One of my favorite things to do is go off the beaten path and discover new food delicacies, like buried treasure. That’s how I felt when Linda and I attended an event at Corner Copia Gardens a few weeks ago and found Divine Empanadas, a food truck owned and operated by Aaron and Margaret Penton of Daphne, Alabama.

This is no secret discovery, just an update… The food is still excellent at Doc’s Seafood Shack in Orange Beach. On my way back to the beach last week, I was hungry and thinking about the gumbo at Doc’s, and I needed a fix.

On a tip from a friend, I recently stopped by a little restaurant at 3001 East Cervantes Street in Pensacola. I was hungry and my friend told me this was as close to an authentic New York deli Reuban Sandwich as could get. The name gave it away: New Yorker Deli and Pizzeria is the place.

It's 12:45 pm on a Monday and my business associate and I are hungry. We have no idea what’s open in the Fish River area of Scenic 98 Coastal on this day and time. Often, on my way to the beach, I had passed a little cafe on Highway 98 called Boggy’s but had never stopped to explore. We found them open on a Monday! We were in luck!

It was a gorgeous day for a road trip to Ocean Springs and we made the most of it beginning with lunch at Maison de Lu Restaurant and Bar. We had to dive right in with “Best in State” bloody marys. A pretty confident claim to fame and it delivered! The goat cheese tart would have been plenty, but we did not stop there. Pieces of warm pita scooped up the goat cheese with a pesto base and sun-dried tomatoes floating on top.

Twice this past week we had out-of-towners in for a visit and wanted a nice, leisurely breakfast place to enjoy good food and company. Two Sisters in Fairhope hit the spot—both times! In a beautiful outside setting, we sat on the deck sipping coffee under a magnificent old Live Oak while our breakfast was being prepared.

When you go to a restaurant that has been around for a while, your expectations are set and you know what you’re in for. At the Wash House in Point Clear, you always expect a great ambiance, very good food, and terrific service.

Many decades ago, my time at LSU and in Louisiana, included many visits to a Po’ boy lunch spot. Domilise’s tops that list with Parasol’s and Mother’s running right behind. And it takes a lot of napkins to make it work.