Last week, I mentioned that I have a hypothesis that, rather than seeing barbecue traditions evolve region-to-region, in Florida it’s more likely that individual restaurants will crop up that have the look and feel of what the owners grew up knowing someplace else. Now, obviously, that can happen anywhere, and will; witness the Texas-style meat market, Moonie’s, just northeast of Atlanta in Flowery Branch. But I suspect that this is much more common in Florida than anywhere else in the southeast. Absent a strong regional barbecue identity that defines what everybody in town expects, places can pop up with the flavors and tastes of other regions much more easily. This is somewhat related to what Todd Brock was getting at in his excellent story about Atlanta barbecue in Creative Loafing last October, which you should read. Continue reading “Porkie’s Original BBQ, Apopka FL”
Tijuana Flats Burrito Company, Apopka FL
There was never a place in the blog’s narrative for this before now, but we had a very stunning surprise in our lives this past September. Eagle-eyed viewers might have noticed that my mother, who lived in Smyrna GA and at whose home – my childhood home – we often met up for meals in and around Vinings, rather abruptly vanished from our stories. That’s because she spent six or so weeks discreetly reconnecting with a very old flame and then gave us about three weeks’ notice that she was marrying the fellow, selling the house, and retiring to Florida with him. So there she now resides, just outside the town of Apopka, about twenty miles north of Orlando, and home to nine million plant nurseries and landscaping companies, enjoying warmer weather and going to the gym five days a week. She’s happy, active, and doing very well. Continue reading “Tijuana Flats Burrito Company, Apopka FL”
Whiteway Delicatessen, Jacksonville FL
When we visited Jacksonville in December 2013, I had hoped to stop by Whiteway Delicatessen for lunch. It’s one of the city’s oldest restaurants, and said to be one of the best places in town to sample one of Jacksonville’s iconic rider sandwiches. Unfortunately, we had to come on a Saturday, when they’re closed, so we made do with a rider from the small chain The Sheik instead. It was a pleasant little oddity, but pretty far from being worth a really long drive. Continue reading “Whiteway Delicatessen, Jacksonville FL”
Callahan Barbecue, Callahan FL
Florida does not have a reputation for barbecue, that’s pretty clear. My hypothesis is that, more than any other southeastern state, it’s where people move or retire with their hometown’s recipes and try to bring those to life. So you’ll get individual restaurants with very distinct and individual flavors, but never a general sense that in this-or-that region, you can generally expect this kind of sauce or that kind of side dish. I can give you general ideas of what you may find in northwest Alabama or the South Carolina piedmont, but in Florida, it’s every restaurant for itself. Continue reading “Callahan Barbecue, Callahan FL”
Old School Diner, Harris Neck GA
Some time back, one of our readers, Tony Hicks, recommended that we visit this bizarre and wonderful place for some killer seafood and amazing hospitality. Now, lots of places will get the attachment of the term “middle of nowhere,” but Old School Diner takes it seriously. The exit off I-95 is located about halfway between Savannah and Brunswick, the same one you take to visit the Smallest Church in America, and then guests will drive way the heck down a county highway, past gravel roads and partially paved and completed coulda-been developments. Continue reading “Old School Diner, Harris Neck GA”
Screamin’ Mimi’s, Savannah GA
The day after Christmas, we left town for a trip to the Georgia coast, and stopped in Savannah for some pizza. There are two quite well-known places in town to get really good pizza. Vinnie Van Go-Go’s is very popular and has been written about many times, so I decided we’d go for the (slight) underdog. Screamin’ Mimi’s is a New Jersey-styled joint that was opened by Lou and Scarlett Cobello, late of Atlantic City, in 2007. They specialize in gigantic slices. One slice per guest is probably all that you need. A second is just asking for a food coma. Continue reading “Screamin’ Mimi’s, Savannah GA”
Balsamic Chicken with Pickled Beets
This is Marie, contributing a recipe for balsamic chicken that did its very best to avoid being presented to you. Seriously, I lost this recipe at least three times, which is silly because I ought to have been able to remember it after one or two readings. So here it is, before the commentary with my alterations in parentheses, just in case: Continue reading “Balsamic Chicken with Pickled Beets”
Marie, Let's Eat! 