They Certainly Can Cook in the South

They Certainly Can Cook in the South

I know these are late posts, but now that I've got a bit of downtime, I wanted to catch up.

The South is famous for hospitality and food. We've experience both on our journey.

In Pickwick Dam, Tennessee, we had dinner at a place called Freddy T's. The atmosphere was a bit like Margaritaville Meets Pirates of the Caribbean. It was quirky and fun, and the food (and margaritas) quite good.

Our second dinner in Pickwick Dam was at John's Pier.  Now, I love shrimp any way you cook them, but peel and eat are my favorite. These were the BEST I've had in a very, very long time. Plump, fresh and with a kick-a** cocktail sauce for dipping, I could have eaten more and called it dinner. But for dinner I had a great smothered chicken, and Jason had Chicken Cordon Pier, their version of chicken cordon bleu.  If you're ever in Pickwick Dam, Tennessee, either place is a winner.

On both Day Seven and Day Eight, we went to Duff's Tavern and Grille, located on the 1300 block of Washington Street in Vicksburg. 

For lunch, I had red beans and rice with chorizo sausage and the best gumbo I've had since New Orleans, so good, in fact that I had it again for dinner on Friday! Jason and I also shared some fried pickles...yes, fried pickles. We'd seen them on several menus in the past few days, we just had to try them. The batter was a southern fried chicken batter, and they came heaped on a plate with a side of ranch dressing, Excellent!  Jason had a filet and shrimp scampi in a butter and garlic sauce so good, I had to write about it. I had a pecan crusted catfish with a brown butter sauces and for dessert, a pecan bread pudding with a Jack Daniels sauce, served warm with just enough cream dripping over top. It was so good, it was indecent!!!

A quick ride from the National Monument Park, Duff's is a definite winner!!