Recently I did some adventuring in Greenville. I may or may not have been in a vehicle that was ticketed on the campus of ECU. I went on campus for the first and last time. But, before that happened, I enjoyed a great meal at The Scullery.
For those of you not familiar with this spot, it’s a small cafe and eatery on the corner of Evans and 5th St in Greenville. When you walk in, you are greeted by the smells of coffee and food. It’s a small place but doesn’t really feel crowded. I was greeted by a server very quickly.
I got an amazing open face sandwich. It was a piece of sunflower bread with big, thick slices of roasted turkey, melted pimento cheese, and roasted tomatoes. It usually comes with bacon, but I ordered mine without because cholesterol. (sad face) Their homemade pimento cheese is amazing. All the different bits of this sandwich gelled together with the pimento cheese as the glue. It was really something special.
This is a short post as I have lots of interruptions to feel the latest slime Layla has concocted. Do yourself a favor though and go eat at The Scullery.
Oh happy day! Getapizzathis has returned to TBC. We fell in love with this truck the first time we ate from it. Full disclosure – when I first heard about the menu I just knew it was gonna be awful hipster junk. I mean, I guess it is kind of hipsterish, but I certainly wouldn’t call it junk. It’s flatbread pizza. Some has stuff you expect on a pizza (cheese, pepperoni, sausage) and some doesn’t. I just knew I wouldn’t be impressed by these flatbread pizzas with “weird” toppings. They might has well have been gluten free the way I thought about them. This is a prime example of judging things before trying them. I ended up with foot in my mouth along with pizza. So that was like a year ago. We ate with them several other times when they came back. Each time, we loved it.
So today, I got the Funky Fresh, my favorite. It has spinach, bacon, pepperoni, and mushrooms on it. You can see in the picture that they don’t skimp on toppings. It was hot and fresh. The flavors from the different toppings mesh together so well. It is just amazing. Alisa had the BBQ Chicken pizza which was great as well. Layla had plain cheese. I ate some of hers and it was pretty awesome.
Flat bread pizza might be for hipsters, but from this truck I like it too. If you get the chance, check them out.
Big Kahuna Burger (Grilled Chicken subbed for burger)
There has been a lot of buzz about Barley and Burger lately. I felt it my duty, to each of you 7 readers, to go check it out. Alisa and I were both off for Good Friday, so we made the journey. It was raining when we got there so I give the weather outside a 2/10.
Moving inside, we were greeted by a hostess who was very friendly and seated us immediately. Our server came over right away and took our drink orders. The cop in me did a thorough scan of the premises. What I found was a bunch of cool pop art. I remarked to Alisa that I needed to steal (or buy) several of the canvasses hanging on the walls. My favorites were the Napoleon Dynamite and Samuel L. Jackson ones. We were seated under “Here’s Johnny.” I noticed that our waters were served in NC brewery glasses. Alisa got our hometown favorite TBC and I got Crystal Coast Brewing. I thought that was a cool touch.
I looked at the menu and took a while to decide what to try. We ordered some fried pickles for an appetizer and I ordered the Big Kahuna Burger, but substituted grilled chicken for burger on mine. I told myself I was eating a little more healthy, but how healthy can a sandwich with pimento cheese, fried pickles, and bacon be? YODO. I couldn’t drink any beer because I was driving, but I noticed that they had some really good craft beers on tap as well as a couple national brands.
Our fried pickles came out shortly after we ordered them. They came with ranch and some sauce that was mayo with barbecue sauce mixed in as far as I could tell. With ranch, the pickle were awesome. After a short wait, our orders were delivered to the table. I snapped the picture above of mine. It doesn’t really show the food well. But, I am an eater, not a photographer. I apologize for the picture of what appears to be a soup sandwich. My sandwich was just stupid good. The pimento cheese was melted and runny. It helped to cement the bacon and pickles to the grilled chicken breast. The chicken itself was flavorful and tender. The bun was toasted so that there was a little crunch, but not enough so that it cuts the roof of your mouth. (You know what I’m talking about.) The tater tots on the side were OK. Nothing special. But, they were nice and crispy. I would recommend that if you get them, you ask for some ranch to dip them in. That would improve them. Alisa got this monstrosity of a salad. It looked like it was really good and she said that it was.
Recap: The atmosphere is cool. The people are friendly. The food is great.
Assessment: Go to Barley and Burger and eat. They get 5 out of 5 Golden Muses (no monetary value).
Succotash was at TBC today, so after a little shopping downtown, we stopped in to try them out. I ordered a Shrimp Po Boy and Fried S’more. Alisa ordered the Roast Pork Plate. The prices weren’t great but they weren’t terrible either. I would assume that in the Triangle area, the prices are average. I ended up with the shrimp plate by accident, which was God affirming that I didn’t need so much bread.
The shrimp were giant and cooked perfectly. The breading wasn’t over the top. The orange sauce that came with the shrimp was pretty awesome. It was a little bit spicy, which I liked, I couldn’t pinpoint all of the flavors in it, but I can tell you that you need to be dipping your shrimp in it. The slaw was just ok to me. Nothing special.The potatoes were great. They were big chunks of potatoes that had been smashed and then fried. The seasoning in/on them was fantastic. I had a bite of Alisa’s pork and it was pretty amazing. The real star of the show, to me, was the s’more. It was like a s’more empanada or turnover with some fresh whipped cream topped with cinnamon. It was out of this world good. I needed a big glass of milk when I was done eating it. I know that they don’t always have the s’mores but sometimes have fried banana pudding instead. If they have the s’more when you visit them, try it.
TBC was a great place to eat and hang out as usual. The service on the truck was kind of slow, I assume because everything was being cooked fresh to order. So, we played corn hole and shuffleboard while we waited. Inez and Stephen were there and friendly as always. TBC is just a great place, made even greater when there are trucks with tasty food like this.
If you see Succotash in your neck of the woods, swing by and check them out y’all.
Look at that beautiful avocado sauce on these amazing tacos.
It’s been about a year since I had La Republica. Long before I dreamed about writing down my scattered thoughts on the pros and cons of restaurants (mostly food trucks) here. So, I felt that it was my by God duty to eat some tacos and tell y’all about them tonight. (I also sampled the new Dopple Bock in TBC which was very tasty. But it was 8.6% ABV. I’m not responsible enough to have that much alcohol in my beer.)
When I got there, they were still setting up. Rather than ignore me and hope I went away for a while, the woman on board told me that it would be about 10 minutes before they were ready. Cool. I sat and looked at memes and other such nonsense on the interwebs. Once they opened up the window, they set out what seemed like 746 different hot sauces. I got three tacos, one with each meat. I sat down to wait for my order. Just a couple minutes later, the woman called my name. She said my order wasn’t ready but they wanted me to have some nachos to snack on while I waited. Now, I don’t know if this is standard practice for them or if my southern charms, my yes ma’ams and thank you ma’ams, paid off. Regardless, class move on their part. Mom, Dad, and I sat and talked and ate the nachos while we waited. My tacos were ready in a short while, perhaps 10 minutes. I took them and a 6 pack of Seed Spitter from TBC and headed home. Note: If you eat at the food trucks at the brewery and you’re taking your food to go, buy something from inside. You don’t have to EVERY time, but do it some at least. The better TBC does, the more trucks we will see. So if you don’t do it just based on morals/ethics, do it for that selfish reason.
After my short drive home, I carefully lined up my tray of food and 6 pack. I captured the attached picture above, like the true professional I am. I fired it off to Instagram and Facebook to try to get people to go to TBC. Again, your civic duty if you are enjoying the food trucks. Tell all your friends and family about TBC and about the trucks. Off my soapbox and on to these tacos. I think what sets La Republica apart for me is the avocado sauce. It’s just…yum. Let’s break these reviews down by each taco. Mango Habanero Pork was exceptionally good. It was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. If you don’t like spicy foods, it would still be a safe bet for you. It’s not too spicy at all. And again, that avocado sauce just meshes with all the other ingredients so well. Next I had the Chipotle Chicken. Chicken can get dry. I’ve had a lot of dry chicken tacos, which is why I started ordering chorripollo to begin. This chicken was tender and flavorful. That daggone avocado sauce was the truth too. Seriously, trying to hammer this point home about the avocado sauce. Avocado sauce. Trust me. The sauce. Last, I had the beef taco. Again, it was nice and juicy, tender, and flavorful. Also, say it with me, avocado sauce.
Look, I didn’t try everything on the menu and didn’t need to. I’ve got the perfect order for you. Get three tacos, one with each meat. Make sure those jokers have that avocado sauce on them. Add your hot sauce if you want. Then enjoy some of the best tacos you can find in central to eastern North Carolina. La Republica is Muse approved. Avocado sauce.
I was excited when Stacy started talking about starting a food truck with healthy food. If you’ve been following the blog, recently I am trying to eat better. I eat a lot of wraps lately. So, Wayside Wraps is right up my alley.
We were able to try them out at the Tarboro Spring Fest. They had a good menu. Alisa and I both chose the Turkey Cranberry wrap. It has Turkey, Swiss cheese, lettuce, and cranberry mayo in a nice soft wrap. Alisa also got waffle fries. I thought the waffle fries were better than the ones at Chic-fil-a even. I know, I know. Those are blessed by God himself. Stacy’s were better. They were nice and crispy and perfectly seasoned. The wrap was just stupid good. Unfortunately my picture doesn’t do it justice. Both Alisa and I loved it. The cranberry mayo just goes with the turkey so well. Long story short, you get something that tastes amazing and is pretty good for you.
I have been going to Old Salem all my life and had never been to this place. We got there around 12:30 on Sunday. It was a 15ish minute wait for a table. This was the first time I have EVER waited to be seated at a restaurant. I would have normally left. But being the optimistic ray of sunshine that I am, I sat quietly, totally content, and waited.
So to brief you on this restaurant, it is located in historic Old Salem. It was built in the early 1800s I believe. The wait staff wear period clothing and the furniture and place settings are traditional. You don’t have to dig a hole out back to use the bathroom, there are at least modern bathrooms. I know because Layla tried out both the Men’s and Women’s rooms. Both were quite nice, although cramped.
Eventually, after waiting for what felt to me like an eternity, we were seated. The room was homey and the historic decor was pretty cool. I was ready to discuss insurrection, drink a tankard of ale, then die of dysentery by age 37. You know, to be authentic.
The menu was great. They have brunch and lunch items on Sunday. They even had a good kids menu. Before our order arrived, they brought us warm rolls, pumpkin spice muffins, and fresh butter. The rolls and muffins were delicious. For my meal, I had the Farmer’s Platter. This consisted of grits with goat cheese, 3 eggs over easy, country ham, and biscuits with gravy. The food was just unbelievably good. Everything was fresh and flavorful. The prices were very reasonable.
We left the tavern full and happy and went to the T. Bagge Shoppe and Winkler Bakery. Be sure if you go, you explore the rest of Old Salem and get the full experience.
Foggy Rock was recommended to me by Gene Harrell (shoutout). The first night we were in Blowing Rock, we went to check it out around 5:30. At this time it wasn’t very busy. My first impression was that the atmosphere was pretty cool. Everything is very rustic looking inside: table tops made out of slabs of trees, barn wood on the walls, old style light bulbs, and great art on the walls.
Looking at the menu, they have an impressive selection of NC, national, and international beers, wines, and ciders. The food selection was pretty great too. I ordered a large house salad with grilled chicken and Alisa had the loaded mac and cheese with fried chicken (both pictured above). I dont know how excited you can get about a salad, I mean really. But, this was a good salad. It had arugula, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, craisins, and grilled chicken breast. The house ranch was very good. Alisa’s mac and cheese was crazy good. My water was pretty good too. It was cold and refreshing. Another note: the meal was very reasonably priced.
The next night, finding all the other restaurants in town to be packed, we went back to Foggy Rock. It was around 6. It was crowded, but there was seating. This night, I had a good Kolsch from French Broad Brewing to start the meal off. Ashley got a lemon drop. The result of this lemon drop was hilarious to all of us, mostly Ashley though.Food wise, I got a chicken philly and slaw. Alisa and Ashley had chicken penne pasta which looked really good. My philly was delicious. The house slaw was some of the best slaw I have ever had. Being a seafood and barbecue fan in Eastern NC, I have tried a whole bunch of slaw over the years.
If you are in Blowing Rock, go eat at Foggy Rock. You’ll enjoy it. If you don’t, you’re broken.
El Jefecito is a food truck out of Durham. They put some fun twists on common street tacos, adding in some things that you wouldn’t normally expect. Alisa and I got most of the stuff (with meat) off of the menu. We avoided the vegetarian tacos, so I can’t comment on them.
Alisa and I started out with fresh chips with guacamole. The chips and guac were great. Both were very fresh and delicious. On to the tacos. Aside from the chorizo tacos, the others were just ok. I wasn’t a fan of the seasoning on the carne asada tacos. But, the chorizo tacos were something special. You can see them in the middle of both bunches of tacos above. They had a good serving of chorizo, topped with diced pineapple, cheese, and some chipotle mayo type sauce. As I bit into the taco, I was swept away to a far away land. I found myself standing on the top of a pyramid in Tenochtitlan, staring out at the vast Aztec empire. Unfortunately, I only ordered one of the chorizo tacos, so this was short lived.
I tried a bite of quesadilla from Ashley and was amazed. It was the best quesadilla I have ever tasted. It was jam packed full of meat and cheese. The flavors were amazing. They hit my tongue like a Hadouken from Ryu. I was left stunned. Just amazing.
So, my next trip to this truck, I will be getting chorizo tacos and quesadilla. You should too. If they’re in your neck of the woods, check them out.
***UPDATE***
This time, I had three tacos. One with campechano, one fish, and one chorizo. My favorite was campechano with fish being a close second. They were crazy good.
El Tapatio in Rocky Mount is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. Though I prefer the food from a hole in the wall or food truck, I do occasionally go to one of these places that mass produce some favorites for us gringos. Though there are no rosaries hanging by the cash register or Santa Muerte shrines, the food is pretty good.
Last weekend, Alisa and I decided to go eat at El Tap around 12:30 on Saturday. It was packed. But that is to be expected. Aside from the noise of other people, one of my least favorite things, the dining experience was pleasant. The waiter was very friendly and attentive. He offered to make guacamole at our table but we declined as we had both eaten about 2 baskets of chips with salsa already.
I got the Carne Asada California Burrito. This thing is the size of a newborn baby. It was packed full of steak, lettuce, and rice. The best part was that it was drowning in cheese sauce. Now, I am a fat boy, but I could only eat about half of this thing. (Granted, I did eat at least a basket of chips before I got the burrito.) Another thing of note to those of us here in the South was that the sweet tea was really good. (In my Forrest Gump voice) I musta drank me about 3 glasses.
Look here, if you want some Mexican food and you’re too skeered to go to one of the hole in the walls with the Santa Muerte shrine, drive on over to El Tap.
Museing About Food. 
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