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