I would make a horrible food blogger. It's not for lack of loving or appreciating food, it's that I get so excited to take a bite of what's before me, I often forget to take a photo before I begin to devour. While thinking back of the past few months traveling around the South, there are many spectacular meals that I didn't record (but my waistline unfortunately did). Here are a few of the best, at least of the ones that made it onto my camera.
While driving from Nashville to Austin, we stopped for lunch in Memphis (it didn't take us long to get distracted). We had heard all about Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken and had to make the stop, even if it delayed our trip a bit. The rumors were absolutely true, and we had plenty of fuel to make it for the remainder of our long drive.
Once we got to Austin, we met up with some friends who invited us to a crawfish boil. The crawfish are boiled in a giant pot outdoors along with veggies and lots of cajun spices. Then, the cooks pour the crawfish on a covered picnic table, where you line up and go to town. It was a great Texas initiation where I learned how to brace my elbows while eating at the same time.
Next, we scooted over to Houston and had a whirlwind culinary tour. We ate at the birthplace of the fajita and an amazing Vietnamese food joint, and had even more Cajun spiced crawfish. However, the only place where I remembered to pull out my camera was Bubba's Texas Burger Shack, nestled in the middle of a spaghetti junction in Houston's west side. It's still in its original building — Bubba refused to move when the highway was built, and fought to save his property. My belly sure was glad he did, because the buffalo burger there is one of the best I've had.
After leaving Texas, we happened upon the International Festival in Lafayette, Louisiana. Here, we had many varieties of Cajun treats including boudin, jambalaya and gumbo. My favorite was the fried catfish etoufee, made with a creamy roux that was heavily spiced and super flavorful.
Finally, back in Kentucky, my brother decided to deep fry a turkey. In a similar manner to a crawfish boil, the turkey is submerged in an large pot over an outdoor burner, only the pot is filled with oil instead of water. This was my first experience with a fried turkey and it was so succulent, it kind of changed my life in the best way possible.
Now after looking back at all these meals, I'm off for a jog! What are some of the best meals you've had on the road?
More Info:
• Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
• Bubba's Texas Burger Shack
• Festival International de Louisiane
(Images: Smith Schwartz)
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Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
Ahhhh.. Road food.
I lived for years traveling for, shall I say, themed craft fairs. I sold chain mail jewelry and replica armor, pewter, leather bags, tie dyes and food for different crafters.
That entails driving. Lots of driving. And while I do adore granola, fruit, and veggie strips in hummus, sometimes you need to get out of the car, eat something above ambient temperature, or simply remember how to use a fork.
And hot tea is nice. So is iced tea.
So I started buying one meal a day at restaurants.
Some were bad. Some were really bad. A few were really, really bad. One sent me to the hospital. That was an Awful House.
Most were not memorable.
Some were good enough. Some were tasty.
And then.....
I , a person who resisted pizza as the easy way out, and kind of greasy, stopped in Idaho Springs, Colorado, for BeauJo's Mountain Pies.
Thick crust, spicy sauce, and extra at that, pineapple, garlic, onion, mushroom, sundried tomatoes.
The smallest size guarantees me leftovers, every time.
And it is dessert, too. That thick, chewy like good sourdough whole wheat crust is amazing with honey. Even if garlic and red chilie flakes are present.