Drive-Help!..Lexington, Knoxville, Savannah, Fort Laud..

Hey guys,

A meandering drive planned, with a desire to indulge in chowish pursuits as much as possible...any help appreciated...

Day 1) Chicago, thru Indy, thru Lexington KY and Knoxville TN...night stop near Gatlinburg TN
Day 2) Thru the mountains, thru Asheville NC, Columbia SC...night stop near Savannah, GA
Day 3) Savannah GA, thru Brunswick GA, thru Jacksonville and Daytona Beach FL, down to Fort Lauderdale FL

Iam willing to go up to 3 chow-meal stops a day...with some time constraints Down-home BBQ, Southern Breakfasts, Southern Soul Food, Seafood Shacks - all highly preferred. Ideally near the route - but willing to make a bit of a detour for something really special.

Ive checked the related threads - Indy (possibly Shapiros..but probably will be too early in the morning)...open for lunch/dinner somewhere (Lexington, Knoxville, Gatlinburg recs?) Ive checked the Lexington thread but nothing really jumped out - anything cant miss for lunch there, not too far off the highway? Or even Gatlinburg, Knoxville, Pigeon Forge etc?

Day 2 - Ive done a really nice breakfast place in Asheville NC, the Moose Cafe...I figure brunch-ish there, unless there are any other really great recs? And then late-lunch or dinner...somewhere along the way to Savannah (any cant miss places in Columbia SC, or anywhere else nearby in SC? Esp bbq etc? Or is the best bet dinner in Savannah itself?) Ive checked out the Savannah thread here...viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5287&start=30 ...would anyone have any cant-miss pick for dinner or breakfast, or both?

Day 3 - breakfast could be Savannah (a couple great recs in the thread above)...the Brunswick GA rec of seafood by Jim (Skippers) looks really good for an early lunch maybe... and then a place or two rec's in the St Augustine, Ponte Vedra thread looked really good for perhaps an early dinner before the final leg to Fort Lauderdale...http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f= ... 8&p=178304 ...the tour-de-force post rec'ing O'Steens, Singleton's etc looked great, unless again someone has a cant miss suggestion? Or any place south of it too of course - Daytona, Port St Lucie etc...

All help greatly appreciated. Thanks!

c8w

I'm actually in Asheville right now. I'll be posting about my trip sometime next week, but if you are driving that way, I'd strongly recommend skipping Knoxville and spending some time in Ashville instead. You won't be sorry.

As for a specific breakfast recommendation, Asheville abounds with great breakfast choices. I'd recommend Sunny Point Cafe in West Asheville if you only have time for one breakfast.

stevez wrote:I'm actually in Asheville right now. I'll be posting about my trip sometime next week, but if you are driving that way, I'd strongly recommend skipping Knoxville and spending some time in Ashville instead. You won't be sorry.

As for a specific breakfast recommendation, Asheville abounds with great breakfast choices. I'd recommend Sunny Point Cafe in West Asheville if you only have time for one breakfast.

I spent a night and had 2 meals in Asheville a year ago (and liked it a lot!) - but its a little too far to drive on the first-leg from Chicago For the 2nd night halt, Iam thinking Savannah (for my first time, never been) this year instead....might try Asheville again on the way back to Chi, tho, so will look forward to your report! Enjoyed the bars in Asheville too, the last time - they have some great little bars, and terrific local beers.

Last year in Asheville, I had 12 bones for dinner, and the Moose Cafe for breakfast - both of which I enjoyed a fair bit. 12 bones was good (not the *best* bbq Ive ever had - but very solid). I liked the Moose Cafe a lot - they had home-made molasses too, of which I bought a bottle

I'll look up Sunny Point Cafe - thanks! Maybe I can use that for the one late-breakfast/early-lunch meal...(Iam hoping to be near Savannah for the dinner meal - that way I can do 2 meals in Savannah this time..I'll have to try and narrow down the several terrific-looking selections in the Savannah thread!)

c8w

c8w wrote:I'll look up Sunny Point Cafe - thanks! Maybe I can use that for the one late-breakfast/early-lunch meal...(Iam hoping to be near Savannah for the dinner meal - that way I can do 2 meals in Savannah this time..I'll have to try and narrow down the several terrific-looking selections in the Savannah thread!)

c8w

Sunny Point would be perfect for that. They serve breakfast all day. I haven't come across the Moose Cafe yet. I'll have to look for it.

It's not breakfast, but I really enjoyed 12 Bones just outside of Asheville. I'm already thinking about the lunch I'm going to have there when i drive that way in May...

threadkiller wrote:It's not breakfast, but I really enjoyed 12 Bones just outside of Asheville. I'm already thinking about the lunch I'm going to have there when i drive that way in May...

I *did* like 12 bones too - very good. Quite a few very good home-made sauces, too. But not the *best* BBQ Ive had, I dont think (I think I might have rated Smokin Pig in Valdosta higher on the same trip). Iam going to be spoiled for choice in the one lunch/brunch in that area, tho...

Where I could really use recs is the first-leg - breakfast, lunch and dinner, from Chicago to near Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. Options are Indy (probably too early for a meal..), Lexington, Knoxville, or anywhere in between - somewhere nearish the highway, preferably..

The Lexington thread offers a few possibilities for a lunch - have to pick one. But dinner - no real ideas yet at all, could be anywhere on the road from Lexington-Knoxville-Gatlinburg...anyone with any particular recommendation would be greatly appreciated

c8w

And I'll put in a request for Columbia SC recs too--I'll be there for a brunch/lunch on Sunday before Christmas--we're heading to Charleston and spending one day in Columbia to go to a USC basketball game.

There is nothing can't miss in Lexington, either close to the highway or not.

So, I started this post in my mind, about how you needed to slow down a bit, that there was a lot of intereting thing on the drive, and then as I started looking up some of my favorites, I ran into a couple of black holes. Now I'm depressed. It seems, for a start, that Mundt's Candy in Madison and J. Byrd's Cafeteria in Greenwood are no more. I'm sure the more I google, the more I'll find places to recommend that you can't go to.

That said, if you can get off the interstates, especially in KY and TN, you'll be rewarded with some awesome scenery. The drive between Louisville and Lexington is classic, everything cliche blue-grass/horse country you've read. It's just that when you cross the Ohio, it really looks and feels (not to mention sounds) so damn different. You know you're there the minute you see a tobacco shed. If you need any excuse, stop for water-driven, stone ground grits at Weisenberger's in Midway, KY.

Fort Lauderdale, is with Las Vegas, my favorite eating destination in the USA. I've written about many places there over the years, but some of that may be dated. Just drive up and down US 441/FL 7 and see which Peruvian chicken place smells the best, which Jamaican ice cream place has the most people, etc. Tons of options for Haitian, Bahamian, Trindidadian, Columbiuan, etc. A couple other other places in Ft. Lauderdale that are near and dear to me because they are so old, Travis McGee era, FL are Tark's on US 1, Rustic Inn, a little off the beaten path, and Jackson's for mamoth ice cream thing-ee's.

Jealous!

Last call for recs for Columbia SC--breakfast/brunch/lunch--heading there tomorrow from Charleston for a basketball game at USC.

boudreaulicious wrote:Last call for recs for Columbia SC--breakfast/brunch/lunch--heading there tomorrow from Charleston for a basketball game at USC.

Brown Derby II, 1397 Belleville Rd, Orangeburg, SC 29115

IMHO, since you are driving right by, it's an absolute must.

link: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... &sp=485065