We started off the day as early as we could - right around 7:15. Yes, A.M. This option in the day is still available. Since it is Florida, we got hit with a nice storm cell just outside of Clermont and into Ocala. For those of you not in Florida, this is outside of Orlando.
We did not get to our first stop, Atlanta, until after 2 PM. And although this was a slight hindrance - considering we were extremely hungry - we had plenty of laughter to keep busy during this longest stretch of our trip.
The laughter came courtesy of Florida & Georgia's roadside signs. We had many many laughs along the way. For example:
We stopped at a roadside fruit and nut stand called Big Rosie's, mainly due to their clever advertising: Big Rosie's free samples.
A sign for McDonald's Western Wear struck me as funny because of their location: behind Burger King.
A sign I didn't quite see myself made my wife giggle incessantly: Get a car here and drive it like it was stolen.
Of course, in Georgia we kept seeing signs for "massage parlors". And right behind those were signs such as these: When you die, you will meet God. Love, Jesus.
And then, my personal favorite was the following: Strippers. Need we say more? Exit 35.
Seriously.
Anyway, getting back to the main topic, we arrived in Atlanta and found The Varsity quite easily.
The Varsity, for the uninitiated, is the world's largest drive in restaurant. The parking lot covers 2 city blocks. And for good reason. The Varsity sits right across the street from Georgia Tech - on game days it can get quite busy. Luckily we arrived well after the lunch crowd. We walked in and placed our order within minutes. Our order: a number 2 combo - a chili cheese dog, a chili burger, a fresh order of onion rings and a Varsity Orange drink. The chili was rich and meaty, not spicy at all, but full of flavor, and went amazingly well with both the burger and the dog. The onion rings were hot and fresh and coated with a southern-style breading with visible cracked pepper in the batter, which was light and crisp. The onions, sweet Georgia Vidalias, natch, were perfectly tasty. Overall, a very good quick meal, and I recommend this place to anyone traveling into the Atlanta area.
Since we were in Atlanta, we thought we'd stop into the closest Trader Joes to the Florida area, and were immediately bummed out that we don't have one of these fabulous grocery stores in the Central Florida area yet. And yes, we'll probably stop there again on the way back to Florida.
Okay, so once again back on the road, and 4 and a half hours later we reach our first main destination: Nashville TN. Our hotel is nice and clean, and close to the highway. Once we checked in, we were on our way to our second dining experience: Jack's BBQ on Broadway. Where The Varsity was sprawling and huge, Jack's was small and compact. Both places, however provided amazing food. Jack's BBQ had simple choices: Tennessee Pork Shoulder, St. Louis-style ribs, Texas Beef Brisket, and smoked chicken and turkey. We chose the combo platter that gave ample portions of three meats plus two sides for a fair price. We chose the pork shoulder, the beef brisket, and the smoked turkey. The shoulder was as I expected, smoky, juicy and tender and full of flavor. The brisket was a pleasant surprise, quite smoky, and so very tender, it literally fell apart. The biggest surprise was the smoked turkey, which I expected to be dry. On the contrary it was so juicy and tasty, it quickly became my favorite turkey aside from my own. Do not hesitate, if you are in the greater Nashville area, or plan on being there, get thee to Jack's.
Coming up tomorrow, Chicago food and a wedding. So looking forward to that.
Cheers!
JC
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