We all stopped at Wilber’s on our drive home from a week at the beach at Pine Knoll Shores. Nancy, Liza, and I are old hands at Wilber’s. We used to go there on every beach trip after a first lunch at Parker’s. But Wilber’s was new to Michael, Ella, and Lily. We veterans were eager to show it off. Early in 2019 I learned … Continue reading Wilber’s BBQ, Goldsboro, North Carolina
After my amazing barbecue breakfast at Sid’s Catering, I took a short drive over to Richlands and another Saturday-only spot, Oakwood BBQ. Oakwood has a food truck, but if you want the real deal, you go to their small carryout in Richlands. Like Sid’s, it’s only open on Saturday morning, in Oakwood’s case from 9:00 am to noon. It’s a bit off the beaten path, … Continue reading Oakwood BBQ, Richlands, North Carolina
The first thing you do when you go to Sid’s is drive past it. It’s on a street of single family brick houses with nothing but an unassuming sign about two feet square in the middle of the big front yard to mark its location. It’s that white sign in the middle of the yard. It turns out that there’s a sharp turn into a … Continue reading Sid’s Catering, Beulaville, North Carolina
The Old Colony Smokehouse is in Edenton, on the next river west from Hertford and Captain Bob’s. It’s a big old place, with lots of room inside. You may have heard of Adam Hughes, the owner. He’s won lots of barbecue competitions and enjoyed a triumph on CHOPPED, which is a Food Network show. I’m hugely skeptical of barbecue places run by competition winners, especially … Continue reading Old Colony Smokehouse, Edenton, North Carolina
I mentioned Martelle’s in my post on H&L’s so often that you must be wondering about the place. Let’s start with this: Martelle’s, formally Martelle’s Feed House Restaurant, is great, just great. Fair enough, but still, how does a restaurant survive in a town of 155 souls and fewer than 4,600 people in the whole county, especially with H&L’s selling pork chop sandwiches just a … Continue reading Martelle’s Feed House, Englehard, North Carolina
I love just happening on these places. My visit to H&L’s was completely unplanned. I was headed to Martelle’s Feed House in Englehard and, well, the first thing you need to know about Englehard is that it is just before you fall off the edge of the earth. Well, it’s just before you fall into the Albemarle Sound after driving for a couple of hours … Continue reading H&L’s Restaurant, Englehard, North Carolina
After a very good lunch at Rodman’s in Chesapeake, I turned my car to the Far East. Well, to a few places in the far eastern part of North Carolina, places outside the Barbecue Triangle formed by B’s, Stephenson’s, and Southern Smoke. Well, it probably should be a trapezoid, but it’s an area where many a weight loss plan has been wrecked, and many a … Continue reading Captain Bob’s Restaurant and Catering, Hertford, North Carolina
I got a line on Rodman’s Bar-B-Que from the Dean of Virginia Barbecue, Joe Haynes. Joe has written a book on Virginia barbecue and is a driving force in the revival of traditional Virginia pork barbecue. He spends hours and hours recreating old recipes. And he told me to try Rodman’s Bar-B-Que in Chesapeake. So I did. It turns out that Rodman’s has been around … Continue reading Rodman’s Bar-B-Que, Chesapeake, Virginia
A wine bar in Lusby! Ain’t we goin’ uptown! I usually associate wine bars with cities or historic districts, but here one is in a shopping center in Lusby, and it’s great. Liza, Michael, and I went to Barrel 9 with Julie Rokala, who’s recognized as a regular although Barrel 9 is yet to have its grand opening, and we were joined by Laura McPherson. … Continue reading Barrel 9, Lusby, Calvert County, Maryland
The other day Liza observed, “I take a lot fewer pictures when I’m having a lot of fun.” I thought about that as I started writing up a wonderful evening. As I wrote here, our flight into Milwaukee at the beginning of our five-state Tour de Midwest started a magical day. And the same was true of our last evening before returning home. Nancy and … Continue reading Mo’s … A Place for Steaks, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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