Walk and Eat - Tupelo Honey Cafe, Chattanooga, Tennessee

There's nothing like being slightly lost and very hungry in a strange city. As we wandered around trying to get our bearings we found ourselves in Warehouse Row. It looked like an interesting place so when we spotted Tupelo Honey Cafe we thought we'd give it a try. 

We didn't know it when we went in but Tupelo Honey Cafe is a chain with  several restaurants in the Southeast. According to their website the food is described as "New South Flavors" and goes on to say they serve "traditional Southern fare that is creative, inventive and satisfying scrumptious". 

Even though it was the lunch hour and they were pretty busy we were seated quickly. The waitress was friendly and brought our drink out along with warm biscuits and blueberry jam. I'm not overly fond of biscuits but these were good. Brown and crunchy on the outside and not too doughy on the inside. The blueberry jam was perfection! Tasted just like the jam I make every year. 

The menu was full of Southern things like shrimp and grits, Southern buttermilk fried chicken breast, beef and bacon meatloaf, Carolina mountain trout and Charleston Chicken Sandwich. Everything sounded so good it took a while to look over the menu.

 I opted for the Tupelo Farm Fresh Burger. I'm a sucker for a good burger so I just had to try it out. Especially when the menu said the meat was pasture raised, fresh never frozen, Black Angus beef.

The burger was big and juicy and cooked just right. Lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles and even with the Chef's special sauce I had to have my burger with mayo. This is the south y'all.

I opted for the Kale and Carrot Salad as my side which was surprising good. I was hesitant to order this at first because kale can be tough but I was trying to be good and add a little healthy green to my meal. It was actually pretty tender and tasty. 

Nancy ordered the Grateful Dead Black Bean Burger which she said was very good. I didn't get a taste of her burger but I did
sneak a few fries and they were mighty tasty. 

We had a nice experience at the Tupelo Honey Cafe. The food was good, the wait staff friendly and the restaurant was bright and welcoming. Lunch for one with water to drink was right at $13 not including the tip. A little pricey for a burger but I felt it was well worth it.

BTW...

Tupelo Honey

Did you know that Tupelo honey comes from bees that feast on the White Ogeechee Tupelo trees that grow in the swampy areas of Southern Georgia and NW Florida? To be labeled Tupelo the honey only has to have a floral content of 51% but the real stuff can be as high as 95%.

To try the real stuff you have to head to the swamps along the Apalachicola River valley in NW Florida. This area produces the purest Tupelo honey. You can even  attend The Tupelo Honey Festival which is held in Wewahitchka, Florida, (Just call the town Wewa like the locals) The festival is held annually on the 3rd Saturday in May. 

Walk and Eat - Cupcake Kitchen, Chattanooga, Tennessee

This should be titled I eat so I must walk!

Whether you sit and enjoy just one or get a dozen to go cupcakes are a sweet treat. We found a nice little cupcake shop on a recent girl's weekend that we just couldn't resist. 

My sister-in-law, Nancy, and I took a weekend trip to Chattanooga while the guys were off at a vintage motorcycle race. Friday she and I took an extended walk around downtown  just trying to get acclimated to the area. And what do we happen to run across?

The Cupcake Kitchen

We weren't even looking for it!

Since we're always interested in supporting the local economy we had to stop in to get a treat!

I had the Italian Cream cupcake and it was molto saporito! (very tasty)

The cupcake was good but what I really enjoyed was the icing. It was light and fluffy and not too sweet. The cupcake was also filled with icing. Toasted coconut and a pecan finished the tiny cake off just right. 

Nancy had the cookies and cream cupcake and she said it was very good. She didn't offer a taste so I can't verify that. Of course I didn't share mine either.

The glass cases were full of all kinds of tasty treats. More cupcakes than I can name as well as chocolate bark, cake truffles and chocolate covered strawberries, pretzels and even chocolate covered marshmallows. They also make special order cakes. Everything in the shop looked so good it was hard to make a choice.

The shop was tiny with only about 5 tables for those who wanted to sit and enjoy a treat. Most people coming in left with boxes full of goodies. 

We ended up walking about 6 miles so I guess a tiny cupcake didn't do too much damage.

I always try to think positive.

If you're even in Chattanooga stop in at the Cupcake Kitchen and 
then take a walk around the city.

Don Patron Mexican Grille, Yulee, Florida

Saturday we combined walking, errands and eating. It seems like we're always eating so I guess it a good thing we like to walk!

Anyway we stopped at an auto place to buy oil and filters so John could change the oil in our vehicles. After going into the store we hit the parking lot and tried to find a few geocaches. (If you don't know what I'm taking about check out Fun Things to do on a Walk - Geocaching) After circling the lot in our unsuccessful search we decided to walk over to Don Patron Mexican Grille for a little lunch.

A little walking adds up. We'd covered a little over a mile just in the parking lot! Although I'm not sure we walked enough to warrant the lunch we ate...

This was our third time eating at Don Patron and each time was just as good as the first. 

I like the place because it's quiet and even though there's lots of tables they are pretty secluded from one another. I like being able to sit, talk and eat without feeling like we're in the middle of a big crowd. 

The other thing I like about this restaurant is that if you get up you can actually see the kitchen and watch the chefs at work.  Nothing to hide here.

But on to the food. While we looked over the menu the waiter brought out the standard chips and salsa. This time however we also were served a bowl of white sauce. At first it looked like cheese sauce but when my husband tasted it he said it was a little like Ranch dressing but it was good. (He hates doesn't care for Ranch) It was actually creamy  like Ranch but it sweet and had a kick to it. We both pronounced it delicious.

Creamy, Ranch like, sweet and spicy dipping sauce for the chips. A nice addition to the standard salsa. 

We ordered off the lunch menu. John ordered the beef Chimichanga and I decided to try the Popeye. As you might guess the Popeye contained a good bit of spinach,

My photography skills don't do this dish justice! The chicken was tender and the spinach was cooked just right. Not stringy or tough. The whole thing was smothered in white cheese. Oh so good!

The cost wasn't too bad. $17 for two lunch entrees with water to drink plus tip and lunch was right at  $20.  Considering last time we went to Krystal it cost us almost $13. This experience was much nicer!

After lunch we headed down to A-1 to check out a few trails we'd been meaning to walk. Believe me after this lunch we had a lot of walking to do!