Wakey Whisky: Trader Joe's Speyside Single Malt Scotch

by Eric Ducote

Good #wakeywhisky morning Tiger fans, and welcome to a beautiful THREE SEC wins in a row sort of morning! That's called a winning streak folks, and yes, it has happened before. Back in 2015 the LSU Tigers rolled off four straight SEC wins to start out the season with three non-conference wins mixed in and were up to #2 in the polls before falling to Alabama.  That has unfortunately been a trend lately, falling to Alabama, so I'm going into this game with my expectations low.  If LSU loses, well, they were supposed to lose... but if they win... then we party!

With those expectations low, I decided to try something new this morning, a whisky that I could go into with low expectations as well. At under $20, I really don't know what to expect from the Trader Joe's Speyside Single Malt Scotch, available obviously at Trader Joe's.

Trader Joe's is pretty secretive about where they source their products from, but I do know that this hails from the Speyside region of Scotland (around the River Spey) and was distilled, matured and bottled all in Scotland.  Rumor is that Trader Joe's buys bulk batches that either weren't up to the distillery standards, or perhaps were overstock, and contracts for them to be bottled and labeled under the Trader Joe's brand.

Either way, it could be a really great surprise, or a total dud.  Hey... remind you of a football game coming up tonight?

Right out of the gate, this is labeled as aged 8 years, and bottled at 40% alcohol-- pretty standard stuff there.  It's on the lighter side, probably not heavily charred barrels or perhaps second run barrels that lost some color to the previous spirit inside. The nose is very mild, with hints of honeysuckle and minerals with a slight grainy sweetness.  The taste is very similar with the grains coming through a little stronger than the nose and the honeysuckle taking a back seat.  It's very easy to drink with minimal alcohol harshness, and pleasant introductory scotch flavors.

Verdict:

For me this is a decent starter scotch, a good call for someone looking to give the whisky a try without going crazy on the pocketbook.  It's not extremely complex, it's certainly not as good as the name brand single malts, but for the price it gets the job done.  If you're a novice scotch drinker, or want to get into it a little more, give this a try next time you're at the local TJ's. Cheers, #wakeywhiskey or #wakeywhisky for you all, and GEAUX TIGERS!

World Food Championships return to the Alabama Beaches!

by Jay Ducote

Once again this year some of the greatest chefs and food sport contestants from around the country and even from around the world will be descending on Orange Beach, AL for the World Food Championships. Now in it's sixth year, and second in Alabama, the WFC has positioned itself as a proving ground for cooks and culinary personalities. This year's event takes place from November 8th to 12th.

Suzanne Clark, Cassandra King and Jay Ducote host the TV show for the 2016 World Food Championships

With 500+ teams registered for 2017, The World Food Championships is the largest culinary competition on the planet. The event gives home cooks, pro chefs and professional cook teams from all walks of life a chance to be seen on TV and win a share of a the largest prize purse in the Food Sport industry.

From burgers and BBQ, to sandwiches and bacon, there is a $10,000 winner in each of ten categories, all which culminate in a grand finale of epic food proportions at the Final Table.

Check out this TV show from last year's WFC featuring yours truly as one of the three hosts for the competition!

I'll be back again this year to enjoy the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of victory. I know there are other Louisiana chefs who have punched their tickets on the path to become World Champions as well. It's guaranteed to be a great time, so book your hotel room in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach now so you can enjoy the action!

Cassandra King, Jay Ducote and Suzanne Clark at WFC 2016

Adam Feinberg, Jay Ducote and Vic Vegas at WFC 2016

Jay Ducote hosts the first round of the BBQ Competition at the 2016 World Food Championship

Jay Ducote and WFC CEO Mike McCloud cheers with a pair of tomahawk pork chops

The hosts on stage with Mike to discuss the World Food Championships

Luke Darnell and Jay Ducote celebrate Luke's $10,000 prize check an title of World Barbecue Champion!

Mike McCloud, Moe Cason, Brad Orrison and Jay Ducote enjoy the Bourb'N'Que at WFC 2016

The Big Tyme Productions crew poses with the hosts of the WFC 2016 TV Show

Acre: Humble, Southern and Inspired

by Aimee Tortorich

After an epic road trip to New York cooking at the James Beard House & Chefs and Champagne and eating at some of the best restaurants in NYC, Team Bite and Booze had one more important stop to make. Jay had been talking about having dinner at Acre in Auburn, Alabama for over a week. I didn’t think it would live up to the amazing dishes we had in New York, but Chef David Bancroft blew me away.

Acre in Auburn, Alabama

Nestled only two blocks from the historic Toomer’s Corner in Auburn lies one of the South’s hottest new restaurants. Acre is a restaurant that passionately follows the farm to table concept. Surrounded by an acre of fruits, vegetables and herbs, Chef David has fresh ingredients fueling his creativity a few steps away. A self-proclaimed “country boy” and a master culinary magician in my eyes, Chef David welcomed us with true southern hospitality. Seating us at the Chef’s table he immediately began offering up simple, but flavor packed, inspired dishes. 

Chef David picked watermelon from the front yard of the restaurant for a snack and a cocktail!

As a chef, it’s a dream of mine to build a career focused on the harvest of southern, seasonal ingredients. Raised to live off the land, I’ve always had a passion for this kind of cooking.

The first dish that hit our table was the Chicken Fried Bacon. Two strips of house-made smoked bacon were gently fried in a pepper batter and served with silky white sawmill gravy, Vermont maple syrup and garnished with local pecans. We were fighting over the last bite because it was that good!

Chicken Fried House-Made Bacon, sawmill gravy, Vermont maple syrup, local pecans

These tender Gulf shrimp swimming in an Asian-inspired sweet and spicy BBQ butter sauce almost knocked me out. We were only on our second course and a single bite of the crispy sweet corn donuts dredged in the flavored butter had me feeling feelings. 

 

Peel & Eat Shrimp-“Top secret” BBQ Butter, Sweet Corn Donuts

This was easily one of my favorite dishes of the night. If curry is on the menu, I’m all over it and this dish didn’t disappoint! The balance of heat and sweetness around the tender oyster was absolutely addicting.

Chargrilled Oysters-Curry Butter, house-made hot sauce

The beef tartare with stone ground mustard was the perfect balance of umami and tang. The creaminess of the tender beef with the acidic, spicy mustard was a perfect bite on a charred bread.

 

Wagyu Beef tartare-stone ground mustard, grilled bread

The smoky flavors of the salmon balanced well with the acidity of the mustard and pickled veggies. I could ping pong back and forth between this dish and the beef tartar any day.

Smoked salmon rillettes-mustard, pickled veggies, grilled bread

The flavorings of the sausage were far from traditional. Chef de Cuisine, Caleb Fischer added bright Asian flavors to the sausage, which balanced out the fattiness of the pork. The house-made waffles had a nice crunch, but tender on the inside, while the huitlacoche purée brought the whole dish together with nice, earthy notes. 

Sausage and Waffles-house-made sausage, house-made waffles, Huitlacoche (corn smut) sauce

  

As our bellies began to get full, Chef David slowed the pace down with a nice and refreshing intermezzo. A fresh picked watermelon from the garden graced our table garnished with torn basil, Gulf of Mexico salt from our friends at Cellar Salt Co. and a slight drizzle of Georgia olive oil.

Sliced watermelon, torn basil, Cellar Sea Salt, Georgia olive oil

Chef David brought out his magician skills with the highlight of the evening, a two-year aged ham. Beautiful in color and thinly sliced, the ham melted in my mouth. Following boucherie-style tradition, we shared a shot of whiskey with a Bancroft twist. First, you place a drop of Poirier cane syrup on your tongue and let it sit. Then, we took a sip out of a mason jar filled with skins/fat from the ham soaking in Woodford Reserve and finished it all off with a bite of that heavenly ham. 

 

2 year aged ham, Poirier cane syrup, 2 year old ham skins/fat in Woodford Reserve

The cream poached sweet corn with sweet corn donuts was a simple, yet flavor packed dish. It came as no surprise that Chef David picked the corn from the restaurant garden. He described the Silver Queen variety as the “cream of the crop.” Super tender, extremely sweet, and a perfect welcome back to the South.

Cream poached Silver Queen corn with corn donuts

We closed out our amazing dining experience with a humble but tasty dessert, fig cinnamon rolls. It was especially touching for Jay because we had just served his Granny’s famous cinnamon pecan rolls earlier that week at the James Beard House. They were warm, fluffy and drenched in icing; job well done Chef Caleb Fischer!

Chef Caleb Fischer's cast iron fig cinnamon rolls

After dinner, we took a tour around the property where Chef explained the significance and importance of living off the land. Every crop in the garden and protein used inspired the kitchen to create dishes that were not only well thought out but executed with a humble touch. I hope to return to Acre sooner rather than later to see what Chef David is cooking up!

Murder Point Oysters, Uprooted

by Sydney Blanchard

Each month, our Uprooted series will highlight local chefs, restaurants, organizations, and farmers who are spearheading the farm-to-table and local foodways movements in South Louisiana.

Murder Point Oysters, right out of the water

Alabama's waters have had a rough go of it in the last decade or so. Hurricanes and an oil spill ravaged the Gulf coast and its economy, and according to Rosa Zirlott, Alabama streams had not produced oysters for many years.

That was before she and her family, former shrimpers, became oyster farmers. 

The Zirlott family will soon begin their third year as Alabama oyster farmers, and Rosa and her son Lane are enthusiastic about their latest family endeavor, Murder Point Oysters.

Rosa Zirlott, co-owner of Murder Point Oysters and Zirlott family matriarch

"They're oysters worth killing for!" Rosa said. 

Out in Porterville Bay near Gulf Shores, Alabama, lies Murder Point. According to legend, it used to be called Myrtle Point until 1927 when the man who held the oyster lease was murdered in a dispute over the lease. 

"You have to talk to the old timers to find out what really happened," Rosa said. 

Rosa and her family are one of only 12 oyster farmers in Alabama, and they've learned a lot about raising oysters in the last two years. It's safe to say they take their new venture pretty seriously. 

“This is very, very new for Alabama," Rosa said. “I talked my husband into doing it. I said, 'Let’s do it. If it works, we can say it works, and maybe more people will want to get involved.'"

Lane, in particular, has found his calling.

"Lane talks to them every day to give them the butter love," according to Rosa. "He feels like these oysters are his babies."

The care for their craft and stewardship to the environment is obvious in touring their oyster beds. 

Out on their boat in the middle of the oyster beds, college-age guys in wet suits and rubber fishing overalls tumble the oysters.

Murder Point Oysters are graded by size and tumbled every two weeks

Tumbling the oysters, or running them through a metal grading machine, causes the oyster to clamp town and makes the muscle stronger. Tumbling ensures that the oysters remain organized in the beds by size, and it also knocks the end of the shell off. This makes the oyster shells shorter, tougher, and easier to open up without the shell breaking. 

Every two weeks, the oysters are graded and moved to beds with oysters of the same size. According to Rosa, this is necessary to ensure Murder Point Oysters are up to restaurant standards.

"We try to create a quality product," Rosa said. "We’re trying to send the perfect oyster."

Murder Point Oysters cleaned off and ready for eating

But they don't stop at tumbling the oysters to ensure quality. Rosa said Murder Points oysters will taste different from the oysters growing in the waters next to them. Instead of keeping their oysters on top of the water while they're developing, the Zirlotts move their oyster babies up and down in the water column, allowing them to be flavored by different pressures, temperatures, and food sources. 

When the oysters are ready to be harvested, they're taken from the water directly to a processing facility owned by the Zirlotts, where they're then sent off to restaurants across the country where they are in high demand.

"It really is farm-to-table," Rosa said.

Prepared and garnished Murder Point Oysters served at Fisher's in Orange Beach, Ala.

The Murder Point Oyster business is maintaining consistent growth. In August they places 800,000 baby oysters into the water who will be ready to be eaten by 2016.

The Zirlotts take pride not only in their rich, buttery oyster crop, but in the work they do in sustaining and maintaining an ecosystem friendly not only to oysters but to the wildlife that share the waters with their oysters.

“We want to do right by the environment," Rosa said.

Read more Uprooted here:

Nino's Italian, Uprooted

Indie Plate, Uprooted

Red Stick Farmers Market, Uprooted

Iverstine Family Farms, Uprooted

LA, meet L.A.: Getting Acquainted with Lower Alabama

I recently had the opportunity to take Team Bite and Booze on a press trip down to Gulf Shores Orange Beach for a little local wining, dining, and R&R. We had the chance to soak up some rays, but the real treat was all of the fresh gulf seafood we were invited to feast on everyday! Here's a look at a few places that were worthy of a pulling up a chair and chowing down:

We arrived at The Wharf ready to get tasting and luckily for us there was a nice little daiquiri shop right next to the parking garage! After we got settled in we walked to one of the restaurants downstairs from our condo: Villaggio Grille. Definitely the nicest restaurant at The Wharf, Villaggio has modern American cuisine with a slight Italian and Mediterranean influence. It's not a place to get spaghetti and meatballs, but they have some great Italian inspired seafood dishes.

Prince Edward Island Mussels: Roasted Tomatoes, White Wine, Lemon, Garlic, & Shallot

The next day we took a trek to The Beach Club to meet with their property managers over lunch at the Village Hideaway. They offered some awesome insight to the cool things going on in the Gulf Shores Orange Beach area and the really great beers from the nearby town of Fairhope. We had a couple of their amber ales while we toyed around with the golf simulator (Aimee and I schooled Blair) then sat down to a pretty tasty rack of ribs, fresh mahi tacos, and coconut shrimp. After lunch we got the chance to relax on the beach and catch some waves before heading back to The Wharf for a Gulf Coast/Alabama Seafood Twitter party and dinner.

Seafood Tacos: Fresh Gulf Mahi, Cilantro Slaw, Sliced Avocado, Key Lime Cream Sauce

Perhaps one of the most fun days we had during our stay in Gulf Shores Orange Beach started out with breakfast at Brick and Spoon. They had a build your own Bloody Mary menu, some massive pancakes, and some killer breakfast tacos. The unique breakfast tacos featured fried wonton wrappers as the shell. Brick and Spoon proved to be a great place to grab breakfast on your way to a sweet dolphin cruise!

Breakfast Tacos: Fried Wonton Shell, Chorizo Scrambled Eggs, Lettuce, Sour Cream, and Mango Salsa with a side of Cheese Grits

If you're going to take a sailing adventure while on the Alabama Gulf Coast, I'd gladly suggest the Wild Hearts Dolphin Cruise. Wild Hearts operates a nice catamaran sailboat that provides a great beer drinking platform in the bay and the gulf. They have fun stuff for kids to play with, water and snacks on board, and a great crew. It was a really nice, relaxing day on the water while soaking up some vitamin D.

View from the Wild Hearts Sailboat at Perdido Bay

We did some more dining in Gulf Shore and Orange Beach, but those places were so good that we wanted to give them their own blog posts. So coming up soon on Bite and Booze will be posts about The Gulf, Lucy B. Goode, and brunch at Fisher's! 

Alabama's White Sand Beaches: Part III

After leaving Tacky Jacks, Eric and I had a few hours to kill before we needed to meet up with the group again for lunch.  Naturally, we used that opportunity to try to find a few craft beers that we can't get in Baton Rouge.  Since we were rolling around before 10 AM, finding an open liquor store proved to be a bit of a challenge, but eventually we spotted one with an open sign and walked on in.  After grabbing a couple of six packs we journeyed back to the Phoenix All-Suites West where Brett/Robinson Properties put us up for the weekend.  Thanks, guys!

The View of the Oil-Free Beach from our Room at the Phoenix All-Suites West in Gulf Shores, AL

Once we got back to the room the time had come to pry open a few cold ones.  Eric, my beer-blogging brother, selected the Tommy Knocker Imperial Nut Brown Ale and the Bell's Two Hearted Ale for us to "research".  You can check the BR Beer Scene for some reviews of the beers themselves.  I will say that I really enjoyed the Two Hearted Ale as it fairly excellently combined malt with some great hops to leave a well balanced pale ale.

Tommy Knocker Imperial Nut Brown Ale and Bell's Two Hearted Ale

After bumming around and drinking a few brews, Eric and I headed to King Neptune's Seafood Restaurant for lunch.  King Neptune's is a local joint that has good character and some entrenched history of surviving hurricanes and now an oil spill.  They are known for their quality seafood and outstanding prices, as well as the royal reds that they serve up (deep-water ruby red shrimp).

King Neptune's Seafood Restaurant in Gulf Shores

I met Al Sawyer, the owner of King Neptune's, and chatted with him for a little while about his restaurant, the food on his menu, and his love for seafood.  He gave us a couple suggestions on what to order as well, though he naturally stressed that it is all good!

Jay Ducote and Al Sawyer Inside King Neptune's Seafood Restaurant

Al sent out a round of appetizers to get things started.  We began with some coconut shrimp and assorted baked oysters.  The shrimp may have been the best coconut shrimp that I've ever eaten.  I'm usually not a fan of coconut shrimp, but these were spot on!  The shrimp get dunked into a Coco-lopez batter then covered with shredded coconut and fried before getting served with a Creole Marmalade.  They oysters were certainly edible, but again they just weren't like the Louisiana oysters that I'm used to!

Coconut Shrimp at King Neptune's Seafood Restaurant

Four Kinds of Baked Oysters at King Neptune's

As an effort to not quit drinking, Eric and I each ordered a round of beers.  I opted for the Jimmy Buffett-inspired and Anheuser Busch-produced Land Shark Lager (which, due to the Parrot Head ties, is pretty much the beer of choice down there) while Eric ordered a Yuengling.  Ah, cheap, light swill.  I'll give Land Shark this... it is refreshing!  It tastes like a mix between a Budweiser and a Corona, for whatever that is worth!

Landshark and Yuengling... Enough to Keep Us Going!

As good as the coconut shrimp were, the highlight of the appetizers and really the entire meal had to be the West Indies Crab Salad.  The dish consisted of jumbo lump crab meat and sweet Vidalia onions that were drizzled in a special vinegar-based mixture.  The crab meat tasted fresh and absolutely delicious.  It may not be the cheapest thing on the menu, but it certainly is delightful and worth every penny!

The West Indies Crab Salad at King Neptune's Seafood Restaurant

For our entrées, as if we needed more food, Eric and I ordered shrimp just about every which way we could.  I figured it would be easier to make a decision that way!  My favorites were the boiled shrimp and butterflied shrimp.

 Starting at the Top Left and Going Clockwise: Boiled, Butterflied, BBQ Skewer, and Broiled (with Scallops and Flounder)

Finally, no good meal can be truly complete without dessert.  King Neptune's delivered with quite an interesting option: a deep fried cheesecake!

Deep Fried Cheesecake

I have mixed emotions about the cheesecake.  First, it was incredible.  The crispy exterior, the warm and gooey interior, the caramel and pecan sauce... I really wanted to like it for all the right reasons.  However, I'm a huge fan of cheesecake, and for some reason, something just proved interesting and mildly disturbing about eating a slice in this fashion.  On my first bite, the inside was so warm that it changed the texture of the actual cheesecake and some of it dribbled down my chin.  Hot melted cheesecake just isn't my thing!  However, as I got into the center the texture returned to normal and from that point on it was every bit as good as I had hoped.  Basically it is a frozen wedge of cheesecake that is coated in cornflakes and then flash-fried.  Interesting, yes, but that's just all the more reason for me to suggest that everyone give it a try!

Overall I had a very positive experience at King Neptune's and I would gladly go back.  The only think I really didn't enjoy were the skewed and barbecued shrimp.  Other than that, everything tasted great!  After King Neptune's it was on to a kayaking adventure, but I'll save that for the next post!

Things To Do
Gulf Shores

Alabama's White Sand Beaches: Part II

Saturday morning came early after night one in Alabama, but Eric and I were ready to head to Tacky Jacks for breakfast to meet the rest of our blogger gang. I had heard good things about Tacky Jack's and had already been told by Lori that I was going to be ordering a Farmer's Omelet, so I prepared myself to be stuffed.

The Large Farmer's Omelet at Tacky Jacks Took Up the Entire Plate!

The omelet utilized two egg cakes (they looked like pancakes) to serve as the outer layers of this over-stuffed gargantuan breakfast.  Between the two layers of eggs there were potatoes, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, sausage, and ham, with plenty of American and cheddar cheese located inside and on top.  As if this wasn't enough food, the Farmer's Omelet also came with a choice of bread, so I opted for the biscuit which was sliced in half, coated in butter, and toasted on the flat top.

The omelet itself didn't quite live up to the overall atmosphere of Tacky Jacks.  It is a pretty neat place right on the water with multiple levels of outdoor deck seating.  I'd gladly go back for the culture... and for the Bushwackers!!

The Famous Bushwacker at Tacky Jacks

The Bushwacker is Alabama Gulf Coast's famous alcoholic beverage... so I had two or three for breakfast!  Tacky Jacks' version of the creative concoction mixes white rum, coconut rum, coffee liqueur, and a little 151 proof rum over vanilla ice cream.  This Bushwacker put its stamp on the meal and most certainly earned its spot as my favorite Bushwacker if Gulf Shores/Orange Beach!

Things To Do
Orange Beach