Lexington Barbecue, Lexington NC

As I drove toward Lexington, home of the legendary Lexington Barbecue, I had a feeling that, even with an early afternoon arrival, I’d find a pretty good crowd. Yet I was still quite surprised to find their lot much more than full. I parked along with ten or eleven other cars on the side of the road beneath the lot and began trudging up the hill. This place was more popular than I imagined! Or, well, you know, they may have let their regulars know that today would be a good day to be on TV:

Oh! No wonder there was such a mob! Continue reading “Lexington Barbecue, Lexington NC” →

Wink’s King of Barbecue and Seafood, Salisbury NC

In the 1960s, a guy named Wink Wasler operated a small chain of restaurants in this stretch of the state between Charlotte and Greensboro called Wink’s Barbecue and Seafood. I understand that there were maybe six of them, but today only this one remains, the name slightly rejigged to reflect the lion logo that appears on the restaurant’s signage. Continue reading “Wink’s King of Barbecue and Seafood, Salisbury NC” →

Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, Shelby NC

Way back when, I decided to reinvest the ad revenue that we earn from this blog into fun two-day trips, just driving around eating about every nine months or so. I call them circumnavigations and, last month, I went out on my fourth. I’m going to report this one a little differently than the first three (Alabama, South Carolina, the Tennessee River Valley), because when I started writing these up, I was concerned about the chapters that we post appearing much later than the visit. These days, I sort of enjoy the posts appearing several weeks later, and so there’s no need to hurry along through longer chapters incorporating several places. Continue reading “Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, Shelby NC” →

Pizza Pura, Asheville NC (CLOSED)

In the previous chapter, I mentioned that, by chance, we visited both of the two restaurants in Asheville owned by Laura Reuss and her husband Ben Mixson for supper before we left. I picked White Duck and asked Marie to pick another, and we never looked at the other’s choice beyond the names and were pleasantly surprised to find the two restaurants were sisters. Before the night was over, we’d be more than just pleasantly surprised. Continue reading “Pizza Pura, Asheville NC (CLOSED)” →

White Duck Taco Shop, Asheville NC

We had a nice and long Baby Mercy Break after sharing an order of nachos in the early afternoon in downtown Asheville. We did lots of shopping at some favorite stores and, crucially, let him rampage and read at the Pack Memorial Library. The staff was completely wonderful, and let us stretch and relax and have books brought to us. Have to say, our son seems to suffer from sensory overload in libraries. At home, he patiently follows along with most books and immediately asks to hear them again. Whether we’re at home or in another library, however, he can’t go much more than four pages before rushing away to find another book to start anew. Continue reading “White Duck Taco Shop, Asheville NC” →

Shopping for Chocolate in Asheville

This is Marie contributing an article about chocolates from two Asheville establishments: Chocolate Fetish and French Broad Chocolate Lounge.

Readers of our blog have encountered Chocolate Fetish before, as I’ve gushed about how wonderful they are for years now. They are a family-run business whose owners, Sue and Bill Foley, have been winning prizes for their chocolate for years. The business had been around since the 80s but the Foleys purchased it in 2002. Their focus is on making their blend of chocolate (from six sources) into truffles and candies that range from chocolate covered marshmallows (a weakness of mine) through sea salt caramels (another weakness) to their much-esteemed line of truffles. We have been going there for years and love their products. In strawberry season you absolutely MUST get one of their chocolate covered strawberries. Continue reading “Shopping for Chocolate in Asheville” →

Panic on the Streets of Asheville – part two

There is a lot of history in Asheville. It’s more than the beautiful mountains; when you get into the city, the shadows of Vanderbilt and Fitzgerald loom large. The buildings are old and beautiful; you can see tasteful art deco designs on so many places. However, almost all of the businesses that inhabit these buildings are much, much newer. In 2011, The Three Brothers closed after a 52-year run. That seems to have been the city’s oldest locally-owned restaurant. Now, the oldest is Little Pigs, one of a handful of survivors from the 1960s-era Little Pigs of America chain, and it’s certainly due to be visited one day soon. The second-oldest in the city is Mediterranean Restaurant, which opened in 1969. Continue reading “Panic on the Streets of Asheville – part two” →