Lowcountry Produce Market & Cafe

302 Carteret Strewet
Beaufort, SC 29902
(843) 322-1900
Website

In Beaufort, South Carolina it's much like you imagine sleepy southern towns. Everyone is friendly, the pace of life is SLOW, and the food is simple yet produced with the care of a family member trying to comfort their kin.

Lowcountry Produce Market is a beautiful setting for a Southern market and lunch spot. Housed in an old post office, the subway tile interior is accented by large pillars, and huge floor to ceiling shelves.

The food was straight out of Southern Living. I started with the pickles and pimento cheese plate. The green beans were bright, snappy, and had the balance that so many restaurants get wrong. The pickles were just as good, though had a sweet bite to them that contrasted perfectly. However the hands down star of the show was the pimento cheese. My god, this was the best I have eaten. And I have eaten quite a bit of pimento cheese.

The loosely shredded cheese was accented by the sweetness of pimentos, had a perfect temperature and consistency, but there was an X factor, I just couldn't put my finger on. It turns out, there are some spicy banana peppers mixed in (and what I imagine was a bit of their brine), which creates a flavor explosion – the likes of which I have not tasted in this form. Form being cheese ball, obviously.

Everything about this dish was perfect.

My sandwich was a mixed shrimp and oyster po' boy, served with tarter sauce and house made chips.

The cornmeal batter on this was divine. Heavily seasoned, the crunchy shell stuck perfectly to the tender fried seafood. I could have eaten this all day. My only gripe was the tarter sauce had no place near this ocean bounty in hotdog form. A smokey chili aioli or something more appropriate would have sent this over the top.

The chips were fried to perfection as well, and had a skillful amount of sea salt sprinkled on top. A coastal Southern lunch if I have ever had one. I wish I was able to eat this way on a weekly basis.

Bullpen Tavern

216 Glen Street
Glens Falls, NY 12801
(518) 745-7811


The next time you are in Glens Falls . . . you should eat at the Bullpen. I happened upon this place while on my way to Vermont, there are not a whole lot of places to stop for a beer and burger. This place is in a great building in their cool little downtown. A revival to it's past glory, perhaps.

The menu is good bar food, and the draft list covers all the bases. Lots of local choices as well. I went with the recommended jalapeno bacon burger, cooked medium rare. The bread was perfect, the bacon nice a crispy, and the jalapenos provided quite a bit of kick.

The cooper sharp cheese (a personal favorite) was melted perfectly.

The battered fries were crispy and addictive. Especially dipped in a side of the chipotle sauce.

Look at how perfectly this burger was cooked. I was quite impressed.

Juicy, well seasoned meat cooked to a perfect medium rare. What's not to love?

I also wanted to try something less traditional for a bar in upstate New York. In this case, I went with the fried shrimp po'boy. The shrimp were battered with Red Hook beer, and tossed in "bang bang" sauce.

The bread did nicely (obviously no Leidenheimer) but it certainly held up to the task. The shrimp had a sweet and spicy, sticky sauce. I was a big fan. Surprisingly good food I stumbled upon here. If you are ever looking for a spot to eat on the way to Vermont, this might be the place.

Domilise's Po Boy & Bar

5240 Annunciation St.
New Orleans, LA 70115‎
(504) 899-9126

Ding, ding, ding. The bout is over. The champion has risen from the ashes like a deep fried Phoenix, or dragon, I suppose, if you are into the "Of Fire and Ice" series. Domilise's is what I was told is THE place to go for a po'boy. My god, I would have eaten there my whole trip, if I would have realized just how incredible it was.

This place had it all, from the decor, to the atmosphere, to the beer, and of course, sandwiches. I took a long walk one day, casually strolling down Magazine Street and drinking a tall can of domestic beer, which is legal, truly enjoying myself. The only thing I had to do was eat at Domilise's, so it was an "all about me" day. Which, if you know me, you may just call "a day."

A Bud in its chilled chalice and a bag of Vodoo Zapp's were heaven on earth while I waited.

I went with a half and half shrimp and oyster. Unreal. The Leidenheimer roll was perfection, the hot sauce was slightly smoky and BBQ-esque, and the seafood was fried to a crispy & seasoned bliss. This was one of the top five sandwiches I have ever eaten, of any kind. It probably is in the top three. I can't remember something better. Non cheesesteak and hoagie, it is the best I've had. Definitively.

Salty pickles, cool shredded lettuce, a crunchy yet soft roll, and love make for a sandwich that would be suitable to be served in heaven. And I will change my wicked ways as soon as I find out the menu.

Verti Marte

1201 Royal St.
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 525-4767

My po'boy-fueled trip to the Big Easy included a number of spots I didn't feel the need to share. Verti Marte, however is one that mad the cut, specifically because they are the drunk food you need when you stumble off of Bourbon Street.

By day, it's a mild mannered deli/grocery. By night, it's a party spot with all of the things that suck about tourists, but with heavy sandwiches to sop up those Hurricanes.

The mac and cheese was calling my name, and given that it was actually spaghetti with heavy cheese sauce, it was tailor made for the night crowd. If you don't have room to eat it, you can attach a rope and keep your boat securely positioned in the strongest of currents.

The "All that Jazz" po'boy is not for the faint of heart. While some variations of this regional specialty entertain subtleties like variations on hot sauces and different pickle providers, Verti Marte managed to cram more ingredients in here than I thought possible.

From their menu: "a medley of grilled ham, turkey & shrimp, swiss & american cheese accompanied by grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, on grilled french bread with our original 'wow sauce.'" This sandwich was no joke. I couldn't even finish it. There was a level of sloppiness and spice that made it a nice way to sober up before crashing from a long day of drinking, or as it's called down there, Thursday.

I loved walking around and seeing things like this on the sidewalk.