Category: Adventures in Eating

I know I haven’t been posting much about my rides lately, then I realized that we haven’t posted anything about places to eat. I guess part of that is because we haven’t been to many new places, we have been sticking to the old favorites.

Last week was my birthday. MaryJo asked where I wanted to go for lunch. I wasn’t sure, but I knew I wanted a good steak. Yes, I can cook a pretty good steak at home on either of the grills. But there is something about sitting down and having someone else deal with everything.

There are a couple of steak chains in the area that we frequent, sometimes too often. I wanted some place different. Not that a steak at Outback isn’t good, but it is a chain and everything is so “normal.” You know exactly what you are going to get. I did a quick search on google for local steak places. The chains popped up as expected, but there were a couple of local places. One stood out.

Several years ago, we ate at Stanfield’s in Ford City when a high school classmate and her husband were in town. It was a rustic little place. The steaks were great, and they had an awesome salad bar. A few years ago, the place burned to the ground. I would pass it on motorcycle rides, always wondering what would happen. Eventually, the ground and rubble was cleaned up, we hoped it was to rebuild. Then it was was just left to the land.

That leads me to the list of places on Google, Stanfield’s Eatery. There are several places in the area with the name Stanfield’s, I don’t know if they are all related or not, it doesn’t matter. This particular place had been a restaurant a few years ago. We never paid much attention to the area since we don’t travel that route very often.

I look over the menu on-line and see that it has some nice-looking steaks on the menu. We talk about it and decide that we will be going to Stanfield’s Eatery for lunch!

During the week, near the end of lunch, the place is fairly quiet. A couple of guys are finishing lunch at the bar. I see a few other small groups at booths around the area. We sit in a booth where we can see that bar AND the dessert counter. I face the bar, MaryJo keeps an eye on the dessert counter.

I have been taking a course on bourbon, so I decide to order a little different to see if I can sense the difference in tastes. I order a Whisky Sour with Maker’s Mark. I like bourbon, but some tend to be a bit too spicy for me. I learned the reason: rye tends to be a more spicy, with an herbal aroma than wheat, which has is a little sweeter. The drinks come just as the appetizers arrive. Perfect timing. A quick toast that I survived another lap around the sun (and the first anniversary of my cancer diagnosis), then dive into the shrimp and crab dip.

We both have our eyes widen as we taste the dip, it was great. Hard to think when we have had anything like this in a while. The chips with it were nice, but MaryJo goes full redneck on me and uses her bread from her lunch to clean the dip bowl. We liked it enough that we got another order to go home with us.

My drink does seem to be a little sweeter than many other whisky sours that I order. The sour with the sweeter bourbon gives a great blend, just a bit of lingering taste, which dies out just as you are ready for the next sip. This could be the bartender, the mix they use, the change in bourbon I picked, or a combination of all. I liked it. I have two bottles of Maker’s Mark on the shelf at home, one will be added to the rotation.

MaryJo ordered beef tips with rice and caramel onions. I ordered the filet mignon with onions and Boursin cheese. I expected the filet mignon to be good, so I opted for the onions and cheese to get a new flavor.

As a lead in, I was on a motorcycle ride a few weeks ago. The only restaurant in the area was a rather nice restaurant, it was almost too formal for me. I had ordered the filet mignon with a sweet potato and had a couple of drinks with a dessert. I was VERY hesitant to order at this place since it was expensive, VERY expensive. The drinks were wonderful and the filet mignon was the best I have ever had, it just melted in my mouth. I winced a little when I got the bill, but I knew that when I came in. I complimented the waitress and asked her to pass on to the bartender that I loved the drinks and to the chef that the steak was wonderful.

Back to Stanfield’s… I am glad that I had eaten the filet mignon in Tallahassee a few weeks ago, and glad that I had not eaten at Stanfield’s before eating at the place in Tallahassee. The filet at Stanfield’s was over the top, so much better than the place in Tallahassee. Oh, and the price was a LOT less!

As you would expect with a good filet mignon, cooked to medium rare, it melted in my mouth. The onions gave it just a little crunch, while the cheese gave it just a little wild taste. I will admit, baking a sweet potato is very hard to mess up, but I have been to places where they have managed to do just that. Stanfield’s sweet potato was perfectly cooked. Perfect temperature where the butter melted evenly and all the potato meat pulled away from the skin.

If I had eaten this meal at Stanfield’s before eating in Tallahassee, I would have been very unhappy with the meal in Tallahassee! I might have even asked them to take it back. The difference was phenomenal!

As we basked there in our bloated states, feeling like Jabba the Hutt, MaryJo went to scout out the dessert counter. The waitress, Madison, asked how we liked our lunch. I mustered up enough energy to raise my head and smile. I explained my meal in Tallahassee and how much better the lunch was with her at Stanfield’s. She was excited to heat that and asked if I would mind talking with the owner. I NEVER turn down the honor to speak with the owner.

Vicki came out and we talked. She told us about the changes that she had to do to make the move from Ford City to Sheffield. We talked about our motorcycle travels and eating on the road. The conversation led to drinks. Like me, she loves margaritas. I explained about my bourbon course to help me appreciate bourbons and hard liquor a little more. She likes tequila, but isn’t a fan of bourbon. She explained that she doesn’t like the hard, spicy tastes of bourbon. I had just finished the section on how rye and wheat flavor bourbon. I told her a few wheat bourbons that she might like to try. I meant to suggest using a wheat bourbon instead of tequila in a margarita to see how she liked that. I hope that she reads this and does give it a try.

MaryJo ordered a dozen cupcakes for our dessert to be enjoyed later at home. As I mentioned above, we had an additional order of the shrimp and crab dip to take home for later (we enjoyed that sitting on a picnic table overlooking Pickwick a few days later with French bread instead of the chips).

So far, we have each eaten a couple of cupcakes, keeping them in the fridge. They will be gone in a couple of days, so much for my diet!

To Vicki: thank you for a fantastic meal. We wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing you again soon.

I below to two groups, a local Ham Radio group and the local Harley Owners Group (HOG). Besides their focus in the club names, each group has a secondary (though we sometimes think it is the primary) goal, which is to EAT!

I am the Road Captain for the local HOG chapter and get to plan rides. The first goal is that everyone comes home safe, second is that we have a fun ride, and third is that we eat well. For my friends in the area, I have compiled a starter list of places where we can ride. These places are within about 2-3 hours of the local Harley dealership. If you have eaten at one and have a comment, let me know (good or bad).

The list is in no particular order:

• Warbirds, Courtland, AL – Been there. Great place for a quick bite. Will use this for a stop on future rides.
  
• Holy Smokes BBQ, Scottboro, AL
• George’s Diner, Corinth, MS
• Hagy’s, Shiloh, TN – Been there. Planning to use this as a ride stop on future rides. Catfish is fresh (hey, it is right on the river!)
  
• The Stop, Savannah, TN – Been there. Nice little place in my home town. Across from the skating rink. This has been a stop on past rides, and will be on future rides.
  
• Ted’s Restaurant, Birmingham, AL – Been there. The food is good, but not up to the hype. Prices are bit out of line with other “meat and threes”. People are nice.
  
• Red Barn, Demopolis, AL
• MarcyJo’s, Columbia, TN
• Barrel House, Lynchburg, TN – Been there, several times, and will be back many more! Can be addictive, their sandwich should give you a hint, “Grilled Cheese on Crack”.
  
• Brandin’ Iron, West Point, AL – Been there. Nice place, good food. Not 5 star, but that isn’t their goal. They give you decent steaks and sandwiches at reasonable prices.
  
• Tip Top Grill, Birmingham, AL
• R&T’s Burger, Booneville, MS
• Brook Shaws, Jackson, TN
• Yellow Deli, Pulaski, TN – Been there. Peculiar place. Food is great and fresh, staff is friendly. Can’t take a group here on the weekend, but will try to get some people to ride there during the week.
  

Comments and suggestions for additional places? For these trips, I avoid chains (unless a local chain of three or four locations at the most). If the place has a “story” to go with it, even better. BUT, good food is a requirement.

I usually let MaryJo do the write-up about food stops. Thought that I would give it a try today.

Had an appointment in Birmingham and didn’t want to eat before it. This meant that at 2:30, we were hungry. Our usual plan is back-roads to avoid interstates and chain food stops. A friend had mentioned a place in Carbon Hill, about an hour up the road. It was supposed to be worth the wait, so we decided to head that way.

We went through a couple of little towns, Brookside and Cardiff. Brookside is less than 6 1/2 square miles with a population of just over 1300. Why did Brookside strike our interest? It is the home of St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church! History of the town is that it had been settled by Eastern Europeans in 1894. Some nice little twisty roads that got me thinking about adding an Adventure Bike to the stable (roads were nice and twisty, but a bit too rough for the Harley).

We make a right turn onto US 78/AL4/AL5 and quickly get up to speed. We start talking about “if we see a decent spot…” As we top a hill, we pass Green Top BBQ. I can’t make that turn at speed, but quickly ask if we should give it a try. MaryJo just as quickly responds “Sure!” I make a quick U-turn at the next cross road and head back to Green Top BBQ.

As we pull into the lot, the name seemed to ring a bell. I had just read a couple of reviews of out of the way places in Alabama, but this wasn’t on that list. A few seats at the counter, a few more tables scattered around on the main level and I see more on the lower level. We pick a seat on the main level and are handed a menu. We get an update on the daily specials and sides of the day. We look over the menu and opt for BBQ, MaryJo gets the chicken with white sauce, while I chose the pulled pork.

While we wait, we read the story on the back of the menu. This place started as a “beer joint.” When the current family purchased, the atmosphere was quickly changed and it has had great food and been in the same family for three generations.

MaryJo is enjoying the white BBQ sauce that is native to Alabama. A bit of a spicy mayo based that goes best with chicken. The size of the servings mean that she is bringing most of the chicken home.

Before moving to Alabama, I have had a problem eating pork. Whether it is ham, pork shops, pork loin, or BBQ, it doesn’t agree with my system. I won’t go into details, but it is painful. So, with me ordering the pork BBQ could become an adventure in a few hours. Long story short, it was great! Sauce had a nice mix of tomato and vinegar base, just enough spice to highlight the smoke and flavor of the pork. Fried okra was classic southern and fresh. The green beans with potatoes had enough pepper to give add to the flavor without overpowering your taste buds.

Not having our taste buds overpowered was important since we had a couple of options for dessert that we needed to try. The banana pudding was second only to my mom’s. The deciding factor was that mom has meringue on top and Green Top BBQ didn’t. It wasn’t overly sweet, fresh custard, and bananas at the perfect stage of ripeness for ‘Naner Puddin’. We also tried the lemon pie. Our first thought was that it was a cream pie, it looked all white with a graham cracker crust. One taste told us it wasn’t what it seemed. The lemon flavor filled our taste buds, but again, not over powering. A nice strong lemon flavor, but not too tart. I like tart lemon pie, but MaryJo doesn’t like it as tart. The flavor was wonderful. We liked it so much that we add a couple more to take home.

Since Evangeline didn’t join us on this trip, we didn’t want to leave her out. We ordered a ham and cheese sandwich as well as a chicken finger basket to take home. Evangeline has become a connoisseur of fresh chicken fingers. These were not your food service chicken fingers.

Green Top BBQ is closed on Sundays. It is only a few miles from Jasper, so we can make this a weekday or Saturday trip for the HOG Chapter. We are looking forward to our next visit.

I almost forgot. The staff was friendly, attentive, and willing to tell more of the history when we asked. We are also having a hard time getting used to “Don’t forget your drink to go.”

How dumb is this: living around the corner from one of the best Mexican restaurants for nearly a year and NEVER going there?

How embarrassing, not just dumb. But we finally did, and when we discovered how good it was, we had dinner there at least once a week for nearly six weeks. I think I ate the same thing there every time, just because the dish reminded me of NoVA, but more because it was darn good. Chorizo con huevos: their version has the chorizo scrambled with the eggs, with refried beans, rice, and flour tortillas. Add a bowl of the homemade pico de gallo and the green sauce, and I am set. This is more a breakfast dish, but as far as I am concerned, this could be any time of the day dish for me. I have even requested a second serving for take-home and eaten it for dinner.

Gary usually gets the burrito, and we actually brought the shrimp with vegetables home for Evangeline: her one foray into the local Mexican restaurant meal: it was a big serving too, and she had enough for nearly lunch and dinner the next day (I told you she doesn’t eat a lot!).

The flan is good, and so are the churros. Worth a visit any time.

The only drawback is that there are no sidewalks here, so we can’t really walk over and have a couple of margaritas and walk hone. Not safe, because Cloyd is the cut-through from Mall Drive to Darby, and people fly down this residential stretch like you would not believe. So the best bet is to come early, have a leisurely meal, a margarita, and just sit there and enjoy. Why rush through the meal? It’s not like we have to get up early the next morning to go to work….

One thing I will always remember about Little Mexico Grill is that this was the destination on my first motorcycle ride in nearly three years (six months pre- and the two years post-knee replacement surgery). The second thing I will remember is the good food (not to mention the six-page menu): this is another one of those places where you get bang for the buck in terms of portions and flavor. No ambiance or decor, just plain tables and chairs, a couple of flat screen televisions on the wall, but good food. And I mean good. Portions are more than expected. See?

Gary had the burrito fundido and I had the pollo chori (chicken with chorizo)…and you have to eat slowly to enjoy the food, the flavors (and we couldn’t carry out our leftovers because we were on the bike). No liquor license yet, but you can get Coke, sweet tea, the standard. And dessert? My friend, if you have never had a churro, you need to eat one here. Worth coming back for. Anytime.

One of the nicest things about going to church on Sunday is being able to across the parking lot to a home-style restaurant for lunch. How easy is that? Now I know the Petersville Church of Christ congregation has it good. Just less than 150 feet away is Momma Jean’s, and let me tell you, that is another place if you like meat-and-threes. Chicken-fried steak, creamed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, and something called fruit fluff for dessert. The latter is big chunks of peaches, pineapples, and cherry halves (and not the tiny red cherries in your standard fruit cocktail mix, these were BIG and meaty and toothy), dressed in sour cream maybe and whipped cream.

There is also a back room with booths and tables seating for four people, the main dining room has got the homey decor, and like Homeside, there are the regulars during the weekday. The dessert list is not to be missed, last time we were there I think I counted about six pies.

And did I mention carry out? Call in your order, and they’ll have it ready for you when you get there. Worth checking out…

April 9, 2017 (Sunday dinner)

The boneless fried chicken breast at Momma Jean’s is good. Sorry, Garden Gate, but their chicken is a slightly smaller cut, but it has yours beat in flavor and tenderness. And the squash casserole: I asked for an extra veg with my meat and threes, and that was a good squash casserole. A lot more golden squash than the usual yellow that we see in the market, with a slight bite (spice-wise) that tickled the palate. Not sure if it was an extra splash of hot sauce or pepper, but just enough to make you sit up and take notice.

We brought home a chicken dinner for Evangeline and a four-veg plate for me for dinner, and I told her to taste the sweet potato casserole and the squash. She liked the latter better than the former. Points for the squash! Then I realized what my four vegs (counting deviled eggs as a veg) have in common: the color yellow/orange.

But as I told the young lady at the cashier’s station: it’s a good thing I didn’t see the dessert until a butterfinger cake went by…however, there will be another opportunity…

Now I call this the “Original” because this is the first location that we discovered, Gary and I, courtesy of Steve and Carolyn Letson. I was shocked at the size of the portions for the plate at the price, for starters. Then I got a first-hand view of what local homestyle dining means here: just like Honaker, VA, where the regulars have their table and gather early, the waitress knows who gets what–and some folks come for breakfast and end up staying for lunch. I watched a group of men “bid” on a box of Dolley Madison baked goods and show off their family collections of pen knives. Not just the ordinary pen knives you get at the store, mind you…we are talking hand-me-downs from father to son a couple of generations back. The kind that you would get disowned for parting with.

But I digress: the breakfast was pretty good, two eggs, bacon, biscuit with gravy or toast (you can’t go wrong with either), hash browns. So we took Evangeline there one morning, and she ordered French toast. She thought she was just getting two slices. Don’t know what math she was using, but I assume she thought one regular slice of bread cut into two for an order. She got six pieces (technically, that’s just three slices of bread). Her eyes got big. She didn’t know if she was going to be able to finish her plate (and she doesn’t eat a lot)…she made it through three, and the rest came home for lunch, dinner, breakfast the next day…LOL.

Sunday lunch a couple of weeks ago: we first tried the Huntsville Road location. Bad move. A group of thirteen was ahead of us, and behind us was another big group. So we got in the car and went to Texas Roadhouse. Just as bad. So we ended up at the Cloverdale Road location.

Meat and threes time. Roast beef and gravy was one of the choices. Creamed potatoes, fried corn, turnip greens, fried cornbread, and for dessert: banana pudding. That hit the spot. Time to go home and take a Sunday nap.

Now, to be clear, there are two Homeside Restaurants in Florence, one on Cloverdale Road (Petersville), the second on Huntsville Road. Don’t get me wrong, both are good, they pretty much have the same menu for all day dining, breakfast, sandwiches, and meat-and-threes, but there’s something just much more appealing about the Huntsville Road location. The staff switches around as needed (I assume), especially on Sundays when there is a waiting line out the door (such as when we tried to go to the Hunstville Road location at noon–don’t do that again). The ladies are friendly and personable, sweet as can be, and the owner is great to talk to. Still: the HR place has got a homey atmosphere and a back room that can accommodate the Thursday MSARC Breakfast Club and Baa Black Sheep members…but that is secondary to the FOOD.

Food? Oh yeah. The brisket sandwich when on special. The quesadilla. The two-egg, bacon, and toast with a side of hash browns. The Philly cheese steak omelet, according to Gary. And the shrimp po’boy sandwich. Which is, just so you know, just as good at breakfast as it is as lunch. And which is generally what I order when I go there to eat. I shocked our server last Thursday when I actually ordered breakfast.

I have had the meat-and-threes…one of the best fried cabbage sides on the face of this earth. I will write about the other location in a separate post…Sunday dinner. Sigh.

And did we mention the price? You can’t go wrong with a breakfast for one that is less that is less than $5, or breakfast for three at less than $20. Sandwiches for two is about $20, and by the way, the meat-and-three comes with dessert (I’ve had the red velvet cake, homemade. Yumm.) Can’t beat that.