Holly Eats The South

[Holly Moore]

Just finished updating HollyEats.Com with about 25 new places from a recent homage to gluttony through the south. Only thing not shown is an off-the-recond but grease-stain-worthy and much-needed home cooked dinner courtesy of Varmint and clan.

My favorites this trip

- Doumar's in Norfolk where the ice cream cone was invented and where they still bake cones daily on the original contraption.

- Betty's Soul Food in Fort Lauderdale - cookin' so good I went back for breakfast. Authentic down to the sign urging everyone to join the NAACP

- Fredgie's in Jensen Beach FL - a trailer that grills up fantastic dogs and cheeseburgers that most full scale restaurants don't seem capable of producing

- Mama Dip's in Chapel Hill - Chicken and dumplings for dinner along with the South's best banana pudding and back for fried chicken and gravy with eggs for breakfast.

- Skeeter's E. N. Umberger Store in Wytheville VA - serving world famous hot dogs since 1920. The only thing that's changed since then is the generations of customers.

- Daytona Chili Station, South Daytona - Great Hot Dogs, three kinds of chili and lobster bisque because one of the brothers who opened the place likes lobster bisque

Was also mighty impressed with the NC State Farmers Market in Raleigh.

[Andrew Fenton]

- Doumar's in Norfolk where the ice cream cone was invented and where they still bake cones daily on the original contraption.

Hmm? So is the St. Louis World's Fair story fakelore, then?

[Holly Moore]

- Doumar's in Norfolk where the ice cream cone was invented and where they still bake cones daily on the original contraption.

Hmm? So is the St. Louis World's Fair story fakelore, then?

From Doumar's website

Abe Doumar came from Damascus, Syria; and created the first ice cream cone at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. One evening he purchased a waffle from a nearby vendor, rolled it into a cone and topped it with ice cream.

It  was so successful, he designed a four-iron waffle machine and brought his parents and brothers to America. During the Jamestown Exposition of 1907, he launched his ice cream cone business at Ocean View Amusement Park. On a single day there, they sold nearly 23,000 cones!

[KatieLoeb]

Just finished updating HollyEats.Com with about 25 new places from a recent homage to gluttony through the south.  Only thing not shown is an off-the-recond but grease-stain-worthy and much-needed home cooked dinner courtesy of Varmint and clan.

Hospitality Chez Varmint? You are a fortunate man indeed!

Looks like you ate a wide swath through the Southeast. Awesome!

[Andrew Fenton]

From Doumar's website

Abe Doumar came from Damascus, Syria; and created the first ice cream cone at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. One evening he purchased a waffle from a nearby vendor, rolled it into a cone and topped it with ice cream.

It  was so successful, he designed a four-iron waffle machine and brought his parents and brothers to America. During the Jamestown Exposition of 1907, he launched his ice cream cone business at Ocean View Amusement Park. On a single day there, they sold nearly 23,000 cones!

Hooray! Everybody is correct, and everybody shall have prizes!

So how's the ice cream there?

[Holly Moore]

Hooray!  Everybody is correct, and everybody shall have prizes!

So how's the ice cream there?

Ice cream is ok. Nothing all that special, though served on the soft side so good flavor.

What is also special is their Lime Ade. It is made the old fashioned way with a fresh squeezed lime, soda water, simple syrup and phosphate.

[Zeb A]

If I am not mistaken, looks like Varmint weasled his way into the Farmer's Market photo.

[CoolPapaBell]

Relatives everywhere, so my question is how many are convenient to this route (combinations of trips):

From Palm Beach County I-75 to I-85 in Atlanta, to I-95 in Petersburg, VA either through Philly or maybe picking up I-295 in Debellaware?

[s'kat]

What a fun journey! I suddenly seem to have an intense craving for hot dogs...

[Joe H]

There are three places "left" in Va that have original Electro Freeze machines: Carl's in Fredericksburg which has a national reputation, the Frozen Dairy Bar in Falls Church which is a shadow of what it once was and the best frozen custard of all and never publicized nationally, Klein's in Harrisonburg.

The Weenie stand in Roanoke has branches in Lynchburg which are locally famous (although I don't think these compare to a lot of other places in Jersey, CT or upstate NY). The best bbq in Carolina and, maybe in America, is the Skylight Inn in Ayden which is worth the 100 mile detour off of I 95. Sweatman's in SC is good also but still a notch below as is Lexington #1. Anyway, typing this, the realization sets in that there are hundreds of places that I've been to that I could mention. Respectfully, but this is far too broad of a topic.

[Holly Moore]

There are three places "left" in Va that have original Electro Freeze machines: Carl's in Fredericksburg which has a national reputation, the Frozen Dairy Bar in Falls Church which is a shadow of what it once was and the best frozen custard of all and never publicized nationally, Klein's in Harrisonburg.

The Weenie stand in Roanoke has branches in Lynchburg which are locally famous (although I don't think these compare to a lot of other places in Jersey, CT or upstate NY). The best bbq in Carolina and, maybe in America, is the Skylight Inn in Ayden which is worth the 100 mile detour off of I 95. Sweatman's in SC is good also but still a notch below as is Lexington #1. Anyway, typing this, the realization sets in that there are hundreds of places that I've been to that I could mention. Respectfully, but this is far too broad of a topic.

We're getting the start of an itinerary. Ben's Chili Bowl for lunch, Kleins for dessert.

Some pics of the Skylight Inn in Ayden

The pit. They barbecue whole hog

The chopping block. The whole time you're in the restaurant, you'll hear a constant chop, chop, chop.

What to order - a tray of BBQ, which comes with cornbread.

I know I haven't anywhere near all the Carolina bbq, so I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of places. But my favorites, and from these I can not chose a most favorite, are now Skylight Inn, Allen and Son, Lexington No. 1 and Sweatman's.

[VaNC]

I have been to Carl's in Fredericksburg many, many, many, many times. It is GREAT! It is a very short detour off I-95. The chocalate shake is the best I have ever had anywhere.

[Joe H]

Holly, the Skylight Inn and the Luling City Market in Texas are my two favorite bbq places. Perhaps Archibald's in Northport, AL, McClard's in Hot Springs would compete; I used to like the original Dreamland but it seems uneven now. Still, the person chop-chop-chopping at Pete Jones' place must have carpal tunnel syndrome!

Ben's Chili Bowl will be a disappointment.

For what it's worth I've driven over 20,000 miles a year on business for about 25 years around the U. S. and have the same obsession for food that you do. Long before there was Jane and Michael (which I am credited for several suggestions in) I would look up the Reader's Guide in local libraries for places, sometimes I would even call newspapers and ask for recommendations. Anyway, have you been to Jerry's Seafood in Lanham? Waterman's Crabhouse in Rock Hall? Have you had a crab cake at the Narrows in Kent Island? Had Maryland seafood at the Suicide Bridge restaurant or the Cove in Crisfield? Tony's River house in Benedict, MD? (chef is from Stoney's in Broome Island).

Did you ever have a chocolate chip cookie at the YWCA in D. C. in the '60's, '70's or '80's?

Forget Ben's Chili Bowl. Half smokes here predate it by decades. Go to Jerry's in Lanham and get a crab bomb, lump crab cake, cream of crab soup, stewed tomatoes, cole slaw and COCONUT CAKE. 90% as good as K-Paul's in New Orleans which Marty only makes on special order. Sometime drive down from Philly and go to Waterman's and sit outside on one of their two decks over the water. Cantler's recieves the publicity but Chesapeake Life magazine has voted Waterman's Maryland's #1 crab house every year since '95 for good reason. While there order cream of crab soup (served with a side of sherry), crab imperial, vegetable crab soup, exemplery cream thick chunk cole slaw. But mostly side outside on the deck under a tent over the water listening to '50's rock and roll. In the distance, 8 nautical miles out, is the Bay Bridge. This is the stop you want. It is to MD crab houses what Pete Jones' Skylight Inn is to Carolina bbq.

Trust me.

[Susan in FL]

Holly, way cool that Daytona was included in these eats. Rich Pawlak brought your website to my attention, to let me know you had been in Florida eating hot dogs. Yum.

Next time you're in the area, let me know if you would like to get together!

[Holly Moore]

Joe,

One of my more serious character flaws that I will admit to is that I have not the patience to wrestle the blue crab.

However Jerry's and Waterman's are now on my list. When I owned a sail boat I used to sail out of Rock Hall, but don't remember Waterman's. If it's been around since the early 80's though I probably did eat there back then.

Thanks.

[Gifted Gourmet]

The new pictures and information look terrific, Holly! This kind of thing makes the Southeast Forum even more of a useful repository of dining ideas for potential vistors to this area. Thanks for adding this!

[Joe H]

I have no idea when Watermen's opened. The earliest Chesapeake Living award is, I believe, from '95. Much of Rock Hall's harbor area looks fairly new. There may be 7 or 8 larger restaurants along with approximately 15 marinas. Suicide Bridge should be given equal billing with Watermen's and Jerry's. As for Jerry's it has long been considered the best restaurant in Prince George County which is not necessarily a distinction. A distinction it does have is that on Saturdays there will be a line at 4:00 in the afternoon, thirty minutes before their doors open and the line only lengthens as the evening progresses. If you are not in line by 4:20 you will not get in for the first seating. I know this sounds like hyperbole but it, unfortunately, is true. We drove 35 miles from Reston to eat there and gave up after standing in line for almost two hours one Saturday around 6. It was a month later when we arrived at 3:50 that we actually got in. We were not the first in line then.

If you go try and go on a weekday or evening.

Suicide Bridge is actually a complex of buildings; you may have a wait but it shouldn't be a long one. What is unique about this restaurant is its isolation-it literally stands alone in the middle of nowhere. It is not easy to find.

I linked all of these to their websites in a post on the D. C. board.

[spaghetttti]

Did you ever have a chocolate chip cookie at the YWCA in D. C. in the '60's, '70's or '80's?

Back in the '70's, I worked at 1750 Pennsylvania Ave. and would walk over to the Y for those amazing, ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies, didn't they come in a white bag? I'd cross the street to the park and just sit there, people watch and savor my lunch -- those cookies.

Edited August 30, 2004 by spaghetttti (log)

[Joe H]

Still, the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever had. Unfortunately they are long gone.

[Holly Moore]

Still, the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever had.  Unfortunately they are long gone.

I'm assuming your travels haven't taken you to the Famous 4th Street Deli in Philadelphia.

[Joe H]

No, not there but the best "store bought" that I've had were the original David's cookies in the '70's hot from the oven. The photo looked seriously interesting, though!