Readers in the south “of a certain age” may recall some TV commercials way back when that advertised some big chain – Pizza Hut, probably – and their then-new “deep dish pizza.” For those of us outside Chicago, this was our introduction to the concept that in the Windy City, they have a very curious regional take on this food. The ads, as I recall them, had the voice of a Barry White impersonator dubbed over some little girls. I don’t believe that the product was a big hit, and I don’t believe that the good people of Chicago thought that it was in any way representative of one of their town’s specialties, but it probably did more than anything else to inform the general public that such a thing existed. Continue reading “Nancy’s Pizza, Atlanta GA”
Tag: regional chains
Opening Night at Zinburger, Atlanta GA
A couple of Fridays ago, our daughter bailed on her babysitting duties – a trip to Six Flags suddenly came up – and so Marie stayed home with the three year-old while I went out to Zinburger’s opening night soiree. They invited the best and the brightest of Buckhead society, and also a bunch of us scruffy bloggers, for their red-carpet premiere event to benefit Camp Twin Lakes, and I’d really appreciate it if you clicked that link and checked out what they do. Continue reading “Opening Night at Zinburger, Atlanta GA”
Pal’s Sudden Service, Johnson City TN
So our spring trip was truncated from four days in western Tennessee to two days in eastern Tennessee. We started the road trip with the main destination, a very good restaurant that I’d wanted to visit for many years, but we weren’t about to leave the Tri-Cities area without a visit to a very neat little restaurant chain. Continue reading “Pal’s Sudden Service, Johnson City TN”
Shrimp Boat, Gastonia NC
There are seven surviving Shrimp Boat / Boats restaurants from that chain that have continued since it folded into the present day. Previously, this blog has focused pretty exclusively on the two remaining from the 1969 period, as those are in the buildings that appealed to my sense of old restaurant architecture. But the other five shouldn’t be dismissed. They’re all part of one large and fascinating story. Continue reading “Shrimp Boat, Gastonia 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”
Shrimp Boats, Durham NC (CLOSED)
Last year, when we published our mammoth, photo-packed story about what’s left of the Shrimp Boats chain, it first went out without a photo of the Durham Shrimp Boats. It is one of seven survivors of that once 95-strong chain, and one of only two in a 1969-style building. I had intended then to make it to Durham on this trip to North Carolina to visit the restaurant, and was pleasantly surprised when one of our readers in the area, Erin Parr, volunteered to go take some pictures for me. We have, it’s been noted, the best readers in all of blogdom. Y’all are the best. Continue reading “Shrimp Boats, Durham NC (CLOSED)”
La Tagliatella, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)
Recently, the local PR team for La Tagliatella reached out to us to see whether we’d like to give one of this very large chain’s two Atlanta stores a try. We were certainly aware of the company’s entrance into this market in 2013, but never found time to visit. Atlanta, after all, has lots and lots of restaurants. I was curious about the chain, and, looking around, see that not too many other local writers have visited. Is it because, in Europe, La Tagliatella is a huge chain? Would bloggers in England balk if somebody opened an Olive Garden there? Continue reading “La Tagliatella, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)”
Marie, Let's Eat! 