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Sugar’s Ribs (Downtown Location)-November 24, 2012

November 24, 2012

November 24…Small Business Saturday. Of course, Chattanooga small businesses are concentrated in the downtown area. We headed down there to meet one of the owners of Dish T’Pass Cooking School and Catering Co. (more info coming soon!) and check out some things at Mia Cucina. Downtown Chattanooga is chock-full of great restaurants…we decided to hit up Sugar’s on Broad Street today.

There were not a ton of people in for lunch when we were there. Our server was with us quickly with a carafe of water for the table. She suggested some queso and tomatillo salsa as an appetizer, which we were more than happy to order. The white cheese queso dip was delicious, thick and creamy and with just a tiny bit of salsa stirred in. We were wondering if the recipe was the same as the Boat House, which is owned by the same group as Sugar’s….we really liked their’s too. The roasted tomatillo salsa was also wonderful, not too spicy and salted just right. You know I’m a stickler for just the right amount of salt. The chips were thick and hot and also salted just right.

All of the menu items at Sugar’s are served a la carte, with meat selections of smoked butt, smoked chicken, smoked brisket, BBQ legs, and hot legs. There was also fajita BBQ that I think was pork but I can’t remember for sure….it isn’t listed on the menu online. They serve regular-sized and mini sandwiches, tacos, and “servings” of meat served with a cornbread muffin. I decided on a pulled pork taco (with cabbage, radishes, cilantro, queso fresco, and grilled sweet onion with a side of tomatillo salsa and margarita sauce, which was creamy, lime-y, and avocado-y) and a mini brisket sandwich, just brisket on a dry slider bun. There are six sauces on each table and the meat is not sauced prior to serving. I found that the pork and the brisket both had a healthy smoke flavor and were deliciously moist. Neither needed the sauce for flavor but I did add just a little bit of sauce to the taco and dipped my mini sandwich in a little bit of sauce. My favorite sauce was the Tennessee Sweet & Gloppy (though I also liked the mustard sauce). I also ordered the grilled okra, which, if you are like me and you are turned off by the slime that is often present in non-fried okra, you might be a little frightened of…but you shouldn’t be. It’s delicious, smoky, and not slimy at all.

Philip decided on the serving of brisket with vinegar slaw. The chunk of brisket was huge and tender and, again, perfectly smoky. Philip tried it with a couple of different sauces before declaring that, while he liked them both, he really thought that the meat stood alone without the sauce. In my opinion, smoked meat that doesn’t need sauce is the hallmark of great barbecue. The slaw was just plain chopped cabbage with a sweet vinegar dressing and Philip loved it, even declaring that he liked it better than Rib and Loin’s, which is really saying something…although, to be fair, theirs is mayo-based and Philip didn’t try their mayo-based slaw. The cornbread muffin was average, not really anything to write home about but not bad….definitely the only mediocre part of this experience.

Sugar’s also offers a salad, flatbreads (like pizzas), and a variety of desserts, like banana pudding and several pies, though we were way too full to sample any of them. They have an interesting atmosphere, darkly lit with a wall of records and a mural of musical icons. There was also a disco ball that a nearby toddler kept pointing out to her mother (“Ball! Look, ball!”) which we found hysterical. Our server was very friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed this Sugar’s experience and declared that it was one of our favorite (if not the favorite) barbecue places in Chattanooga. As I type this on Saturday evening, I can still faintly smell the smoke in my hair. That’s some good smoked meat!

Sugar’s Ribs is located at 507 Broad Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402 (as well as the original location at 2450 15th Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37404. You can call the downtown location at 423-508-8956 and the “Ridge Cut” location at 423-826-1199. Check out their website, http://sugarsribs.com. You can also like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Shuford’s BBQ (Soddy-Daisy Location)-September 13, 2012

September 16, 2012

Philip and I knew that this weekend we were planning to eat at a restaurant that I recently blogged since we were given a gift certificate for my birthday, so Thursday night we decided to go somewhere that we hadn’t been. I knew that I needed to cook, but unfortunately I’ve been sick and work is still really wearing me out. Plus, I guess I’ve been starving my husband of protein with all of my meatless cooking (I really do try to include adequate protein in each meal but sometimes it’s pretty difficult. If any of you hardcore vegetarians/vegans out there have any pointers, I’ll be glad to take them) and he was craving a burger. So, instead of cooking the potato-leek soup I had planned for dinner, we headed to Choo-Choo Barbecue. Only we passed the restaurant to go to the gas station about a minute away first. By the time we got back five minutes later the place was packed out. Plan B in action…except that there was no plan B. So we started thinking.

We were headed back toward home. We’ve tried just about every place that there is to try in Soddy-Daisy…not much remains. Steve’s Landing….but I knew that at 6:30 we might be dealing with a bigger crowd than we were willing to face on a Thursday evening (or any evening, really). Then, Shuford’s popped into my head.

The original Shuford’s Smokehouse is located on Signal Mountain Road in the Red Bank area. I’ve never eaten there, but it’s been around for more than twenty years, so clearly there are some folks that think they are doing barbecue right. Shuford’s Barbecue is a roadside stand by Soddy Lake that for my entire childhood was a drive-in known as JJ’s (man, I loved JJ’s) then later as Jan’s. It’s been Shuford’s for (I believe) a couple of years now, but I just never think of it when I’m trying to think of somewhere to eat. We sat in the car and contemplated our order, then walked up and placed our order with a very friendly lady running the front end. Our total for the meal was about $15. Since it was a nice, not-too-hot evening we decided to eat our dinner at one of the picnic tables next to the building.

Normally I would go for the “BBQ tater”, but for some reason I was in the mood for a sandwich instead. I ordered a regular (i.e. small) pulled pork sandwich with slaw on it and a side of onion rings (and a water, of course). The order took about 10 minutes to come out (she was on the phone taking a call-in order when we walked up and another lady ordered while we were waiting) and she gave us a couple of paper trays (I guess that’s what you’d call them?) to put our food in since we were eating there. I am assuming that the onion rings were probably frozen, but they were still pretty good, nice and hot and crispy. The meat was good with a mild smoky flavor. I believe Shuford’s makes their own sauce. It’s a little sweeter than most (I believe it has molasses in it) and is very thick (by the way, they have hot or mild sauce. Since I am a pansy I chose mild). My only wish is that I had gotten the slaw on the side and added it myself…it quickly made the sandwich a little cold and a little soggy (but it tasted good, and I don’t usually like slaw).

It took Philip a few minutes to decide whether to order the burger that he was craving or whether he should get his usual BBQ restaurant order, the pulled pork plate. In the end he decided to go with his gut and get the bacon cheeseburger that was advertised on Shuford’s roadside sign, along with crinkle-cut fries and a water. The burger was gigantic, with a patty that looked hand-formed, a couple of strips of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a large amount of onion. If I ever order a burger there I will be ordering it without the onion, as the amount was so large I don’t think removing it at the table would do anything to rid the burger of the onion flavor-two entire slices (NOT two rings). Philip, however, was fine with this and happily ate the entire thing. He said it was a really great burger (I refrained from sampling it due to the onion, of course). The crinkle-cut fries were no doubt cooked from frozen, but I love crinkle-cut fries so much that I just can’t hate on them.

Shuford’s menu boasts some items that most other barbecue restaurants in the area do not serve, like ham, smoked turkey, Polish sausage, and chili dogs. They sell family packs of pulled pork or beef, chicken, or ribs that include two pint-sized sized and buns. The only dessert on the menu is banana pudding…but hey, this is the south. Banana pudding is an institution.

Restaurants don’t stick around for 20+ years for doing things the wrong way. Shuford’s is good eating and I hope the Soddy-Daisy location remains as well. Nice folks serving good food. We need places like that in these parts (as opposed to more fast food joints). Try it out!

Shuford’s Soddy-Daisy stand is located at 11320 Dayton Pike, Soddy-Daisy, TN 37379. They are open Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. You can call them at 423-451-7102. You can read more about them on their website, http://shufordsbbq.com. You can also “like” them on Facebook.

Nooga-Q: September 1, 2012

September 2, 2012

Saturday was one of those days that we set out with no real plan in place. I scrolled through my “list” on my phone and pretty much came up nil. Not that there was nothing worthwhile, but I was feeling pretty undecisive. Philip suggested Merv’s (a bar/dive in Red Bank that’s touted to have the best burgers in Chattanooga) but we nixed that idea because (a) Philip really wasn’t feeling greasy food; and (b) it’s a bar, which means it’s probably going to have to be a to-go sort of deal. We don’t do cigarette smoke. We drove down Signal Mountain Road and considered Petunia’s Silver Jalapeño (I think we’ll end up visiting them at their Warehouse Row location for the seating) before deciding on Nooga-Q.

I can’t remember if I’ve seen this place before or not, but someone (I don’t remember who) recently suggested it to me. It’s smallish and not too decorated, with concrete floors and a big aluminum panel on one wall (or at least I think it was aluminum). A friendly girl told us to be seated then brought us menus and took our drink orders (water, of course). There were not a ton of other people in the restaurant, but there were several other tables being occupied by diners.

The menu had more than you usually expect of a barbecue menu. A fairly large appetizer section boasted fried pickles, fried green tomatoes, and barbecue quesadillas (among other items). Soups and salads included chili, Brunswick stew, and a “Boss Hog” salad topped with smoked pork (interesting concept!). A full page of the menu is devoted to catering/bulk to-go items. There are sandwiches (BBQ sandwiches come with sauce and slaw), burgers, and hot dogs (all of which can be made into a combo for an additional $2.25) and plates (including ribs, catfish, and country-fried steak) that include 2 sides and Texas toast. And, since this is Chattanooga (and apparently this is a Chattanooga thing) there was a menu of stuffed baked potatoes. Smoked meats include pork, beef, chicken, and beef brisket (somewhat unique…most BBQ restaurants around here don’t have brisket).

I couldn’t decide whether to order the pork sandwich or a stuffed potato. Our server recommended the potato, so I took her recommendation. It was a large potato, chopped up and topped with smoked pork, cheddar cheese, butter, sour cream, and barbecue sauce. The pork was tender and smoky, but not artificially so. There was just the right amount of topping; nothing was overpowering and I could taste each topping. Sometimes if the meat is sauced before being placed on the potato, the flavor of the sauce drowns out everything else. Not so here. I even liked the Texas toast….it was buttery and crispy. I would have added some chives or chopped green onions, but I found this to be a pretty tasty meal.

Philip knew that he was going to order a plate but couldn’t decide between the smoked pork and the brisket-two of his true loves. The server recommended the brisket, so that’s what he ordered, with baked beans and fried okra. He decided to forego the Texas toast (he truly hates Texas toast). I think the okra was frozen, which is one of my great disappointments with most restaurants. It really is difficult to find fried okra that isn’t frozen (Wisteria Café was the only place I’ve found it, and now it’s gone!). It tasted okay, though. The baked beans were really good, smoky and with a sweetness that we couldn’t quite place (molasses? Brown sugar? We never did figure it out.) and a big chunk of smoked pork in it. He did really like the brisket, which was sliced and drizzled with sauce. It was very tender with a nice amount of smoke flavor.

Our total for this meal was around $15 before tip. Here you pay at the counter, where we asked the girl who was serving and working the counter if the sauce was homemade. She wasn’t sure…which makes me think that it might not be, since it seems like if it was everyone would know. It was good enough, so I’m not complaining…but I’d like to know the answer.

We really love smoked meat here in the Haymaker house. This was pretty good as smoked meat goes but I don’t think I’d call it my favorite. I have yet to decide where my favorite is, to be honest…I’m still sampling. One of these days we’re going to get a smoker! Until then, the search is on for the best barbecue in Chattanooga. Give Nooga-Q a try and let me know what you think….or if you have any other suggestions for me!

Nooga-Q is located at 301 Signal Mountain Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405. You can call them at 423-752-1935. Check out their website at www.nooga-q.com.

Dixie BBQ-August 14, 2012

August 15, 2012

It’s a rare restaurant post in the middle of the week! This was actually supposed to be a post about spaghetti squash with sage and brown butter, but you guys will have to wait a few days for that one. Tuesday was the first day of school, and here’s how it goes down-every year: I tell myself that I’m going to cook…then I get home and I can’t even think about cooking. Today was no exception, unless you consider the fact that I told Philip on Monday night, “I have something planned to cook tomorrow night, but I’m under no illusion that I’m actually going to cook.” So….we went out to eat. No big surprise.

On Sunday there was a Groupon for Dixie BBQ-$6 for $12 worth of food. I had $5 in Groupon bucks, so I got the deal for $1 (by the way, I’m not really sure how one earns “Groupon bucks”. They just sent me an email a while back that I had some….)! My family has been eating at Dixie BBQ for years, but somehow I have never been here, even though it’s only about 10 minutes from my house. I guess I just kind of forget about it. I recently added it to my “list” on my iPhone, which I maintain to help us remember the places that we still need to go when we are out places. Tonight seemed like a perfect time to go….not very far, and we could pick it up and bring it home to eat.

By the time we walked away from the ordering window we reeked of smoked food (not a bad thing, at least in our opinion!). They have your normal BBQ restaurant fare….sandwiches, plates (meat, bread, & two sides), stuffed potatoes, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and I think there might have been chicken tenders but I can’t remember. The meats were pork, beef, and smoked chicken, and the sides that I can remember were slaw, baked beans, fried okra, potato salad, tater logs, and tater tots. I think there were a few more, but I don’t remember what they were!

I knew before I got there what I was going to order….the “killer potato”. Everyone in my family swears by this potato. I decided to order it with pork. I was not disappointed. It was gigantic and covered with cheese, butter, sour cream, pulled pork, and barbecue sauce. The pork was delicious, tender and SO smoky. I really liked the barbecue sauce….it was sweet (but not too much so) and not overly spicy. This was a great potato. The only thing I would change would be to add some chives or chopped green onions…but it really was a great BBQ potato.

Philip decided on the pork plate with fried okra and coleslaw. It also came with Texas toast (which Philip hates, no matter where it comes from, and threw in the trash). He thought the slaw was “meh”…he really loves Rib & Loin’s slaw (so do I, and I generally hate slaw) and just didn’t feel like it was quite up to par in comparison. He did like the okra, though. I tasted it too and thought that it tasted really good. We couldn’t decide if it was frozen, though….and suspect that it might be. Like me, he loved the pulled pork as well as the sauce.

The only real issue that I had on this trip was the fact that they do not take credit cards-cash or check only. I looked at the cash lying on my dresser before we left the house and thought, “Nah, I won’t need it….” I’m just so used to everyone taking cards these days, so I was a little taken aback when the girl told Philip that they don’t take cards. By this time she had already redeemed my Groupon so it was too late to back out of the order…so we ended up going to the Kangaroo station next door to visit the ATM. No big deal, though. We should have known better than to assume that they took cards-a lot of small, local businesses don’t because of the additional cost. Besides, we needed cash for the farmers market, and we needed gas, so we killed three birds with one stone (and didn’t get charged an ATM fee!). The total on our order was $13.11, which means that the total out of our pocket was $2.11.

So, if you are looking for some great smoked meat in the Hixson/Soddy-Daisy/Middle Valley area, check out Dixie BBQ. They are located at 1530 Boy Scout Road, Hixson, TN 37343. You can call them at 423-842-4025. I did not think to check their hours of operation and I couldn’t find the hours online. I believe that they are closed on Sunday. They do not have a website or a Facebook page.

Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe-July 6, 2012

July 8, 2012

My mom and I have been trying to make it back to the Purple Daisy for, like, two years now. All the way in St. Elmo, it’s not exactly close….but since we were taking my aunt to the Lodge Outlet in South Pittsburg on Friday (where she and my mom cleaned up, by the way! If you haven’t been, you should go…) that provided us the perfect opportunity to stop off.

The Purple Daisy is a pretty small place, two rooms packed with tables and some seating out front (though somehow they manage to fit quite a few people in without crowding everyone). One room is bright and airy, the other room a little darker, but somehow that’s not an issue. The first thing that you notice when you walk in is the cheery decor-bandannas tied together hanging over a high window, Christmas lights (the kind contained within plastic tubing) hanging on the wall, lots of cool retro items like metal lunch boxes and a wooden ironing board hanging up. My aunt pointed out that there was a picnic basket like my grandparents used to have on a shelf, and my mom saw a lunch box like my other grandfather (Papaw) used to take to his job as an ironworker. In the bathrooms, the sinks are metal washbasins. Cool stuff. Adding to the atmosphere is the intoxicating scent of smoke (as in from the smoker). Yum.

The Purple Daisy is a very casual atmosphere, but they will seat you, give you a menu, and come take your order at your table. There were several specials listed on a folding whiteboard outside the door, including brisket and pork or chicken tacos. My mom ordered their fruit tea, which is pretty much brimming with pineapple juice and is very yummy, I ordered water, and my aunt ordered unsweetened tea (she’s from Texas, which I do not officially consider the South). The Purple Daisy’s menu consists of a “build your own sandwich”, which features chicken salad, pimento cheese, cucumber spread, and a variety of breads, meats, cheeses, and veggies. Purple Daisy is known for their barbecue (which I have yet to try) which can be ordered in plate form, on a sandwich, or atop a gigantic baked potato or plate of nachos. They also have quesadillas, grilled cheese, hot dogs (grilled), salads, chili, a smoked chicken sandwich (with or without buffalo sauce), and hamburgers (charcoal grilled) that are served on Thursday and Friday only.

I’ll admit, I haven’t tried any of the above items. I should, I know, but I can’t. Why not, you say? Because I have been rendered unable to order anything but the Rainbow Sandwich. What’s that? Oh, let me tell you. The Rainbow Sandwich is (and this is the menu description): A three-layered sandwich with homemade chicken salad, pimento cheese, and cucumber spread on crustless white and wheat bread served with chips and a pickle.

Help me.

I love this sandwich so much. The first time I came here, I didn’t know. I ordered something like a roast beef with cheddar on sourdough. It was good, sure…but one of the friends I was with had the Rainbow sandwich, and I was fascinated, so the next time I came, I had to have it. I was a little unsure of “cucumber spread”….but it’s wonderful. Cucumbers and cream cheese are the main ingredients. The pimento cheese is homemade, and you can see the little shreds of cheese. The chicken salad is made with smoked chicken. The person that dreamed this up is a genius, I tell you. Look at the pretty layers of white and wheat bread. This is one of the few occasions where I love just plain old soft white bread. I always know I shouldn’t eat the whole thing-that’s four slices of bread!-but I always do. Because it’s goooooooood. And as my side, I always sub hash brown casserole for the chips. If you haven’t had hash brown casserole…..mmmm. My mom makes it all the time, so it’s definitely a comfort food for me. Creamy, with mushroom soup, butter, onions, and cheese, served piping hot with paprika sprinkled over the top, theirs is very “authentic”. Not a culinary opus…but sometimes you don’t want a culinary opus. You want comfort. In a styrofoam cup. By the way, they also have slaw, hot slaw, baked beans, and potato salad as sides.

My mom ordered exactly the same thing as me, and my aunt (the vegan), ordered a baked potato with butter (she cheated a little!) and chives (which were actually green onions). I didn’t take a picture because I figured hey, we’ve all seen a baked potato. Only I should have taken a picture because it was seriously the size of the basket. Gigantic, I tell you. There’s not a whole lot to say about a baked potato, but hers was nice and fluffy, with plenty of butter and onions on top. It looked delish (I love baked potatoes).

We were all pretty much stuffed when we got done (my mom and I had, after all, just eaten the equivalent of two sandwiches), but if we had been so inclined we could have ordered banana pudding (which, the menu proclaims, was voted Chattanooga’s best 2009) or Alabama dirt (which I know as dirt cake, and if you’ve never heard of dirt cake you aren’t from Tennessee. It’s basically chocolate pudding, Cool Whip or whipped cream, and Oreo crumbs.). Instead we eased on down the road to see what we could see at Lodge.

My only complaint about the Purple Daisy is the parking lot. I despise their parking lot. It’s tiny. There are never any spaces available and even on those rare occasions when you can actually find a spot, it’s super-cramped. It’s no big. You can park next door at the Incline for $1.00 (for all day!). That’s what we did….no finagling out of your space there.

If you want casual, delicious comfort food in the form of barbecue or a fantastic, creative sandwich, I highly recommend Purple Daisy (yes, I know I haven’t actually tried the barbecue. But I have heard great things about it from people whose opinions I trust, and if the smell is any indication…yowza!). By the way, they also do catering. The Purple Daisy Picnic Café is located at 4001 St. Elmo Ave., Chattanooga, TN. They are open Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday 12-4 p.m. You can call them at 423-822-6477. Check out their website, http://www.thepurpledaisy.com. You can also like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

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