Gib's Top 10 Favorite Meals

#1

Where it happened:

• Redfish in Hilton Head, SC (http://www.redfishofhiltonhead.com)

What I ate:

• Grilled Sea Bass - MSC-certified Chilean Sea Bass finished with a wasabi cream sauce and soy glaze, served on a bed of udon noodles with wakame salad.

I have had this dish MULTIPLE times and every single time my mind is blown. You can ask anyone in my family to list their favorite meals and I guarantee you that this dish will be on everyone's list. This meal was so good, that my food-crazed father took our family to this restaurant on back-to-back nights while we were on vacation just so he could have it again. I personally love this dish so much that I have contemplated driving 9 hours from our house in Mobile, eating at Redfish, and turning right around and coming home. It would be totally worth it...

#2

Where it happened:

• Amada in Philadelphia, PA (http://www.amadarestaurant.com)

What I ate:

• Oysters with strawberry escabeche and cava granita; ham croquettes; fried lamb chops stuffed with rosemary goat cheese; fried anchovies with a red pepper dipping sauce; deep fried Tahitian vanilla ice cream with a side of nutella gelato;** saffron rice pudding

** the deep fried ice cream is hands down the best dessert dish that I have ever had. We liked it so much that we ordered another one after we were done with the first!

Tapas is our favorite way to eat, and my wife and I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone passing through Philly.

Another awesome side note: the executive chef there is none other than Iron Chef Jose Garces.

#3

Where it happened:

• Magnolias in Charleston, SC (http://magnolias-blossom-cypress.com/magnoliasHome.asp?catID=20426)

What I ate:

• Grilled Twin Filets of Beef - Topped with fried oysters and hollandaise sauce. Served with sweet potatoes and steamed asparagus.

My wife and I did a culinary tour of Charleston as part of our honeymoon and Magnolias was hands down our favorite restaurant. If you are ever in Charleston, eat here...

#4

Where it happened:

• Guido's in Daphne, AL (no website available)

What I ate:

• Fried Grouper - served on a bed of penne pasta with a white wine andouille sausage sauce and topped with crawfish etoufee

Guido's is our favorite restaurant in the Mobile Bay Area. We have been there multiple times and are never disappointed. There is also usually an awesome jazz pianist who plays during dinner hours...

#5

Where it happened:

• Brick Street Cafe in Greenville, SC (http://www.brickstreetcafe.com)

What I ate:

• Blackened flounder - stuffed with lump crabmeat and crawfish on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus

#6

Where it happened:

• Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, AL (http://www.hotandhotfishclub.com)

What I ate:

• Steak and Eggs - 12 oz rib-eye (medium rare) topped with two-fried eggs over-easy and covered with shaved parmesan cheese. Served with a side of streamed vegetables.

#7

Where it happened:

• La Bastide in Greenville, SC (http://www.cliffscommunities.com/la-bastide)

What I ate:

• Pan-seared Duck - topped with a red pepper jelly glaze and served with fresh green beans

#8

Where it happened:

• Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham, AL (http://www.highlandsbarandgrill.com)

What I ate:

• NY Strip - served with creamy potato gratin with collard greens and black peppercorn butter

#9

Where it happened:

• The Trellis in Williamsburg, VA (http://www.thetrellis.com)

What I ate:

• Fresh Rainbow Trout - pan-seared and stuffed with bourbon cornbread, crab, and crayfish served on a bed of wilted arugula

#10

Where it happened:

• Cloud 9 Alpine Bistro in Aspen Highlands, CO (no website)

What I ate:

• Roast Elk - served on a bed of spinach dumplings and au jus