foodie adventures in Mobile

Took a little weekend jaunt down to Mobile, Alabama. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far.

And then…dinner. We were too tired to venture out of the hotel, and the Hilton Garden Inn has a small restaurant. Oh. Boy. Best decision all week.

This is Tim. He just got back from a tour in Afghanistan and he’s the cook. Not the chef — his training is as a mess daddy in a field kitchen. I’d say that’s the best training of all. When the only thing available for morale is good food, you better believe the cooking has to be good.

John had a delicious-looking andouille sausage and shrimp pasta deliciousness that I couldn’t sample (I’m allergic to shellfish — oh the humanity!).

I om-nommed my way through three amberjack tacos. The fish was grilled to perfection, seasoned beautifully, and the black bean and corn salsa had just the right amount of bite. It was heavenly.

Tim came out to talk with us. He invented the recipes and was watching us to see if we liked them…we just pulled him over to talk, about food, his service, and desserts. I wasn’t going to have any dessert, but he made the bread pudding, and I wasn’t going to say no to homemade bread pudding. Especially since he made an exquisite caramel to drizzle over it. Mmmmm.

We enjoyed speaking with him. I could tell that he loves his job cooking, and he loves inventing new recipes. I shared an idea with him for making a fried bread pudding, and I could see his brain working immediately. I wonder if it will be on the menu tonight. Anyway, it was such a pleasure to speak with him and share in his passion. His face lit up as he explained his recipes, and he was just — well — charming. I need to rediscover that in my own work. We all should.

We’re going back for more tonight. I expect it to be amazing.