We stopped by Petunia’s Silver Jalapeno, Gin-gin’s (another mutual friend and former workmate from Chattanooga) little food stand out in Red Bank.  She has a proper bricks-and-morter restaurant and a culinary school certification but this stand has a reputation for some of the best fish tacos in the east. I like fish tacos, and in [...]

(Original article was from Chattanooga Free Press) I like Bob Dylan.  I like big cats.  I like beer.  I like getting naked.  If only there was a way to combine these interests…

Jackie used to work at the Pickle Barrel back in the early 80′s after it was bought by Nick and Brian, two former air traffic controllers at loose ends after the whole PATCO fiasco.  In many ways it was the best job she ever had and when she moved to Atlanta many of the Pickle [...]

“If you get to the donkey you’ve gone too far.” Yep, been drinkin’ and, yep, been quite ill for a few days, but after awhile here this sort of statement is normal regardless of how ridiculous it looks in print.  At least these are just street directions and not some sort of hard won ‘Tijuana [...]

We were going to do another pizza but I talked Jackie and her brother into mexican knowing full well that mexican in a small southern town is a loser’s wager.  However, El Metate was really very good, rivaling some of the more middle of the road South Tucson dives for quality of food…Chris had fish [...]

We were supposed to meet Jackie’s aunt and uncle for lunch and instead met several aunts, uncles, cousins and kids-of-cousins.  I’m sure a reunion like this was deserving of a better meal, but everyone else seemed happy with the buffet. Like the “Japanese” place earlier this week, the only thing really chinese about it was [...]

No trip to visit Jackie’s mom could end well.  But, the surreptitious–and heavy–pouring of distilled spirits make the journey less horrific.  Slightly. The laws here are funny.  A few years ago (just before our last visit, in fact), liquor sales were approved here and now the county has several  purveyors of fine spirits.  However, you [...]

Nothing says Japanese food, to me at least, like being served chewy, overcooked, teri-yucky drenched beef connective tissue by an obese guatemalan dude.  While the NASCAR report blares out of the televisions in the two rooms of this quite lovely little house.  No sushi, no sake.  No return visit.  

Afflicted with a massive upper respiratory infection, I begged off the luchtime outing with Jackie’s people but needed a bite to eat before heading back to bed.  I drove up to the little barbeque stand up the street (a little bit katy-cornered across from the Sequatchie County High School) and got a large pork sandwich [...]

It really doesn’t take a lot of effort to make a good pizza. You don’t have to use homemade sauce, fresh toppings, a hand spun yeast crust, or even a non-industrial byproduct excuse for cheese.  Granted, the more of those boxes you tick, the harder it becomes to fuck up the pie.  Andy’s Pizza, however, [...]