Good eats in Orlando (I promise)

I recently spent a week in Orlando, which is my idea of hell, no lie.  But until the National Flute Association develops some taste, I will forever be struggling to put a on happy face in smoldering temperatures, dripping humidity, and a whole lot of flute choir concerts at the national convention. You didn't really care about any of this, did you? You just want to know where to eat when you're stuck at Sea World / Disney World / Orlando Convention Center / Blech. I gotchyoo.

At The Point, a shopping funhouse with a bunch of cartoonishly large, overdecorated restaurants crammed together (**Happy hours at all these places are 3-6pm):

The Pub
http://experiencethepub.com/orlando/
Highlights: Naughty Chips (basically fully loaded poutine), curry chicken flatbread, Scotch egg, large beer menu

Taverna Opa
https://opaorlando.com/
Highlights: a really piney retsina by the glass, spanikopita, meatballs, great selection of small plates
Fun activity: After you order, hummus comes to the table as seasoned chick peas in a mortar and pestle for you to grind, and the pita bread is super fluffy and delish

Cuba Libre
http://www.cubalibrerestaurant.com/
Highlights: ropa vieja, arroz con pollo, visit to Havana (comes with a full-sized Cuban, plantain chips, black bean soup, and a mixed salad), malanga fritters
They win the happy hour award: 2-for-1 drinks from 3-6pm, and the caipirinha is fab.

Lafayette's
http://lafayettes.com/orlando/
Highlights: sweet corn & jalapeno hushpuppies, shrimp and grits, po boys, a great brunch menu daily


At Lake Cay Shopping Center, where you'll be buying your overpriced groceries at Publix if you're staying at one of the hundreds of tourist-approved condos, you'll find

@ The Diner
https://www.atthediner.com/
Highlights: Roast pork benny (eggs benedict with slow-cooked roast port instead of the Canadian bacon), loaded biscuits (cheese, bacon, and gravy), mimosas an entire stuffed French toast menu

Beth's Burger Barhttps://bethsburgerbar.business.site/
The create-your-own burgers really are good, because the basic burger is so tasty.  There's also a brunch menu that includes tasty burritos and chicken and waffles.

Hot Chicken in the City

Nashville Hot Chicken, I'm told by the natives, is not a long-standing tradition.  But the term is now used as if it's been around forever, and let's face it, Southerners know how to fry up a good bird.  The "hot" is only an option, by the way--all of these places offer a mild version, so don't be scared if you don't feel like burning your lips off.

Like a good BBQ joint, a plate will offer you two sides, like mac & cheese (often done with pimento cheese), greens, corn on the cob, cole slaw, or baked beans. Here are a couple delish ones in the South, and one bonus joint in Colorado that definitely does it right, despite the lack of twang from the servers.

...special thanks to my Southern pals who helped me find the best places in Nashville!

Bolton's Spicy Chicken & Fish, 624 Main St and 2309-A Franklin Pike in Nashville, TN 

Features: Chicken on a Stick plate (trust me) makes you feel like you're at the county fair, and there's also a great selection of fried fish and pork, either in a platter or sandwich.  SO, it's basically a BBQ place that also does great fried chicken, which makes it a real crowd-pleaser for mixed groups. 

Best sides: white beans, corn on the cob, spaghetti (I mean, it's not the most amazing spaghetti you'll ever have, but-?!)

Hattie B’s, 29 Seven Apartments, 2808 7th Ave S #101 in Birmingham, AL; 596 Cooper Street in Memphis, TN; 5209 Charlotte Pike, 112 19th Ave S, and 2222 8th Ave S in Nashville

Features: Besides becoming pretty ubiquitous in a short amount of time, it's probably the most hipster place I visited (in newly gentrified Melrose, Nashville, anyway). There are some great local beers on tap, and the service is super fast and friendly. Shut the Click Up!! is their hottest chicken, and it's near-nuclear. And the banana pudding is just super Southern, if you're and outsider like me and looking to go all-out. 

Best sides: black eyed pea salad, red skin potato salad

And believe it or not:
Music City Hot Chicken, 111 West Prospect Road #C , Fort Collins, CO 

Features: Since they're just a couple shops down from Black Bottle, they have their own BB brew on tap (it's a light, summery lager called Music City Cold Beer, and it's perfect with spicy chicken). They also have some exotic flavors, like a green chili flavoring and also a Jamaican Jerk, which are both super tasty. Each chicken comes with a dipping sauce, as well, which I didn't see in Nashville.  I don't really get the point, but it's nice if you like that sort of thing...

Best sides: mac & cheese, waffles (get the Fireball syrup as your sauce)

My hygge = fried chicken

When I was growing up in the south suburbs of Chicago, we would occasionally get Brown's Chicken, a chain known only to the locals that served a southern-ish version of fried chicken that is still, and will always be, my ideal.  But now that I am an occasional visitor to the Nashville area for both family and business trips, I've also become totally sold on Nashville Hot Chicken (it's just fried chicken that may or may not be spicy, guys). When I found out there was a place claiming to make the real deal in hipster, foodie Fort Collins, Colorado, I was so skeptical I had to try it.

It's called Music City Hot Chicken (next door to the wonderful Black Bottle Brewing), and it is amazing! It's not terribly cheap (you pay for the luxury of sitting in a clean place in a safe neighborhood, I guess), but it's a mountain of food.

My tasty meal on a particularly cold day in January.

Let's start with the fried chicken: it's super crunchy, only a little greasy, and the batter is super thick, so you're getting a ton of tasty coating on each bite. I've had both hot and green chili seasoning, and they are both great. For a medium-to-medium-plus girl, hot is about as far as I'll ever go up the spicy scale.  The green chili (not a traditional flavor, but what the hell, it's FoCo) reminds me ever so slightly of Indian food. The leg quarter is a ton of food (maybe too much for me, pictured above), and the chicken tenders are juicy white meat and very generous in size. as well.

The dipping sauces, I kind of don't get.  The spicy remoulade and honey mustard didn't add anything special to the chicken, but the Fireball maple syrup was great with the green chili, if you like that sort of thing.

Mac and cheese is definitely made from scratch with pimento cheese.  The baked beans are a great balance of sweetness and tang, and I think they are my favorite.  Haven't had any other sides, but the waffle looks very fluffy and nice, too.

The blues/funk/R&B they play over the system is the cherry on top, but it's way too loud in the dining room.  Sit at the bar if you want to be able to talk at all. The servers are exceedingly competent (food comes out hot and shockingly fast) and friendly, making this perhaps the only bar I have ever enjoyed sitting at.

I don't think these guys are in any danger of going out of business anytime soon, given the crowds I've seen at lunchtime.  But hurry up and go--it's as comforting as any of the stupid candle-and-oversized knit throw photos floating around Pinterest. This is a version of hygge I can wrap my brain around.

Chillin' in Uptown (ish), Minneapolis

I had this nerdy flute thing to go to recently in Minneapolis.  It was at the convention center, but I was able to land a sweet cheap Air BnB room in Uptown for the week, and here's what else I spied while I was there...

Lake of the Isles Park is this insane chain of three lakes with little islands in the middle and bustling city all around.  It is a supremely pleasant place to walk/jog/bike, or simply sit and gawk at the city's skyline and the natives' adorable dogs.

If you need to bring some snacks or hooch to the park (I don't even know if that's allowed), hit up Kowalski's on the way. It's like a cheaper, local-centric Whole Foods with a great wine selection.

LynLake Brewery: I liked the Rubbish Oat Amber Ale and Sideburns Milk Stout because that's how I roll, but my friend's pint of Dirty Heffer with Pineapple was pretty good, too.

Muddy Waters, open daily from 8am to 2am keeps the kind of rock and roll hours I wish I could.  I had Cuban hash with chorizo, black beans, yucca, chiles, and eggs, with a great cup of coffee, but I would totally go back and try some of their many whiskeys when I don't have a presentation to give.

Quang is affordable, super fresh Vietnamese and seems to be kind of an institution in the 'hood. Get ready to have your heart broken on Tuesdays, though, because they are closed that day.

Spyhouse is a Minneapolis coffee chain, but I don't feel bad going there because Minneapolis is so super cool, anyway. Their baked goods are nice and I would describe their coffee is very "coffee flavored".

Art that is not exactly in Uptown, but it's walkable and you should go:

Minneapolis is a great city to visit if you love art.  Please visit all of these places when you go.

Walker Art Center: contemporary visual arts and design exhibitions; dance, theater, and music performances; and film screenings. Free admission first Saturday of every month and all Thursdays from 5-9pm. They're the ones with the big spoon with a cherry on it outside.

Minneapolis Institute of Art: This place is free.  Seriously.  They have some nice Chagall right now, too.

Minneapolis College of Art and Design:  Also free and student-run; it is very exciting to see what great art students are inventing right now!

Also...

The American Swedish Institute is a beautiful castle-like structure with an amazing amount of  history and art, and the even make good (albeit Swedish) food in the cafe.  There's another one for Danish people somewhere, but who cares.

Quick trips: Pittsburgh

I used Pittsburgh as my home base last week for a couple of university appearances, and I will preface this post with the truth: you could spend a lot more time in Pitt doing a lot more super cool things. But here's a little something to get you started while you're buying your opera tickets and looking up all your favorite galleries.

Lawrenceville neighborhood:
Coca Cafe has to-die-for egg sandwiches with kimchi, excellent coffee, and a chill, funky vibe just a few blocks off the Allegheny River. Afterwards, talk a short hilly stroll to enjoy the Art Deco architecture of Arsenal Middle School and the grandiose Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, which kind of transports you back to Victorian Europe. Pints on Penn makes for a break across the street from 19th Century composer Stephen Foster's home, too.

 

Crafton neighborhood:
Authentic family-style Italian-American food is pretty easy to come by in Pittsburgh, but I loved Sarafino's for its raucous close-knit atmosphere, perfectly dressed pasta (the red clam sauce was delish), and a soaked almond creme cake which puts all other cakes to shame. They don't serve alcohol, so make like the locals and come prepared with your own bottle or two (or in one case, a martini shaker and various bottles of brightly-colored liquors). Big Daddy's Donuts is good, too, but be forewarned, they're not actually open 24/7 as some websites might say. They are super fresh.

Some other cools stuff to see:
Andy Warhol Museum
Heinz History Center, with a display of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood
Nationality Rooms at University of Pittsburgh, honoring the various origins of Pittsburgh's melting pot

DFT goes to the Mississippi Delta!

March is a great time to visit the Southeast; the flowers are already starting to bloom, and the temperatures/humidity are nowhere near oppressive yet (by May, in this Yankee's opinion, it's best to steer clear of the Mason-Dixon line if you care at all about physical comfort). It's a great place for lovers of blues and its history, Southern Gothic novelists, Roman(ish) columns on EVERYTHING, and of course, barbecue. I went last week on a short master class tour and a visit to the inaugural Music by Women Festival at Mississippi University for Women (a unique experience in itself), and here's what I can recommend:

Cleveland, MS: Home of Delta State University (go Fightin' Okra!) and a (though not the) Grammy Museum. The tiny downtown is adorbs and can be walked in about 10 minutes. 

Mississippi Grounds
219 S. Court Street
(662) 545– 4528
Coffee House with great breakfast burritos and a killer cappucino

Mosquito Burrito
301 Cotton Row
(662) 843-4822
www.mosquitoburritoms.com
Fresh-Mexi Cuisine for the hipster student crowd

Hey Joe's Cafe & Record Shop
118 E. Sunflower Rd, Suite C
(662) 843-5425
www.eatheyjoes.com
I didn't try the gourmet burgers, but the local craft beer menu was impressive.

Starkville, MS: Home of Mississippi State University and a bigger downtown.  They host a film festival March 2-4 (or thereabouts) every year and a restaurant week charity event in mid-April. This place is pretty hoppin', actually. 

Nine-twentynine Coffee Bar
VISIT WEBSITE
106 E. Main Street
Starkville, MS 39759
(662) 268-8014

Not only beautiful inside, they will make coffee however you can imagine for it to be made.  The pour-over was divine.

UMI Japanese Cuisine
VISIT WEBSITE
315 Highway 12 W
Starkville, MS 39759
(662) 323-5258

Two tasty rolls for $6.95 for lunch? Yes please.

Lost Pizza Company
VISIT WEBSITE
325 Highway 12 W
Starkville, MS 39759
(662) 324-0050

Chewy crust and a plethora of toppings, this is a local favorite with several locations across northern MS.

The Little Dooey
VISIT WEBSITE
100 Fellowship Street
Starkville, MS 39759
(662) 323-6094

If you want a proper plate lunch, this is the real deal.  Suggested by a local, I do not regret the gut-busting plate of spicy pork, potato salad, and turnip greens that kept me full for over 24 hours (see below).

Harvey's
VISIT WEBSITE
406 Hwy 12 East
Starkville, MS 39759
(662) 323-1639

Upscale local chain (there's one in Columbus, below, too). Known for the broccoli bites, which as far as I can tell are delicious blobs of broccoli smothered in cheese sauce, battered into balls and deep fried.  And the bartender makes a mean Old Fashioned. 

Oxford, MS: I was there to visit the flute studio at Ole Miss, but of course couldn't resist driving by Faulkner's house (disappointingly surrounded by gas stations and other modern crap on the edge of campus, but still...). This is the center of intellectual and artistic activity in northern Mississippi, and it shows.  Oh, and the campus is ridiculously beautiful (below).

Burns-Belfry museum about African American history:
710 Jackson Ave. East
Oxford, MS 38655
Sunday 1:00 to 4:00 and Wednesday through Friday 12:00 to 3:00
Admission is free

Civil Rights Monument on campus:
University Circle,
University of Mississippi,
University, MS 38677

I did more wandering than eating here, but the local chain deli Newk's on campus was actually super delish.  The Square is also a great downtown area for shopping and eating, it would seem, but alas, I had to hurry back to a rehearsal in...

Columbus, MS: Birthplace of Tennessee Williams and home of Mississippi University for Women, now a coed school that prefers to be known as The W. Also an insanely beautiful campus, this one has a certain kind of private school opulence you can only find in the good old South (I think).

There's another Harvey's at 200 Main Street, I can tell you now that the Cajun Pasta (very much like Crawfish Monica) was fantastic.  Still liked the Old Fashioneds here, too. 

Mississippi State Committee of the National Museum for Women in the Arts Exhibition. Visit www.muw.edu/as/art/gallery for information on this and other W exhibits.
Gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm. The exhibits are free and open to the public.
1100 College Street MUW-70 

(662) 329-7291

Here's an handy Interactive map:http://visitcolumbusms.org/index.php/interactive_map#top

Other restaurants recommended to me by locals, but which I did not get to try, include

Huck's Place

121 S 5th St
Columbus, MS 39701Phone number(662) 327-6500
Cajun/Creole: great fried green tomatoes

Jackson Square Grill
1927 U.S. 45
Columbus, MS 39701(662) 328-8656

Big on seafood and with a great brunch

Hana Korean Restaurant and Market

4226 Mississippi 373
Columbus, MS 39705

(662) 434-8881

Cheap and comforting stone pots and curries.

When in Rome...or Arkansas

I traveled with my trio to Southwest Arkansas last weekend.  The continuous deciduous forest everywhere I looked was pretty, and all the people I met were extremely nice.  I was staying in a town with a college, but no coffee shop (but three donut shops), in a county that had just gone from dry to wet in the past year, in a state that fries everything.  So, it wasn't like my usual haunts, but I nonetheless managed to eat some tasty stuff.  (I am still detoxing from the alt intake, but I hear you body needs salt, so...)

In Magnolia, AR:
Backyard Barbeque was way too much food, but crazy good. I had the pork sandwich (sliced rather than pulled, but the equally good brisket is pulled rather than sliced) with coleslaw and beans that came heaped with sausage, pepper and onions. They also keep mugs frosty in the chest freezer for one of the three beers on tap: Bud, Bud Light, and Goose IPA (?!) Apparently the pie is very good, but I don't know how I possibly could have digested it.

We went to Flying Burger several times, because they were often the only restaurant open, and they had salads.  Fried catfish, tilapia, crawdads. and shrimp can be put on salads, in po' boys or tacos, or served up on a platter with sides like greens, grilled squash, fried broccoli, beans and rice, etc. And everything comes with hush puppies, so no need to order extra.

I never made it to Marlar's Cafeteria. which gets high ratings on Yelp but was never opened when I wasn't working.  But I would have liked to have tried their chicken and dumplings with black eyed peas and greens. Another time, perhaps.  Also, the first Yelp review is a perfectly charming summation of my time in Magnolia.

Shreveport, LA:
Sadly, many restaurants, even in this booming metropolis, were not open for lunch Sunday on my way back to the airport. I can tell you that locals recommend the boudin at Bergeron's. We did manage to find an absolutely beautiful Indian buffet at Indigo Bistro, and it was heaven. The vindaloo was quite spicy and flavorful (pretty brave for a buffet, but maybe they're more hip to that sort of thing in Cajun country), tikka was surprisingly tomato-y but good, and the aloo saag was a surprising symphony of flavors. The service was welcoming and the restaurant itself was this glorious mix of Gothic Southern architecture and classic Hindu style, all cleverly disguised by its boring facade (see below) in a suburban strip mall. It's right off the loop that gets you to the airport. Go there.

PS--The staff at the Hampton Inn were so helpful that when we bought beer at Walmart because there were no bars and discovered we didn't have a bottle opener, they let us use their's for, like, three days.  Also the breakfast waffles were pretty good.

Four days and 1835 miles in Montana

I spent several days driving around Montana to teach little (and some not so little) fluties of all ages, and while I definitely spent more time in the car than I did eating and drinking, I can tell you about a coupla good places...

BOZEMAN seems nice, but I only stopped for coffee at Cold Smoke, and it was amazing. It was also very necessary at that point in the day.

MISSOULA
The campus is sweet, and historic downtown is beyond charming.  Had an espresso and nabbed some free WiFi at ZooTown Brew and a super delish pear and bleu cheese monte cristo at Plonk.

GREAT FALLS 

Jakers had great waffle fries with gorgonzola sauce, and they bring pico and chopped bacon to pour over the whole mess. They're also open late(ish) and the bartenders will cater to your every need. 

MALTA 

OK, you're probably never going to go here, but there was a randomly amazing Southern-style BBQ place that I cannot stop thinking about. It's called Ray J's, it's beautiful inside, and it is the real deal. The service was also very fast, which is handy, because you might be trying to get out of Malta quickly (I'm teasing, you guys were great...) Here is my weird but perfect pulled pork salad:

BILLINGS

I did not have nearly enough time in this quaint little city, but I did enjoy a caprese panini at Bistecca, authentic Hungarian goulash and a tasty Red Lodge Oktoberfest at, of all things, Oktoberfest, and HOMEMADE STROOPWAFELS and coffee at Caramel Cookie Waffle. OK, I needed a lot of coffee on this trip 

The best meals, of course, were spent with kind people and their snuggly dogs all across the state, including the juiciest burger I have ever had (stuffed with gorgonzola, mayo, and chives), and the last of the summer's corn on the cob right off the grill.  Thank you, Montana, for a great stay!

   

Weekending it in the Redneck Riviera

The Gulf of Mexico is beautiful--fine white sand, moderate waves, warm ocean water--but prices vary depending on where you choose to dwell while you are visiting.  Traveling to Mexico is disproportionately dangerous, at least until they figure out how to wrestle political control away from the drug cartels. Louisiana's beaches basically don't exist, Central and South Florida is where everybody goes, and Texas and Mississippi are, well, Texas and Mississippi.  Your best bet for a luxurious vacation on the cheap is to visit the magical land affectionately known as the "Redneck Riviera" on the north end of the Gulf.  Pensacola, Florida is the nearest airport, and from there you can drive West into Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama along scenic Highway 292 and enjoy the views on either side--the Gulf to the South and Perdido Key to the North.

There are only so many days of digging sand out of everywhere and avoiding the careening traffic coming out of Surf Style shops a person can stand, but a weekend is a perfect amount of time to soak up the sun, do some swimming, and eat super-fresh seafood.

Lodging: In both Orange Beach and Gulf Shores you will find more vacation rentals than you can shake the proverbial stick at, but we stayed at the ridiculously luxurious Turquoise Place, where every bedroom had its own private bath and balcony access to great views, the kitchen was appropriate for filming a cooking show (like, fancier than PBS), and you were on the beach as soon as you rolled your lazy ass out of the lobby.  If you don't like salt water, however, you could take advantage of a number of pools, hot tubs, saunas, and this magical creation called a "lazy river" (see above) right in the complex.

There are also cabin rentals further West at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores (referenced below in "activities").


Activities: Besides being a beach bum, there's paragliding, dolphin watching, chartered fishing, and water ski rentals at your disposal.  There are planes flying overhead advertising all of the touristy services on banners all day (tacky, yes, but no worse than anywhere else in the aforementioned states), so just pull over and get out your cell phone.

There are also some great water activities as well as hiking and nature observations to be made at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores. Cabin rentals are available but in short supply, so plan ahead if you want to experience a simpler living style on your trip.


Dining: You'll find a whole lot of fried food shacks along Hwy 292 near the beach, Sea N Suds being a local favorite, but if you want fresh oysters, crawfish, and shrimp, may I suggest:

Shux in Pensacola, which serves plenty of fried as well as fresh seafood. I loved both the raw and grilled oysters and the seafood stuffed potato skins. The grits with crawfish remoulade were also delicious.

City Donut: They do not serve seafood here (at least I hope not), but you have to have donuts, right?

Rouses: Rouses is merely a popular grocery store chain down here, but the incredibly fresh, and affordable, raw oysters and cooked crawfish were at least as good as any restaurant, but maybe even tastier eaten in our fancy kitchen at Turquoise Place.

A quick stop in Utah

I went to the Moab area and up to SLC this week.  It was pleasant, though I cant say they have anything on Colorado in terms of food or beer.  In Moab, I hiked in Arches (best) and Canyonlands (also nice) National Parks, and stayed in nearby Green River, which was a sad little town but way cheaper.  There was a darling taco stand set up at a brokedown gas station, and the barbacoa was delish.

In Moab, both the food and beer disappointed at Moab Brewery, but Sabaku Sushi was great, and the garden veggie roll was probably the best vegetarian sushi I have ever had. The poke was good, too.

Here's some of what I saw in Arches:

                                                          

And Canyonland:

In Salt Lake City, which I had visited briefly before, I hung out mostly in the Capitol (downtown) district, where I had great coffee at a little neighborhood cafe called Alchemy, OK beer and a funny pizza thing with corn and shrimp at Red Rock, and took a pleasant walk on the Capitol Building grounds, which are lovely.

The Great Salt Lake is indeed greatly salty, though there's really no place to walk unless you go to Antelope Island (Utah Lake in Provo is kind of a better park, though smaller and not tasty).

         

On the way out of town I hit the university neighborhood for some tasty Vietnamese rice noodle salad at Indochine (the chicken curry was nice, too).