Month: March 2021

Daylight Donuts – Johnson City, TN

The mountains in Eastern Tennessee are absolutely beautiful. I was visiting Johnson City and the campus of East Tennessee State University. While driving around I came across a local donut shop not far from the campus. Daylight Donuts was calling my name.

When I walked in, I could smell the sweet donuts in the air. I could not wait to get my hands on one. To my surprise, they also had kolaches that they made fresh. I would never have expected to find these in Tennessee.

I ordered a sausage, jalapeno, and cheese kolache. They warmed it up for me. The cheese that oozed out was nice and crispy. When I took a bite, I could taste the sweetness of the yeast roll. The sausage had a slight heat from the jalapeno, nothing overwhelming. The creaminess of the cheese helped calm down any sign of spice.

Since I was originally there for donuts, I made sure to grab two. The first one was the maple donut. This was a yeast donut that was light and fluffy. The maple icing was sweet and full of fresh maple flavor. It was perfect on a cool morning with a cup of coffee.

The second donut I shared. I was starting to get full. This was also a yeast donut and I selected the chocolate icing with multi-colored sprinkles. The icing had an awesome chocolate taste and the sprinkles gave it a nice crunch.

These donuts were very satisfying and the kolache was a great surprise. The staff at Daylight Donuts was great. They were really friendly. If you are in Johnson City check them out. Grab a donut or a dozen.

Enjoy!

T

55 South – Brentwood, TN

Several years ago I visited the original location of 55 South in downtown Franklin, Tennessee. Since that time they have opened up two more locations. I was looking forward to checking out their Brentwood location.

What I remembered about 55 South is they have influences from New Orleans in their dishes. They have chargrilled oysters on the menu, which can be found all over New Orleans. Plus these are one of my favorite dishes. Their oysters were topped with garlic-lemon butter and parmesan cheese. There was a nice salty taste from the cheese. The lemon in the butter gave it a nice zing.

The parmesan cheese was cooked to be a little crispy. I enjoyed picking it off of the oyster shells. The grilled toast they provided helped me soak up the extra garlic butter.

The other dish I ordered was the Garlic Parmesan Crab Fries. These were fresh, crispy French fries that were tossed in garlic butter. Then they smothered the fries in lemon mayo and lump crabmeat. These fries were addicting. The garlic flavor shined through and paired perfectly with the tangy taste from the lemon mayo. The crabmeat added sweetness. They used a generous amount of crabmeat. They did a great job combining all of these ingredients to make a unique dish that was very satisfying.

I really enjoyed the food as 55 South. There were several new dishes on the menu since my previous visit. I cannot wait to come back and try some other things.

Visit their website at www.Eat55.com

Enjoy!

T

Conforti’s Bakery – Brick, NJ

There is a family-owned Italian bakery in Brick, New Jersey called Conforti’s Bakery. They always have a ton of cars in their parking lot, so I decided to check them out.

They make fresh a full line of Italian breads, pastries, desserts, and cakes.

Because of the Covid restrictions that were in place, I was not able to actually go into the shop. That was a disappointment because I did not get to smell all those baked goods in the air. That is the fun part of walking into a bakery.

They did have a walk-up window that allowed you to order. It was a pretty efficient process.

They boxed up the sweet treats and then you are off on your way.

I ordered one of their cream puffs. It was larger than most cream puffs I have seen. They put a decent amount of powdered sugar on top to add extra sweetness.

The pastry dough was light and airy. This allowed for the vanilla cream filling to fill every nook and cranny. There definitely was a lot of filling. It was so smooth and creamy. I loved how the pastry added texture to the smooth filling. Because this cream puff was so large, I had to eat it with a fork. This helped me prevent a huge mess.

This stop for some dessert was great. I look forward to going back and trying something else. I am also looking forward to when everything gets back to normal and I can go inside the bakery.

Check them out at www.confortisbakery.com

Enjoy!

T

Boardwalk Hot Dogs – Brick, NJ

Nothing has made me happier than getting to travel again. The planes starting to get a little fuller, the roads a little more crowded, and the restaurants are opening (even if it is in just a limited capacity). I was happy to be back in New Jersey and getting to visit Boardwalk Hot Dogs, that has been around since 1982.

Now they have more than just hot dogs on their menu, but I was there specifically to try their Italian Hot Dog. I was not aware of what this style hot dog was, so I was anxious to try it.

They took a footlong hot dog and grilled it up on the flat top. Then they placed it inside a roll that looked almost like a pita pocket, but it was freshly made bread. Then inside the pocket they stuffed it with homemade home fries, which were nice big chunks of potatoes that were fried up till crispy on the outside. They then topped it off with sautéed peppers and onions. They were cooked till caramelized, and sweet which complemented the salty taste of the hot dog. This was the most filling hot dog I have ever had. It is perfect for sharing. And because its inside a pocket, it is not that messy to eat.

I could not leave without trying a classic Chili Cheese Dog.  The footlong hot dog was placed on a traditional hot dog bun. They smothered the hot dog with chili (which was meat only, no beans). Then liquid cheese was spread on top on the chili. The smoky taste from the hot dog paired well with the savory taste of the chili. It was extremely messy to eat this hot dog.

I was happy to get to travel and visit a new restaurant. Check out their website at www.boardwalkhotdogsnj.com

Enjoy!

T