Friday, July 25, 2008

The Barbecue Joint Is Moving

According to the Independent Weekly Online , the Barbecue Joint on Weaver Dairy Road in Chapel Hill is moving to the Village Plaza Center into the storefront vacated by Branch's Book Store a couple of years ago. Since the bookstore only sold coffee and pastries, the premises needs significant remodeling to add a full kitchen. The Barbecue Joint has always been one of my favorite bbq joints. They're going to have more seating at the new place. Lunch at the current location is always crowded while school was open, because of the proximity to East Chapel High School. The new location will not have that problem, but the high school crowd will miss the place. Expect a new review when it opens in September.

Chowhound

Chowhound is one of the best dining forums around. I've been using it as a source for barbecue news, information and links for some time now. Anybody interested in restaurants and eating should try it out.

Bon's in University Square is Closed - Again

Bon's Home Cookin' has lost its lease from University Square and closed June 29th. She hopes to reopen somewhere, but there is no news of when or where. I never did eat at the University Square location, but had an acceptable meal at the old Carrboro location. Bon is the daughter of Chapel Hill restaurant legend Mama Dip.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Acceptable - Bar B Q King, Charlotte

Address - 2900 Wilkinson Blvd
Style - Drive-in Web-site

Bar B Q King was featured on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It fits in the last two categories. You order food via a speaker attached to the tray table hanging from the menu. It takes me back to old A&W drive-ins I grew up with, much more so than the modern Sonic Drive-in. The place is ancient, as are the car-hops that serve your food. There's a carryout window, if you don't want to eat in your car.

On TV, the emphasis was on the barbecue chicken, which is slathered with sauce and then deep fried, but I had to try the pork. I was on a roadtrip, so I wanted a light lunch. I orderd a pork barbecue sandwich, hushpuppies and a milkshake. The pork was a little bland, but adding a little dip made it a nice eat. The hushpuppies were large and heavy, so I ended up eating just a couple with lunch and took the rest along on the trip as a snack. The milkshake was homemade and well worth ordering.

It's a good stop for the nostalgia, and second for the food.