The Gulf Coast has seen a lot of celebrity food television lately. Just this year so far sixteen of our Gulf Coast restaurants have been featured on shows like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and Man vs. Food Nation.
Most recently Mobile, Alabama was the site of an episode of Man vs. Food Nation. His visit on June 29th of this year, found Adam Richman munching down some great food at Southern Fish & Oyster Company, The Brick Pit, The Hungry Owl and ended with an oyster challenge at Wintzell’s Oyster House. The challenge was to eat 422 oysters. The challenger was “Big Joe” Evans, who didn’t quite make it. He ended at 305 after an hour of trying to beat the previous record.
Another oyster eating contest took place at a different Wintzell’s location on the Gulf Coast just two weeks earlier. Participants in the Distinguished Young Women scholarship competition gave it their all with the winner downing just 64 raw oysters in five minutes.
Two other episodes of Man vs. Food Nation took place along the Gulf Coast. On June 1st, Adam visited Skippers Smokehouse and Rapscallions, both in Tampa, FL. And, after the oyster episode, Adam checked out Calypso Beach Café in Panama City Beach, Florida, Original Oyster House in Mobile, and The Shed in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives had been to the Gulf Coast earlier in the year. Covering the western part of the Gulf Coast in 7 episodes, Guy Fieri showed his viewers the great food at Katie’s Restaurant and Bar, Mahoney’s Po Boy Shop and The Old Coffee Pot Restaurant in New Orleans. He also visited LA Pines Café in Slidell, LA, and Louie & the Redhead Lady in Mandeville, LA. Heading over to Texas, Dough Pizzeria Napoletana and Moroccan Bites, both in San Antonio, also made the show.
The Gulf Coast has a wide variety of great restaurants. This listing of those that made television fame is only a sampling. Other great shows like America’s Best, Cupcake Wars and The Best Thing I Ever Ate have come to see where we like to dine.
You can scout out what restaurants have been television show-worthy by checking out this website: www.tvfoodmaps.com. Of course, there are plenty other restaurants along the Gulf Coast that are TV-worthy. It just takes time to get them all on film.
You can find listings of all the great Southern restaurants on our sister website, Dixiedining.com. The site is undergoing an update and a re-write, so for now call to make sure the restaurant is open before heading out.
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