Zeb A

collards, yes. red-eye gravy, yes. chittlins, nasty. pot likker, please speak English Pot likker -- the "juice" that's left in the bottom of the pot after cooking greens, generally with fat back or some other form of pork. Serve with cornbread or biscuits. OK, that stuff is also good, but I have never heard the term "pot likker" used to describe it. Are you trying to discretely import some of your Pennsylvania backwoods terminology into the South?

collards, yes. red-eye gravy, yes. chittlins, nasty. pot likker, please speak English

We spent 2 weeks in Spain about 2 years ago and stayed at quite a few Paradores. I really think they are a great program. The Parador in Grenada is simply an amazing place to stay.

I have to agree. I can live without banana pudding. First pimento cheese and now banana pudding. If we have to talk about stereotypical Southern food, lets stick to the Q and grits.

Enoteca Vin is owned by the same people who own Carolina Wine Company, which is arguably the best wine shop in the Southeast, if not the entire east coast. They have pretty damn good food at Vin, too. Vin also has a great Sunday brunch.

Cry me a river, buddy.

Check out Rick's All-Seasons restaurant in York Harbor for breakfast. Simple good breakfast food. Opens very early. Not at all a tourist place.

anyone else notice that Monk's in Lexington, NC won some sort of Beard award? Scroll Down

In Florence, we recently stayed at the Excelsior. It was great. It was much more expensive than the places we would typically stay, but my wife found us some sort of a fequent flier deal that secured the rooms at half price.

I sort of peer pressured Varmint into hosting this (he has often talked about his former pig cookin' days) and am starting to feel a bit guilty. I bet he has received a more enthusiastic response than he anticipated, and I fear cost may be higher than he expected. Never having cooked a pig or hosted an e-gullet fest, I don't know what he has signed up for. I agreed to make a modest contribution to the pig fund (emphasis on modest), but don't know if things have exceeded his expected budget. So, Varmint, fess up. Are you ok with anticipated cost? Or, are we forcing you to dip into the lunch money need by the little Vermin? (Of course, that one little Varmint is pretty big, so maybe lack of lunch is not a problem for him)

I mean Galileo. I have not been to Laboratorio. Maybe its just me, but when I drop a load of cash in a restaurant, my expectations are quite high, and Galileo has disappointed me from that perspective. In contrast, I have always left Obelisk feeling very good about my meal on all levels. It's not that I have an aversion to expensive meals, but, when I have one, it probably does make me more critical.

4-5 hours, depending on speed you drive and whether you catch the traffic of death coming out of DC. 95 to 85 to Raleigh. very ez.

If you are considering Oblesik v. Galileo for one of your meals, I much prefer Obelisk. I think the food is better, and the restaurant has an atmosphere I prefer. Galileo always seems stuffy, and I find the food underwhelming (at an overwhelming price).

We went to Fearrington House last September and had the aforementioned foie gras with scuppernog jelly--amazingly good. as i vaguely recall, they also sprayed some scuppernog mist over everything. it was sort of wierd and something i had not seen b4, but quite tasty.

I've seen this guy do karaoke, and it is not pretty.

I've been to quite a few barbecue places in NC, and I would say 95% or more serve hushpuppies.

Sounds like a fun event! And you can't go wrong with sausage. It was a pretty hectic weekend in Salisbury with all the race traffic, etc.

We were in Salisbury, NC for a wedding this weekend, and we had free time Saturday. So, we did a barbecue sampler in nearby Lexington. Taking the advice of several people, we knew we had to go to the Monk (Lexington #1). We also went to Smokey Joe's and Speedy's. I first want to say that I ate a barbecue plate w/ hush puppies and slaw at eat place. This made for a good comparison and a grotesquely distended gut by the end. (3 plates in about 1.5 hours is too much.) This was my 1st exposure to Western style. It wasn't nearly as saucy as I had expected, and I liked it quite a bit. I still think I prefer Eastern Q, but my wife may now lean toward the west. I love the western slaw though. very finally chopped with some sort of spicy tomato sauce--maybe the same stuff in the barbecue. excellent. The Monk was packed. We had about a 20 minute wait. As advertised, a mix of locals and tourists. Smokey Joe's was smokey--and I don't mean smokey from the barbecue pit, I mean smokey from the cigarette smokers. While this appeared to be a truly local place, I could not help but find it to be sort of freaky. The kind of place where you feel like you stick out like a sore thumb when you walk in. The waitresses were nice etc., but, as my wife said, "I don't think I'll be back." Speedy's was more similar to the Monk. Pleasant place to eat. Evidently, their claim to fame is portion size. And, they did not disappoint. Unless you have not eaten for days, I would stay away from the "large" sizes. Food-wise, I have to confess that I find it hard to notice subtle flavor differences from the meat at one place to the next. Since, Speedy's uses electric cookers and the other two use natural pit cookers, most seem to say that Speedy's meat has a less smokey (and now I mean good smokey) flavor. I really couldn't notice the difference, but the logic behind a preference for non-electrical heat cooking makes some sense I guess. They were all good. The meat at Smokey Joe's was more coarsely cut (and we did not ask for the "coarse cut" that is on the menu), which I don't like as much because the pig parts seem to become identifiable (at least to my imagination). My wife and I both agreed that the hush puppies at the Monk were the best and the sauce at Speedy's was the best (spicy and sweet and not too runny). The sauce at Smokey Joes was so runny that it kind of made the Q watery. We also thought the slaw at Speedy's was the best. Bottom line. All were very good. A plate and a sandwich with sweet tea runs about 10 bucks at each place. I would go back to both the Monk and Speedy's in a heartbeat. I wouldn't go back to Smokey Joe's. Not because the food or service weren't good, but simply because it was too smokey and local for someone who is neither smokey nor local. PS: Although it was recommended, we could not bring ourselves to order the pig skin sandwich that is sold at Speedy's for $2.95. Maybe next time.

Have you seen that comedian who does the bit: "Hickory! I mean come on, why not just call it Hillbillery" Kills me every time.

What, me cook? Oh no, that's not what I was saying. I was just indicating a preference for hushpuppies over those gawdawful cornsticks. However, as Katie suggested, I'd be glad to whip up a batch of Butterscotch Krimpets. Plenty of room, Katie, though I may be up to my usual tricks and go on an eat-about for a few days afterwards. Glad to get you there at least. Holly, don't worry, as I really would never make corn sticks. They are awful -- akin to sawdust with a touch of Elmer's glue. I like my hushpuppies fairly soft, with a fair amount of wheat flour mixed in with the cornmeal, some onion, a touch of sugar, plopped into super hot oil. We can make 'em, it's just a matter of getting the gear set up. As far as weekends are concerned, I could certainly do it on the Columbus Day weekend. Specifically, Saturday, October 11. For the Northerners out there who get the benefit of a three day weekend, you could have a long weekend. We don't celebrate Columbus Day much around these parts, but I think that would be a good weekend. what's up with you guys? i love cornsticks i suppose you don't like deep fried snickers bars either

Nah, but I might put you to work, as I'm kind of used to being many a Duke grads' boss! Whatever. Actually, just so everyone knows, not everyone in NC blubbers like a baby whenever they have to speak to the press. That's a UNC guy special. I might suggest that everyone acquire a shirt along the lines of this We Agree With Roy and wear it to the big event.

Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen in Raleigh. Good biscuits. Biscuit King in Durham. Great biscuits. My dad made biscuits per the recipe on the back of the Bisquick box when we were kids--they were actually really good. (I know, I know--I was also raised on potato buds and other strange items)

False, but I will contribute, subject to approval from The Boss. McCord purports to be a master cooker, so this should be pretty good if there is sufficient interest. Fall is better. Marlene: Don't worry, he doesn't actually exercise on the court. he just uses it for pig pickin's and landing his helicopter

the good news is that, if you check varmint's bio thread, you will see that he is soon hosting a pig pickin' Varmint's Pig Party

I have a friend who is a Lexington, NC native. I asked him for some recommendations, and here is what he told me: Lexington BBQ (or the "Monk," as the locals call it) is a must-try. You are guaranteed a good meal. It is where I usually go for Q and burgers (best burgers in town). As a popular tourist spot, they mass produce the Q, which, on occasion, means you receive some pork that is a little dry (heat lamps) - but usually a solid choice. Try the "Smokehouse Sauce," an original Monk-sauce, vinegar based, smokey and a little hot. A can't miss destination. The other popular tourist spot is Speedy's (the Highway 8 exit off of business 85, one exit up from the Monk). Speedy's, unlike the Monk, uses electric grills. In my opinion, the pork loses the hickory-smoke flavor. Speedy's is a still a good choice nonetheless - largest sandwich in town, seasoned fries. Speedy's usually provides a healthy serving of BBQ slaw on a sandwich, which is a nice feature if you like slaw - as I do. Two other lesser-knowns. Smokey-Joes (exit before Monk off business 85 (west fifth avenue towards town). They pit-cook their Q, very flavorful. The atmosphere is not as pleasant as the Monk's, usually smokey, but unlike the Monk, you'll find mostly locals eating at Smokey Joe's. Lexington Style-Trimmings (my favorite selection off of regular 85 - old 64 exit, stay to left past the Timberlake gallery). When passing by the L-town, I usually stop for curb-service and get a sandwich to go. While often times hit or miss (and a more consistent misser than others), Lexington Style Trimmings will occasionally produce some Q better than them all. A final tip: what to order. I usually get a "brown-sliced" sandwich, more particularly described below in an email to another inquirer: "I prefer the "brown slice." The brown refers to the pig meat closer to the flame. It's a bit crispier and better retains the hickory smoke flavor than regular chopped or sliced meat. I choose brown "sliced," as opposed to the brown "chopped," because the sliced is itself a contained piece of pork, which in my estimate is juicier in its center and ensures that you are getting the pure "brown" meat (perhaps the analogy is a steak to a hamburger). The "brown" choice is not on the menu, but the folks taking your order are aware of it and will not blink when it is requested. Because it is a special order, you're also more likely to get fresh Q (which makes a big difference). While some orders are often better than others, if you catch a brown sliced sandwich at the right time, I'll say there's no better barbeque. When traveling through Lexington this past fall, I caught a brown-slice sandwich just right at the lesser-known Lexington Style Trimmings by the Bob Timberlake gallery. Upon tasting its perfection, I nearly pulled over to the side of Hwy 85 and took a knee."