-Aaron

!Tacos y cerveza... muy bien!

I'm actually on a set schedule now and I go to each theatre in my area on a "regular" basis. (Up until something breaks and I have to make "midnite express" run! )

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Well, on your first trip down South it should be a requirement to stop and eat at a place like this:

Melear's Barbecue, in Fayetteville (near Atlanta)

It's on Highway 85, just outside of the town of Fayetteville.

So take a look at the shelves, lined with all kinds of different pig statues and such. When the waitress walks up and asks, "What'll ya' have?", what are you going to say? That's easy! Just say, "Barbecue Plate". It doesn't matter. If you're in a place like this and you ask for Fois Gras, you've got another thing comming!

It's a real Spartain, cement block building. I don't know but it seems to me that places that spend a lot of effort on fancy decor are usually not the ones with the best food. I guess that's why I like the dingier, out of the way places.

So... what's REAL barbecue like? First off, it's got practically NOTHING to do with barbecue sauce. When you get barbecue done right, the sauce can be found in squeeze bottles on the table. The meat is served plain. With true Souhern cookin' it's all in the PROCESS.

How do you cook real barbecue? Easy... you go out and dig a hole in the back yard. (Really!) If you want to get fancy you can line it with fire brick or somethin'. Then you fill it part way with firewood and set it ablaze. Then you wait until the fire has burned down to embers. You put a screen down to keep your meat off the coals, put it in to cook and then cover the hole with a sheet of metal, or somethin'. The idea is to "slow-roast" the meat, not to incinerate it like most of us Northerners do. The process of cooking barbecue takes hours but it's worth the wait.

When cooked this way, barbecue comes out tender and juicy but not the slightest bit greasy or fatty. It's got a nice smoky flavor that doesn't taste like "charcoal" the way some Nothern cooking gets. Usually you get a side of "slaw" and pickles if you want. Sometimes you can have Brunswick stew with toast or bread on the side, too.

When I went there it was on a Sunday afternoon. I was probably the only one in the place. I had my reservations about that, but by the time my order came the place was almost full of people. You know if the locals all eat there they must be doing something right, eh?

Anyway, my bill came to a little over $10, not including the tip. They don't accept plastic, so be sure to bring cash.

If you are a "just-fallen-off-the-truck Yankee" like me and you want to find a place to eat, find yourself a place like this and order your self a glass of "sweet tea" and a plate of barbecue. You'll probably be glad you did!

The Crown & Anchor Pub
On Tropicana just east of Maryland Parkway

This place introduced me to the wonders of bitters, ales and stouts (not just British ones either), and British pub food. Run by a British couple it's very authentic, complete with live-by-satellite Soccer matches on the tele. The place is the gathering spot for all of the British expats in town. Also a hang out for many of the local TV, AV and stage freelancers. Some nights we could get an IATSE 720 quorum in there!

Lindo Michocan
On Desert Inn Road just east of Eastern

The best Mexican food in 'Vegas, end of story! Very authentic, not Tex-Mex or Americanized at all. Tortillas made by hand while you watch (Machines? We don't need no stinkin' machines!). Very good Margaritas. Lots of tequilas not normally found in the US (Javier the owner, travels back to Michocan regularly and always brings back something different). Specialty of the house: Goat in mole sauce. Dang it--I've made myself hungry now!

It's called Sonny's

It's based out of Florida and that's where you'll find most of the restaurants. I have been to one in Atlanta, GA and there are four of them in South Carolina, right near Charoltte. (The home of the Charlotte NASCAR track)

If you make it to Salt Lake City don't forget to try the Market Street Grill. Definately one of my favorite stops. Their salads can't be beat and their fish and steaks are also hard to beat. Be sure to try some Wasatch Ale while you're there.

Brad, Old Country Buffets are all over the place. OK if ya need to pig out. The food is passable but a bit high on MSG for the most part. Not a real healthy place to visit very often.
In SLC and Boise we have Chuck'A'Rama. Its like Old Country Buffet but on a smaller scale. The food is perhaps a micron or so better. The places are known as "Up Chuck 'A' Rama" to the locals.

I really get tired of all the fast food places while I'm on the road. I spent a month in Greensburg Indiana which is a really nice town but lacks any really nice restrauants. All the usual fast food places there and a couple of small joints but nothing memorable. At least there is a really nice 6 plex there now!

If I travel around the southeast I like the standard Waffle House Restrauants for breakfaast. Its always fun to watch the short order cooks try to keep up with the incomming orders. And the pork chops are really good too.
Mark @ GTS

They do it in just about every W.H. that I have been to so it must be some kind of policy.

Shoney's used to be a halfway decent place before it was taken over by TCI or whoever the management group was. I gave up on it about five years ago.

Waffle House restaurants vary tremendously. FWIW, There are two things to notice as you walk in the door - at least one waitress should greet you by hollering out as you enter, and the grill area and floors should be clean. If you see a dirty floor or sullen staff, walk out. My one peeve with WH is the 1/2 size face-n-chin napkins they use. I've never seen smaller napkins.

Checkers can be surprisingly good for fast food. I was surprised that their burgers can be better than McD or BK.

Real southern cooking is still best at the hole-in-the-wall restaurants along the main street of a town or main drag in a rural area, though. If the collards are cooked with bacon fat, and half the dishes come with gravy, you've hit the jackpot.

Surprisingly, some of the health food stores have restaurants or cafes that serve good (albeit fat-free) meals. Chamberlins in Orlando comes to mind.