From New York to New Orleans

We’ve begun to map out an itinerary that will take us from New York to New Orleans, loosely following Highway 11, but with plenty of detours, twists, and turns. While we have some destinations we want to hit on particular days, we also want to maintain some degree of flexibility, the ability to veer off course—to meet up with a local cheesemaker, say, stick around the Triangle for the Wednesday markets, or just rest our weary legs, prop our feet up, and order room service.

We also want to solicit the help of friends, family, experts, and locals: Think you know the best spot for a greasy breakfast in Atlanta? Do tell! Know a cycling group in Virginia’s hunt country? Put us in touch. The hope is that this route will become as interactive as possible. While we seem to have a knack for tracking down delicious eats wherever we go, we want your input to help make this the best trip possible (and don’t worry if you don’t have time now – sign up for our twitter feed and you can tweet tips to us along the way).

So, without further ado, here’s a sketch of our grand adventure.

New York to Washington, D.C. (via train): Our nation’s capital is at the northern most limits of what one can technically call the South and, as it lies just below the original Mason-Dixon line, we think it’s a fitting launching spot for our Tour de Sud.

Joe's Randall Lineback cattle

Virginia Wine/Hunt Country: Our inaugural ride will take us to Frederick, MD, where we plan to sup at Volt, Bryan Voltaggio’s year-old restaurant that has become a go to spot for locals in the know and out-of-town gourmands. Next up is Berryville, VA, where we’ll chat with Joe Henderson, who rears Randall Lineback cattle on his farm. From there, we’ll ride to Washington, VA and feast at Patrick O’Connell’s Inn at Little Washington. Depending on how much cash we raise, we may splurge on a plush room at the inn, so we can stumble directly from dinner to bed. In Middleburg, VA, we’ll stay at the Goodstone, perhaps do a tasting at Chrysalis, and investigate the heirloom vegs and rare meats at Sandy Lernor’s Home Farm Store. We’ll lunch at Passionfish in Reston, VA, en route to Alexandria, VA, where we’ll take our first rest day and tackle King Street’s restaurant row (Fontaine, Restaurant Eve, and Brabo are on our list). From Alexandria, we’ll take Route 1 to Fredericksburg, VA, then take Route 20 through Barboursville, VA to Charlottesville, VA, where we’ll plan to check out Monticello and UVA, and settle just outside town at the Clifton Inn.

Platinum LEED certified

Richmond, VA to the Triangle: It’s a long ride (70 miles or thereabouts) from Charlottesville, VA to Richmond, VA and we’ll need a good lunch spot (or two) en route. We’ll take our second rest day and rent a car, or hop on a train out to Surry, VA to taste Sam Edwards serrano-style “Surry-ano” ham. Back on the road, we’ll pick up Route 1 again and hump out the 150 odd miles to the Raleigh-Durham area. We’ll plan to take three days to do this—with no plans as of yet as to where we’ll rest our heads. We’ll split our time in the Triangle at the posh Umstead Hotel in Cary, NC and the cozy Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, NC. We’ll plan to stay a few days here in order to sample the wares and meet the farmers and artisans who have made this one of America’s foodiest cities (if you ask Bon Appetit). On our list: Lex Alexander’s 3CUPS, Dinner on the Porch at Elodie Farms, Andrea Reusing’s Lantern, and Herons, newly helmed by Scott Crawford. On the way to Efland, NC and Fickle Creek Farm, we’ll get a tour of Coon Rock Farm, run by the folks behind Zely and Ritz and the soon-to-open Eno. In Greensboro, NC, we’ll stay at the uber-green Proximity Hotel and perhaps eat at Table 16.

Blue Ridge Mountains: The next week we’ll be putting our quads to the test as we enter into the Blue Ridge Mountains. Grassy Creek Vineyard has cabins on its estate, and looks to be about a day’s ride from Greensboro. From there, it’s Maverick Farms or the Mast Farm Inn in Valle Crucis, NC before we officially pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway. Despite Mollie’s protestations, we may buy an ultra-light tent and some featherweight sleeping bags and camp out at Crabtree Meadows. We’ll want to recuperate a bit in Asheville, NC, where a friend runs City Bakery and we’ll shack up at the Black Walnut B&B. Table and Early Girl Eatery are musts. On our way out, we’ll make stops in Waynesville, NC, Dillard, GA, and Blue Ridge, GA—or thereabouts.

Atlanta, Birmingham, and Oxford: Outside Atlanta, we hope to meet up with Alton Brown in Marietta, GA for a tour of his hometown and a meal at his favorite fish taco joint. In Atlanta, GA we’re hoping to track down chef Linton Hopkins – or at least go whole hog at Holeman & Finch. Also on our list: edgy East Atlanta Village. It’ll take us two days to get to Birmingham, where we’re hoping to chat with Cathy Crenshaw, city planner extraordinaire, and book a table at Hot & Hot Fish Club and Café Dupont. En route to Oxford, MS for the birthday celebration of the Southern Foodways Alliance, we’ll stop in Tupelo, MS, because a tour of the South wouldn’t be complete without a little Elvis. In Oxford, we’ll unite with fellow SFA members, chat up John Currence and John T. Edge, and gorge at City Grocery and Big Bad Breakfast (bacon to die for).

Official drink of the Big Easy

The Natchez Trace: Southeast of Oxford, we’ll pick up the Natchez Trace, taking this to Jackson, MS—or even as far as Natchez, MS. The final stretch to New Orleans, LA is looking a bit bleak, so we’re considering hitching a ride to the Big Easy for some much-deserved sazeracs and oyster po’boys. Writer Julia Reed has promised to plan a bar crawl to end all bar crawls. We think we’re up to the challenge.