2013 Best Restaurants in the South

Travel & Features Editor Jennifer V. Cole shares her personal favorite restaurants, both new and old, in her most frequented towns. This list is always evolving, so follow @jennifervcole on Twitter for her latest stops. See Jennifer's top picks for 2014 here: 100 Best Restaurants in the South

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610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY

Photo: Dan Dry

What to Order: Rabbit 3 Ways. Chef Edward Lee’s flagship restaurant is Louisville’s most sought-after reservation in town. And each plate showcases his ability to combine bold personality (something he’s developed a reputation for) with the best of the seasons. Go for the trio of Ridgecrest Rabbit (confit leg, rack of rabbit, rabbit sausage), served with his blueberry-jalapeño gnocchi, celery root, local beans, and nasturtium.

610 West Magnolia Avenue; 610magnolia.com

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Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Memphis, TN

Photo: Robbie Caponetto

What to Order: No Menu Monday. On the last Monday of every month, Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman go totally off script and create a multi-course $45 prix fixe menu. The theme changes each time, from a porcine ode to an all-vegetable rundown. No Menu also means diners aren’t told what they are eating when dishes arrive at the table, making each course a food lover’s guessing game: is that rhubarb in the ketchup? Black pepper and honey in the gelato? At the end, handwritten menus are passed out to decode the experience.

712 West Brookhaven Circle; andrewmichaelitaliankitchen.com

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Barbecue Inn, Houston, TX

Photo: Patrick Scott

What to Order: Chicken-Fried Steak. At a place named Barbecue Inn, you’d expect to order a lot of, well, barbecue. But the cooks at this 1946 Houston landmark know their way around a fryer. They turn out some mean yardbird, but it’s the superb chicken-fried steak that gets my vote: cooked-to-order, crispy, meaty, and shrouded in a cloak of country gravy.

116 West Crosstimbers Street; thebarbecueinn.com

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The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN

Photo: Beall + Thomas Photography

What to Order: Rainbow Trout with Buttermilk Consommé and Watercress

1471 West Millers Cove Road; blackberryfarm.com

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Birch & Barley, Washington, D.C.

Photo: Courtesy of Birch & Barley

What to Order: Fried Chicken and Waffles. Birch & Barley, known for its tremendous beer selection (the pride of place beer taps resemble a pipe organ), seemed an odd choice for brunch the first time I went. But that was before I understood the deft skills of pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac and her husband, chef Kyle Bailey. Her airy waffle supports his rich fried chicken, all pulled together with maple-chicken jus and buttered pecans. It eats like a food lover’s one-two punch. Pair it with a Cottonwood Frostbite Black IPA from North Carolina.

1337 14th Street. Northwest; birchandbarley.com

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Cakes & Ale, Decatur, GA

Photo: Courtesy of Cakes & Ale

What to Order: Lamb Saddle. Chef Billy Allin, who really shines through his inventive work with produce and great meats, isn’t afraid to play around with flavors. The Middle Eastern-inspired saddle of lamb (big enough for two), served with cracked wheat, cucumber, and minted yogurt, manages to portray a global perspective without sacrificing his Southern sensibility.

155 Sycamore Street; cakesandalerestaurant.com

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Callaghan’s Irish Social Club, Mobile, AL

Photo: Jennifer Davick

What to Order: L.A. Burger. This corner pub in the Oakleigh Garden District of Mobile makes a limited number of L.A. Burgers (Lower Alabama, naturally) each day at lunch, and locals know to arrive early. The patty, a mix of ground beef and Conecuh sausage (Alabama’s unofficial state link), is so flipping good it’ll make you wonder why most places limit themselves to an all-beef burger.

916 Charleston Street; callaghansirishsocialclub.com

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Cardamom Hill, Atlanta, GA

Photo: Robbie Caponetto

What to Order: Kerala Railways Beef Curry. The banana leaf-wrapped parcel—beef curry perfumed with cinnamon bark atop yogurt rice—imparts a seesaw of flavor, alternating between deep spice and a cooling tartness. For her Kerala-style Indian restaurant, chef Asha Gomez takes the ingredients and flavors she found in her mother’s southern Indian kitchen (okra, green beans, beef, pork, curry leaves) and applies them to her current home in the American South.

1700 Northside Drive Northwest; cardamomhill.net

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Catbird Seat, Nashville, TN

Photo: Lisa Han

What to Order: 7-to-11-Course Tasting Menu. This is dinner theater, plain and simple. In an austerely white dining space, Erik Anderson, a protégé of both Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and René Redzepi of Noma, delivers immaculate courses to diners at a U-shaped counter surrounding the open kitchen. With only 32 positions, the Catbird Seat is a hard table to snag (new spots open each day for reservations 30 days out). But for modernist cooking with real personality, there’s nothing like it. One particular amuse-bouche, called simply “Hot Chicken” in tribute to the city’s most recognized dish, showcases cayenne-scented fried chicken skins with dill salt and a puree of white Wonder Bread.

1711 Division Street, thecatbirdseatrestaurant.com

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C.F. Folks Restaurant, Washington, D.C.

Photo: Instagram, @lydianka

What to Order: Steak Frites. In a city sharply divided by political leanings and agendas, the C.F. Folks' 11-seat Formica lunch counter offers delicious, non-partisan respite. Open since 1981, it’s a bit campy, has walls lined with decades-worth of cookbooks, and gives seats on a first-come, first-served basis. The daily specials span the globe (crab cakes, falafel, jerk chicken), but when I go, I keep my fingers crossed for the steak frites, expertly cooked and sauced with a classic bordelaise.

1225 19th Street Northwest; cffolksrestaurant.com

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Chez Fonfon, Birmingham, AL

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

What to Order: Hamburger Fonfon or Trout Amandine. Chef Frank Stitt’s French bistro, with a boules court out back, ranks as my favorite local drop-in spot. I like to grab a seat at the bar, order the burger (a study in perfection, topped with rich Comté cheese) or the trout amandine in brown butter (crisp and tangy, bistro fare at its best), get a carafe of wine, and catch up on my own thoughts. If I’m really indulging, I add in a slice of coconut cake, splendid with it’s many creamy layers and encased in fresh coconut shavings.

2007 11th Avenue South; fonfonbham.com

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City House, Nashville, TN

Photo: Andrea Behrends

What to Order: Belly Ham Pizza. Tandy Wilson gets a lot of credit for giving Nashville its current reputation as a food town. His inventive antipasti (bresaola with blueberries and pecorino; scrapple with pepper sauce), fresh pastas, and brilliant cocktail list (e.g., the Junior, a mix of moonshine, créme de violette, and Dr. Enuf soda) puts a progressive twist on Tennessee staples. The Belly Ham pizza, a simple showcase of house-cured ham with mozzarella, Grana Padano, oregano, and chile flakes, blows my mind every time.

1222 Fourth Avenue North; cityhousenashville.com

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Cochon, New Orleans, LA

Photo: Chris Granger

What to Order: Fried Livers with Pepper Jelly and Toast. Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski, revered as Louisiana’s pork kings, buy whole hogs and make use of every part they can. They’ve built a cult following around hogshead cheese, cracklins, trotters, fried pigs' ears, and every type of sausage possible. And I love it all. But I swoon for the fried livers. Sometimes chicken, sometimes rabbit, the rich and nutty nuggets come perched on toast, swathed in pepper jelly, and finished with shaved onion, fresh parsley, and mint.

930 Tchoupitoulas Street; cochonrestaurant.com

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Commander’s Palace, New Orleans, LA

Photo: Courtsey of Commander's Palace

What to Order: Oyster & Absinthe "Dome." Tory McPhail, this year’s winner of the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: South, doesn’t shy away from tradition. But he has decidedly put his own mark on the menu of this NOLA institution. For example, try the bourbon-braised fig-and-foie gras beignets with a chicory coffee mist. The rich Oyster & Absinthe “Dome,” a medley of Gulf bivalves poached with bacon, artichokes, tarragon, absinthe, and cream under a pastry shell, masterfully combines the Crescent City tradition of fresh seafood and the town’s delicious cocktail history.

1403 Washington Avenue; commanderspalace.com

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Coquette, New Orleans, LA

Photo: Sara Essex Bradley

What to Order: Speckled Trout.

Michael Stoltzfus’s menu changes regularly, including the $23 prix fixe lunch (possibly the best deal in town). But on one visit, I fell hard for the speckled trout served with burst cherry tomatoes, perfectly cooked pattypan squash, and a fluttering of Brussels sprouts leaves, finished with delicate satsuma butter.

2800 Magazine Street; coquettenola.com

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Cotton Row, Huntsville, AL

Photo: Courtesy of Cotton Row

What to Order: Jack Daniels Barrel-Smoked Quail. Subtly sweet, smoky, with an of-the-land essence, this fowl nests in truffle-Parmesan polenta.

100 South Side Square; cottonrowrestaurant.com

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Cozy Corner, Memphis, TN

Photo: Robbie Caponetto

What to Order: Cornish Hen. In a land of top-notch barbecue, Desiree Robinson’s appropriately named Cozy Corner is the stuff of legend. Everyone in town does pork (including Desiree), but here, the specialty is barbecued Cornish hen, a small bird with blistered skin and juicy drip-down-your-chin meat.

745 North Parkway; cozycornerbbq.com

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Crook’s Corner, Chapel Hill, NC

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

What to Order: Atlantic Beach Pie. Chef Bill Smith honorably carries the torch for this beloved destination restaurant, where he and his team continue to be the standard bearers for classics such as shrimp and grits and Hoppin’ John, and have arguably influenced just about every kitchen in the South. But it’s the Atlantic Beach Pie that causes eyes to roll back in heads each and every time. With its saltine cracker crust and lemony sweetened condensed milk filling, this throwback dessert borders on tacky in that made-every-year-by-Aunt Sue-for-the-family-reunion kind of way. Nothing short of delightful.

610 West Franklin Street.; crookscorner.com

Note: Get the recipe for Crook's Corners phenomenal Shrimp and Grits.

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Delta Bistro, Greenwood, MS

Photo: Gary Clark

What to Order: Fried Green Tomato Plate. Taylor Bowen Ricketts certainly doesn’t bow to cliché, but her rendition of this Southern classic, served with comeback sauce (a tangy Mississippi staple akin to rémoulade), reminds you why folks across the nation rightfully associate fried green tomatoes with the South.

117 Main Street; deltabistro.com

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Doe’s Eat Place, Greenville, MS

Photo: Courtesy of Oxmoor House

What to Order: Porterhouse Steak. Grilled in the back room of a dilapidated grocery store, it’s this mammoth piece of meat swimming in a pool of sultry butter that made the Doe’s name.

502 Nelson Street; doeseatplace.com

Featured in Off the Eaten Path

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Domenica, New Orleans, LA

What to Order: Spicy Lamb Meatballs Pizza. Alon Shaya, one of the Crescent City’s newest golden boys, produces some serious pies at Domenica, such as the Spicy Lamb Meatballs, disks of spiced ground lamb atop tomatoes, ricotta, rapini, and mint.

123 Baronne Street; domenicarestaurant.com

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Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, New Orleans, LA

Photo: Robbie Caponetto

What to Order: Gumbo Z’Herbes. Leah Chase only serves this green gumbo once a year, on Holy Thursday, as a traditional Easter meal. It combines nine different greens (always an odd number for good luck), such as collards, Swiss chard, cabbage, even carrot tops, all ground finely. As Miss Leah likes to say, “If you eat [my gumbo z’herbes] you will acquire a new friend for every kind of green I have in the pot—and we hope one of them’s rich.”

2301 Orleans Avenue; dookychaserestaurant.com

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El Barrio Restaurante Y Bar, Birmingham, AL

Photo: Bradford Daly

What to Order: Grilled Chorizo Meatloaf. Under the guidance of Brian Somershield, a Frank Stitt acolyte, this kitchen turns out thoughtful interpretations of modern Mexican fare, such as the grilled meatloaf, made with a robust chorizo, served atop Cotija cheese-mashed potatoes, and crowned with ranchero, a piquant tomato-based sauce spiced with chiles.

2211 Second Avenue North; elbarriobirmingham.com

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Empire State South, Atlanta, GA

Photo: Andrew Thomas Lee

What to Order: Pimento Cheese with Bacon Marmalade

999 Peachtree Street Northeast, Suite 140; empirestatesouth.com

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The Fearrington House Restaurant, Pittsboro, NC

Photo: Joshua Carpenter

What to Order: Chicken Fried Pork Cheeks with Sour Cherries & Cucumber

240 Market Street; fearrington.com

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FIG, Charleston, SC

Photo: Olivia Rae James

What to Order: Coddled Sea Island Farm Egg

232 Meeting Street; eatatfig.com

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Five & Ten, Athens, GA

Photo: Hugh Acheson

What to Order: Boiled Peanut Hummus

1073 South Milledge Avenue; fiveandten.com

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Flora-Bama Lounge, Package, and Oyster Bar, Pensacola, FL

Photo: Jennifer Davick

What to Order: Jumbo Royal Reds. You’d be forgiven for scratching your head on this pick. The Flora-Bama, a beachfront dive bar that straddles the Florida-Alabama line, is better known for its annual mullet toss (the fish, not the hairstyle) than its culinary prowess. But the royal red shrimp, an oversize deepwater Gulf variety with a sweetness and firmness similar to lobster, is about the best I’ve ever had. Maybe it’s because the shrimp comes from the waters just offshore. Or because the kitchen doesn’t do much of anything to it (a simple boil, and then served with melted butter). But this shrimp is the perfect expression of the Gulf.

17401 Perdido Key Drive; florabama.com

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Gautreau’s, New Orleans, LA

Photo: Instagram, @mauxfo

What to Order: Seared Sea Scallops with Crawfish Tails served with artichokes, fingerling potatoes, corn, and andouille

1728 Soniat Street; gautreausrestaurant.com

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The Georgian Room at The Cloister at Sea Island, GA

Photo: Eliot VanOtteren

What to Order: Crawfish. Located on a private island off the coast of Georgia, accentuated with touches like gold-and-crystal chandeliers, The Cloister is swank. On its menu, described as “Refined Southern,” you can expect to find dishes like the simply named Crawfish, an elegant preparation of crawfish étoufée atop a Georgian grits soufflé with pickled hominy. Think: Old-World refinement meets New-South expression.

100 Cloister Drive; seaisland.com

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The General Muir, Atlanta, GA

Photo: Jeff Herr

What to Order: Pastrami Sandwich

Emory Point, 1540 Avenue Place, Suite B-230; thegeneralmuir.com

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The Grocery, Charleston, SC

Photo: Peter Frank Edwards

What to Order: Wood Roasted Clams with house-made chorizo sausage, sweet peppers, and onions

4 Cannon Street; thegrocerycharleston.com

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Heirloom Market BBQ, Atlanta, GA

Photo: Instagram, @mjburchfield

What to Order: Korean Spicy Pork Sandwich, smoked shoulder dressed in gochujang (sweet chile paste) with kimchi on a sweet potato bun

2243 Akers Mill Road; heirloommarketbbq.com

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Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL

Photo: Christopher Hirsheimer

What to Order: Stone-Ground Baked Grits with country ham, mushrooms, fresh thyme, and Parmesan

2011 11th Avenue South; highlandsbarandgrill.com

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Hog & Hominy, Memphis, TN

Photo: Robbie Caponetto

What to Order: Red Eye Pizza. Simple yet decadent, this pizza arrives piled with chunks of pork belly around a soft-cooked egg on sugo (a tomato-pork sauce) and Taleggio cheese with fragrant celery leaves scattered like confetti. But you really can’t go wrong with any of the menu: wood-fired pizzas, drippingly messy neckbone gravy poutine (fries studded with cheese curd), and earthy cauliflower roasted with brown butter. Even a simple romaine salad feels like an indulgence with its rich pecorino vinaigrette and generous scattering of fried chicken skins instead of croutons. At this unlikely East Memphis spot, surrounded by office buildings, strip malls, and chain restaurants, Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman demonstrate their low-key prowess of merging classic technique and pitch-perfect ingredients. They continually prove that a glorious meal has nothing to do with a tufted dining room and a hefty tab.

707 West Brookhaven Circle; hogandhominy.com

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Holeman & Finch Public House, Atlanta, GA

Photo: Courtesy of Holeman & Finch Public House

What to Order: Poached Farm Egg and Duck Liver with griddled bacon, johnny cakes, and sorghum syrup

2277 Peachtree Road Northeast; holeman-finch.com

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Hominy Grill, Charleston, SC

Photo: Robbie Caponetto

What to Order: Shrimp & Grits

207 Rutledge Avenue; hominygrill.com

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Hot and Hot Fish Club, Birmingham, AL

Photo: Bonjwing Lee

What to Order: Hot and Hot Tomato Salad. This namesake salad, a wobbly tower of fresh heirloom tomatoes, bacon, and fried okra pods atop a pile of field peas, epitomizes Chris Hastings' efforts to showcase Alabama’s bounty: grown, caught, or foraged.

2180 11th Court South; hotandhotfishclub.com

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Husk, Charleston, SC, and Nashville, TN

Photo: Courtesy Neighborhood Dining Group

What to Order: Pokeweed Fritters with Pimiento Cheese or Fried Chicken Skins with Hot Sauce, Honey, and Lemon Thyme

76 Queen Street, Charleston; huskrestaurant.com
37 Rutledge Street, Nashville; husknashville.com

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Indian Pass Raw Bar, Port Saint Joe, FL

Photo: Courtesy of Oxmoor House

What to Order: Raw Oysters. Located in an old commissary, the Indian Pass Raw Bar is quite possibly the best seafood shack in existence: live music, a constant crowd, and oysters straight from the waters of the Apalachicola Bay.

8391 C-30A; 850/227-1670

Featured in Off the Eaten Path

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The Inn at Little Washington, Washington, VA

Photo: Scott Suchman

What to Order: Organic Milk-Fed Pork Chop with Grilled Peaches, Bourbon Jus, and Potato Purée

309 Middle Street; theinnatlittlewashington.com

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Jaleo, Washington, D.C.

Photo: Greg Powers

What to Order: Pan De Recapte Con Anchoa, traditional Catalan toasted bread with peppers, tomatoes, and salt-cured Spanish anchovies

480 Seventh Street Northwest; jaleo.com

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Jonathan at Gratz Park, Lexington, KY

Photo: Lee P. Thomas

What to Order: Ale-8-One Braised Pork Belly

120 West Second Street; jagp.info

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Knife & Fork, Spruce Pine, NC

Photo: Gary Clark

What to Order: Spicy Kettle Corn with Lardo

61 Locust Street; knifeandforknc.com

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Komi, Washington, D.C.

Photo: Scott Suchman

What to Order: Multi-course Tasting Menu ($135). Lest you think fine dining is dead (there’s no denying that casual restaurants have experienced a major resurgence), just pay a visit to Komi, an homage to modern Greek fare. With its bare tables and youthful staff, it might not appear like the white-tableclothed temples of yore. But pay attention and you’ll see that the service is exquisite (the staff moves with graceful ease without acting overly familiar), the wine list is full of interesting bottles (and the young sommelier can speak to the qualities of all of them), and the food arrives with orchestrated precision. And each bite (after beautiful bite) tastes like your new favorite dish. That is, until the next dish arrives.

1509 17th Street Northwest; komirestaurant.com

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Lantern, Chapel Hill, NC

Photo: Robbie Caponetto

What to Order: Seafood Hotpot with lobster dumplings, wild shrimp, blue crab, Bogue Sound clams, spring rain noodles, fresh lime leaf, and pea greens in a shellfish broth

423 West Franklin Street; lanternrestaurant.com

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Little Donkey, Birmingham, AL

Photo: Melina Hammer

What to Order: Fried Chicken, smeared with an arbol chile paste and brined, fried, then splashed with a house-made vinegar made from morita and habanero peppers

2821 Central Avenue; thelittledonkey.com

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Little Serow, Washington, D.C.

Photo: Dakota Fine

What to Order: $45 Prix Fixe Menu. Johnny Monis’ jewel box of a restaurant delivers fiery Thai flavors that tend to just get hotter with each of the seven courses. They don’t take reservations, so get there early (by 5 p.m.) and expect to wait in line—it can stretch down the block.

1511 17th Street Northwest; littleserow.com

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Lockeland Table, Nashville, TN

Photo: Stephanie Granada

What to Order: Sapelo Island Clams Casino Pizza

1520 Woodland Street; lockelandtable.com

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The Macintosh, Charleston, SC

Photo: Instagram, @bambou34

What to Order: Bone Marrow Bread Pudding

479B King Street; themacintoshcharleston.com

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Martha Lou’s Kitchen, Charleston, SC

Photo: Peter Frank Edwards

What to Order: Fried Chicken and Fried Whiting

1068 Morrison Drive; 843/577-9583

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Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, Nolensville, TN

Photo: Instagram, @cswebbspun

What to Order: Redneck Taco. Patrick Martin’s tongue-in-cheek name for this menu staple demonstrates his playful nature. But if loving this dish makes me a redneck, so be it: It’s the perfect marriage of a griddled hoecake, pulled smoked pork, tangy coleslaw, and his tomato-vinegar sauce.

7238 Nolensville Road; martinsbbqjoint.com

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Mas Tacos Por Favor, Nashville, TN

What to Order: A Taco, Tortilla Soup, and an Agua Fresca

732 McFerrin Avenue; 615/543-6271

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Mateo Tapas, Durham, NC

Photo: Robbie Caponetto

What to Order: Huevo Diablo. At this Spanish-inspired cantina, in the heart of downtown Durham’s revival, Matt Kelly masterfully blends the flavors of the South and Spain. His Huevo Diablo (deviled egg) arrives neatly halved, wrapped in chorizo, and piled high with a satiny egg filling, the seeming culinary offspring of a demure Southern mama and a swarthy Spanish father. But don’t stop there. Put simply, Matt’s food is mind-blowingly good. Bowls of Manila clams and boiled peanuts surrender to a sherry-laced, garlicky broth. Meaty pork ribs, lacquered in Espellette pepper jelly, seem just the thing you’d eat at a barbecue joint in Basque Country. Luckily, his tapas-style menu encourages sharing.

109 West Chapel Hill Street; mateotapas.com

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McCrady’s, Charleston, SC

Photo: Jennifer Davick

What to Order: Berkshire Pork, from Adam Musick of Appalachian Heritage Foods, Virginia, with Butterbean Chow Chow, Pole Beans, and Oyster Mushrooms

2 Unity Alley; mccradysrestaurant.com

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Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Miami, FL

Photo: Pascal Pernix

What to Order: Crispy Sweet and Spicy Pork Belly. Chef Michael Schwartz is a Miami revolutionary. And the food at his flagship restaurant, opened in 2007, is so memorable I have inflicted serious travel hurdles on myself simply to eat there. No joke. I have regularly planned Miami layovers just long enough to grab a quick bite (yes, that means an unnecessary trip through MIA security). Once, en route from Key West to Naples, I drove 40 minutes out of my way at 10 p.m., in a blustering thunderstorm, to catch the kitchen before it closed. And that pork belly is a dish I catch myself going back to over and over again. Beautifully glazed, topped with kimchi, crushed peanuts, and fresh pea shoots, it perfectly balances sweet and savory, crispy and unctuous, fresh and fermented.

130 Northeast 40th Street; michaelsgenuine.com

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MilkWood, Louisville, KY

Photo: Dan Dry

What to Order: Miso Smothered Chicken or Organic Pork Burger. At chef Edward Lee’s newest restaurant, located inside Louisville’s Actors Theatre, he thoughtfully layers the Korean flavors of his childhood with his reverence of Southern food. His take on traditional smothered chicken, served with buttery Carolina rice, gets added depth from miso. His four-napkin pork burger comes piled with kimchi and cracklins.

316 West Main Street; actorstheatre.org/milkwood

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Miller Union, Atlanta, GA

Photo: Art Meripol

What to Order: Seasonal Vegetable Plate or Country Captain.

999 Brady Avenue; millerunion.com

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Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q, Vestavia, AL

Photo: Lisa Han

What to Order: Barbecue chicken. Miss Myra’s does a lot of things superbly. But at the top of that list is barbecue chicken, smoked over wood coals and finished with a dip in white barbecue sauce, a mayonnaise-based concoction that reigns over other sauces in the northern parts of Alabama. Don’t skip the meringue-topped banana pudding.

3278 Cahaba Heights Road; 205/967-6004