One of the best parts of the South is the food. Down there, fat and carbs are worshiped - not reviled - and barbecue is an art form worthy of extended study. Because of all the excellent food, I had to create a separate posting just for it!
My first step to Nirvana was Dye's Gullah Fixin's in Hilton Head, SC. The place is a small shop in a strip mall, but serves a tasty buffet. She makes some great chicken, but the stars are the corn pudding and collard greens - both of which will knock you out. A perfect introduction to the South, although it was good that I was on the beach BEFORE all the great food!
If you come to Savannah, ignore Paula Deen's restaurant and run to Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room. Words cannot appropriately describe this gem, even after waiting over an hour outside. For $18 you get all the food above in a family setting with strangers. Best Fried Chicken Ever! The biscuits were held together by some sort of Southern magic since physics defies the light flaky combination of flour and fat. The other sides were also excellent including the obligatory mac & cheese, beans, greens, sweet potatoes, and mashed potatoes and gravy - the latter should be drunk directly from the bowl with no regard to your fellow diners! My dining companions also said this place beats Paula's by far! So worth it.
The South also has lots of small BBQ joints with excellent meat. The above Hog Wild platter is from Sandfly BBQ near Savannah, GA. The brisket and sausage were the best of my trip with an interesting Brunswick Stew pictured next to the meat. It's a local stew with leftover BBQ meats and veggies cooked in a rich broth. The mustard style sauce goes great with those tasty links!
Time out for Chick-Fil-A. This is the original place near the Atlanta Airport with sit down service and a little door for dwarves. Same menu as found all over the country, but still a fun place. CFA is HUGE in Georgia with stores all over the place - all closed on Sunday though. They even have one at Turner Field for Atlanta Braves games!
Saw's BBQ in Alabama is a unique place for two reasons - white BBQ sauce and baked potatoes. They smoke their chicken and serve it with white sauce. The sauce is similar to the sauce used in a good cole slaw with a little kick and is typical for northern Alabama BBQ. It was nice to have a giant potato with the meal, although they can also load a potato with all the meat and sauce you want - and bacon!
Above is the best sweet tea in the universe. Sway in downtown Atlanta not only serves excellent upscale Southern food, their sweet tea is what other teas dream about at night. Sweet tea is regular iced tea with sugar and is a very common Southern drink. This one is perfectly balanced with a stick of cane sugar, mint, and a lemon. The shrimp & grits and cornbread & biscuits with tomato jam were very good, but the tea shined through. They even gave me a free to-go refill!
This vision will haunt my dreams for a very long time. Community Q BBQ in Decatur, GA is simply amazing. The owners have a commitment to supporting regional farmers and make some excellent stuff. The above St. Louis Style ribs were just perfect - smoky sweet, tender, with just the right amount of rub and sauce. The mac & cheese was the best I've ever had. The cheese sauce was delivered from heaven with al dente rigatoni to hold the ambrosia. The beans not only were the perfect balance of sweet and spice, they had chunks of smoked brisket and should be praised at every opportunity. This place is just awesome.
Unfortunately, the food selection at Turner Field was somewhat disappointing. I did manage to find the grilled hot dog stand serving the above Georgia Dog - footlong natural casing dog with cole slaw and Vidalia onion relish. It was delicious.
The above sweet potato cheesecake is from the Sweet Auburn Bakery and is widely acclaimed by foodies everywhere. I have to agree and state that it makes a great breakfast!
This one was just too fun to pass up. It is common in the South to open a bag of chips and pour chili and cheese directly into the bag as a snack. Now, Frito Lay is encouraging this by designing their bags for this with a wide top pre-scored for opening. These were found at the QuikTrip, coincidentally next to the chili and cheese dispensers. That plus an orange cream slushy makes a nice treat!
Below are the rest of my food pics:
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