Going to be in Tally this weekend for the first time in a few years. Need some suggetions for dinner Friday and Saturday night and lunch Saturday and Sunday. Any help would be appreciated. Also maybe a few watering holes for after dinner. Thanks!
Food in Tallahassee
- Thread starter noleproperty
- Start date
Evidently Nicholson Farmhouse in Havana can't be beat for a sweetheart steak.
Unfortunately since my post in May on that old thread, Tallahassee lost three of its very best restaurants (Samrat, the Southern Public House and Avenue Eat & Drink) and a Fourth that was unique for the area (Fat Noodle, which wasn't great for an Asian noodle House but about on par with the bad Italian places we have in town in terms of equivalence).
So while Tally's food culture was looking up as little as six months ago, now I'm back to seldom eating out when I'm in town. You've got to either beat what I can cook at home (hard other than a few places like Cypress) or be substantially more convenient and/or cheaper than I can do it (places like Shell Oyster Bar, Isabella's, Four Rivers, Mission BBQ, La Tiendita, etc...).
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Well's Brothers for lunch. Great burgers, nice outdoor seating. Love sitting outside and drinking beer in the cool weather.
I'm thinking of trying Bird's Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack - good reviews on yelp
I'm thinking of trying Bird's Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack - good reviews on yelp
Piggys is good, but I prefer Mickey Andrews' bbq joint. It has a better beer selection
Had Persis Biryani again yesterday for lunch, very very good.
Just found out about Avenue last week, hadn't been lately but it was one of my wife's favorites and they're what inspired me to cook my own short ribs.
Went to Backwoods Crossing last weekend for a birthday party and it was great, everyone loved their meal.
The Southern and
If Avenue couldn't survive downtown then basically nothing will.
If our downtown has even then slightest chance of emulating a smaller version of a vibrant downtown like Asheville, Savannah etc..., I think it will take a full scale revitalisation project like Collegetown. Just hoping good places will move in piecemeal has not worked. They really need one big piece that will draw people in like attracting an offshoot of a bigger craft brewery like an outpost of Funky Buddha.
If Avenue couldn't survive downtown then basically nothing will.
If our downtown has even then slightest chance of emulating a smaller version of a vibrant downtown like Asheville, Savannah etc..., I think it will take a full scale revitalisation project like Collegetown. Just hoping good places will move in piecemeal has not worked. They really need one big piece that will draw people in like attracting an offshoot of a bigger craft brewery like an outpost of Funky Buddha.
Applebee's is #1 and can't be beat in Tally. The voters said so!
Piggy's is still around? Haven't been there in a few years since they gave me the chewy end off a slab of ribs, a few slivers of brisket and called it a meal...
Nope Piggys gave up the ghost awhile ago. But our BBQ situation has improved substantially. We've got Mission which always has great pulled pork and a ton of delicious sauces (seriously they are up to about 12 and any one of them is better than 98% of the sauces out there and the worst is still the best sauce in Tally), plus their rotating seasonal black plate specials are always good whether it's smoked ribeye, smoked shrimp, shake and bake chicken, etc... Then you've got Four Rivers for usually good brisket, California tritip and beef ribs (their sides and sauces pale in comparison to Missions but their beef products are much better). The best ribs and smoked wings are found at Dreamland BBQ. They finish their ribs on over direct flame and they get a great char to them, so they beat all the other ribs in town.
You, sir, have clearly not been to the Ruby Tuesday at Governor's Square and it's magnificent salad bar. A wonder of Tally.
Ah, clearly! I will have to make a point of stopping there the next time we're in town. Right after I check out the Lidz!
TGI Friday's>>>>>>>>>Chili's >>>>>>> Ruby's >>>>>>>>> Applebee's
I have a friend who has eaten at Nick's at least once a week for 40 years, my happy zone is E&J 5 Buck BBQ on South Monroe.
Peasants we are.
Peasants we are.
I am in same situation and then recalled one of my old guilty pleasures. Barnaby's pizza. Looking forward to taking my son there after the game.
Birds is good, but I like the burgers and atmosphere better at Monks.
Birds outdoor seating is by Bronough St. traffic as opposed to Monks where its at the back of the building with cornhole, etc.
Gordos has a good burger/atmosphere.
I am going to be in Tally on Tuesday and was going to 4 Rivers as that is a favorite, but I am going to try Mission instead. Then grab 4 Rivers on the way out for dinner. Thanks for the info, and hope your hype is on point.
Lucky for you, the McRib is back.
We don't have one place that dominates all BBQ categories as Four Rivers really has %*% for sauces and pork products and most of the sides are only mediocre. But you can be selective and say "let's go to Dreamland for ribs" you just have to get buyin from the other party members.
I did call ahead to see what the black plate specials is this month and it's smoked meatloaf. I haven't had that particular one and I'm picky when it comes to meatloaf.
As far as the sauces they have 7 on the table (including the Eastern Carolina vinegar and red pepper flakes sauce great for pork sammies), 2 or 3 more where you pick up the utensils and two (at least the Alabama White (mayo and vinegar great for chicken) and the Maryland Tiger Sauce (mayo and horseradish great for beef) behind the counter and you need to ask the person who delivers it. Try them all or at least the 10 on the table and by the utensils, I don't think either white sauce would go with pork.
I went to 4 Rivers last week when I was in Orlando. I got the brisket and smoked chicken. It was OK, but not great.
On a related note, did anyone go to Reuben’s Smokehouse in Ft. Meyers? The former owner and his mom recently opened a BBQ place about 10 minutes from my house. Pretty good, but not sure if it's one of the "best in the nation."
It's where I cruise for hot men when I'm in Tally...
My memorable Governor's Square Ruby Tuesday moment was eating there the day Monica Seles was stabbed by that crazy fan during a match. I almost couldn't go back to the salad bar for seconds after witnessing that. Almost.
Because the above is a pdf if it shows as a red x click here
https://mission-bbq.com/pdf/MISSION-BBQ-Sauces.pdf
At the Tallahassee location, in addition to the 7 “signature sauces”, they usually have the Baja Bold, Florida Gator Bite (despite the terrible name, it’s one of my favorites for pork, I usually alternate bites with it, the NC Vinegar, the Texas Twang and the Bay B Que), Alabama White and the Georgia Mustard. I don’t recall them ever carrying the Piedmont Pride (which is too bad as I’m a big fan of Western Carolina/Lexington style BBQ as my maternal side of my family is originally from Shelby NC), the St Louis Red, or the Nashville Hot Sauce. They do usually carry a Maryland Tiger sauce (horseradish and Mayo) that the staff usually calls Horsey sauce after Arby’s or just horseradish sauce. They usually only have that though when they have smoked ribeye, sirloin, NY Strip or prime rib as the black plate special even though it also goes great on their smoked salmon.
I only went once and hated it the time I was there. My in-laws tried it over our warnings because my BIL loves it and they also hated it.
The consistent theme for those who like it seems to be that they like the sister operation Bonos BBQ that it was spun off of. My wife and I grew up eating Fat Boys not Bonos so we have no nostalgia for it.
Wow, Fat Boys. Hadn’t thought of them in a long time. Where did you grow up? I’m from Inverness and I remember there being one there and another in Crystal River (although I know that they were fairly widespread, at a time).
Brooksville. The one in Crystal River only closed this past year but there's still a couple in the Orlando area I believe. Sonny's stole their original sauces and BBQ rubs and techniques from Fat Boys although they recently changed their "original sauce" from the mustardy Fat Boys sauce ripoff to a much sweeter, more KC Masterpiece ripoff in the last year or so.
But if you still want Fat Boys style BBQ at its peak, go to Ken's BBQ in Live Oak and Lake City. It's an exact clone/"ripoff" (although in the same way that Red Bridges and Alston Bridges in NC is a ripoff of Lexington BBQ or Miss Myra's in Alabama is a ripoff of Big Bob Gibson ie Ken's is probably better than the original).
More on the Gator Sonny Tillman's thievery
"Tillman learned to cook at his cousin Jesse Keller�s Fat Boy�s in Cocoa. He was down doing sheetrock work and started hanging around the restaurant at night. When two cooks left, Tillman went to work.
�He told me, �You come work for me for a couple years, we�ll go to Gainesville and we�ll build you a restaurant up there.� �
Six years later, he bought the Waldo Road property and built a restaurant. He took the Fat Boy�s name for the first couple of years, but when the partners of the Cocoa Fat Boy�s had a falling out, it became Sonny�s Fat Boy�s before dropping the Fat Boy�s altogether."
https://www.gainesville.com/article/LK/20080907/News/604170704/GS/
We really like their pulled pork. The other meats are good but nothing special. The sides are jut ok.
Update: Barnaby's was a big let down, the magic is gone......
Nonsense. Don't believe this @nolelan character! Had Barnaby's the other night. It's still just as magical. The service inside is atrocious. The pizza is still great. Just make sure you get it to go.
Noone was more disappointed than myself. I have always loved their pizza but my son and I both thought it was subpar. So much so I doubt we will ever go back which sucks because it was something I looked forward to.
