I wandered down Connecticut Avenue looking for a new place to get lunch, and stumbled upon Muchas Gracias. It’s a narrow storefront formerly occupied by a pizza carry-out place, squeezed in between Buck’s and Sugar Fox, the Little Red Fox ice cream and cupcake shop. It seems Muchas Gracias had been open for about a month, most of which I’ve been away. See the last … Continue reading Muchas Gracias, Washington, DC
This Blog fairly leaps at chances to provide public service announcements — that’s about all the leaping I do these days — and the nascent hurricane season offers an excellent opportunity. As we get into hurricane season, you need to be sure to have enough of those supplies that are truly essential. I mean truly essential. You just lived through the Great Toilet Paper Shortage, … Continue reading Emergency Preparedness and Barbecue
I arranged a lunch to meet my old buddies from the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division where I spent a few years on police brutality cases and hate crimes. You’ve met one of them, Jim Oliver, several times, including here. The other is David Allred, a Cullman, Alabama, boy who tried cases in the Montgomery US Attorneys office for a few decades before … Continue reading Ketch 22, North Beach, Calvert County, Maryland
Little Beast is a nice neighborhood place. I went there with my friend Jon Breul too soon after it opened, and it was a mixed experience. We split a delicious lamb ragu and an okay pizza, and endured slow and confused service — the sort of service you get when you go to a restaurant before it gets its sea legs — with varying degrees … Continue reading Taqueria Xochi at Little Beast, Washington, DC
I did not stop for barbecue on the way back from the beach at Pine Knoll Shores. I guess I should explain. There was a hiccup in my departure — we lost one of the keys and one parking pass for our rental — a problem I resolved easily enough by reconciling myself to the loss of $75. That left me a good half hour … Continue reading Smith’s Red and White, Dortches, North Carolina
Let me recapitulate the results of the 2020 World’s Best Shrimpburger Competition for those who joined us late. I confused things when I led off with the ultimate winner, and only later — several barbecue posts later — started with the countdown: 3d runner-up, 2d runner-up, etc. I did that so you could try the very best before you left the beach. That first post … Continue reading The 2020 World’s Best Shrimpburger Competition: Recapping the Results
I’m happy to announce that the Clamdigger wins the coveted first runner-up position in the 2020 World Shrimpburger Competition. The Clamdigger is in The Inn at Pine Knoll Shores, a beachfront hotel convenient to Beacon’s Reach, the area where we always stay. You may remember the Inn as the former Ramada Inn or the Clamdigger Inn. It’s a popular spot, a hive of activity along … Continue reading The 2020 World’s Best Shrimpburger Competition: The Clamdigger, Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina
If you thought the Big Oak’s building looked good to hungry passers-by, El’s is downright seductive. The building is tiny and the parking lot usually jammed with cars. Every time I drive into Morehead City on the way to the beach, I feel its tug. I don’t stop, though, because I’ve already eaten two barbecue lunches and maybe some boil’ peanuts, and the parking lot … Continue reading The 2020 World’s Best Shrimpburger Competition: El’s, Morehead City, North Carolina
When we first started going to the beach in the Morehead City area — to Atlantic Beach or Pine Knoll Shores — the Big Oak served the best shrimp burger around. I posted in 2016 about its superiority over El’s, the then main competition here. Oh! how the mighty have fallen! Now, the Big Oak is a shadow of its former self. Nothing has changed on … Continue reading The 2020 World’s Best Shrimpburger Competition: The Big Oak, Salter Path, North Carolina
The winner of the World’s Best Shrimpburger will come as no surprise to regular readers. I announced it several posts ago. The Captain’s Kitchen won an unprecedented third title, as announced while I dawdled on posts about my barbecue adventures on the way down to the beach. I was going to do the traditional countdown of runners-up before announcing the winner, but by that time many … Continue reading The 2020 World’s Best Shrimpburger Competition: The Shark Shack, Atlantic Beach, North Carolina
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