N.C.'s best food tourism spots?

This may come off as snooty, and it's really not meant to, but since I live in Raleigh, I don't necessarily have to leave my city to enjoy great restaurants. The Capital City has come a long way over the past two decades or so in offering a veritable cornucopia of culinary delights. But that doesn't mean I don't look for those hot spots or "must-hit" spots around this great state. And there are plenty. Some are a short drive away, while others ... not so much.

In fact, a random conversation among coworkers a couple of weeks ago about favorite haunts around the state got me thinking: Just how far will you go for "food tourism?"


My grandparents, many moons ago, used to fly friends (in a small plane) from Clinton to Raleigh, just to have an evening at the Angus Barn. These days, I know a fair number of folks who can make a day or two out of heading to Kinston to see what Vivian Howard is cooking up at The Chef and the Farmer. People also sample the goods at Mother Earth Brewing as well. (Both of these are on my own personal "food tourism" bucket list.)


WRAL's Scott Mason, the Tar Heel Traveler, recently put out a map of some of the more popular restaurants in the state. Not surprisingly, many of these would qualify, in my mind, as food destinations: Britt's Donuts in Carolina Beach, the Roast Grill in Raleigh, Sherry's Bakery in Dunn (a personal favorite of mine).  We ARE in North Carolina, so BBQ places also made the cut (thank God!). And I know of people who have made the trek to Siler City just on the off-chance that they can enjoy a burger from Johnson's Drive-In before they run out of beef. Another place that I don't think made Scott's list but seems to be a sort of Mecca for some is the Beefmastor Inn (note the 'o') in Wilson County.

So a couple of questions .... what are some of your favorite food tourism sites in North Carolina? And how far are you willing to drive JUST to enjoy food? Feel free to share in the comments below.

Johnson's Drive-In image from Our State; Beefmastor image from greenolivemedia.blogspot.com

Pain for 'Joy'

Kinston native and Society favorite Jaime Pressly was arrested last night on suspicion of DUI, according to various sources.

Pressly, who played "Joy" on TV's "My Name Is Earl," was taken into custody in Santa Monica, California, after police performed a field sobriety test.

No word at the moment on whether or not Pressly was released or if she's still in custody. Her bail had been set at $15,000.

Pressly received two Emmy nominations for her role as Joy on "My Name is Earl," and she won the Emmy in 2007. She published a memoir early in 2009 called "It's Not Necessarily the Truth: Dreaming Bigger Than the Town You're From."

An outsider's look at N.C. BBQ

Again, gotta love Google Alerts. If not for it, I would never have come across this blog piece.

"For (American) Northerners there remains a number of unfounded misconceptions about the South. People are fat. People are rednecks. People are racist. Yes, they are, and some of us above the Mason Dixon line hit those marks too," writes Nick Schonberger. "Despite consistent bad mouthing and classist snobbery one thing is universally acknowledged as better down South — the BBQ."

He gets some names and stuff wrong (Allen & Brothers instead of Allen & Sons in Chapel Hill; referring to ECU as "East Carolina State University"), but the romance is there.

To wit:

An almost mystic pull to down home, no frills, dinning, brought me to North Carolina for a weekend in May. Having toured Texas BBQ and Memphis, and sampled a number of places throughout Virginia, I’d largely ignored North Carolina in the past. Yet, the style is the most frequently copied (and ruined) in my regular BBQ consumption. “Carolina Pulled Pork” sandwiches litter menus at bars and taverns up the Eastern Seaboard, and given this an opportunity to investigate the authentic origins of the ubiquitous dish proved impossible to resist.

... Rolling through North Carolina, it became obvious that while blanket statements can define the taste, technique, and texture, there’s no accounting for individual twists and turns in the make up. ...

.. [w]e gathered remaining strength and hit Greenville. A ghost town. A place where even the locals are quick to tell you to leave. One did. A single toothed proprietor of the town’s Skate Shop. He told me, frankly, that there wasn’t a single good thing to eat within miles. I suppose his lack of teeth made living there possible. The best thing in town was a giant sculpture of a Pirate. The rest was genuinely frightening.

Three days. 8 giant meals. Hundreds of miles driven. The lesson learned, people in North Carolina certainly take BBQ seriously, and certainly place a highly localized stamp on a plate of pork.

No more 'Earl' but 'OTH' renewed

NBC's "My Name is Earl" has reportedly been canceled, meaning no more TV presence (for now) for Kinston's Jaime Pressly.

It's been reported before that the idea for the show "just came" to creator Greg Garcia several years ago while he was vacationing on the Outer Banks.

GogoRaleigh.com stated that "Earl" is co-produced and co-written by Raleigh native Bobby Bowman, so it's a double boo-hoo for the Wolfpack State.

In other N.C. TV news, "One Tree Hill" has reportedly been renewed; however, a couple of the main stars (not going to give it away) will not be back.

In addition, NBC has renewed "Parks and Recreation," which features Asheville native Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz.

Kinston folks respond to Pressly's book

Kinston native Jaime Pressly, of "My Name is Earl" fame, has a book about her life on book store shelves now.

"it's not necessarily not the truth: Dreaming Bigger Than the Town You're From" is a "collection of stories about Pressly's life so far, in Kinston and Los Angeles, written for her young son Dezi," says the Kinston Free Press.

Folks in Pressly's hometown are responding to the book.

Laverne Burks of Kinston, Schreckengost's mother, said she thought it was well-written.

"It was more interesting probably because it was about local people, people I know or have known. I enjoyed it," she said.

Pressly said her family was extremely proud of her and the publication.

"They all loved the book," she said. "My aunt and uncles have sent the sweetest notes."

Jimmy Pressly, Jaime's father, said he thought it was pretty amazing.

"You don't think kids have these thoughts growing up, but she had big dreams, and never gave up on them," he said. ...

An Emmy for 'Joy'

Congrats to Kinston's Jaime Pressly on winning an Emmy for her work as Joy "My Name Is Earl." Pressly won for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Quick hits: Canes and Caswell

Dry N.C. begs for a hurricane
"If you're looking for a sign that the drought is nothing to trifle with, consider the fact that some people have begun uttering the unthinkable," writes the News & Observer.

" 'It's one of those years where people actually wish for a hurricane,' said Keith Edmisten, a cotton specialist with N.C. State University's crop science department. 'It's not a good thing to say. But it's that bad.'

"On Thursday, the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council released a map showing all but six of the state's 100 counties in some stage of drought. The map shows a state increasingly under the grip of a merciless heat wave. And there is more bad news.

" 'There appears to be very little relief in sight,' said Woody Yonts, chairman of the advisory council. 'Our water supplies are starting to feel this.' ..."

A Caswell celebration
"Kinston will be bursting with activity beginning Sunday as the community welcomes visitors from throughout the state, including former governors, Masons and even modern-day descendants of Gov. Richard Caswell," writes the Free Press.

"Caswell, who died in 1789, was elected as the first governor of North Carolina in 1776. The Maryland native held the position until 1780 and was elected again to serve from 1784-1787.

"Jo Huettl said Wednesday that the eight-member Lenoir County Colonial Commission and a 50-member steering committee have spent about a year preparing the celebration. Huettl is the head of the Colonial Commission.

" 'We’re honoring him because he had never really received any recognition,' Huettl said. ..."