suemac's Profile
Caffe Rel in Franklin, NC - what a great find!
We ate at Caffe Rel tonight - passing though Franklin at the right time and couldn't resist the location and reviews on yelp, etc. We were both (foodie and non-foodie alike) very impressed. Waitstaff were very attentive and polite. Food was great - certainly not what we expected in a small mountain town :-). Ok, started with the Snails & Tails appetizer - escargot and crayfish tails in a cream sauce with portobellos. even my non-foodie spouse enjoyed it, even though he refused to try the escargo. He got Tournados of beef with a portabello and brandy sauce over puff pastry. The sauce was killer, rich and deep; the beef was a little dry - I can't seem to convince himself that medium is too done for good meat :-(. I got the Lavender Shrimp - shrimp in a garlic and basil cream sauce over pasta. Again, the sauce really made the dish - really flavorful. Both served with a veggie side that was different - a nice selection of veggies sauteed and plated with a garnish of sprouts - I wanted it to work better than it did. We heard the desserts were good, but didn't have room. Oh, and the house blush zin was the best I've had in a while AND it's cash only, no credit.
If you're in the area, try it. You won't be disappointed.
Biscuit heresy?
I have very good success with making the biscuits completely and then freezing. I put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer until they're frozen solid, then take them off and bag them. Then I pop 'em right in the oven frozen; they come out great!
Steamboat Springs in Feb.
Looking for more recent recommendations for Steamboat Springs. There will be 4 of us, two older somewhat adventurous, one teen who will try new stuff, but likes to have a meat & potatoes option and one foodie :-). We'll be going mostly casual - burgers, steaks, texmex, asian, etc. - but would like one upscale night out.
Looking into Cafe Diva, Bistro c.v., Truffle Pig for our big night out. Rex's, Mambo, Sweetwater Grill for casual.
Also would like to meet the skiers on the slopes for lunch one day - any recommendations there would be great!
Thanks!
susan from FL
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Sweetwater Restaurant
85 Kings Hwy, Jackson, WY 83001
Cafe Diva
1855 Ski Time Square Dr, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
Best Pastrami in Atlanta?
Can't believe Muss & Turner's hasn't been mentioned. I haven't had their pastrami, but the corned beef on their Reuben makes me drool when I think of it. Rich, juicy, flavorful and piled high. One of my fav Atlanta spots; I also enjoy the duck confit and the chevre cheesecake. I've only done lunch - not sure about their dinners.
http://www.mussandturners.com/
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Muss & Turner's
1675 Cumberland Parkway Ste. 309, Smyrna, GA 30080
Anyone remember Pueblo Village?
I grew up in Clearwater until 3rd grade then spent a year in Mass. We moved back after that to Largo and spent a month in a hotel on the beach while we bought a house. Pueblo Village ribs were a staple while we were there as were weekly trips to Gene's Lobster House. Loved their blue cheese dressing even as a kid. And I always loved Leverocks - not the recent versions, but the old original restaurant.
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Lobster House
716 N US Highway 1, Tequesta, FL 33469
Pigeon Forge for a week - HELP!
Thanks for the recap of your time in the area. We're from G'ville, FL (I'll have to get some Orlando suggestions from you sometime - we'll be down in a few weeks), but visit family in Sevierville fairly often. We do the Old Mill sometimes, but usually for breakfast; it's solidly good, but not great. I do always stop for the stone ground cornmeal (the BEST for cornbread) and grits at the store, though - wonderful! I thought Bullfish was good, but not any better than chains like Bonefish Grille. We like Connors, which is a local chain; they have a delish spinach and fresh strawberry salad and I love their shrimp and grits (ok, just checked their website - says the Connors in Sevierville is now KT's Bar & Grille, looks like they still have the salad, but don't see the shrimp & grits. Haven't eaten at KT's, YMMV.) Looking forward to checking out Blackberry Farm and hadn't heard of the Cherokee Grill :-).
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Blackberry Farm
1471 W Millers Cove Rd, Walland, TN
Old Mill
164 Old Mill Rd, Pigeon Forge, TN 37868
Bullfish
2441 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, TN 37868
Cherokee Grill
6473 Taylor Mill Rd, Independence, KY 41051
Hot Brown in Winchester area
Going to be in Winchester this weekend and my mom would love to find a good hot brown. KY girl though I am, I've never had one and would love to try. Any recommendations? Any other good restaurants in the area - I've looked at the board posts for Lexington, but haven't found much for Winchester - esp. good use of local ingredients like grits, old ham, etc. Thanks!
Need blue crabs in Gainesville or close by
I'm looking for blue crabs for seafood gumbo in the G'ville area - live or frozen, either are fine. I used to catch my own when I lived in the St. Pete area, but haven't for awhile now. The last couple of times making gumbo I used canned crab - it was good, but I'd love to be able to make a batch like I used to. I checked with Northwest Seafood, my normal market, but she said they didn't have any blues at all. Haven't tried Wards yet, but I don't remember seeing them there. I was just hoping someone in the area might have a suggestion...
thanks!
Suggestions for Gainesville
Second the recommendation for Steamers - traditional college town dive with good food. Now I often prefer Buddah Belly - nicer place to sit and spend awhile. Massive quantities - the stir fries and curries are easily 2 meals.
Burrito Bros was THE first place I ever ate in G'ville and at the time it blew any competition out of the water. Now I would say they're still great, but not roll-your-eyes-back-in-your-head awesome. Some of the best guac I've had. El Indio right around the corner on 13th St. also has a good rep.
Suggestions for Gainesville
Dragonfly is good, but the restaurant is way too noisy and crowded most of the time for me.
Suggestions for Gainesville
I agree, Leo's is overrated, but I'm still addicted to the garlic rolls. I guess it's leftover from college days (along with the inability to pass by Krispy Kreme when the 'Hot Doughnuts' sign is lit lol.
HELP!!Seminole/Largo area new implants... from AZ! NEEEEEED Mexican food!!
I second the fepe's opinions on both Carmelita's and Casa Tina. I had my first mole at Casa Tina - the Mole Poblano - and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
Suggestions for Gainesville
Gainesville is not exactly a hotbed of culinary activity! That said ...
Pizza - Satchel's or Blue Highway (Micanopy location)
Mildreds and New Deal have good reps, but my experiences there have been spotty - last burger from New Deal was ordered med-rare, served unpleasantly charred on the outside, raw inside
Have heard LOTS good about Manuel's downtown, but I haven't tried it yet, same with the Fat Tuscan.
Thai - Bahn Thai or Tim's Thai are the two you hear about; neither is great, consistency seems to be an issue for both. I do like Chopstix (on SW 13th).
I like Leonardo's 706, especially for dessert.
"Dirty" recipes that are crowd pleasers
Love this thread. I grew up going to Southern Baptist pot-lucks so I have a ton of dreadful recipes lol. Every now and then I'll get a craving and make one to take somewhere - that way I can have one serving, satisfy the craving and don't have to have the stuff around the house! Let's see... favorites are:
Pig Pickin' Cake
1 yellow cake mix, can mandarin oranges with juice, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, med. carton cool whip 9-ounce carton frozen whipped topping, thawed, can crushed pineapple, with juice, small box instant vanilla pudding
Oven at 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, mandarin oranges, mandarin orange juice, eggs and oil and beat for 2 minutes with electric mixer. Pour into 3 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool.
Make frosting by mixing cool whip, pineapple, juice from can and vanilla pudding mix. Frost between layers and on top of cake.
and Eclair Cake:
1 box graham crackers, 2 small boxes instant French vanilla pudding, 3 1/2 cups milk, 8-ounce cool whip, thawed
Frosting: 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa, 3 tablespoons butter, softened, 1/3 cup milk, 2 teaspoons light corn syrup, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Line 13x9 pan with whole graham crackers. In bowl of an electric mixer, mix pudding with milk; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer. Pour over remaining half of pudding mixture and cover with another layer of graham crackers.
For frosting, blend together sugar and cocoa. Add butter and milk, mixing well. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Stir until creamy. Cover cake with frosting and refrigerate for 24 hours.
And when we first got married we used to make something we called Glarp; basically cooked ground beef & onions with cream of 'shroom soup and seasonings poured over white rice. Oh and let's not forget our camping staple (which my husband says was called Sh*t on a Shingle in the military): creamed chipped beef on toast. Except when we camped we always put it over the biscuit my mom made - one big biscuit cooked on the Coleman stove in a cast iron skillet with a pan on top to make a kindof oven, mom used a spatula to flip the whole thing over half way through - and around the campfire it actually tasted good :-).
Places not to be missed in a visit to NC, SC, GA
I also highly recommend the Pisgah Inn on the parkway. One of our fav places to stay. Food is good, not great, but the location is killer.
http://www.pisgahinn.com/
Atlanta without attitude
I also recommend Holeman & Finch. We ate there a couple of weeks ago, first time; thought it would be pretentious, but wanted to try it out anyways. Great experience, great food - the staff was so helpful. No attitude, just fun :-). I also enjoyed Woodfire Grill, but thought it rated higher on the 'attitude' scale.
Atlanta report
Just spent a week in Atlanta while hubby was there for training. Here's a quick review of where we ate. (Note: we're Mutt&Jeff on the food front - I like to try anything different, he's a steak& potatoes man)
Mon. lunch - Muss & Turner. Had to go back for a reuben, but made a last minute switch to the Gyro special. Mistake. Lamb was good, but not outstanding and it was too far from a traditional greek gyro for me. Use a little less gravy on the lamb, replace the cukes in the lettuce mix on top with thin sliced red onions and use a thicker, more traditional tzatziki sauce and it would have been a winner. Had a nice talk with one of the chef's - maybe Todd Mussman by his pic on their website.
Mon. dinner - JCT Kitchen. Loved the lightly flavored apple/caramel butter that came with the bread. Hubby got the fried chicken (tho the waiter advised not), I got the wood-grilled salmon. Waiter was right - chicken was underseasoned, moist, but not crispy. The mac-n-cheese was awesome. Salmon was excellent, melt in your mouth, flavorful sauce, very tasty. Fried pies for dessert, enjoyed 'em but nothing overly special. Would go back again, but not for the chicken.
Tue. lunch - Tasty China. Had to get the fish&cilantro rolls, loved 'em last time, just as good this time. Threw myself on the staff for an entree recommendation & wound up with spicy fried pork belly (not sure the 'official' name). Thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Would have been better if I'd been with a group and could have shared them around, though - very rich. I 'bout ate myself sick (see dinner).
Tue. dinner - Marietta Diner. Hubby wanted to try this place after seeing it on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I was still so rumbly from lunch that I just got pancakes, which were ok. Hubby got a gyro which he said was not up to Tarpon Springs standards, but still quite good. Not sure I'd go back - they have SO many items on their menu - how many do they really do well and how do you find them??
Wed. lunch - Muss & Turner again, this time I held out for the reuben. Wonderful as always, where DO they get that corned beef? I'd eat this once a week if I could.Wonderful goat cheese cheesecake for dessert. M&T seems to be a little hit & miss for me, but when they're on, they're outstanding. Also picked up a can of the Persian Feta - tried it last time I visited and it was so worth it.
Wed. dinner - Holeman & Finch. Loved the atmosphere, the staff, the bathrooms. Food was excellent - I loved it, hubby not so much (not much on the menu for mr. meat&potatoes). He had steak w/fingerling potatoes, balsamic onions, I got the gratin of marrow, we shared the carbonara. Carbonara was delish, loved the egg on top;. Had never had marrow before, it was delicately flavored and very rich. Had dessert at Intermezzo - hubby's cheesecake-studded chocolate cake was good, but I liked my coffee better (spanish mocha, I think).
Thu. lunch - Bone Garden Cantina. Went light - guac&chips, mejor pollo empanada, puerco angelito tamale. Best tamale I've had in years - nice amount of spice & hot, not too much masa, flavorful. Empanada was crispy and flavorful as well, guac had a nice mix of smooth & chunky, loved the big hunks of onion. Atmosphere was fun. Didn't strike me as overly authentic, but I enjoyed it.
Thu. dinner - Atmosphere. This place is not one of the 'hot' spots, but we consistently have excellent meals here. Hubby got the trout amandine, I got a special, veal hanger steak with fries, green beans and a wild mushroom sauce. Killer veal and sauce, excellent fries, all around just a really good dinner. Probably the best overall of the trip - JCT and H&F had dishes just as good, but some not quite so good as well. Profiterolles for dessert because we had them the first time we came and have loved them ever since; I can make cakes & cheesecakes better than Intermezzo's, but my choux fail beside Atmosphere's.
Fri. lunch - Hubby got out of class early so we made a quick lunch at Five Guy's and drove about.
Fri. dinner - rather wore ourselves out sightseeing, so we did a late dinner at a nearby chain, Copeland's. Hubby got the jambalaya, which was good, but unexceptional; I got the shrimp alfredo w/Maryland style crab cakes, which was better - the crab cakes actually had a good amount of crab, mildly seasoned. Not bad.
Sat. breakfast - pastries at YDFM on the way out of town. A bit hit or miss, though the orange, cranberry walnut bread was killer. Found duck thighs for $2.29/lb and duck fat for $1.99/lb, so I bought enough for a BIG batch of duck confit (curing in the 'fridge as I type).
-suemac
Atlanta--Farmer's Markets?
We got some of the best pork I've ever had from YDFM. It's definitely on my list of must-do's when I go to Atlanta. I agree that it's not really a Farmer's Market, though.
Road Trip Sarasota, FL to Detroit, MI: Any can't miss spots along I-75?
One of my favorite stops through Atlanta is Muss & Turners: http://www.mussandturners.com/. Totally fantastic Ruben and at how many other deli-type restaurants can you get duck confit? Just barely off of I-75, it's a quick stop as well.
I do also agree with johnb about Tasty China, though we liked Frank Ma's better. I'll have to try Hong Kong House next time we're up Knoxville way.
Looking for something good in GainesviIlle
For a steak and potatoes, try MT's Chop House (http://www.mtschophouse.com) or Mark's Prime (http://marksprimesteakhouse.com/). MT's is closer to I75 - just a few miles down either the Williston Rd or Archer Rd exits.
Gainesville recommendations?
El Toro is standard psudo-Mex - large quantities of cheap, mediocre food. La Tienda is just a bit further south on the west side of the road and is MUCH better. I'd take it over El Toro any day.
Indian Shores/St. Pete restaurants?
Our favorite when we want cheap good seafood is P.J.'s on Indian Rocks:
http://www.pjsoysterbar.com/
We've been to Shell's and Crabby Bills - not impressed. Used to like Dockside Dave's, but we were dreadfully disappointed with our last meal there.
Guppy's is good; haven't been to Keegan's, but will next time we're down. Have heard that Salt Rock is good, but haven't been there either.
St. Petersburg
Check the recent post on the FL board: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/305810
Ted Peter's is great. We hadn't heard of Keegan's, but saw it recently on Diners, Dives and Drive-ins and now want to check it out. Frog Pond for breakfast. Enjoy the sunsets :-).
Uniquely Georgia Cuisine?
Wonder if there's any place to get really good southern cornbread other than someone's home kitchen. Have never had honest-to-goodness southern cornbread out - baked in an iron skillet with bacon grease to make a great butt and don't even mention sugar, please. I did have some yummy grits and greens with my pork at Woodfire Grill when we were there recently.
What are your personal faves in the Tampa/St Pete/Clearwater area?
Man, now I have a huge list of places to try next time we're at my folx in Largo!
I'll second some restaurants already mentioned:
Italian - Alfono's in Largo/Clearwater - LOVE their spinach cannelloni, it's been great everytime we've been.
Seafood - Guppy's
Expensive but good: Wine Cellar and haven't seen The Lobster Pot mentioned, but it's wonderful as well
Tio Pepe's - one of our special occasion fav's. Great sangria, brown bread, paella and love the flan.
And I haven't seen The Skinny Rooster mentioned for breakfast - wonderful (http://www.skinnyrooster.com/). They do a great Sunday brunch. The Frog Pond is also very good for breakfast, but get there early!
Last trip to Dockside Daves was terribly disappointing - the shrimp was practically inedible. Stay with the grouper (which was excellent, as always) if you go.
Oh, and on the cheap seafood dive thread, try P.J's on Indian Rocks - one of our fav cheap but really good spots. Great shrimp and fish.
Anything near Blue Springs, Orange City?
It's a shame the Great Outdoors Cafe is gone; it was a High Springs classic for years. We've been to Floyd's Diner there (http://www.floydsdiner.com/) and enjoyed it. Don't remember details - food was good and we loved the diner atmosphere.
There are a couple of places in Newberry - Newberry Backyard Barbeque, S.O.B.'s, and the new pizza/italian place (Vitello's?). Likewise some in Alachua - Conestogas, Ivy House.
A dining plan for Mid-Town Atlanta...Good? Bad?
We did Sotto Sotto, Woodfire Grill and Atmosphere all last week, our fav was Atmosphere. I think my favorite place for the whole week was Muss & Turners, which I did twice for lunch. The duck comfit is awesome.
Gainesville
Heh ... it's definitely NOT a dry heat in G'ville! I could never understand the 'dry heat' comments until I visited Phoenix. It's amazing - they spray water in the air there to cool you down. Try that in G'ville ... yeah, right!
Best Cheap Eats in St. Pete?
If you haven't had a fer real gyro before, go to one of the greek sub shops around - the two we go to are down on Seminole Blvd (I think that's the Seminole Sub Shop) and Missouri Ave (Largo Sub Shop) - and try one. Wonderful! They usually have good spanikopita and baklava as well.
