Restaurant Review: Leatha's Bar-B-Que Inn

Sometimes, I can't stand the sameness of this country. When you cruise down North Fairfield Road in Fairborn OH, Houston Road in Florence KY, Kingston Pike in Knoxville TN, or Hardy Street in Hattiesburg, MS you are guaranteed to see the exact same damn restaurants. Red Lobster. Applebees. Olive Garden. Outback. They'll all be there. So even though you have travelled hundred of miles you can still munch down the same damn meal you've been eating for the last 25 years.

Thankfully, if you look hard enough, you can find those hidden gems. Places that serve excellent food. Food that makes you start planning your next trip back after your first bite. And 9 times out of 10 the food is not only outstanding but also costs no more than your bland every city in America has one fare.

So when people visit me in Knoxville I feel I am obligated to share the great local places I've found. Come stay with me for a weekend and you will have some of the best barbecue you've ever tasted. On Sunday we'll go have brunch at the Sunspot and you'll be treated to some excellent nachos and a wide variety of innovative breakfast foods.

Recently, I had the pleasure of traveling to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I had previously only driven through Mississippi on my way to New Orleans and was less than impressed. And after flying into the smallest airport I've ever seen (one gate) and having the hotel's clerk tell me "Applebees" when I asked what were some good local restaurants I didn't see myself changing this view.

Rather than take the clerk's advice, I used my complimentary free Internet access to do a search on Hattiesburg's Restaurants. It was here I found Leatha's Bar-B-Que Inn. The description sounded like a dream, and the website made the restaurant sound perfect.

Finding the restaurant proved a more difficult challenge. It was hidden off of the main route behind a maze of trailers. As I pulled into the parking lot I knew I was in for a treat. The building may have looked a bit old but the smell coming from it was heavenly.

Inside, the restaurant was full of folks enjoying the BBQ and watching basketball on the TV. I ordered the half and half (choice of two meats...I got chicken and pork), the secret recipe slaw, and the baked beans. The slaw was some of the best I've ever had, and the pork slid right off the bones. The meal was absolutely outstanding, and was right up there with the Smokehouse for the Best BBQ I've ever had.

I'm just amazed that the hotel clerk had no idea this little gem was less than 3 miles from his hotel. Or maybe he thought an out-of-towner like myself wouldn't appreciate some excellent cooking. But people I beg you. I implore you. When you go on vacation or business trips, take the time to check out the local cuisine. Don't go to Applebees!

Other places I checked out in Hattiesburg:

Crescent City Grill : As you no doubt know by the name, this restaurant serves up New Orleans cuisine. The service was great and the jambalaya was tasty. If you can only stop at one place go to Leatha's, but if you need another place I recommend this one.

Stricks Original Bar-B-Q : I saw this place on the way back from a run on the gorgeous Longleaf Trace Trail. The sign outside advertised crawdads and I decided I had to give them a try. 5 lbs of crawdads and much sweat and tears later and I've decided that next time I'll order 1 lb and a pulled pork sammich. The crawdads were good, but took waaaay too much work. And I still need to learn how to suck the heads.

Walnut Square Pharmacy and Ice Cream Parlor: This place was located in historic downtown Hattiesburg. They had an old fashioned ice cream counter and I highly recommend the Praline-N-Cream.

#94 Get Neck Looked At

Why is it on the List?

I had been dragging my feet on it, but whenever I swim, lift weights, or move my neck too fast, I experience some pretty bad pain.

The Process

I finally went to the Doctor and after describing some of the symptoms he suggested I get an MRI. The MRI was my first, and I now understand why those things freak people out. I'm not claustrophobic, but I can imagine how terrifying those machines could be for people who are. It also sounded like I was in a bad techno dance club.

Thankfully, the MRI came back negative. The good doctor prescribed some souped up ibuprofen for when I swim or lift and hopefully that will do the trick.

28. See the Cats in Enemy Territory

Why is it on the list?

Originally, this item was see the Cats at Rupp Arena. I revised this item because I have seen the Cats play at Rupp on numerous occasions. I've seen them in their home away from home at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. I've also seen them on neutral sites (in the NCAA tournament). However, I had never gone to another school's gym to see them play in a hostile environment. Living in Knoxville provided me with the perfect opportunity to do so.

The Process

I had scouted out UT's website looking for when tickets went on sale. Of course when the big day occurred I forgot and by the time I remembered the only tickets left were single seat obstructed view.

Well, what the hell. I was determined to go so I plunked down my $21 bucks and braced myself for heading into the Lion's Den all by my lonesome. At least UT doesn't serve alcohol at the games I thought.

Parking for the game was a remarkably easy process and I was delighted to see many blue shirts sprinkled in with all the orange as I made my way to UT's arena. Even better, my seat wasn't too obstructed (only a small corner of the court was blocked) and I had 3 UK fans sitting right behind me.

Before the game started the UT folks showed a video of Chris Lofton, a Kentucky boy who UK didn't recruit. It made me sad, especially when Lofton said, "Thanks for believing in me Tennessee". Sorry Chris! I wish Tubby would have recruited you.

Anyways, the game started and Tennessee came out hot. They went on a run and were up 15, which was what most people expected with it being their gym, with them being the #1 team in the country, and the Cats being without their stud power forward Patrick Patterson (lost for the season with a stress fracture).

Then the Cats began to claw their way back. Billy G's game plan was great and the Cats were executing it to perfection. Run as much time off the shot clock as possible and then score. Using that plan the Cats had made it a game again by half-time and actually took the lead in the 2nd half.

The UT fans grew quiet, and the UK fans in the building starting "Go Big Blue" and "C-A-T-S" cheers. It was great.

Unfortunately, UT made some big plays down the stretch (Lofton's tear drop in the lane comes to mind), UK uncharacteristically missed some foul shots and easy layups, and Joe Crawford's (who had been fighting foul trouble all day long) desperation three to tie in the last seconds missed. UT survived quite a scare from a UK team that showed grit, determination, and courage in the face of adversity. Perry Stevenson and Ramon Harris came up huge (which they must continue to do in Patterson's absence) and even Michael Porter made a few decent plays with Joe in foul trouble.

Overall I was very proud of my Cats. It was a great game and the UT fans were some of the most polite fans I've ever seen. If someone had walked into Rupp wearing Orange I would have given them a hard time, but no one said a word to me even though I was decked out in blue and yelling "Go Cats!" every other minute. A great way to spend my Sunday afternoon and another item has been crossed out!

Restaurant Review: Saya Korean and Japanese Restaurant

Normally, when you think good Sushi you probably don't think Fairborn, Ohio. Well, I have to tell you my friend that you need to think again.

I admit I had my doubts. It was dark and pouring down rain as I cruised down Kauffman avenue searching for Kaya. I passed two or three other Asian restaurants before I finally found Kaya, sitting with its sign in the dark next to the Clarke station.

My hopes not very high, I walked in to join a group of friends and was pleased to find that one of them was a regular. One of the employees of Saya pointed at him and said "You listen to him. He knows!". My friend suggested I try the "JH Roll".

Now I have to admit I've never been a big fan of Sushi only meals. I usually just order a few pieces of ala carte stuff. But my friend insisted that this would be more than enough. I ordered the JH roll, a piece of salmon, and a piece of tuna. The miso soup and accompanying salad were good (especially the miso on a cold wet evening).

The JH Roll arrived and wow. It was excellent. The roll itself contained crunchy tempura shrimp. On top was spicy crab. My lips are smacking just thinking about it. I quickly polished off the 8 pieces. The spice level was perfect. It got me where my sinuses were clearing up but my mouth wasn't on fire.

Needless to say I plan on visiting Saya again soon. Not only was my meal excellent, but the staff was friendly and attentive. I'm going to go ahead and consider it a new local find. My only problem is that the JH roll was soooo good I'll have a hard time trying some of the other rolls on the menu (which looked equally appealing).