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Forty years ago, I worked my first shift in a restaurant. It was almost the first hour, of the first shift of the first day that I discovered what I wanted to do with the rest of my life— open a restaurant. That is not an exaggeration or oversimplification. The restaurant bug hit me instantly.Continue reading “Enter Enzo”

NEW ORLEANS— This city is, unquestionably, one of the top five restaurant cities in America. I would imagine that if one were to poll national food critics New Orleans would be listed among the top three. To my taste— and I’ve eaten extensively in most of America’s top restaurant cities— New Orleans is number one.Continue reading “RSJ’s New Orleans Restaurant Recommendations 2022”

We are a nation of regional dining concepts and local dishes. Chicago has deep-dish pizza parlors. New Orleans has po-boy shops. Ohio has chili parlors. Maine has lobster shacks. South Florida has crab shacks. Maryland also has crab shacks (there are a lot of shacks in regional dining). Oyster bars are scattered across the GulfContinue reading “Support Your Local Catfish House”

Last week I spent seven days in the Florida Panhandle on “vacation.” I used the word “vacation” because that is the easy, go-to, and common nomenclature one uses when describing time off from work. The problem with using that term is that I never really take time off from work. I’m not complaining, I likeContinue reading “The Restaurant Family Takes a Vacation”

It’s always interesting to me how we enjoy some foods only during certain times of the year or on certain occasions. We love the dishes and meals, yet we reserve them for a specific time, place, or holiday. My grandmother didn’t believe in that rule. Sunday lunches at her house were always an event. It’sContinue reading “Vacation Food”

There is something deep inside of me that enjoys hosting people. It borderlines a compulsion or obsession. I’ve been that way since I was a little kid. Whenever I heard a new song on the radio, in my youth— and I had enough money to purchase a 45 single— I would ride my bike toContinue reading “Welcome to America, My Dutch Friend”

Last Friday I wrapped up a photo shoot for my new cookbook, “Mississippi Mornings.” It’s a book I’ve wanted to write for almost a decade, and one I’ve been seriously contemplating for five or six years. Recipe testing finally began this past February and we got about halfway through the roster before I had toContinue reading “Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due”

I am a fan of first lines in books. But I also like the last lines in movies. In the film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s, “Cannery Row,” John Huston— in one of the greatest film narrations this side of Morgan Freeman states, “The world was once again spinning in greased grooves.” I don’t know ifContinue reading “Harry’s Homecoming”

Peach season is here. Peaches are my favorite fruit. Period. End of story. Strawberries, bananas, grapes, and blackberries fall into my top five. But there is a large delta between number one and the rest. Peaches, and especially Chilton County Alabama peaches, rule the fruit world at my house. Chilton County peaches are coming inContinue reading “Peaches”