R.H.T.S.

Oh hey there.

It's been a busy summer.

School's almost back in session.

And I've got some major catching up to do.

I went up to the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party in NYC last month to hang with the Martin's BBQ posse.

Here's Pat Martin having a little chat with Jeffery Steingarten.

And Tandy Wilson of City House helping out....and showing out? Maybe just a little. There are whole hogs on that rig, yo.

Oh no big deal. Just snacking on a pig's foot.

Sausages from Jim 'N Nick's.

Beyond barbecue we visited this spot in Chinatown. Almost-remedy for a hangover = Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles.

These trees throughout NYC smell amazing, btw. What are they??

This fried chicken smells pretty amazing, too.

From this place...

...which was originally opened by a Georgia native named Stephen Tanner. He has a newer restaurant also serving fried chicken called The Commodore. (And more later on Brooklyn's Peaches Hothouse where you can find "Nashville-Style Hot Chicken" on the menu. Holla.)

Moving on from New York, I headed down to Atlanta to visit my brother. Here he is shopping for some concha at the Buford Highway Farmers Market.

My brother can totally cook me under the table, and he takes me on excellent food adventures.

We spent like half a day at the Buford Highway Farmers Market, for example, which seemed the size of Epcot theme park -- but more authentic, of course.

This woman is wrapping up fresh-made tortillas.
Oh no big deal. Just a pig's head.

The largest pork rind I've ever encountered...imagine putting this badboy out at a party for snacking.

Crab hunting.

Irresistible marketing, I say.

We also managed to snag one of the elusive burgers at Holeman & Finch Public House.

The chefs only make 24 of these burgers every night at 10 p.m. on the dot. When they sell out, they sell out. But at brunch they're a little easier to come by. The day we visited they made about 120 and sold out.

I adored Holeman & Finch.

I sensed that the staff felt a part of something they believe in. Our server who delivered the pimento cheese below, for example, had also arrived before dawn that morning to smoke egg whites for the cocktails. (Yes, a cocktail with smoked egg white. Menu here.)

I'm home now.

Detoxing.

And will surely be kicking it at the East Nashville Farmers' Market...

...where you'll find the lovely Dana and Matt of East Nashville Sandwich.

And these...

Happy summer.

B-Sides

I know I'm late to the party on this one, but I picked up some barbecue from Jimmy Carl's Lunch Box for a work potluck this week.

I loved it so much, I might make those boys a pie.

It will have whiskey in it.

Sometimes barbecue joints put all the energy into the meat and skimp on the sides. I'm cool with that (especially at places like the original Dreamland in Tuscaloosa where it's mostly just ribs and stacks of white bread). But the slaw and baked beans at Jimmy Carl's took me by surprise. Tiny bits of red cabbage -- turned hot pink in color from a wang of vinegar -- get thin wisps of orange carrot and lots of heat from pepper. The beans are a sweet eclectic mix of colors and shapes -- black beans, red beans, white beans -- with ribbons of green bell pepper and pork. It's art-like, really.

And after all, how could you not love a barbecue place named after Frank Zappa's drummer and sharing space with a legendary bluegrass club?

Here's some Frank Zappa in the spirit of it all. And while I regret to say that Jimmy Carl doesn't actually drum on this track (you can find him by clicking here), I couldn't resist this video for a food blog because A) the mere mention of Peaches, and B) just wait for it at :38....