With six stops plus a photo-only post in Charlotte and its surrounding suburbs on this trip, this city is just killing me with all the great restaurants and things to do. I am miles – miles! – from visiting all of the places here that I want to see, and hope that we’ll be back before long. But one thing was certain before anything else, I had to visit the South 21 Drive-In on Independence Boulevard. This location has been around since 1959 and seen off all kinds of competition over the years, including, reportedly, one of those What-a-Burger Drive-Ins as seen in yesterday’s post, which was apparently just down the street. Still family-owned (Maria Housiadas’s father and uncles, named Copsis, opened the place) and loyal to a small company of awesome carhops who’ve been with them for years, they’re said to make some pretty good burgers and the best onion rings money can buy. Continue reading “South 21 Drive-In, Charlotte NC”
What-a-Burger, Mooresville NC
As the road takes us back into the Greater Charlotte area for the final leg of this trip, a couple of thoughts strike me. A couple of points need clarifying, to my mind.
First up, there are three entirely different and separate chains of restaurants with almost the same darn name in the south. The best known, of course, is Whataburger – note the spelling, as one word – the Texas-based chain with the orange and white buildings that stretch into Alabama and Florida, and, briefly, into Georgia. (Two of the three in this state failed; I believe there’s still one in Thomasville.)
There are also, however, two completely unrelated groups of restaurants that call themselves “What-a-Burger” with hyphens. One of these groups of restaurants is based in Virginia, and one in the Carolinas. The original Carolina version started in the city of Concord, just outside the Charlotte perimeter on I-85, and expanded to fifteen stores. Most of them have closed, but the six that remain still have their original numbering proudly posted at each location. Store number 10, in Kannapolis, and number 11, in Mooresville, which I visited, look very, very similar, and very, very beautiful if you love old drive-ins with gorgeous canopies or awnings and Servus-Fone call-boxes. Continue reading “What-a-Burger, Mooresville NC”
Carolina Bar-B-Q, Statesville NC
The next stop on my drive was in the town of Statesville, and it really was a great one. Carolina Bar-B-Q, which Gene and Linda Medlin opened in 1985, was absolutely excellent. I’d rank it second behind Lexington’s Bar-B-Q Center as my favorite barbecue stop on this tour. Continue reading “Carolina Bar-B-Q, Statesville NC”
Deano’s Barbecue, Mocksville NC
With a little time available to me, I made my way southwest out of Winston-Salem on I-40. I made a long stop at a rest area, because since I had been able to rearrange Hill’s and Kermit’s that morning, I was more than an hour ahead of schedule. I spent thirty minutes walking around, pausing to help some fellow travelers at the big map find US-74 – that is not at all the same as I-74, no – and felt great when I got back to the car. Continue reading “Deano’s Barbecue, Mocksville NC”
Kermit’s Hot Dog House, Winston-Salem NC
Before I left Winston-Salem, I wanted to follow up on a tip that I got to check out a fun old canopied drive-in, the first of three that I would visit on the second day of the trip. Kermit’s Hot Dog House opened more than 48 years ago, in January of ’66. Sadly, the original owner, Kermit Wade Williams, didn’t get the chance to see his restaurant really thrive. He died after only two years of running the place, leaving it in the hands of his brother, Arthur. He took on a partner, Paul D. Church, in the 1970s, and they’ve served breakfast and chili dogs to many thousands of locals and retro-curious tourists. Continue reading “Kermit’s Hot Dog House, Winston-Salem NC”
Hill’s Lexington Barbecue, Winston-Salem NC
I stayed the night in the Bates Motel. Don’t take my word for it. After I returned, I was asked by Expedia to review the hotel, and I was pleased to note the lack of wi-fi and a room fridge as had been advertised. Three of the ten previous reviews mentioned the Bates Motel. And you thought it was on the west coast. None of my other, affordable choices had been available, since the ACC Tournament did a number on room vacancy throughout the Triad. So there’s the plus side to dropping Stamey’s from my itinerary: I finally figured out where all the decent hotel rooms in Winston-Salem had got to. Continue reading “Hill’s Lexington Barbecue, Winston-Salem NC”
Short Sugar’s, Reidsville NC
So I started putting this trip together late last year. I planned and replanned and mapped and mapped again. I was totally happy with the itinerary and printed out all my directions. The morning before I was set to leave, I took one last look at Google Maps, zooming in with street view to give me a good idea at what was around each of the destinations. I noticed that my planned final stop, Stamey’s in Greensboro was across the street – literally – from some big coliseum or other. I figured that I should probably check whether there might be a concert that Friday evening. It would help to have some advance notice of a Widespread Panic show or somebody causing traffic backup. Continue reading “Short Sugar’s, Reidsville NC”
Marie, Let's Eat! 