Cochon (New Orleans, LA) - Ok, so I'm technically pushing the envelope on this one since I last ate there in 2013, but it was at the tail end of 2013 and within the last 12 month window (at the time of this writing). Like I said, 2014 wasn't a great year for food for me. Anyway, Cochon is literally my favorite restaurant in the world, ever. Chef Donald Link opened Cochon (Cajun for "pig") after Katrina and it landed him, and his restaurant, near the top of the New Orleans food chain, and they've both been there ever since. Cochon specializes in authentic Cajun food. Cajun food isn't necessarily hot and spicy, although most people define it as covered in cayenne, it is country food. Cajuns are legendary for taking whatever they have available to them and making masterpieces out of it. When the Acadians fled Nova Scotia and settled in Evangeline (an area that only Native Americans were brave enough to inhabit), they saw rice paddies, crawfish, turtle, shrimp, oysters, squirrels, rabbit and they figured out ways to cook it all and make it delicious. This is Cajun food and no one, outside of your grand-mere, does it better. The best dish on their menu is the rabbit and dumplings cooke in a wood fire oven in a cast iron skillet. It doesn't hurt that they have my favorite root beer (Abita) on tap. I have also tried their turkey, black eyed pea and kale gumbo, which is just ridiculous. I love this restaurant so much that I actually have a photo of their sign as my home screen on my iPhone (and so does my youngest Po). You don't have to comment, I realize how sad that is. Like I said, for me, food is a love affair.
BurgerFi (Gainesville, FL) - Full disclosure: I LOVE hamburgers and this is technically a chain, but it's a small chain (75 locations nationwide). Regardless, they make a great cheeseburger. Everything is fresh (lots of places advertise that, but you can actually taste it here) and they have a great remoulade sauce you can get on it. There really isn't a lot to say about it. Thick, delicious burger, fresh ingredients, lots of cool add ons for your burger, good specialty sauce and an almost comical amount of parmesan fries as a side. I know it's a little thing (but honestly, isn't it always the little things?), but I love that they "brand" their burger buns with their logo. It's not ready to join Company Burger and Cowbell in New Orleans on my Mount Rushmore of burgers (just not enough alternative options), but i's a great local option. Another big plus is that it is right next to a Starbucks and Gigi's Cupcakes. One. Stop. Shopping.
Gumbeaux's (Douglasville, GA) - Finding a restaurant that serves even decent/edible Cajun food outside of Louisiana is as rare and hen's teeth, much less finding one that is actually great, but Gumbeaux's pulls it off (FYI - Henry's Louisiana Grill in Ackworth, GA has been my default go-to Cajun place for several years, but Gumbeaux's caught my eye when I ate there a year ago and burst onto the top five after trying it again a few weeks back. Truth is they are pretty close, one is just north of Atlanta, the other is just West and the route I'm traveling usually determines which one I stop at). Gumbeaux's is located in a downtown area with character, a big plus, it is decorated in authentic Louisiana relics and memorabilia, which is a sign that the owner is legit. They have a big menu with tons of great choices, not just your standard gumbo, po boy, jambalaya, étouffée that all the posers offer. They have Abita Root Beer which is essentially a requirement for a Cajun place to make my top 5 (Henry's does too now BTW). All their Cajun food is great, especially the stuffed/fried shrimp, but the menu item that steals the show is the pork chops. I can't say enough to you about this dish. My dad and I are connoisseurs of grilled meats and hard to impress and this dish literally, and I mean literally, brought us to laughter. One bite and my dad's reaction was to start laughing out loud with the biggest smile I've ever seen on his face. He laughed so loud that other tables began to look and inquire what was going on. Why was he laughing? It was so good that it produced pure, sheer joy in him. Many of you will not understand that at all, but those of us who love good food will get it perfectly. As a crowd casually gathered, samples were passed around and every table near us began to order or change their order to the pork chops. There are two of them, they are thick, glazed and perfect, served on top of a pile of garlic mashed potatoes. Which reminds me, the portions in this place are ridiculously large, like biggest I've ever seen. My dad and I both are serious eaters and I've yet to eat all my food. They are pricey ($15-25 per entree) but you can easily share and don't even fool with appetizers, just too much food to eat. Another thing you need to know, if you go during peak hours (Friday/Saturday supper) YOU WILL WAIT A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF TIME. I hate waiting as much as anyone, but I will tell you that is usually a good sign. I have waited over two hours to eat here, and I was sick and running fever at the time. That should tell you a few things: #1 how much I love good food, #2 how popular this place is and #3 I don't consider it too much to ask to wait this long for this food.
Tupelo Honey (Chattanooga, TN) - Again, technically a chain (but I think there are only six), but a really cool place in a really cool location. Tupelo Honey is located in the Warehouse District, near all of the buzz and activity in Chattanooga. The best way I know to describe their menu is gourmet Cracker Barrel. Southern, country food with a chef's flare and quality. I've become an appreciator of shrimp and grits and they know how to do it right. They know exactly what they're doing with their nutty fried chicken and if you are a vegetarian they have a great selection of veggie dishes. For me though, it's all about the breakfast menu, available anytime. I don't know what kind of deal with the Devil the chef made to be able to make omelets like this, but trust me, you've never had an omelet before if you haven't had one at Tupelo Honey. How do you make an omelet four inches thick? I've tried at home, I can't do it. I do the "build your own" and get Havarti cheese, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, fried garlic, basil and smoked sausage. You will not be hungry again for 36 hours. If you decide to get an appetizer, share the fried goat cheese grits cakes with roasted red pepper sauce. Great food, great location and great atmosphere. And if you go in spring their are cherry blossom trees in full bloom outside.
Smoky Mountain Cheesecake Cafe (Sevierville, TN) - On my lat day in Sevierville for a conference this summer I stumbled upon a jewel hidden in plain sight. A very unassuming building sitting on the side of the road piqued my interest because it advertised cheesecake. I. Love. Cheesecake. When I get a birthday cake it is almost always a cheesecake. Once inside I discovered a pleasant surprise. Not only do they have a variety of homemade, high end cheesecakes, they serve Cuban sandwiches. My love affair with Cuban sandwiches began over a decade ago when I flew to Tampa to speak for a weekend. I had never heard of a Cuban sandwich but in Ybor City it was the thing to eat, so I got one. Love at first bite. Ever since I have made it a point to seek out the best Cuban sandwich (along with best fried chicken, cheeseburger, pizza, gumbo, po boy, etc, etc, etc). Sadly, most of the time you just run across a lame panini called a Cuban, but not at this place. It was authentic, they even had their bread shipped in from Tampa. Whenever I'm in Tampa Bay I always eat at The Floridian because of their award winning Cubans, but if I'm going to be totally honest, this one was better. And then the cheesecake. Nearly six inches tall of creamy, sweet perfection. The one knock on the place is that it is tiny. If they are busy you will not have anywhere to sit, but even if you have to stand or eat in the car, the food is worth it.
Honorable Mention: Skip's Deli (Lake City, FL) - When we moved here everyone kept asking us if we had tried Skip's (I literally live 1/4 mile away) and we hadn't. So one day I'm driving by and decided to whip in and give it a chance. They have a huge sandwich menu that I will likely never sample because I won't be able to come off of The Godfather. Salami, prosciutto, capicola, pepperoni and a variety of other Italian meats that I can't spell or pronounce, cheese, oil, Italian seasons. I feel like Tony Soprano eating this sandwich.
That's it. 2014 wasn't my best year for eating great food, but a couple of trips to New Orleans on the calendar and several expeditions deeper into Florida in 2015 make it look promising. Now, if you will excuse me, I've got to go get something to eat.
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