Archive for category Everywhere else

Stubb’s Bar-B-Q Austin

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Two things come to mind when I think of Sunday brunch: barbeque and Bloody Marys.  If you’re looking for either – Stubb’s is your place.

The waitress tells us to go ahead and serve ourselves outside.  Outside?  Yes.  Outside.  Walking out of the door next to the stage you will find the epitome of Southern barbeque.  There’s no plate big enough to fit what your eyes are telling you that you need.  There’s fresh brisket (cut on the spot), cheese grits, fried catfish, biscuits, sausage, bacon, and more!  There’s also Stubb’s sauce on the side so you can apply as much – or as little – as you want.

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If you’re like me, you’re a bit skeptical about ordering a Bloody Mary at a restaurant because you’re not sure how they fix it, and not sure if you’ll like it.  Well at Stubb’s, there’s a Bloody Mary bar.  As in “make your own”!  The waitress serves you vodka over ice, then you enter the Bloody Mary bar, which has its own special room filled with mix, veggies, and every type of seasoning you can imagine!

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Stubb’s is known for its Southern barbeque and live music, particularly Sunday’s Gospel Brunch.  I’ve never been to a “Gospel Brunch” before, but I’ll tell you that Stubb’s Bar-B-Q in Austin will not be my last!  What a cool experience!

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Stubb’s Bar-B-Q

801 Red River

Austin, TX

(512) 480-8341

Mara’s Homemade: NOLA in NYC

When you’re from South Louisiana and you live in NYC sometimes you go through withdrawals. Serious withdrawals. For serious Cajun food. Having eaten a number of places in the city that claim to have “Cajun” or “Louisiana” food, Mara’s Homemade was the only place that actually followed through.

The ambiance, the southern hospitality, the menu, and the FLAVOR – Mara’s has it all! Let’s start with the most important: what’s on tap? Abita SOS, Abita Strawberry Harvest, Amber Bock, and AndyGator to name a few! Other beverages include the almighty Hurricane, Mint Julep, Sazarac; I don’t think I need to go any further!

Onto the goods – this is the real deal! Mara’s flies her product in from the Louisiana Gulf: Oyster’s, Crawfish, Alligator, Crabs and Shrimp. Her website boasts, “If you have been to NOLA and had the BBQ Shrimp then you will love Mara’s.” Need a dessert after your gumbo? You know you can’t eat a good Cajun meal without topping it off with an order of beignets!

Mara’s is also serving from a special Mardi Gras menu, and even Jazz Fest favorites as Crawfish Mara, Crawfish Pot Pie, Crawfish Stuffed Bread and Crawfish Cheese Toast!

Mara’s Homemade
342 East 6th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 598-1110
http://www.marashomemade.com/

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Don Juanz Baja Beach Tacos

fish tacos 225x300 Don Juanz Baja Beach Tacos

fish tacos

On a recent trip to Shreveport I was needing some Mexican food, but not of the usual beans and cheese type.  A search on the iPhone led me to Don Juanz Baja Beach Tacos in Bossier City and after perusing the menu for a minute, I knew it fit the bill.

Started by a Louisiana native who got a bit of Baja in his blood when he moved out to LA in the eighties, the idea was to bring healthy fresh tacos back with him and show the people of Shreveport just what they had been missing by religiously going to the palaces of refried goodness (that is not meant to be disparaging of those institutions either, Lord knows I love them too).

You can order tacos individually or by the three some.  I wanted a little variety so I tried three different versions: the steak, the Baja Beach fish taco, and the Pacific Rim Fish Taco.    They were all outstanding, but the Baja Beach fish taco was my favorite; sushi grade tuna, cabbage, cilantro, jack cheese and cilantro-lime dressing on a corn tortilla.  It really was just what I was looking for.

By the way, a new place has opened in Lafayette that I am dieing to try… Taco Sisters.  They are serving up house smoked tacos including smoked fish tacos and smoked brisket tacos.  Anyone have the pleasure yet?

biglink Don Juanz Baja Beach Tacos

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Neta’s Drive Inn for BBQ in Minden

netas sign1 150x150 Netas Drive Inn for BBQ in MindenI was out in Minden, Louisiana searching for a bite to eat and as you can imagine, the options were not exactly falling out of the Yellow Pages.  Even my trusty  source from the area was previously indisposed and could not provide a little insight in time.

Luckily, I was able to get some recommendations from the  iPhone (yes my friends, urbanspoon covers Minden) and I had whittled it down to a couple barbecue joints. For some reason or another, Minden seems to have a lot of them and the highest rated one out of all of them was Neta’s Drive Inn, so off I went.

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The shrimp are flat in Shreveport…or at least at Herby-K’s!

img 0103 150x150 The shrimp are flat in Shreveport...or at least at Herby Ks!Shreveport has been much maligned as the red headed stepchild of the Louisiana culinary scene.  People make it seem like someone routinely steps into the kitchens of Shreveport restaurants half naked and painted cardinal red, yells “Pig-SOOOOEEEEE” and steals the salt, leaving the chef little option but to serve tasteless food.  Seriously, native Shreveportians will be the first to tell you the food gets blander as you go further north up I-49, but there are bastions of hope that remain strong and Herby-K’s has been showing other places how to cook seafood for a long time.

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Chuy’s in Houston

Chuy’s- there is nothing quite like a Chuychanga with the Green Chile sauce and a dose of queso on top. The margaritas have a bit of a punch to them, which lend to everything tasting better. You have to watch the timing at Chuy’s though, as the wait on a table can get out of hand, especially on the weekend.- Tommy

minilink Chuys in Houston

Rendezvous ribs in Memphis

Charlie Vergo’s Rendezvous is home to some of the best dry rubbed ribs in the country. Off a dark alley, you step in and join the line. Their sausage and cheese plates are an excellent hold over for the main deal and that is dry rubbed ribs. Oftentimes, you’re going to get the whole rack whether you like it or not because your waiter said so and that is the way I like it. Right amount of spice, tender and delicious, these ribs are one of a kind.
biglink Rendezvous ribs in Memphis

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