Deep South and Texas Ball Park Trip

I'm going to try something new this year, instead of trying to duplicate what failed last year. I'm leaving April 8th so I still have some time. These are my plans:

1- I'm flying to Nashville, and then I plan on renting a car. I won't be spending much time in Nashville but I plan on renting a car.

2- My first stop will be Little Rock AR and I plan on seeing the Double AA Arkansas Travelers. I'm looking for a good Catfish Restaurant in or very close (within 10 miles) of Little Rock. The last time I was there in 99 I went to Grampa's Catfish house, I'm willing to go back, but I'm willing to try something new too.

3- Then it's off to Houston to see the Astros. I saw the recent
Houston Thread and will probably use that for suggestions. On the PBS sandwich special, they mentioned Thelma's BBQ- any good?

4-After Houston I'm off to Dallas to see the Rangers play. I do plan on stopping at Joe T Garcia's and possibly Angelo's. If there are any better bbq places in Dallas Fort worth, please let me know. I've been to Sonny Bryan's but want to try something different.

5- I'll be back tracking to Memphis to see the Red Birds. I think I have that covered. I do plan on going back to Interstate and Cozy Corner, however I may even try Paynes too.

6- I'll be off to New Orleans to see the Zephyrs. On the way down I plan to stop in Jackson MS for lunch. I've been to the Cherokee inn and Bobby and Mary G's white house, does any one have any other suggestions for some good meat n three's or Southern style buffet lunches? In New Orleans I definetely plan to go to Mother's, Uglesich's and the Central Grocery. Are there any good cheap breakfast places to check out? (I've been to Cafe Du Monde)

7- My final stop will be Birmingham AL to see the Barons. I definetely want to try West Indies Salad and Deviled Crabs, any good recommendations. Finally I've heard about Alabama White bbq sauce and I'm dying to try it (yes I know all about Dreamland) and will probably go there too.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!

I don't know about the Birmingham area but Big Bob Gibson's restaurant up in Decatur uses an excellent white sauce on their chicken. I highly recommend it. Don't miss out on the wonderful pies they have also!

John

quote:

Originally posted by RibDog

I don't know about the Birmingham area but Big Bob Gibson's restaurant up in Decatur uses an excellent white sauce on their chicken. I highly recommend it. Don't miss out on the wonderful pies they have also!

John

cool! I can stop there on the way back to Nashville. Is the white sauce usually just served with chicken only?

I second the RibDogs REecommendation for Gibson's.

You say you're renting a car in Nashville...Is that to make the whole trip or are you flying some of those links? If you are on I-40 Between Nashville and Memphis, You MUST take time to visit Mr Hays Smokehouse in Lexington TN (exit 108 east of Memphis). Only open weekends (Friday-Saturday) But his is the ultimate roadfood BBQ experience for the person who visualizes the true ROADFOOD concept.

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

I second the RibDogs REecommendation for Gibson's.

You say you're renting a car in Nashville...Is that to make the whole trip or are you flying some of those links? If you are on I-40 Between Nashville and Memphis, You MUST take time to visit Mr Hays Smokehouse in Lexington TN (exit 108 east of Memphis). Only open weekends (Friday-Saturday) But his is the ultimate roadfood BBQ experience for the person who visualizes the true ROADFOOD concept.

Al-

The only flying I'll be doing is Providence to Nashville round trip, everything else will by car. The total trip is going to last 9 days. I'm going to try to fit Hay's Smokehouse in, I was hoping to check out the Loveless Cafe in Nashville before heading to Little Rock. SO perhaps I'll have breakfast there and then lunch @ Hays!

Great Choices.. I haven't been to Loveless since it reopened. I will be interested in your review.

wj, if you're still in the mood for good catfish when in Jackson, MS try a place called Cock of the Walk. I was there on busness about 10 years ago and it was great. It's out by the reservoir and I have seen it mentioned on Roadfood before. Really good fried pickles and catfish.

While it has been several years since I moved from Fort Worth to Austin, I recall that Railhead Smokehouse in Fort Worth might actually have better BBQ than the more well-known Angelo's (here is a map <<http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2742962-railhead_smokehouse_fort_worth-i>>.

That being said, Sonny Bryan's is so good, why not try it again? I actually favored Sonny's above those two others.

Also, to this day, Kincaid's Grocery & Market, also in Fort Worth, serves the best burger of all time - huge, hefty, and the place drips with atmosphere. There is a Roadfood review of Kincaid's here.

I lost about 15 pounds when I moved to Austin, mostly because I had to give up my weekly Kincaid's bacon cheeseburger/onion ring/ranch dressing fix Fort Worth has lots of Roadfood-type of places that haven't been reviewed - "Ricks on the Bricks" comes to mind (a home cooking place on the red brick-lined Fort Worth road of Camp Bowie).

Of course "of all time" means IMHO only. I was in a rush and probably fantasizing about the burger; such bold statements will be hotly contested I know...

New Orleans--if you're down in the French Quarter, a good place for a cheap, light breakfast is Croissant D'or on Ursulines St. They have wonderful pastries, croissants, brioche, etc. Lots of Quarter residents hang out there--it is not a tourist trap at all. Thay also have very good cafe au lait at a fraction of the cost of the touristy coffee shops!
Central Grocery is good - I like the warm muffs at the Napoleon House.
There is a bar-be-que chain around Birmingham that serves pretty good que, but their icebox pies are even better! It's called Johnny Ray's. Don't forget the Irondale Cafe, inspiration for Fannie Flagg's "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe". (It was owned by Fannie Flagg's aunt) Their stuff is good and typical Southern meat & vegies.
Sounds like a great trip! Have fun!

quote:

Originally posted by wanderingjew

quote:

Originally posted by RibDog

I don't know about the Birmingham area but Big Bob Gibson's restaurant up in Decatur uses an excellent white sauce on their chicken. I highly recommend it. Don't miss out on the wonderful pies they have also!

John

cool! I can stop there on the way back to Nashville. Is the white sauce usually just served with chicken only?

If my memory serves me correctly, they cook the chicken for a while then they dip the chicken into the white sauce and put it back on the cooker. There is always more sauce on the table but I think they only use it for the chicken and possibly the really good smoked turkey that they have also.

John

In Dallas one of my favorites is the Mecca, on Harry Hines Blvd, just north of Northwest Highway (Loop 12). Open only for breakfast and lunch, their chicken fried steak, or any "and three" is very good, and their homemade giant yeast rolls are better than any dessert.

A little more in the vicinity of the Ballpark at Arlington is Babes's Chicken Dinner House in Roanoke, TX. Great fried chicken or CFS with family style sides of creamed corn, mashed potatoes, beans, etc.

Thanks all for your suggestions so fa

I've looked at some of the Stern's previous books.

Is Massey's in Forth Worth still around? How is their Chicken Fried Steak? Is it still good?

How about the Magnolia bar and Grill in Houston? Still any good??

Thanks!

Sounds like a great trip!

Most of my recommendations are on the Houston thread, but I must insist you try my favorite Tex-Mex place, www.spanishvillagerestaurant.com! It is not far from downtown, and a lot of people come from downtown for lunch.

Also one of my favorites - www.thisisithouston.com , right on the edge of downtown. Heaps of food! Check out the menus for the day on the website as they vary.

Another is http://www.nikonikos.com/contact.htm for greek, very lively bustling place in the heart of the always vibrant Montrose area.

I have not been to Thelmas or the Magnolia, but there is an excellent Houston website with "real people"/customer reviews for every restaurant in town. Please check it out. You can sort by type of food, expense, area etc... http://www.b4-u-eat.com. For example, read the info about the Lankford Grocery, reputed to have the best burger in town (also close to downtown) http://www.b4-u-eat.com/houston/restaurants/reviews/rsv1965.asp

Hope this helps!

Oh, I forgot! The PIGSTAND! On Washington avenue, straight shot from downtown. Excellent for breakfast or lunch, one of the originals. They shot scenes for "Evening Star" with Shirley McClaine there. In the book, she would always go there for 2 0r 3 pig sandwiches after visiting her grandson in prison. You just HAVE to go have one meal there!

I don't care about the food. I envy you the minor league ballparks.

For fried Chicken - The Barbeque Inn. Talk about a blast-from-the-past! Efficient and friendly waitresses in black and white uniforms in a spotless 1970's era dark paneled, oranged booth restaurant. It takes them 20 minutes to cook the chicken after you order though. The pies are delicious, they get them from a place called "Dee-Dees" pies.

http://www.b4-u-eat.com/houston/restaurants/reviews/rsv0263.asp

All of the places I have recommended are not too far out from downtown.

quote:

Originally posted by Lone Star

Sounds like a great trip!

Thanks so much Lone Star! I knew I could count on you! The Mexican restaurant looks promising

quote:

Originally posted by berndog

wj, if you're still in the mood for good catfish when in Jackson, MS try a place called Cock of the Walk. I was there on busness about 10 years ago and it was great. It's out by the reservoir and I have seen it mentioned on Roadfood before. Really good fried pickles and catfish.

I'm not sure that "Cock of the Walk" is still open. But even if it is, the best catfish in Mississippi is served at "Jerry's" on highway 49 about 10 miles south of I-20 around Jackson. "Bubba's" in Jackson also does some fine barbecued ribs, but I'm sure that you plan to check that out in Memphis.The "Elite" in downtown Jackson has great southern cooking, with rolls worth a special trip themselves.
Another excellent place for catfish along Interstate 55 is "Middendorf's" at Manchac, Louisiana. They serve paper thin filet strips as well as the full meaty ones.

quote:

Originally posted by wanderingjew

Is Massey's in Forth Worth still around? How is their Chicken Fried Steak? Is it still good?

Massey's reopened, and I think it's fantastic CFS.

Hey, why don't you consider swinging through Round Rock and catching a game of the Round Rock Express at Dell Diamond. You probably know this, but the Express is an Astros farm team, and this is they are moving from AA to AAA starting this season. www.roundrockexpress.com

I could show you some great Roadfood here.

quote:

Originally posted by Bushie

quote:

Originally posted by wanderingjew

Is Massey's in Forth Worth still around? How is their Chicken Fried Steak? Is it still good?

Massey's reopened, and I think it's fantastic CFS.

Hey, why don't you consider swinging through Round Rock and catching a game of the Round Rock Express at Dell Diamond. You probably know this, but the Express is an Astros farm team, and this is they are moving from AA to AAA starting this season. www.roundrockexpress.com

I could show you some great Roadfood here.

Hey Bushie,

Glad to hear from you. My schedule is going to be so tight I won't have any time to make it to Round Rock I'm spending 2 nights in Houston, then an overnight in Dallas and then I'm heading to Memphis and New Orleans.

Hillbilly and Berndog. I've been to Cock of the Walk before in Natchez, it was really good, it was there that I first tried Fried Dill Pickles. I think I went to the Elite in Jackson for breakfast. If I can recall, I believe Jackson had an historical African American neighborhood adjacent to the downtown area and I'm hoping to find a good soul food restaurant in that area. I think I might check out the local Jackson Newspaper on the net, Im sure they have a restaurant section.

quote:

Originally posted by wanderingjew


Hey Bushie,

Glad to hear from you. My schedule is going to be so tight I won't have any time to make it to Round Rock I'm spending 2 nights in Houston, then an overnight in Dallas and then I'm heading to Memphis and New Orleans.

Well, too bad. Please keep it in mind for the future, though. I think the Express will be here awhile...

Regarding lunch in Jackson...

The African American neighborhood is Farish Street, and the best soul food restaurant on Farish is Peaches, a local institution since 1961. You pick an entree, two sides, and get corn muffins and dessert for about $5, tax included. The food is good, not great. I would go more for the history and ambience. The best lunch place is Two Sisters Kitchen, a buffet place on Congress St. just North of the Capitol. They serve the best fried chicken and grits in town. Everything is fresh made and tastes like it (it's pricier: about $11 for all you can eat).

But the best place to go is E&L BBQ on Bailey Avenue just north of Fortification Street. It's a soul food/barbeque restaurant with some of the best pork ribs I've ever had. Be sure to get "dipped wings:" giant fried chicken wings dipped in their great bbq sauce. After E&L, head north on Bailey, go left on Woodrow Wilson, and take a right on Livingston to have the best hot tamales in town at Tony's Tamales. I'd hit E&L, and then grab a dozen hots for the road.

quote:

Originally posted by sturockoff

Regarding lunch in Jackson...

The best lunch place is Two Sisters Kitchen, a buffet place on Congress St. just North of the Capitol. They serve the best fried chicken and grits in town. Everything is fresh made and tastes like it (it's pricier: about $11 for all you can eat).

After E&L, head north on Bailey, go left on Woodrow Wilson, and take a right on Livingston to have the best hot tamales in town at Tony's Tamales. I'd hit E&L, and then grab a dozen hots for the road.

Thank's Sturockoff!

Two Sisters sounds like the place for me and if I'm still hungry I might pick up a few (not a dozen Tamales) for the road. I'll be on the way down to New Orleans so I don't want to fill up too much!