Fette Sau - NYC

If you are in Brooklyn and am looking  for your serving of meat look no further than Fetta Sau.

 Me and the gang and the bright pink sign.

The place is very easy to miss, just make sure you look for a bright pink sign that looks like it is hanging above an entrance to an alley.

 Yummy~!

My friends recommended the Brisket, Pork Belly and baked beans. I have to say those were all very good recommendations. The meat is ordered by the pound so careful not to go overboard. I recommend you order just a bit less than you think you want on your first order and order more if you want more. The biggest reason for this is that you don't want the meat to get cold. Nobody wants cold meat with congealed fat.

 Just in case you were wondering how a gallon of beer looks like...

Also one thing to note is that Fetta Sau sells beer by the gallon! Just make sure you bring some good friends to share the beer. The place is a bit pricey but it is definitely tasty.

http://www.fettesaubbq.com/

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Shake Shack - NYC

If you want an awesome burger in NYC shake shack is pretty awesome.

"When I'm Shakin' come on up to the shack!"

The Shack Stack!

There are quite a few burger options but I recommend you go all the way and get a Shack Stack! The Shack Stack is quite a burger. The Burger is a Shroom burger on top of a Cheese Burger! Healthy? Not at all but tasty for sure. Two thumbs up! :o)

Crif Dogs - NYC

If you are in NYC and you are looking for some hot dog that is not sold off a cart Crif Dog's the place to go.

The entrance to Hot Dog Heaven

Inside

There are many unique dogs on the menu but my favorite by far is the Spicy Red Neck. You can't go wrong with a bacon wrapped sausage with chili, cole slaw and jalapeno.

Spicy Red Neck in the front and a Chili Dog in the back.

Their beer selection is mediocre at best but with a bacon wrapped hot dog in your hand I swear you won't mind too much.
http://www.crifdogs.com/

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Leo's Steak Shop - Folcroft PA

 On my way to NY from my Maryland I decided I needed to get some Philly Cheese Steak! I was initially planning to hit up Pat's and Gino's but after reading some reviews I decided to check out  Leo's instead.

Leo's!

Leo's is a pretty small cheese steak place with no indoor seating. Usually that would not be a problem since they have ample seating outdoors but when it's cold and rainy like the day I visited it's a bit of a bummer.

One of the many plaques of awards on the walls.

The whole place smelled pretty amazing. I ordered a large mushroom cheese steak with hot peppers.

A large cheese steak wrapped up in 2 sections! That's a lot of Philly Cheese Steak!

The cheese steak was pretty tasty but the cheese was not mingled in with the meat. Since the meat is not seasoned I recommend that you order extra cheese to make sure you can have cheese in ever bite. Is it the best of Philly? I can't say but it is pretty tasty.

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Tudor's Biscuit World - Roanoke VA

For breakfast we decided to head on over to the Tudor's Biscuit World.

 I decided to order 2 biscuits, a standard sausage biscuit and a biscuit called the Cavalier. Both were pretty tasty but the Cavalier was the clear winner. The Cavalier's crunchy hash brown, tasty sausage combined with the cheese was a sure fire win.

  Perhaps not the healthiest of breakfast but it is delicious! Also they have wi-fi access which makes it a great breakfast stop.

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Henry's Memphis BBQ - Salem VA

After the puppies and a decent amount of driving we were getting mighty hungry. Luckily for us there was a BBQ joint right off the road!

 Henry's Memphis BBQ!

On this trip I have been eating a lot of BBQ and I was unsure how well a small bbq place in Salem VA would hold up to the other big hitters. I must say it wasn't the tastiest BBQ by any means but it grew on me very quickly.

  Mmmm~ Meat~~

I ordered the memphis dry rub with brunswick stew and fried okra. The meat could be a bit more tender and the dry rub seems to have been rubbed on after the rib was cooked and not before. I usually like my memphis dry rub without any additional sauces but this time around the ribs were tastier with sauces. They have 4 different sauces available and all of them tasty pretty good but I think the ribs goes best with the south carolina sauce.

 I would not recommend you go out of your way for the ribs but if you are near Salem, VA this might be a good place to stock up on your meat quota.

Waffle House!

On my cross country I have passed by many Waffle Houses but I never felt the need to stop by one. But since Jennifer had fond memories of the walnut waffles we decided to make a stop.

The waffles were o.k. but I think the more interesting dish is the one in the back. Can you guess what it is? It's hash browns! Well... it's hash brown with some additional toppings. Listed below are toppings you can get.

• SMOTHERED –ONIONS
• COVERED –American CHEESE
• CHUNKED –Hickory Smoked
• DICED –TOMATOES
• PEPPERED –Jalapeño PEPPERS
• CAPPED –MUSHROOMS
• TOPPED –Bert's CHILI
• “ALL THE WAY” - Everything

Needless to say I got an "All the way". It was kinda tasty in a greasy diner kind of way. I don't recommend you make a stop at waffle house just for it but if you happen to be at a waffle house and am on a unhealthy kick give it a try :o)

Tomato Head - Knoxville

If you are looking for a healthier meal in Knoxville the place to to go is Tomato Head.

Tomato Head!

Jennifer!

I visited Tomato Head 3 times during my 1 week+ stay in Knoxville and here are few things you need to know about Tomato Head:

1. A small sandwich is very very small... I would say it's barely big enough for a snack...
2. The burrito is not the most delicious thing on the menu but it is probably the most filling.
3. Almost every ingredient is divided into 3 groups. Any ingredient on the group can be substituted for another in the same group or lower for no additional cost. For example if your sandwich comes with fresh spinach, which is in group 1, you can substitute it with fresh mushrooms which are also in group 1 for no additional cost. If you wanted to substitute the spinach for a group 2 item like Artichoke Hearts there will be an additional cost.
4. My favorite item on the menu was Oh Boy sandwich! Thanks Danny for the recommendation!

Me and the Oh Boy sandwich!

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Lupi's Pizza! - Chattanooga

If you want some delicious food in Chattanooga you should definitely checkout Lupi's!

I don't think you can really go wrong with anything you order here but there are somethings you want to know before you head out to Lupi's.

• If you are hungry the calzone is the way to go! As you can see in the photos below they are pretty big!
• After the 4th topping additional toppings are free!
• The line can move pretty slow so be prepared to wait for a while. 
• The beer selection is pretty decent so have a cold one!

 Mmmm~ Calzone!

Terminal Brewhouse! - Chattanooga

The Brewhouse!

To wrap up our rest day we met up Jenny from couch surfer at the Terminal Brewhouse. The Terminal Brewhouse is known for their micro brews.

The place gets packed and the wait for a table can be very long. The food is pretty solid, the atmosphere is pretty nice and their beer is pretty good. Thanks Jenny for introducing me to the place!

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Sluggo's Vegetarian Cafe - Chattanooga

Kevin wanted to check out a well known vegetarian cafe named Sluggo's. They are known for their tasty healthy vegetarian cuisines. As people might be able to guess from my numerous bbq post that I am quite far from a vegetarian but contrary to popular belief I'm an omnivore not a carnivore.

Victor and Kevin and a wooden tower of doom~!!

The cafe was pretty small and had a very chilled atmosphere. They have plenty of games to play while you wait. I recommend playing zenga with a slightly with a slightly wobbly table! Maybe I'm just being a sore loser, :oP

Vegetarian Dumplings

I ordered a small plate of Vegetarian Dumplings as recommended by the waiter. You get 6 dumplings with 3 different sauces. All the sauces were pretty tasty but my favorite sauce was the spicy vegan mayo sauce. The food's not bad but I think it's over priced. If you are hungry make sure you get a burrito!

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Golden Temple - Birmingham Alabama

Golden Temple near the Five Points

It was very hard to have the 2 day on 1 day off schedule of climbing. My hands were so raw that I need to take every other day off. Me and Kevin decided to head into Birmingham. We went to the Golden Temple.
The Golden Temple is a vegan/vegetarian restaurant, cafe/store. The store portion sells many items you would find at a health store, various supplements, incense and so on.
The cafe serves many healthy smoothies and vegan/vegetarian food. I decided to try the daily special of Vegetarian Mac & Cheese.

 The Mac & Cheese was awesome! It was super cheesy and tasty but some how feels super healthy! It came with a vegetarian gumbo that was only o.k. but not anywhere as good as a real sausage and seafood gumbo.
The Cafe portion of the store closes pretty early but if you are in Birmingham and want some tasty vegetarian food give Golden Temple a try.

Lucy's Cafe - Birmingham Alabama

Since I had to take a rest day I decided to go out back to Birmingham to hangout at a cafe. This is when I found my favorite cafe in Birmingham, Lucy's Cafe.
One thing you first notice when you go in is a big chalkboard with many names and numbers next to them. My first thought was that it was a wall of I.O.U.s. When I asked the guy at the counter he told me it was a list of people that have actually paid in advance!

Chalkboard is on the right, above the counter.

I was planning to be at the cafe for a while so I got cozy, settled in and ordered a Tuna Melt. The Tuna Melt was mighty tasty! I think the bread is the key. Lucy's Cafe can get pretty busy during lunch time so just be prepared to either get your food to go or sit at a table with some strangers.

Mmmm.... Tuna Melt!

To access the wi-fi you need a code. Each code lasts only 2 hrs but you can pick up as many as you need from the side table next to the counter. This is my favorite cafe in Birmingham but they close pretty early so you will need to find another joint for some evening coffee.

Dreamland BBQ - Birmingham Alabama

 

You'll smell the food and see the smoke before you see the restaurant.

After the half day of climbing Stephanie and Amanda recommended that we go to Dreamland BBQ. Dreamland is considered to have one of the finest ribs in Birmingham. I know I've been eating a lot of BBQ recently but I decided one more couldn't hurt.

 

Amanda and Stephanie, the gracious tour guides to Birmingham!

When we were driving to the restaurant I saw a plum of smoke eve before I saw the restaurant but knew it had to be the place. When we sat down we were given plain white bread and barbecue sauce. Apparently this was a Dreamland tradition. I was told that when the place first opened up all you could get was the complimentary white bread and sauce and pork ribs. The menu has since expanded and now you can get a variety of items. <menu>

 

1/2 rack of ribs and Mac & Cheese

The bread with bbq sauce was delicious, especially if you drizzle on some Texas Pete hot sauce. Plain white bread never tasted so good :o) The ribs were pretty tasty. The meat was tender and sweet. The mac and cheese was also pretty darn good but I wish there was more of it! Maybe the bread is suppose to fill you up enough so you don't notice how small the sides are.

 

Mmmmmm~ Meat~~

 

 No Farting Sign!

So was it the best ribs I ever had? Definitely no but was it damn tasty? Hells yeah! I definitely recommend you check it out if you're hungry for some ribs in Birmingham.

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Birmingham AL - The Garage

Troth full of beer!

After driving into Birmingham I was looking for a place to get some drinks. My host Joe and Mindy were very busy studying for an exam so they couldn't join me but they pointed me to a local bar called the garage.
The garage got it's name because it used to be a place that people could rent out garages to store their stuff. You can see the garages and the most unique aspect of the Garage when you walk out to their back porch.

There are various antiques casually displayed in each garage space and the back patio is filled with various lawn and fountain sculptures. I can see how this bar would be the place to go on warmer nights.
During the colder nights it's mostly a locals bar. Everybody at the bar seemed to know each other. Even if I wasn't a local the bartenders and the locals were very welcoming.
As for beer, they have a good variety but most beers aren't quality micro brews. The price was on the slightly steep side for the area but It didn't matter since I could get a Yuengling! Haven't had one in ages! Yuengling is a Pennsylvania beer that I used to drink a lot in Pittsburgh. It's not the best beer but a pretty fine cheap beer.
I did not try the food the first night but eventually tried their sandwich before I left Birmingham. I would say it's tasty for a bar sandwich not any tastier than small sandwich specialty stores.
So in conclusion I would recommend this bar for it's varied beer selection, unique setting and friendly locals.

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Crabby Jacks! - New Orleans

 New Orleans is known for it's creole food. Unfortunately I was too busy celebrating Mardi Gras to really go to the better food joints. Although I did have some excellent Gumbo at a corner super market run by an Asian couple! So what to eat as my last meal before I leave New Orleans... I tried to find a reasonably priced place that wasn't too far. I couldn't find a good creole place near by but I did find a local po' boy sandwich place near by called Crabby Jacks.

The place is known as a local spot and can get really crowded during lunch time. I got there right before the rush and ordered the roasted duck po' boy per recommendations on yelp.  The sandwich was pretty big but not very good! The duck was gamey and was not very big on flavor. Perhaps I have gotten spoiled from all the delicious duck dishes I used to get at the Thai places near my house. A lot of people seemed to have ordered some fried deliciousness for their po boy... Oh well just goes to show you that you can't always trust those yelp reviews.

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Snow's BBQ - Best BBQ in Texas?

I was talking to my friend Chris over the phone when he mentioned that the supposedly best BBQ in Texas was located near Austin. After some research I found out that Snow's BBQ in Lexington, TX was selected by the Texas Monthly as the best BBQ in Texas in 2008. There are a lot of good BBQs in Texas so that's a pretty bold claim. I decided to check it out.

Snow's BBQ

My journey to Snow's started in 7am in the morning. Why so early you ask? It's because Snow's BBQ in only open on Sat. from 8am till the meat is gone. The brisket has been known to run out at as soon as 10am! To make sure I get my meat I got an early start. The hour long drive was fairly uneventful besides the thick fog and my GPS freaking out when it thought I was driving on nothing... But I made it!

Mmmm... Meat...

I got there around 8:45AM and there was already a line and after I stood in line the line got even longer! I ordered my meat by pound but you can choose the plates, which comes with sides.

My Meaty Breakfast

I ended up ordering approximately .5lb of brisket, 1 sausage link, 1/4lb of pork ribs, 1/4lb of pork, coleslaw and red beans. The red beans are complimentary and can be picked up from a vat on the side. The first thing I tried was the brisket. My first bite was delicious. Besides the layer of fat on the outside a lot of fat seems to have been melted in to the meat itself. I found the fattier pieces of the brisket better than the leaner ones. The leaner sections seemed a tad dry. I think I prefer the brisket without the BBQ sauce. The sauce is sweet with a slight tanginess. The sausage was pretty tasty but nothing too amazing. The ribs were good but I think I preferred the Salt Lick's ribs. The pork slices also were good but nothing too amazing. The beans were a tad too salty for my taste but was a good break between the fatty meats.

So was it the best BBQ in Texas? Well, yes and no. The briskets were the best I have tasted in recent memory but everything else was good but not the best. Would I recommend you make a pilgrimage just for Snow's BBQ? I would say so only if you are around the 1hr-ish area.

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Austin - Salt Lick BBQ, Driftwood

My morning started out with a bit of a bummer. My car battery was dead! Thankfully my parents graciously got me a AAA membership right before I left. The AAA guy was originally from San Diego and was very friendly. Just remember that if you need your batteries completely replaced the AAA guy is convenient but it will end up costing you a bit more.
Once I was mobile once more I started my journey to Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood.

Welcome to the Salt Lick BBQ

There are 2 Salt Lick BBQ locations but people insisted that I should go to the original Driftwood location. If you are in the southern Austin Area the drive should not be too bad. The sign can be easy to miss so keep your eyes open for it. I even had a GPS and I missed it and had to turn around.

The Pit!

Once you come inside the structure you are greeted with a view of the BBQ Pit. It is an awesome sight of meats galore. If you ask nicely they will let you come into the the cooking area to see the pit.
Now for the main show. The BBQ! I got the combo pack. The combo was $9.95 with beef briskets, sausages and pork ribs. The meal also came with beans, potato salad and coleslaw and some bread.

The delicious combo plate!

The Pork Ribs were pretty good. The Ribs had a sweetness even without the sauce. It reminded me a little of Chinese style pork. The Briskets were tasty with just enough fat to add flavor without being too fatty. The sausages were my least favorite of the bunch but still good. All the sides were pretty solid. The BBQ sauce itself was fairly tangy. The waiter saw me abusing the hot sauce and brought me some chipotle bbq sauce. I thought it was a good sauce but I think I prefer the normal sauce just a tad more.

I'm not sure why but I like posting the aftermath photos :o)

As you can see I ate everything up. I was fairly full but I saw the freshly baked pecan pies. As some people might know I'm a sucker for the pecan pies. When I got my pecan pie it was still warm and was topped off with a vanilla ice cream. The pie was very good! The pecans were baked with an almost caramelized cover. I was so stuffed but it was worth it!
I highly recommend Slat Licks BBQ, Driftwood! And if you are particularly hungry they have all you can eat specials for 14.95 on Mon~Friday till 4pm. That's a steal!