Madison&Mayberry

The Two-Day Road Trip

For me, there's nothing worse than being trapped in a car for an extended amount of hours. So what's a way to spice up a 900 mile road trip from Atlanta to NY? Food stops!

1)  Fat Matt's Rib Shack, Atlanta, GA

I wanted to give Ryan a true taste of Southern bbq which meant taking him to what I considered the best -- Fat Matt's. When researching this option online, I was shocked that Fat Matt's garnished very mixed reviews from "best ribs in town" to "stay away!" But I went with my instincts and stuck with it. The restaurant opens for lunch at 11:30 and a minute after that, a line had already formed out the door. The ribs are done the way I am used to -- tender meat lightly brushed with sauce and more sauce on the side to dip in. Ryan didn't understand the art of eating the meat with Wonderbread. It's not anything I can describe except that it just soaks up the sauce. Ryan deemed it a waste. It may just go back to the fact that this is what I grew up with and I'm used to it. As Mel and Kathy said the night before, the potato salad and rum baked beans are the best sides. They were right. The sweet tea is perfect. I don't care what anyone says. This is the best bbq in town.

2) Keaton's BBQ, Cleveland, North Carolina

Ryan found this heavily documented (and raved about) on roadfood.com. It was some miles out of the way but worth the prospect of getting lost. I was addicted to the slaw. I've never tasted anything quite like it -- crunchy shredded cabbage spiked with vinegar and hot sauce. And the chicken! Here's Michael Stern's description from roadfood: "Keaton's chicken is unlike any other: slightly crisp, slightly caramelized, and shot through with the flavor of the house barbecue sauce. It is so good it made our tipster weep with joy." I'm not sure if the chicken is deep-fried and then coated in sauce or vice versa -- whatever it is, I left with my two bottles of Keaton's bbq sauce and dreams of copying it.

3) Chick-Fil-A, somewhere in Virginia

Our dreams of a food-filled road trip were halted due to a 24 hour stomach bug I was lucky enough to catch (such timing!) I wanted nothing to do with food for a while, but I wanted Ryan to experience the amazingness that is Chick-Fil-A. I'll defend my Chick-Fil-A to the end -- they may be chicken nuggets but they aren't processed like their fast food neighbors. It's real chicken, lightly coated in flour and fried. What could be simpler? And I love their honey mustard dipping sauce, which has a kick of horseradish. The only Chick-Fil-A mystery remains -- why aren't there any in NYC?

4) Tony Luke's in Philadelphia

Philadelphia = cheesesteak. Except for Ryan, who wanted a roast pork Italian sandwich from Tony Luke's. (Featured twice in Gourmet's annual "Best 180 Restaurants in America"
Gourmet, 2000: But it's the Italian pork sandwich we dream about, a transcendent mess
of  garlicky pork, chewy roll, and soft, pungent masses of broccoli rabe cooked down until it reaches the consistency of heavenly sludge.")

I was cranky and exhausted and we kept missing the silly signs for the road to Tony Luke's. I wanted back on the highway to get home and crawl into bed. But Ryan was hungry and a break from driving was probably a good idea. And he had his heart set on this sandwich. I took the safe route, getting the cheesesteak (pictured above). The first qualm was that all sandwiches are served with a side of chips. I literally had one-fourth the amount of his. I didn't even want the damn chips but I felt slighted nonetheless. It wasn't the best cheesesteak I've had, but it wasn't bad. Four bites into his sandwich, Ryan looks up and says, "I hate to say it, but the roasted pork Italian in New York is better." So now we know. Who needs a trip to Philly when the Tony Luke's in Hell's Kitchen delivers up better food? (or at least compared to what we received that night)

Sight-seeing and eatin' in the ATL

I've been very shameful about postings lately. But I have fully unpacked (well, almost) into my new apartment. I've also been adjusting to the workings of a new 9-5 job after such a free-forming schedule. Why get a new job and apartment at different times when getting them together could create utter chaos?

And because I've been so late about my postings, this is where I'll finally delve into my Christmas vacation. Ryan came down to help me drive my car from Atlanta to New York. This is where I should admit to my terrible sense of direction (Obviously, I would have ended up in Colorada if left to my own devices).

Although I grew up in Alabama, we were a short ride from Atlanta, where I attended college and lived for some years after. So I felt the need to show the city off. If there's one thing the South does better than anything else, it's fried food. So a trip to Atlanta isn't complete without swinging by The Varsity.

The hamburger and hot dog haven is famous for the brisk manner of the employees, who bark, "What'll ya have?" and are known to get smarky when you don't refer to items by their proper name (for example, a plain hot dog is a naked dog). My family met us there -- and not for the greasy fried food but to meet Ryan (although they did indeed like the food). I think all of Atlanta was at the Varsity that day -- I've never seen the lines so long. My usual order consists of a slaw dog, onion rings and a frosted orange -- a slushy orange drink that tastes like a melted creamsicle. The rest of my family followed in suit, with naked or slaw dogs. Ryan got the chili-slaw dog, which he vowed was far superior. I'm just not a fan of the Varsity's chili, but that's me. Then there's the famous Varsity hat you're required to wear (okay.. not really required. But who wouldn't want to wear that?)

My sisters Mariah and Tara help me show off Varsitywear.

I tried giving Ryan a one-day abridged tour of the city, where I visited more sites in mere hours than I had in years of living there. There was the Cyclorama, Turner Field (home of the Braves), The Martin Luther King National Historic Site and The World of Coca-Cola.

Not only does the Coke Museum provide you with all the soft drink knowledge you could ever need for a trivia night, but it also has soda fountains stocked with any and every type of soda, from Italy's bitter Beverly to Barq's red cream soda. All-you-can-eat buffets are a clear weakness for me and an all-you-can-drink soda smorgasbord fared no differently. I left with an intense sugar high and a stomachache.

Despite this, I still had no trouble packing in the food when we met my friends Kathy, Mel and Michelle at Rathbun's, which has been listed as one of Atlanta's top ten restaurants. A 9 o'clock reservation combined with a talkative and late-to-order group did not fare well. Dishes I had wanted to try -- roasted bone marrow and sea scallop Benedict on country ham grits had run out for the evening. Instead, I opted for the crispy duck breast with Thai risotto and green curry essence. Mel's was the clear winner with the braised short ribs and fall root vegetables. Everyone enjoyed their meal considerably. I remained a bit pouty over missing out on the grits. (Don't tell me that entree didn't make your mouth water..)

Another nice touch is the combination dessert plate-- pick your favorite four for $11. There was a debate between the best of the four, which fell between the KROG candy bar and the gooey toffee cake (both on the top row). My eggnog bread pudding, and Ryan's chocolate box were misses. They weren't bad. The other two were just very, very good and blew them away. 

This ended Day 1 in Atlanta. The next day Ryan and I began our food-filled road trip, a post that will have to wait for later this week. Stay tuned.