Not for the first time, I was forced to consider the odd discrepancy between a phalanx of awards from major cooking competitions and the supposed awesomeness of what the winners of these competitions serve in their restaurants. Either the two are not anywhere close to being the same, or the judges of these competitions have an entirely different set of criteria than I do for what makes good barbecue. Of course, the written word often doesn’t have any nuance whatsoever, and I’m not saying that I’ve ever had a bad meal at a restaurant with one of those larger-than-a-child Memphis in May trophies, but I sure have had better. Continue reading “Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, Decatur AL”
Tag: barbecue
Mike & Jeff’s BBQ Diner, Greenville SC
Two years ago, the last time I spent any time in Greenville (note: I should spend more time in Greenville), Marie and our son and I went by Mike & Jeff’s, but they close after lunch on Saturday, and we arrived after they’d shut their doors. Fortunately, they do stay open for supper on Friday, and so my daughter and I stopped by on our way back from Winston-Salem. Good thing we did, too, because it was my daughter’s favorite meal of the trip. She really liked this place a lot. Everything except the television. Continue reading “Mike & Jeff’s BBQ Diner, Greenville SC”
Richard’s Bar-B-Q, Salisbury NC
When I was in town two years ago for a similar trip, I visited Wink’s King of Barbecue and wondered, since the meal was just sort of okay, whether I might have been better off visiting another well-known joint in Salisbury called Richard’s. I would indeed have been. My daughter and I arrived at Richard’s for our final stop in the Tarheel State and I thought this place was just terrific. Continue reading “Richard’s Bar-B-Q, Salisbury NC”
Lexington Barbecue, Lexington NC (take two)
I first visited Lexington Barbecue two years ago on a day when some program on the Travel Channel was shooting an episode of one of their many shows about driving around and eating well, and I’ve wondered ever since whether the food might not be even better when it’s prepared and served outside the madness and chaos of a taping day. What I enjoyed then was really good, don’t get me wrong, but if my experience has taught me anything, it’s that kitchens often don’t do their best work when outside forces like festivals or TV shows are slamming the restaurant. Continue reading “Lexington Barbecue, Lexington NC (take two)”
Little Richard’s Lexington BBQ, Winston-Salem NC
In the past, when I’ve taken these little trips, I’ve usually gone on a Friday and Saturday. This time, I did it on Thursday and Friday, because I took my daughter to see the campus of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. She really liked the place, I’m glad to say. Her grades need a little more of a kick in the pants to make it into such a good school, but at least in the short term, she came back motivated and started reporting some higher test scores. She still has a little time to get that GPA looking better. Continue reading “Little Richard’s Lexington BBQ, Winston-Salem NC”
Stamey’s Barbecue, Greensboro NC
I was last in the Piedmont Triad two years ago, and could not find a hotel room for love nor money. I eventually settled on an awful, awful place in Winston-Salem that was so grim that I couldn’t wait to review it at Expedia and warn whomever would listen that it was, literally, the Bates Motel. Of course, had I checked those reviews before I left, then I would have seen that four of ten previous reviewers had already called it that. Continue reading “Stamey’s Barbecue, Greensboro NC”
Fuzzy’s Bar-B-Q, Madison NC
Just as I will never get used to how wide Tennessee and North Carolina are, I will also never get used to how quickly you can get from the south part of each state to its northern border. We left Lexington and it seemed like we were in Madison, twenty miles from the Virginia line, in the time it took for the awesome flavor of Smiley’s to pass on. Was it worth traveling so far north? Absolutely. As much as I enjoyed Smiley’s, I liked Fuzzy’s even better. Continue reading “Fuzzy’s Bar-B-Q, Madison NC”
Marie, Let's Eat! 