November 15, 2023 • 13 mins
Explore Mobile, Alabama's diverse culinary scene, from secret speakeasies and French Creole delights to gourmet Southern-style meat and three. Darley Newman takes you to dine with a former professional football star, now restaurateur, Bob Baumhower and indulge in diverse dishes with Spanish, British and French influences with Chef “Panini” Pete Blohme. From Eggs Cathedral for breakfast at family-run Spot of Tea to gourmet meat-and-three at The Noble South, the journey is a delectable blend of flavors and history. Restaurants, entrepreneurs and chefs featured include Las Floriditas and Dauphin’s with Bob Baumhower, a former NFL nose tackle with the Miami Dolphins. In downtown Mobile, Darley dines with Chef Pete Blohme at Squid Ink Eclectic Eat & Drinks, Chef Chris Rainosek at The Noble South and Tony Moore at Spot of Tea.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
DARLEY (VO) (00:00):
Imagine sipping Cuban cocktails in a speakeasy
(00:03):
located in a bank vault with an ex-professional football player.
DARLEY (00:06):
Cheers. BOB BAUMHOWER
DARLEY (VO) (00:08):
How about savoring a blend of British, French and Spanish cuisine?
CHEF PETE BLOHME (00:12):
Saffron, rice, chicken, chorizo sausage.
Unique twist on a taste of Spain.
DARLEY (VO) (00:18):
Cooked up by a world-class chef who's headlined with Guy Fieri
and been featured on Food Network shows like the Great Food Truck Race
with Tyler Florence.
It's all on offer in Alabama.
I've been eating with the best chefs around the world for two decades,
so when the opportunity came up to rate some of the top restaurants
and restaurant experiences in Alabama, I said:
DARLEY (00:39):
That is good.
DARLEY (VO) (00:41):
We're traveling to Alabama's port city of Mobile
to taste the diversity of what's on offer
and explore how history has shaped a menu
inspired by flavors from France, Great Britain, Spain and even Cuba.
Join me as we eat our way through Alabama
on this episode of Travels with Darley (00:56):
The Southern Trails Podcast.
(theme music)
DARLEY (VO) (01:03):
I'm starting out my Alabama adventures in the city of Mobile
and doing what I recommend so many of you do on your travels.
I'm getting lost.
DARLEY (01:15):
So I'm searching for this speakeasy, Las Floriditas,
and I, I can't find it.
DARLEY (VO) (01:19):
I often seek out speakeasies in my home area of New York City,
and sometimes they are hard to find.
But this one, located in the basement of a downtown Mobile office building,
takes the cake so far.
I meander alongside beige walls adorned with modern art
until I finally round a corner and come upon what looks like an office.
The walls are covered in wooden bookshelves lined with old books
(01:42):
and black-and-white photographs of Hemingway gone fishing.
ROOSEVELT PATTERSON (01:45):
¿Cómo está?
DARLEY (01:47):
Bien, bien.
ROOSEVELT PATTERSON (01:48):
Welcome to Las Floriditas. I'm Roosevelt, the doorkeeper here.
DARLEY (VO) (01:50):
At 6 foot 3 and wearing a white, oversized button-down shirt
and straw fedora,
Roosevelt Patterson is not just the imposing doorkeeper-slash-bouncer.
He was the starting offensive tackle on Crimson Tide's 1992 national championship team.
He shows me his national championship ring,
before hitting a switch to open the secret door.
ROOSEVELT PATTERSON (02:11):
And you may enter in.
DARLEY (02:13):
Wow. Okay, I didn't expect this. ROOSEVELT PATTERSON
DARLEY (VO) (02:18):
The bookshelf along the wall slides away from the corner
to reveal the speakeasy bar and restaurant inside.
BOB BAUMHOWER (02:25):
Hello! Welcome. Welcome, Darley.
DARLEY (02:27):
You don’t make it look easy, Bob!
BOB BAUMHOWER (02:28):
Yeah, ma’am, welcome to Mobile and Las Floriditas.
Bob Baumhower played for the University of Alabama under Coach "Bear" Bryant
and later under coach Don Shula for the Miami Dolphins.
He’s also an Alabama restauranteur
with restaurants located throughout the state,
including Las Floriditas in Mobile and just upstairs, Dauphins.
(02:49):
I lived in South Florida for a long time
and fell in love with the Cuban culture.
And then we came up with the concept of Las Floriditas,
which is a tribute to El Floridita in Havana.
They say it's the birthplace of the daiquiri,
and that is our signature drink;
the “Las Floriditas Daiquiri.”
I hope you enjoy.
DARLEY (03:06):
Cheers.
BOB BAUMHOWER (03:07):
Cheers.
DARLEY (VO) (03:08):
We toast, our daquiri glasses
brimming with a slushy mixture of white rum,
fresh key lime juice, maraschino liqueur
and turbinado sugar.
Baumhower is one of many Alabama entrepreneurs
doing something innovative with drinks and food.
Spread before us next are large meatball-sized ham and cheese croquettes
(03:29):
topped with Dijon aioli, citrus-marinated grilled-and-chilled
chimichurri shrimp over white rice
and a delicate French-style pastry,
shaped like two upright hard-shelled tacos,
topped with whipped cream and bursting
with papaya cream cheese filling.
Papaya sauce and lime zest, delicately sprinkled on top.
(03:50):
I try the dessert first.
DARLEY (03:52):
Mm, the pastry is so light.
And that lemon zest-y flavor?
BOB BAUMHOWER (03:57):
Yeah.
DARLEY (03:58):
That's fantastic.
BOB BAUMHOWER (03:58):
Nice combination of textures, too.
DARLEY (04:00):
I've been enjoying a bit of Cuba here.
I think we should head to France.
BOB BAUMHOWER (04:03):
Okay, let's go.
DARLEY (VO) (04:04):
We take the elevator to the 34th floor to Dauphins,
which offers sweeping views of the city of Mobile
and the port activity of Mobile Bay,
along with a menu featuring French Creole dishes
inspired by Mobile's history.
Bob and I sit down at this casual fine dining restaurant
to try a signature dish.
BOB BAUMHOWER (04:23):
You know, Mobile has a pretty strong Creole background
with, you know, the French being the founders here,
and we got a lot going on just as much as New Orleans
does when it comes to the Creole thing.
And we're in the South,
so fried green tomatoes are something
that a lot of folks like here.
Fried green tomatoes with our shrimp.
DARLEY (04:43):
A little bit of a heat to it.
I like that. A little kick.
BOB BAUMHOWER (04:46):
Isn't that nice? Nice combination of flavors there.
DARLEY (04:48):
So now you've had the game of football,
but also the restaurant game.
Which is more of a challenge?
BOB BAUMHOWER (04:56):
I don't have to think about this one.
The hospitality, the restaurant business.
Anybody that knows anything about football
knows that you don't grow up wanting to be a nose guard.
It's not a fun position, it's tough.
This business is tougher.
DARLEY (VO) (05:08):
I'm starting a new day in Mobile
with a walk in Cathedral Park,
followed by the most important meal (05:14):
breakfast.
I'm taking you to three key spots
for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,
starting with a Spot of Tea, a Mobile staple.
It's located across the street from Cathedral Park
on Dauphin Street in the heart of the arts
and entertainment district.
Tony Moore, also known as Little T,
(05:34):
walks me in the park towards the cathedral
to chat about the family restaurant
where he literally grew up.
TONY MOORE (05:40):
This is the Cathedral Park, named
aptly after the Church of the Immaculate Conception
or, the Cathedral.
DARLEY (05:47):
Beautiful church, wow.
TONY MOORE (05:48):
It's one of the oldest parishes in Mobile.
It was founded in 1703.
DARLEY (VO) (05:53):
We're on a sidewalk flanked by green grass
and white tulips facing the large, red brick cathedral.
The first Catholic parish on the Gulf Coast,
it was established just one year
after the founding of Mobile.
DARLEY (06:05):
So you grew up right here living above a Spot of Tea?
TONY MOORE (06:08):
Yes, ma'am. It was an experience like no other.
It's just a little a breakfast-lunch area
where people could feel welcome
and just have a cup of tea and, like, maybe a tuna sandwich.
So that's where the Spot of Tea comes from
and it just kind of exploded from there.
DARLEY (VO) (06:20):
A Spot of Tea reminds me of a New Orleans café,
with outdoor seating downstairs
and a wrought-iron balcony on the second floor,
just above a neon-and-white sign for a Spot of Tea,
established in 1994.
The Moore family name is emblazoned
on the building above the balcony.
DARLEY (06:38):
So what should I have this morning at Spot of Tea?
TONY MOORE (06:41):
The "Eggs Cathedral."
The English muffin, crab cake, scrambled eggs,
surrounded by a bed of country-style hashbrowns.
"Deadly" hashbrowns,
which is ham, cheddar cheese, onions, bell peppers,
pepperoncini peppers and of course,
it's covered in our signature seafood sauce made
with Mexican grouper and crawfish tails.
You can get that nowhere else but the Spot of Tea.
DARLEY (07:01):
So like the layers of building materials
that go into making a beautiful cathedral,
you have created this massive "Eggs Cathedral."
TONY MOORE (07:09):
Yes, ma'am.
DARLEY (07:10):
The holy grail of eggs.
TONY MOORE (07:12):
I guess so, yes.
DARLEY (VO) (07:14):
I head inside the no-frills eatery
and sit down to try this breakfast of champions.
DARLEY (07:18):
So this is the "Eggs Cathedral,"
and there is crab cake in here,
grouper, hashbrowns, cheese.
We've got Gulf shrimp, peppers, lots of goodness.
DARLEY (VO) (07:31):
The cheese hangs onto my fork as I lift it off the plate.
DARLEY (07:34):
Ooh, look at that cheese.
Ooh, there's a kick.
That is good.
That is really good.
It's cheesy, it's premium.
You've got a seafood flavor but not too much.
This is just meal number one of the day, people.
DARLEY (VO) (07:47):
For lunch, let's meet Chris Rainosek at the Noble South,
where traditional southern "meat and three"
is locally sourced and gourmet.
Also located on Dauphin Street,
this restaurant is bright and airy
with high ceilings and brick walls painted white
and adorned with silver wall sconces
topped with green plants.
(08:08):
I sit down with Chris at a blonde, wooden high-top table
accented with a bouquet of wildflowers.
DARLEY (08:13):
Share with us what "meat and three" is
and how you're doing it here.
CHRIS RAINOSEK (08:16):
Kind of a style of serving and ordering food
that you would find at, you know,
old southern lunch counters
and basically get to pick your meat
and then pick your vegetable side.
DARLEY (VO) (08:25):
Our white plates are neatly covered
with a meat and three sides.
CHRIS RAINOSEK (08:29):
Collard greens, broccoli rice casserole.
This is a beet salad with feta and pecans.
Everybody's favorite southern vegetable, macaroni and cheese.
Fried catfish, skillet corn, black-eyed peas and cornbread.
DARLEY (08:42):
We'll definitely have to start with this catfish.
It's nice and crunchy on the outside.
Soft, moist on the inside. Really flavorful.
CHRIS RAINOSEK (08:49):
We use a mixture of heirloom corns.
This farm grows a bunch of heirloom
varietals of corn, so all different colors,
all different varietals, and they grind it up
into grits and cornmeal.
DARLEY (08:59):
There are a lot of chefs that are really searching
for those heirloom ingredients now.
CHRIS RAINOSEK (09:03):
You know, it provides inspiration to the chefs
and the cooks, let them see something different
they've never seen before, as well as just the flavors,
if it's coming straight off the farm,
and those ingredients can have so much more of a true flavor
to what the ingredient is.
So this is kind of our version of a classic southern cornbread.
We use our heirloom cornmeal, same as you had on the catfish,
and then we cook it in the classic way,
a little bit of bacon fat in a very hot cast iron pan.
DARLEY (09:25):
Okay, bacon fat in a cast iron skillet... CHRIS RAINOSEK
...with all different types of heirloom cornmeal?
CHRIS RAINOSEK (09:29):
Correct.
DARLEY (09:30):
Mm. Who doesn't love a good cornbread?
CHRIS RAINOSEK (09:33):
Everybody's Alabama grandma has a cornbread recipe,
a mac and cheese recipe. And as you work your way through
the seasons, we always have different things
kind of rotating through, so it'll be a totally different-looking
menu in the summer, totally different menu
in the fall.
It keeps it interesting for us and keeps our farmers
in business.
DARLEY (09:48):
An elevated "meat and three," fresh from the farm.
DARLEY (VO) (09:51):
Chef-driven restaurants are popular on the global scene,
and Mobile is no exception.
Chef Pete Blohme, otherwise known as "Panini" Pete,
is one of the most well-known,
having been featured on Food Network shows
like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri
and the Great Food Truck Race with Tyler Florence.
His downtown Mobile restaurant,
(10:12):
Squid Ink Eats & Drinks, melds Mobile's French,
British and Spanish heritage into dishes and cocktails.
CHEF PETE BLOHME (10:20):
Right when you walk in Squid Ink,
the first thing you see is the Cadillac wall over here.
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac,
who was an early royal governor of French Louisiana.
This was the capital of French Louisiana before it moved west.
So we got this cool history.
So he was also the founder of Detroit,
namesake of the Cadillac.
When you learn that story, you go,
"Wow, this makes it even better."
It's a better experience.
We've been under French rule, Spanish rule, British rule.
(10:42):
So we kind of played with a lot of that in the food.
DARLEY (VO) (10:45):
Chef Pete and I sit down for a multi-course dinner
amid the buzzy crowd at Squid Ink.
DARLEY (10:50):
This is the paella?
CHEF PETE BLOHME (10:52):
Yeah, so we're right in the midst of Spain here.
We have the paella fritters with the romesco sauce.
I'm gonna crack one open, so you can really see it.
So you got that nice, those peas in there. DARLEY: Ooh, look at that steam coming out.
Saffron, rice, chicken, chorizo sausage.
A neat, unique twist on a taste of Spain.
It's been a great hit.
And the infamous "S.O.S.," the Spanish "Squid on a Shingle,"
(11:14):
which is so good,
it comes with this little, little drop bucket of love here.
DARLEY (VO) (11:18):
Chef Pete generously pours a garlic butter sauce
over the grilled squid.
DARLEY (11:23):
That garlic is really good. DARLEY (VO)
CHEF PETE BLOHME (11:26):
You ready to try a little fish and chips?
We've got some fried mahi with a nice, traditional batter.
DARLEY (11:33):
Sometimes the fish and chips are too bland.
This has a lot of flavor.
CHEF PETE BLOHME (11:36):
Here, with the diversity of the menu,
we have to have everything, it's gotta have a voice.
So for our little French nod,
we have this killer "Cadillac Burger"
that I want you to try today.
And there's a shallot bacon jam
and some melted brie cheese,
and it's got lettuce, tomatoes, onions,
our burger sauce.
DARLEY (11:52):
I love burgers. I love meat.
This is amazing.
This is the Cadillac of burgers right here.
CHEF PETE BLOHME (11:58):
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac lived right on the next block.
He was a lover of good food and drink.
DARLEY (VO) (12:03):
And I am too,
but after eating with Chef "Panini" Pete,
you may have to roll me to my next location.
DARLEY (12:10):
So neat that you have the French, the British,
the Spanish flavors going on here,
an homage to the heritage,
and then so much history right around the corner.
CHEF PETE BLOHME (12:18):
Yeah, Mobile's a very unique city,
and we call it kind of "historic eats,"
and it gives us a lot of room to play with the menu.
You know, it takes the borders off,
and we get to just go crazy back there.
DARLEY (VO) (12:29):
It's crazy creativity
from chefs who are sharing more than just a meal.
They're sharing their community's story.
So whether you run into Bob Baumhower
at a Mobile speakeasy,
or Little T for breakfast at a Spot of Tea,
you're in for some good eats and fascinating history,
as you dine around Mobile.
(12:50):
Tune into my next podcast on Alabama food,
charting experiences in Montgomery and Birmingham
with award-winning chefs and farm-fresh food,
on Travels with Darley (12:59):
Southern Trails.
(upbeat music)
Imagine sipping Cuban cocktails in a speakeasy
(00:03):
located in a bank vault with an ex-professional football player.
DARLEY (00:06):
Cheers. BOB BAUMHOWER
DARLEY (VO) (00:08):
How about savoring a blend of British, French and Spanish cuisine?
CHEF PETE BLOHME (00:12):
Saffron, rice, chicken, chorizo sausage.
Unique twist on a taste of Spain.
DARLEY (VO) (00:18):
Cooked up by a world-class chef who's headlined with Guy Fieri
and been featured on Food Network shows like the Great Food Truck Race
with Tyler Florence.
It's all on offer in Alabama.
I've been eating with the best chefs around the world for two decades,
so when the opportunity came up to rate some of the top restaurants
and restaurant experiences in Alabama, I said:
DARLEY (00:39):
That is good.
DARLEY (VO) (00:41):
We're traveling to Alabama's port city of Mobile
to taste the diversity of what's on offer
and explore how history has shaped a menu
inspired by flavors from France, Great Britain, Spain and even Cuba.
Join me as we eat our way through Alabama
on this episode of Travels with Darley (00:56):
The Southern Trails Podcast.
(theme music)
DARLEY (VO) (01:03):
I'm starting out my Alabama adventures in the city of Mobile
and doing what I recommend so many of you do on your travels.
I'm getting lost.
DARLEY (01:15):
So I'm searching for this speakeasy, Las Floriditas,
and I, I can't find it.
DARLEY (VO) (01:19):
I often seek out speakeasies in my home area of New York City,
and sometimes they are hard to find.
But this one, located in the basement of a downtown Mobile office building,
takes the cake so far.
I meander alongside beige walls adorned with modern art
until I finally round a corner and come upon what looks like an office.
The walls are covered in wooden bookshelves lined with old books
(01:42):
and black-and-white photographs of Hemingway gone fishing.
ROOSEVELT PATTERSON (01:45):
¿Cómo está?
DARLEY (01:47):
Bien, bien.
ROOSEVELT PATTERSON (01:48):
Welcome to Las Floriditas. I'm Roosevelt, the doorkeeper here.
DARLEY (VO) (01:50):
At 6 foot 3 and wearing a white, oversized button-down shirt
and straw fedora,
Roosevelt Patterson is not just the imposing doorkeeper-slash-bouncer.
He was the starting offensive tackle on Crimson Tide's 1992 national championship team.
He shows me his national championship ring,
before hitting a switch to open the secret door.
ROOSEVELT PATTERSON (02:11):
And you may enter in.
DARLEY (02:13):
Wow. Okay, I didn't expect this. ROOSEVELT PATTERSON
DARLEY (VO) (02:18):
The bookshelf along the wall slides away from the corner
to reveal the speakeasy bar and restaurant inside.
BOB BAUMHOWER (02:25):
Hello! Welcome. Welcome, Darley.
DARLEY (02:27):
You don’t make it look easy, Bob!
BOB BAUMHOWER (02:28):
Yeah, ma’am, welcome to Mobile and Las Floriditas.
Bob Baumhower played for the University of Alabama under Coach "Bear" Bryant
and later under coach Don Shula for the Miami Dolphins.
He’s also an Alabama restauranteur
with restaurants located throughout the state,
including Las Floriditas in Mobile and just upstairs, Dauphins.
(02:49):
I lived in South Florida for a long time
and fell in love with the Cuban culture.
And then we came up with the concept of Las Floriditas,
which is a tribute to El Floridita in Havana.
They say it's the birthplace of the daiquiri,
and that is our signature drink;
the “Las Floriditas Daiquiri.”
I hope you enjoy.
DARLEY (03:06):
Cheers.
BOB BAUMHOWER (03:07):
Cheers.
DARLEY (VO) (03:08):
We toast, our daquiri glasses
brimming with a slushy mixture of white rum,
fresh key lime juice, maraschino liqueur
and turbinado sugar.
Baumhower is one of many Alabama entrepreneurs
doing something innovative with drinks and food.
Spread before us next are large meatball-sized ham and cheese croquettes
(03:29):
topped with Dijon aioli, citrus-marinated grilled-and-chilled
chimichurri shrimp over white rice
and a delicate French-style pastry,
shaped like two upright hard-shelled tacos,
topped with whipped cream and bursting
with papaya cream cheese filling.
Papaya sauce and lime zest, delicately sprinkled on top.
(03:50):
I try the dessert first.
DARLEY (03:52):
Mm, the pastry is so light.
And that lemon zest-y flavor?
BOB BAUMHOWER (03:57):
Yeah.
DARLEY (03:58):
That's fantastic.
BOB BAUMHOWER (03:58):
Nice combination of textures, too.
DARLEY (04:00):
I've been enjoying a bit of Cuba here.
I think we should head to France.
BOB BAUMHOWER (04:03):
Okay, let's go.
DARLEY (VO) (04:04):
We take the elevator to the 34th floor to Dauphins,
which offers sweeping views of the city of Mobile
and the port activity of Mobile Bay,
along with a menu featuring French Creole dishes
inspired by Mobile's history.
Bob and I sit down at this casual fine dining restaurant
to try a signature dish.
BOB BAUMHOWER (04:23):
You know, Mobile has a pretty strong Creole background
with, you know, the French being the founders here,
and we got a lot going on just as much as New Orleans
does when it comes to the Creole thing.
And we're in the South,
so fried green tomatoes are something
that a lot of folks like here.
Fried green tomatoes with our shrimp.
DARLEY (04:43):
A little bit of a heat to it.
I like that. A little kick.
BOB BAUMHOWER (04:46):
Isn't that nice? Nice combination of flavors there.
DARLEY (04:48):
So now you've had the game of football,
but also the restaurant game.
Which is more of a challenge?
BOB BAUMHOWER (04:56):
I don't have to think about this one.
The hospitality, the restaurant business.
Anybody that knows anything about football
knows that you don't grow up wanting to be a nose guard.
It's not a fun position, it's tough.
This business is tougher.
DARLEY (VO) (05:08):
I'm starting a new day in Mobile
with a walk in Cathedral Park,
followed by the most important meal (05:14):
breakfast.
I'm taking you to three key spots
for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,
starting with a Spot of Tea, a Mobile staple.
It's located across the street from Cathedral Park
on Dauphin Street in the heart of the arts
and entertainment district.
Tony Moore, also known as Little T,
(05:34):
walks me in the park towards the cathedral
to chat about the family restaurant
where he literally grew up.
TONY MOORE (05:40):
This is the Cathedral Park, named
aptly after the Church of the Immaculate Conception
or, the Cathedral.
DARLEY (05:47):
Beautiful church, wow.
TONY MOORE (05:48):
It's one of the oldest parishes in Mobile.
It was founded in 1703.
DARLEY (VO) (05:53):
We're on a sidewalk flanked by green grass
and white tulips facing the large, red brick cathedral.
The first Catholic parish on the Gulf Coast,
it was established just one year
after the founding of Mobile.
DARLEY (06:05):
So you grew up right here living above a Spot of Tea?
TONY MOORE (06:08):
Yes, ma'am. It was an experience like no other.
It's just a little a breakfast-lunch area
where people could feel welcome
and just have a cup of tea and, like, maybe a tuna sandwich.
So that's where the Spot of Tea comes from
and it just kind of exploded from there.
DARLEY (VO) (06:20):
A Spot of Tea reminds me of a New Orleans café,
with outdoor seating downstairs
and a wrought-iron balcony on the second floor,
just above a neon-and-white sign for a Spot of Tea,
established in 1994.
The Moore family name is emblazoned
on the building above the balcony.
DARLEY (06:38):
So what should I have this morning at Spot of Tea?
TONY MOORE (06:41):
The "Eggs Cathedral."
The English muffin, crab cake, scrambled eggs,
surrounded by a bed of country-style hashbrowns.
"Deadly" hashbrowns,
which is ham, cheddar cheese, onions, bell peppers,
pepperoncini peppers and of course,
it's covered in our signature seafood sauce made
with Mexican grouper and crawfish tails.
You can get that nowhere else but the Spot of Tea.
DARLEY (07:01):
So like the layers of building materials
that go into making a beautiful cathedral,
you have created this massive "Eggs Cathedral."
TONY MOORE (07:09):
Yes, ma'am.
DARLEY (07:10):
The holy grail of eggs.
TONY MOORE (07:12):
I guess so, yes.
DARLEY (VO) (07:14):
I head inside the no-frills eatery
and sit down to try this breakfast of champions.
DARLEY (07:18):
So this is the "Eggs Cathedral,"
and there is crab cake in here,
grouper, hashbrowns, cheese.
We've got Gulf shrimp, peppers, lots of goodness.
DARLEY (VO) (07:31):
The cheese hangs onto my fork as I lift it off the plate.
DARLEY (07:34):
Ooh, look at that cheese.
Ooh, there's a kick.
That is good.
That is really good.
It's cheesy, it's premium.
You've got a seafood flavor but not too much.
This is just meal number one of the day, people.
DARLEY (VO) (07:47):
For lunch, let's meet Chris Rainosek at the Noble South,
where traditional southern "meat and three"
is locally sourced and gourmet.
Also located on Dauphin Street,
this restaurant is bright and airy
with high ceilings and brick walls painted white
and adorned with silver wall sconces
topped with green plants.
(08:08):
I sit down with Chris at a blonde, wooden high-top table
accented with a bouquet of wildflowers.
DARLEY (08:13):
Share with us what "meat and three" is
and how you're doing it here.
CHRIS RAINOSEK (08:16):
Kind of a style of serving and ordering food
that you would find at, you know,
old southern lunch counters
and basically get to pick your meat
and then pick your vegetable side.
DARLEY (VO) (08:25):
Our white plates are neatly covered
with a meat and three sides.
CHRIS RAINOSEK (08:29):
Collard greens, broccoli rice casserole.
This is a beet salad with feta and pecans.
Everybody's favorite southern vegetable, macaroni and cheese.
Fried catfish, skillet corn, black-eyed peas and cornbread.
DARLEY (08:42):
We'll definitely have to start with this catfish.
It's nice and crunchy on the outside.
Soft, moist on the inside. Really flavorful.
CHRIS RAINOSEK (08:49):
We use a mixture of heirloom corns.
This farm grows a bunch of heirloom
varietals of corn, so all different colors,
all different varietals, and they grind it up
into grits and cornmeal.
DARLEY (08:59):
There are a lot of chefs that are really searching
for those heirloom ingredients now.
CHRIS RAINOSEK (09:03):
You know, it provides inspiration to the chefs
and the cooks, let them see something different
they've never seen before, as well as just the flavors,
if it's coming straight off the farm,
and those ingredients can have so much more of a true flavor
to what the ingredient is.
So this is kind of our version of a classic southern cornbread.
We use our heirloom cornmeal, same as you had on the catfish,
and then we cook it in the classic way,
a little bit of bacon fat in a very hot cast iron pan.
DARLEY (09:25):
Okay, bacon fat in a cast iron skillet... CHRIS RAINOSEK
...with all different types of heirloom cornmeal?
CHRIS RAINOSEK (09:29):
Correct.
DARLEY (09:30):
Mm. Who doesn't love a good cornbread?
CHRIS RAINOSEK (09:33):
Everybody's Alabama grandma has a cornbread recipe,
a mac and cheese recipe. And as you work your way through
the seasons, we always have different things
kind of rotating through, so it'll be a totally different-looking
menu in the summer, totally different menu
in the fall.
It keeps it interesting for us and keeps our farmers
in business.
DARLEY (09:48):
An elevated "meat and three," fresh from the farm.
DARLEY (VO) (09:51):
Chef-driven restaurants are popular on the global scene,
and Mobile is no exception.
Chef Pete Blohme, otherwise known as "Panini" Pete,
is one of the most well-known,
having been featured on Food Network shows
like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri
and the Great Food Truck Race with Tyler Florence.
His downtown Mobile restaurant,
(10:12):
Squid Ink Eats & Drinks, melds Mobile's French,
British and Spanish heritage into dishes and cocktails.
CHEF PETE BLOHME (10:20):
Right when you walk in Squid Ink,
the first thing you see is the Cadillac wall over here.
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac,
who was an early royal governor of French Louisiana.
This was the capital of French Louisiana before it moved west.
So we got this cool history.
So he was also the founder of Detroit,
namesake of the Cadillac.
When you learn that story, you go,
"Wow, this makes it even better."
It's a better experience.
We've been under French rule, Spanish rule, British rule.
(10:42):
So we kind of played with a lot of that in the food.
DARLEY (VO) (10:45):
Chef Pete and I sit down for a multi-course dinner
amid the buzzy crowd at Squid Ink.
DARLEY (10:50):
This is the paella?
CHEF PETE BLOHME (10:52):
Yeah, so we're right in the midst of Spain here.
We have the paella fritters with the romesco sauce.
I'm gonna crack one open, so you can really see it.
So you got that nice, those peas in there. DARLEY: Ooh, look at that steam coming out.
Saffron, rice, chicken, chorizo sausage.
A neat, unique twist on a taste of Spain.
It's been a great hit.
And the infamous "S.O.S.," the Spanish "Squid on a Shingle,"
(11:14):
which is so good,
it comes with this little, little drop bucket of love here.
DARLEY (VO) (11:18):
Chef Pete generously pours a garlic butter sauce
over the grilled squid.
DARLEY (11:23):
That garlic is really good. DARLEY (VO)
CHEF PETE BLOHME (11:26):
You ready to try a little fish and chips?
We've got some fried mahi with a nice, traditional batter.
DARLEY (11:33):
Sometimes the fish and chips are too bland.
This has a lot of flavor.
CHEF PETE BLOHME (11:36):
Here, with the diversity of the menu,
we have to have everything, it's gotta have a voice.
So for our little French nod,
we have this killer "Cadillac Burger"
that I want you to try today.
And there's a shallot bacon jam
and some melted brie cheese,
and it's got lettuce, tomatoes, onions,
our burger sauce.
DARLEY (11:52):
I love burgers. I love meat.
This is amazing.
This is the Cadillac of burgers right here.
CHEF PETE BLOHME (11:58):
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac lived right on the next block.
He was a lover of good food and drink.
DARLEY (VO) (12:03):
And I am too,
but after eating with Chef "Panini" Pete,
you may have to roll me to my next location.
DARLEY (12:10):
So neat that you have the French, the British,
the Spanish flavors going on here,
an homage to the heritage,
and then so much history right around the corner.
CHEF PETE BLOHME (12:18):
Yeah, Mobile's a very unique city,
and we call it kind of "historic eats,"
and it gives us a lot of room to play with the menu.
You know, it takes the borders off,
and we get to just go crazy back there.
DARLEY (VO) (12:29):
It's crazy creativity
from chefs who are sharing more than just a meal.
They're sharing their community's story.
So whether you run into Bob Baumhower
at a Mobile speakeasy,
or Little T for breakfast at a Spot of Tea,
you're in for some good eats and fascinating history,
as you dine around Mobile.
(12:50):
Tune into my next podcast on Alabama food,
charting experiences in Montgomery and Birmingham
with award-winning chefs and farm-fresh food,
on Travels with Darley (12:59):
Southern Trails.
(upbeat music)
Popular Podcasts
40s and Free Agents: NFL Draft Season
Daniel Jeremiah of Move the Sticks and Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Daily join forces to break down every team's needs this offseason.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.