Went to a special dinner at Automatic Slim’s, the official start of a Mississippi Delta tour, lead by Southern Foodways Alliance director John T. Edge, put on by Viking Range Corp., and The Culinary Institute of America.

It’s pretty hard to blow away seasoned foodies, but Karen Carrier and Shaggy Duffee did it last night… starting with an amazing lineup of Southern Antipasto: Halle Goodman’s slow-cooked peppered country ham, with purple hulled peas; sweet potato and granny smith apple fritters; sesame-pecan chicken spring rolls, Flo’s cucumber pickles with sharp Vermont cheddar and hot pepper jelly; fried gherkins; corn fritters; watermelon pickles and the best chow-chow I’ve ever tasted.

That course would have been plenty, but the rest of the meal just kept raising the bar. The photo is from the fish course: pan-fried softshell crab with serrano ham, creamy Delta grits and lemon horseradish oil. The lovely yellow accents on the plate were popcorn shoots, intensely flavored, grown in the dark, and a new experience for everyone at the table. People couldn’t stop talking about it!

Automatic Slim’s and its crew really showed out for this epic meal!! That restaurant has a new dinner menu, BTW…