Varmint

Strangely, I get all of these things. There has been hardly anything mentioned in this thread that makes me want to puke or gag or even go, "Ick." Call me weird. Or lacking any type of sophisticated palate. Remember, I was the kid who put sugar on his Cocoa Puffs as a child. Don't worry -- essay about breakfast cereals forthcoming! I do, however, agree about leaving the tails on the shrimp. It looks nice, but it's a pain in the ass.

As I planned our vacation to the mountains of North Carolina, I had done a bit of research regarding local food places of interest. I found what appeared to be a cutting edge organic farm, lots of places to get fresh trout, and even an old-fashioned meat shop. I was struggling to find a restaurant nearby that served well-prepared, classic Southern fare. My problem was that I was looking for places in North Carolina and hadn't expanded my search to Georgia, the border of which was only 25 minutes from our cabin. In the northern parts of Rabun County, Georgia, is the Dillard House, one of the grandest institutions of traditional Southern cuisine. The Dillard House has been around since 1917, housing and feeding tourists and locals alike. Started as a small boarding house, it now has over 70 guest rooms and 25 cottages. Most of the people come here for the food, however. This was quite obvious during our recent visit when the dining room was filled for a Tuesday lunch by 11:45 AM. The meals at the Dillard House are served family style. I wasn't aware of that when we walked into the lobby and saw the day's menu posted on the wall. I was struggling to decide what meats and vegetables I was going to eat. As we approached the dining room, I saw the waiters carrying huge trays of food – and I smiled. Family style. This is the way that all Southern meals should be served. It fosters communality; it encourages sampling different dishes; it allows us to combine dishes to create new tastes. As we took our seats, the table already had food on it, waiting for us -- freshly sliced tomatoes, cole slaw, chow chow, cantaloupe, honeydew, and green onions – all grown locally. Looking at all these items, my oldest son, Everett, asked me, "Dad, is this a kid friendly place? Do they have a kids' menu?" (You can now figure out the inspiration behind my diatribe against kids' menus!) I calmly advised Everett that he needn't worry, as there would be plenty of good things for him to eat. He was quite pleased when the bread baskets arrived, containing small biscuits, fluffy yeast rolls, and corn muffins. Before the L'il Varmints had a chance to get a single bite into their mouths, the food parade began. It started with the meats. Fried chicken. Barbecued chicken. Country style steak smothered in gravy. Country ham. Chicken stew with biscuits. We caught our breath, and then the side dishes came on the next delivery. Green beans cooked in fat back. Fried okra. Limas. Acorn squash soufflé laced with honey and cinnamon. Cabbage casserole. Creamed corn. Parsley potatoes. They also brought out hush puppies in case we hadn't received enough bread. To paraphrase Maurice Sendak, we let the wild rumpus begin. The L'il Varmints started slowly, trying some chicken, some bread, a bit of country ham. I dared Everett to try the squash soufflé – his grin will always be etched in my memory. My 7 year old daughter, Ryan, began to challenge her older brother to see who would try more different items. She won, trying everything but the cabbage casserole (c'mon, what child wants warm cabbage casserole?). Everett's downfall was the creamed corn -- he wouldn't go there. My 4 year old son, Benjamin, joined in the festivities, eating tons of ham and limas. Our youngest, Clara (2) was very happy with her green beans and chicken. Me? I ate plenty of every single item on the table. My stomach still hasn't recovered. Oh, and then they brought out some fresh peach shortcake for desserved. The ice cream had melted a bit too much, but it was homemade. Plus, the peaches were damn fine. So if you're in the northern mountains of Georgia, near the town of Dillard, make sure you stop by to have a little "snack" at the Dillard House. And tell them Varmint says "Hey." The relish sampler on the table as you arrive. Fried chicken and chicken stew with biscuits. Barbecued chicken. They also served a sauce on the side with this. Country style steak. Tastes better than it looks. Country ham. Notice it's bone-in ham! Veggies! Ryan on her way to win the contest. Benjamin letting you see how much he likes lima beans. Peach cobbler.

Suvir, there's a couple of things you can do to "tighten" this dish up, but I generally don't worry about it. You can add corn starch or more flour, and if you really want to go crazy, tapioca could work as well. However, I think of this dish like a fruit compote with sweet biscuits that's designed to be served with ice cream, using the biscuits to sop up the juices. I prefer the purity of the juices without the thickeners, as they can add some bizarre textural elements that I'd choose to avoid. Thus, yes, you can thicken it up, but it comes at a cost. All a matter of personal preference, of course.

Yeah, peanut butter and fluff is so much better.

In the North Carolina mountains, many of the places are BYO. We couldn't get a beer or a glass of wine in a restaurant to save our lives, which was really a pain. The grocery stores sell the stuff, however.

Yes, Suvir, that is a bit too much. After thinking about it, you should use about 3/4 cup liquid total. Add more flour + baking powder if needed. Have you made biscuits before? Sorry I couldn't recall exact amounts, as I make these sweet biscuits without a recipe and add liquid based on feel.

OK, let's do cobbler -- very simple. Take the berries, cherries (pitted) and peaches (peeled, pitted, and sliced) and toss with sugar (amount depends on total amount of fruit; figure about 1/2 cup per 4 cups fruit), juice of half a lemon and several tablespoons of all purpose flour per 4 cups of fruit. Add a bit of cinnamon, too. Pour fruit into casserole. Oven at 400. Bake fruit for about 10-15 minutes. Make biscuit topping: 2 cups all purpose flour, 1-1/2 Tbsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 3 Tbsp. sugar, dash of salt. Cut in 6 Tbsp. of unsalted butter. Add about 1/4 cup cream, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup milk (I can't recall the proportions exactly, but it's just biscuits). If you don't have buttermilk, just sour your milk with lemon juice. Mix gently. You don't exactly knead the dough, but you fold it a couple of times. Roll out to 1/2 inch and cut into rounds. Put biscuits on top of partially baked fruit. Sprinkle sugar on top of biscuit dough. Bake until biscuits are thoroughly baked and golden (you don't want them particularly gummy on the bottom, but that will be somewhat inevitable. Let cool somewhat, but you want to serve this warm with ice cream. It will be fairly runny, but ungodly delicious.

Suvir, what fruit do you have? That makes a big difference.

Here's a link to the article: http://www.nypost.com/food/1855.htm

If you're looking for high end dining, you may want to check out Gabrielle's, the restaurant of the Richmond Hill Inn in Asheville. Gabrielle's chef is Perry Hendrix, who posts on these boards from time to time. Their website can be found here: http://www.richmondhillinn.com/dining.html. Perry may be able to help you out with other options as well. By the way, please stay far, far away from the downtown of Cherokee, NC. It goes so far beyond tacky and kitsch that it's downright depressing.

J-lew- I'll be putting together my thoughts about our trip in a piecemeal fashion as I get the photos worked out and when I've caught up somewhat from the work overload resulting from the vacation. As far as the Dillard House is concerned, this is pure country cooking served family style. You'll end up with about 20 bowls on your plate, regardless of whether you're a couple or a big family. Ask for more of an item when you run out. You can sample lots of different items this way. By no means is this anywhere close to haute cuisine, but it's mighty fine Southern cooking. And the acorn squash souffle is a wonderful dessert-like side dish! A detailed report, with pictures, will be forthcoming. If you have specific questions, don't hesitate to PM me.

This thread is taking a tern for the worse.

Can't wait to get that new leopard seal coat for my sweetie, too.

Had penguin today again. 42nd day in a row. Maybe I'll make a penguin stew tomorrow. Except I don't have any vegetables. Thus, I guess it's roasted penguin again.

Sorry, Kate, I didn't realize that those items (other than the salad bar) were on the menu.

Kate, that's great that Ruby Tuesday's will do all that for kids, but why can't they just say that on the kids' menu? And why can't they offer those items in smaller portions at a fraction of the cost? Kids can't eat that much food, and parents generally don't want to pay for it. Parents generally don't complain about the kids' offerings because it's cheap and it keeps the children happy. In fact, I'd argue that most parents demand a children's menu now. Provide them with a reasonable alternative, and many of them would be equally happy, as long as you still provided the crayons, of course.

Try a fried egg on that bacon burger some time, Maggie, if you truly want to load up on the protein!

That's why places such as Jaleo or Zaytinya in DC are perfect for kids. Restaurants that serve "family style" work really well, too.

This is my favorite line from the best restaurant review I've read since...well maybe when our own Lady T. reported from New York last month? Ronnie, knock yourself out on that impulse. My wife's family frequently engages in a practice that is referred to as "Competitive Lick-Offs." 'Nuff said.

What were the coolest kids menus that y'all have encountered? Has anyone seen at least one that was creative (with respect to the food itself, that is, rather than what they called it)?

It was a huge treat for my siblings & me to get a Shirley Temple whenever we went out to eat - Soda! And it's pink! And a maraschino cherry! I remeber feeling so grown up when the waiter brought my drink and set it on a cocktail napkin. Does anyone still order those? We usually order milk or lemonade for Emma (age 4) and just milk for Ian, but only because they are still a little young to be drinking soda. We just carry around a case of Jolt for the kids. A lot of places will make Shirley Temples if you ask. The other thing I do from time to time is to order a lemonade, but have them doctor it up a bit with some fruit juice, such as cranberry, grapefruit, or simple ol' orange juice. I then like to ask my children to describe the flavors of this funky lemonade. It's kind of fun.

That matrix is a bit oversimplified, FG, as the parents' tastes may not be in total alignment, either. I certainly wouldn't consider Mrs. Varmint very picky, but there are a number of things she won't eat: red meat, green peppers, spicy (hot) food, cilantro, and a couple other things. Plus, Mrs. Varmint absolutely, positively hates to cook. She's a physician who works 20-30 hours a week for the county health department. She manages to put meals together for the L'il Varmints. She manages to add some fruit and vegetables to every meal. She makes a mean meatloaf (ground turkey, of course), lasagna, pasties and that's about it. Otherwise, she relies on pasta and convenience foods that look amazingly similar to the fare that's found on children's menus. I cook during the weekends, and I obviously do far more than her. Thus, the kids get a mix of stuff, but for 5 days a week, it's pretty standard food. The children are trying things. One loves calamari. Another likes salad and vegetables. A third can't wait for the sockeye salmon season. There's really no rhyme or reason to their likes or dislikes, and we don't worry about it too much. However, when we get to a restaurant with a kids menu, they usually order off of it. That's a battle that isn't worth fighting with my kids, as it's much easier to fight with the restaurant industry!

So does he eat at the kids' table at Thanksgiving, too?

Lissome, in honor of your 666th post, I'll make you feel very good about yourself. I made nachos: Newman's Own Organic tortilla chips, tomato, avacado, scallion, some unremarkable cheddar, sour cream, and some datil pepper sauce.

Sweet out of place? It's canned tuna, fer chrissake. My grandfather always added some type of relish to his tuna salad -- primarily for the sweet. I often do the same thing, but if I have green tomato relish, that's going in before the pickles!