Southern Living weighs Charlotte Vs. Tampa

They have shores, we have banks? For the August issue, Southern Living did a matchup comparing Charlotte, home of the Democratic National Convention, and Tampa, home of the Republican National Convention.

The Observer's former columnist Tommy Tomlinson did the essay duties on behalf of the QC, while the magazine also did a lineup up each city's credentials as a place to party. (The early version I saw still listed the kickoff party at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, which has since been moved to Tryon Street uptown.)

Among the recipes: Two versions of wings (left wings and right wings) and some cocktails with truly cringe-inducing names (Bourbon on the Baracks for Charlotte, the Grand Old Fashioned for Tampas, and the Muddle of the Road for those who are staying out of the whole thing.)

Get an early look at the SL coverage here.

Southern Living's picks for best barbecue

I tease the Southern Living folks for their surveys of places in the South, which often seem to skip our area. So I should praise them for their latest, "The Smokin' Hot List: 10 of the South's Best Pitmasters."

For once, several worthy Carolinas stops land on the list. Of course, if they were really doing it, the entire list would be Carolinas barbecue -- and it would take a lot more than 10. But still, I'm happy to see these guys get the love, for long hours doing some hot, dirty work:

1. Rodney Scott, Scott's Bar-B-Q, Hemingway, S.C.
2. Sam Jones (although they should include his uncle Jeff and their helper, James Howell, who also do the long hours at the pit -- Samuel himself will tell you that Skylight is a family affair), Skylight Inn, Ayden.
3. Ed Mitchell, The Pitmaster, Raleigh. Ed doesn't currently have a restaurant (he split with The Pit), but he tours and does events as The Pitmaster.
4. Avery Payne, Cook's Barbecue, Lexington. (That's my picture of the chopped 'cue plate at Cook's, above.)

In the same issue, SL's picks for best barbecue places include Allen & Son, Chapel Hill; Bunn's, Windsor; Jim & Nick's, all over, including Charlotte; Lexington Barbecue, Lexington; and Red Bridge's Barbecue Lodge, Shelby.

You can get the whole package, including a pitmaster quiz, a list of good bottled sauces, recipes and more, here: 'Cue Awards.

Raleigh: One of the South's Tastiest Towns?

The voters speak, and let's hope they eat: Raleigh got the 10th spot in Southern Living's poll to name the South's 10 Tastiest Towns.

Which town was No. 1? That would be the small but mighty Lafayette, La. Having been there twice, I can vouch for that one, cher. Several of the best meals of my life were spent in Lafayette one day. That's the kind of place Lafayette is: You eat lunch at 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, and 3, before taking a quick nap before dinner. Which happens at 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 . . .

So, the rest of the list, in order of votes received:
2. Louisville, Ky.
3. New Orleans.
4. Charleston. (C'mon, voters -- it deserves to be much higher on the list.)
5. Charlottesville, Va.
6. Houston.
7. Birmingham, Ala.
8. Decatur, Ga.
9. Baltimore.
10. Raleigh.

Raleigh, I mean no disrespect. I have many friends in Raleigh. But . . . Raleigh over Durham? Over Asheville? Over Carrboro?

Get the full story, including the criteria, here. Or look for the April issue, on newsstands March 23.

No good bakeries in Charlotte?

When it comes to magazine and web sites doing "best of" Southern food lists, we in Charlotte are used to the dis. No, we can't hold a candle to Charleston on a "best food city in the South" list (subject of a poll in Southern Living that will be announced in April - go, Raleigh).

But Charlotte doesn't have a good BAKERY? Maybe 10 or 15 years ago that was true, but we've had an absolute rebirth of baking. We've got Amelie's. We've got Sunflour. We've got good ol' Suarez. We've got Great Harvest and Cloud Nine, Edible Art and Polka Dot, Nona's and Tizzerts and Down Home Baking in Waxhaw. Around here, bakeries are definitely on the rise.

So picture our sadness when we got the January issue of Southern Living, with a big article on Best Bakeries in the South. Atlanta food writer Bill Addison was sent in search of great places for cakes, pies, cookies and breads. And did Charlotte end up with a toe on the list? Nope.

Addison must have driven right by here, too: He went from Atlanta to Durham, for the justifiably wonderful Scratch. He managed to find Maxie B's in Greenboro, and two in Sugar Bakeshop and Wildflour in Charleston. But apparently, our reputation as the White Bread Capital of the South wasn't enough to justify a stop.

I'd have gladly bought him a twice-baked almond croissant at Amelie's. How about it, bakery fans? If Bill Addison had stopped in Charlotte, which bakery favorite would you offer him?

Food fans, can you spare some love for Raleigh?

It pains us to acknowledge that Charlotte isn't on Southern Living's list of the 10 Tastiest Towns in the South. Although we are in good company, because the magazine from Birmingham managed to put their own town on the list while dissing a lot of candidates. (No Asheville? No Durham? No Oxford, Miss., for heavens sake?)

But Raleigh, our own state capitol, is on the list. And as much as it pains us to direct gustatory fame toward the only city in Eastern N.C. without a legitimate claim to great barbecue, we can help a sister city out. So . . .

On Friday, you can vote for Raleigh out of 10 candidates for tastiest city in the South. Far be it from us to suggest that Charleston, S.C., probably has a better claim on the title. The 10 cities in the running: Baltimore, Houston, Birmingham, Lafayette, La. (good candidate there), Charleston, Louisville, Charlottesville, Va., New Orleans (OK, they might have a good bite of food or two), Decatur, Ga., and Raleigh.

Go here to read the details and get ready to vote: Vote Raleigh. May the best home of the Roast Grill win.