UPDATED LIST OF MY CURRENT FAVES IN GAINESVILLE AREA

Here are my recommendations as of April, 2018:

Bangkok Square - Everything we order at Bangkok Square has been excellent and top of the line. Their crispy eggplant dish is out of this world. THIS IS OUR GO-TO RESTAURANT DUE TO ITS CONSISTENTLY HIGH QUALITY AND VEGAN OPTIONS. Always busy.

Daily Green - vegetarian/vegan options abound. Always good. We call our order in ahead of time to expedite being served. They often have a line or ordering patrons at the front of the restaurant.

Country Foodly - Our go-to breakfast place. Korean owned and serves standard diner-style breakfast that is perfectly prepared. They also have a number of Korean dishes such as a superb bulgogi omelet.

The Great Outdoors - always excellent and a charming building with live music outside on the patio. This is a first-rate restaurant and perfect choice for date night. 

Satchel's Pizza - My wife says it is her favorite pizza anywhere in the USA and she knows her pizza. She is from western New York state where the pizza has near cult status. In particular, we enjoy their lunch special which features a huge pizza slice and a "chopped" salad topped with their secret balsamic dressing. The mood and art of the place is whimsical and like no other. Dine there once, you will be a devotee forever.

Mac's Drive-Thru - the best "street" burger in the USA. No kidding. Wax paper and grease. Mmmmmm good.

Southern Charm Kitchen - sophisticated Southern/African-American menu. Many options for vegetarians/vegans including country-fried tofu. One of our absolute go-to favorites. Never falls short of excellent.

Pearls Country Store - excellent barbecue, great sides. Large portions. Be hungry when you go. Tip: breakfast can be stellar

Sweetberries - known for their frozen custards but I think their dining items are overlooked. Another go-to for salads (best in town) and sandwiches. Not to be missed.

Pho Hanoi - always good particularly their Pho Ga

The Mexican restaurant in Archer - a bit run down but a step above any Mexican restaurants in the area.

La Tienda - authentic and always filled with local Mexican patrons (a good sign).

O Sole Mio - Don't let the name make you think this is a Mexican restaurant. Rather, it is wonderful, cozy Italian restaurant in a strip mall near Jonesville.  Have had several first-rate meals there. My favorite Italian in the area.

The Country Buffet - for typical Southern fare, I have always enjoyed their buffet.

Notes on visiting The Chef and the Farmer in Kinston, NC - November/2017

I should have written up my notes contemporaneous with our visit to Viv's restaurant. Here is what I recall (things have been jumping ever since).

As some of you may know, I avoid interstates so we can see the real America, its crops, and small family restaurants along the way. As a former personal injury investigator, interstates are death traps as far as I am concerned.

From Va Beach, we went west to 58, down to Suffolk, and then on to Kinston and points south. We have taken this route and its variations several times. The roads have sparse traffic and the small towns interrupt little. The drawls of the locals become more pronounced along the way and these highways are a perfect fit. "Talk slower, drive slower" is a good motto for this neck of the woods.

Kinston is right on the route. We have stopped by the restaurants at least once before. Both were closed then, but we did see Vivian's husband, Ben, going into the Boiler Room. Otherwise, nothing moves much in Kinston. Think south Georgia. a hardware store or two, red brick buildings, and several beauty salons. The new economic impact showed during this visit with new motels and dining establishments. There is definitely a spill over impact.

Earlier in the day, we realized we might make it there at the right time to dine so Sue looked into booking a table. The earliest booking we could get was 10 pm. Needless to say, we scratched that option off our list and didn't think anything more about it until we realized we were rolling through Kinston.

We decided to swing by the restaurant to at least get a view of it. It was about 430 or so. Had we planned to dine, we might have booked a motel so we could gussy up, but otherwise we were in traveling clothes. comfortable and very informal.

Sue wanted to see what it looked like inside so while I waited at the car, she went in. At the last minute, I suggested she ask about a table. Restaurants opening at that hour often do it for set up as much as anything else and people generally book tables from 5:45-6 at the earliest.

Sure enough, they could seat us immediately at a 2-top by the bar. We took them up on it, straightened up, and went in.

The whole restaurant is smaller than I expected, maybe 2 times the size of Blue Water Bay. Just inside the door was the maitre d podium and further in, in the corner was a bar. Our table was behind a railing separating the bar (and us) from the room. I think we were elevated a few steps.

We had a great vantage point of the whole place and could see into the exposed kitchen that had several line cooks busy prepping dishes.

The whole place had an almost helium energy to it. Every customer looks as if they have been escorted into nirvana and all the employees seem eager to share in the glow of the owners and to pass it on to the customers.

Every employee seems fully fluent and engaged in the mission of the restaurant, the compositions of the dishes, and the flavors/ingredients in each. There were no cracks in the veneer, everyone was telling the story and welcoming us there. I recognized some of the staff including the older waitress with the pony tail and one person staffing the front door.

One thing that immediately caught my eye and surprised me inititally were the many modern paintings done in bold colors that were in every part of the restaurant. Against the brick walls and in the dusty atmosphere of Kinston, they stood out boldly and beautifully. I quickly realized that these were husband Ben's paintings. He is a very talented artist and his works stuck with me.

Within ten minutes of our being seated and being served an adult beverage, the restaurant began to steadily fill up. The customers enter the room in a "ga ga" state. All are clearly thrilled to be there and show it. You can see each one having an experience that they have yearned for and each one looks like "I have arrived."

Right now, I can not recall exactly what we ordered, but I do recall bruschetta with a butter bean spread that was first-rate. We had a relatively light supper without dessert that was, just as you would expect, creative-up-town-down-South cooking.

Our service could have been better as the bar tender was taking care of our table. She was having too much fun regaling the already engaged people at the bar and probably thinking they would make her more money than the two of us at our bar-side table. I would recommend being seated more towards the center of the restaurant so you see how the food staff flows and watch the other customers. We hit the window of opportunity for a walk in table and it was clear to me that window was a very narrow one and that we lucked up to be able to dine there at all.

I think we will plan on dining there on each trip through Kinston if at all possible. I think the only way to fully enjoy this place is dine there multiple times to get a sense of the breadth of the daily and seasonal specials.

These things stuck with me:

They clearly have developed a menu and restaurant that fulfills their vision of gourmet food based on local ingredients and cuisines.

They have passed along their mission to their staff so that they convey all parts of the mission willingly, enthusiastically, and articulately. That is no small feat and almost never happens with the consistency that I observed. It nearly always falls off when the boss goes away. Not here.

The customers are excited to be there and soaking up the whole experience. I have never seen this consistent love for dining in a restaurant. It is a love affair between customers and restaurant. An example going in and leaving there are always people being photographed by the front sign. These customers cherish their visits here.

Ben's paintings are superb and the location and his work are a match made in heaven. His works are large and tailor made for the high red brick walls.

As in most restaurants, vegans/vegetarians can find it a challenge. Nevertheless, there are many options on the menu. If one wants to temporarily go astray, the seafood options look marvelous.

That is what I recall. Oh...one thing...we did not see Ben or Vivian.

A Buddy Asked for Recommendations on Gainesville restaurants.

Here are my recommendations as of June, 2015:

Ruby's - African-American/Southern cuisine. Everything is good and may be the best restaurant in town. Fried chicken beats any competitor hands down

Satchel's Pizza - My wife says it is her favorite pizza anywhere in the USA and she knows her pizza. She is from western New York state where the pizza has near cult status. In particular, we enjoy their lunch special which features a huge pizza slice and a "chopped" salad topped with their secret balsamic dressing. The mood and art of the place is whimsical and like no other. Dine there once, you will be a devotee forever.

Mac's Drive-Thru - the best "street" burger in the USA. No kidding. Wax paper and grease. Mmmmmm good.

Southern Charm Kitchen - sophisticated Southern/African-American menu. Many options for vegetarians/vegans including country-fried tofu. One of our absolute go-to favorites. Never falls short of excellent.

Pearls Country Store - excellent barbecue, great sides. Large portions. Be hungry when you go. Tip: breakfast can be stellar

Country Foodly - Our go-to breakfast place. Korean owned and serves standard diner-style breakfast that is perfectly prepared. They also have a number of Korean dishes such as a superb bulgogi omelet.

Sweetberries - known for their frozen custards but I think their dining items are overlooked. Another go-to for salads (best in town) and sandwiches. Not to be missed.

Bangkok Grill - all excellent and top of the line. Their eggplant is a favorite of mine (I eat a vegetarian diet).

Pho Hanoi - always good particularly their Pho Ga

The Mexican restaurant in Archer - a bit run down but a step above any Mexican restaurants in the area.

Square One - high end burger place but I was very surprised that I found their food to be quite good. Very attractive place to dine.

O Sole Mio - Don't think this is a Mexican restaurant. Rather it is wonderful, cozy Italian restaurant in a strip mall near Jonesville.  Have had several first-rate meals there. My favorite Italian in the area.

The Jones B-Side disappoints...again!

We have tried this version of the Jones at least three times. Sadly, no more. Yesterday, we dined there for lunch after church. My wife ordered a salad that was composed of bagged salad mix and accompanying veggies. The lettuces were, shall I say, "tired." The chopped and julienned veggies were better.

My wife did not like the taste of the salad dressing she ordered and, after some effort at flagging down our waitress, ordered an alternative dressing. The substitute was not to her taste and, in each instance, the waitress seemed miffed that she had to answer our questions and correct the order. To bring the dressing up to snuff, my wife had to add white sugar! The only person to show any sign that they were glad we were patronizing them was a manager as we were leaving.

My falafel burger was pretty good but the fries were barely warm and soggy.

I want to commend this restaurant for their apparent commitment to serving many vegetarian options and to patronizing local growers. Serving local foods, however, is only part of the equation for success.

In light of the marginal-to-poor dishes we were served and the even worse treatment by our waitress, we will seek out restaurants that can deliver tasty food and friendly service. The Jones B-Side did not.

Traveling tip: Pecan Waffles

 In motels, I have developed a dislike for the the waffle irons that many motels feature in their breakfast rooms. The waffles they produce lack whole grains and the fake maple syrup is main line sugar...literally. I have been determined to make them at least a wee bit healthier or, at the very least, taste better. My solution is to travel with a small bag of chopped pecans. When no one is looking, I pour the waffle goop into the iron and add a half cup of the chopped pecans. I end up with a pecan waffle that tastes a heck of a lot better and has a better nutritional profile. Instead of the supplied fake syrup, I improvise as best I can with fruit cocktail, fresh fruit, even biscuit gravy....anything but the syrup. 

Buster and John's Red Beans and Rice

BUSTER AND JOHN’S RED BEANS AND RICE

David Rosengarden once observed that when ask an aficionado of red beans and rice for their true favorite version of this widely loved New Orleans staple, they will likely go into a stage whisper and tell you, after securing a promise of secrecy, that Popeye’s makes the best red beans and rice on the planet. With that in mind, I have been trying recipe after recipe trying to find the holy grail of red beans and rice. I think I have found it. If there are recipes better than this one: Bring ‘Em On!

This recipe is adapted from Jane and Michael Stern’s book, Road Food. The inspiration for their recipe came from Buster Holmes restaurant in New Orleans and John Thorne’s pamphlet, Rice and Beans: The Itinerary of a Recipe. I have made a few minor changes to suit my tastes.

Ingredients:

• 1-14 oz package of dried red beans, washed and picked through
• 3 cups of Sauterne wine. If you have trouble finding Sauterne, try a sweet wine such as Madeira. I also have used apple juice successfully.
• 1 smoked ham hock
• 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into disks
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 medium onions, chopped fine
• 1 cup minced scallion, reserve green tops
• 1/8 teaspoon, Crystal hot sauce (I never use Tabasco)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups, rice
• 4 ½ cups, water
• 2 cloves, garlic, crushed
• salt and pepper to taste
• Creole seasoning to taste

Preparation:

• Soak beans overnight in wine and enough water to cover.
• Pour off liquid and put beans in a 6-quart stockpot with 2 quarts of water.
• Add ham hock, sausage, garlic, onions, scallion, and seasonings, stir gently, and bring to simmer gradually.
• Partially cover and simmer gently for three hours, adding a half-and-half mixture of water and wine as needed to keep the beans soupy.
• After 2 ½ hours, mash some of the softened beans to thicken gravy. I use an immersion blender, but a potato masher will work.
• Serve over cooked rice. 

Great low cal dressing: Pineapple Miso Dressing

A friend of mine hates bottled dressings and I can not say I blame him. Further, the low calorie dressings are either too sweet or have a chalky after-taste. I found this recipe in the Hawaii Diet Cookbook, a cookbook I highly recommend.

Note: when you make this dressing, be prepared for two bottles worth. It makes a lot so I usually freeze half the final product.  Also, use a blender because this quantity sometimes overflows in my food processor.


PINEAPPLE MISO DRESSING

Pineapple juice (unsweetened) - 2 cups
White miso, 1/2 cup
Maui or Vidalia onion - 1 medium, chopped
Ginger - 2 tablespoons, peeled and minced
Soy sauce - 1/4 cup
Balsamic vinegar - 1 tablespoon
White pepper - to taste

28 calories per portion which translates to about 2.6 tablespoons.

Personal note: I add some no salt Cajun seasoning (Emeril's recipe minus salt). A pinch or two.

Place in blender and blend thoroughly, then blend again to avoid any chunks.