I was driving south on I-95 through Southside Virginia, through the flat peanut country down in Sussex County. I’d driven that stretch I don’t know how many times before when I saw smoke curling up from that former ice cream stand on the side of the road — you’ve passed it — that has a Big Pig BBQ sign! I’d passed that point a gazillion … Continue reading Big Pig BBQ, Stoney Creek, Virginia
I’ve always liked Road Houses. I remember Joe’s Ranch House on 31 south of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, when I was a kid, and Lillo’s, an Italian place near Leland, Mississippi, I frequented during my voting rights career. You sometimes see them in old films. The Gateway Restaurant and Lounge is a Road House — not a Road House like the Patrick Swayze movie with its … Continue reading Gateway Restaurant and Lounge, Port Republic, Calvert County, Maryland
Julie Goos is a founding member and ornament of the morning Starbucks group at Connecticut and Livingston. I say ornament not only for her charming self, but also because she’s about the only member who’s still dresses for work, and she selects her clothes very well. Julie dresses as befits someone at the Thomas Moser Showroom in Georgetown. Thomas Moser makes beautiful furniture with hand-crafted … Continue reading Chez Billy Sud, Georgetown, Washington, DC
UPDATE: I wondered about the toast. Not only did it arrive hot, but it tasted better andhad a better texture than other loaf bread. It turns out that the bread is made from scratch and baked in-house. They also make everything from crab cakes to scrapple in house. IT really is food like grandma made. Dale Leibach, part of the neighborhood diaspora, paused his wanderings … Continue reading 2 Soul Sisters, Lusby, Calvert County, Maryland
I’se Da Bye’s is a brightly painted food truck that sets up shop in the parking lot of Sneade’s Ace Home Center, my favorite hardware store ever. Sneade’s is hugely popular. We always see someone we know there, even though we’re pretty new to Calvert County, and part-time at that. Calvert County is full of people who work in the building trades as well as … Continue reading I’se Da Bye’s Fully Stuffed Kitchen, Lusby, Calvert County, Maryland
This is a quick initial report on the Italian Bar, the brand new spot a couple of doors down from its parent, I’m Eddie Cano, just south of the Connecticut-Nebraska intersection. I’d heard some inquiries about the hours — it only opened yesterday and the web page, to which I just linked, hadn’t yet been updated. Since I was going to pick up our car … Continue reading The Italian Bar, Washington, DC
You’ve all heard of the terrible accident at the Parthenon on March 11, not long after I reviewed the restaurant (see the review here). A car accelerated into the outdoor seating area shortly after noon on a bright, sunny day. Two people, Jane Bloom and Terese Dudnick Taffer, died and others were injured. The whole space was blocked off and the outside area remained closed … Continue reading A Parthenon Update, Chevy Chase, DC
I never got around to writing about Table 6 although we enjoyed our meal there immensely. Nancy and I went on our last night in Colorado after our Vail-Colorado Springs trip. See here for some very high peaks and a couple of valleys from that trip. Table 6 is a charming small restaurant on the edge of the Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, tucked into the … Continue reading Table 6, Denver, Colorado
Before I give you the list a little background is in order. The demise of Rick’s and Smileys, two grand North Carolina Piedmont barbecue places, has weighed on my spirit. Then a new horror arose, and prompted me to doff my sackcloth and ashes, and write this post. I will get to the list, I promise, but bear with me for a few paragraphs. I … Continue reading The Ten Best Eastern North Carolina Barbecue Places
In 1990, Mark Furstenberg started the revolution in Washington. I mean the Really Good Bread revolution. That was when he opened Marvelous Market on upper Connecticut Avenue. Before 1990 you could get second-rate baguettes — I forget where — and there was pretty good Italian Bread at the liquor store at Connecticut and Livingston, and good sub rolls at Mangialardo’s on Capitol Hill, a few … Continue reading Bread Furst, Forest Hills/Van Ness, Washington, DC
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