Tupelo, 12 Bones make Deep South Magazine’s list of 50 places to eat in the South

Deep South Magazine (no, we haven’t heard of it yet, either) came out with a list of 50 restaurants that are, in their words, redefining Southern food. Anyone who’s paying any attention to the Food Network — or magazine racks, for that matter — knows that Southern food is pretty hot right now. Deep South has a pretty comprehensive list, one that includes heavy hitters like Sean Brock’s Husk in Charleston and Hugh Acheson’s Empire State South in Atalanta. Asheville’s Tupelo Honey and 12 Bones Smokehouse are listed, too. Read on:

“Southern food is fast becoming the nation’s new ‘it’ cuisine. New York restaurants are all trying their hand at fried chicken, and eateries with a Southern theme are popping up in each of the city’s boroughs. Based in the Big Apple, Bon Appetit Magazine called the South ‘America’s New Food Capital’ in its February issue. Southerners have long known we have a special cuisine and some downright good food down here, but Southern food used to be limited to home kitchens, with mothers and grandmothers serving as the keepers of family recipes.

Now that the rest of America is discovering the cuisine, chefs are stepping up to the plate to show that Southern food can be modern and healthy …

12 Bones Smokehouse: A favorite of President Obama, with locations in the River Arts District and in Arden, 12 Bones boasts being casual to the point of laid back. Baby back ribs, pulled pork and chicken, smoked turkey and brisket come with cornbread and two sides, ranging from jalapeno cheese grits to collard greens and corn pudding.

Tupelo Honey Café: Asheville’s award-winning creative Southern restaurant has two locations in the city and a third coming to the Oliver Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, this summer. Honoring local farming, Tupelo Honey puts its own twist on Southern food in the form of Appalachian Egg Rolls, a veggie bowl with Goat Cheese Grits and Southern Fried Chicken Saltimbocca.