Capitol Grille - Nashville, TN

A couple of the dishes from Capitol Grille's winter menu...Arctic Char with Creamed Spinach, Olive Oil Poached Tomatoes and Onion Glass:
Fudge Farms Pork Belly with Sweet Potato Juice, Young Collard Green, Sorghum:

Yet Another Rotier's Post - Nashville, TN

Behold the cheeseburger on French bread - purists be damned, this is one of the best burgers anywhere:

Bud Dry???

Tacos Y Mariscos Truck - Nashville, TN

Found a great taco truck in Nashville today, in the parking lot of La Vaquita Super Mercado, on Nolensville Road near Thompson Lane. Top-notch al pastor and barbacoa tacos, $1.25 apiece.

A Trip To The Florida Panhandle

See the next several posts below for a few of the highlights of our recent staff trip to the Florida panhandle...

Paul Gant's BBQ - Port St. Joe, FL

What else can we say about this place that we haven't said before? Truly the greatest barbecue anywhere:
Where the magic happens:

Indian Pass Raw Bar - Port St. Joe, FL

One of our all-time favorite restaurants...Indian Pass Raw Bar. We can't decide what's the best part about the place - the baked oysters, drowned in butter and parmesan, or the shrimp stuffed with crab. Ah, who are we kidding...our favorite part is the self-serve beer cooler - drink beer to your heart's content, then just tell them how many you had when they're ringing you up.

13 Mile Oysters - Apalachicola, FL

13 Mile, the home of the best oysters in the world...

Sportsmans Banquet - Port St. Joe, FL

Here are a few shots from the Sportsman's Banquet, held out in the middle of nowhere in a field in Florida - sadly, we failed to get any shots of the firearm auction...

GOM staff enjoying the 'no man left hungry' steaks:

The remnants of our staff's oyster shucking stint:
One way to keep your steaks warm until serving time - this cooler was holding about 200 pounds of meat:
Oysters taste even better served from a box:

Old Ice House - Marianna, FL

The photos pretty much speak for themselves - fried seafood platters, plenty of taxidermy (and in-store advertising for their services) - what's not to like?

Bacon Of The Month - November

Oscar's Smoke House Applewood Smoked Bacon, from New York. Grateful Palate: "Short slice, gone in two bites. soft and cuddly."

Lamberts, Austin, TX

When I asked some of the locals about Lamberts, they seemed a little suspicious of this so-called 'fancy barbecue' place. But my thinking was, how fancy can it be if you can get a can of Pearl here? Granted, the crispy wild boar ribs may not be the norm in Austin, but you'll get no complaints from us.

Smitty's Market, Lockhart, TX

I finally know what all the fuss is about when it comes to brisket, thanks to Smitty's. After 30-something years of eating and loving pulled pork, now I understand why all those Texans are so keen on beef. No forks, plates or sauce are provided...just a pile of meat on butcher paper, a plastic knife and some napkins are all you get, or need. This was easily worth a 1,000 mile trip from Atlanta.

A Small Breakfast Taco Tour - Austin, TX

What do you do if you're in Austin, woke up early, and have a little time to kill? Why not round up a few breakfast tacos? First stop was Jo's, chosen purely for proximity to the hotel - a basic potato, egg and cheese version:

Next stop - Torchy's tacos, which had a fried avocado taco on the menu, but I decided on an egg, bacon and chile model (good call):
And finally, El Pollo Rico, some truck in a gas station parking lot, with a guy who was more than happy to serve up al pastor tacos at 8:00 am. This was the clear winner - check out the color on that pork:

Southern Foodways Symposium, Day Three

Lunch on Saturday was provided by the folks from Bacchanalia, Quinones and Floataway Cafe - specifically Anne Quatrano, Andy Carson, Josh Hopkins and Drew Belline, and featured:

Beet Pickled Farm Eggs
Potted Pork
Pickled Watermelon Rinds
Fig Preserve
Pickled Okra and Peppers

Pickled Georgia White Shrimp, Sweet Onion & Fennel

Slow-Cooked Quail in Country Ham Consomme, Braised Greens

Sticky Sorghum Pudding, Candied Pecans, Buttermilk Boiled Custard

And we still managed to find room for dinner:

Rolled Oysters, Ouita Michel

Mock Oyster Stew, Andrea Reusing

Oysters Rockefeller Deconstructed, Allison Vines-Rushing

Sides, Sean Brock and Robby Melvin:
Cornbread Pudding with Benton's Ham
Heirloom Field Peas with Carolina Gold Rice and Spicy Jowl Bacon
Roasted Pumpkin with Brown Butter and Foraged Mushrooms
Alabama Fall Squash Succotash
Anson Mills White Polenta with Braised Leeks and Belle Chevre Goat Cheese
Jones Valley Urban Farm Champion Collards with Apple Cider and Shallot Jus

Phatty Cakes, Cynthia Wong

Taylor Grocery, Taylor, MS (SFA Symposium Day Two)

We rave about the catfish here at Taylor Grocery every time we go...it really is the best in the world. It's even better if you opt to ride out to this remote shack on a double-decker bus.

Southern Foodways Symposium, Day One

After arriving in Oxford, MS, things kicked off on the good foot at the Lyric Theatre with a sample of pickled eggs from Sean Brock of McCrady's (and assisted by Tyler Brown of the Capitol Grille).
After a quick beer at City Grocery (L&M's is now sadly closed, so there was no chicken liver to be had this year), we headed to dinner - the 'Salute To Encased Meats And Craft Beers.' Unfortunately, we were too busy stuffing our faces to get any photos of the dinner, but here's the menu:

Jim 'N Nick's Pork Hot Links with Pimento Cheese and Serrano Peppers

L&M's Alabama Venison and Tennessee Whiskey Sausage

Vaucresson's New Orleans Chaurice with Grits

Andouille and White Bean Casserole

Fried Apple Pies with Whipped Amish Cream

And I heard that the beer from Good People Brewing was good, but I never got away from the Yazoo table to find out...brewmaster Linus Hall was pretty lenient about letting me pour my own beers...

Delta Divertissement, Greenwood, MS

The annual warm-up before the Southern Foodways symposium is always an informative, relaxing day and a half. We began with a lecture and sampling of cocktails courtesy of Dave Wondrich, ate bag after bag of catfish courtesy of Martha Foose, headed to the Delta Bistro for dinner, and finished up the following morning with a breakfast of Benton's ham-spiked collared greens and a sample of a few wines from Blackberry Farm.

Wondrich:

Catfish:
Breakfast:

Chez Fonfon, Birmingham, AL

We made our usual stop at Chez Fonfon on the way to the Southern Foodways symposium in Oxford, and we're happy to report that Frank Stitt has apparently found a way to fit about a half stick of butter into a one-inch square piece of bread that they serve with the escargots...add an order of the best french fries in Alabama, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better lunch anywhere.

One Flew South opens

Friday, October 31 marked the ribbon cutting for the Airport's newest restaurant: One Flew South. OFS is the first upscale dining experience at Hartsfield-Jackson. Green Olive created a fresh identity from the ground up to match the beautiful interior design (by the Johnson Studio). An elegant restaurant with a charming Southern touch, One Flew South will offer travelers a comfortable refuge from the busy terminal and world-class cuisine by renowed Chefs Todd Richards and Duane Nutter (hailing from the AAA Five Diamond Oakroom at the Seelbach Hilton in Louisville, KY).

Jazzoo Atlanta 2008

Here are some photos from last month's Jazzoo event, a benefit for Zoo Atlanta and the first of its kind in this city. Green Olive was proud to do all the design and many of our clients participated, including One Flew South, Atkins Park Tavern, JCT Kitchen, Food 101 and Highland Bakery.