While we all anxiously await the April issue of Southern Living to find out who won the Tastiest Town in the South, I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite "local" spots to grab a bite. Now you're about to find out that I'm a diner gal. I can enjoy "fancy" food when fancy food is warranted but for day to day, nothing beats a meat and three. 

I have a few diners that I especially love and thought I'd share them with you today in hopes that you'd do the same. Do you have any favorite restaurants where you live? They don't have to be diners or "Southern" food, they just have to be good and close to your heart!

Spend few minutes with me as I share some of my favorites and then take your turn in the comments on this post! 

Blue Plate Cafe in Huntsville, Alabama

In my hometown of Huntsville, Alabama, there is one place you'll find me for lunch whenever my schedule allows - the Blue Plate Cafe. This little Mom and Pop hasn't been around long but it caught on quick with the local crowd, as the parking lot attests. I try to get there by eleven in order to find a spot! My must haves on the menu are: stewed tomatoes, peach cobbler, and turnip greens. Their cucumber, tomato, and onion salad tastes just like my Fire and Ice Salad but I like it a little bit better - because I don't have to make it!

Mullin's in Huntsville, Alabama

Of course there is also Mullin's. I have memories of sitting in a Mullin's booth with my hair up in ponytails, hearing stories of how my mother used to sit in that same booth with her hair up in ponytails!

It's pracitcally a reunion of native Huntsvillians for breakfast every morning and the prices don't seem to have changed much since the old days, either. I have a deep and abiding appreciation for any restaurant that will serve me pintos, sauerkraut and weenies, greens, and deviled eggs. All I need is Mama to walk out of the kitchen to make this picture complete. 

Dotson's in Franklin, Tennessee

Nearby Franklin, just outside of Nashville, is home to two of my other favorite places. Dotson's is most assuredly missed by anyone not looking for it, but if you take the time to step inside youll be greeted with family hospitality and home cooking just like yo'ud find in my own kitchen. Their breakfast is wonderful and all of their jams are homemade. This is me enjoying ice tea and grits - an odd combination to some but a personal favorite of mine. 

Puckett's Grocery in Nashville, Tennessee

Puckett's has a few locations in the Nashville area and is frequented by folks of all ages and walks of life. We love to drive up with the kids and make a family day of eating there. Everything is good on their menu but once I tried their pimento cheese sandwich I can't seem to visit there without ordering one. 

Do you have a favorite?

Now don't run off! We want to hear about your favorite places to eat in the comments below. With so many folks about to get into summer road trip mode, help us out by telling us where you live and your favorite places to eat there (and why).  Be sure and tell us what city and state they're in so we can look them up when we're in your neck of the woods! 

I'd also love to visit more with you so once you're done here come on and join me on my little home on the web at SouthernPlate.com. 

Gratefully, 

Christy 

One thing is for sure, if I didn't work in our test kitchen, I would definitely own a food truck or as i call'em a grease truck. Every time I get out of town I always look for a new one to try. It's a food adventure with the added bonus of being inexpensive (no fancy tablecloths here) and a great way to get the feel of a new city.

My love affair with sweet potatoes began in my early twenties.  It started innocently enough with a simple, undressed sweet potato that was simmered and only slightly salted.  The sweet potato was an accompaniment to a spicy ceviche and cut perfectly against the heat of the habañero and soothed my mouth.  As my passion for sweet potatoes grew, so did the number of ways I enjoyed this root vegetable.  Baked in the oven and topped with sour cream and chives, mashed with cilantro and lime juice, roasted and mixed with peppers, olives, and feta—there are too many ways to list.  I began enjoying sweet potatoes on a weekly basis, always in their savory application, staying away from marshmallows, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  And then I discovered sweet potato fries!

 Farm-to-table is a huge term these days, but it's rare that we get to see the process start to finish.  I  did a few weeks ago, and it was fun. 

If you're ever cruisin' down Hwy 41 to Macon, Georgia...there are a few spots your stomach doesn't want to miss.

Nu-Way Weiners

The Allman Brothers...cherry blossoms...Otis Redding...AND the Nu-Way Weiner...all good reasons to love Macon.   Nu-Way is more than just a good hot dog, it's an obsession for many native Maconites.  (Are they called Maconites? or Maconians?) From the tasty chili to the flaky ice in the soft drinks, you can't go wrong at Nu-way. 

I was lucky enough to make a trip out to Austin, TX to do research for an upcoming story in the magazine. I love the oasis that is Austin and I was once fortunate enough to call the city my home. It had been awhile since I last visited so I was very excited to return. My friends Shelley and Brian, natives of the area, have been going on and on about how the city is changing so fast since I have left. "Lots of new development and lofts everywhere....very California," to quote them, so I was very curious.

I've been blessed with many extraordinary food opportunities and adventures in my life, but few compare to a meal I recently shared with shrimper (and all-round super dude) Timmy Cheramie. 

I hope y'all have had the chance to check out my story, "Fresh From The Bayou" in the June issue of Southern Living featuring Timmy, his family, and his insanely good recipes. 

Well, I just couldn't help myself, so I paid a return visit to Golden Meadow, Louisiana a couple of weeks back to meet up with Timmy and his crew (and what a crew they are!).

I’ve often said that barbecue is a lot like the martial arts – there’s enormous camaraderie around the subject in general, but everyone feels like they’re practicing the perfect form.  Honestly, the next time you get into a heated discussion about ‘cue think back to the great kung fu movies of the 70s where the typical set-up was two shaolin masters squaring off, one usually insisting the other’s monkey style was no match for his crane style.  Insert “ribs” and “pulled pork” or “wet” and “dry” in place of the kung fu styles and have a good laugh rather than coming to blows.

Why am I bringing this up?  Because I visited one of my “temples” of barbecue this past weekend: Bob Sykes in Bessemer, AL.  I hit other joints around town for, say, pulled pork and chicken (always slathered in white barbecue sauce, a true Alabama specialty), but for ribs, I head for Sykes.  I’m typically a baby back kind of guy, but the meaty spareribs at Sykes are something special.

So I was in Durham, NC the other day scouting locations for an upcoming story on Amy Tonrquist, the super-talented chef/owner of Watts Grocery (a hip new restaurant near Duke's east campus).  I left Birmingham on a 6am flight (which meant rollin’ outta the rack shortly after 4am) with little more than a granola bar and flavored water in my tummy.  By lunchtime I was ready to chow down. 

My tour guides, Zavi and Babs, whisked me away to Parker and Otis, a gourmet grocery store, restaurant, wine store, and all round cool place to hang and be seen.  I don’t know who Parker is, but Otis is a regal looking pug who shows up in photos throughout the store.  Located in a jazzed up downtown warehouse, Parker and Otis has only been open a few months, but appears to already have quite a following.  I reckon if I lived in Durham, I’d spend a lot of time here too.

Chef John Currence does it right at this Oxford hot spot.  If you're looking for a special night out while in town, then this James Beard Award nominee (for Best Chef in the South) is the man to see.