I just got back from a week in Savannah, Georgia. It was lovely – I stayed downtown in the historic district, and in addition to the usual tourist-y stuff I did my share of wandering around all the beautiful squares with their sculptural live oaks decked out in Spanish moss, sitting on benches, and chatting with friendly strangers.
So delicious.
I also ate a ridiculous amount of regional Southern food – fried catfish and chicken, grits, various fat-laden side dishes, and tons of dessert options (illustrated by the cover photo lol). My stomach was all “… uh, what is happening here?” by the end of the trip. I’m now in recovery mode with salads and kefir, but I have no regrets.
Since I don’t have a fragrance post ready (although I’m working on it), tell me: is there a specific item you’ve eaten while on vacation or traveling that you think about longingly, the equivalent of a fragrance that made you swoon? Have you tried to re-create it at home? Ordered it on GoldBelly? Returned to the area just to eat it again?
Off the top of my head, three of mine:
The sweet potato cobbler in Savannah and the impetus for this topic. I went to The Peach Cobbler Factory and got the “flight” of various cobblers (see photo above), because why choose one when you can have four? Served with a big dish of vanilla ice cream on the side. They were all good, but the sweet potato was fantastic – so fantastic that I went back the next day for more. The gal behind the counter recognized me. Is that embarrassing?
The “cinnamon record” from the Granville Island public market in Vancouver. It’s sort of like a palmier in texture, but more candied, with bits that are crunchy and others that are chewy. My mouth waters just typing that. It’s also the size of an LP (hence the name.) It is shockingly good. I tried to replicate it with store-bought phyllo and failed. I looked online for mail order options (another failure). Then I discovered a local panaderia which has something very similar, if not quite as chewy and spectacular. It’ll do, though!
Soft-serve “brown bread” ice cream from a local joint in Topeka, Kansas. I ordered it because it sounded so weird, to be honest. Research tells me it’s more of a New England (and also Old England) thing. The original recipe is made with brown breadcrumbs; the New England version’s secret ingredients are maple syrup and Grape Nuts, which have softened in the churning process. I’ve tried MacGyvering it with store-bought ice cream and pre-soaked Grape Nuts. It’s good, but it’s not the same. I may get an ice cream maker just to do one of the online recipes.
Okay, your turn! Is there a food item or dish you long for? Have you tried to replicate it, or have it shipped to you? Do you make special trips to have it every time you’re in the area?
photos: mine
Oh, March, yes. First would be food from Kulishkat in Brooklyn — down home Middle Eastern. A plate of shawarma, hummus, tahini, salad and fresh pita. Second, ice cream (specifically Peanutbutter Takes the Cup) from Ample Hills in Prospect Heights. Finally, onion rings from the shack on the beach in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire—hot and crispy out of the oil. Sigh. None of these are gettable for me here but I think of them often and fondly.
On a different note, I’m with Dina C and would love a post on your lipstick recommendations, which have always been awesome.
Omg that brown bread ice cream sounds sooooo gooood.. I’d say Roscoe’s but it’s really across town, not out of town. Weird that I’ll drive to Santa Barbara for guacamole but not to Hollywood for a waffle. But since I’d end up looking like Victor Buono’s fatter cousin if I indulged as much as I want.
Some of the ones I miss:
Cider donuts from Atkins Farm in Amherst, MA. For some reason these are the best- perfect combo of cakey and doughy with the tang of real cider. Those wan things from Trader Joe’s should hang their heads in shame.
Butter burgers from Solly’s in Milwaukee. They made them on America’s Test Kitchen but they’re better at the source. They sound vile (a burger cooked in butter on a butter soaked bun? Really?) but they’re divine. But order 1/2 what you think you want. I’ve never been able to finish one, and I never got a large.
Fresh bialys from Kossar’s in New York. Everybody goes on and on about New York bagels and they’re good. But I preferred the bialy- a sort of cousin that’s not boiled and has a bit of sautéed onion in the center. When I lived in NY in Alphabet city and worked by Bloomingdale’s I’d walk to work, fueled by a regular coffee and two of those babies. I wish someone sold them here.
The waffle is worth the walk, which you’d have to do if you indulged as often as you would like.
And only the Roscoe’s at Sunset & Gower. The others are not quite…. y’know?
The only things I long for, I will probably never be able to have again. The pastis cake from a small bakery in a tiny town in southwestern France, and navette cookies from the bakery in Marseille that specializes in them. I have baked my own pastis cake with a decent result but it will never be exactly like the real thing. I haven’t tried to make the navettes yet but it’s on my list of things to do someday. My baking mojo has diminished a lot over the years.
OMG! I remember that ‘brown bread’ ice cream! Not persackly my taste but it was tasty!!!
My ‘out of town’ treat is always Roscoe’s Chicken and waffles – their yeasted waffles (which is what I think they are – it’s not like they’re forthcoming with the recipe) are DA BOMB! I worked in LA for years on production and always went to Roscoe’s for lunch but it wasn’t until I went with a client/friend and he asked ‘you’re not going to have a waffle?’ and he gave me a bite of his that I saw GOD
I ate THREE of them that day. Three!