Road Trip Deep South HELP!!!

I'm planning a "roadtrip" in March 2005 from New Orleans to either Atlanta
or Orlando. Our trip will take 5 days in order to enjoy the backroads of
the south. One goal is to experience the fine dining available in that
region of the country.

What you folks could help with is which towns I should make a point of
seeing and where are the BEST SEAFOOD, BBQ & LOCAL CUISINE places along
this route. After I get input from this NG and others I will decide the
route and places to stay.
We are not the bed & breakfast type, but small hotels with character along
the way would help as well.

Thanks in advance!!

Reply to me at or here on this NG

"mtbchip" wrote in message
...
I'm planning a "roadtrip" in March 2005 from New Orleans to either Atlanta
or Orlando. Our trip will take 5 days in order to enjoy the backroads of
the south. One goal is to experience the fine dining available in that
region of the country.

What you folks could help with is which towns I should make a point of
seeing and where are the BEST SEAFOOD, BBQ & LOCAL CUISINE places along
this route. After I get input from this NG and others I will decide the
route and places to stay.
We are not the bed & breakfast type, but small hotels with character
along
the way would help as well.

Thanks in advance!!

Reply to me at or here on this NG



My vote for best catfish is always Mack's, just north of Hattiesburg, MS on
Hwy 49. Fried whole catfish , fried catfish fingers, fried catfish fillets;
fried oysters, clams, trout, chicken; fried potatoes, onion rings and dill
pickle slices - then there is the rest of the buffet. A must stop on my
trips north.

Chris

On 04/15/2004 6:23 AM mtbchip wrote:

I'm planning a "roadtrip" in March 2005 from New Orleans to either Atlanta
or Orlando. Our trip will take 5 days in order to enjoy the backroads of
the south. One goal is to experience the fine dining available in that
region of the country.

What you folks could help with is which towns I should make a point of
seeing and where are the BEST SEAFOOD, BBQ & LOCAL CUISINE places along
this route. After I get input from this NG and others I will decide the
route and places to stay.
We are not the bed & breakfast type, but small hotels with character along
the way would help as well.

Thanks in advance!!

Reply to me at or here on this NG




Atlanta has become so big and cosmopolite that it's more like a northern
town. In Georgia you'd have a better, more regional, dining experience
in Savannah GA. Orlando is one big theme park. Local cuisine is tied
in one way or other with the Mouse. Perfect stops from N' Orleans would
be Ybor City (near Tampa) on Florida's West Coast. Ybor City was
founded by a cigar maker from Cuba. It still has a strong Cuban
Flavor. Shoot over to the East Coast for either Miami Beach and Little
Havana. Little Havana is Cuban but slightly different cooking style
from that found in Ybor City. Or, you could do Ft. Lauderdale Beach.
Ft. Lauderdale is a mix of Southern Florida cooking, Greek, Island,
Afro-American, Tex-Mex, and yes Cuban. Some of my picks in Ft.
Lauderdale:

North of Ft. Lauderdale along the inland waterway is Cap's Place. Pres.
Harry Truman ate there and said "Don't change a thing." They haven't.
Cap's place has survived hurricanes, floods. It's still a ramshackle
collection of buildings on an island in the inland waterway serving up
great seafood South Florida style. You park in a marina area and take a
shuttle boat out to the island where Cap's Place is located. The
snapper soup is excellent.

In the beach area near Sebastian St. Beach is Casablanca Cafe. The food
is a real delight. It's an eclectic mix with something regional or
something nouveau for every taste.

Over by the main marina is The Quarterdeck. There is a chain of these
in Florida. It's a simple pub with great grub from Grilled Catch to
Tex-Mex combination platters. You can also get a pretty good cup of
Conch Chowder there.

The movie "In The Garden of Good and Evil" was filmed mostly on location
in Savannah, Ga. There's a mix of restaurants in Savannah but be it
French, German, Southern, or Chinese All-You-Can eat they all get that
Savannah touch. I would select it over Atlanta any day.

--
________
To email me, Edit "xt" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

My vote for best catfish is always Mack's, just north of Hattiesburg, MS on
Hwy 49.

Ditto that.

007

--
******************
Bill E. Burk
Publisher, Elvis World Magazine

[Remove "NOSP" from my e-mail address]

where are the BEST SEAFOOD...places along this route.


The Steamer in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Orlando is big theme park. Local cuisine is tied in one way or other with
the Mouse.

Fortunately that's not true.

Once downtown, away from the tourist traps to the southwest, there's a
wealth of varied options. http://www.orlandoweekly.com/dining has a decent
list. We're fond of the dozens of Oriental restaurants just east of
downtown, within a mile of where SR50 (Colonial) and US17-92 (Mills)
intersect. Little Saigon in particular stands out.

Head West on I-10 then up I-55. Not far (? miles) up I-55 in Manchac,
La, there's a restaurant called Mittendorf's which my wife swears has
the best catfish she's had anywhere. Then find a route from I-55 to
Highway 61 and head north.

Stop in Natchez, MS to see some antebellum homes, and continue north
on Highway 61. North of Natchez is Vicksburg, with a terrific
military park (a major battle of the Civil War was fought on the
Mississippi River here). Farther north, you can stop in Greenville,
MS in a place called Doe's, which has some terrific food (and
atmosphere--it's old). If not there, then continue 45 minutes north
and stop in Cleveland, MS at KC's (actually right on Hwy 61). Very
good fine food with a large wine selection. If not there, drive 30
minutes north to Clarksdale, MS and eat at Medidi's. It's a new place
with a Mississippi Delta Blues theme and is half-owned by Morgan
Freeman, the actor. Stop and see the "Mississippi Delta Blues Museum"
in Clarksdale. Legend has it that famous Blues musician Robert
Johnson made his "deal with the devil" at the crossroads of Highways
61 and 49 here.

Continue on north, and if you don't want to stop in the several
casinos near Tunica, MS, then go into Memphis. My favorite BBQ place
ever is The Rendezvous, and they may have the best "dry" ribs anywhere
(which I prefer over wet ribs). While in Memphis, stop and see
Graceland, Elvis Presley's home or Beale Street for some nightlife and
many different bars with live bands, including the Blues.

From Memphis, head east on I-40 to Nashville. LOTS of places to see
and eat there (that I haven't been to). There are also the Smoky
Mountains in East Tennessee between Nashville and Atlanta. In the
Smokies, there's Dollywood (Dolly Parton's music and amusement park),
Ober Gatlinburg (a ski resort with one large hill covered with
astroturf and pellets that one can ski in the summer), and several
other "hillbilly theme" places to eat and visit.

Subject: Road Trip Deep South HELP!!!
From: Brian K
Date: 4/15/04 2:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id: . net

On 04/15/2004 6:23 AM mtbchip wrote:

I'm planning a "roadtrip" in March 2005 from New Orleans to either Atlanta
or Orlando. Our trip will take 5 days in order to enjoy the backroads of
the south. One goal is to experience the fine dining available in that
region of the country.

What you folks could help with is which towns I should make a point of
seeing and where are the BEST SEAFOOD, BBQ & LOCAL CUISINE places along
this route. After I get input from this NG and others I will decide the
route and places to stay.
We are not the bed & breakfast type, but small hotels with character along
the way would help as well.

Thanks in advance!!

Reply to me at or here on this NG




Atlanta has become so big and cosmopolite that it's more like a northern
town. In Georgia you'd have a better, more regional, dining experience
in Savannah GA. Orlando is one big theme park. Local cuisine is tied
in one way or other with the Mouse. Perfect stops from N' Orleans would
be Ybor City (near Tampa) on Florida's West Coast. Ybor City was
founded by a cigar maker from Cuba. It still has a strong Cuban
Flavor. Shoot over to the East Coast for either Miami Beach and Little
Havana. Little Havana is Cuban but slightly different cooking style
from that found in Ybor City. Or, you could do Ft. Lauderdale Beach.
Ft. Lauderdale is a mix of Southern Florida cooking, Greek, Island,
Afro-American, Tex-Mex, and yes Cuban. Some of my picks in Ft.
Lauderdale:

North of Ft. Lauderdale along the inland waterway is Cap's Place. Pres.
Harry Truman ate there and said "Don't change a thing." They haven't.
Cap's place has survived hurricanes, floods. It's still a ramshackle
collection of buildings on an island in the inland waterway serving up
great seafood South Florida style. You park in a marina area and take a
shuttle boat out to the island where Cap's Place is located. The
snapper soup is excellent.

In the beach area near Sebastian St. Beach is Casablanca Cafe. The food
is a real delight. It's an eclectic mix with something regional or
something nouveau for every taste.

Over by the main marina is The Quarterdeck. There is a chain of these
in Florida. It's a simple pub with great grub from Grilled Catch to
Tex-Mex combination platters. You can also get a pretty good cup of
Conch Chowder there.

The movie "In The Garden of Good and Evil" was filmed mostly on location
in Savannah, Ga. There's a mix of restaurants in Savannah but be it
French, German, Southern, or Chinese All-You-Can eat they all get that
Savannah touch. I would select it over Atlanta any day.

Do your homework if you plan on going to Savannah. There are some nice places
there but they can be difficult to find.


--
________
To email me, Edit "xt" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951