Good Food Deep South

I've been tagged.

Liza of Something Something (a really wonderful Israel based blog) tagged me with this meme. I am certainly a foodie, so the subject at hand cannot help but appeal, and it's got BRILLIANT practical applications -

The rules:
1. Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you. Include the city/state and country you’re in.

Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, USA)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, USA)
Todd (Louisville, Kentucky, USA)
miss kendra (los angeles, california, USA)
Jiggs Casey (Berkeley, CA, USA)
Tits McGee (New England, USA)
Kat (Ontario, Canada)
Cheezy (London, England)
tafka PP (Jerusalem, Israel)
Liza ("Northern" Israel)
dame (Southeastern United States)

2. List out your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location.


--1-- Five Star Day Cafe - Athens, Georgia - 229 E Broad St, Athens AND 2230 Barnett Shoals Rd, Athens- Southern, homestyle food and a quirky, sunny atmosphere. You order your food at the counter and then find a seat and the food is brought out to you. The menu offers barbeque, pot roast, roasted chicken, and - my favorite - the excellent river trout topped with a corn and black bean salsa as well as veggie plates that are piled high with three sides. The sides are southern classics like collard greens, fried green tomatoes, brilliant smoky macaroni and cheese (which, I suspect, has smoked gouda in it - brilliant), fried potato cakes and hoppin' john (black eyed peas and rice). They also serve brunch on Sundays and they always have some inexpensive items like a bowl of chicken and dumplings or PB&J sandwiches written up on the blackboard alongside the dessert of the day - usually a seasonal cobbler. My favorite place to eat in Athens bar none.

--2-- Flora and Ella's Restaurant - Labelle, Florida - 550 Highway 80 W, Labelle, FL 33935 - Classic Southern food and a warm friendly atmosphere. This place is what Cracker Barrel could have been modeled after, but it's the real deal. A great local restaurant with a little country store out front. All the classic southern standards - including a really excellent southern fried steak. My impression is that they are best known, however, for their pies. The pie selection is excellent and I worship their pecan pie. I love anywhere that serves a wide variety of pies and Flora and Ella's are worth going out of your way for.

--3-- European Street Cafe - Jacksonville, Florida - 2753 Park Street (Riverside) - Cute, eclectic bistro with a phenomenal beer selection, a wide variety of exotic sandwiches and salads as well as familiar classics, great German bratwurst (and genuine - warm - german potato salad!), and a little import shop where you can buy brilliant blackberry jam and the best candied fruit slices EVER. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed without being too casual, the staff is solicitous and professional, and the food is always very good. There are actually four locations in Jacksonville, but I always go to the one in Riverside which I believe is the original location.

--4-- Bahama Mama's Kitchen- Key West, Florida - 324 Petronia St (In the Bahama Village Market) - Best meal of my life. Seriously. Bahama Mama's Kitchen is a tiny little building with a small bar and soe open air seating outdoors, it's right next to a sort of makeshift craft market that is open during the day and is typically speckled with wild roosters and chickens wandering about. I was there in the summer, so we sat inside the little building. I seem to recall that there were maybe four or five tables. I had conch fritters and shrimp hash cakes and fried plantains followed by this dessert that was like funnel cake that had large juicy chunks of pineapple mixed into the batter. I could have eaten there every night. If I had to eat the food from one restaurant for the rest of my life, I think I'd live on those conch fritters and shrimp hash cakes and fried plantains quite happily. Being a big time foodie, I ate at at least a dozen restaurants in Key West. All but one restaurant (including this great nothing little stand that sold cuban food where I bought a brilliant bowl of rice and beans) proved the adage that you cannot get bad food in Key West but Bahama Mama's was by far and away the best meal I had there. I still crave it. I cannot wait to go back. Frommer's notes on Bahama Mama's Kitchen


...and there were supposed to be five. But THAT is why I hadn't put this up before. I'm picky. And these are the four I felt like listing. My apologies. As I have left it so long to respond, I'm not going to tag anyone - but if anyone would like to take up the challenge - especially in the Southeastern U.S. where the recommendations will do ME the most good! - please do so and let me know!