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Joyce and Family Restaurant.
Fuquay Varina, NC

http://www.joyceandfamilyrestaurant.com/

The buffet is phenomenal, varying every day, but I like the following items, very little, if anything as far as I can tell, comes from a can: smothered pork chops, fried chicken, beef tips and rice, chicken and dumplings, trout or whiting fried or baked, mac and cheese, black eyed peas, cabbage, collards, turnip greens, butter beans, corn, tomato/cucumber salad, mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie, banana pudding, iced tea, lemonade, biscuits, cornbread.

fat matt's in ATL... good lip smacking ribs for me!

If it has to be located in the South, then Irene's Cuisine in New Orleans, they combine Italian and Cajun, rocks.

But, for pure "Southern" food, I gotta go back to the Lower East Side in Manhattan and get collard greens, black eyed peas, candied yams, mac n cheese and honey glazed chicken at Mama's Food Shop.

The Surrey House, in Surry, Virginia. They have the most wonderful ham biscuits and the BEST peanut soup. And - you get to ride a car ferry from Jamestown to get there. How much fun is that???

David's Catfish House. I love the fried shrimp and hubby loves the fried catfish..

This is a hard one for me living in New Orleans and all...Right now, I'd have to say Cochon. Wonderful Cajun inspired fare.

Yay! I have SO been wanting to read this book!

Jim Neeley's Interstate BBQ in Memphis for bbq spaghetti, pulled pork, beef brisket and sock-it-to-me cake.

Doe's Eat Place in Mississippi for hand-made tamales.

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken at the Original location in Mason, TN

i just got back from the nc bbq trail, so i'm going to have to go with short sugar's bbq in reidsville, nc - mmmmm mmmmmm

Best southern.....easy. DH and I were driving east and road repairs were making us nutty. We pulled off the highway at Delhi Louisiana and realized it was after 10PM, but we found the greatest little storefront restaurant. It just happened to be all you can eat shrimp night and in addition to a huge pile of shrimp, they actually had like one bowl of gumbo left.......OMG, we could have (and did) drive with smiles on our faces the rest of the night.
Can't tell you the restaurant's name, nor the street.....but the memory is still sharp and clear.
It was just good homestyle cooking, the BEST.

Another vote for Doe's, please.

And there was a joint in the town that abuts Charleston, SC, just to the north, where we had breakfast. The best grits ever, ever, ever, and a big ham in a ham-holder, the meat being cut off the bone to order, and biscuits to fly off the plate. Sigh,...

Wilber's Barbecue in Goldsboro, NC. Delicious Eastern NC barbecue at its best! I don't go often because its about 45 minutes from Raleigh, but its a definite stop if I'm anywhere nearby.

I don't have a favorite restaurant but I do have a favorite dish. Shrimp Po'boys. Mmm mmm yummy.

Uhhhh... Kentucky Fried Chicken? I live in Indiana... its the only thing I can think of. I eat the cole slaw.

The Pine Tavern in Floyd, VA serves their food family style--huge bowls of good stuff passed around the table. I don't care what I get (it's all delicious) as long as I'm able to save room for some apple cobbler.

I like the plate lunch at Ajax Diner in Oxford. Choose your meat and 3 sides. I like the catfish and the country fried steak. It's hard to choose the sides. The fried eggplant can be great. Then there are butter beans, cheese grits, squash casserole, green beans, fried okra, black eyed peas ... it's all good!

The ribs at Fat matt's in Atlanta! Their sweet tea is perfect too.

Magnolia Grill, Durham, NC. Local pork, cooked slowly and mindfully, with the season's best vegetables.

My favorite is the Farmers Market Restaurant in Ft. Myers, Florida. Catfish, mullet, fried chicken (including livers and gizzards), BBQ, and a dozen or so vegetables, like collard greens, mac & cheese, pinto beans, great corn muffins, and sweet tea! Mercy!

The meatloaf at Jestine's Kitchen in Charleston, SC is a wonder to behold. Everything else there is great too, but that meatloaf is in a class by itself.

Big Nell's Pit Stop - Ocean Isle Beach North Carolina. I like the barbecue just fine, but a real treat is a slice of country ham on a biscuit and a cup of coffee. Now that I think of it, I'll have a bowl of grits with that.

I'm a Brooklyn cat, so breakfast to me is usually a bagel. When I'm at Big Nells I know I'm in the South-- there's Richard Petty memorabilia (I believe he is a car racer of some sort), and all kinds of NC State, UNC and Eastern Carolina decor, and the folks talk funny, and real slow. Good eats, though-- worth the trip.

I second Jestine's Kitchen in Charleston SC...go for the fried chicken, fish & grits, sweet tea and corn bread with butter & honey....and definitely stay for the lemon pie!

The best fried chicken for my money comes from Hopkins House in Pensacola, FL. (It's a boarding house that serves family style dinners.) Also love Parker's in Wilson, NC for the family style fried chicken, E. NC BBQ, corn sticks, brunswick stew, and cole slaw.

Texas Inn, Lynchburg, VA. Cheesy Western.

When in NC its got to be The Dillard House in Dillard. Wonderful country ham, fried chicken, vegetables grown on the property. Served in huge quantities and delicious!

Mama Dips in Chapel Hill, NC -- deep fried dill pickles with dill mayo! Heartattackalicious!

Two Urban Licks, Atlanta, Georgia

Fire Roasted Chicken.

Mrs. Wilkes in Savannah, GA. Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lusco's in Greenville/Greenwood (can't remember!), MS. It's in the back of an old grocery store so you need to know it's there to find it. Small, private booths served by waiters of long standing. Great food -- fish, steaks, chicken, etc. And an out of control custom -- longtime patrons put butter pats on their napkins or on the back of their forks and fling them at the ceiling. This happens after a few boubons or two when i've been there. They have one dishwasher whose job it is to get up on a ladder and scrape the butter off the ceiling after a long night. Amazing atmosphere, great food -- what else could you ask for?

Don't know the address but just look for the line - Mrs. Wilkes's Boardinghouse in Savannah, GA - a classic!

My favorite Southern Restaurant is City Barbecue here in Columbus, Ohio. My favorites are the pulled pork, smoked brisket, and corn pudding.

Carver's Grocery off Marietta Street in Atlanta. Under the guise of a corner "grocery", you get some of the best meat-n-three around...and iced tea in a cup the size of your head. Off the beaten path and a real find.

Foster's Market in Raleigh...sweet potato hash.

One of the best in the south, by far, is Verdi Mart in New Orleans. They make the best oyster po'boy!

The Varsity Drive-In in Atlanta GA (thanks Roadfood, for the recommendation) and I like the hamburger with onion rings and a FO (frosted orange drink); I realize that his may not be the 'southern-est' of all southern restaurants but it works for me.

Another lover of NOLA's Gumbo Shop checking in! Dee-licious!
sheiladenise

Oh - what I eat there - well, ribs ribs ribs at Fat Matt's and fried green tomatoes at The Biscuit. The FGTs are topped with a spicy, nutty sauce that's more than memorable. Yum.

Congratulations to this week's winners! They are: jkiller5150, Xtreambar
malenky, MarkO, tortor. I'll be following up with you all via email.