shrimp

Tuesday’s Treats #30

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Marlow’s Tavern

Location: several in the Atlanta area


Marlow’s is the BEST! This is one of my favorite restaurants. The ingredients are picked up fresh daily, and the choices are unique and diverse. They have some of the best shrimp and grits I’ve put in my mouth. Now, I switch up mine from their menu description. I order mine with the jalapeño corn grits rather than the grit cakes, but that’s just according to your particular taste. I like them both.

The Tavern burgers, chicken panini and chicken stack are all delicious, and the salads are different than any you’ll get at another restaurant. Beware, the salads are of large proportion, too! You’ll definitely want to start out with the kettle chips or the firecracker shrimp, and the warm chocolate cake is a delicious finish.

If your appetite isn’t all that today, you can even order a few small plates to custom make your meal. There’s jalapeño corn grits, fried okra, fresh fruit and white cheddar grit cakes, just to name a few. If you enjoy a little spirits with your meal, I suppose they have plenty of that, too, because it is called a tavern. That’s just not my game; so, I apologize I won’t be too helpful in that area. 😉
The atmosphere is great, and the seating is very comfortable with booths, regular tables, high tops and even a great patio area. We had a group of 35 meet here recently, and the patio area was so comfortable and accommodating. The fans oscillate and rotate, and the tables are a cool wood/metal decor, and they even have a couch a table area for the more relaxed conversations.

I believe you’ll enjoy your visit; so, I hope you’ll check them out soon. Oh, I hear they just opened a location in Florida as well! 😊 Here’s their website for all your information needs.

Tuesday’s Treats #22

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Aunt Catfish’s

Location: Port Orange, Fl (Daytona)

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This is this is one of our favorite places to eat in Daytona. The seafood is wonderful, and the huge salad bar and “fixin’s bar” is to die for! It. Is. SOOO. Good!! The salad bar has so many great choices, and the fixin’s bar is full of cheese grits, baked beans, fried cinnamon apples and cornbread. You could simply fill up here, but the seafood is worth ordering. They have tons of choices, from fried shrimp to blackened swordfish.

We have had several different entrees, and the menu is quite extensive. I think our absolute favorite is the blackened swordfish and the bblackened mahi mahi. Oh. My. Word! It is so delicious!! You even get a homemade cinnamon roll served with your meal. Oh, I’m craving these things right now. Yum!!

Check them out here:

http://auntcatfishontheriver.com

Tuesday’s Treats #18

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Madison’s

Location: Highlands, NC

Madison’s is located inside the Old Edwards Inn in Highlands. They have inside seating, a wine garden with outside seating, and even a rooftop terrace where you can choose to have your meal. We have eaten both inside and on the rooftop terrace and enjoyed both immensely. We have friends who had lunch in the wine garden and just loved the patio feel with the sound of the waterfall trickling nearby.

Let me stage for you and tell you about one of our favorite moments here… Now just imagine: a lovely rooftop terrace, with beautiful shutters, table settings and cushioned seating, overlooking the little town, and a gentle summer breeze blowing in the “heat” of summer with ceiling fans gently rolling. The temperature gauge rising no more than about 70-72 degrees, because you’re at such a high elevation! The waiter brings you a pleasant cheese and cracker tray for an appetizer, “just right” sweet Southern tea, mini biscuits and cornbread made fresh daily, and your meal consists of fish and chips and the best shrimp and grits you’ve ever tasted. You sit around the table with family and friends and feel like royalty… Yes, it was that wonderful!

The food is incredible, and we haven’t had one thing yet that we didn’t like! As I mentioned before, their fish and chips are great, and they serve it in a really cool style. (See pic below) Their fries are more like miniature potato logs, and the dill/tartar sauce is great. I don’t have it pictured, but they also have a great cheese tray which comes with several cheese, currant and several other delicacies that are just fantastic. They have a pimento cheese burger that is just as fantastic, too.

As I’ve also mentioned, they have some of the best shrimp and grits I’ve ever put in my mouth…and being a Southern girl, that’s quite a bit! They serve the dish in a cute little crock/skillet; so, your grits stay nice and warm throughout the duration of the meal. However, they’re usually gobbled up so quickly, it’s difficult to let the grits grow cold anyway. Haha. The grits are so creamy, and the shrimp are just right, never chewy.

It is simply a fine Southern meal to remember! If you have time, and can afford it, be sure to stay a night or two at the Old Edward’s Inn, too. It is breathtaking!

I will include the whole website on this blog; so, you can find all your needs. When you go to the site, if you just want info on Madison’s, click on the little circle icon in the top right hand corner, and a drop down menu will appear they has “dining” listed. Click there, and it will direct you to the restaurant. If you’d like to know more about the town of Highlands, you can read one of my past Wednesday’s Odes telling all. It is a delightful little town!

Tuesday’s Treats #17

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The Grand Marlin

Location: Pensacola Beach, Fl

Market Freah Fish: Swordfish

 

The Grand Marlin is a great upscale seafood restaurant located just across the Pensacola Beach Bridge. They have a little more limited menu than some restaurants, but what they have is phenomenal! They have market fresh fish daily, and the price is moderate for market prices.

Shrimp & Grits (sauce on side)

 

We have had the shrimp and grits, grouper, shrimp, crab cakes, grilled lobster, snapper and swordfish. Everything we have had there is absolutely wonderful! The BBQ Shrimp and he Blue Angel Chips appetizers are so yummy!

Prailine Basket

 

The last time we went, we were celebrating two birthdays; so, they decorated our dessert plates beautifully. The key lime pie is good; however, it could stand to be a little bigger slice. They have a praline basket that is made in-house, and it is absolutely melt-in-your-mouth goodness!! They serve it with ice cream, fresh seasonal berries and a granola crunch. Oh. My. Word. It is SOOO good!

For more information, check out their website. They may even give the daily market choices there.

Tuesday’s Treats #14

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Hilltop Grill

Location: Athens, Ga


Hilltop is a great local steakhouse restaurant in Athens that we love to frequent when we can. They have to best bacon-wrapped shrimp appetizer that you’ll put in your mouth! They have incredible burgers, sandwiches and a various assortment of different plates. One of their sides I love is their grits. Oh. My. Yum! Their sweet tea is good ol’ Southern Sweet Tea, and their dinner rolls are the delicious yeast kind that melt in your mouth with a little butter on top.

They have special “lunch plates” Tuesday-Friday for lunch, and the price isn’t bad at all. These are like roasted pork loin, meatloaf and even turkey and dressing. Their salads and soup are great; they usually have a special soup of the day. The “icing on the cake” is their hilltop brownie. Oh. My. Word! It’s to die for!! 😉 They have several other desserts, but that one is my favorite.

The atmosphere is really cool, too. It is nice enough for linens on the table, and you can come dressed “to the nines,” or you can come dressed for game day, and you’ll feel perfectly welcomed. Just know, if you come on game day, you better come early, cuz this place will be packed!!

Here’s their website to get more information.

Tuesday’s Treats #13

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Ray’s in the City

Location: Atlanta, Ga

Prailine Basket

 

Yes, I did start this post with a yummy looking dessert, and believe me when I say, “It tastes even MORE incredible than it looks!” Oh. My. Goodness! (If you’re attempting to diet, I’m giving you fair warning you may not want to continue this read. lol. 😂)

Ok, I’ll start at the beginning. My husband and I stayed at the Ritz Carlton one night last month, because he was asked to be the chaplain for the day at the State Capitol. What an incredible day! Ok, so, that’s for a whole different post…

Anyway, we arrived in Atlanta early; so, we could have an easy evening and go out for dinner. We walked from The Ritz to Ray’s in the City, and it was such a pleasant little trek. We checked out several restaurants via Trip Advisor (best app for restaurant ratings, by the way!), and we had a tough time narrowing it down. Ray’s looked cool and inviting; so, we decided to give it a try. I am so glad we did!!

key lime pie

 

They sat is in one of the only four booths in the place. The rest of the seating is tables and chairs and the bar area. We were really close to the bar, and I wasn’t sure how the noise level would be, as we were looking for a more romantic atmosphere, but it was totally fine. They had live music, right next to us, and the lady singing was amazing. She was really sensitive to the needs/desires of the crowd, interactive with those who wanted to be and left alone those who didn’t. She did a lot of Rolling Stones and 70s-type music, and she did it right. A group at the bar requested “Rollin’ On The River,” and she had the place rockin’, or Rollin’ rather; everyone was getting into it. She, also, had an assistant that could make his electric guitar “talk.” They were both great, and it was so enjoyable.

AMAZING Shrimp and Grits!!

 

Now, for the food…it was simply “Off The Chain!” We ordered a shrimp appetizer first (I’m sorry. I can’t remember the name!) I had shrimp and grits, my husband had swordfish, and you see the desserts we had: a praline basket and a slice of key lime pie (both made in house!) Oh. My. Word!! We were totally stuffed by the end of our meal, and we were thankful for that short little walk we had back to the hotel!

I’ve heard there’s a Ray’s on the River, as well, and we plan to visit that one some day soon, too. If you’re in downtown Atlanta, and looking for a great place to eat, my suggestion is Ray’s in the City! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! 😉

Here’s their website and more pics for your enjoyment….ps. Just looking at the website and realized they’ve got virtual tours of some of their locations. How cool!

  

this is a pic from The Ritz

 

Tuesday’s Treats #5

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1907

Location: Ellijay, Ga

I’d have to give this restaurant a solid “B” rating. It’s good, and some things were great. It’s edible, but I’ve definitely had better. This restaurant is loud just off the square in Ellijay. The town is a great place to find quaint antique stores and pottery pieces. 

  
The presentation is awesome. This appetizer, the Firecracker Shrimp, was wonderful!!   

I ordered the shrimp and grits without the sauce, because it being a tomato based, more Lousiana-style sauce, I wasn’t sure I would like it. However, I poured it on top once I tasted it, because it was great! The sauce has sausage and mushrooms in it. A little different than I normally get but still rather tasty.  

My son got the fried chicken sliders with sausage gravy and grits. Again, the presentation was incredible; however, the meal was a little less than desired (just like this picture). You could tell biscuits were frozen biscuits, and the gravy was so-so. The veggies seemed a little oddly placed with the gravy.   
My husband ordered the burger, as did several in our party, and they just weren’t good. I really hate that, too, because my shrimp and grits were great. Now, they’re not the best shrimp and grits I’ve had, and I probably won’t come back here just for that, but they were enjoyable. 

So, if you’re in Ellijay, and you need something to eat while you’re downtown, and you don’t mind eating at a more “B rats” restaurant; then, you won’t be disappointed to eat at 1907. Now, if you want a great place to eat, check out my post next week… 😉

Wednesday’s Ode #19

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  Shrimp and grits at Madison’s Restaurant, Highlands, NC

I just love shrimp and grits! I know, I know, this is really just a Southern thing, but I am a Southern girl; so, I guess it fits. I have to say, if you haven’t tried shrimp and grits, you must give it a try. Actually, you must give it at least two tries, because shrimp and grits can come in so many different styles, and it takes a bit to realize which style you might like. 🙂

There are two main preparations for shrimp and grits. What I will call the Louisiana-style usually has a lot of sausage, spices sauce and tomatoes added to the dish, and, what I will call the “Southern” style, has more grits and shrimp. My favorite style is a little less Louisiana-style and a little more Southern style. Both are really good, it just simply depends on your personal preference. For this post, I will be referring to more of this Southern preparation. 

If the restaurant we visit has shrimp and grits, you can just about bet that it will be part of my order that day. It is very rare that I won’t order it, unless it is a restaurant at which we often eat, we will be visiting again soon, it’s not the style I prefer, or it’s just an “off” day for me, and I plan to try them later. I love shrimp and grits that much!!

My favorite preparation is the kind in which the grits are freshly stone ground, cooked to perfection with a texture which is both creamy and gritty with just a touch of cheese. The shrimp are blackened just a bit and sautéed in a sauce of just the right amount of buttery sauce and spice. …Mmmm, this post is making me hungry! 

Now, yesterday, I had a new kind of shrimp and grits, and the grits just won me over! The menu read “pimento cheese grits,” and when the plate was set before me, I was surprised to see the grits had a fried batter around them! Oh. My. Word! They were delicious!! These grits had actually been cooked thoroughly and then “pattied” and fried to a yummy perfection! I am sorry that I didn’t take a pic of them before I devoured them! At another restaurant, several weeks ago, in Charleston, SC, I had a dish of shrimp and grits that was also scrumptious. This dish I did capture a pic, and you can see it below. The chef prepared it by sautéing the shrimp in a lobster butter sauce. Oh. Wow. It was yummy! 

So, as you can see just by the two photos I have included, as well as, these different descriptions, shrimp and grits can come in a variety of ways, but you will never know which you like best until you try it! So, be adventurous. Try a new dish, and, if at first, it isn’t so wonderful, just simply try, and try again until you have reached the plate you just can’t live without!! Lol. 😉  

Shrimp and Grits at The Oyster Room Restaurant at Foley Beach, SC (near Charleston, SC)