Author Archives: eatsoneate

Tupelo Time

Posted on September 24, 2015 by eatsoneate

Tupelo was not on my radar when I woke up that Monday morning. Nor was it in my weekend plans. But by the end of the day an opportunity had come our way to spend the better part of the weekend there in the All-America City. Just The Wife and I. Sans the kids. So we loaded up the truck and took off. (Not this one.)

The first meal of our whirlwind journey was the Feast for the Farmers put on by the Tupelo Main Street Association, a kick-off dinner for the Farmer’s Depot, featuring ingredients from the local farms. Waiting for us on the table were baskets of yeast rolls made by Simply Sweet by Margarete. We ended up meeting Margarete at the Farmer’s Depot the next day, and she told us they had rolled up each one by hand. Lots of work and lots of love went into those rolls, and I lost count of how many I ate.
The salad was a thick slice of St. Bethany Fresh tomato, with Ralph and Evie greens, Neon Pig house-cured bacon, and preserved grapefruit vinaigrette from Kermit’s Outlaw Kitchen; slices of tiny turnips were also hanging about. The Wife is not normally someone who craves a big slice of tomato, but this one received rave reviews. I’m quite sure I’ve never had a vinaigrette with preserved grapefruit, but wow. And the bacon. Oh the bacon.
Our entree was a chicken quarter from Zion Farm, wonderfully seasoned, served on a bed of Grit Girl Black-Eyed Pea Grits flavored by Beaverdam Farm sausage. It’s still a bit tough to wrap my mind around a black-eyed pea grit, but I managed to wrap my mouth around them just fine. Native Son Farms bok choy was served alongside, under a drizzle of Neon Pig White Gold sauce.

And don’t forget dessert: Memory Orchard fresh mint pound cake with Mayhew Tomato Farm strawberries and Estes Honey. The cake had just the right amount of mint to let you know it was there, without overpowering the sweetness of the cake. But just to make sure, I may or may not have sent The Wife back for another piece. And I may or may not have eaten some of hers, too.
After dinner, the nice ladies across the table helped us pick our meals for the next day. I asked for their favorites as locals, and we got around to talking about a burger at Blue Canoe and a bread pudding made with blueberry donuts from Connie’s Fried Chicken. They had my attention.
I thought it would be a good scientific study to have the blueberry donuts in both forms, so breakfast at Connie’s was an easy decision. To get a balanced meal, we also ordered a tenderloin biscuit with gravy, and an open-faced chicken biscuit with lots more gravy. Biscuits: great. Donuts: highlight. They were a little lighter on the inside compared to cake donuts, a little crispier on the outside. The Wife called it a deep-fried blueberry muffin.

Mother and Child

Between meals we cruised Main Street and did a little snacking with our friends at About the South, a gift shop with a great selection of gourmet food items. Those kept me busy while The Wife looks at candles and jewelry. I tried the Caramelized Onion Dip and White Bean Hummus from The Debutante Farmer, and we both got a couple of bite-sized Dinstuhl’s chocolates for the walk. That was just enough nourishment to tide us over through our visit to the King’s birthplace.
Lunch – or whatever you call a meal at 4 pm that follows breakfast – was at the Blue Canoe. I knew I would be getting a burger – the tough part was choosing. The BC burger was a traditional burger dressed (or “pimped out” as the menu said) to your heart’s desire. For a little extra, you could get it slathered with Crack Dip ( spicy sausage cheese dip). Another option was the Smash Burger, a mix of ground chuck, filet, and Benton’s Bacon which they get from the Neon Pig – I already knew that was good. I chose the Surf and Turf Burger, which mixed in a little crawfish and “love” (which the waitress said was actually cheese – and I get that). When it came, in it’s double-pattied glory, I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat it all, even that late – but what I could manage was well worth the wait.
I convinced The Wife to get the daily special, the meatloaf mac-and-cheese pot pie, but we found out it wouldn’t be ready until dinner time, so in a rush, she ordered the first thing she saw on the sandwich/entree section: the Hot Brown. And we learned something: sometimes the oh-shoot-it’s-time-to-order-and-I’m-not-ready panic selection is the right thing to do. I’m pretty sure it was the gravy that cinched it.
It was interesting that we began and ended the weekend with black-eyed peas gone wild. At Blue Canoe we got an appetizer, also recommended by the nice ladies at Feast for the Famers, called Fried Black-Eyed Peas. Served in a Mason jar with a side of sweet, chunky chow-chow, these were just crispy enough on the outside to confirm their swim in hot oil, yet didn’t come off as a seriously heavy dish. Loved it.

The South in a jar?

We topped off our time in Tupelo town with the Connie’s Blueberry Donut Bread Pudding I’d been looking forward to all day long. This concoction was served in a tall mug with a dollop of whipped cream, accented by some extra blueberries. I shared it, of course, and just to prove I can eat in moderation, I left two bites. Then I figured, my head probably won’t spin any faster if I eat another – so I left one bite for the Blue Canoe busboy.
Thanks to my Tupelo friends, old and new – we will be back, and we will come hungry.

Friends of the Farmers

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: about the south, blue canoe, blueberry donuts, bread pudding, connie's fried chicken, debutante farmer, dinstuhl's, farmer's market, Tupelo Mississippi | Leave a comment

Back to Florence

Posted on September 15, 2015 by eatsoneate

Sometimes choosing a restaurant can be a bit overwhelming. I’ve brought this on myself, I know, but that’s another column. As I write this, I am sitting in a hotel in Houston, Texas. Big city, hundreds of restaurants – overwhelming. In the end, I chose well, but again – that’s another column.
Even in smaller towns, when there is limited time, decision-making can be tough. Say you are going to Florence, Alabama for a work trip and only have time for one meal, but in the quad-cities area there are multiple places on the 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die app. (I’ve upgraded from the brochure). How do you choose?
Well, when I first found myself in that situation, I let my friends, the BFFFF’s (Both Fine Fellows From Florence) choose for me, and I was rewarded with good barbecue and a hot dog that hadn’t even made the list. Another solution? Go back and eat some more.
About a year ago the Mighty Jackets of Starkville High took on Florence High School, and we took that opportunity to go back to The Shoals. There are five places on the 100 list in Florence. One is Dale’s Steakhouse (of Dale’s Steak Seasoning fame) which, I was sad to learn, is Dale’s no longer. Another place was known specifically for Sunday brunch – and it wasn’t Sunday. The orange-pineapple ice cream from Trowbridge’s? I got that last time. We weren’t dressed to go to the revolving restaurant. That left one choice – Ricatoni’s. Since that was my first choice, anyway, it worked out perfectly.
Of course I couldn’t go to Florence without checking in with my buddies, so we set a time to meet the elder BFFFF and his wife (which also makes her a BFFFF – Bride of Fine Fellow From Florence). As we walked up the sidewalk to the restaurant a man with a Ricatoni’s t-shirt was hanging around out front. When he turned and saw our SHS gear he said, “Are you Jerry?” (If you say my full name quickly it sounds a lot like Jerry. And I am Jerry on my birth certificate, so I answer to that, too.) “Yessir!” I said. “I’m Ric,” he said, “I’ll walk you back to your table – your friends are waiting for you.” If you’re doing the math at home, Ricatoni’s begins with Ric. Now I understood why it wasn’t called “Rigatoni’s”. See what he did there?
The BFFFF’s were waiting for us, and the table was already set with the fresh bread (kept warm in a paper bag) along with the herbs and olive oil for dipping – this was the dish on “the list”. We were especially happy because this is something we do a lot at home, except our bread is not nearly as good as Ric’s. Another friend from Florence (AFFF?) who had already publicly declared that this was one of her favorite restaurants told me to ask for a bowl of tomato cream sauce to dip in as well. We did. Also good. Now we just had to choose the perfect meal – yikes.
The BFFFF’s had their favorites already, one of which was Shrimp Spiedino – that’s Italian for skewered shrimp. This one was breaded with seasoned bread crumbs, grilled, and topped with lemon butter sauce. And because he is a good guy, he let me try one. I was impressed. For the newbies, Ric had recommended the veal, so I ordered Marsala and The Wife ordered Parmesan, because she’s a Parmesan kind of gal. Oh, and lest I forget, I also got a bowl of the soup of the day – a chowder with shrimp, with which I was also impressed.
On the side of many of the dishes (including ours) was Tagliarini Piace Pellerossa, a pasta topped with a sauce made from crushed tomatoes, basil, olive oil and garlic. It sounds simple, but it was a sight for the eyes as well as the taste buds: flaming bright red and whole cloves of garlic tossed in with abandon. I apologize to the people who sat in front of me at the ballgame, because I ate all the garlic. (It’s good for you, and I’m a pharmacist – I wouldn’t steer you wrong.)

Marsala and Tagliarini

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 100 dishes in Alabama, florence alabama, garlic, italian food, ricatoni's, tagliarini piace pellerossa | Leave a comment

Prospecting Golden

Posted on May 23, 2015 by eatsoneate

There are lots of important things to check out when choosing a university. Academic reputation, cost of attendance, and that gut feeling that lets you know “this is the right place.” Those are the kinds of things we’ve batted back and forth on a daily basis the last few months as Son prepares for that next phase of life. But there are other, more personal, characteristics of the university experience that come into play as well. If you’re an athlete, who is the coach and how are the facilities? If you want to travel, do they offer study abroad? And perhaps most importantly, when my dad comes to visit, where will I take him to eat?
When I took Son to Golden, Colorado to check out a school, we were very careful to do a thorough investigation into that last point. By cracky, if I’m going to drive 20 hours to go see him, there’d better be a good meal or three waiting for me when I get there. And ramen on the dorm kitchen stove does not meet the criteria.

Golden from the top

We basically had a full day in Golden to test the waters – and by waters, I am not referring to the famous beverage made from pure, Rocky Mountain spring water. Breakfast and lunch were decided more or less before we arrived, and dinner was a wild card. My sights were set on three things: breakfast burritos, burgers, and buffalo. We were in Colorado, after all. Burritos: check. Burgers: check. Yak: check. So much for the buffalo.
I’m a big advocate of food truck dining, when it is available and when it is creative. At Bonfire Burritos we scored on both counts. When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was a contraption on the end of the old camper that looked like a raffle drum. This one had a tray underneath full of ash and little white seeds. This was where they roasted the chili peppers: a touch of authenticity already in sight. I ordered the Chupacabra, which was essentially the “meat-lovers” option: eggs, hash browns, chorizo, sausage, bacon, fuego crema, cheddar cheese and green chile. As far as I know, no actual chupacabras were harmed in the making of this burrito. Son stuck with The Classic: eggs, hash browns, cheddar, chorizo and green chile. We both got the small versions and still considered skipping lunch because we were stuffed. Did we skip it? Of course not. We postponed it a little, but there would be no skipping.

The Golden sun shining down on a Bonfire Breakfast Burrito

After the departmental meeting, the campus tour and the info session we went just a few blocks from campus to find Bob’s Atomic Burgers. It was a perfect day weather wise, and we were able to sit outside, virtually in the shadow of the Coors beer factory, to enjoy our burgers. At Bob’s, the menu is simple: beef burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and a quinoa burger. You walk in, check the boxes of what you want on a wax paper sleeve that will ultimately hold your sandwich, and present your order to the nice lady. We both got burgers with random toppings (they are legion), then split a milkshake and a “Boat o’ Southwest Tater Tots” (the special side of the day.) Burger joints with milkshakes make me happy. It’s just the right thing to do. Here’s a tip, though: if you are like me and tend to be a bit of a wimp when it comes to spicy food, never believe them when they say, “The tater tots have jalapeños chopped up in them, but they’re not that spicy.” But they were crispy, hot and cheesy – more of a fritter than a tater tot, an interesting diversion from the norm. The other fun thing about Bob’s was the ordering system. You don’t tell them what your name is, they tell you who you’re going to be. While we waited, orders were brought to Captain Caveman, Mick Jagger, Robert Downey, Jr, and Jerry Garcia (who would have fit in nicely there, I think). We were Sigmund Freud, and after gastro-analyzing the burgers, they were diagnosed delicious.

That’s Coors behind him… not in the cup.

Dinner was actually the meal we almost skipped. After the burgers we took a quick run up to Red Rocks Ampitheater and then to Buffalo Bill’s gravesite, where we split a Duffy’s Rowdy Root Beer Float. (Remember: we split the milkshake earlier, so now we were just evening out our ice cream intake.) Once we got to the bottom of the mountain, we decided to take a walk down the main drag of downtown Golden, thinking we’d walk to the Sherpa House and decide if we were hungry. Yes, the Sherpa House, as in the people in Nepal who do all the hard work when people climb Mount Everest. We only climbed a hill to get there, and naturally, by then we were hungry. And they had yak. Where else am I going to get yak? There were several yak dishes on the menu, and our server recommended the Yak Sizzler, which was marinated in yogurt and herbs, then roasted in a traditional clay oven. We shared that and a plate of pork momos, some steamed, some fried. The yak tasted like beef (not chicken!) – a good dish, but more of a success from having tried something new than being particularly unique in flavor. I had actually tried a steamed momo before, but the fried ones really hit the spot – my favorite dish of the night. I asked the server where the yak came from – I couldn’t imagine it came all the way from Nepal – and he said it was from Wyoming. Wy not?

Momos!

So now we have a big decision to make, but we certainly can check off the eats box. If you go to Golden, watch for chupacabras, say hello to Captain Caveman, and please – bring us mo momos.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: bob's atomic burgers, bonfire burritos, breakfast burritos, chupacabra, golden colorado, momos, sherpa house, yak | Leave a comment

The Golden Ticket, Part One

Posted on May 13, 2015 by eatsoneate

We have been in intense decision mode at the Reed hacienda in recent days. Son is a high school senior, you see, and a fine university in Colorado was one of his options. We decided we needed to see it for ourselves and spring break turned out to be the best time to go. So off we went.
We were only thirty minutes out of Starkville when we faced our first food decision. Short of some travel supplies, I had already planned a quick stop in Columbus. While in the drugstore we ran across the ice cream section, full of intriguing flavors in handy pint size. Son looked at me with some anticipation, reminding me that it wouldn’t be the first road trip we had knocked back a pint of the cold and creamy. I couldn’t argue the point, and I rarely turn down ice cream, but given the lateness of the hour it didn’t seem like a good idea. We chose not to indulge. But lo and behold, as we pointed the truck back towards the highway, a bright red neon light beckoned us, pulling us in like a tractor beam on the Starship Enterprise. You know this light if you are of like mind. It is round, with hieroglyphics that cry out, “Hot Donuts Now”. This one was harder to pass up. (Did I mention the tractor beam? Pulling us unwillingly across the street and into the drive-through?) Our only saving grace was that we didn’t get a dozen hot glazed. Just four. Because when they are hot, they collapse into the mouth so readily that eating two is basically like eating a single that has reached room temperature.
This visit was entirely for Son, but I guess I’ve taught him well: he left the meal planning to me. We could have taken any number of flight combinations to get to Denver, but the best deal happened to give us a little over two hours in the ATL. Usually I’m not crazy about a layover that long, but it would fall at lunchtime and I had a plan. Airport food is not a culinary genre I often crave, but I think the options are improving now. In Birmingham there was a Jim ’N Nick’s and a Good People Brewing company – both have local roots. In Atlanta I spotted a Five Guys Burgers and a branch of The Varsity. I would have easily settled for a chili cheese dog and a Frosted Orange, were it not for another tractor beam that had locked in on us from Terminal E: a place called One Flew South.
Along the way in my association with the Southern Foodways Alliance, I kept hearing about this place in the Atlanta airport that actually induced tolerable layovers. I don’t fly that much anymore so this was my chance. After all, how many opportunities does one get to eat at a fine dining restaurant in the middle of the international terminal? And on top of that Chef Duane Nutter has competed on Iron Chef America and is a part-time comedian. Not to mention that I looked up the menu online – they call it “southernational” cuisine – and was sold even before I knew the chef was funny.
I was especially proud of Son when he ordered the OFS Dirty South: an open-faced meatloaf sandwich with pimento cheese, fried egg, sautéed spinach, Benton’s bacon, and barbecue sauce. Layers and layers of flavor happening on that plate. Son said that the slightly candied Benton’s bacon was the MVP of the dish – I picked the whole team. (Of course I tried his. That’s how it works when I’m buying.) I ordered the Pulled Duck Sandwich: duck confit, fig and peanut relish, and scallions. Pulled Duck Confit. In the airport. I was bordering on giddy.

Pulled Duck Confit. This little piggy went oui, oui, oui all the way home.

OFS Meatloaf Sandwich framed with Benton’s Bacon.

We also tag-teamed on dessert. Banana pudding with vanilla bean flecks, house made whipped cream and a hazelnut crunch sprinkled on top. And Pineapple “Not” Upside Down Cake: grilled pumpkin bread, bourbon-braised pineapple chunks, and more whipped cream. Eventually we had to catch a plane to Denver, or we might have stayed and started over.

Nutter’s Nanner Puddin’ (or that’s what he should call it)

He called it “Not Upside Down” – we called it “Empty Plate”

Dinner in Denver was already settled before we left home. First Cousin Y is married to Chef Ed, who recently took over the kitchen at The Park House in the Bluebird District of Denver. In a previous life, the Park House was a fine French restaurant called The Normandy, serving the likes of Liz Taylor and Elvis. These days they serve a different kind of French food – we know it as Cajun. Chef Ed is not a Cajun himself, but Cousin Y has deep Louisiana roots; as the story goes, when he fell for her he also fell for her food.

The signature item on the menu is The Peacemaker, an oyster po-boy. Neither Son nor I are big fans of that particular mollusk, but there were plenty of other Louisiana staples to pick from. The first plate sent out was Crawfish Cheese toast. I have had similar dishes – in other places – that were okay but not memorable. Chef Ed’s was great. Not overly crawfishy, plenty of cheese, and I’m pretty sure some rendition of the holy trinity of Cajun cooking was in the mix somewhere.

Next out was a big basket of okra (fried as the good Lord intended) with remoulade sauce; Son got a fried shrimp po-boy. I chose beaucoup small plates because I didn’t want to decide. A bowl of gumbo. Red beans and rice (with andouille sausage and pepper jack cheese, a tasty new twist.) Good Cajun food in the Rockies. Who’d a’ thunk? I hated to leave even a bite, but as you might imagine, by this point we were stuffed. Plus Cousin Y had been talking up the buttermilk pie (her own recipe) drizzled with blackberry sauce. We ate the pie – it was worth the ensuing waddle to the car – then drove on to Golden, where more good eats (oh, and a college) awaited.

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Texas State Fair – Part the Second

Posted on February 23, 2015 by eatsoneate

Texas Star

I’m going to go ahead and give my visit to the Texas State Fair the adjective it deserves: epic. I know that’s a big word to throw around. But consider all the boxes I got to check off. We found and tried all the Big Texas Choice food finalists. I got to spend the day with two friends that I rarely get to see. And I met the funnel cake lady. Here’s how it happened.
One of the finalists was the Texas Twisted Taco. This masterpiece consisted of a piece of Texas brisket dipped in a barbecue sauce-spiked batter and fried, sharing space in the soft tortilla with a tri-color slaw, Mexican cheese, poblano, sweet pepper corn, and fried okra. There was even a chili-cheesey kind of sauce for dipping. At that point of our day, we all agreed that it was one of the best things we had tried.

Texas Twisted Taco

While we were waiting to order, I happened to overhear a gentleman at a nearby table mention something about a table-mate bringing funnel cakes to the fair. It caught my ear, but we moved on in the line and I focused on what we were about to eat. When we finished, I noticed a set of pictures on the wall and what appeared to be some sort of official document – the kind with a plethora of “whereas’s” and whatnot that city mayors use in proclamations to honor folks. I got up to check it out and began to read about Wanda Winter, who had been honored as the first person to ever serve a funnel cake at the Texas State Fair. I also noticed that the lady in all the pictures bore a striking resemblance to the lady at the table where I had been innocently, accidentally and ever-so-politely eavesdropping.

Wanda Winter, The Famous Funnel Cake Lady

Well, I know an opportunity when I see one, so I promptly made a beeline to her table, introduced myself, and had a little visit with the Famous Funnel Cake Lady. We also noticed that over the years, her little restaurant within the fair had produced several finalists and winners in the Big Texas Choice contest, including the Twisted Texas Taco. As it turned out, it was her daughter, Christi Erpillo, who was the creative mind behind the newest Deep Fried Objects (DFO’s). They got on the phone, found out she was on the way, and we had a nice visit with her, too. She gave us a little tour, told us about some of the previous years’ contest entries, showed us pictures of some of the famous people they had fed, and gave us a preview of a line of unique drinks she was developing. We got the full Twisted Taco Tour.

Christi Erpillo

Speaking of winners, I should get you caught up on the other finalists. One was a chicken fried loaded baked potato. Sort of. It was indeed the insides of a baked potato with butter, bacon and cheddar, dipped in seasoned flour and fried. Around the corner were the Sriracha balls. I was a little nervous, what with my taste buds being tender (as we all know by now). But as hot sauces go, I do like the flavor of Sriracha. There was potential. This was a ball of shredded chicken, corn, green chilies and tomatoes- and of course, Sriracha – that had been rolled in crushed tortilla chips (a unique twist) and fried. Though they were a nudge higher on the spicy scale than I usually choose, I loved the concept.

Chicken-Fried Loaded Baked Potato

Sriracha Balls

Another finalist was Breakfast for Dinner. I couldn’t wait to try this one – I dig tacos for breakfast, and I dig breakfast at any time, so this was right up my alley. It had everything you could imagine stuffed inside that fried tortilla: bacon, eggs, cheese, sausage, potato, onions, ham, and cinnamon roll bits. My bits of cinnamon roll were undetectable, but it was still a good idea, and a good breakfast taco regardless.
Our first DFO of the day – the gateway DFO – was the Spaghetti and Meatballs: spaghetti noodles, sauce, and meat formed into the shape and size of a baseball, rolled in bread crumbs, fried, then topped with more sauce and parmesan cheese.

Breakfast for Dinner

Deep Fried Spaghetti…Meatball

One of the nice things they did for novices like us was to self-promote. If a particular vendor had won or placed as a finalist in previous years, there were signs – and often they kept some of those prize-winning dishes on the menu. Such was the case with the remainder of our taste tests. After standing in line for the Texas Bluebonnet dessert, we took the opportunity to counter all that sweet with a Cuban Roll: slow-roasted pork, chopped ham, Swiss cheese and pickles, wrapped and – do I even need to say it? Fried. This was one of my favorites of the day, and if you want to know the truth (you do, don’t you?), it was the pickles that made it work.

Cuban Roll

Last and absolutely, positively, undisputedly not least – the chicken-fried bacon. If the deep-fried butter I described in the last post sounded decadent, this may top it. Nothing fancy. Just a strip of thick bacon double-dipped in batter and fried. At this point I was really glad we were sharing – I could have easily eaten the whole basket. (Basket of Bacon. What a nice ring that has to it.)

Basket O’Bacon

Aside from a frozen lemonade (a favorite of The Wife and I) and an ice cold cup of Texas-made root beer, that was pretty much our day. We did all the damage we could do in the few hours we could dedicate to the cause. It’s too bad we were full – another dozen or three DFO’s were out there to be tasted. Now that’s a fair. Put it on your calendar now, and next year we’ll get a bus.

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Texas State Fair – FINALLY

Posted on November 17, 2014 by eatsoneate

Big Tex says, “It’s about time you got here!”

I don’t really have a fully thought out, detailed, written bucket list. There are things I want to do and places I want to see before the proverbial bucket is kicked, but my list is more of a loosely formed series of random thoughts bouncing around in my head. Mostly. There was one box to check that until last week hovered over all the others, and it was this: go to the Texas State Fair. I am not a rider of fairground rides – about a decade or two ago my dizzy gene kicked in, and I generally stick to roller coasters in locations where they are actually bolted to the ground. I do not show cows or make prize-winning jars of preserved anything. My goal was to eat my way through the fair. And so I did.
Though I have been to only a few state fairs prior to this one, my guess is that nowadays most of them serve fried foods of some sort, many on a stick. Fried is the new black. Texas, however, has become famous for upping the ante in that culinary genre. It’s not unusual for one state to take the lead within certain foodways, and from what I have observed, Texas is the fried pied piper. If a food has ever been fried, it was probably fried first there.
The best example may be the deep fried butter. I can just sense the looks on some of your faces now. When I posted the picture of this creation on social media, I got quite a few comments prophesying my early demise – others recommended Lipitor, angioplasty, and my own personal AED kit. So let me set the record straight. First of all, that was at the tippy top of my bucket list. (Make up your own “hurrying up the bucket” joke here.) If that had been the only thing I got at the fair that day, it would have been worth the trip. I have been searching for it at other fairs since I first heard about it years ago. Secondly, it was about the size of a small hush puppy. I figure there are more carbohydrates and fat in a grilled cheese sandwich than one of these little balls of buttery deliciousness. And I bet you’ve had more grilled cheese sandwiches in your life than I’ve had balls of deep fried butter. You can borrow my defibrillator. And finally, it was indeed delicious. One tip: eat it all at once. If you bite it in half so you can see inside and take a picture, butter will run all over your arm. Also, it did not escape my notice that the line at this vendor was the absolute longest at the fairgrounds.

Deep Fried Butter. Yes. They. Did.

At this point I may lose the argument I just made. See, the butter was not the only DFO (deep fried object) we had that day. If I counted properly, we had a baker’s dozen. But if it will help swing me back towards a healthier middle, I did have help. One friend flew to Dallas to meet me, just so we could experience it together. (That’s serious, folks.) Another college buddy who lives nearby met us there. So instead of singlehandedly eating a dozen different DFO’s, by the time you do the math, it amounted to about four per person. I like to think of it as a four course progressive dinner, with exercise in between each station. That’s my story, and my arteries are sticking to it.
The Texas State Fair has a contest every year called The Big Tex Choice Awards. I thought there had to be a fried element in order to qualify, but the winner of Most Creative went to a Funnel Cake flavored ale (served with powdered sugar on the rim of the glass), so I guess I was wrong. That’s also the only one of the eight finalists that we didn’t try, but no doubt it was creative. Our goal as a self-appointed tasting team was to try all the of other seven finalists, and whatever else (butter included) we came across that we just couldn’t resist.
The winner for best taste was the Fried Gulf Shrimp Boil. It was baby shrimp, potatoes, lemon, onion and seasoning all rolled around a cocktail shrimp (the tail stuck out like a handle), dusted with fish fry, and fried till crispy. Lots and lots of flavor in one bite – I think I would have voted for this one, too.

Shrimp Boil with a Handle

We actually started and ended with desserts. Our first dish of the day was the Fried Sweet Texas: pie dough filled with pecan pie, peach cobbler, and buttermilk pie, then fried – with a side of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream.

Fried Sweet Texas – Pies ala Blue Bell

To close out the day we tried Fried Coke – little fried balls of Coke-based batter, drizzled with Coke syrup, topped with Coke-infused whipped cream.

Coke Three Ways

The other dessert (somewhere near the middle of the day) was another finalist, the Deep Fried Texas Bluebonnet. Blueberry muffin stuffed with cream cheese, white chocolate and blueberries, baked and fried, then topped with more white chocolate, blueberries, whipped cream and blueberry glaze. Plain blueberry muffins will never look the same again.

Everything’s Better with Bluebonnet

Wait! There was another dessert. How could I forget the Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll? To get the full effect of this, you need to first imagine an average sized cinnamon roll with finely-chopped pecans, but instead of pecans, the cinnamon-sugar layer is packed with little bits of bacon. Put it on a stick, drop it in the deep fryer, pour glaze on top when it comes out, then add more bacon. Oh yes they did. And so did we.

It’s perfectly normal to eat bacon with (or in, or on) a cinnamon roll.

Stay tuned for the seven savory servings and my visit with a famous funnel cake lady. With this kind of food, it’s good to read in moderation.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: bacon, big tex, fair foods, peanut butter, texas state fair | Leave a comment

Oxford Journey: The Trip Home

Posted on October 4, 2014 by eatsoneate

I’ve heard it said often – most recently in a football program ad – that it’s not just the destination, it’s the journey. Lots of truth in that, especially when it comes to road trips.
When I took Son to Ole Alma Mater, the journey north left limited opportunities to stop and smell the proverbial roses. Because we had an appointment at the destination, we only stopped once to exercise another sense, the taste of a breakfast biscuit. The journey home, however, was another matter altogether.
There are certain things Son may need to know should he choose to become an Ole Alumnus, too. He can ride up and down the main drags and see for himself all the eating places with the flashy signs. He can cruise the Square to find the finer dining. He doesn’t need me for all that. But someone needs to give him the inside scoop on the stromboli at Pizza Den, the barbecue and crinkle-cut fries at Handy Andy’s, the hamburger and fried pickle spears at Phillip’s Grocery. That is my responsibility as his father.
After lunch at Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, we went on another kind of chicken run, this time for chicken of the salad sort. (Another important lesson to pass on: keep a cooler in the car.) We started at the Chevron just off the Square on North Lamar. This is where my old friend Mr. Mistilis sells his feta cheese salad dressing and chicken salad, which I tend to speak of often. His chicken salad is finely chopped – almost like a spread. Just down the hill a little is James Food Center, where we picked up some pimento cheese and their version of chicken salad (slightly chunkier), which was once listed as one of 100 Southern things to eat before you die.

Prizes from the chicken run

Next we headed south to Water Valley, and the BTC Old-Fashioned Grocery Store. The BTC has received a good bit of press lately, and also published their own cookbook. They carry lots of local produce and harder-to-find items, including – yep – chicken salad. I really didn’t stop for the chicken salad, which was super chunky and included basil and parmesan, but I thought three varieties from three different makers would make a nice taste test. If you are expecting me to pick one over the others, though, you are out of luck. Three different consistencies, three variations of flavor, three great chicken salads. Next time I’m up there and want to buy chicken salad, I’ll buy them all again.

The B.T.C.

BTC gave us more than that, though. The item that had us oohing and aahing the most was ice cream. Actually, it was gelato, but we’ll get to that in a minute. It was made by the Sweet Magnolia Ice Cream company in Clarksdale. There’s only about a dozen places you can get this stuff, and none of them are in Starkville. Something needs to be done about that. I took a look in the freezer, saw what it was, and perused the flavors. Then I sent Son over to check it out, with the instruction that he, too, should pick a flavor and see if it was the same one I picked for us to share. (It’s important to note here that my cooler was not a Yeti. It was designed to keep boudin cool on the way back from Louisiana, and was perfectly sufficient for chicken salad and feta cheese dressing. It was not cold enough for ice cream. We were going to have to eat it immediately. It was a burden we were willing to bear.)
Son is a good ice cream chooser, as it turns out. I think they call that “being teachable”. An essential quality for a future college student, right? He picked the same one I did, Peanut Butter with Cookies-n-Cream Gelato. That’s my boy. It wasn’t excessively sweet, and it had a goodly amount of Oreo-like cookie pieces in it. But those were not the most impressive traits. Son and I also agreed that this was the smoothest ice creamish dessert we had ever put in our mouth. I would go so far as to call it silky. And after a little Googling, I found out why.

I kinda wondered what the difference is between ice cream and gelato. Generally speaking, I learned that gelato has less fat, less air churned into it, and usually less egg yolks (if any at all.) Churn speed can also vary, as does the ideal temperature for consumption. (Gelato is better at a slightly warmer temperature.) Gelato is more dense, more milky, while being less creamy or buttery, according to my source. But enough with the facts. What you need to know is this: if you are heading for the Delta anytime soon, you need to take a good cooler with you. Otherwise, how will you bring any back for me?

Memorize. Purchase. Bring to me.

Despite the fact that we polished off a pint of gelato between Water Valley and Bruce, we still stopped at Buck’s One Stop in Calhoun City for a couple of pieces of caramel cake. If you must know, we did not eat them right away. We waited until we got home and shared them with the family. Most importantly, I wanted Son to know where to find it, and just pointing as we drove by did not seem respectful to the man who makes the cakes.
By the time we got to Walthall it was getting close to dinner time, and I hadn’t had a Real Deal sandwich at the Quick Stop in many moons. So we stopped and saw Ms. Audrey and got ourselves one. Really, it was just one – we shared it. Honest.
So now Son knows the way home, and he won’t go hungry, either. In the meantime, I got a new cookbook and discovered Mississippi gelato. Journey accomplished.

The Real Deal. From the Walthall Quick Stop. Messy but worth it.

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Picking the Right College and Lunch Spot

Posted on September 18, 2014 by eatsoneate

We are way past my birthday now, but I am still getting reminders of my personal aging process. It has come to my attention that I am the father of a senior in high school. You know him as Son. All last year we knew he was a junior, and all summer long we knew he was about to be a senior, yet somehow it still feels like it snuck up on us. There are a lot of things that have to be done now, not the least of which is to find the right college. There are applications to fill out, scholarships to search for, and visits to make. And what kind of father would I be if I didn’t take Son to the Ole Alma Mater? More importantly, what kind of father would I be if I didn’t show him where to eat along the way?

There are several ways to get to Oxford from Starkville – for those maroon and white locals that fear to tread there, you’ll just have to take my word for it. As a student myself, I took the back roads to Houston, on to Pontotoc, and beyond. That’s how you go if you want to stop at Seafood Junction in Algoma. These days I usually take the wider road to Eupora and up through Bruce, and that’s the way we went on this trip.

Because of previous jobs that took me the same direction, I made friends along the way, so our breakfast stop at the service station in Bruce was intended to be a visit as well. Unfortunately, my buddy was not there; but that didn’t stop us from getting a biscuit. Son went safe and got the sausage egg and cheese – mine was thick-sliced bologna. The biscuit itself was great – nice and buttery without being too crumbly. And I enjoyed the bologna, but I would add this caveat: you really need to love bologna to love a bologna biscuit. The biscuit led to a question from Son: What is bologna, anyway? I confess I could not give him an accurate answer. Maybe some things are better left unknown.

Days before we made the trip, I knew where we would be eating lunch. That’s how I roll. I had recently been in touch with another Starkvillian who not only graduated from Hotty Toddy U., he landed there after grad school and made it home. Through our social media connections, I noted that he was raving about Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, which had opened in Oxford not long ago. When I asked for more details, he described it as basically one thing: fried chicken. Either parts or tenders, with basic sides and great desserts. And he used the word “spicy”. I got a little nervous here, because I’ve had some ruthlessly hot fried chicken before and I wanted to know what I was getting into. I delved further, and he said it was “politely spicy.” I can adapt to politely spicy. So off we went to Gus’s.

The Oxford location is just off the Square, which usually means it’s close to everything but an open parking space. Such is life on the Oxford Square. You learn to deal with that because so many great Oxford eateries are on or around it. And a little walk when all you’re going to do is eat is not such a bad thing.

We started off with a plate of fried green tomatoes – I was proud of Son for branching out a bit, as he is admittedly wary of tomatoes in their natural state. Then we waited for a good long while, which according to the Gus’s website, is just part of the experience. We were in no hurry, and after a campus tour in the blazing heat, we were just happy to be in the air conditioning with an endless supply of sweet tea.

Son gets serious about the fried green tomato

Another unique feature mentioned on the website is the variation of spiciness. To put it as they do, it might bring tears one day or it might be “like the touch of an old friend.” I have no idea what that means. The day we went it was as my friend said: politely spicy – enough pepper to make a statement, but not enough to make your nose run. The crust was a little bit crunchy, but not crumbly-all-over-my-lap crunchy. The meat was tender and juicy. It was worth the wait.

Dark Meat Special of the Day. We shared it. Really.

When it came time for dessert, we were slightly hesitant simply because I already had some dessert plans for the trip home. Then again, multiple meals have never stopped me before, and we did have a recommendation already. So what do you do in that kind of situation? Well, you get something and share it, of course.
They offered several good Southern pie options, but the one that caught my ear was chess. You just don’t see chess pie offered that often, so one must take those kinds of opportunities when they knock. The same goes for egg custard. I’d be willing to bet that many of you have never had an egg custard pie, and if you have, I’d bet you haven’t had one in a long time. Am I right? And I could probably say the same for chess. I asked Son if he’d ever had chess pie, and he could only come up with a memory of a chess square. Close, but not quite, so we ordered a piece, and it was just as good chess pie should be: insanely rich and buttery. A nice palate pleaser after politely spicy chicken.

They say that sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination. The destinations were successes, both the campus visit and the chicken. Now it was time for the journey home. Stay tuned and buckle up (but not too tightly): it’s gonna’ be a tasty ride.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: chess pie, fried green tomatoes, gus's world famous fried chicken, ole miss, Oxford MS | Leave a comment

Semi-Random Thoughts: Scones and Peanut Butter

Posted on July 9, 2014 by eatsoneate

I think it’s just about time for another series of random food stories that have little other connection save the title of this blog: they are Eats that One (that one being me) Ate. Somewhere. Sometime. Not necessarily from an event or road trip but still tasty (or at least interesting) enough to warrant a mention.
A year or so ago I wrote about the myriad of breakfast options One can find in West Point, Mississippi. At the time I was passing through there a good bit on my way to work in Aberdeen, and it was usually around breakfast time when I hit the city limits. A few weeks ago I happened to be there early in the day and saw a sign for Jubilations Coffee House. I knew Jubilations from their famous cheesecakes, so I was intrigued by what breakfast selections they might offer. Upon first walking in, you face a long window that looks into the cheesecake-making facility, so to speak, where on one visit I got to watch the nice cheesecake man send some famous cheesecakes through the slicer. The first time I stopped, I got a blueberry scone, some coffee, and a sample of a granola bar. The scone was thin, packed with plump, juicy blueberries, and drizzled with glaze. It was so good, in fact, that I was not disappointed the next time I stopped in to find it was the flavor of the day again, despite my inner need for variety.

The scone would not wait for the camera. Yes. It’s the scone’s fault.

That second visit to Jubilations was more intentional. I was on my way to Florence, Alabama, and the nice lady in my GPS told me I should go through Columbus. But my inner voice (the Gastrointestinal Positioning System) overruled and sent me back through West Point. As I waited for them to bag up my scone and full-size granola bar (with not a trace of coconut, as the good Lord intended, thank you very much), I discovered the red velvet cheesecake – a layer of red velvet cake on the bottom, cheesecake in the middle, and cream cheese icing on top. I know what I want to get next time I’m there. Even if it is for breakfast.
The ginormous granola bar turned out to be quite a practical buy. I nibbled a little on it on the way to Florence, but didn’t want to ruin my appetite because I knew my buddies there would feed me well. On the way back, however, my luck was not as good. My final stop was at Jay’s Country Squire restaurant in Sulligent, Alabama. I have a special connection to Jay’s not just because of the excellent choice of name, and not just because it’s a good old-fashioned steak and catfish place. Jay’s is where I learned to be careful with certain artificial sweeteners. Some friends took us there for dinner when we visited them in Sulligent a few years back. For dessert, I got a piece of sugar-free peanut butter pie. I am a real sucker for anything peanut-buttery (I bought The Wife a painting of a Butterfinger bar for Mother’s Day), and it was really good. I asked the nice waitress how they managed it and she named the artificial sweetener that was used. We finished dinner, went back to the B&B, and got ready for the next morning. When I woke up, I had a tummy ache. This was terribly inconvenient as we were about to speak to a large group of people, but somehow it all worked out. I guess it could have been another ingredient in the pie that was the troublemaker, or perhaps the volume of steak, catfish, and all the trimmings I ate before the desserts ever came. But since then I’ve been careful to limit my artificial sweetener intake. Just in case.

The Wife loves her Butterfingers. I’m not sure this helps, but we like it.

On the more recent trip, Jay’s was my last hope for a memorable dinner before I got back home, but it was getting late, and I didn’t think it would be a good idea to order a plate of catfish to go, wait for it, then eat it even later. Peanut butter pie or not, I knew I would not feel good in the morning. (This is why I am not five hundred pounds, for those of you who wonder. Occasionally, I make a good decision.) So I ate the granola bar. And as I said, it was a pretty big one, wrapped tightly in cellophane, which was a great idea because it was a bit on the crumbly side. It curbed my hunger and I declared it healthy. I’ll have to visit Jay again another time.
Speaking of peanut butter (apparently these thoughts are more connected than I anticipated) I know a lot of you are looking forward to the summer months – and for the most part, I am, too. But it’s once again that season of year when there are no special shapes of Reese’s on the horizon in the foreseeable future – the usual drought between Easter and Halloween. It’s even harder this year because at Easter I discovered the Reester Bunny, in milk and white chocolate. This Bunny, if you didn’t have the pleasure, was smaller than your average chocolate rabbit, and I think the chocolate (or peanut butter, or both) was a bit sweeter. Either that or the chocolate to peanut butter ratio was drastically heavier on the chocolate side. Whatever it was, I liked them very much. Thank you, Reester Bunny. And darn you, Reester Bunny. My only hope now is to find a Reese’s Football at a fall away game where Daughter is cheering, as I did last year. I’m pretty sure that it was a re-wrapped fun-sized Reese’s Egg, but of course I didn’t care.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: cheesecake, Gastrointestinal Positioning System, granola bar, Jubilations Coffee House, Mississippi, peanut butter, reese's, West Point | Leave a comment

Hangin’ with the BFFFF’s

Posted on June 4, 2014 by eatsoneate

In February last year I took a trip to Gainesville, Florida to take a course related to my day job. It was evident from our first breakfast together that participants had come from all around, and I eventually met people from Canada, Nebraska, New York, India, Florida, and all points in between. It was also at that first breakfast that I met the BFFFF’s.
As soon as I heard these two gentlemen rounding the corner in the hotel lobby, I knew they were my kind of folks. Amongst all the other accents floating around in the room that morning, theirs was one I could relate to. I soon learned that they were from Alabama – Florence in particular – not far from the little North Mississippi town where my mother grew up. So it was that in Gainesville, Florida, my friendship with Both Fine Fellows From Florence began.
That weekend and several times since then the BFFFF’s have extended an invitation to visit them in Florence, and not long ago I decided it was time to make it happen. The trip was work-related, but they knew of my proclivity for hunting down good eats wherever I go. Even as born and bred Alabamians, they are subscribers to the Mississippi food magazine that I showed them between classes at the conference. Thus, as we were setting up the visit it was no surprise that the first question they asked me was, “Where do you want to eat?”
I assured them I would bring my list of “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die” – I’ve even got the app on my phone now – but also asserted that I trusted them to take me someplace unique and local that may not have made the list. I arrived in mid-morning, we talked shop for a little while, then the lunch discussion began.
They didn’t have to twist my arm very much to get me to agree to barbecue. But because we had much to cover and not much time, they sent someone to Bunyan’s Bar-B-Q to fetch our lunch. The order was simple – three barbecue sandwiches and three hot dogs. Hot dogs? Yep. Then they asked about drinks. Because I like to properly pair drinks with my meals, I said, “If we’re going to have barbecue, we need sweet tea.” I think I heard an amen. BFFFF The Younger asked if Milo’s was okay, and of course it was, so he hollered (politely), “Bring some Milo’s Sweet Tea – and not the fake sweet, the real stuff – the red top, not the yellow top.” I told you these guys were alright.
The food arrived just the way it should have – each sandwich wrapped tightly in wax paper, softened just a bit by sauce and steam. I tackled the pulled pork sandwich first. It was not soaked in barbecue sauce (thank the good Lord), but was instead slathered with a vinegary orangish-colored slaw that reminded me just a little of the red slaw native to some parts of North Carolina. In the opinion of BFFFF the Younger, the slaw was the thing that made the sandwich. I would be hard pressed to disagree. In earlier days, before my palate was reformed, I would decline the opportunity to get slaw on my barbecue sandwiches, but that was mostly because I just didn’t like slaw at all. Now I love slaw of all kinds, and even on a pulled pork plate I encourage mingling.

The Slaw is The Thing

As I approached the last bite of barbecue I unwrapped the hot dog. I do on occasion enjoy a big, fat, beefy dog – the kind so big that it requires an extra-large bun to hold it. The Bunyan’s’ dog was not one of those. This was the old-fashioned kind – thin, unnaturally red, and with a springy casing that slightly resists the teeth before giving in to the juicy goodness within. There was also some of that good slaw on the hot dog, and oddly enough, the wiener was sliced lengthwise. I’m not sure why they do that, but it made no difference – it was still pretty doggone good. (Sorry.)

Bunyan Dog

After lunch we hammered out some more real work, then got down to my list. Most of the dishes listed in Florence were a little bit out of reach for that time of day: Bread, herbs and olive oil at Ricatoni’s and Crab Cakes at the Marriott Hotel and Spa. It was Wednesday at 3 pm, so Sunday Brunch at The Sweet Magnolia Café was out. Dale’s Steakhouse (of Dale’s seasoning fame) had changed hands. But there was one I knew we could handle. Orange-Pineapple ice cream at Trowbridge’s.

The Famous Orange-Pineapple Ice Cream

Trowbridge’s is the kind of place where I like to linger and soak in the atmosphere. And given that it’s been there since 1918, I think I have a shot at it being there a while longer. On that day, however, BFFFF the Elder and I stepped just inside, ordered our famous (and delicious) ice cream, and headed back to work. But I am told that they have a way with sandwiches, too – a trademark egg and olive, and an offer of mayo on the peanut butter and banana. (I thought I was the only one in the world who did that, though for me it was Miracle Whip.)

Destination Dairy

Since the day began with barbecue and ice cream, I decided I might as well stick to that pattern on the trip home. I stopped in three different cities, searching for a milkshake, banana pudding, caramel cake and more barbecue. Instead I found each place on my list dark and locked. Closed, closed and closed. Thankfully I had a granola bar leftover from breakfast. I definitely need to go back to see the BFFFF’s, but next time I will make my stops on the way.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 100 dishes in Alabama, alabama food, florence alabama, trowbridge's | Leave a comment

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