Author: gatorgirl.outoftheswamp@gmail.com

Acme Oyster House – New Orleans, LA

Fat Tuesday is a New Orleans tradition. People flock there to party all night long. If crowds are not your thing it’s ok. New Orleans is a food lover’s destination. There are a variety of choices: Cajun, seafood, Italian, sweets – all you have to decide is what you have a taste for.

One of the most famous places in New Orleans is Acme Oyster House right there in the French Quarter. Naturally they have the classic raw oysters or fried oysters but in New Orleans they do something special; they have chargrilled oysters. This is the ONLY way I will eat them.

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The way they are cooked on the grill and topped with garlic butter and parmesan cheese, these tasty treats go down easy. Just when you think one dozen will be enough, you end up ordering another 12. Absolutely wonderful! If you have avoided oysters in the past because you don’t want to eat them raw, then I suggest trying them chargrilled.

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While you are at Acme, try a few of their other specialties. The Boo Fries are a must have – French fries topped with beef gravy and cheese. Perfect in the evening after enjoying the sights and sounds of Bourbon Street.

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While you wait for your oysters to arrive try their fried crawfish tails. You get to taste the sweet meat of the crawfish without out all the work of getting out of the tail yourself.

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Acme is busy all the time but they are worth the wait. www.acmeoyster.com

Enjoy!

T

 

Quanjude – Beijing, China

Chinese New Year is a centuries old celebration of the Chinese lunar calendar. It is a holiday that is rich in tradition and a celebration of ancestors. This year is the Year of the Monkey. You might be familiar with this if you have ever gone to a Chinese restaurant in the US and have seen those placemats with all the different animals on them.

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To say “Happy New Year” in Chinese, there are 2 main dialects:

  • In Mandarin (spoken in most cities in China): Gong Xi Fa Chai
  • In Cantonese (spoken in Hong Kong): Gong Hey Fat Choy

I was very fortunate to get to visit China with my family for a once in a lifetime experience. The fun part for me was experiencing a new adventure in cuisine. To celebrate Chinese New Year I wanted to write about a restaurant that we ate at in Beijing. Quanjude is a popular restaurant because they have an award winning Peking Duck, which is a famous dish associated with Beijing.

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The Peking Duck is a whole duck that is roasted until it is super crispy. At first bite you would have thought the duck was deep fried but it wasn’t; it’s just that crispy from roasting for so long.  What makes this duck so special is how it is presented and served. The duck is sliced right in front of you.

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I could have gone without seeing the ducks head, but I had to experience it the proper way.

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The skin and meat are sliced very thin and placed on a Chinese pancake (made from rice). It is served with shredded cucumber, shredded radishes, and a sweet bean sauce. It’s like a Chinese taco. The sweet bean sauce was tasty that I used it  on some vegetables we ordered.

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Their menu was like a book and there were several dishes we ordered. Thank goodness it had pictures because it made ordering much easier.

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We had this wonderful Chinese cabbage that was sautéed in a garlic sauce. It is definitely a dish I would like to try and make at home.

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There was a great sweet corn soup. It is basically an egg drop soup with corn in it. Very simple and similar to what I have eaten at restaurants in the US.

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Tofu is very popular in China. There were several different tofu dishes to choose from but we went for the sautéed tofu that had red chilies in it for a little heat.

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We also tried a sweet and sour shrimp. Clearly you can tell from the picture it was a family favorite. I couldn’t snap a picture fast enough before the plate was empty.

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For dessert we ordered a pastry. It was a pastry dough stuffed with lotus bean paste. The presentation was so cute – little ducks – and the filling was extremely sweet. I had no idea that a bean could be that sweet.

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Needless to say we were stuffed after this meal. It was completely worth it to get to try so many different flavors.  Not everyone will be able to experience China like I was able to. However, there are many Chinatowns in major cities across the United States and every town has a Chinese restaurant. I would encourage everyone to try something different from the menu the next time you visit. You will be amazed at the flavors and you might just find a new favorite dish.

Enjoy!

T

 

 

Chauhan – Nashville, TN

I found myself in Nashville right after a snow storm. Most places were shut down, but it was a lucky chance that when I drove by Chauhan they were open, and packed with customers. They are one of the newer restaurants in the city, specializing in Indian cuisine. It’s in a restored brick building that adds to the mystery of what is inside.

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When you walk in you are greet with wonderful aroma of spices. The décor had an exotic and romantic feel, with the lighting just right to set the mood. They had these fun digital pictures that were projected on the walls that moved and changed. It made me feel like it was something out of Harry Potter.

Since it was so crowded and I didn’t have a reservation, I found a seat at the bar. It’s where I like to sit anyway because you can watch everything that is going on and strike up a conversation with the other guests.

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They have a wonderful selection of cocktails and beers. Watching the bartender make a cocktail was fascinating – they treated it as a true art form. They have all these different bottles with flavors in them (for example one bottle was labeled orange) that they use in the different drinks. I tried a fruity beer that was similar to a Belgium Framboise.

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For a snack I tired the Tandoori Chicken Poutine. I knew I needed to try their interpretation of this Canadian dish. It was a blend of tandoori chicken, cheese curds, and makhani sauce on top of French fries. The makhani sauce was amazing and made the dish! I could have eaten just the chick and the sauce all by itself.

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The customers continued to flow into the restaurant as I sat there. Every dish that came out of the kitchen looked delicious. This is definitely a place I have to come back to.

If you want to try something very unique in Nashville visit Chauhan: www.chauhannashville.com

Enjoy!

T

Rendezvous – Memphis, TN

If you are on the hunt for BBQ in Memphis you don’t have to look that far, after all Memphis is home to one of the major styles of BBQ in the United States.

One of the must visit restaurants for Memphis style BBQ is Rendezvous. They are famous for the pork ribs – which are charcoal broiled. You can get them with their famous dry rub or “wet” with their homemade BBQ sauce.

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Knowing I would not be able to eat a whole rack of ribs myself – I shared them with the table. The meat was fantastic. It pulled right off the bone.

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I also made sure I saved room for their pork shoulder sandwich. I could taste the smoky flavor in the meat even before I added their BBQ sauce.

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The other cool fact about Rendezvous is that many of the staff members have been there 20-30 years. Several of them are just as famous as the ribs. If you need help picking something on the menu, they can help and their experience will not steer you wrong.

I was also able to buy their dry rub at the restaurant to take home. Turns out you can also order it on-line and have it shipped home.

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Check them out at www.hogsfly.com

Enjoy!

T

Anchor Bar – Buffalo, NY

This historic establishment was founded in 1935 and is the home of the Original Chicken Wing that was created in 1964. It was thought up by Teressa Bellissimo who made a batch of wings in a secret sauce to satisfy her hungry son and his friends. Needless to say, the result of a mother’s love turned into a sensation that can be found all over the world.

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When I heard this story on both the Travel Channel and the Food Network, I knew the Anchor Bar had to be on my food bucket list of places to visit.

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I arrived to the restaurant with an appetite and I didn’t want to fill up on any other items on the menu except the wings. I got the Medium Wing Sauce. This is supposedly the original flavor. It still had some kick but was not an overwhelming heat.

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Check out their website to read more of their history and see their full menu. If you do not get an opportunity to visit the Anchor Bar in person you can always order their sauces at their on-line store and bring little taste of Buffalo home.

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www.anchorbar.com

Enjoy!

T

The Highlander – Atlanta, GA

Being stuck in traffic in Atlanta is a terrible thing. It’s even worse when you are hungry. If both of these things happen and you are near Midtown then stop into The Highlander.

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This fun bar/restaurant (which you have to be 21 or older to get into) is a great place to grab a bite to eat. They have a large assortment of burgers and sandwiches, plus an array of comfort food like beef stroganoff.

Since it was a chilly day when I visited I decided to try their Jerk Chili. My server mentioned that this is one of their best items on the menu.

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I also took his suggestion on an appetizer to try. They have a unique take on mozzarella sticks. Their cheese is wrapped in fresh pasta noodles and then deep fried. It creates a nice crunch that you normally do not get with mozzarella sticks. But be careful, they are hot when they come out.

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Another great call out for The Highlander is that they are open till the wee hours of the morning, so you can stop by for some late night munchies.

Visit their website to see the menu and all of the activities they have going on: www.thehighlanderatlanta.com

Enjoy!

T

Hash House a Go Go – Las Vegas, NV

When you are in Las Vegas there are a variety of things to do. In one day you can go to the spa, hang at the pool, check out a show, and hit the tables. Before you know it the sun is rising and you are hungry. There are so many places to eat at on the Las Vegas strip but if you are in the mood for a BIG breakfast then you need to check out Hash House A Go Go.

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They have gotten so popular they have 2 locations on the strip: The Linq Hotel & Casino and The Rio Hotel & Casino. Plus you can always visit their original location if you are in San Diego.

To call their breakfasts big is an understatement. They are HUGE. When the food arrives to the table it’s almost impossible to get all the plates to fit.

I was hungry but not starving so I went for the “Tractor Driver Combo” which is a little smaller of a dish: two eggs, potatoes (but if you are watching your carbs you can get bacon or sausage) and one giant pancake (or flapjacks as they call it).

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Their potatoes were more like mashed potatoes than a hash brown. I would not have thought that would go well with eggs but it did. My compliments to the chef!

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If you have been partying all night in Vegas and need a hearty breakfast I recommend Hash House A Go Go. Get there early because everyone else in Vegas has the same idea too.

 www.hashhouseagogo.com

Enjoy!

T

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Smokin Thighs – Nashville, TN

I was intrigued by this place when I heard that they grill their wings, no frying. I do not find that very often. I was also surprised that in addition to wings they did serve up grilled chicken thighs – hence the name of the restaurant.

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My waitress was wonderful and I asked her what appetizer she would recommend. Hands down she said I must try their Buffalo Chicken Dip. She was 100% right, this dip was amazing. It had a smoky flavor from the chucks of chicken thigh meat plus it was loaded with shredded chicken breast meat that was mixed with melted cheese. They topped it off with jalapeno peppers and tomatoes. There was so much cheesy chicken in this dip it was like I was eating a cheesy chicken salad. If it came in a little larger on a bowl it could have been a whole meal.

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On their listing of side dishes I noticed that they had Chicken and Dumplings. I was really interested to see what their take would be on this southern classic. They use a peppery gravy and thick dumplings and it was then topped off with more of their chicken thighs.

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Now it was time for their wings, the main reason I wanted to stop in. They have many different flavors to choose from so I decided to try one dry rub and one sauce. For the dry rub I went with their Nashville Hot Chicken. It was not too spicy but had a slight kick. The sauce I chose was the Asian Persuasion, a sweet and spicy combination. I loved this sauce. Not only was it perfect on the wings, but I used the rest of the tortilla chips from the appetizer to eat the rest of it.

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While I was eating I got to enjoy their wall of televisions that were showing a bunch of football games. Since I was going to be there for a little while, I ended up ordering one more thing on the menu. It was big so I had to share it, their Thighs on Texas Toast. I saw a note on the menu that is was a “Fan Favorite” so I had to see what the fuss was about and it ended up being my favorite item of the day. It’s a simple dish: Texas toast that has been grilled a little (to add some crispiness) and it was topped with their homemade mac & cheese and crumbled bacon. It was a sweet mac and cheese which I have never had before and it was a perfect way to end the entire meal since the earlier dishes were more salty. If you can only try one thing on their menu it needs to be this.

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See all their mouth watering choices at: www.smokinthighs.com

Enjoy!

T

Field House – Philadelphia, PA

Across the street from the Reading Terminal you can find Field House.

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This is where the Philadelphia Gator Club meets to watch football games. What a wonderful group of people. They were completely welcoming to an out-of-towner.

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To kick off the party right, they had a special drink on the menu for the group – the “Gator Chomp”. It was the perfect way to celebrate the football game.

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They had many traditional pub foods on their menu, all of which sounded good. However, their Kettle Chip Nachos sounded amazing. These were not typical nachos, they layered the chips with house made beer braised short ribs, chilies, smoked melted Gouda cheese and salsa.

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While the flavor combinations worked so well together, it was the short ribs that sent the dish over the top. The meat just fell apart when you touched it and it was so moist. I couldn’t get enough of the short ribs. I wanted just a bowl of that.

I was able to save room for their cheese steak. I couldn’t come to Philly and not have a cheese steak. The chipped sirloin they used was tender when I bit into it and they smothered it with their homemade cheese sauce. It was definitely  satisfying.

If you want to watch your favorite team head over to Field House. Check them out at: www.fieldhousephilly.com

Enjoy!

T

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