Two Chowhounds’ Road Trip (now in SC & NC)
We hit the road, leaving Savannah about 9:30AM and hit Woodstone BBQ and seafood (Florence, SC) about 1PM. They have an unbelievable $9 buffet lunch of just plain ol' southern food. For the first time in my life, I came across very evenly ground chicken liver atop rice. Also on the plate was boiled okra and collards. You can order a main entrée and three sides plate from the menu for about $2 less. No plates are over $11!
Since Mark was still suffering from stomach issues he only ate a couple of pork ribs. They were "sweet ribs", which means these were covered with a very sweet, tomatoey goo. They were pretty good except for that. Marco didn't eat much, which is a bad sign. I don't think he was much into food and I don't remember what he thought of the ribs. Those are hush puppies on the side.
Food was good and fresh and the people friendly. It was about a 50-50 mixed-race crowd and they were pretty busy. I’d describe it as an average looking cafe with very good food; definitely a Chowhound’s dream.
-
The Chowhound Team
May 21, 2009 06:50 AM
Hi:
We've split off the report for Cape May, NJ over to the Mid-Atlantic board. You can follow their adventure here:
-
Joe H
May 17, 2009 06:57 AM
Interesting threads. I've done extended driving trips around the U. S. for almost 30 years on business and once posted this: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/289383 You should either update and expand it or start a brand new thread. I would be very interested in your thoughts.
A great trip. I only wish that I'd found your posts sooner!
›2 Replies-
-
re: Scargod
Passadumkeg
May 17, 2009 10:16 AM
I was very disappointed not to find my beloved crab cakes in Delmarva. RT 13 was a drag, slow going and we were almost home. I'd research this stretch better before going again. On the ferry we had soft pretzels and 2 Heinies. I tried to introduce Scar to this Philly treat, but I don't think he was impressed. A Korean era Marine bought me a beer too, corpsman/Marine tradition.
-
-
-
Scargod
May 17, 2009 06:06 AM
After breakfast, we crossed into Virginia, the Land of Crabs! The crab signs and faded pink silhouettes are everywhere. We didn’t stop for crabs ‘cuz we didn’t see a place fit for a Chowhounding experience, but kept on truckin’ till we hit the ferry that runs between Lewes, Delaware and Cape May, New Jersey. On the ferry we had a scrumptious snack of soft pretzel and Yeungling. There was nothing else (like the hot dogs), that looked edible. At this point, some six hours later, we were hungry. There's Pass, the ol' Navy swabbie. There was a cute biker couple on the ferry. Lots of bikes out and about! Nice ferry ride.
-
-
Scargod
May 16, 2009 02:48 PM
4-25, AM: We did not know it, but this was the beginning of a motorcycle love-fest called “Outer Banks Bike Week”; kinda like a mini Sturgis Rally. They were everywhere, in swarms, like bumblebees on steroids. The police and unmarked cop cars were out in force, too. We went to the Ship's Wheel Restaurant and had a good breakfast, elbow to elbow with lots of bikers. Though full, service was quite good! You wouldn’t want to give bad service to a Harley rider (or his chick), would you? We both had crab omelets, grits and pancakes. This fortified us so we were able to make quite a few miles before the next meal.
Marco Polo liked talking to the bikers and the biker chick. The guy to his left never said a word, but it went well and we left quietly in the Miata.›1 Reply
-
Scargod
May 16, 2009 02:16 PM
We cut a bee-line for Elizabeth City, NC and then the Kill Devil Hills area. Mark had a relative with property there and he wanted to revisit the area. Again, I’ve never been up the Atlantic coast. We were doing that fast, get there kind of thing that me and the Miata like to do, while enjoying the farmland, when between Williamston and Windsor I got my second ticket. This was definitely a speed trap and I really felt set up. I had driven for eight miles on this widely divided stretch of US 13 when the speed limit made a precipitous drop from 70 to 55. I missed seeing the sign and there were no visual clues that the speed should be lower. I got nailed somewhere just after the speed change.
We reached the motel about 8PM, had a JWB and then went just down the road to BJ’s Carolina Café.
We had a great dinner here (I think), with the really (over the top), friendly family that owns and runs the place. This is a nice place and qualifies for more than the “café” title. Tara and her brother were a hoot! We talked to the mom and met Dad (BJ?).
We had a really good fried okra appetizer (that Mark did not care for because he isn’t into okra). I had a seafood combo and Mark had a barbecue sandwich. We split a bottle of white wine and closed the place while talking and taking pictures. The other "non-family" brunette, cutie-pie waitress, showed us her tattoo when we went outside.... This may sound or look like it should be PG rated but we were all having fun, no clothes really came off and we went back to the motel alone. The blondie, Tara, should be an actress! She was zany!›1 Reply
-
re: Scargod
Passadumkeg
May 16, 2009 04:47 PM
The working man back again. We had a good buzz on going into BJ's and the blond chick was and outrageous charmer and Scarcrotch fell her. The food was ok. Yes, I am a okra newbie, but it was not fresh. The fried oyster platter was a split. The wine was a brand (I can't remember) that I buy only just before payday. The oysters were ok at best (frozen). but the scallops were good. would I go back sober? I don't think so. The motel owner tried to steer us away. The staff was wonderful, but I wonder what they thought of us???
-
-
Passadumkeg
May 16, 2009 02:15 PM
One correction, you had the sweet ribs, I had a small $3.95 pulled pork sandwich. They gave us each a whole pitcher of sweet tea which must have been curative (or was it the Black Label, air in the bottle cure?) because I felt better by supper in the Outer Banks and was wolfing down the fried seafood! I normally have a pretty cast iron constitution, must have been some WC Fields fish polluted water. It did kill me to watch Scarman wolf down all that fine southern cookin'. I had to go outside and sit in the sun shine. Good God all the people in Woodstone were huge! Maybe that's why Scargod the charmer behaved himself.
-
Veggo
May 16, 2009 01:57 PM
That liver and rice dish looks really good. When I lived in Columbia S.C. I never saw the dish. It took me a while to get used to the slime factor of boiled okra. It reminded me of a can of worms with no dirt, just worms.
I had a skanky cafe nearby that made catfish stew only on Fridays, and after my first bowl I was a regular.›3 Replies-
re: Veggo
Scargod
May 17, 2009 03:45 AM
The rice and liver dish was quite plain, or should I say simple (?), but it was extremely tasty. Good rice helped.
Boiled okra can be barely cooked, in very little water, or overcooked into a mush. What I had was not overcooked, but it did have a slime factor. For those that cannot appreciate okra, I think you just have to eat it one time, where it is young, fresh pods, lightly steamed (so there's a little bite left), and served with butter and salt. Eat it with your fingers! I think anyone could like okra that way.-
re: Scargod
Low Country Jon
May 17, 2009 08:34 AM
The liver and rice dish was liver hash, one of many variations of hash you will find in SC. Made from every part of the pig (but traditionally what was left over after you smoked a whole hog) and served over rice, hash can range from the disturbing to the sublime. I've never read an adequate explanation of why SC developed hash while NC and GA both have Brunswick stew instead.
-
-
