Parker’s Barbecue, Wilson NC

I left my house before six in the morning, and finally arrived at Parker’s Barbecue in Wilson a little before 3:30. This is a long, long drive, but I was finally ready to dig into the celebrated eastern North Carolina style of barbecue. There is a long tradition of whole hog cooking east of I-95 and north of Fayetteville. Parker’s is one of several very old restaurants in this part of the country. It was opened in 1946 by brothers Graham and Ralph Parker, and their cousin Henry Parker Brewer. It is no longer in family hands, but it’s in good hands all the same. Donald Williams started working here in 1963; he bought the business from Graham and Ralph upon their retirement in 1987, cousin Henry having already passed. Donald brought on two partners, Kevin Lamm and Eric Lippard, in the late 1990s. Continue reading “Parker’s Barbecue, Wilson NC” →

Maurice’s Piggie Park Barbecue, West Columbia SC

Last month, I indulged on another barbecue road trip. I’ll relate the details in the next chapter, and use the space here to talk about my experience at one of South Carolina’s best-known barbecue joints, Maurice’s. It’s a pretty large family-owned business, similar in size and local impact to, say, Country’s Barbecue in Columbus and eastern Alabama, Buddy’s in Knoxville, or Golden Rule in Birmingham. The business as we can perceive it today dates back to 1953, but it claims a somewhat older lineage on the strength of its bottled sauce, which the current owners’ grandfather, Joe Bessinger, began selling in a restaurant in Holly Hill SC in 1939. (A restaurant called Villa Tronco, also in Columbia, claims to be the oldest continually-operating one in the state, and was founded in 1940.) Continue reading “Maurice’s Piggie Park Barbecue, West Columbia SC” →

One Pizza to Please Them All

This is Marie, contributing a story about homemade pizza. I’ve always been a touch picky about toppings and the like, and had thought for quite some time in my optimistic (and somewhat incompetent) twenties that homemade pizza would be the answer – except for the fact that all my attempts had been really disappointing and not at all worth the time. After all, once you factor in the cost of all the ingredients, it really isn’t that much cheaper to do the pizza yourself! Continue reading “One Pizza to Please Them All” →

Gusto! Wood Fire Grill, Atlanta GA

A couple of weeks ago, I met my friend David for lunch at a new place in Brookwood Hills with a neat shtick. Raging against the trends of cooking over gas, which even many of the barbecue joints in Atlanta do, Gusto! loudly and proudly grills their chicken, mushrooms, and shrimp over wood. If this takes off, it will certainly lead to awkward questions. If these guys can successfully cook over wood – there’s a small stack of hickory right in the middle of the restaurant to emphasize the point – then everybody can. Get your acts together, ‘cue joints. Continue reading “Gusto! Wood Fire Grill, Atlanta GA” →

Marie’s Go-To Chili

This is Marie, contributing an article about one of my go-to recipes, chili. Yes, I know, everyone has their own chili recipe, and that is kind of the point. This is one of those foods that you don’t actually follow any kind of instructions for, beyond making sure it has some kind of sauce, some kind of beans, and some kind of powdered pepper. Continue reading “Marie’s Go-To Chili” →

Tassa Roti Shop, Marietta GA

Looking for a nearby Sunday lunch option that Marie would enjoy, I finally pulled Tassa Roti Shop from the rainy day list, even though it was a bright and beautiful mid-October afternoon without a cloud in the sky. A co-worker is from Trinidad and she recommended it quite some time ago, although she says that a place on the southeast side of town, International Roti Shop, is even better. That’s high praise, indeed, because Tassa, which is on Powers Ferry Road in Marietta, is really good. Continue reading “Tassa Roti Shop, Marietta GA” →