Travel Tips

Southern Comfort: Finding Good Food and Down-Home Hospitality on the Road

Locations in this article:  Atlanta, GA Baltimore, MD Nashville, TN New Orleans, LA

International House New OrleansIn times like these, we can all use a little extra comfort. And summer’s a fine time to experience a taste of Southern comfort.

Indeed, good food and down-home hospitality are deeply rooted in Southern culture—it’s practically an art form.

To check out how they do it in the New South, writer Donna M. Owens visited several Southern cities, finding places where traditional comfort meets contemporary panache. Bon appétit, y’all.

Charleston, South Carolina

There are two main things that visitors should know about the beautifully preserved city of Charleston. They’re serious here about history (think horse-drawn carriages and antebellum plantation tours) and they’re all about good eatin’.

For more on traveling to Charleston, don’t miss our Off the Brochure Travel Guide to Charleston, South Carolina.

Charleston Place Hotel (www.charlestonplace.com), located in a stately courtyard in Charleston’s historic district, offers both—a taste of the region’s famed Lowcountry cuisine, and among the swankiest accommodations in town.

Charleston Grill InteriorEnvision a chandeliered lobby, elegant guestrooms with antiques, a European-style spa with a freshwater pool, and a collection of high-end shops—Gucci, among them—attached to the hotel.

It has all the great perks, but Charleston Place is also known for great meals—it boasts several on-site restaurants, including a lounge that serves classic afternoon tea and the upscale Charleston Grill, which has garnered a boatload of national culinary awards. The menu offers modern interpretations of regional favorites: catfish with shrimp gravy and hoe cakes, to chicken and dumplings, braised collard greens and grits soufflé with bacon. And there’s a 1,300-label wine list.

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Yet the hotel isn’t the only game in town for tasty Southern fare. Locals love casual spots like Jim `N-Nick’s Bar-B-Q and Hominy Grill (try the biscuits); other dining options include the chic, vegetarian Tristan, and FIG, with farm-to-table cuisine. Each March, the annual Charleston Food + Wine Festival (www.charlestonfoodandwine.com/2009) provides foodies weekend to whet their palates with Southern cuisine. Dozens of events include tastings, celebrity chefs and authors, wine experts, and a lively gospel brunch.

Clarksdale, Mississippi

Leroy Falconi at Ground Zero BluesIt’s a Saturday night in tiny Clarksdale—America’s legendary home of the blues. Inside Ground Zero Blues Club (www.groundzerobluesclub.com) (a nod to the town’s rep as “ground zero” for blues aficionados), the joint is jumping.

A wailing guitar fills this sprawling former cotton-grading warehouse, as a blues band plays its first set. Meanwhile, patrons jam the dance floor or sit at long benches. They chow down on Southern treats: slow-cooked pork barbecue, fried green tomato and BLT “sammiches,” and sides of mustard greens.

The laid-back, festive vibe of this popular nightspot and eatery draws folks from all over. The fact that actor Morgan Freeman is a co-owner, doesn’t hurt.

Next door to Ground Zero, there’s the Delta Blues Museum, which celebrates the music and its legendary musicians. A short walk away, there’s Madidi (www.madidires.com), Freeman’s upscale French inspired restaurant. Think rack of lamb, fresh bass and an extensive wine list in an elegant setting decorated with the works of Delta artists.

For short-term lodging in town, the Delta Cotton Company Apartments (www.groundzerobluesclub.com/apartment.php) are above Ground Zero. They’re cozy and feature a living area, Direct TV, wireless Internet, fresh bed linens, and some appliances (coffeemakers, but no microwave or irons). Be forewarned, this place isn’t for party-poopers: the apartments are over a juke joint, after all!

Georgia World Congress CenterAtlanta, Georgia

Sure, Atlanta is one of America’s fastest-growing cities—a metropolis with a great mix of academic and cultural institutions, top sports teams, and sexy places to dine, mingle and play (photo credit: Georgia World Congress Center).

But the other side of Hotlanta, as its nicknamed, is a bit more laid back. It’s a city where many eateries serve the kind of delicious Southern fare your mama (or somebody’s mama) might cook for the family.

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South City Kitchen - Photo Credit: The Fifth Group RestaurantsSouth City Kitchen (www.southcitykitchen.com) has two local outposts in ATL that deliver country cooking with a nouveau twist. (photo credit: The Fifth Group Restaurants) We’re talking pan-fried chicken livers with country ham, caramelized onions, and garlic jus. Buttermilk fried chicken with bourbon gravy, and staples like creamy mac-n-cheese, butterbean succotash and fried okra.

If you have room for dessert, the menu’s Southern sweets include chocolate bread pudding with coffee crème anglaise, banana pudding, and pecan pie served with buttermilk caramel and vanilla ice cream.

After dinner, stop by the new Hotel Palomar (www.hotelpalomar-atlanta.com), a luxury boutique hotel in Midtown Atlanta. The hotel, housed in a 21-story skyscraper, features 304 guest rooms, cosmopolitan décor and it’s centrally located—just minutes from Centennial Olympic Park, CNN Center and the Georgia Dome.

You can have a glass of wine and people-watch in Hotel Palomar’s lobby “living room,” or dine at Pacci Ristorante, which has spice-rubbed steaks, and Italian fare such as home-made ravioli with lobster sauce. When you’re done, head up to the rooftop terrace lounge and watch the stars and city lights over midtown Atlanta.

By Donna M. Owens for PeterGreenberg.com. Donna is an award-winning journalist based in Baltimore who reports for print, broadcast, and Internet outlets nationwide.

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