Alabama Getaway...

[SKinCA]

Hi all,

I'm headed to Alabama first thing in the am. I've been going there all my life and it seems to me that, aside from oysters, I don't really have high expectations of the food there.

Am I missing something? Is there something off the beaten track or a new place that's worth checking out?

Help me out! I can eat oysters every day for 6 days, but on the 7th I need a change.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Mobile dining options galore!

Highest rated Mobile restaurants which includes, please note: Hooters, Cracker Barrel, Olive Garden and the like ....

Edited May 26, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[SKinCA]

It's exactly what I expected GG. Of the restaurants on that site's lists, I've been to:

Justines- I had to send my plate back because the fish was raw and I'm not sure, but I think that was the place that I couldn't have a burger med-rare because, as the waitress explained to me "it's just not safe to serve it that way".

Loretta's is ok - they try but but don't always succeed.

Dreamland is actually rather good bar-b-q.

I don't know - anyone want to move to Mobile and open a restaurant? Town's wide open, as far as I can tell.

Hooters! Olive Garden! <snort!>

[Gifted Gourmet]

It's exactly what I expected GG.

I never promised you a rose garden .. not even an Olive Garden!

[Mayhaw Man]

Dew Drop Inn - I love this place. It is what most people think about when they think about southern food. My dad went to The Old Shell Road School during WWII and used to eat lunch here. It hasn't changed much.

The Catalina Seafood Rest.

450 Azalea Rd (just off of Airport Blvd on the right headed South)

Once again, I eat here every time I am in Mobile. Fried seafood done right. Get crab claws. THey are cheap, plentiful, and delicious.

Lambert's (home of the throwed rolls)

Foley, AL

People love this place. I like it.

If you can get down there, the Grand Hotel has an awesome Sunday Brunch

Of course, you know about Wintzell's

dinesite has lots of places listed. Most of them aren't chains. I found B. Thai Cuisine there. It is a strip mall Thai place on Airport Blvd (between McGregor and the Interstate) that I love. reasonable and really tasty.

Hope this helps. You're right. They need help over there.

[FistFullaRoux]

I lived in Mobile for a couple of years. I honestly cannot remember a meal. At least for the food. The only possible exception is Cock of the Walk on Government. I think. And then I'm not sure it's the food I'm thinking of. I think I was chasing a waitress. (I was single at the time )

For being a very old city with a ton of history, you'd think you could eat well. There are better seafood restaurants at the beach (which is actually 1 or 2 hours away, depending on your choice of Gulf Shores or Dauphin Island). Admittedly, I didn't do much fine dining during my stay there, but usually you can find a gem or two in the mid-level restaurants from time to time. But I got nuthin.

The whole town is just kind of... eh.

My biggest memory of Mobile, beside hurricane Georges, is when the wind turns north in the winter. That paper plant north of town will clear your sinuses.

But I did find the archetypical Waffle House waitress there. Early 50's, fire engine red hair, pencil tucked in behind the ear, chewing gum and called everybody "Sugar". The nametag read "Dot". I think that qualifies.

[SKinCA]

Thanks all for the suggestions. Wintzells is a must for my daily oyster fix.

Dot's still there.

Paper plant closed but I remember that smell!

It's funny that for a town with a rich history, right on the coast with excellent access to seafood, great ante-bellum architecture (right up next to the Popeyes, of course!) that Mobile has no really good food.

I'm toying with the idea of eating in N'awlins on my way in, since I'm flying through there and I'd rather be eating than caught in traffic. Won't be able to drink, but a good meal to tide me over would be the right thing to do.

Been to Bayona (and wasn't it one of you who suggested a Thomas Keller vs Susan Spicer match - hilarious! She rocks!) but might see if as a solo diner I can walk into Nola.

Thank you all again.

[Mayhaw Man]

but might see if as a solo diner I can walk into Nola.

Thank you all again.

I do it all the time. Especially for dessert when I chane my mind after leaving someplace else. It's not far from our place and conveniently open kinda late.

Just tell them you are a single and sit at the bar. The bartenders are happy to serve you (mo money, mo money ). Order what you want, but that big ass pork chop with the sweet potatoes is hard to beat. Really good. Everytime.

[Blondie]

Thanks all for the suggestions. Wintzells is a must for my daily oyster fix.

That's a fine start right there.

Paper plant closed but I remember that smell!

Eww. Yes, that's a scent that sticks with you.

I understand the Brick Pit (on Old Shell Road) is still good. It was my BBQ nirvana until the Pig Pickin’ at Varmint’s.

Dew Drop Inn - I love this place. It is what most people think about when they think about southern food. My dad went to The Old Shell Road School during WWII and used to eat lunch here. It hasn't changed much.

Yes!

If you can get down there, the Grand Hotel has an awesome Sunday Brunch

I’m biased, but I think it’s well worth the trip. My grandparents lived over the road from the Grand Hotel, along the golf course, and I consequently spent most of my summers there growing up. It's a gorgeous spot. Brooks is right, the Sunday Brunch is fantastic. I’m *really* looking forward to my visit later this year.

Does anyone know what’s up with Judge Roy Bean’s in Daphne? Hopefully that’s still worth a stop.

[Mayhaw Man]

I am embarrassed to admit this, but since it was mentioned no less than 3 times I thought it might be kind of funny-my grandfather was the mill agent (this is equivelant to GM in mill-speak) at the IP Paper Mill in Mobile off and on for twenty years. I am expert on the smells of the various mills that he worked at and in the towns across the South my dad grew up in (Springhill, Camden, Moss Point, Mobile, Bastrop-they all smell the same-yuck).

I forgot to mention, the Dew Drop Inn has a stupendous hot dog. It might seem a little bit strange to the uninitiated, but it's really, really good!

[Chad]

Might I add, since no one else has mentioned it, that the original poster picked a briiliant name for this thread. Alabama Getaway, before the Grateful Dead f*d it up, was (and still is) one of the best fiddle tunes of all time. I know a couple of national champion flatpickers (and a couple of Weiser-vet fiddlers) who rely on this tune to get them through the early rounds of contests. Nice reference!. After nearly 10 years of trying, I still can't play it worth a damn.

Chad

[joiei]

Several years ago, i spent some time at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear. When I asked the concierge what to do and where to eat in Mobile, she told me to go to Pensacola. "They have more fun over there".

It is interesting that a city of that size has Nothing in terms of intriguing dining. I guess all the homegrown chefs are working somewhere else. Too bad.