Spring Break For Food Lovers: 5 Destinations To Hit Right Now

Nashville is for (food) lovers.

Though "spring break" is often associated with the booze--keg stands, yardstick Margaritas, and Jell-O shots, at that--plenty of destinations are worth exploring for the food alone. From smothered catfish in New Orleans to house-made charcuterie in Paris, these five hot spots are on our culinary radar for spring:

Pinewood Social

Nashville

With a slew of new restaurants and bars, this hipster haven is afoodie's dream. Beyond the city's excellent hot chicken (Hattie B s is a must), there's a growing undercurrent of new gourmet faves: Try the Bucatini fra Diavolo with Octopus at Germantown's industrial-chicRolf and Daughters and for dessert, the buttermilk pie at Sobro'sHusk. And they don't call it "Nashvegas" for nothing: Party hard post-dinner at Pinewood Social's boozy bowling alley.

Mateo's

Tulum, Mexico

Though this beachside town is still a yoga retreat for the fashion elite, it's also built an impressive roster of dining options. Hartwood is Tulum's buzzy farm-to-table favorite, known for its fresh ingredients and wood-burning oven. Serving homemade pastas in a candlelit setting, Posada Margherita attracts an urbane crowd, and it shows--its sister restaurant just opened in Manhattan's posh NoHo nabe. For more casual eats, try Mateo's, where you can fill up on crispy fish tacos and celery-serrano margaritas in a relaxed, tree house-like setting.

New Orleans

It's easy to overlook the food in a city where it's legal to drink in the streets, but that would be an amateur mistake. Get your hands dirty with no-frills shrimp and crawfish at Perino's Boiling Pot, or go for haute seafood at Peche in the hipper-than-hip Warehouse District, with smoked tuna dip and smothered catfish. Mopho in midtown is a must for NOLA-fused Vietnamese food--because when you think about it, a po'boy is just a bastard cousin of the bahn mi.

Swine Table & Bar

Miami

Like New Orleans, Miami gets a rap for some serious partying. But in recent years, a gourmet food movement has hit its sandy shores: Parisian transplant L'Entrecôte opened its first Miami steak frites outpost and Brooklyn's Lucali (a favorite of Beyoncé's) just opened a branch in South Beach. Southern comfort food is the city's newest fad--check out Swine Table & Bar from the same team who forged the path with cult fave Yardbird as well as excellent newcomer Southern Swank Kitchen.

via:http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2014/03/spring-break-destinations-for-foodies.html?mbid=rss_epilog&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+epicurious%2Fepiblog+%28Epicurious+-+Epi-log%3A+Food+news+and+views+from+all+over%29