A Taste of Louisiana (Denham Springs, LA)
The summer began as our family attended my niece's wedding down on the bayou. I was fortunate to attend the rehearsal dinner at a quaint little cajun eatery outside of Baton Rouge. The bride-to-be suggested the popular Crawfish Moulon...a delicious crawfish cornbread dressing, smothered in their delectable crawfish etouffee. Was it ever good and was I ever full!
Deanie's Seafood (New Orleans, LA)
Following the family wedding, we decided to spend another day in cajun country. At the strong recommendation of a few of my N'awlins friends, I tracked down a local place called Deanie's. It's the real deal if you want fried seafood. A bowl of boiled and seasoned red potatoes got us started (complimentary with the meal) and then I had the standard Combo Dinner of fried shrimp, oysters and catfish. Delicious! If I had it to do over again, I would probably 86 the oysters and opt for more shrimp. I resisted the Giant Seafood Platter...mainly because it was $52! (By the way, the best oysters in the world are the char-grilled oysters at Drago's in New Orleans!)
Daddy D'z BBQ (Atlanta, GA)
We celebrated the 4th of July in Georgia this year, so it only made sense to seek out Hotlanta's best cue. A little bit of research led me to this hole-in-the-wall near historic Grant Park. I'm pretty sure my wife and children were nervous when we drove up...you see, this is not your trendy chain restaurant from the suburbs (see the photo above). We did get a few stares as we entered, as we obviously didn't know the routine. In quick fashion, however, we were seated and welcomed by a friendly server. My order...the Ribs and Chicken Combination, accompanied by "real" mac-n-cheese, fried okra and fresh, hot cornbread. It was when my daughter asked if she could get a second order of mac-n-cheese that I knew my family's confidence in me was rising. And since it was a holiday, we washed it all down with some hot peach cobbler.
The Silver Skillet (Atlanta, GA)
Featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, the Silver Skillet is a famous little breakfast and lunch cafe located across I-75 from The Varsity. On the day of our visit, the Skillet was packed with people enjoying a late Saturday morning brunch. I didn't have to peruse the menu long. I knew what I wanted as soon as I saw it...grilled corned beef hash, 2 eggs, biscuits and gravy. A great breakfast and a lot of it! I know it sounds a bit odd for breakfast, but I ordered the Lemon Ice Box Pie for dessert, as it had been voted one of the "5 Best Pies in the USA" by Life Magazine!
Martin's BBQ (Nolensville, TN)
My brother-in-law, who lives in Franklin, Tennessee set this one up when our family was up for a visit in July - and boy did he ever hit a homerun! A few of us teamed up and ordered the Big Daddy Sampler...1/2 rack of ribs, 1/2 lb. of pork, 1/2 lb. of brisket, 1/2 smoked chicken, 6 wings and 3 pints of sides. Mr. Martin knows how to smoke meat...that's for sure. I can't wait for a return trip!
Fincher's Catfish Kitchen (Talladega, AL)
If you like fried catfish, you gotta give Fincher's a try! It's off the beaten path (about a 40 minute drive from B'ham)...but it's worth the effort to get there! Just a few days ago I stopped at Fincher's for lunch with about 10 of my co-workers, as we had just wrapped up an overnight staff retreat at the nearby Shocco Springs Conference Center. We started with an order of fried dill pickles and some ranch dressing for dipping (don't knock it 'till you try it). For my meal, I had the 2 piece filet, fries and cole slaw. The fries could have been a little crispier, but everything else was simply amazing! It wasn't my first time to Fincher's and I'm quite certain it won't be my last.
It has been a savory summer, indeed! If you find yourself traveling across the south anytime soon, plan to give one of these Grub Hub recommendations a try.
