It’s high time that I listed the best of the Piedmont. I’ve done a Ten Best in Eastern North Carolina (actually eight), as well as “Best” lists for the Washington, DC, area and for Virginia, and all need updating. If a further spur were needed, it has been the demise of some wonderful Piedmont barbecue places in the last couple of years. I dearly loved … Continue reading The Ten Best Piedmont Style Barbecue Places in North Carolina
After a fine lunch at Old Colony Smokehouse, we — barbecue cognoscenti John Shelton Reed, Dan Levine, Allan Parnell, and I — wandered over to the Butcher Block in Windsor where Allan picked up some rabbits. I was surprised to see that chitterlings cost $9.99 a pound, at least until I thought about the work to clean them. The Butcher Block had all sorts of … Continue reading Boogie’s Turkey BBQ, Elm City, North Carolina
After breakfast at Edenton Coffee House, the Porkapalypse wandered around town as Allan (Parnell) regaled us with the history of the region. As opening time approached, we drove three minutes to Old Colony Smokehouse, which I review earlier here. Old Colony is a new place trying to maintain old traditions and the essence of NorthCarolina barbecue. It works, and there was already a line at … Continue reading Old Colony Smokehouse, Edenton, North Carolina
After lunches at New Contentnea Creek and the Skylight Inn, the Porkapalypse moved east to the charming historic Washington, usually known as Little Washington or The Original Washington. You’ll remember my meal there at the Mulberry House, a lovely high end restaurant with the rooftop bar that I chose it to take a break from pork. I ended up getting Italian sausage and broccolini over … Continue reading Martelle’s Feed House Restaurant, Englehard, North Carolina
I finished my Drive Through Hell Recovery Tour where it began, in Raleigh at the Longleaf Swine. Here. as promised, is Part 2, which addresses the other aspect of Longleaf Swine beyond the admirable whole hog pork we Tanners enjoyed in Part 1. And this visit was with two Gifts to Humanity, John Shelton Reed and Dan Levine, the co-founder of the Campaign for Real … Continue reading Longleaf Swine, Raleigh, North Carolina, Part 2
I decided to go to the must-visit Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen in Chapel Hill. I’d already been to the other Sunrise location, in Louisburg, and reviewed it here. I’d tried to go to the Chapel Hill location before, but was deterred by the line. The wait looked manageable this time, so I got in line. Sunrise is a tiny, charming place with a single drive through … Continue reading Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
By Day 4 of the Ride through Hell Recovery Tour, all of that barbecue had me thinking about biscuits. I’m a fan of breakfast sandwiches, and North Carolina has some fine examples. Breakfastime was very good, and Flo’s (the tenderloin!) and the Oak Level Cafe (Sausage! Country ham!) are heavenly. A bit of internet research led me to Rise. Rise is a chain of 20 … Continue reading Rise Southern Biscuits and Righteous Chicken, Carrboro, North Carolina
Day 3 of my Ride through Hell Recovery Tour opened with an early drive to College Barbecue in Salisbury, just around the corner from Catawba College. College Barbecue is a classic 1965 drive-in, or was when it opened. The car hops are no more. It’s dine-in and drive-through now. College’s interior appears untouched but beautifully maintained since it opened. College also smells delicious. There’s nothing … Continue reading College Barbecue Drive-In, Salisbury, North Carolina
After a breakfast and two lunches on Day 2 (of four) of my Drive through Hell Recovery Tour, I drove down to Huntersville and checked into my hotel in preparation for Day 3. I then turned around and drove back to Lexington for an early dinner at Speedy Lohr’s and put a beautiful cap on the day. It’s a nondescript place out pretty much by … Continue reading Speedy Lohr’s Barbecue, Lexington, North Carolina
After my country ham biscuit/livermush breakfast at Breakfastime and an early barbecue lunch at Whispering Pines, I headed back up to Lexington for lunch at Randy’s My brother, Jim, recommended Randy’s for its vegetables (non vegetarian, of course) and for a feature I’ll discuss below. Inside, Randy’s is a big open room without a lot of fussy decorations, or unfussy decorations, for that matter. The … Continue reading Randy’s Restaurant, Lexington, North Carolina
John Tanner's Barbecue Blog 