Fried Chicken Update

By John Currence | May 4, 2009 | Food

In an effort to flaunt the fact that I still have not broken my New Year's resolution, I report to you from Prince's Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville, Tennessee. Prince's is hardly a secret to foodies, so I am always amazed at the number of folks I run into from Nashville who don't know that this culinary landmark even exists. Everyone, listen up.

Photo by Caroline Allison

The Hot Chicken at Prince's is simply amazing, if not from a shock standpoint alone. The treatment of the chicken itself is extremely well executed. It is crispy and juicy every time I eat it (which I can't say for most fried chicken), but they make it truly their own when they slather it in a Scoville-ian nightmare of your choosing. The evilness of the sauces' heat choices range from "mild" to "extra hot."  I tried "medium" on my first trip, which was enough to make me realize the potential danger, and though I have braved the "hot" (which left me with the feeling briefly like I was bleeding from my eye sockets), I can't say that I have had the nerve—or enough to drink—to try the extra hot, but legend has it that the endorphin rush unleashed by it has inspired ferocious torrents of carnal activity right in the parking lot.

Whether you want to risk permanent damage to your esophagus, teeth, gums, nasal cavities, stomach lining, and lower intestines just to reintroduce some passion to your love life is up to you. For now I'm sticking to more traditional methods, but I don't think I'll be complete until I've tried it.

Manna

By John Currence | March 4, 2009 | Food

I generally like to keep my God and my food separate. Except in the case of Communion wafers (God-implicit), bourbon, and bacon (both God-inspired), I prefer that my consumption remain a personal and patently nonreligious experience. While I admit to having recently eaten a chili dog waffle thing that inspired, momentarily, a hysterical blindness, I credit the chef’s ability more than I consider it the Lord and pig conspiring. Nonetheless, a trip through Wildersville, Tennessee, and a stop at the Rock Springs Dairy have completely changed my “separation anxiety.”

The Amish-owned dairy produces a buttermilk that has made a firm believer out of me, and a chocolate milk that could bring the Hatfields and McCoys to the table together. If it all isn’t quite enough, the “store” is down a lazy stretch of gravel road and has no attendant, no camera, no security guard.

When you arrive, you choose what you would like, do your math on a small pad, and deposit your payment into a slot in the top of a desk. It is inspiring, in a world that can seem otherwise devoid of trust and hope these days, particularly when the product is as good as it is.

So, if He is what it takes to inspire all of these elements to converge, then inject the Divine directly into everything I consume. Pull off the road next time you are in the neighborhood and treat yourself to some real chemical-free dairy. Just remember: If you consider shorting the kitty, God is watching.

Lost Art: Calligraphy

By Haskell Harris | February 4, 2009 | Design

Being an editor certainly has its perks. First among them? Meeting amazingly interesting people, like designers Chris and Kirk Bray of Billykirk leathergoods (below, an image of the Bray brothers along with an image of my favorite bag in their line).

                 

 

And interesting people like Chris  and Kirk often know fascinating people in their own right, like Betty Gilpin, a calligraphy artist in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

Betty, who recently turned 81, is one of the best calligraphers in the country. Chris (who sent the images for this post along to me) found her through word of mouth and loved her work so much that he asked her to pen the script for his company. Simple, with a slight flourish, her words look like something inked a century ago. And because I am a total sucker for anything that looks nostalgic, I love the idea of using calligraphy instead of a synthetic font for everything from calling cards to company logos. It's just a lovely idea. Images of her work for Billykirk follow below:

 

 

Here's to reviving this lost art more often!

P.S. I have not forgotten my promise to post more bits of design inspiration from the New York International Gift Show. I have some fun things in the works. Stay tuned...

Underrated

By John Currence | January 7, 2009 | Food

New Orleans, LA
Commander's Palace
I will get beaten up on this, I know, but here's the deal. Tory McPhail inherited the job that nobody should want—executive chef. On top of that, Commander's is the spot every New Orleans' food critic loves to take aim at. Enter Tory, age thirty-five, excellent young talent and a guy everyone enjoys working and drinking with. Tory gets lots of credit in my book. His food is deft and interesting, plus he gets bonus points for reinventing the food of South Louisiana without bastardizing it. (Tory is a native of the Pacific Northwest—not Bayou Lafourche.)

Commander's continues to shine in the wake of Katrina (reopening after almost two years of renovation) and in spite of citywide labor trials, manages to do an impressive job with dining-room service. Dinner or Sunday brunch at Commander's is a quintessential New Orleans experience though the food rarely gets the lauding it deserves.

Memphis, TN
The Beauty Shop
Nobody but nobody does funky like Karen Carrier and the Beauty Shop is testament. She spent years overseeing the operation of Automatic Slims, her original stab at a Clinton-esque mecca (that's George Clinton, not Bill), which captured the feeling of a Sergio Leone set–cum–opium den and served the greatest crispy duck you have ever eaten. At the same time, she was building a small empire of operations. She has sold Slims and now devotes most of her time to the Beauty Shop kitchen. Like the John Waters–style decor, the food and service are equally fun and interesting. There is absolutely no way to nail down the cuisine with a label or a category. It's simply solid, playful, and devoid of any pretense whatsoever… And if you can find anyone more fun to run around with in the wee hours, I'll kiss your bouffant.

Jackson, MS
Walker's Drive-In
If you find yourself  yourself in Jackson, just go here. The menu could not be more representative of the man at the helm than it is—simple, well executed, and as solid as the August day is long. Jackson is not a town that jumps to mind when one thinks of fine dining, but Derek Emmerson is dragging that into line. In a town that is a little fickle in its support of independent eateries, Walker's thrives nonetheless. My recommendation is to go during soft-shell season. I am convinced Derek has made a deal with Legba and pure crustacean bliss is the result.

Clarksdale, MS
Ramon's
My friend Wright Thompson is a man of giant appetites and he knows how to sniff out a joint like few others. About a year ago when he suggested that a group of us load up and ride the fat hour that the drive is from Oxford down into the Delta for "the best fried shrimp in the world," I thought, momentarily, that he was an idiot. I went merely to ride around in his truck, drink whiskey, and ultimately dis the "best fried shrimp in the world." Turns out I was the idiot. I'd walk through broken glass on my knees to eat those shrimp. There's a little Italian on the menu as well that includes equally well-fried chicken livers and red sauce over pasta. Load the car with whiskey and Tums and go now.

Revival of the Chic

By Haskell Harris | December 11, 2008 | Design

I just about flipped last night when the dapper owner of Revival in Chattanooga Tennessee, Rodney Simmons, sent me these pictures of his shop. I've never been in person, but I am seriously considering booking a flight just to browse.

We met at Blackberry Farm a few weeks ago, where he was putting the finishing touches on a store (the Gallery) he helped create there.

And okay, yes, his Tennessee shop has been written up in a lot of magazines, but it's looking better than ever. Plus, he's about to launch his online shop, which will make it easy for everybody to bring the Revival look home.

Here are the things I'm in love with:

1) Everything

2) The luxe feather pillow in the foreground of this shot, the English taxidermy vitrine, the charcoal brown wool throws

3) The Mounted Deer Antlers

4) All the white dinnerware, mixed with the organic, sculptural texture of raw branches and pinecones

5) The majestic wildebeest

6) The architectural salvage, like this Swedish oak tabernacle

The entire shop has a sophisticated moodiness about it that I can't get enough of. Thanks for sending along Rodney!