I still love my New York Pizza and Italian food, and I enjoy the variety of Asian foods in California.
I have no desire to live anywhere in between these two wonderful states at this time. And if you asked me about places like Louisiana or Texas I'd have to give some ignorant stereotypical reply; Cowboys Hats & Boots, Bayou, Oil, Hurricanes, Steer and Barbecue come to mind. Out of these southern items I'd have to say that I have very little love for all with the exception of one. Barbecue!
As a Raiders fan, season ticket holder and tailgater I've tasted some barbecue that'll make ya wanna go cattle wrestling. I've been introduced to fried turkey, giant sea oysters and roasted pig meat all prepared right in the parking lot of the coliseum. Loved them all. But the Texas barbecue and Louisiana gumbo always make my Sunday at the coliseum special.
When you taste barbecue or gumbo the way its supposed to taste, it is then that you wanna smack your momma for cohabitating with a non-texan or louisianan. Then you wanna go back and smack her again for not telling you there was such a thing as gumbo and Ho cake, or baby back ribs in beer sauce. Hell, if momma ever mentioned the words Ho and Cake in the same sentence you'd thought this good christian woman were just talking about feeding the homeless and/or drug addicted from the streets.
When I discovered barbecue and gumbo it was then that I realized how a food could be the way to a man's stomach. Because of the costly business space in the Bay Area many southern cooking establishments have left or closed their doors. There was a time when people drove down from miles away to goto a barbecue shack or soul food restaurant in the Bay Area. After reading about M&M's FISH&CHICKEN SHACK in Reno,NV, it seems times may be a changing and it is the Bay Area person who must drive miles away to experience the delight of some good southern cooked food.
Case and Point, I give you this fellow bloggers discovery of M&M's Fish & Chicken Shack up in Reno,NV. I share with you my fellow bloggers review because 1. the following is from her blog and 2. She's a native southerner from Texas who knows authentic southern style cooking.
The Following is from Melinda of Reno's Blah Blah Blog:
M&M's Fish & Chicken Shack
Today, I experienced a little slice of heaven in an otherwise regular and mundane day. I had lunch from M&M's Fish & Chicken Shack. Where have I been???I'm not sure where the owner Mr. Mitch Moore is from...but I'd swear he stepped off my Grandmama's back porch in Texas. M&M's is a discreet little hideaway nuzzled in the heart of Reno's industrial district. Who'd know one of the cities' most fantastic culinary wonders is hidden away as a sleeper joint located at 3080 Mill Street, just off Terminal Way. Living so far away from my native roots, it's very rare that I find home style food that I would consider anywhere CLOSE to Texas home style...even when the food is good. And, finding fried okra at any restaurant, much less GOOD fried okra is a near impossibility!This is truly DOWN HOME cookin'. They advertise southern cooking and soul food, specializing in fried fish, BBQ ribs, fried okra, gizzards, gumbo, greens, yams, black-eyed peas, red beans and rice, sweet potato pies, peach cobbler and MORE! I had a simple rib basket with potato salad, black-eyed peas, and fried okra. They drilled the fried okra right smack dab on the head for the way it always was back home. The ribs were meaty and tender, with a perfect sauce. My potato salad was just like it is "supposed" to be...I was at home back in the South rocking on the back porch with every bite. If you do not have the time to travel across town to Mill Street for your lunch...call (775)-348-0707 and order lunch and pick it up. It's worth the drive.I'LL BE BACK FOR SURE!!
Posted by Malinda777 at 2:03 PM 3 comments Links to this post
Labels: Recipes, Reno
Monday, May 7
1 comment:
Well, thanks for the link. For an update...I told friends of course, and we went back again for lunch this week. I made a point to order ALL DIFFERENT items (except had to repeat the fried okra obviously) to give the menu a further try-out.
I WASN'T DISAPPOINTED EITHER!! This time I had down home Mama's meat loaf with potatoes that are smothered, not fried with onions and bell peppers, and string green beans...and as my Grandmama would have...seasoned to perfection.
The southern sweet tea was dead on, and the folks (family) that run the place keep it very clean and are as pleasant as a mint julep on the porch on a sunny afternoon.
It warmed my heart and soothed the homesickness to hear one of the ladies "hollerin" across the room to patrons asking, "How'd ya'll want your..."
Oddly enough...again this week, it was my boy's birthdays...24 & 18. We had a shindig dinner at Ichiban, but one of our guests surprised the boys with a sweet potato pie each as a gift, and guess where she purchased them from...Yep...M&M's Fish & Chicken Shack.
For your readers...sweet potato pie is like pumpkin pie, only better. It's hard if you don't know what you are doing to not be able to fake folks out because sweet potatoes can be stringy, and it shows easily in a pie. However, the M&M guys have got it down pat...no strings...no illusions, just amazing pie!
Oh...and I did ask this time around exactly WHERE they are from, as their menu accurately portrays influences from Texas, Louisanna, and Mississippi. They are from Texarkana, Arkansas...which sits on the Texas Arkansas border... It figures...that location is centralized to have influences from several states.
I'M JUST GLAD THEY LANDED IN RENO!!
I've rambled enough here, but thanks for the link and visit Blah Blah Blog - The Soap Box again :)
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