I wouldn’t be a good tour guide to Columbus if I didn’t make certain that anybody traveling with me had the chance to try a scrambled dog. (Note: I’m probably not a good tour guide to Columbus, period, but that’s neither here nor there.) So while we were at Chicken Comer, I noticed that they offered scrambled dogs on the menu. I asked Adam and Emily whether they’d ever had one, or even knew what they were. Since they didn’t, we took a quick detour to Dinglewood Pharmacy so that they could enjoy one. Of course, doing that meant that I had to indulge a little bit as well, and also have a hand-mixed cherry lemon Sprite, so by the time we made it to Macon Road Bar-B-Que, bellies were a little bit full. Marie passed on trying anything here. Continue reading “Macon Road Bar-B-Que, Columbus GA”
Chicken Comer, Columbus GA
We were very much overdue for a trip to Columbus, and when our friends from Spatialdrift suggested that we take a road trip somewhere or other, Columbus, the state’s second-largest city, was the idea we eventually settled on. So one day last month, with the temperature in the low nineties and humidity at what felt like 200%, we motored on down and arrived at one of the barbecue joints that I’ve been wanting to visit for years. Chicken Comer – I will spell it as the sign does, although “Comers” and “Comer’s” are also seen – has had a number of ownership changes, but traces its lineage back in a zig-zagged line to the late 1920s. Continue reading “Chicken Comer, Columbus GA”
Bludso’s BBQ, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)
Is it possible that Atlanta’s actually transitioning from a pork town to a brisket town?
Yeah, I know, and the next barbecue joint to open will be serving unicorn meat on solid gold plates. But we are certainly seeing at least a little evidence of this. Honestly, and I say this as somebody who’s been championing the quality of Georgia barbecue as loudly as I can for years, I’ve had a surprising amount of downright average pulled pork in the Atlanta area in the last twelve months. Some of these meals were at newer restaurants which got a little bit of a grade on a curve for being new. Blue Sky in Woodstock and Anna’s in Kirkwood come to mind. I’ve also stopped by old standards like Pappy Red’s and Bub-Ba-Q to see that the quality had dipped a lot, and some joints, like Pigs-N-Heat in Kennesaw, were so disappointing that they weren’t worth the time to write about them. Continue reading “Bludso’s BBQ, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)”
Shenanigans, Sewanee TN
The drive back from Henderson KY to home was a very long one, and there was a lengthy detour in Manchester TN that messed up my late dinner plans. I stopped at the Russell Stover outlet just off I-24, looking for a certain package of caramel seconds that Marie loves. The two employees working the evening shift tried their best to help me, and looked everywhere for them, but it took a long time and we didn’t find any. I got a reasonable alternative, filled the gas tank, checked Waze, and realized that I was not going to make it to Ankar’s Hoagies in Chattanooga before they closed. Darn the central / eastern time split. It’s messed me up in the past, too. Continue reading “Shenanigans, Sewanee TN”
The Colonel’s Mini-Mart, Henderson KY (CLOSED)
At the beginning of June, I had the tremendous pleasure and very good fortune to enjoy the breathtakingly good fried chicken at The Colonel’s Mini-Mart, just outside of Henderson KY. The good fortune came in arranging the opportunity to eat here before the storied restaurant shut down for good just eight days later. Continue reading “The Colonel’s Mini-Mart, Henderson KY (CLOSED)”
Moonlite Bar-B-Que Inn, Owensboro KY
Five years ago, we visited the city of Owensboro for the first time, and tried smoked mutton at Old Hickory, one of the city’s two best-known, and big, barbecue joints. I remember really enjoying it, although the years, and all the barbecue that I’ve eaten since, have dulled the specifics of my memory. As we expanded our experience of different techniques and preparation styles, I thought more about how Old Hickory served their chopped mutton drowned in the “dip,” a thin and black Worcestershire-heavy brew, and wondered whether, the next time I found myself in Owensboro, I could try the meat dry, or whether cooking in the sauce was standard for western Kentucky, as it is – in very, very different sauces, of course – across middle Georgia. Continue reading “Moonlite Bar-B-Que Inn, Owensboro KY”
Walls’ Drive-In, Cannelton IN (CLOSED)
Walls’ Drive-In ranks among the most difficult places to find of all the restaurants we’ve visited since 2010, and it simply should not be that way. Let’s note the problem finding the place first before anything else. Its address, which I confirmed when I visited, is simply “Highway 66.” I plugged that into Google Maps in late May, and it found a site twenty miles west, literally at the next bridge downstream. They finally seem to have figured it out about a week ago. The young lady working the window confirmed that their delivery drivers often complain that they can’t find the place. Continue reading “Walls’ Drive-In, Cannelton IN (CLOSED)”
Marie, Let's Eat! 