Lan4Dawg

some thing rather interesting and some what ironic I noticed (& do not remember it being discussed in this rather lengthy thread). The Angostura bitters say quite plainly on the side of the bottle "not made with Angostura bark". Yet the Fee Brothers bitters claim Angostura bark as one of the main ingredients and proudly note it on the front label.

The website, if you scroll up to my post, you'll see that Devereaux is in an old (1902) cigar factory in downtown Greenville ... 25 East Court Street on Olde Town Square. ← sorry Melissa. I will start paying attention in class I will start paying attention in class I will start paying attention in class I will start paying attention in class......

thx for the information John. If you see Liz tell her a refugee fr/ Anthony's / Seven Oaks says hello. We need to get up to Greenville and see you some time in the near future unless we get lured in to this Devereaux' place. btw, where is it located? & where is the restaurant where Liz is working?

thx Melissa; that was fast! I am glad to know that they are still going strong. We will have to make a trip over there but then we wind up w/ the classic dilemma: 33 Liberty or La Boheme? We might have to stay two nights. ":^)

Jimmy Kelly's! that place has been around for a gazillion years. It is like every steak house in every semi-major city in the US. The food is very good--but not quite great--but at the same time nothing really spectacular just good & solid; the service is down right gushing and you wait so long for a table that no matter what they bring you it is appreciated. There is a signature item that when ever you mention the place people go, "Ah! the__________" in this case it is the "hoe cakes" or "Johnny cakes". The place is an institution and every one talks about it w/ reverence but, quite frankly, there is nothing that special about it except for the fact that it is an institution. That might be a topic of discussion--steak houses around the South. Nashville has Jimmy Kelly's, Knoxville has Ye Olde Steak House, and Columbia's is the place in Lexington, KY. Bone's is Atlanta's answer (but a relative new comer when it comes right down to it).

I do not know if La Boheme is still open but they were very good. Liz Minetta was the chef at Seven Oaks during its brief period as a cutting edge restaurant (it has since closed for more reasons than I can list). She opened La Boheme and we enjoyed it immensely. The food was excellent--cutting edge w/o being frightening. The service was good and the ambience was okay for an office park. It was always a toss up as to whether or not we visited Culinary Capers (now 33 Liberty) or La Boheme when in G'ville. I hope either La Boheme is still open or Liz is twirling her toque and doing a great job some where as she is very talented.

of course the questions are begged: When a customer comes in to my store and requests "champagne" do I lecture him/her on what constitutes "Champagne" (& watch the eyes glaze after about ten seconds)? immediately ask if he/she wants a "'true' Champagne" or a sparkling wine (which usually leads back to the first question)? ascertain their reason for purchase and lead them from there (or just flat out ask how much they want to spend)? or when I take him/her back to the rows of "Champagnes" and present the couple of dozen we carry--lowest price being $25--and he/she walks over to the Korbel/Freixenet/Andre/JRoget/Cook's/Asti/Martinelli Sparkling Cider/et al and proclaims, "Ah, here is what I want!" just sigh, mutter under my breath, and shake my head as I walk away?

I remember as a waiter/bar tender serving an awful lot of bloody mary's, screwdrivers, cape cods (& variations of same) during the 1980's to the point where you could make the drink of choice for that era a vodka and some sort of fruit juice. I know it might not be specific enough for your list but I would say vodka/fruit juice out sold every thing else by a wide margin & not just at Sunday brunch. The only thing that even came close (& you included it) was the margarita.

Never baked with it, but as a five-thumbed, five string banjo picker, The Martha White Theme Song is one of the first songs I battered, right after "Cripple Creak." Earl Scruggs first picked it and, I believe, wrote the music. ← "You bake better biscuits, cakes, and pies 'cause Martha White Self Risin' flour (the one all purpose flour) Martha White Self Risin' flour's got 'Hot Rize'" Any one who listens to "Praire Home Companion" will easily recognize that the "Powder Milk Biscuits" theme song was stolen fr/ Flatt & Scruggs Martha White jingle.

A good point by kpurvis about using the ingredients at hand. Another thing I have found is that a restaurant opens in a region not used to what ever ethnic food they advertise and in order to stay in business same restaurant starts changing its food to match the hoped for clientele. Instead of having traditional Southern food they have Southern food that yankees will eat. Of course the same thing happens to any ethnic food which explains the multitude of chains whose food bears little actual resemblance to that ethnic or regional source which it tries oh so hard to "emulate". btw, chicken and waffles are, I believe, a rather new "traditional" dish. I was not familiar w/ it at all until some one fr/ out side of the South mentioned it to me as a "soul food" favorite. I know Gladys Knight has (or had) a chain of chicken and waffle restaurants but I really think it was a west coast invention that has its "roots" in soul food but is not actually Southern (kind of like chop suey which is not only a great analogy but, if memory serves, was invented by an American cook w/ limited resources trying to please his employer who wanted some thing "Chinese".)

Well the Fuss pointed out that since we were not going to go to NOLA we should at least have NOLA food and that since her favorite NOLA food is Red Beans & Rice (w/ Andouille Sausage) and that since one of her favorite versions of RB&R is that fr/ Dooky Chase and that since Dooky Chase is a NOLA institution and that since DC is not open b/c of the hurricane and that since RB&R is kind of a New Year's Day type food and that since we will be playing close to NYD....... so we are having Red Beans & Rice (w/ Andouille Sausage) fr/ Dooky Chase cook book--or at least a variation there of, a Brennan's salad (fr/ their cook book), and sUGAr cookies to keep the sUGAr theme in there some where. As for the cocktail--we do one of those for each game as well--I kept thinking of doing a hurricane but did not know how well that would go over considering so I found a Blue Mountain (remember West, by God, Virginia's colors are blue & gold and their mascot is the Mountaineer). It sounds kind of odd--dark rum, vodka, coffee liqueuer, & oj--& I might have to sample it this evening to make certain it will work. (btw, thx RET for the hurricane suggestion but I could not get any thing to work correctly and it kept coming out green) If you are in the area come by for a visit & as always, HDHD

we make it a point to eat at Dianne's every other year when we are in cola and have always enjoyed it how ever I must admit that the first time we visited was the best (part of that might have had some thing to do w/ the fact that our waitress was a dead ringer for Cindy Crawford--complete w/ the mole! despite the obvious "handicap" the Fuss even liked her) and it has been some what hit or miss since but usually hit and when they do miss they do their best to atone for errors. We had a really bad experience at Blue Marlin a few years ago that turned me off the place and I try to steer people clear of that particular restaurant (it was a repeat visit and on the second go 'round the food was not very good, the service was down right awful and the on-duty manager decided to set up shop w/ her adding machine in the booth directly across fr/ us to do waiter check outs; complete w/ a glass of wine, lit cigarette, a parade of wait staff in various stages of dress and volume, and the coupe de grace--removing her shoes and rubbing her feet as we were trying to eat). I would not be so upset about the incident except for the fact that I sent a letter to the owner as soon as we got home. After not hearing any thing for a month I gave the benefit of the doubt to him and sent a copy of the same letter w/ a cover letter of explanation for a second letter (lost in the mail, over looked, &c). It has been about six years and I still have not heard any thing so I definitely do not recommend Blue Marlin.

A bit of a dilemma. We are to play in the sUGAr Bowl v. West (by God) Virginia and I am at a loss as to what to serve for our tail gate meal. I usually do some thing involving the mascot--marinated grilled game hen for the socar game cocks and smoked hog for the Arkansas Razorbacks were both on the menu this season, the color if the school is known for it--orange & ginger seared sea scallops for Tennessee whose color is orange and Beef "Maroon" (Bourgignonne) for the Miss St "Maroons" were the offerings this year, or the region--bourbon & apple marinated pork tenderloins for Kentucky and beef and lots of potatoes for Boise St. are two examples of what I served. Since the game is moved to Atlanta fr/ NOLA I do not know if we should do some thing traditionally New Orleans (how ever I just did grits and grillades when we played LSU in the SECC) in honor of what should have been the host city, or some thing like sUGAr cured ham b/c it is the sUGAr Bowl, or find some thing that is a traditional West (by God) Virginia type food but am having problems finding a typical WVA food type (I thought Dabney's book would be more help than it is). And there is not much you can do w/ "Mountaineers". I keep leaning to a sUGAr cured Virginia ham but am very open to ideas. Any suggestions?

I want to be invited to your house for your step-daughter's birth day. ":^) All of those vegetables remind me of camp meeting/all-day-preaching-and-dinner-on-the-grounds where you would find on the table all manner of vegetabes known to man and a few that I swan were "known but to God". I wish I could remember the chef who pointed out that grits, like the starch of any other region--be it rice, potatoes, pasta, or what ever, were simply a means of getting salt and dairy in to one's mouth; grits just happened to be Southern and there fore were mis-understood.

I will come to your rescue (insert picture of Lan4Dawg wearing an apron as a cape and carrying a whisk and a dozen hard boiled eggs arriving at the door to protect your honor). As far as I can remember we always had boiled eggs in the gravy and I just asked the Fuss & she said her mother and grand mother both put eggs in the gravy as well. I can not imagine giblet gravy w/o boiled eggs. Now having said that my aunt made the gravy at Thxgiving this year but she made a cream gravy and not "giblet" style so there were no eggs in it. Interestingly enough I remember on the food network's Thxgiving show Paula made the gravy and Emeril commented on the fact that she put eggs in the gravy and seemed to find it unusual. Of course Paula set him straight immediately.

Black Maple Hill is delightful. We did a tasting of their line last week and it was superb--wonderfully smooth yet w/ character. Interestingly I liked the rye as much as the bourbon and I am not usually a rye drinker.

Oh & I discovered tonight as Fuss was making pecan pies for Thursday that Karo's is the "only" corn syrup. She stopped at the market on the way home and bought some--dark naturally. I pointed out that we already had some as well as some Alaga in the cupboard and Fuss told me that "Alaga will do in a pinch but, as my grand mother said, 'if it ain't Karo it ain't Korn Syrup!'".

Duke's Mayonnaise! A few years back we were going to Charleston for a friend's Bat Mitzvah. As soon as I pulled off the inter-state I saw a Piggly Wiggly w/ a sign out front stating, "Duke's Mayo @$.99". Well naturally it was one per customer & you had to have the PW card so we got 2 PW cards--one for me & one for Fuss and proceeded to stop at every PW we saw between Augusta and Ch'ton and back so we could go in and get 2 jars of Duke's Mayo. I returned to Ga where PW's are few & far between w/ a case and a half of Duke's. Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard (neither are Southern but are musts) Charleston Plantation Gold Rice (I mail order it or have friends bring it fr/ Ch'ton) Fuss does the baking and is not particular about flour except for Swan's Down cake flour; how ever she will use nothing but Crisco shortening. I brought home a store brand one day and still have the boot marks on my butt fr/ the episode.

sorry but ISP problems have kept me off the board until now. And sorry we missed you in Nashville. Our usual tail gate spot is now a huge construction hole in the ground so we moved to an elementary school a couple of blocks away. The police were hassling us about being on park property (which we were, kind of) until we fed them and then they left us alone. "Show us your black, show us your gold" sesame chicken was a big hit (both w/ fellow tail gaters and w/ the police) and, of course, we enjoyed the game. Smokin' razorback for the arkies this Saturday.

I think there are as many ways to prepare grits as there are Southerners. Cover the bottom of a pot over medium heat w/ just enough fat--butter or bacon/sausage grease--to cover and creep up the sides to prevent sticking. Take one part good quality ground grits (not quick grits or instant grits or any of those other abominations) and whisk (using a whisk is very important as it prevents lumps and sticking) grits in to hot fat. While continuously whisking add 1 1/2 parts chicken stock (preferably home made), 1 1/2 parts filtered water, 1 table spoon (or to taste) hot sauce, a pinch of salt & several grinds of black pepper. Continue whisking until all ingredients are blended. When the mixture just starts to boil turn down to a simmer and whisk every once in a while to prevent lumps and sticking. After about fifteen/twenty minutes check for consistency. They should be just over thick. Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 & 1/2, or cream depending on just how decadent you want to be. Again whisk well until blended, make certain heat is at the lowest temperature and allow the dairy to saturate and get hot (about five minutes or so). Check consistency and just before serving whisk about 1/2 cup (or to taste) grated rat trap cheese in to mixture. Add more hot sauce, S&P to taste. Remove fr/ heat, cover, and allow to sit for at least five minutes. Whisk again and serve. Them'll make you slap your momma! For true decadence add some chopped fried country ham to the grits when you add the cheese and serve the whole lot w/ some red eye gravy, pork brains in cream gravy blended w/ mixed up cackle berries and a couple of "cat head" biscuits to mop up what ever spills off your fork. Oh man, I think I know what I want for dinner.

Vandy foot ball is an event now! & as sorry as Ole Miss looks you should be 5-0 after this w/e. If UGA is playing we will be there. I well remember going to Nashville and watching the band march through empty parking lots trying to get what few fans were there up for the game. One year we offered money to them to play "Glory, Glory". We actually had a few do it for us. ":^) Not knowing what time the game starts we are a tad up in the air about the actual tail gating meal. A member of our group lives in Nashville and we have not decided whether to head to his house after the game or what. Either way we will be at the game and plan to be in the parking lot between Vandy Place & West End some where around 30/31st street well before the game (we usually beat the parking attendants in to the lots). Look for a black trailer w/ "Finish The Drill" across the back, a large black umbrella, our banner proclaiming "The Dawg Dish Supper Club & BullBat Sports Bar Tailgating Society", several children running around, and a whole bunch of people. Just ask for Lan4Dawg and most will be able to point you in the right direction. We will be drinking Vanderbilt Cocktails some time around 11.00 or so depending on game time.

I realize this could go on the general foods board but since no one plays foot ball as we do in the SEC & no one tail gates as we do in the SEC then the SFC board seemed most appropriate. Are there any fellow tail-gaters out there for whom we should look this season? or any one planning to be in Athens this fall? There are about three dozen of us who attend games in Athens and about half that number who attend the away games--"the DawgDish Supper Club and Bullbat Sports Bar Tailgating Society". I am responsible for feeding the group (this started on a lark when some friends joined Fuss & me for a game and has since become a major under-taking) and plan menus featuring an item fr/ the region/state where the opposition is located or their mascot or school colors. We have a great time and I was just wondering for whom we should look in our ventures this season or if any one else wants to compare "war stories".

Just a man holding a cigarette w/ an odd way of speaking stepped out of the woods and said, "Presented for your consideration....."

My dear Robyn, I hope that you are not for one minute thinking I am condoning controlling the avian population with cats--either domestic or feral. Just as I would not condone controlling the criminal element w/ large dogs having a large dog in the yard is a deterrent to a burglar. One would think that having several cats in the back yard near the blue berry bushes would be a deterrent to the birds. I probably should have known better, however, when I watched a mocking bird light on the side of the cats' food dish and proceed to eat several pieces of the cats' food before taking off. One of the cats was snoozing about three feet away and barely opened an eye to the entire event. The post was more "tongue-in-cheek" than any thing as we enjoy our feathered friends and Little Miss Trouble who spends hours at the front window watching and "talking to" her birdy "friends" would be highly upset if they ever abandoned us.

Have you considered frozen white peach puree? Perfect Puree (perfectpuree.com) offers it. Put it in the refrigerator on Thursday and it should be thawed by Saturday. ← thx for the information. I have been looking for a frozen peach puree mix for bellinis for a while and now have a source. Hopefully it is available in the Atlanta area.