Finally your younger, hipper blogger arrives!

First of all, I’d like to offer a warm ‘hello’ to everyone who reads this blog.  Second of all, I’d like to apologize for taking two months to make my first post.  I do like to be fashionably late, but this is unusual even for me.

So for the sake of introductions, I’ll reveal a bit more about myself before I start talkin’ food.  My name is Candace, I’m a second year student at the University of South Alabama, creative writing major, aspiring poet and novelist, militant feminist, adamant atheist, food enthusiast, and hopeless wino with a weakness for teenage boys and British comedy.
I also wait tables at the dreadful Olive Garden, so I typically don’t have enough money to eat out in fancy-pants restaurants.  My posts may be infrequent as a result.

Tonight I’m going to simply leave you with a short list of my favorite eateries and drinkeries in Mobile along with a few reasons why I like them.

• Oysterella’s on the causeway is currently crowned at the top.  Mostly because there is a chocolate tart there that makes me cry with joy every time I eat it.  Seriously, if I were religious I would probably abandon my faith because it’s impossible for me to conceive of anything more perfect than this dessert.  It has perfect flavor, perfect texture, perfect thickness, perfect crust, perfect garnish…*sigh*  I have tried long and hard to extract the recipe from the chef, but he’s taking it to the grave.  The rest of the food is pretty outstanding, though a bit overpriced.  I will always be a fan of fresh local seafood and nightly drink specials.  The wine list is quite extensive with cheap brands I’ve never heard of and cute, creative descriptions of each, which also wins my affection.
  But that tart….do yourself a favor and go eat a slice RIGHT NOW.
• The Royal Scam is a very close second on my list.  It is located on the corner of Royal and Government and wins my vote for best restaurant name.  It’s a divey kind of place with a faux-fancy menu and a martini list, but the food itself is great.  This is one of the only places I’ve ever been to where I literally licked my plate clean.  I recommend the duck panini and a Flirtini to make all your dreams come true.
• Hurricane Brewing - Mobile’s only brewpub and my favorite place to drink in the whole city.  The house beers are nothing short of amazing, the staff really friendly, and the live acts they book aren’t gut-wrenchingly bad.  It’s a spacious place with three levels, but it somehow feels cozy and comfortable at all times.  There isn’t much to say about the menu except that it offers what every bar should: a platter of drunk snacks.  Olives, walnuts, cheese cubes, grapes…the kind of stuff you want to munch on while sucking down oatmeal stout.
• I also love The Wine Loft, but it obviously needs no description from me.
• TP Crockmeier’s – A wonderful brunch spot, with eggs benedict and crabmeat covered english muffins to deliciously clog up the arteries.  It is also the only place I know of in which to get a real spinach salad with real hot bacon dressing.  Mmm, ladies love their hot bacon.
• Hennessey- A hole in the wall Irish pub with no draft beer and a tiny kitchen run by a large black woman who makes the thickest, creamiest seafood bisque in the whole wide world.  Probably another cholesterol nightmare, but damn it’s good.
• Ruby Tuesday - Yes, Ruby Tuesday.  It may be a soulless corporate virus, but they took all the stupid crap off the walls, upgraded their food to a decent quality, have a ton of convenient locations, and are open until midnight.  I cannot argue with that.  When I want to pig out on salad bar, there is just no alternative.

There are also a number of a awesome sushi joints, a fantastic Taiwanese restaurant on Schillinger, the Jamaican Cafe, and oh-so-many mediterranean yummies to talk about.  But I’ll get there in due time.
I’m new to the blogging world, so it may take me a hot minute to gather my interesting insights and dining anecdotes into an entertaining and informative piece of readin’.

Until next time, Ta-Ta!

~ by asthmaticx on August 15, 2008.