Today we’re
starting an extended series on regional dining experiences and flavors
throughout the United States and how they differ. We hope you’ll enjoy this culinary journey
and feel free to share your favorite food locale with us!

The South
The United States is a large nation made up of many
different states and regions, each with their own unique local culture and
flavor. A traveler throughout this nation can come across many places that have
a unique cuisine all their own, places like the Southern United States, the
Southwest, New England, and even the West Coast and California. When you think of certain regions and their
food, you will find a consistency in the images that pop up. When thinking of food from the Southwest, an
image of Tex-Mex cuisine, large restaurant booths and walls adorned with desert
scenes, cactuses and architecture that evokes pueblo homes may come to mind. In contrast, images of the South may center
on a rustic setting adorned with farm implements and other images of country
life.

Ya’ll
come back now!
The South. Georgia, Virginia, North and
South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida, Louisiana. The states of the Former Confederacy. Dixie. The images that come to mind are of
intense and humid heat, lemonade on a porch in the afternoon. Biscuits and grits, and a general genteel
unhurried nature. Most importantly,
though, is just plain, simple good food. Whether its Carolina BBQ near Raleigh, upscale dining in an Antebellum
setting in Charleston, or some good ole’ Cajun cookin’ down in New Orleans, the
Southeast is known far and wide for its delicious food. When one goes to a Southern restaurant there
is an image that comes to mind. It’s a
place where the staff is very polite and friendly, and just brimming with “southern
hospitality.”

The décor harkens back to either a bygone era of simpler times, a
rustic country feel, or a mixture of cultures, such as French, Caribbean or
Spanish. When the urge to have biscuits
and gravy beckons, and it should, what image pops into your mind for the best
place to go get some? An upscale
bistro? A food truck? Or a nice farmhouse-looking place that makes
you feel at home, with food just like mama used to make? The latter is an image that popular chains
like Cracker Barrel try to bring to mind in how they decorate their
restaurants. When you walk into one,
they try to make you feel that you are in an old country store and restaurant,
and the fare on their menu reflects that image. Cracker Barrel is a good example of a national chain bringing a regional
image to places all across the nation, and therefore helping to popularize the
image of southern food and southern décor. A region as large as the Southeast however has more than one type of
cultural flavor to offer

Let the good times roll!
New Orleans—The Big Easy! The home of world famous Cajun and creole
cuisines, New Orleans is synonymous with good food, and classic old fashioned
dining. With a mixture of French,
Spanish, African, and Caribbean cultures, you will find restaurants in New
Orleans that are unique and filled with delicious foods! Whether it’s a French style bistro, an oyster
bar, or an upscale creole restaurant decked out in a style that would be both
familiar and pleasing to the Sun King himself, New Orleans is a brand and style
that is world renowned, and a crown jewel in Southern cuisine and culture. In New Orleans restaurants you will find a
mixture of both old world and new, that has a tremendous amount of diversity.