by Amber H. | Dec 8, 2016 | Tennessee, United States
When planning our American road trip, Eric was adamant about visiting one city in particular: Memphis. He had been there before, when he was a teenager and his sister lived there. I’d traveled to Nashville, but never Memphis. Because it was Eric’s second trip, he was a little more particular not only about the food, but about what there is to do in Memphis. We only had three nights, a mere weekend, and wondered how could we get it all in. We found both interesting things to do, as well as eat, in Memphis. But, the first 18 hours of our stay were not so good. We couldn’t get wifi in our hotel, which always sours our mood. We ate the worst BBQ of our 6 weeks at an historic BBQ place (at Rendevouz, for the record). And, we had a less then stellar visit to Graceland. Our visit involved us not being allowed to take our GoPro camera in, nor use photos of Graceland on this blog. It ultimately ended with some not-so-friendly email correspondence between me and Elvis’ PR team. Never thought I would be up against The King using all sorts of legal jargon from my prior career. Yes, Memphis was a bit of a struggle for us. Despite that, though, we were able to have some great experiences, and even better food, than we assumed we would at the end of that initial 18 hours. Enough so that, yes, I will still recommend people visit Memphis. Here are our recommendations for what to do in Memphis, after trying to secure wifi. 1. Visit the National Civil Rights...
by Amber H. | Dec 6, 2016 | Drinks, Louisiana, Podcast, United States
Talking Baton Rouge Craft Beer Looking for something to do in Louisiana, before noon, on a weekday? How about drinking down a few pints of Baton Rouge craft beer. That’s just what we did when we met Joe from Southern Craft Brewing Company. When he’s not a project manager for large oil and gas clients, he’s brewing beer, just through the back door of his uniquely located tasting room. We pulled off the highway, and wound our way to the back of an industrial park, and there’s where we found the Southern Craft Brewing Company. We talked with Joe about his transition from home brewer to official brew master. And, he’s off and running with award winning beers with names like Pompous Pelican, Red Stick Ryle, and Swamp Sting. We also got a quick little history lesson on Baton Rouge, and the famous red stick and what it means to follow your passion. And, when I said you should head over to the tasting room in the middle of the day, might want to check their hours first. In this case, Joe left his day job to open up the tasting room, and talk with us about the Baton Rouge craft beer scene. And, of course, there’s some country music playing in the background. Check out Southern Craft Breweing Company in Baton Rouge! Mentions on This Week’s Culinary Podcast Where to Find the Best Gulf Coast Eats! – Our guide on what to eat in Baton Rouge, and the rest of the region, including several of our restaurant recommendations where you can find Southern Craft Brewing Company beer. How We Survived Our...
by Amber H. | Dec 1, 2016 | Drinks, Georgia, United States
I wasn’t sure why I wanted to visit Athens Georgia. We were trying to skip Atlanta in favor of smaller cities, like Macon and Savannah. I heard Athens was a fun college town, home to the University of Georgia Bulldogs. I thought it would be fun to drink at college bars, and eat at some southern greasy spoons. We found those experiences, but some of the other experiences we had made me realize there is more to eat in Athens than college grub. A Weekend to Eat in Athens Within minutes of arriving in Athens, after a lengthy drive from Macon, we sat down at Seabear Oyster Bar. It’s not at all what I expected for our first meal in Georgia. Seabear Oyster Bar is located in the Bottleworks, a group of buildings once used by Coca-Cola to bottle. Now, it houses a series of restaurants and food outlets, each of which tries to work within the historic characteristics of the buildings. I was famished after the drive, and we chowed down. The menu was a mix of Asian and Southern fusion. And, although prior to this stop on the #USChowDown I wanted all classic southern food, I was happy to get just a little taste of Asia. An Asian inspired scallion pancake formed a crispy bottom for sweet rock crab and a spicy mayo: Beautiful chargrilled okra was a nice change from the tasty, but fried, okra we had been eating along the trip. This version, served in a cast iron skillet, was topped with an aioli sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning: Seabear Oyster Bar prides themselves on...
by Amber H. | Nov 22, 2016 | Louisiana, Podcast, United States
Most of our our podcast episodes are scheduled ahead of time. We know who we are going to speak with, we do a little background research, and have a list of topics to discuss. This episode was just not that kind of episode. As soon as we bit into the first bit of a breakfast sandwich at Tiger Deaux-Nuts Baton Rouge, we knew we had to learn the story behind this little bit of donut heaven in Louisiana. The Best Breakfast Sandwich in Baton Rouge Jeff of Tiger Deaux-Nuts explained just what was on one of the best breakfast sandwiches we’ve ever eaten. First off, it included a special sausage, called boudin, and it was sandwiched between two slices of their famous donuts. It was so tasty I didn’t even need to add ketchup! Locals say it makes a “mockery of the McGriddle.” The Donuts at Tiger Deaux-Nuts Baton Rouge Jeff was a man with a dream. A donut dream. On this week’s episode of our food travel podcast, not only did we talk about a locally famous breakfast sandwich, but we learned how he came up with the idea of creating an artisan donut shop in Baton Rouge. And, what’s with the name? What is a deaux-nut anyway? It’s the Cajun way of spelling donut. Well, maybe not officially, but it’s a Cajun play on words. Trust us. Mentions on This Week’s Culinary Podcast Where to Find the Best Gulf Coast Eats! Tiger Deaux-Nuts in Baton Rouge Greenhouse on Porter – the biscuit and coffee shop in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. We chatted with the women behind the biscuits...
by Amber H. | Nov 17, 2016 | Louisiana, Mississippi, United States
As we started our tour along the Gulf Coast, we kept hearing about where to get the best boudin in Louisiana, or in Mississippi. Being a couple of Yanks, though, we were confused. I had a list of Southern specialties I wanted to track down during the #USChowDown. But, we had never heard of boudin. So, we asked the very important question “what is boudin?” We learned. And, we learned in the world capital of Boudin. Boudin is almost a generic word for various types of sausages that are common on Cajun, Creole, and Acadian cuisine. Inspired by their French, German, and even Belgian counterparts, boudin sausages are completely different from the Italian versions. More similar to an Irish black or white pudding, boudin is made with rice as well as meat. It can also be made with pork blood, making it very similar to the Irish black pudding. Although the mixture that is stuffed inside the casing is pulverized to some extent, it’s a little less refined than a typical sausage. It’s more moist and loose. It’s normally served steamed, not grilled. And, in its most traditional state, boudin is not all that photogenic. Traditional Boudin Outside of Lafayette, Louisiana, is a small town named Scott. Just off the I-10 highway there are a series of boudin shops, all of which advertise boudin and crackling on large highway billboards. Billy’s Boudin and Don’s Boudin were suggested to us by folks in Lafayette. But locals continuously recommended only one boudin store – The Best Stop. Scott is also known as the boudin capital of the world, so it seemed like...
by Amber H. | Nov 15, 2016 | Louisiana, Podcast, United States
Part 2 of our chat with Jay Ducote, the unofficial food mayor of Baton Rouge. Whereas our first episode talked about Jay’s transition from typical office worker to food TV celebrity, this episode focuses on food travel. And, in particular BBQ and food travel. Talking BBQ With Jay Ducote According to Jay Ducote, the self proclaimed BBQ connoisseur, where is the best place to travel in the US for BBQ? Let’s just say, it involves beef, beef ribs, and brisket. Any guesses? Listen to the podcast. Well, we also talk BBQ pork, because we can’t have a single episode of this culinary podcast without Eric talking about pork. Talking Food Travel With Jay Ducote Our chat with Jay quickly turned from BBQ to Louisiana food specialties, including a special local sausage. We don’t want to give too much away as there will be special episode and blog post later about boudin. Jay also provides his advice on what to eat in Baton Rouge, including oysters which rival those available in New Orleans. We talked with Jay about local Baton Rouge chefs and their restaurants, focusing on local cuisine and use of fresh, local ingredients. We also talk about the possibility of Indian fusion tacos in Baton Rouge and the occupational hazards of being a food travel blogger. Tweet to Jay and let him know you heard about him on our culinary travel podcast! Jay, like us, always wonders “Is there anyone out there listening?” Mentions on This Episode of our Food Travel Podcast Where to Find the Best Gulf Coast Eats! The Next Food Network Star – Jay was the...
