That Thursday kicked off the 263 on-the-clock meals I consumed in 29 cities during seven months of travel (or, more precisely, 147 days in the field) in 2014. My pound-packing task: to compile Eater's inaugural roll call of the 38 essential restaurants in America, an idea that builds on the Eater 38 lists maintained by our local editors in 24 cities across the U.S.