As editors, it’s part of our job to travel around the South, a perk that often gives us the opportunity to try new (or new to us) restaurants. We certainly ate memorable meals on the clock this year—but some of our most revelatory dining experiences came when we were just hungry tourists spending time with our friends and families. Here are ten of our favorite bites around the region in 2024.
Cruze Farms buttermilk custard pie
In November, I was lucky enough to get to tag along on the annual G&G Society Gathering, a weekend of unforgettable food and activities (horseback riding! clogging!) split between the Swag and Cataloochee Ranch in North Carolina’s Maggie Valley. Our Friday night supper sang with dishes by the properties’ chefs, as well as those from sister spot RT Lodge in Maryville, Tennessee, but I’m still fantasizing about the finale: a creamy, dreamy custard pie with an impossibly flaky crust from pastry chefs Angie Chan and Caitlyn Cox, made with tangy buttermilk from crème de la crème creamery Cruze Farm and crowned with a sweet-tart dollop of spring strawberry jam. —Amanda Heckert, executive editor
Cranberry orange pancakes at Community Loaves
It’s hard to walk into Community Loaves, smell their delicious breads, and not want to leave with everything. One particular morning, after an embarrassingly long time spent surveying the options, I settled on a smoked salmon sandwich on homemade rosemary focaccia and the bakery’s seasonal pancakes (and if I’m honest, a baked good and a drink)—a little something savory and a lot of something sweet. Nestled on a neighborhood corner in Murray Hill, Jacksonville, Community Loaves is always serving something special with their flapjacks. This time, it was a delightful winter concoction of cranberry, citrus, and candied pecans, but next time it might be peaches and cream. —Helen Bradshaw, G&G contributor
Pêche’s catfish with pickled greens and chili broth and an heirloom tomato salad
I’m not sure what compelled me to order the catfish with pickled greens and chili broth at Pêche. I’d never eaten catfish before. It was my last meal during a recent visit to New Orleans—a quick lunch before I was finally heading to the airport after multiple cancellations (remember the global tech outage?). As I browsed the menu—and after a week of some very good, very rich meals—I felt a little disappointed that, although I’d heard fantastic things about chef Nicole Cabrera Mills, I just wasn’t feeling very hungry. As I turned my eye toward the small plates menu, the catfish struck me as something unique. I decided to pair it with an heirloom tomato salad with cucumber and cilantro. The meal was an absolutely delicious vinegar bomb. But the reason I’m still thinking about it months later is how it left me feeling—refreshed, gratified, and energized. Ready to tackle the day. —Julia Knetzer, art director
Fried quail at Lowland
I had great meals across the South this past year, but one dish keeps me wondering how the chef flipped the typical script. In this case, it’s the crispy quail at Lowland in Charleston, South Carolina. That chef is Jason Stanhope, with the assist (in terms of inspiration for the spicy breading) from Stewart Brioza of State Bird Provisions and an Ají dulce pepper sauce dreamed up by Brandon Berrio, a talented cook at Lowland. Then there’s the toum, an ancient but perfect aioli. But my words aren’t sufficient here. You must try the buttermilk-brined quail (half of a bird nestled on one leg bone) to know you have not tasted it done better anywhere. And if you have, please let me know. —Dave DiBenedetto, editor in chief
Smash burger from Tully’s
The perfect cheeseburger is hard to find, but I think I did it one late night at Charleston’s Music Farm during a Stews and Easy Honey show. It came to me, surrounded by a cloak of crispy yellow fries, sitting on checkered red and white paper in a shiny black basket. Tully’s smash burger stars a thin, juicy patty dressed with shredduce, fat slices of pickles and tomatoes, gooey American cheese, and a slathering of special sauce between fluffy sesame buns. No frills, as it should be.—Gabriela Gomez-Misserian, digital producer
Gumbo at Pie Bar
In the same bayou town where James Lee Burke set many of his stories, I tasted gumbo worth writing about. In charming downtown New Iberia, Louisiana, the Cane River Pecan Company opened Pie Bar, a new watering hole and lunch spot. The spicy sausage gumbo, ladled over white rice, was warm and savory and the ideal introduction to the region. I sampled the pecan pie too—perfectly toasty and not cloyingly sweet—before popping through the gift shop, which was full of Southern-made goods. A detour-worthy spot that’s just steps away from the newly unveiled James Lee Burke statue on Main Street. —CJ Lotz Diego, senior editor
Local fish crudo and smoked fish dip
The best dishes I ate this year span the high and the low of the seafood spectrum. The first came during a weeklong vacation to St. George Island, Florida, during which my family braved the four-mile-long bridge to the mainland, dodging dive-bombing pelicans, on three different occasions to sit on the no-frills deck of Lynn’s Quality Oysters and dip Captain’s Wafers into their incredible smoked fish dip. I recommend pairing it with baked oysters and washing it down with a can of Oyster City Brewing Company’s Mill Pond Dirty Blonde. A few months later, I experienced a very different seafood sensation when I was fortunate enough to snag a seat at the Ordinary in Charleston during a special collaboration with Davidson, North Carolina’s Kindred. Everything I ate was amazing, but Joe Kindred and Mike Lata’s local fish crudo incorporated smoky pepper, bright satsuma, and savory freekeh for a nearly perfect bite. —Caroline Sanders Clements, associate editor
A meal at Marbled & Fin
Charleston’s Marbled & Fin is the steakhouse to end all steakhouses. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to eat at top-tier restaurants across the South (and to do so on the clock!), which is why I’m confident in my claim. If you know me, it may come as a shock to hear that a steakhouse was my best of 2024, as I tend to lean toward small, cozy neighborhood spots. However, Marbled & Fin is a perfect mix of upscale and intimate. The staff goes above and beyond to make you feel like old friends. I’ve not stopped thinking about the broiled oysters and bone marrow. If you saw me drinking the beurre blanc smoked roe that topped my crispy salmon…no you did not. They’ve set the new standard that all restaurants should have an “ice guy,” because you will end up with beautifully infused ice cubes—as if the drinks didn’t stand up well enough on their own (fully approved by Charleston cocktail connoisseur Miguel Buencamino, my dining partner). The cherry on top? They sent us home with some of their Mae’s milk bread dough, complete with instructions on the to-go box. 12/10. —Allyson Sloway, social media director
Fried seafood at the Great Machipongo Clam Shack
Sometimes it’s not what you eat but where you eat it that makes a dish memorable. Last summer I was visiting family on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and we snagged a few takeout orders from our favorite seafood joint, the Great Machipongo Clam Shack. We headed south to Kiptopeke State Park in Cape Charles for a picnic overlooking the Chesapeake Bay and nibbled crispy fried shrimp and lemon-spritzed clam strips while we watched nearby loons dive for their lunch in the harbor. Unbeknownst to us, it was probably one of the last times we could sample these local delicacies—the historic eatery will soon be changing hands. Even though it wasn’t a fancy meal, I still treasure the experience. —Emily Daily, newsletter editor
Tomato sandwich at Jaemor Farms
I have a confession: I never understood the tomato sandwich hype until this summer. They just seemed like squishy, mayonnaise-y messes that were missing other ingredients. But then, in July, I pulled off the highway to stop at North Georgia’s Jaemor Farms while driving between Atlanta and Lake Burton and, on a whim, decided to give their tomato sandwich a whirl at the takeout window. It arrived on toasted bread that was a slight upgrade from just white, the heirloom tomatoes were loaded with flaky salt and cracked pepper, the mayo was tangy and perfect…I chased that sandwich the rest of the summer but never found its equal. —Lindsey Liles, digital reporter
