Giant Chicken at Carver's

Today's lunch at Carver's Country Kitchen featured the biggest drumsticks I've ever seen...at least twice as big as normal legs. Therefore, twice as good. The photo below is only half of the food they gave me:

Greece

Though there was no turkey, Thanksgiving in Greece was fun.

Food stands in the Athens alleys:

Soul food?
Cafes and restaurants everywhere:




One chef and one waiter are all they need:


Butcher shop:


Meteora:
Lots of farms:

North Carolina

A few highlights from a Thanksgiving trip to North Carolina.

Pork sandwich at Dillsboro Smokehouse - curiously, the beef was better than the pork:

I thought Charles Chips had gone out of business in about 1978, but they're alive and well in Dillsboro:

And what Thanksgiving would be complete without a 24-oz can of Bud and Clamato ('the perfect combination!'):

Latest Green Olive Food Photography

We shot the delicious Japanese food at Kani House yesterday - here are a few of the photos:

James Beard Preview Dinner at Food 101

Tonight, the chefs from 101 Concepts gave us a preview of the menu that they're preparing at the James Beard House in New York on December 17 - here are a couple of photos. You need to join us in New York in December to get the full experience:

Squash Soup:

Pork Belly:

Samuel Smith Beer Dinner at Spotted Dog

Tonight was the first in the Spotted Dog's monthly Beer Dinner series. Samuel Smith beer was the main attraction, paired with a five-course dinner. No photos, thanks to my forgetting to bring a decent camera, or even a charged-up cell phone, but here's the menu:

Potted Shrimp / Organic Ale

Lentil Soup with Lamb Sausage / Winter Welcome Ale

Duck Leg, Sauerkraut & Ginger / Nut Brown Ale

Keen's Cheddar & Apples with Poppy Seeds / India Pale Ale

Cranberry Eton Mess & Meringue / Oatmeal Stout

Georgia Dome Hot Dogs

While loading up my hot dog at the Falcons (2-6!) game on Sunday, I noticed that the good people at the Georgia Dome have made up some posters instructing us on how to properly top our dogs. While I'll be sure to try the 'Dirty Bird Blitz' next week, it turns out I've been eating the 'Bootleg' for years without knowing it:

Southern Foodways Symposium, Day Four

Started off Saturday with a lunch that included pork cheeks from Five and Ten's Hugh Acheson:

Had a pork sandwich from B's BBQ at the Shell station. Oxford serves some fantastic food at their gas stations:

After another stop at City Grocery, we headed to the Saturday night extravaganza, featuring Boudin Balls:

A tree in the 'Bacon Forest:'

Ryan from Herbsaint:

Stephen from Cochon:

Ed Mitchell's pork and cracklins:

Frank Stitt of Highlands Bar and Grill serves pig ears:

The Rising Star Drum & Fife Band in the Bacon Forest:

Southern Foodways Symposium, Day Three

Ate a fantastic lunch consisting of:

Boudin with Saltines / T-Boy Berzas, Ville Platte, Louisiana

Hot Guts / Bryan Bracewell, Southside Market, Elgin, Texas

Various Sides / Steven Barber, Napa, California

Succotash of Rancho Gordo Butter Beans w/Benton's Country Ham

Potato Salad with Garnett Yams, Benton's Bacon, and Katz Apple Cider Vinegar:For mid-day snacks, it was back to L & M's for yet more chicken liver.

We then took the double-decker to Taylor Grocery for the best catfish on the planet, accompanied by one of the best bands on the planet, Blue Mountain:


Capped it all off with an Oxford institution, 'Chicken On A Stick,' from the Chevron:

Southern Foodways Symposium, Day Two

Started out the day with a breakfast feast from the folks from Herbsaint & Cochon and Bruce Aidells. We had pork cracklins, ponce, tortilla, bacon, and a few more pig parts that I can't recall.

After a quick drive to Oxford, we stopped at L & M's for some charcuterie and chicken liver:

For the main event, Eddie Hernandez and Mike Klank from the peerless Taqueria del Sol treated us to a fine mexican feast, including Fried Chicken Tacos, 'Hoppin Juan,' and beer from Atlanta Brewing Co.:

It was back to L & M's for more meats, then over to City Grocery for beers:

Southern Foodways Symposium, Day One

We're in Mississippi for the 10th annual Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium. The trip through Alabama took us to Pop's Charburgers:

Then it was off to a barbecue shack with great pork sandwiches and a sign that should guarantee their success:

We arrived in Greenwood at the Viking Range headquarters, and broke down a pig with pork man Bruce Aidells:

Happy pig:

Jeff gets beard advice from Bruce:

Dinner featured more pig, courtesy of Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski of Cochon. Link choppin' pig:

Another pig: