When you look at its cover, the book seems like it should be fairly straightforward: Southern Living Off the Eaten Path: Favorite Southern Dives and 150 Recipes That Made Them Famous.
But after reading the brief introduction from Fannie Flag, and once I got a few chapters in, the questions started swirling: what exactly is this book? Should I display it on my coffee table, prop it up on my cookbook stand, or toss it into the backseat of my car for my next southern road trip?
I've finished it now, and I still don't have the answers. For while this book, by Morgan Murphy and the editors of Southern Living magazine, is certainly fun to flip through, it's best not to try to, like, read it. The overall effect is something of a mish-mish--the term "mission creep" comes to mind.
For each southern state, you'll read a brief profile of between two and six restaurants, complete with charming photos and a recipe or two. GPS coordinates are also provided in latitude and longitude, an anachronism that seems less quaint than strange. (Who programs their GPS with anything but an address these days?)
Also for each state, there's a "Rubbernecker Wonder", a brief bit of non-food related state trivia, and also a suggested best drive, which confusingly doesn't always encompass the restaurant picks. Oh, and last but not least, there are diner "secrets" scattered throughout, like "cook the steak to medium rare to keep it tender and juicy" and "perfect bacon shouldn't be too floppy or too crispy". Indeed.
Bottom line:
- Southern food enthusiasts will want to give this at least a quick skim to see if a favorite dive made the cut.
- Southern home cooks will find few recipes that they couldn't find elsewhere.
- A good gift for someone with a touch of readerly A.D.D.
Details: Oxmoor House, 2011. $21.95
I appreciate the attitude and sensitivity of the critic I won’t buy the book.