TAILGATING DOWN SOUTH AT CLEMSON

AUTUMN FOOTBALL FEAST IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Virginia Tech, A Mano Primitivo, Grilled Feta Tenderloin, Sugarleaf Vineyards, Charlotte Russe, Marshall Tucker Band

By Doc Lawrence



CHARLOTTE RUSSE



CLEMSON, SC—Traveling down the Blue Ridge mountains from Highlands, the nearby North Carolina resort town to Clemson is a visual adventure. The natural beauty is stunning with  brilliant fall foliage equal to a Monet painting. Combined with the fresh air, the appetite is stimulated prompting  a mighty thirst for an eye-opening drink and some tasty casual food. The destination was the tailgating area on Clemson University’s campus, a necessary step for a friendly traveler looking for nourishment..

It’s game day down south with Clemson facing Virginia Tech: Who needs football when there is great food, wines, cocktails and craft beer?

Clemson is not far from Spartanburg where the fabulous Marshall Tucker Band started and songs like their classic “Fire on the Mountain,” resonated this autumn day amid the smoke, laughter and never-ending good cheer. Although this is near the mountains and across the state from the Atlantic coast, the food served is connected to the Low Country food culture of the Palmetto state.. She Crab soup warms the soul on a chilly fall day and when served, as Max Wheeler does, with an added jigger of good sherry, it is a contemporary but still regal dish reflecting its Charleston roots. No wine with this, just a well-constructed bloody mary with tomato juice made at a local farm and Southern vodka from Georgia’s 13^th Colony Distillery.

 

The food was uniformly delicious, but one dish was a show stealer: Grilled thinly sliced tenderloin of beef filet with garlic and oregano and topped with flakes of Feta Cheese. The wine was a selection by an engineer,  a Clemson grad, A Mano Primitivo (2010), a delight from the southeast of Italy made from the grape with DNA identical to California Zinfandel. The pairing was stunning.

Clemson is surrounded by  trout streams and near mighty lakes like Hartwell. Smoked trout was everywhere and one Virginia Tech visitor shared her still warm trout with a glass of spectacular Petit Manseng   from Sugarleaf Vineyards, the acclaimed winery in Charlottesville, Virgina. Wine from the Promised Land is what the universe demands for trout, whether smoked or grilled.

The cooks, parking lot bartenders, revelers and fans who gathered were primarily Clemson loyalists decked out in electric orange, but there were some from Virginia Tech.. Paul and Dottie Sammons live in the Washington,DC area and brought a Charlotte Russe with them, a dessert that my dear mother would make on special occasions. This was a collaborative effort, Dottie explained, “with our friends in Ashville who also have a sweet tooth on beautiful Saturdays.”

I had an ample serving accompanied by flutes of J Vineyards Russian River Valley Vintage Brut, a California sparkling wine.

Along the way, memories are made during the tailgating ritual. After doing this for many years, I have believe that these pre-game feasts display America at her best. Goodwill, joy and sharing dominate, even in the midst of often-heated rivalries. Mature folks love to cook, uncork, pour and share, even with a stranger from Atlanta whose football loyalties may well be different. The chance to make new friends is a blessing. A healthy appetite, a willingness to try new beverages and a mind that is open leads to new possibilities.

NOTE: This week is dedicated to  “The Jack,” the Jack Daniel’s 2012 International Barbecue Competition in Lynchburg, Tennessee. I’ll be there serving as a judge, making new friends and reuniting with so many participants from across America and other countries.

TAILGATING DOWN SOUTH IN NASHVILLE

NASHVILLE TAILGATING-COUNTRY MUSIC AND HOT CHICKEN

Nashville Hot Chicken, Kilbeggan Irish Whisky, Vanderbilt, Jack Daniel’s, Las Moras  Malbec, Merle Haggard, Tennessee Travel

By Doc Lawrence



CAPITAL GRILLE BAR



NASHVILLE. No wonder locals have a swagger in their walk. Downtown Nashville is as cool as a city gets outside New York. The Ryman Auditorium, the Country Music Hall of Fame, countless honky-tonks with live music and the spirit of a place moving forward dominates. Vanderbilt, a blue-chip university tailgates with a dedication to higher living and it’s not unusual to see a spread laid out on white tablecloth. Champagne is often served in flutes alongside dishes like Nashville Hot Chicken, a community staple that ranks with Miami’s Cuban sandwich, Louisiana’s oyster po’ boys or Tallahassee’s Grouper Burgers.

Hot chicken? The rage dish was conceived at Prince’s, a legendary Nashville restaurant where owners have shared their buttermilk bath cayenne pepper battered fried chicken with the world. The finished chicken is served on a slice of gently friedwhite bread and garnished with dill pickle chips.



My game day began with a visit to the Ryman and a stop at the magnificent Hermitage Hotel for cocktails and snacks at the luxurious Capital Grille bar. Here, folks talk college and NFL football, country and rock music and other sophisticated small talk. Perfect background for a Bloody Mary.

The historic and romantic Hermitage has a staff for the ages. The valet was a studio musician for a major recording company and a bellman sang and played in clubs on his days off.

 

Tailgating at Vandy can range from informal to elegant. Some things have a high society feel much like the Virginia experience at Charlottesville and Oxford, Mississippi on a football weekend. In this big city the conversation about food and drink is pretty interesting. I asked one tailgating group what wines they were pouring and how they selected them. The response would make a sommelier proud. “Lamb lollipops” Sandi Campbell instructed, “are ours are great grilled; and taste better with a beautifully balanced Malbec.” Her selection was Las Moras (2010) from Argentina. Ms. Campbell knows her lamb and wine.

Nashville is the epicenter of Tennessee whisky: it’s got that tailgating feel according to many enthusiasts and nothing is more closely associated with Nashville and the entire state than Jack Daniel’s. Meandering through the maize of pre-game partiers confirmed this but also provided a view of diversity. Nashville has a strong Irish heritage. I found to my delight that Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey is perfect with a slice of Benton’s Smoky Mountain Tennessee bacon with an orange juice chaser.

Nashville is core American, but it retains a Deep South accent and is a rising star in new culinary adventures. Tailgating fits the culture in Music City like a Hank Williams song in a Honky-Tonk.

                               Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe

(Nashville’s legendary Brother Love believes this to be the recipe from Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack in Music City. Only they really know, but this is tasty and easy to make.)

Ingredients

The Paste (enough for one or two chicken breasts):

1 tbsp plus 2 tsp lard

3 tbsp cayenne

3 pinches sugar

3/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Other Ingredients:

Self-rising flour, chicken, white bread, and pickles

directions

*All the seasoning is in the paste; dredge the chicken in plain self-rising flour. Fry it.

*Mix all of the ingredients for the paste (microwaving the lard for about 30 seconds will make this easier). Apply it evenly and liberally to the fried chicken using either a basting brush or your latex glove-protected hands. Note: Use about a teaspoonful of paste for each side of a chicken breast.

 *When you’ve covered the top half, flip it over onto a piece of white bread and add the pickles..

NOTE: This pairs well with a Jim Beam American Stillhouse Old Fashioned cocktail with Merle Haggard’s “Big City.” playing in the background..

October 2012 eNewsletter

“THE JACK,” DOG ISLAND GROUPER BURGERS AND FIRST FLORIDIANS For over two decades Lynchburg Tennessee has been the site of the greatest food celebration on the planet. On the last weekend of this month, teams from all over America and many foreign nations come to this lovely village to slow cook pork, beef and chicken, make sauces, bake pies and cakes and celebrate the great cooking traditions of America at the Jack Daniel’s International Barbecue Competition. “It’s the best of them all,” says our Doc Lawrence  who once again has been chosen to serve as a judge for the prestigious event. “The Jack” is known the world over for its association with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whisky, but it is heralded for being an event where families come and have fun in a beautiful setting where bluegrass music is everywhere, the town is friendly and the food stands out for its quality and closeness to the soil. “I’ve made friends with teams from Ireland, Belgium, Canada and Australia,” Doc states, “and barbecue is real magic that brings our world closer through sharing and friendly competition.” Doc’s articles from “The Jack” will be exclusives for Wines Down South, and this year will highlight some of the celebrities in entertainment that attend each year. Be sure to click the poster on the right for a tour of “The Jack.” “First Floridians-First Americans” debuted at the Monticello Opera House bringing in over 500 participants from the four corners. Doc Lawrence discusses the tourism potential for this beautiful North Florida city in his exclusive feature for Wines Down South accessible through our home page (click). Dog Island Grouper Burgers were created by Chef Josh Butler and are perfect for Tailgating and casual home entertaining. Click for the outstanding recipe. Tailgating is more fun when something original is served before kickoff. Chef Josh Butler’s Dog Island Grouper Burger recipe is featured this month along with Doc’s wine pairing. The leaves are turning, the air is cool and fresh and this time of year brings out the best in all of us who love living down South. Friend Us! Follow Us! Share Us! "The Jack," painted by Georgia's acclaimed folk artist Olivia Thomason, captures the color and pageantry of this global event. Click on the painting and take a virtual tour of the International Barbecue Competition in Lynchburg Tennessee. DOC'S WINE SELECTION Perfect with Dog Island Grouper Burgers. Le Rosé de Clarke, 2010 is elegant and easy-drinking for autumn food celebrations.

ATHENS-TAILGATING DOWN SOUTH

THE GREAT DAWG OUTDOOR FEAST

         Grass-fed Beef Burgers, Red Stag Cocktails, Coppola Red Wine 

By Doc Lawrence

ATHENS, GA—On this autumn afternoon deep in Dixie, the world was colored bright red. Red tents in the lots near the stadium shaded the cooks, servers and guests who were likewise in hues of shinny fire engines. A Saturday in Athens, Georgia’s “Classic City” is a romantic experience. The downtown just rocks and has many places to dine, many just across the street from the University of Georgia campus entrance.

 

This is the home of the legendary rock group, R.E.M. and the best fried chicken anywhere is the main attraction at Weaver D’s, the little café with a global fan base owned by Dexter Weaver, who catered for the group and was the inspiration for the album, “Automatic for the People.”

I feel the spirit of Lewis Grizzard when I visit Athens on a football game day. How many Georgia games against Tennessee, I wondered, did he witness? And I cannot count times I thoroughly enjoyed the gravely play-by-play radio announcing of Georgia football games by the great Larry Muson.

Nostalgia runs deep here in the tailgating areas where there’s good barbecue everywhere, plus fried catfish, slaw and potato salad made every which away, along with some of the finest wines and skillfully crafted cocktails anywhere in the South. College football is the magnet. Food and drink is the pre-game primer.

This is a day when burgers reign. One group was serving burgers made from Will Harris’ grass-fed beef produced at his heralded White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia. These were custom grilled and fit perfectly with a glass of Francis Copppola Diamond Red Blend, a wine that when poured looked Georgia Bulldog red.

Red Stag Bourbon has a high profile because of its association with music superstar Kid Rock. More than a few tailgaters were serving it.. The Bourbon is football fan friendly and mixes easily. One cocktail was made with high quality ginger ale, a stout pour of Red Stag and the juice of a half lime served over chunk ice in beautiful Old Fashioned cocktail glass.

The recipe of the day was the creation of Josh Butler the culinary specialist traveling with the Grammy Award winning Zac Brown Band. For years Josh was Florida’s top chef, cooking gourmet dinners for three Florida governors. Enjoy Josh’s original “Dog Island Grouper Burger with Florida Slaw” with a glass or two of Biltmore Century White wine, combining the best flavors of this great Georgia college town with the Gulf of Mexico and Asheville, North Carolina.

For those looking for excitement, here’s Josh’s recipe:

http://www.winesdownsouth.com/Recipes/Dog_Island_Burgers.pdf

 In the Classic City, .Tailgating is more than celebrating winning. It is an art form.