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.

TAILGATING FOR CHIPPER JONES

CHIPPER JONES TRIBUTE NIGHT

By Doc Lawrence

ATLANTA-Not an empty seat anywhere for over an hour before game time. The fans came from all over the South to thank their hero, third baseman Chipper Jones, a future Hall of Fame member and a career-long Brave. Outside in the parking lots, Tailgaters were grilling Andouille, lamb lollipops, Georgia White Shrimp and one was serving Ceviche, a dish more common to South Beach than Peachtree Street.

But, Chipper is a Floridian, so the dish was appropriate after all, particularly since my generous hosts Babs and Jim Morris, two Atlanta residents, served this with generous pours of Nadia Sauvignon Blanc, a delightful wine from Santa Barbara County that has found a home in Atlanta.

I ate and then ate some more. The benefits of being a roving Tailgating reporter include great food and wine, hand-crafted  cocktails and the joy of making new friends. This was just a perfect night to play some baseball, have a pre-game feast and begin the process of saying goodbye to Chipper.

The final act before going into Turner field to watch the ceremonies that included other Braves legends like Hank Aaron and Bobby Cox, was enjoying an Old Fashioned, perhaps America’s oldest cocktail. This beauty was made with Maker’s Mark, a perfect end to this Tailgating feast.

Great job, Chipper. Braves fans have long memories. We’ll always be grateful.

Thomas Jefferson, a revolutionary gardener? See www.winesdownsouth.com

BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN!

TOMAHAWK TIME IN ATLANTA

By Doc Lawrence

ATLANTA—Clinching a place in the playoffs last night was special, but the way it happened-a two-run come from behind home run in the bottom of the ninth-was heroic. Somewhere above Atlanta two hours before midnight the Angels were celebrating. For the uninitiated, Braves’ fans for over a century have known since the days in Boston that flocks of Angels cheer them on. According to my grandson, they were doing the tomahawk chop and chant as two heroes crossed home plate to victory.

Getting into the playoffs after a dry run of several years in a city that became accustomed to being near or on top every baseball season brought memories of my dear mother who absolutely loved the Braves. I always said she would never die during baseball season. She left this planet during the Christmas holidays and is buried near the grave of the Braves’ immortal announcer Skip Carey.

Way to go, Mom.

The other evening, I sat in an audience and enjoyed a young author talk about his book about baseball in Atlanta. He opened with a story about a game played here in 1866. The Civil War had just ended. Sherman had destroyed all but a few homes in the city. The baseball field was near the graves of Confederate soldiers in Oakland Cemetery. And those who had lost everything but hope cheered on the players.

Those words confirmed that baseball became the national sport because of the Civil War. I have a photo in a book showing Union guards playing baseball with Confederate prisoners at a New York prison.

Baseball unifies, crosses all boundaries and nourishes the better aspects of our humanity. Baseball encourages seniors to act like children. And it’s played just about like it was long, long ago.

In 1991, the Braves brought Dixie our first World Series. For a good many days that October, there was magic in the air. Where the Braves finish this year is a work in progress. But just getting the chance to reach the pinnacle is enough for now.

I’ve found that old red foam rubber tomahawk from 1991 and am getting in the proper frame of mind for the playoffs. The grass is as green as the Irish countryside, the autumn air is comfortably crisp and the sunshine is warm and gentle. Everything feels like baseball.

May those Angels above Atlanta smile upon our “Boys of Summer.”



NOTE: Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden is featured in Wines Down South.
www.winesdownsouth.com

TAILGATING DOWN SOUTH-TALLAHASSEE

A FOOTBALL FEAST IN NORTH FLORIDA

By Doc Lawrence



"MISS JAN" SERVES STONE GROUND GRITS



TALLAHASSEE—Driving into this lovely state capital city from the nearby Georgia border town of Thomasville always means a stop at Bradley’s Country Store. It’s a chance to see “Miss Jan,” more formally known as Jan Bradley Parker, and pick up some tailgating essentials like pork chops, homemade sausages, Mayhaw jelly and Tupelo honey. On a football weekend, Bradley’s becomes a Florida culinary adventure, bringing in customers who appreciate Miss Jan’s food store where grits are stone ground, the meat cured in a real smokehouse and the conversation is down home cheerful.

If you are lucky, you’ll run into celebrities here like legendary coach Bobby Bowden, a frequent customer.

The evening before the Clemson-Florida State game allows time for dinner at David and Elizabeth Gwynn’s Cypress restaurant, a showcase of impressive dishes reflecting the diversity of Florida’s harvest. Fresh seafood from nearby Panacea on the Gulf of Mexico is the norm, and you haven’t really lived until you devour their signature Oysters and Biscuits, a gourmet original.

Tallahassee’s regal Hotel Duval with a history that dates back to FSU’s earliest football days, is the perfect place to get in the mood for a night game. The day was free for drinks and light fare at the Duval’s Level 8 Lounge. The lagniappe is a stunning view the capital city.

On this first day of autumn, the lots outside Doak Campbell Stadium became a moveable feast. Gumbos galore, smoked mullet dip (a North Florida delicacy that deserves a place in tailgating), shrimp served in countless ways, plus authentic Southern-style chicken and of course barbecue pork were mere samplings.

The predominance of Jim Beam Bourbon-which includes Beam varieties like Red Stag- confirms the masses appeal of Bourbon.The tasty elixir is soaring in tailgating popularity. With fresh air, warm sunshine and friendly surroundings, legendary Bourbon has a prominent place.



JACK CARSWELL STANDS ON THE SPANISH TRACE



Had a grilled Bulldozer lately? This is Sunshine State vernacular for the Florida lobster and few things taste better from the grill. Plump, smoky and buttery, this calls for wine with some complexity. One parking lot chef served my entourage  Bulldozer along with a glass or two of chilled  Château La Gatte Bordeaux Rosé. For a few priceless moments, Florida met France..

Next year Florida celebrates its 500^th anniversary and the ancient Spanish Trace literally goes through the heart of Tallahassee. The trading route was the first by Europeans in America connecting St. Augustine with all of North Florida. Vestiges of the early civilization remain here in the food and wine traditions. The old wine cellar built centuries ago by Franciscan monks has been restored at Tallahassee’s Mission San Luis, confirming that the first wines brought into America came to Florida.

One of my favorite tailgating recipes is from Lara Lyn Carter, a rising star celebrity TV chef and a regular on the NBC affiliate WALB-TV in Albany, Georgia. Dedicated to her father, an FSU stalwart, it’s one of those dishes filled with flavor from the grill and perfect with a bottle of dry Dr. Loosen Riesling from the Mosel River Valley. Enjoy Lara Lyn’s tailgating recipe before kickoff:

http://www.winesdownsouth.com/Recipes/Tailgating-with-Lara-Lyn-Carter.pdf

In the Deep South, tailgating is more than a ritual, it’s a social umbrella that combines the exciting pageantry of college football with the great outdoor feast. The food is local. The wines, in the Jeffersonian tradition, are from all parts of the world, and the Jim Beam Bourbon is from Kentucky.

NOTE: Jefferson, The Revolutionary Gardener is the feature story for Wines Down South.

www.winesdownsouth.com