road trip ~ five

We are home now from a truly fabulous road trip. I had grand intentions of continuing to blog while on the go, but slow poke internet connections in Tennessee kept me from making that happen. Boo. I would move forward with what's cookin' in my own kitchen, but have to share a couple of gems we found along the last leg of our journey. These two out-of-the-way spots, and the delightful people we met at both, made for some very memorable meals.

1. Aretha Frankenstein's, Chattanooga, TN

With this name, you know this is going to be one groovy joint. And, it was. Most delightfully so! We had spent the entire day at the Tennessee Aquarium, a most amazing place, and were totally pooped out by late afternoon. We were in great need of comfort food. A big thank-you to our dear friends Sooz and Mel for telling us about this place from their previous road trip plus the kind, elderly gentleman at the Visitor's Center for giving me directions. You won't find Aretha's in any of the tourist brochures - it's literally off the map.

 

Aretha's is in a funky little blue house set up from the steep road that runs through the artsy North Shore part of town. Marcus, the very cool gent behind the bar, made us feel immediately welcome with his warm smile. While he served us delicious hot coffee and cocoa, someone was working a little magic in the kitchen . . . warm, fluffy, delicious biscuits served with homemade apple butter, fried potatoes and the most amazing chocolate pecan pie we've ever eaten! Holy smokes. This was sooooooo good, for both body and soul. I want to go back for seconds today.

 

2. The Bucatarie, Paducah, Kentucky

Once we got rolling with finding restaurants off the beaten path, we just couldn't stop. All of the roadside fast-food joints just looked completely unpalatable. So, when we decided to stop in Paducah for lunch, we followed the signs into the historic downtown district and started walking. What treasures we found! First, a lovely old bakery on the national register of historic places, with excellent iced butter cookies I must add . . .

 

. . . and then a beautiful cafe completely covered with handcrafted tiles and mosaics. The art, of course, drew me in, but the kind greetings inside from the owners welcomed me to stay. They were more than willing to create vegetarian sandwiches for Miss M and me, just for asking. So, we dined on avocado, tomato and swiss melts made on fresh croissants, fresh fruit salad, and blissful Kentucky Derby tarts, all lovingly created by Rachel, the owner/maitre'd/chef of The Bucatarie. What a treat.

 

On their menu, it states, "Our business is built on our collection of memories." How delightful, as was the pleasure we found dining there. Thank you, downtown Paducah, for some beautiful memories and inspiration for my own kitchen!