexican restaurant that has been serving Hudson since the ‘70s. The margaritas are especially tasty.

• The Winking Lizard
Two nearby locations:
1615 Main St. (Rte. 303), Peninsula -- 330.657.2770
511 E. Aurora Rd. (Rte. 82), Macedonia -- 330.467.6200
Beer and wings. Enough said. It's where Dan likes to go to catch the Mets on the baseball package -- it's a full-on sports bar.

• Yours Truly
36 S. Main St., Hudson
330.650.2900
A nice diner-type place for breakfast and lunch, although they ARE open quite early and sort of late. They do serve beer and wine (perhaps not for breakfast), and they’re a wi-fi hotspot, which Dan will love once they finally release the Web browser for the PSP.

• Downtown 140
140 N. Main St., Hudson
330.655.2940
This new restaurant features one of Food & Wine’s 10 Best New Wine Lists in 2005. It’s a small, cozy space with an intimate bar and a chef’s table with a view of the kitchen action.

• Vue
49 Village Way, Hudson
330.650.1883
Another Hudson newcomer, located in the First and Main shopping district. Try to sit in Jimmy’s section; he’ll take good care of you. (Different Jimmy than at the above Pad Thai)

• Aladdin’s Eatery
44 Park Lane, Hudson
330.656.0560
Also located in First and Main, Aladdin’s has a very large menu of Middle Eastern favorites, as well as choices that aren't favorites.

• Blue Canyon
8960 Wilcox Dr. (State Rte. 82 & I-480), Twinsburg
330.486.2583
This restaurant and bar is located right next door to the Hilton Garden Inn, for those of you staying there. Once you’re inside, it’s very easy to forget you’re next to a highway in Twinsburg. A delicious menu by Chef Brandt Evans -- a Hudson High School graduate -- features such treats as homemade Yukon gold potato chips with blue cheese sauce. And there is a big horse that changes color behind the bar.

• Kepner’s
88 N. Main St., Hudson
330.653.8805
Always a mystery, always a surprise, Kepner’s is out-of-place with the rest of fancy Hudson. Which makes it one of Dan’s favorites. Cheap beer, occasional karaoke, a rotating staff of bartenders, eccentric regulars and a questionable juke box keep it interesting. Dan has discovered, both by his own research and observation, that people tend to get drunker on the same amount of liquor at Kepner's than they would at any other location.