Whistlin' Dixie

3 Olives


Country fried steak in the Southeast is cubed steak dredged in seasoned flour and fried. Swiss steak is not Country Fried Steak. There is NO baking.

If you look at WJ's post #38, he states---
"Country fried steak, mostly found in the Meat n Three's in the South, is floured, baked and simmered in brown gravy and onions..... "
Country Fried is a misnomer---Country Fried Steak IS Baked! Just like Swiss Steak!
 

wanderingjew:  That BBQ sandwich looks outrageous!!!  I so love southern food.
 
I have a question about the hash at the SC BBQ place: it looks like chili--did it taste like chili or sloppy joes, maybe, or what were the primary flavors in it?  Thanks!

I'd never heard of Hash & Rice before so went hunting and found this one .
Saw numerous ones for Texas Hash & Rice.
HASH WITH RICE
Printed from COOKS.COM

---

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 c. green pepper
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 c. canned tomatoes
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 3/4 c. cooked rice
Saute beef, onion and green pepper with the chili powder, salt, pepper and garlic powder until meat is no longer pink. Stir frequently to crumble meat. Add tomatoes and rice. Spoon into a greased 2 quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serves 6 to 8. 
  
 

Carolina Bob
  
Glad to have you back!
Strom Thurmond isn't enough ???
 
PNW Chef and 3 Olives
  
Nailed it on the Country Fried Steak controversy. Yes, PNW Chef, the meat is fork tender, there is a clear and obvious difference between chicken fried and country fried steak and we're only a couple of chapters away from the real thing.
 
Nancypalooza
 
They had me fooled, I never would have guessed that the mural at Cola's was new, it seemed so 1950's or 60's. The building itself appeared deserted when I tried to take a peak through the locked glass doors.
I did take some more photos of the capitol grounds but I didn't post them, so perhaps I did catch a photo of your scoundrel.
 
Foodbme
 
I always thought Swiss steak was akin to Salsbury Steak? If that's the case then Country fried steak ain't no salisbury steak.
 
The recipe that you posted for hash  is not the SC BBQ Hash I enjoyed at True BBQ
 
love2bake
 
I too love southern food and I'm glad I live far enough north where I can avoid it. If didn't I'd be in real trouble.
 
BBQ Hash does have a consistency similar to sloppy joe. it's made from "pork innards" ( I don't want to get more specific) and the sauce to me tastes like a more subdued version of the South Carolina mustard sauce, it's almost always served over rice. To me it seems like a substitution of the brunswick stew commonly found in North Carolina or Georgia or the burgoo found in Kentucky
 
I hope to continue the next chapter tomorrow evening which will be my only free time over the weekend.

Count me as another fan of Community's barbecue sandwich - it looks fantastic!

Foodbme


I'd never heard of Hash & Rice before so went hunting and found this one .
Saw numerous ones for Texas Hash & Rice.
HASH WITH RICE
Printed from COOKS.COM

---

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 c. green pepper
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 c. canned tomatoes
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 3/4 c. cooked rice
Saute beef, onion and green pepper with the chili powder, salt, pepper and garlic powder until meat is no longer pink. Stir frequently to crumble meat. Add tomatoes and rice. Spoon into a greased 2 quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serves 6 to 8. 
 
 

Hash, like Brunswick stew and bbq sauce has many different variations in the southeast, particularly South Carolina.

True that, Kevin.  I've had hash at a dozen or so places, and only once was it made with ground beef.  The hash at Midway BBQ in Union SC is my favorite, and that beef is shredded.

WJ-
Wish you had told me about Community BBQ while I was down there, so I could have visited, too!

Besides the usual outstanding photos and descriptions in this report, this thread has become a favorite just for having Nancypalooza back posting again!

In Kansas, the terms Chicken Fried Steak and Country Fried Steak are used interchangably. Minute Steaks simmered in a Tomato based gravy are called Swiss Steaks. The steaks that Wandering Jew is talking about with Onions and Mushrooms in a Brown Gravy is called a smothered steak here in Kansas. But what something is called definately has regional connotations.
 
I was taking a required class for my major a few years back on how to design public opinion surveys and polls. One of the surveys that we were shown was done by a group of students from a college in Oklahoma. They surveyed people from every county in the country and created a color coded map of the United States. It indicated what the majority of those surveyed each county called a carbonated beverage. It was interesting to see where soda, pop, soda pop, and Coke were used. It was the first time I had ever heard that Coke was used as a generic term for any flavor of carbonated beverage.
 
CNW

And the South is one of the places where you will find "coke" used for any flavor of carbonated beverage. We also ask folks if they want a "drink" (usually a carbonated beverage) and we will not be serving you an alcoholic beverage - so be forewarned! LOL!

Another great trip report, WJ.  I'm ready to head towards SC to get there in time for lunch!

Buffetbuster
 
Yeah, I was very remiss.....
 
Carlton Pierre
 
 (and anyone else I may have missed)- Thanks!
 
 

Thursday August 30
 
I began my first full day in Atlanta with coffee and a muffin at the San Francisco Roasting  Company in the Virginia Highlands neighborhood. I previously visited back in 2008. I loved the atmosphere, however the coffee wasn't as good as I remembered although it wasn't bad. That's ok I'll have another coffee house up my sleeve that seemed intriguing for the next day.
 
After breakfast, I decided to tour the Margaret Mitchell House.
 

 
 

 
Located in the Midtown neighborhood, this is where Ms Mitchell lived when she wrote Gone with the Wind.
This was actually an apartment building and Ms. Mitchell and her husband lived in one of the apartments.
 
 
Photos were allowed in the museum but not in the apartment itself which looked just like it did in Ms Mitchell's heyday in the 1930's.
 
 
 

 
 

I believe these were the initial rough drafts for the characters Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara.
 
One interesting tidbit about Clark Gable who played, Rhett, he agreed to play the character only under the condition that he did not have to take on a southern accent.
 

 
 

 
These were the actual typewriters used by Ms Mitchell, one of them she used for her job at the Atlanta Constitution
 
The museum was very informative although I wished they would have allowed photos in the apartment...
 
Afterwards it was time for lunch....
 

 
Matthew's Cafeteria 
 
in suburban Tucker. I was really looking forward to trying this place.
Good ol' southern style cooking doled out cafeteria style
 
 

 
I began with some warm slightly sweet corn bread.
 
I was hoping fried chicken would be on the menu, but it wasn't....Instead I went with the pork chops.
 

 
 
The pork chops quickly eased my disappointment about the fried chicken. Believe it or not, those are rutabagas on the left. They were pureed into a sweet creamy mass of heavenly delicousness. Truly the best rutabagas on the trip. And those limp porky green beans are what every southerner should be proud of...
 
But that's not all folks...
Here it comes... YES!!!
 

 
Finally I've been vindicated!
Real honest to goodness NANNER Pudding....
Now this is what nanner pudding should look and taste like...
 
If Community BBQ was my favorite meal of the trip, then that makes Matthew's Cafeteria my second...
 
Today was another day where it looked like rain. In fact it would drizzle on and off for most of the day.
In other words, it would be the perfect afternoon to spend at
 

 
 

 
 
At the Atlanta History Center in the Buckhead neighborhood. 
In fact, I will be spending most of the afternoon here.
 

 
 

 
There was a really interesting display about the 1996 summer olympics held here.
 

 
I believe this was one of the mascots..
 
There was also some Native American art on display
 

 
As well as some interesting local crafts
 

 
 
And some crafted musical instruments indigenous to the region.
 
 

 
The civil war display was immense...
 

 

 

 
 

 
 
This is supposed to be a woman in mourning...mourning perhaps her son, her husband or her father that served in the confederate army....

The end of the civil war display left me with this message.
 

 
Besides the olympic and historic display indoors, there were also some outdoor exhibits as well..
 
Specifically..
 

 
The Smith Family farm which was moved a short distance to the museum in the 1970's. The exhibit also included an open hearth kitchen and slave quarters.
 

 

 
Unfortunately photos were not allowed inside the Smith House itself...
 
After leaving the museum, I  crawled in rush hour traffic up to suburban Roswell....
 
 

 


Anticipating the worst of rush hour traffic, I arrived early, with just enough time to check out the town square and gazebo.


 


 
 
Right next to the town square I made my way to
 

 
Spiced Right Rib House
 
 

 
A very local chain with only 2 or 3 locations..
 
The inside has a nice feel to it..
 

 
 
Shortly afterwards, roadfooder Heartbreaksoup arrived, with his lovely wife Marie, and their little 16 month old tyke (unfortunately he was too young to enjoy some bbq)
 
Both Hearbreaksoup and his better half have a food blog called Marie Lets Eat. 
Both the blog itself and Hearbreaksoup were very helpful with my decision making about which BBQ Joints I would hit in the Atlanta area during my trip.
 
The menu is on display on the wall behind the counter.
 

 
I ordered the pork sandwich which comes with choice of two sides 
 


 


I chose the corn souffle and slaw, however fresh cut fries came instead. 
Our waiter was really nice and brought over the slaw  and let me keep the fries as well.
 
 
 
I also ordered a cup of some of the smokiest Brunswick stew of the trip...
 
'
 
There were several squirt bottles of bbq sauce, one was spicier than the other.
 
Besides the average slaw, everything was a winner. 
However the most curious side was the corn souffle, it reminded me of cheese grits but with the consistency of 
Virginia style spoon bread. 
The Q itself was smoke nicely with lots of shreds of "Mr.Brown" .
 
Heartbreak Soup, his wife, Marie and I spent most of our time at dinner, talking about their blog, bbq around Atlanta, and my trip and where I was heading.....
 
I wish we could have spent more time taking but I had to had up to Alpharetta to meet up with a friend I haven't seen in 8 years....
 
I took the 15 minute drive up to Five Seasons Brewing, a brewpub in Alpharetta, to meet my friend Bob. We used to work together when I lived in Pittsburgh and he moved to Atlanta about 6 or 7 years ago. He lives about 40 miles north of the city in Cumming, so Alpharetta was the obvious half way point...

We taked about old times over a couple of local brews.  I wasn't hungry, but Bob ordered an alligator appetizer, I tried some, it tasted like chewy chicken......
 
Afterwards, I headed back to my hotel for some much needed sleep after running around all day....
 
That's it for now until next week....
 
The Roadfooding will be picking up "double time" in the last remaining chapters (guess whose coming into town for Labor Day weekend?)
 
More to come...next week....
 


 

Foodbme


I'd never heard of Hash & Rice before so went hunting and found this one .
Saw numerous ones for Texas Hash & Rice.
HASH WITH RICE
Printed from COOKS.COM

---

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 c. green pepper
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 c. canned tomatoes
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 3/4 c. cooked rice
Saute beef, onion and green pepper with the chili powder, salt, pepper and garlic powder until meat is no longer pink. Stir frequently to crumble meat. Add tomatoes and rice. Spoon into a greased 2 quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serves 6 to 8. 
 
 

Thanks foodb!  I'd never heard of hash looking like that, so wondered about it.

wanderingjew


Carolina Bob
  
Glad to have you back!
Strom Thurmond isn't enough ???

PNW Chef and 3 Olives
  
Nailed it on the Country Fried Steak controversy. Yes, PNW Chef, the meat is fork tender, there is a clear and obvious difference between chicken fried and country fried steak and we're only a couple of chapters away from the real thing.

Nancypalooza
 
They had me fooled, I never would have guessed that the mural at Cola's was new, it seemed so 1950's or 60's. The building itself appeared deserted when I tried to take a peak through the locked glass doors.
I did take some more photos of the capitol grounds but I didn't post them, so perhaps I did catch a photo of your scoundrel.

Foodbme
 
I always thought Swiss steak was akin to Salsbury Steak? If that's the case then Country fried steak ain't no salisbury steak.

The recipe that you posted for hash  is not the SC BBQ Hash I enjoyed at True BBQ
 
love2bake
 
I too love southern food and I'm glad I live far enough north where I can avoid it. If didn't I'd be in real trouble.

BBQ Hash does have a consistency similar to sloppy joe. it's made from "pork innards" ( I don't want to get more specific) and the sauce to me tastes like a more subdued version of the South Carolina mustard sauce, it's almost always served over rice. To me it seems like a substitution of the brunswick stew commonly found in North Carolina or Georgia or the burgoo found in Kentucky

I hope to continue the next chapter tomorrow evening which will be my only free time over the weekend.

wandering:  You are brave!  If they'd said "pork innards" on the menu, I'd have skipped it for sure.  There's a place in my neighborhood that sells a taco of guts.  Mmmmm boy! 

love2bake


wandering:  You are brave!  If they'd said "pork innards" on the menu, I'd have skipped it for sure.  There's a place in my neighborhood that sells a taco of guts.  Mmmmm boy! 

 
 
love2bake
 
Thankfully, there was no menu description, but when I first learned about SC style Hash and Rice through the Sterns, that's how they described it.

Foodbme

3 Olives


Country fried steak in the Southeast is cubed steak dredged in seasoned flour and fried. Swiss steak is not Country Fried Steak. There is NO baking.

If you look at WJ's post #38, he states---
"Country fried steak, mostly found in the Meat n Three's in the South, is floured, baked and simmered in brown gravy and onions..... "
Country Fried is a misnomer---Country Fried Steak IS Baked! Just like Swiss Steak!

Again. it is fried in in a cast iron skillet in the southeast.

Heartbreaksoup


True that, Kevin.  I've had hash at a dozen or so places, and only once was it made with ground beef.  The hash at Midway BBQ in Union SC is my favorite, and that beef is shredded.

 
Heartbreaksoup:
Indeed, and a lot of it is made with left over pulled pork that's very good, too!

Wanderingjew, I've lived in the Atlanta area for 18 years and love it here! I did get a chuckle about crawling in Atlanta traffic, I thought "welcome to Atlanta"!! Nice report, I can't wait to see the rest. I hope you made it to Mary Mac's!

Alligator=chewy chicken, that's exactly right.  :)  Maybe I haven't had enough examples of gator.  They seem to be really fond of it in Atlanta.

Thanks for the report. I live here and haven't visited some of those places.

WJ,
Would you please describe what was in the Hash & Rice you had at True BBQ beside the Rice? (I figured that part out all by myself!))

(I ate there with Dale.)  It's mostly very finely chopped pork with spices.  There *can* be organ meats in barbecue hash but in most commercial places, they're serving a hash made entirely of trim from pulled pork.  There's not a huge amount of meat in hash so it has always been a 'what to do with leftovers' type deal, and it's up to the skill of the cook as to how it tastes.  I am sure the recipe above is legit, but there are as many variations as there are people making it.  True BBQ advertises that they have the best hash around, and they probably do.  The hash and the collards are my favorite two things on their menu, and they are items I typically don't eat anywhere else.

Beautifully done report, as always, WJ! Your pictures always make me hungry!!

Prediction - the Wanderingjews of the distant future will be going to Atlanta for their now well established culture of excellent pizza
 
Atlanta is fast becoming home to some of the finest pizzerias in the country

The wanderingjews of the even more distant future will disdain the few legendary remaining Atlanta pizzerias, maintaining they are now only tourist traps that no local would be caught dead in.

agnesrob and 3 Olives
 
Thanks for reading, 3 Olives, you should definitely check out the places I visited in the Charlotte area....
 
foodbme,
 
I think Nancypalooza explained it better than I ever could and she did a great job of doing so.
 
TJ
 
Funny you should mention that right before the chapter where Buffetbuster makes his appearance because he and I discussed your pizza place (but we didn't go)
 
Bruce
 
I think that will happen when the Bruce Bilmes' of the far distant future will finally conceed that just because they don't care for a place  (no matter now legendary and uniquely LOCAL),  doesnt' make it a tourist trap.
 
--
 
New Chapter tonight....

Beautifully done report, as always, WJ! Your pictures always make me hungry!!

Absolutely!  I'm heading to the Buford area of NE Atlanta and thinking of sneaking off to Tucker for some downhome eats.

TJ-
I certainly remembered you raving about the pizza place in Atlanta, but truthfully, pizza is one of my least favorite foods.  That doesn't mean I wouldn't be willing to try it on a future trip.