Good Restaurants

[4hfarms]

Do you remember the name of it? I travel by there a few times a year

Another good one down in Jax on I-295 / sr50 in Orlando area is 4Rivers

 

[tater74]

If your near Comanche or Rising Star, Texas on a Friday or Saturday night, Cook's Fish Barn is the place to eat.

 

[Ky hills]

I am not stopping any where that has Catfish in the name. When we first moved here a man from church invited me to go with him fishing for catfish on the Snake River. I went several times. Caught lots of catfish. My wife declared our house a catfish free zone. I agreed. Growing up on the north Washington coast and work in SE Alaska I have eaten too many good fish to ever eat another catfish.

I know catfish has a stigma attached to them as being bottom feeders, scavengers etc, but here in Appalachia, catfish have been a traditional food source. Fried catfish is uptown eatin for a lot of people.
My mother said that her father wouldn’t eat catfish because he said they would eat people. I’m not sure what exactly he was insinuating, if it was a belief of them growing to giant size in rivers in the area, or if it was a tradition story that came from Wales or other places in Europe where there family lines came from many generations ago.
My mother didn’t eat much meat, but would eat fish including catfish. She was always happy to see me bringing in some nice size catfish.
My wife on the hand from Oklahoma doesn’t like fish at all, though some of her family will eat catfish.

 

[Travlr]

We got some tilapia that tasted like mud. Kind of turned me off of them. Not that I wouldn't take a bite again if I had the opportunity. Catfish makes a good meal, it's just different than walleye or trout or bass... or ocean fish. I don't turn my nose up at good food, especially if someone else has invited me. I do draw the line at brains and testicles. Those are starvation foods...

 

[RDFF]

If out that way I will check it out.

Not changing the subject but specking of Restaurants/gas stations I was at the Buc-ees yesterday at Kodak, TN going into Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. They have a 4-lane going just to Buc-ees only and it was bumper to bumper at a crawl to just get into the place. I had to wait in line to get gas, and they have probably over 100 pumping places. Inside it was a crazy as the bathroom line was 100+ feet long. That big barbeque brisque, Buc-ees chips and 32 oz. drink was good.

Headed on toward Pigeon Forge and it was 3 lanes on one side bumper to bumper as far as I could see. I got turned around at a red light which took me three light cycles to get out and headed out at the knife works place.

That place is over run and I noticed a lot of the tags were from out of state.

You posting this made me think... "Think I'll head the other way out to that reservoir that @Dave posted about... with the traffic jam of 6 cars on a six mile stretch of lake". Sure sounds more appealing.

@Dave , better be careful what you're posting, or you're gonna turn that place into a rockin' tourist attraction! Next year, there'll probably be at least a dozen cars along that stretch... and you'll be lookin' for a less populated place to spend your golden years!

 

[Ky hills]

We got some tilapia that tasted like mud. Kind of turned me off of them. Not that I wouldn't take a bite again if I had the opportunity. Catfish makes a good meal, it's just different than walleye or trout or bass... or ocean fish. I don't turn my nose up at good food, especially if someone else has invited me. I do draw the line at brains and testicles. Those are starvation foods...

I’ve never tried tilapia, I reckon I associate it with being farm raised and possibly foreign raised in questionable conditions, although the same could be said of catfish too, the catfish is just more familiar.
I love good catfish, smaller fish depending on the type and how big they get, can be better tasting than older larger fish. Cut out the strip of darker meat and fat (mud vein) if filets.
I used to fish a local reservoir that stocked channel catfish along with bass and others. The bass were catch and release only, so i mainly fished for catfish and what we call brims here (bluegills), and shell crackers. Those catfish in the 3-4 pound range were really good,
Not much on brains, but brains and eggs are a delicacy for some here.
I do like calf, lamb, hog fries. That is done good eatin.

 

[texoman]

You posting this made me think... "Think I'll head the other way out to that reservoir that @Dave posted about... with the traffic jam of 6 cars on a six mile stretch of lake". Sure sounds more appealing.

@Dave , better be careful what you're posting, or you're gonna turn that place into a rockin' tourist attraction! Next year, there'll probably be at least a dozen cars along that stretch... and you'll be lookin' for a less populated place to spend your golden years!

Probably all from this here CT

 

[Dave]

You posting this made me think... "Think I'll head the other way out to that reservoir that @Dave posted about... with the traffic jam of 6 cars on a six mile stretch of lake". Sure sounds more appealing.

@Dave , better be careful what you're posting, or you're gonna turn that place into a rockin' tourist attraction! Next year, there'll probably be at least a dozen cars along that stretch... and you'll be lookin' for a less populated place to spend your golden years!

I sort of doubt there will ever be many tourists there. It has got to be the better part of 30 miles to any services. Dirt road with well scattered gravel. When it rains you don't want to be on that road. It turns into a slippery slimy mess that you can easily slide off even in 4 wheel drive. It is not on any map. And no signs saying go this way to get there.
There is another reservoir about 20 miles away as the crow flies. Paved roads, a real nice state park, bigger pond, boat launch, as good of fishing, and a very small town with service about 4 miles away. Much better place to visit.

 

[CowboyRam]

I'm not a big fan of fish. Growing up we did a lot of fishing, mostly trout. I didn't mind it if it was freshly caught, filleted, breaded, and then fried. Put it in the freezer and you might as toss it in the trash.

When we went fishing it was usually an extended family affair. Aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandparents. A lot of time we would have a fish fry so that we could keep fishing. The Colorado Game and Fish did a pretty good job of keeping Steamboat Lake stocked. It was mostly stockers that we caught, but is sure was a lot of fun. We would fish that lake once the ice came off and until the algae turned. One Memorial day weekend we got snowed on, and almost didn't out of there. Those were some fun times.

 

[Ouachita]

I'm not a big fan of fish. Growing up we did a lot of fishing, mostly trout. I didn't mind it if it was freshly caught, filleted, breaded, and then fried. Put it in the freezer and you might as toss it in the trash.

When we went fishing it was usually an extended family affair. Aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandparents. A lot of time we would have a fish fry so that we could keep fishing. The Colorado Game and Fish did a pretty good job of keeping Steamboat Lake stocked. It was mostly stockers that we caught, but is sure was a lot of fun. We would fish that lake once the ice came off and until the algae turned. One Memorial day weekend we got snowed on, and almost didn't out of there. Those were some fun times.

Sounds like me and chicken. I don’t care for it because I grew up eating it.
We did have pork on occasions, but beef was a rare treat. We had ground beef for burgers and “hamburger helper” type dishes, but I was on a job road trip when I was 17yo before I had a good ribeye.

We weren’t poor, just lower middle class white trash, and my parents didn’t know how to cook a steak. When I finally learned what a cut of beef could taste, I made a conscious decision to make sure my kids would not endure the tragedy that was my childhood.

On fish, I mostly tolerate it. I can certainly enjoy it, especially with the side dishes that normally accompany, along with good company. Crappie and bluegill are my favorites, but bass and catfish will do.

Good meals are oftentimes as much about the folks at the table as it is the food.

 

[Dave]

Sounds like me and chicken. I don’t care for it because I grew up eating it.
We did have pork on occasions, but beef was a rare treat. We had ground beef for burgers and “hamburger helper” type dishes, but I was on a job road trip when I was 17yo before I had a good ribeye.

We weren’t poor, just lower middle class white trash, and my parents didn’t know how to cook a steak. When I finally learned what a cut of beef could taste, I made a conscious decision to make sure my kids would not endure the tragedy that was my childhood.

On fish, I mostly tolerate it. I can certainly enjoy it, especially with the side dishes that normally accompany, along with good company. Crappie and bluegill are my favorites, but bass and catfish will do.

Good meals are oftentimes as much about the folks at the table as it is the food.

I grew up eating salmon. Things were pretty tight for my folks. Grandpa was retires and liked to fish. He was good at it too. Dad said it got to the point that the neighbors hated seeing Grandpa stop by. Good salmon, silvers and kings fresh from the salt water. But nearly everyday. Then after high school I went to work on the charter boats down on the coast. It was a starve to death job but all the salmon you could eat. I got away from it for a while then went to work at the logging camps in SE Alaska. It is real expensive to get food out to the camps. But guess what is cheap and plentiful..... We only had salmon once a week but we darn sure had it once a week. Never bad salmon like pinks or canned salmon which is sorry cat food. But good fish and good cooks. However you can only eat so much of it.

 

[Rafter S]

I grew up eating salmon. Things were pretty tight for my folks. . .

Things were always tight for mine when I was growing up too. We often had "salmon" croquettes for supper, but salmon was expensive, so Mom used canned mackerel instead. I'd choke it down, because it was eat what was fixed or go without a meal, but I never liked it.

 

[Dave]

Things were always tight for mine when I was growing up too. We often had "salmon" croquettes for supper, but salmon was expensive, so Mom used canned mackerel instead. I'd choke it down, because it was eat what was fixed or go without a meal, but I never liked it.

The vast majority of canned salmon is pink salmon. In Alaska pinks are used for dog food. Not considered fit for human consumption.

 

[Travlr]

The vast majority of canned salmon is pink salmon. In Alaska pinks are used for dog food. Not considered fit for human consumption.

People once considered lobster only fit for feeding indentured servants and dogs. I don't much trust popular opinions. If I like something, I'll ask for seconds...

 

[Dave]

People once considered lobster only fit for feeding indentured servants and dogs. I don't much trust popular opinions. If I like something, I'll ask for seconds...

Well I have ate literally a ton of salmon, maybe several tons I very much know the difference between good salmon and salmon that is terrible. There is most definitely a difference between good dining and something which will just provide nutrition.

 

[RDFF]

@Dave, just curious, do the bears know the difference?

 

[Dave]

@Dave, just curious, do the bears know the difference?

To a degree it is possible. I have seen many more bears where there are Sockeye runs than the Pink runs. Could be a lot of factors involved. The bears don't generally eat the entire fish. They peel off the skin which has the fat under it. They are pretty wasteful diners. But the eagle and other birds do appreciate this.