Photog Food Blog

Brother Junipers College Inn
3519 Walker Ave
Memphis, TN 38111
901-324-0144
www.brotherjunipers.com

Hours:Tues-Fri
        6:30a to 1p
        Sat
        7a to 12:30p
        Sun
        8a to 1p 

                   
It's a community institution and a local "secret".(Well, it has been featured on Rachel Ray's Food Network program so I'm not sure how well the secret has been kept)
I went on Sunday morning and the place was completely packed with at least a thirty minute wait for any seating. They have two medium sized rooms and counter seating as well as some patio tables.

The wall next to the cash registar is filled with awards from various local and national publications.

The restaurant gets it name from the original Brother Juniper who was a cook for St Francis of Assisi. The first Brother Juniper's restaurant was a coffeehouse in San Francisco in the 60's. It was on
Haight St and was opened as an outreach to street people. Over the years other Brother Juniper's restaurants were opened around the country. They were independently owned but created in the same spirit as the original.

 The Memphis location was taken over by the current owners, Jonathan and
Pauline Koplin, in 1999. They continued to be involved with community outreach while developing a menu that has made Brother Juniper's College Inn a nationally recognized breakfast standout.
In '01 and '02 Citysearch awarded it the "Best Breakfast in the Nation" and Mr Breakfast gave it 5 out of 5 Golden Eggs.

They serve the usual eggs, pancakes and waffles but they are made with fresh ingredients and served with grits, homefries, toast or biscuits.
Their reputation for great food probably came from the omelets. Many reviewers mention the San Diegan (Rachel Rays favorite)- an open-faced omelet topped with sour cream and home fries topped with portobellos, tomatoes, bacon, green onions, feta and cheddar cheese ($8.95).

I, however, ordered the Coastal Delight-an opened-faced omelet covered with a very tasty avocado chipolte spread then topped with ham, black beans, tomatoes, green onions, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. I chose cheese grits and a biscuit as the sides but added green onions,cheddar cheese and bacon to the grits and had some of the homemade spreadable fruit on my buttermilk biscuit. The omelet was a combination of complex flavors that worked extremely well together. The portion was large but I enjoyed it so much that I finished the whole thing. The spreadable fruit consisted of blueberries, red raspberries, white grape juice and pear juice. The juice is used instead of adding sugar. The results were fantastic. The grits were creamy and the consistency was just the way I like it. The bacon, cheese and onions were a perfect addition. The coffee was bold and the staff filled my cup as fast as I could empty it. The service was very attentive and atmosphere is very friendly. This place deserves each and every award displayed on it's wall.

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# posted by David S. Rust @ 1:04 AM 0 comments

Raw
1225 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA

Quality slightly expensive sushi spot. Was failry busy on a thursday night. They had really good, and beautiful specialty rolls. Pictures here is the "white tiger" which involved yellowfin but I don't remember what else.

Note - storefront is dark, looks like its closed even when its not.

# posted by Wes @ 1:55 PM 0 comments

Taylor Grocery
P.O. Box 4
Taylor, MS 38673
662-801-9140

www.taylorgrocery.com

Hours: Thur-Sat
         5p to 10p
         Sun
         5p to 9p


If you're hungry, looking for a hole-in-the-(graffitti filled)wall dining experience and are around Oxford, Mississippi you can't do better than Taylors Grocery. 

Housed in an old dry goods store that was built in 1889, the structure became a grocery store and restaurant in the late 70's. The new owners were looking for a location for a restaurant that would showcase the local specialty...Catfish. Back then the front half of the building was  a grocery story while food was served in the back. Over the years the place became locally famous for the southern delicacy.

In 1998 the current owners turned the entire space into a full scale eatery. They still specialize in Catfish but also offer steaks, chicken, pork, fish and shrimp dinners.  Two sides come with all dinners which include the traditional southern favorites such as baked beans, hushpuppies and cole slaw. All you can eat Catfish (Mississippi
Style Blackened) is just $15.95. Steaks are USDA Choice Aged Beef. A 12oz ribeye with two sides is $21.95. A 6oz boneless, butterflied  chicken  breast can be blackened or grilled  for $8.95

As you enter the front door you can immediately smell the food. The large, open room has 17 tables of various sizes covered in red and white checkered vinyl table cloths. The walls are covered with ancient graffiti and memorabilia from days gone by. A bust of a steer wearing a baseball cap looks down on all who enter. Claiming to serve the "South's Best Catfish" Taylor lives by the motto "Eat or we both starve". They only serve lunch on special occasions because they are so far out in the country it's hard to get the folks from Oxford to come by on a regular basis. The staff is friendly and the restaurant  has that small town feel.  For those who don't have the time to sit down for dinner, Taylor Grocery offers a full Tailgating Menu from their Catering business.

I don't eat a lot of fish so I ordered the ribeye dinner. The steak was flavorful and came with a house special brown rice which was also very tasty. As a second side I ordered a house salad with blue cheese dressing. The salad was very fresh and all the dressings are homemade, The dinner was worth the price but i couldn't help thinking the Catfish might have been a better choice.  Considering the atmosphere, the quality of the food and the home grown staff, it is definitely a worthwhile dining experience.


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# posted by David S. Rust @ 6:53 PM 0 comments

Momofuko Noodle
+
Momofuko Ko
163 First Ave (bet 10th & 11th Sts.)
Manhattan, NY 10003
212-475-7899, ext 3
www.momofuku.com

Hours: Noon to !0:30pm - Seven days

We tried to go to Momofuko but they REQUIRE RESERVATIONS. But the hostess helpfully pointed us to Momofuko Noodle 2 doors down. It was a good, interesting noodle shop. I had oysters and some noodles with kimchi and a fried egg (the lighting is bad, it looked much better than it does in the picture). Also an eclectic selection of bottled beers and suprisingly lame music.

The following are David Rust's notes about the mothership Momofuko:

Located in the East Village this is a tiny restaurant. There are 14 stools facing the kitchen and it is sometimes difficult to get into this "Asian-accented New American" gem. The chef, David Chang, is nationally known and this place gets a lot of press. I went there for the Pork Belly buns and definitely thought it was worth the price.

# posted by Wes @ 1:06 AM 0 comments

Country Kitchen
4840 N Shepherd Dr
Houston, TX

Hours: 6a to 3p mon-sat.
Closed sunday.

Gets 5 out of 5 eggs from "Mr Breakfast"
The menu says,
"Nothing fancy, just good food at a fair price. The best meal outside you mom's kitchen"
Lunch and dinner consists of the typical meat and three offerings at incredibly cheap prices. (One meat, three vegetables with cornbread or dinner roll-$4.75)
Freshly prepared chicken, steak, meatloaf and fish are the meat choices. Home cooked vegetables and home-baked bread round out the meal.
Lunch and dinner are good but Breakfast is what the Country Kitchen is known for. Items such as the Farmboy Deal (two eggs, any style, two pieces of bacon, two pancakes and link sausage - $4.75) are local favorites.
They have eight different  omelettes (from$3.99-$5.95) and breakfast meats include steak, pork chops and hamburger.

I had two pork chops, two eggs., hashbrowns with grilled onions and toast.($6.49)
The meat was moist and perfectly cook. The hashbrowns were shreded and crispy on the outside. Onions were grilled and added at no extra cost.
They also have pancakes ( short stack-$2.25) waffles (a combo of one waffle, two eggs, two pieces of bacon and link sausage -$5.49). For a little variety the have a South of the Border Breakfast, three breakfast tacos with choice of meat.(Taco Supreme- egg, sausage, bacon, ham, potato, cheese and tortillas-$4.75)
The coffee isn't special but it's served in a thick mug and refilled often.

They do a brisk business in a large dining area with over 20 tables. It's not fancy but the service is attentive. There is parking in front of the restaurant with additional parking across the street.
Great value for the money!
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# posted by David S. Rust @ 11:55 AM 0 comments

St Paul, Minnesota

The Coop
157 3rd Ave South
South St Paul,
Minnesota 55075
Hours: 11a-9p Daily
www.thecooprestaurant.net
651-455-7566

The Coop, established in 1963, is a neighborhood restaurant with broasted chicken as it specialty. It's just a small store front operation with three tables and a kitchen. The staff is also small but friendly.
The majority of it's business appears to be takeout and they also cater.. The menu begins with a few appetisers such as Cheese Curds ($3.99) and Mini Corn Dogs ($4.69). Entrees include hamburgers, hot dogs and even a fish sandwich but the obvious main focus of this business is chicken.

They season the chicken and then broast it under pressure. This style of cooking results in a light, crispy skin that surrounds very, very moist meat. Being cooked under pressure the meat and skin absorbs almost no oil. The August 2008 issue of Minn/St Paul magazine listed it as the Best Chicken in the Twin Cities.
The Chicken Dinner, which includes choice of potato, roll and cole slaw, come in 1/2 ($7.28) and 1/4 ($6.34) portions.
Ribs, fish and shrimp are also available as are a variety of side dishes. Canned soda and bottled water are available to drink.

To Go customers can buy chicken by the bucketful. A twelve piece bucket of chicken with all the trimmings (potatoes, slaw and rolls) cost $22.07.
Buckets can be ordered with and without sides and fish can be substituted for chicken. There is a small parking lot on the side of the building and street parking available.

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# posted by David S. Rust @ 6:31 PM 0 comments

Mickey's Dining Car

Mickey's Diner
36 W. 7th St.
St Paul, Minnesota 55116
651-698-0259

Mickey's is a landmark in St. Paul. Built in New Jersey in 1937 and transported by flatcar to Minnesota, the diner has operated 24 hours a day since then. One of the first Art Deco dining cars ever built, Mickey's was put on the National Registar of Historic Places in 1983. It's been featured on numerous food shows and national magazine features over the years. Movies such as the Mighty Duck used the dining car as a location for filming.

They produce their own buttermilk pancakes, baked beans, chili, mulligan stew and bean soup. They also shred their hashbrown potatoes and get meat provided by local butchers. Eggs come from local farms and are cooked in real butter. The coffee is served in thick mugs and is  roasted locally then freshly ground.
Breakfast is served anytime. I had a 4oz Choice NY Strip Steak, with two eggs, hashbrowns and toast($8.55). The steak was a bit thin but cooked to order and very tasty. The potatoes were thin slices and very crispy on the outside. Overall a very good meal.

 Mickey's also offers a variety of omelets (they claim their plain 3-egg omelet is the "best" anywhere-$4.85). Pancakes, French toast and waffels are served in short or full stacks ($4.20-$6.25). Lunch offering include burgers (1/2 pound bacon cheeseburger-$5.40) and other traditional diner sandwiches. For dinner they have homemade Mulligan stew, salads, southern fried chicken (one-half chicken marinated in their own special spices-$9.05), fish and chips (one filet, beer battered with fries and cole slaw-$6.75), pork chops, and more.

The long counter faces the kitchen and seats 17. They also have four booths at one end of the car. Service is prompt and just as good as the food. Coffee cups are never left empty. There is a lot and street parking near the restaurant.  Mickey's will not dissapoint.
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# posted by David S. Rust @ 10:55 AM 1 comments