I broke the news of new proprietors at the legendary Vera’s here. Now, weeks later, the new folks have made their changes and opened the place up with a new name, Sunset Creek at Vera’s. They had to include the “at Vera’s” because Vera was one of those larger than life people who leave an indelible mark. Vera is memorialized at Sunset Creek in her … Continue reading Sunset Creek at Vera’s, White Sands, Calvert County, Maryland

I get invitations from restaurants to come try their food, and I put them on a list and usually lose the list. I recently had an email from the Tabard Inn, just east of Dupont Circle at 1739 N Street, NW, a rare quiet block downtown. I note particularly that the invitation was for a comp’ed brunch. After several minutes of agonizing, I decided to … Continue reading Tabard Inn, Dupont Circle, Washington, DC

Don’t let me forget to post this. A terrific place just got better. You’ll remember my South Carolina Tour de Barbecue and Hash and Rice. On the way home, after a memorable if underwhelming lunch at Fat Man and His Food, I headed north eager for a chance to get back to Redemption Barbecue. I’d earlier named Redemption one of the Ten Best Barbecue Places … Continue reading Redemption Barbecue and Market, Henrico-Short Pump, Virginia

I’ve written about Surfside, the one at 4200 Wisconsin in the undefined area between Van Ness and Tenleytown. See here. We go there fairly often, mainly for their fish tacos, and sometimes we or Liza and Michael pick up a fajita box if there’s going to be an unexpected crowd on a busy day. In my previous post I described some of their fish tacos, … Continue reading Surfside, Tenleytown, Washington, DC

I’d heard a good bit about HammerDown Barbeque, but I was under the impression that they cooked with gas, so never went. Sigh! All those years wasted. I recently had a tip that they actually cook exclusively with wood, and swung by on a trip back from South Carolina. HammerDown was closed, but I saw two big smokers and a grill outside, free of any … Continue reading HammerDown Barbeque, Aldie, Virginia

It was Sunday and just about all of the traditional barbecue places in South Carolina were closed, so I bid a fond farewell to my glorious South Carolina Tour de Barbecue and Hash, and headed north. I drove up to Mebane, North Carolina, to meet barbecue compadres, Dan Levine, John Shelton Reed, and Allan Parsells at Fat Man and His Food Barbecue. I was excited … Continue reading The Pig Pin by Fat Man, Mebane, North Carolina

I’m a big fan of the I Love SC BBQ Facebook page. It’s lively and, inevitable trash talk aside, it’s thoughtful and very informative. I check it regularly, and I’d heard a lot of good things about the hash at Ward’s in Sumter. Many people consider it the best hash in the entire state. Good enough for me. Having finished my first four meals of … Continue reading Ward’s Bar-B-Que, Sumter, South Carolina

I rolled out of Carolina BBQ after my third meal of the day, and drove back eastward for an hour to Price’s BBQ at 408 Ervin Price Road outside Gilbert. I actually tried to take the scenic route to give myself more time between meals, but my GPS was obdurate and put me on I-20. Gilbert is a small town up toward Lake Murray, home … Continue reading Price’s BBQ, Gilbert, South Carolina

I’ve praised the extraordinarily well-run Mamma Lucia’s at 5504 Connecticut Avenue before, see here, and have been there often. Still, I’d never tried their pizza, even though Pizza Maven Dan Ebeling of the Morning Starbucks Group recommends it highly. Nancy rarely eats pizza, and if I’m the only one eating pizza, I lean toward small specialty pizzas-for-one, like the ones at Comet, 2 Amys, and … Continue reading Pizza at Mamma Lucia’s, Chevy Chase, Washington, DC

Well fed from my Lizard Thicket breakfast and a fine lunch at the original Maurice’s Piggy Park in Cayce, I headed to Carolina Bar-B-Que in New Ellenton, a small town a bit south of Aiken and close to the Georgia line. Carolina has been around for over 50 years, and has changed little since it first opened. It’s been praised far and wide, and won … Continue reading Carolina Bar-B-Que, New Ellenton, South Carolina