I-95 Travel Food (Willie Jewell's Old School Bar-B-Q, Southern Image Buffet & Eatery, Smokin' Pig, and Huddle House)

Over the past several months, I've done some traveling. Much of that travel consisted of driving along I-95 up the east coast. I figured I'd write a post about some of the restaurant highlights.

Willie Jewell's Old School Bar-B-Q in Kingsland, GA:

I ended up here when I decided I wanted to sample Brunswick Stew in Brunswick, GA. After getting off the interstate and driving through Brunswick along with consulting the internet, I came to the conclusion that you can't actually get Brunswick Stew in Brunswick. Willie Jewell's in Kingsland, GA was a barbecue restaurant serving Brunswick Stew that I didn't find too long afterwards. This restaurant was located a little ways off I-95. Willie Jewell's is a small chain with a few locations what looks like Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina according to their website.

I ordered the Bo-Hawg sandwich. This was BBQ pork, topped with cheddar cheese and a smoked sausage link. It was served on a hamburger bun. Cheese is unusual on a pulled pork sandwich and I've never had sausage on a barbecue sandwich like this. Willie Jewell's did served mustard based barbecue sauce, which I am a big fan of. Since Brunswick stew was the food item that caused me to seek out a barbecue restaurant, that's what I had for my side.

I liked Willie Jewell's Old School Bar-B-Q. The pork/sausage/cheese combination on a sandwich along with mustard sauce made them a bit unique when so many restaurants serving barbecue have an almost identical menu...




Southern Image Buffet & Eatery in Richmond Hill, GA:

Southern Image was a buffet just of I-95. As implied by the name, they specialized in southern foods. Imagine Golden Corral, only with foods on the buffet that the typical Golden Corral diner wouldn't dare eat.

I sampled some of the meats served on the buffet along with a couple sides on my first plate. Fried chicken, fried fish, and baked chicken were all tasty. I didn't leave enough room in my stomach for the fun stuff like the liver. Should have gone for that first...

Plate two consisted of lots of side items. Beans, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and onion straws were all tasty.

Dessert:

Smokin' Pig in Richmond Hill, GA:

I ended up at Smokin' Pig on a return trip to Florida along I-95. This restaurant is located almost across the street from Southern Image Buffet in a building connected to a gas station. I tried a pulled pork sandwich with a side of Brunswick stew. The sandwich wasn't nearly as exciting as the one at Willie Jewell's, with only pork and sauce on a bun. Still, it fulfilled the purpose of being a pulled pork sandwich!




Huddle House in Santee, SC:

I had never eaten at a Huddle House. I've past by these restaurants in my travels and always assumed these were Waffle House knock-offs. This was pretty much confirmed after trying a Huddle House in Santee, SC. I had a Western Omelet with toast and hash browns. The omelet was filled with ham, green peppers, and tomatoes. Even with the fillings, it was pretty bland. I added some hot sauce for extra flavor. The hash browns were nice and crispy and the toast was toast. Being that this was South Carolina, smoking was allowed in the restaurant. It wasn't exactly pleasant having a woman who looked like she was about to die of lung cancer come in right after us, sit a few tables away, and chain smoke the entire duration of the meal...

The Tin Roof in Orlando, FL

I was invited to the media day happening at The Tin Roof which is now open at I-Drive 360. This new restaurant is located along International Drive, hidden away below the soon to open Orlando Eye ferris wheel. I'm liking the way this section of International Drive is taking shape.

The sampling started with Chicken & Waffle Nuggets. These waffles and bits of fried chicken were served in a bucket topped in a bacon-maple syrup. These were tasty with nice flavor in the breading on the chicken. Bacon in the syrup was interesting as well. I wasn't a fan of the presentation though. By the time the bottom of the chicken and waffles was reached, everything became soggy from the syrup pooling at the bottom of the bucket.

Creamy Shrimp & Grits: Sauteed shrimp, peppers, and bacon simmered in a spicy tomato sauce atop stone ground white corn grits and marscapone.

Baby Back Ribs: Covered in Tin Roof Confidential dry rub.

O-Eye Mac & Cheese: Maple smoked white cheddar & breadcrumbs.

The Da Lox sandwich sounded good to me. I didn't try the entire sandwich, but I did get to try some of The Tin Roof's Citrus cured salmon which was the main component of the sandwich. I'm a big fan of cured salmon, and this was made fresh at the restaurant. It was served on a cucumber slice with an orange and dill. It was very good.

I tried the Cowhorn Pepper Smore Pie for dessert. It consisted of a graham cracker crust, cayenne spicked dark chocolate ganache, and marshmallow brulee. The chocolate was very dense and rich. I'm not sure how much of this dessert I'd be able to handle in one serving.

I enjoyed sampling The Tin Roof's food during their media event. Due to their location, I ended up back here the very next day for lunch with a big group from a convention I was attending across the street. I ordered something not featured during the media event called the Hoecake Pile Up. This consisted of cornmeal pancakes topped with bbq brisket, green cabbage slaw, and pickles. I had never heard of a hoecake before, but apparently these are term for cornbread or corn pancakes in certain parts of the south. Breakfast pancakes topped with syrup are good, but I'd take a savory version of a pancake like this any day. The brisket was nice and tender with a good smokey flavor. Coleslaw was good, and I especially liked the pickled onions on top.

I've liked pretty much everything I tried at The Tin Roof during the media event and my experience at the restaurant afterwards. That doesn't always happen with media events at new restaurants. That's a good sign for the Tin Roof. Let's hope everything stays good!

The Coop in Winter Park, FL

The Coop is a restaurant in Winter Park specializing in Southern foods, specifically fried chicken as the name implies. The Coop is owned by the same people behind the very successful 4 Rivers Smokehouse.

I've been to The Coop a couple times now. On my first visit, I ordered the Generous Two Piece Fried Chicken Plate. This came with the chicken, three fixins (side items), and cornbread. The two pieces of chicken had a tasty breading which had a very nice peppery flavor. I've read some criticism of the The Coop's chicken saying it's bland, but it tasted good to me. My issue didn't have to do with the taste of the chicken. It was more the consistency. One of the pieces of chicken was so soggy that the breading was falling off the meat. The other piece was perfectly fine, but soggy fried chicken is not a good thing at a restaurant that claims to specialize in chicken. I liked the Fixins over the chicken. I tried the mac & cheese, southern collards, and stewed okra & tomato. The okra was the best of the three. It was really flavorful and all of the okra's potential sliminess disappeared into the stew.

I tried The Coop's Chicken Pot Pie on my second visit. I was unimpressed. The pie crust was good, but the pie fillings could have used a bit of improvement. There was plenty of chicken, but also lots and lots of corn. There was more corn in the pie than anything else. I found a few green beans as well, but they were hidden by all the corn in the pie. It tasted alright, but wasn't anything to write home about. I also had the macaroni and stewed okra for my sides once again. The macaroni was consistent with the my first visit to The Coop. Unfortunately the okra was really bland compared to my first experience.

The food I tried so far at The Coop isn't going to have me rushing back soon, but I have a feeling I'll be back eventually. Except for the soggy chicken, although not exceptional, most everything was tasty enough. They seem like they have consistency issues with the good/soggy fried chicken and flavorful/bland okra on different visits, so let's hope they work those out. There are several things left on The Coop's menu that I'm interested in trying (shrimp and grits, chicken and dumplings) so I think I'll be returning to The Coop to give these a try...

Lone Star Barbecue & Mercantile in Santee, SC

Driving back towards Florida along I-95, I stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Lone Star Barbecue & Mercantile in Santee, SC. This place was located in a complex of several old wooden houses right outside of Santee State Park.

Lone Star offered both a menu to order from as well as a buffet. I decided to try their buffet.

My first plate of food samplings included pulled pork, collards, black eyed peas, macaroni & cheese, tomato pie, and corn fritters. Most of the food on the plate was tasty. The pork was nice and tender. The corn fritters were on the dry side. The tomato pie was an interesting food that I had never tried before. It was basically layers of bread and slice tomatoes, baked together in a creamy sauce. It was interesting, but not something I'd go out of my way to order.

Second plate included fried chicken, rice topped with some sort of pork stew, lima beans, cole slaw, and hush puppies. Chicken had good batter. The hush puppies were definitely better than the other corn fritters that I tried on my previous plate.

For dessert, I tried some blueberry cobbler, banana pudding, and chocolate pudding. The blueberry cobbler was definitely the best of the three.

I do enjoy trying these little independent places on my trips. Lone Star Barbecue was only about a mile off I-95 and was a far superior choice to stopping into a Subway in a truck stop for some travel food...

Bubba's Southern Cafeteria in Darien, GA

I was in the middle of a road trip heading north along I-95 when lunch time rolled around. We stopped to get gas in the town of Darien, GA and hoped there would be some food at the exit as well. The normal selection of fast food places were abundant here, but then a restaurant called Bubba's Southern Cafeteria advertising bar-b-que and award winning Brunswick stew caught my eye.

We entered the restaurant, and it really was set up cafeteria style. There was no menu. There was just a cafeteria line where you choose a meat and your sides. The three meat selections that were available were fried chicken, fried fish, or fried shrimp. There really wasn't any of the mentioned barbecue being served, but we ate there anyway. The Brunswick stew wasn't being served on the day I visited either.

I decided to try the fried fish. I was given three pieces of fish that was lightly fried. The fish still had skin, bones, and fins which would probably be a turnoff to some people. I was fine with picking around the inedible parts. I'm not sure what type of fish it was, nor did I ask, but it was pretty tasty. For my sides, I choose the collards, macaroni & cheese, and mashed potatoes. The collards were the best of the three sides that I tried. A roll and sweet tea were also included with my meal.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Bubba's Southern Cafeteria. It wasn't exactly the barbecue that I was expecting when I went into the restaurant, but I still liked it. There ended up being a whole lot of food served for the price and the people working here were super friendly.

Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles in Atlanta, GA

I spent a weekend in Atlanta and found myself looking for a late dinner around midnight on a Saturday night. I could have taken the easy way out and went to a 24 hour chain like Ihop or find diner, but that would be too easy and boring in a big city like Atlanta. There was bound to be something open that was a bit more interesting. After a quick search on my phone, I found a restaurant called Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles. It was open until 4am, was less than a mile from where I was at the time, and had the interesting gimmick of having a musician's name attached to a restaurant. My late night dinner was decided.

Gladys Knight's was a pretty fancy looking place, although the police officer standing guard near the restaurant entrance was a bit unusual. I wonder if the restaurant had issues with waffle robberies or drunken brawls over waffles at 3am? The menu consisted of chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, as well as other southern foods. I was tempted to get the shrimp and grits for a moment, but then I remembered the restaurant's name. Because of this, I ordered the Midnight Train. As described by the menu, this consisted of four southern fried jumbo chicken wings and one original waffle.

The chicken wings were surprisingly large and the crispy fried batter had nice flavor. The waffle was what I expected with nothing exceptional. I'm not an expert in chicken and waffles, but I've had this dish at several different places now and everyone seems to do it differently. On this particular version of the meal, the chicken and the waffle were pretty much two separate items served together on one plate. I don't know if this is a more traditional version of chicken and waffles, but I've preferred it when the chicken and waffles have a little more cohesion between the two components. I was very indifferent with the Midnight Train from Gladys Knight's. Wasn't bad, but I don't think I'd come bad to get chicken and waffles here again.

Florida Cracker Cafe in St. Augustine, FL

I recently spent an afternoon in St. Augustine and had lunch at a restaurant along St. George Street called Florida Cracker Cafe.

I ordered the Shrimp Po Boy. The sandwich came with two sides, and I picked collard greens and cheesy grits. The sandwich was good, with surprisingly large fried shrimp, lettuce, tomato, onion, and remoulade sauce. My general experience with shrimp po boys normally involves tiny shrimp, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since they are hidden away on a sandwich. The shrimp on this sandwich were quite large, almost taking up the width of the roll if angled correctly. I liked the sandwich, but the sides were disappointing. The cheesy grits were very plain tasting with very little cheesiness. The collards weren't much better, being so salty that I took a few bites and gave up.

Florida Cracker Cafe had okay food. I liked my sandwich but the side items could definitely use some improvement. I did try their homemade potato chips which were another option for a side, and they were very tasty. Perhaps chips would be a better choice than grits or collards as a side if I return.

Osteen Diner in Osteen, FL

Osteen Diner is one of the few restaurants in the small town of Osteen, FL. Before a Wal-Mart shopping center opened nearby, the diner was perhaps the only real sit-down restaurant in Osteen.

The Osteen Diner is a cross between a classic diner and a Cracker Barrel (only better). It has that porch out front just like a Cracker Barrel, only the Osteen Diner has the southern comfort food chain beat with their chicken coop in the parking lot. The whole restaurant has a southern feel, and this southern theme is also apparent with some of their menu items.

I had breakfast on this visit to the Osteen Diner. I kept it simple and ordered two scrambled eggs. I had a choice of grits or home fries as a side, and I went with grits. A biscuit was also served on the side. The eggs and grits both were good, as they should be with a simple dish like I ordered. I've had better biscuits elsewhere though.

The Osteen Diner may not be fine dining, but anywhere that has a chicken coop in their parking lot is worth a visit!

Aunt Catfish's On the River in Port Orange, FL

I have been to Aunt Catfish's On the River in Port Orange a few times. On each visit, the restaurant always seems like they have a wait and the food has been consistently good.

My latest visit to Aunt Catfish's happened on a cold night in January. The meal started with a trip to their Fixins Bar. Almost all meals at Aunt Catfish's include at least access to the food here, if not their salad bar as well.

The Fixin' Bar is a small buffet table that includes cheese grits, baked beans, two types of cole slaw, apples, and corn bread. Being able to stuff yourself on all-you-can-eat baked beans so you're full before the actual meal is served can be a bad thing, but is still enjoyable on occasion. The food here was all tasty, especially the cheese grits and the cole slaw.

I had the Cajun catfish for my meal. At a place called Aunt Catfish's, I figured I might as well eat the namesake. Two filets of fish were served with a lemon slice and cinnamon roll on a huge fish shaped plate.

Overall, the fish was tasty. The Cajun seasoning was good and the catfish was cooked properly. I wasn't too impressed with the cinnamon roll, but including dessert is always a nice touch regardless. This wasn't my first visit to Aunt Catfish's, nor will it be my last...