Archive for the ‘Road food’ Category
Lambert’s Throwed Rolls
If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would find myself in Foley, Alabama, twice in a lifetime, I would’ve said you were nuts. Yet, for the second time in my life, I indeed found myself in Foley, Alabama.
Foley is on the southern end of Alabama and sits along the Gulf Coast, making
it a popular beach town. The coast line is loaded with hotels and beach home rentals, and on a sun-parched day, you can see beach-goers trundling their way back to their digs. I first went there on a cross-country trip (which I blogged about HERE) and I was there again recently during a day trip around the Gulf Coast.
I was visiting a friend for a long weekend and, despite the savage tornadoes that had hit nearby towns in the previous couple of days, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. So, we headed over to Mobile, went across Mobile Bay to a little town called Fairhope, and then down to Foley. We then shot across a long strip of land (much like Long Island and kind of shaped like a sideways stocking) that was occupied mostly by private beach homes. At the end of that peninsula, we caught a ferry over to Dauphin Island—another sleepy beach town, minus the tourists—then went over a bridge back to the mainland. It was the perfect day for a trip like that, the sea air was relaxing, and our minds and bodies got a much needed break.
But this is not a travel blog, it’s a food blog, right? So, let’s head back to Foley. On my last trip there, we encountered a place called Lambert’s Café. It caught our attention because the signage for the café boasts “Home of Throwed Rolls.” As a food writer, how could I not investigate? So, we went in and I ordered a box of throwed rolls to go (we were not inclined to eat at that point). I inquired of the clerk why they were called throwed rolls. I thought it had something to do with how they baked them, just like drop biscuits are so called because the batter is dropped onto a baking sheet. But the clerk replied, “Because they throw them at you.”
“Excuse me?” I thought I had misheard.
“They throw them at you.” She looked at me as if had just asked her where her red-headed child came from.
Starting plate
The order desk is a little off to the side of the main dining area in Lambert’s, so while I waited for my rolls, I casually walked a few steps over and peered into the dining room. Sure enough, Lambert’s wait staff was chucking hot rolls at the guests. Legend has it that Norman Lambert, son of the first owner, would walk around the original location (there are 3), and hand out the rolls. One day, it was so packed that Norman couldn’t get to everyone and one customer, anxious to get his roll, shouted, “Throw the dang thing!” It stuck and it’s been a tradition ever since.
Having a hot roll lobbed at you isn’t the most fascinating thing about Lambert’s, though. It’s the menu. Or, more precisely, what you get from the menu. Here’s how it works: You order something from the menu and choose your sides. In addition, Lambert’s staff walks around with bowls of different sides, such as fried okra, black-eyed peas, and potatoes. You can have as much of any of these sides as you want. And, of course, there are the carts of freshly baked, warm rolls.
Halfway through
Final plate
By the time we finished our dinner, I had more food on my plate than when I started. It’s a slightly disorienting experience—kind of like when someone keeps filling your glass of wine every time you turn around, and when you turn back, you wonder where it came from and whether you had actually drunk any. Unfortunately, my camera is coming to the end of its lifespan and so my close-up shots of my plate came out fuzzy, but you can still see the amount of food on the dish. The beverage cups, by the way, are bigger than my head. Between the two of us, we had enough pink lemonade to take out and refresh us throughout the rest of our journey that day.
Is Lambert’s food the best of its kind that I’ve ever had? No, but it’s good, satisfying, and filling (very). It’s also a fun and funny place (the interior is much like Cracker Barrel) and the throwing around of rolls elicits laughter and joking. It’s also a good place to stop if you’re on the road because you can always take your leftovers and ensure another meal for yourself and save money. The rolls are the best part—they’re fluffy, warm, and addictive.
They also make their own sorghum molasses, which they offer to diners to spread on their throwed rolls. I bought a small jar the last time I was there and decided to splurge on the 2.7-pound can. Sorghum molasses is a little harder to find in New York than it is down South so I stocked up. (I stocked up with 5 lbs of pecans, too, while in AL, which prompted the TSA scanner guy at the airport to comment that I had a little food in my bag. I told him that it was just a snack.) Keep in mind that if you’re flying, you can’t take sorghum in the main cabin with you, unless it’s less than 3 ounces. Pack it in your checked bags.
Some famous customers who have patronized Lambert’s have been: Elvis Presley; Morgan Freemen; Jay Leno; Tanya Tucker; Clint Eastwood; Waylon Jennings; Tammy Wynette; and many more.
Lambert’s 3 locations are in Sikeston, MO; Ozark, MO; and Foley, AL. Their website is www.ThrowedRolls.com.
2981 S. McKenzie
Foley, AL 36535
(251) 943-7655
In honor of Lambert’s, here’s a recipe for rolls with sorghum molasses. The 
recipe is on the Internet, posted by numerous people, but no one seems to know who the original source actually is. Spread them with sorghum molasses. Enjoy!
Throwed Rolls
Yield: 12 rolls
1 teaspoon sugar
1 (1/4 ounce) package dry active yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten (at room temp.)
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine sugar and yeast in 1/4 cup tepid water (105-110 degrees). Let stand 5-10 minutes until yeast begins to foam.
- Thoroughly mix milk, butter, sugar, egg and salt in large bowl.
- Stir in the yeast mixture and 3 1/2 cups of the flour, adding a bit more if necessary to make a soft, pliable dough.
- Turn dough out on floured board and let rest. Clean and butter the bowl.
- Knead dough gently 4-5 minutes, adding flour if necessary, until dough is smooth and silky.
- Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size about (1-1/2 hours).
- Butter a 12 cup muffin tin.
- Punch down dough.Pinch off pieces that are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (enough to fill one-half of muffin cup). Roll each piece into smooth balls. Place two pieces in each muffin cup.
- Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap for 45 minutes.
- Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes, or until light brown.
- Serve as soon as they are cool enough to throw.
Uncovering Foodie Secrets in Alabama
Hi, all. If you’ve joined me here before, you know that I consider it my duty as a foodie and a food writer to experience local cuisine whenever I go anywhere. You know, when in Rome…
This time, I was visiting friends in Alabama, and here’s my foodie report.
Epicure in the Sky
Hi, all. Have you ever noticed that things always seem to happen all at once? I’ve been out of work all year, since January, and freelance projects have been few and far between. Now, all in the span of 2 weeks, I have this huge freelance project, a request to take a copyediting test, a job interview, and, consequently, several days’ training for a part-time seasonal gig. Add to that two doctors’ appointments, which I made when I had nothing on the 
radar. And considering that I spent four hours at one doctor’s office earlier this week, you can see how that would put a crimp in my schedule. I’m not complaining—I’m grateful for the work. I just wish everything wouldn’t happen all at once. And I had to skip my blog last week because of it all.
Okay, enough of that.
Mountain Pies
When I was 16, my parents took me on a European tour. It was one of those bus tours, where you travel with a bunch of people for two weeks from place to place. We hit London, Paris, Lucerne, Venice, Florence, and Rome. I wish my palate had been more sophisticated then, because that’s a foodie’s dream. But, since I was only 16, don’t expect some European food manifesto.
Muffulettas, Beignets and Throwed Rolls
Hi, everyone. Just got back from a two-week road trip Friday afternoon. My fellow road warrior, Andi Marquette, and I hit 14 states! We started in Colorado on Sunday, July 19, headed southeast through Oklahoma and Texas, then drove along the Gulf Coast through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, then down to Orlando by Thursday for a writers’ conference. (Andi, by the way, won an award for Best Mystery Novel.) On Sunday, we headed farther south to Ft. Lauderdale to visit a couple of friends of mine, then hit the road again on Tuesday, heading north. We went through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and finally New York.
The adventure begins…
Hitting the Road Again
Hi, all. This coming week, I will be on the road again, heading to a writers’ conference in Orlando. It’s going to be a road trip because I’m starting out in Colorado. My companion and I are planning to go through Texas and then go along the Gulf coast to Florida. After the conference and a quick visit with friends, we’re going to drive back up to New York, possibly along the Atlantic coast. And you know what that all means? More food adventures!
Eating on the Road
Hi, everyone. I spent the last few days in New Mexico and I had a great time. I’ve had New Mexico on my list of places I want to visit but I never quite made it there until now. It’s an incredible place—funky, beautiful, mystical, historic, educational, and awe-inspiring. And for foodies, it’s a place where cuisine is an experience unto itself.
Let’s have a taste of the Southwest…
