Cajun, Creole and Ozark Adventures with a Bite of the Bluff City and a Dash of the Delta

Great Trip Report!

mayor al


Dale ,
I got the Coconut Cream !! The Chocolate was last seen on it's way to Birmingham , AL !!
Glenn, Nice to see  y0u on the site. it sure has been a long time since our Rancho Cucamonga Meeting. There are times when I miss the high desert very much (but not often !)

 
Hi Al.....I am always lurking. Wish you guys would come back out. We need another LA Area Get together. Be Safe!    

"Farewell"
 
Sunday February 19
 
I left Nashville in a blinding snow storm. Well not really, there was an inch or two of snow on the ground and it was snowing but a half hour into my drive the snow quickly turned to rain and even that eventually stopped as I entered Alabama.
 
I made it to my final lunch stop of the trip
 

 
The Birmingham branch of Dreamland 
 
I reallly wanted to hit the original Tuscaloosa branch but the only way I could have done that was to skip brunch an of course I wanted to say goodbye to my Roadfood friends- well. eventually I'll make it back to Tuscaloosa.
Lots of interesting Irony at Dreamland today.
 
There was a guy sitting across from me with his wife or girlfriend who sounded exactly like Larry The Cable guy.  7 years ago when I was in Tuscaloosa I was getting directions to Dreamland from someone who looked just like Larry the Cable Guy.
 
 

 
Bread and Sauce arrived first
 

 
the half rack shortly thereafter.
 
I said it before when were in Mobile. The sauce was very addicting however the ribs just simply don't compare to the smoked goodness of the original in Tuscaloosa.
 
I hesitated to order dessert knowing that the banana pudding was a disapointment  when I visited the original location back in Tuscaloosa.
 
Well, some more irony is heading my way
 

 
I remember noting that the banana  pudding at Dreamland paled in comparison to the nanner pudding at Two Sisters Kitchen in Jackson. Well this was actually a respectable dish of nanner pudding. Not on the same level as Miss Myra's but on this trip the banana pudding at Two Sister's Kitchen took a turn downhill and paled in comparison to that at Dreamland.
 
I had some time to kill before heading back to the airport and got a cup of coffee at O' Henry's in suburban Main Street Homewood. Afterwards I headed back to the airport for my flight home. After just a 25 minute layover in Tampa St Pete I was back home just after 11 PM.
 
Epilogue and foot notes probably towards the end of the weekend.

Fabulous report!  Every bit of it!  I enjoyed it so much!  Maybe I enjoyed it more since I met you in Nashville?  Your words and pictures now have a "voice".

This trip is at an end? Oh, WJ, tell us it isn't so! I've enjoyed this report very much! I even look forward to the ball park photos and descriptions, and that's saying a lot for a gal who is not sports oriented. You really seem to see so much of the area you are in - you could be a travel writer if you wanted to give up your day job.
 
Looking forward to your next trip in April!
Teresa

Great report, WJ!
 
I like the look of Dreamland's sauce.  How sweet was it?  My experiences with sauces of that color is that they may be slightly so but nothing like a Kansas City sauce.
 
Brad

Thanks everyone- It's good to know that there are some folks still left on the forum who still appreciate what Roadfood is all about.
 
Brad
 
The sauce at dreamland is sweet, but you are correct - not nearly as sweet as the typical sauce found in Kansas City- if I were to break it down, I would probably guesstimate a 60/40 sweet/spicy ratio.
 
 

Great report, wj!  I especially liked the look of that sandwich from Payne's.  Do you recall any of the details of the coleslaw on it?

Most folks from the mid south believe Payne's has the best pulled pork sandwich in Memphis. 

MiamiDon


Great report, wj!  I especially liked the look of that sandwich from Payne's.  Do you recall any of the details of the coleslaw on it?

 
MD
 
The slaw had a very sweet and tangy mustard flavor. 

wj
Another great report!  Last time I was in Dreamland in Birmingham I finished my ribs and the server came over and said, "All we have for dessert is banana pudding".  I said, "In that case, I'll just have more ribs!"

Synopsis and Footnotes
 
Just a brief overview of the highlights and disappointments
 
Non Food Highlights
 
1. New Orleans Weather- sunny and mid- high 60's
 
2. Mississippi River Cruise on the Creole Queen
 
3. St Louis Cemetery Tour in New Orleans
 
4. Staying at the legendary Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale MS
 
5. William Faulkner's Grave
 
6. Climbing the Hot Springs Mountain Tower
 
Non Food Disappointments
 
1. The Disneyfication of Clarksdale MS- this is truly the biggest disappointment of the trip
 
2. The Weather after I left New Orleans- What happened?, I had better weather all winter here in Rhode Island
 
3. Poverty Pete and Cousin Johnny  being down for the count in Nashville  along with Ralph and Lori Melton's travel issues.
 
Favorite Restaurants
 
1.  Bon Ton Cafe- New Orleans LA
2.  Mother's - New Orleans LA
3. Casamento's- New Orleans LA
4. Tujague's- New Orleans LA
5. Miss Myra's Pit Bar-B-Que- Birmingham AL
6. Weidmann's Restaurant- Meridien MS
7. Ramon's- Clarksdale MS
8. Payne's BBQ- Memphis TN
9. Stubby's Bar-b-que- Hot Springs AL
10. Catfish Hole- Alma AR
11. Silke's Old World Breads- Clarksville TN
 
Best Fried Chicken (tie)

1. Two Sister's Kitchen- Jacson MS (traditional)
2. AQ Chicken House - Fayetteville AR (Chicken over coals)
 
Best BBQ 
 
 Payne's - Memphis TN
 
Best Comeback Dressing
 
 Weidmann's Restaurant- Meridian MS
 
 Best Bread Pudding
 
 Bon Ton Cafe - New Orleans LA
 
Best Banana Pudding
 
Miss Myra's Pit Bar-B-Que- Birmingham AL
 
Best Accidental Find
 
Creole Creamery New Orleans LA
 
Best Pies
 
1. Coconut Custard- Neil's Cafe Springdale AR
2. Black Bottom - Weidmann's- Meridian MS
3. Apricot Fried Pie- Pie Shop- De Valls Bluff AR
4. Chess Pie- Sylvan Park- Nashville TN
5. Lemon Ice Box Pie- Elliston Place Soda Shoppe- Nashville TN
 
Best Beer 
 
Pale Ale- West Mountain Brewing Company Fayetteville AR
 
Best Coffee
 
Guillermo's Gourmet Coffee- Little Rock AR
 
Rotten Tomatoes
 
1. Gumbo Shop- New Orleans LA- This takes the grand prize!
 
2. Travelin Manned not once, not twice- but three times- probably the most times on any trip that I've been on in as long as I can recall.
 
 
 
 

Great report as always, dale. can't wait to read your next one wherever you go.

wanderingjew

2. Travelin Manned not once, not twice- but three times- probably the most times on any trip that I've been on in as long as I can recall.

Somewhere, TTM just called you "an amateur"!
 
Like I said on the phone the other night, this was truly one of your very best trip reports.  And that is really saying something!

Mr Chips- That will be Phoenix, Tucson, San Antonio and Austin in 2 1/2 weeks
 
Buffetbuster,
just like you call me an amateur if I don't order two slices of pie per meal!
 
Seriously, this was one of my longest trips since I started doing trip reports- I believe my longest was the "Heartlanding through the Breadbasket" trip and I was only TM'd twice and my second longest was the "Rocky Mountain Highs and Big Sky's" trip and no TM's on that trip at all that I can recall.

WJ,
What a great trip report.   I truly appreciate your quest for good coffee each morning.   My "gold standard" for coffee was actually at the Cafe du Monde many years ago - rich, dark roast with chicory.  None have compared since.  It doesn't look like you even had the choice. 
 
All the wonderful entrees and BBQ but the coconut pie at Neils just leaps off the page at me. 
 
Hopefully one day you will be able to find some good ol' Southern Black Eyed Peas.  It does appear though that you had some excellent hush puppies and fried pickles.  I will soon be on  the hunt for that comeback dressing.
 
I always enjoy the baseball parks but for this trip William Faulkner's grave was the highlight.  You just never know what that man has up his sleeve.  One of my favorite authors.
 
Looking forward to your next trip.

Dale, yet another phenomenal report.  I've re-read this several times and havesalivated over many of your photos!  Such a wonderful blend of food, local culture and off-beat finds.  Thanks again for being a huge part of why I love Roadfood so much! 

aww...gee, thanks Tex-Max and billyboy 
 
I'm blushing!
 

Thanks for a great MS report.  We went to Doe's Eat Place in Greenville last night.  It's outstanding.  Don't miss it if you can.