Dining
Baltimore
Woodberry Kitchen | 2010 Clipper Park Road *Takeout only this may change as we come closer to the date
Woodberry Kitchen set in an old factory turned hip rustic-chic spot. Serving refined New American fare with a farm to table bent. They are committed to using local ingredients and all of their spirits are from the US and the wines are organic, biodynamic, or local.
Charleston | 1000 Lancaster Street
Charleston’s cuisine is designed and executed by Chef Cindy Wolf, an eight-time James Beard Foundation Award Finalist for best chef, Mid-Atlantic. Chef Wolf’s cuisine is rooted in French fundamentals and the Low Country cooking of South Carolina, engaging both regional and international influence
Cinghiale | 822 Lancaster Street
Cindy Wolf and Tony Foreman hit on all cylinders with this Harbor East Italian (across the street from their Charleston), which has an exquisite baronial dining room on one side and a rustic enoteca on the other, both offering a consistently exceptional, daily changing menu (including excellent housemade charcuterie) and a deep wine list. Attentive, knowledgeable service is de rigueur, and though it costs big bucks, think of it as a chance to wear your Armani suit.
The Bygone | 400 International Drive 29th Floor
Baltimore's most elevated dining experience at the top of the Four Seasons Hotel serving refined continental fare & cocktails with 1920s flair.
Topside | 101 West Monument Street
Topside overlooks downtown Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon neighborhood. A buzzing rooftop restaurant and garden bar celebrating the Chesapeake Bay and all of its bounty. Topside features a menu flowing with fresh-from-the-sea dishes to be paired with a rotating selection of craft beers and craft cocktails. Enjoy craft cocktails changing seasonally, brought to you by some of Baltimore's most talented
Casual Brunch Spots
Miss Shirley's Cafe | 750 E. Pratt Street
Award-Winning Breakfast, Brunch & Lunch Voted MD's Favorite Restaurant, as seen on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, Best Breakfast Sandwich in the US.
Asheville
Cucina 24 | 24 Wall Street *Takeout Only
Refined Italian fare & wine list, plus specialty cocktails, in a polished, contemporary setting. The kitchen is focused on melding the traditions and philosophies of Italian cookery with ingredients found in the mountains of the American South. Works closely with a number of area farms and has a menu that reflects the produce they bring.
Curate | 13 Biltmore Avenue *Takeout Only
Hip eatery in a former 1927 bus depot offering elevated small plates, cured meats, sherries & wine.Cúrate is a celebration of authentic Spanish cuisine. For those who have visited Spain, the Cúrate menu will bring back memories of the country's best jamón Ibérico, vermuterías, and lively tapas culture. In recognition of the restaurant’s all-Spanish wine list, Cúrate was listed as one of America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants by Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 2018. Cúrate means ‘cure yourself’ in Spanish, reflecting the belief held by chef Katie Button and her family that there are curative effects in sharing good food and wine with family and friends. Experience the essence of Spain in downtown Asheville… one plate at a time.
Rhubarb | 7 Southwest, North Pack Square
Rhubarb, a contemporary spot for farm-to-table New American fare, plus a weekly family-style dinner. Rhubarb serves seasonal, regional American fare, sourced from nearby farms and dairies. Acclaimed chef John Fleer, formerly of Blackberry Farm, and his team craft a daily-changing menu including wood-fired dishes, plates made for sharing, house-baked bread, and other rustic creations. A thoughtful wine list showcasing natural and biodynamic wines and a full bar round out the offerings. Rhubarb asks that parties of 6 or more please contact the restaurant directly.
Sovereign Remedies | 29 N Market Street #105
Hip, multilevel bar with a vintage vibe serving craft cocktails & locally sourced New American fare.Between Chattanooga and Atlanta, a must is Sugar's Ribs.
Nashville
Henrietta Red | 1200 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208 *Closed on Mondays
With this Germantown neighborhood hangout, Sullivan and her business-partner/sommelier Allie Poindexter have shown that Nashville has way more to offer than honky-tonks and bologna sandwiches.
Josephine | 2316 12th Ave. South
Josephine is a contemporary restaurant featuring American farmhouse cuisine located in the vibrant, 12 South neighborhood of Nashville, TN. Opened in 2013 and built on a piece of land previously inhabited by a treasured neighborhood wine bar, the goal was to not replace what once was but to give something to the neighborhood that would be equally received as a jewel– an elegant hang without fuss.
Rolf & Daughters | 700 Taylor Street *Takeout Only
Inventive cocktails and plates shared at a convivial bar or at communal tables make this upscale Germantown New American a popular group gathering spot, and it also works for an intimate dinner date, with additional seating at private tables and a warmly lit setting in a renovated old factory; heartier housemade pasta and meaty dishes, round out the menu.
Husk Nashville | 37 Rutledge Street Nashville, TN 37210
Regional ingredients cooked on an ember-fired grill create inventive meals in a historic mansion.
Folk | 823 Meridian Street *Takeout only
Chef Philip Krajeck is still on top of his game at this wildly popular new pizza and pasta eatery in East Nashville. Focusing on premium seasonal ingredients and innovative fermentation techniques, the menu at Folk showcases food cooked in wood-fired ovens plated with precision. Krajeck’s clam and chili pizza should be the centerpiece of any table’s order, augmented with shareable plates of roasted veggies and clever meat snacks. As expected, the wine and spirits program is top-notch.
Casual & Authentic
Loveless Cafe | 8400 TN-100 (It is a trek but the locals love it!)
For more than 65 years, the Loveless Cafe has been offering families and friends a place where they can enjoy a home-cooked, Southern meal and reconnect with each other around the table. Given the roots of big-hearted hospitality and a mouth-watering menu, it is no wonder that the Loveless Cafe has become a Nashville landmark. The iconic neon sign welcomes more than half a million visitors a year who are seeking a chance to slow down and savor home-cooked meals.
Prince's Hot Chicken Shack South
The godfather of Nashville hot chicken, Prince’s has over 70 years and a James Beard Award tucked casually under its belt. The original hot chicken shack’s Ewing Drive location caught fire and is permanently closed, but the South Nashville outpost on Nolensville Pike offers another option where loyalists can fulfill those fiery fowl fantasies.
No Nashville trip is complete without a pilgrimage to this true Southern meat-and-three. Serving lines of hungry locals and tourists for over three decades.
Atlanta
The Iberian Pig | 3150 Roswell Road Northwest
Modern Spanish tapas restaurant matching bold flavors with a warm convivial environment. The Iberian Pig’s Spanish-inspired menu is neatly divided into cheese, charcuterie, and tapas, with a wine list that leans heavily on Spain, Chile, and Argentina to match.
Busy Bee Cafe | 810 Martin Luther King Jr Drive SW *Takeout Only
There are no twists or updates here. Just real-deal Southern soul food in a historic neighborhood, a stone's throw from Martin Luther King's house. The menu probably hasn't changed since the Busy Bee opened in 1947 and Atlanta wouldn't have it any other way. It is known for its crispy fried chicken and comforting sides of mac n’ cheese, cornbread dressing, and collard greens.
JCT | 1198 Howell Mill Road
For chef Ford Fry, it all started with JCT. Kitchen & Bar, an updated Southern restaurant in Atlanta’s Westside Market. In a part of the country where seasonal vegetables and deviled eggs are practically religion, Pennsylvania-native Executive Chef Brian Horn marries masterful technique with a simple approach to bold, balanced flavor. Regulars love JCT.’s refined comfort food, like fried chicken, house-made bacon mac and cheese, deviled eggs with country ham, and our famous Angry Mussels. The city-style upstairs bar serves up small plates, select entrées, and craft cocktails. It’s the kind of place guests can sit back and sip a drink outside while listening to live music.
Gunshow | 924 Garrett Street
If you don’t know what to expect, Gunshow might just be the most surprising dining experience in Atlanta. Here, there’s no such thing as ordering from a menu; plates of food come out of the kitchen as soon as they’re ready, then get carted around to diners, dim-sum style. Rather than stick to a set repertoire, chef/owner Kevin Gillespie and his team get together weekly to brainstorm and divvy up a menu of dishes they’re into at the moment. There’s no affiliation to any one style of cuisine, so you might get braised beef short ribs one day, and Mexican-style peanut-crusted snapper the next. The challenge is not getting attached to any one dish—odds are, you won’t see it again the next time you come back.
Miller Union | 999 Brady Avenue NW
Occupying the old Miller Union Stockyards, this is one of Atlanta’s most celebrated restaurants. Co-owners Neal McCarthy (the general manager and sommelier) and Steven Satterfield (the chef) have an extraordinary commitment to sustainability, so the menu changes daily, but you can always count on fresh vegetables, including the Southern vegetable plate, to be crowd-pleasers. The wine list, made up of exclusively organic and biodynamic bottles, is one of the city’s best.
BoccaLupo | 753 Edgewood Avenue NE
BoccaLupo is a bustling neighborhood restaurant located in Inman Park. Specializing in handmade and extruded pasta dishes with an eye on seasonality and where it comes from. Chef Bruce Logue and his team are passionate about questioning what is considered Italian-American cooking. For good-weather days, there’s casual porch seating that extends the interior’s slightly industrial feel with a roll-up, glass garage doors.
Between Chattanooga and Atlanta, a must is Sugar's Ribs
Raleigh
Crawford & Sons | 618 North Person Street
Dinner spot serving a curated menu of modern comfort plates, craft cocktails & drinking vinegar.
Herons | 100 Woodland Pond Drive
One of only 64 Forbes Five-Star restaurants in the world, Herons is the signature restaurant of The Umstead Hotel and Spa and annually acclaimed among the best restaurants in and around Raleigh, North Carolina. The dining room features a full-view kitchen, a meticulously curated private art collection, and floor-to-ceiling window views of the surrounding garden.
Death and Taxes | 105 W. Hargett St.
I have no idea how FedEx delivered the 1,900-pound, custom-made-in-Texas grill that is the focus of Ashley Christensen’s gorgeous restaurant (named for its previous lives as both a mortuary and a bank). Christensen has mastered the tricky art of live-fire cooking, using her grill to make everything from insanely good littleneck clams with embered butter to The Pig, an epic pork chop that is brined, braised and then cooked to charred and juicy perfection.
Cocktails
Watts & Ward | 200 South Blount Street
Watts & Ward is a swanky underground speakeasy and an exceptional place for a proper negroni and jazz music after dinner.
