I recently drove down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to teach an Honors College class for my good friend, Bob McCurley. I do that every year. Usually, I take my time driving down, stop and see family, and Nancy and I join Bob and Babs at an Alabama game. This year, I was a bit antsy about drinking, dining, and just being at close quarters with an … Continue reading Rusty’s Bar-B-Q, Leeds, Alabama
There are things I don’t love about The Original Ronnie’s. Right now, they just have curbside service, so you can’t go inside and sit and eat and talk with the other customers. And, well, that’s about the only thing I don’t love about Ronnie’s. The rest of Ronnie’s is great. You drive up and see a low white building — there are some big cookers … Continue reading The Original Ronnie’s, Henrico County, Virginia
If you want know just how good the ribs at Rolling Rib’s are, just ask Ms. Lily Claire Boyd. Note her concentration — And her reaction — And that was after the ribs had been sitting around for hours, and Lily has a very refined palate for a two year old. These are some ribs — still, the very best in the Washington area! We’d … Continue reading Rolling Rib, Part II, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
I was excited to try the Grill Sergeant. Nancy and I had stopped by to get something to take home late one afternoon before heading home. When we pulled up, they were almost sold out. We were able to grab a turkey sandwich for Nancy and a Pork Wing for me (that’s a pork shank, by the way) before starting our trip back to DC. … Continue reading The Grill Sergeant BBQ, Lusby, Maryland
Nancy and I spent a long weekend in Nashville, and had a great time. The two immediate lures were (1) the Barbecue Bros ranking of the top five barbecue places in Nashville, and (2) really cheap airfares on Southwest. The Barbecue Bros are three friends from High Point, North Carolina who, as every good North Carolinian, like to eat barbecue. The Bros, Speedy, Monk, and … Continue reading Edley’s Bar-B-Que, Nashville, Tennessee
Winter looms, so I have updated my list of alternatives to fast food for those driving south (and back north) along the East Coast. And, indeed, normally the only sensible thing to do when the weather promises to chill the very marrow in your bones is to head south. In light of COVID issues, special care and consideration must be taken before you decide to … Continue reading Best Places to Eat Near I-95 from Washington, DC, to Florida
Mechanicsville is no bigger than a minute, but it can claim both the Surgeon General of the United States and the House Majority Leader as native sons. Pretty tall cotton — or tobacco. That’s what they used to grow in Southern Maryland. Now the tobacco is gone and the farmers are growing subdivisions. But Mechanicsville is largely untouched by the Washington excrescence. It’s still just … Continue reading Smokehouse BBQ Shack, Mechanicsville, Maryland
Mike Wilson, the genius behind SAW’s BBQ, SAW’s Soul Kitchen, and SAW’s Juke Joint, died over the Labor Day weekend, of all the weekends of the year. Mike opened SAW’s BBQ in Homewood, Alabama, in 2009. The first time I went there, back in 2014, I posted that “SAW’s Barbecue in Homewood, Alabama, serves what may well be the moistest, most tender barbecue in the … Continue reading A Great Loss: Mike Wilson of SAW’s Barbecue
After my wonderful breakfast at the Oak Level Cafe, I had a longish drive down to Garland for lunch at Matt Register’s Southern Smoke. Given the size of the biscuits, the long drive was just as well. As I mentioned in that post, I had a lunch date, and it was with my good friend, Dan Kenney. of Lumberton, North Carolina. Dan is a Renaissance Man: … Continue reading Southern Smoke, Garland, North Carolina
We pause after Day 2 of our 3 1/2 day barbecue-eating trip from Washington, DC, to the beach in North Carolina for a special bulletin. Wilber’s has reopened, and I drove the two hours up there this morning — Wednesday, the fifth day of business, I think — to give it a try. I checked on my way down to see if it had opened, … Continue reading A First Look at the New Wilber’s Barbecue, Goldsboro, North Carolina
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