I was a friend of a guy named Nic when I was in high school. Nic is now a filmmaker based n Carboro, North Carolina and he just finished a movie called "My Dumb Face" and invited anyone interested to come down and see it's premiere at a theatre in the nearby town of Chapel Hill. When I looked at the calendar I decided to try to and get down there and as the date got closer I decided to maybe try and get to a few Triple D places. There were 6 places in the Outer Banks area of North Carolina that I had not been to and one in Charlotte. That meant I was in for a lot of driving but it seemed like the best way. Charlotte is about two and a half hours drive from the Raleigh area to the southwest and the Outer Banks is about 4 hours drive to the east.
My plan was to go to try a Triple D place in Charlotte then go back to Chapel Hill the next day to see Nic's movie and then on my last day drive to the Outer Banks to try the places there. I left work about an hour early to take a noon flight to Raleigh. After getting my car I headed off towards Charlotte. I decided to stay about halfway between Raleigh and Charlotte. After getting settled in at the hotel I headed for the drive into Charlotte. Traffic was pretty good and I made good time. I wasn't sure what I would encounter when I got into the city as the place was in the downtown area. I was very pleasantly surprised as parking nearby was easy and inexpensive. I arrived at "Mert's Heart and Soul" a soul food café that is in Charlotte's theatre district. The walls are adorned with posters of the plays that have been performed at the nearby theatres with the actor's signatures.
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| Mert's Heart and Soul in Charlotte |
I was greeted by the very friendly staff and they and give a small table in the middle of the restaurant. When my server saw my Triple D book she got pretty excited and asked abut it and I told her of my travels and that I wanted to get someone to sign it before I left. I asked her to remind me what they had made during their episode and she told me all about it. I decided to try their signature Shrimp and Grits and also try Mert's top appetizer, the Soul Rolls. I have had Shrimp and Grits and a number of places in my travels and Mert's was a bit different as the Shrimp was served in a thick sauce that was almost like a soup. It was good, not too spicy and the shrimp was very tasty.
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| Mert's Shrimp ad Grits |
The real star was the Soul Rolls, a soul food version of Egg Rolls. The rolls were stuffed with greens and pulled pork and a slightly spicy sauce. They were awesome! The best egg rolls I have ever had! I told the staff that they have ruined egg rolls for me after having this great dish.
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| Mert's Soul Rolls, a MUST try! |
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| AWESOME! |
After settling up the bill the owner and manager came over to sign my book and they took a picture of me by their Triple D poster. It was a great meal. Guy went to a number of great places in the Charlotte area and Mert's is a place to try when you are in the Charlotte area.
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| There I am with the Guy poster at Mert's Heart and Soul |
After a restful night I headed to the Chapel Hill area to get ready to go and see Nic's film. I had most of the day free and with no Triple D places in the Raleigh area I went on the TV Food Roadmap website to find out it here were any places in the area to try. I wanted to go to a barbecue place in Raleigh that was on a Bobby Flay show, but I was very close to the PNC Arena where the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State play and on this day they were holding the First Round of NCAA March Madness so there was no way I wanted to fight that traffic and decided to try place in Durham that was featured on the show "Man vs. Food". "Wimpy's Grill" is a small carry-out building that is open only Monday through Friday until 2p.
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| Wimpy's Grill in Durham |
On Man vs. Food Adam tried their Garbage Burger which is huge, sanding about a foot with just about anything you can think of on it. I decided to try something a bit smaller. I tried the Steak Biscuit and a Chili Dog, done Carolina Style, which had Chili, Slaw and Mustard. Both were great, I have always said that we need a good basic hot dog joint in the DC area!
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| Wimpy's Carolina Style Chili Dog |
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| Steak Biscuit - They know how to make a great biscuit! |
After that great meal I went to the hotel to settle in before heading to the movie
Chapel Hill is the home of the University of North Carolina and the downtown area is a throwback to small town USA! The movie would be a a theatre called the Varsity. The Varsity is a twin theatre and Nic's movie would be in the big house. The show started with Nic talking about the making of the movie and the goal which is for it to be in short film festivals around the country. Currently the movie is in a festival in Los Angeles and one in Eastern North Carolina ad is in consideration for about 25 others! The short movie lasted about 24 minutes and was very moving, the story of a young woman who has been rejected by her mother due to her new marriage. I hope that many people can see this movie. The acting was great. At the end of the film, the actors, writers and crew held a short question and answer session about the movie, a great ending to a great night. I was happy that another high school friend, Annette was also there, it was a great time to catch up on old and new times.
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| Nic's movie getting top billing! |
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| Nic introducing the movie |
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| Cast and Crew on stage |
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| Nic with Mary, the star of the movie, by the movie poster |
The next morning I headed out just before 6a for the long drive to the Outer Banks area of North Carolina, on the Atlantic Ocean. The area is beautiful and is very historic as the birthplace of flight. Orville and Wilbur Wright made he first airplane flight in Kitty Hawk in December of 1903.
I arrived at my first stop in the small town of Duck, "Coastal Cravings" is a small café that is attached to a gas station. I was greeted by a very friendly server and although they specialize in seafood dinners, I was there at breakfast and chose the Lobster Buddy sandwich. I got it with no egg and it was like a Eggs Benedict but served on a soft roll. A large portion of lobster topped with breakfast ham and hollandaise sauce. It was pretty good! The staff was happy to sign my book and took some pics of me by their Guy sign.
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| My Lobster Buddy sandwich |
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| At Coastal with the Guy sign |
From there I headed about 15 miles north to a very interesting place. "The Weeping Radish" is a farm, brewery and restaurant in the small town of Grandy, North Carolina. They brew about six different German based beers, they also make their own sausages and have a very neat restaurant. I arrived shortly before that opened and made the decision that since I was going to go to 6 places on this trip without taking a break I would go with appetizers or small plates . Not only is this a way not to get too full but many times the appetizers are the real hidden gems of a restaurant.
The place reminded me of a small German Beer Hall. There were some small tables, some communal tables and bar seating.
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| Inside the Weeping Radish |
I took a seat at the bar and was helped by a very friendly bar tender. She pointed out the items that Guy had on their episode and I chose their signature appetizer, the Sweet Potato Liverwurst on Toasted Crostini. As I waited for the food I went to the upper level that overlooks the working brewery. They had just finished a batch as the place was in cleaning mode. The locals bring their own Growlers, which are big beer bottles, to take home their favorite draft varieties.
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| Weeping Radish Brewing area |
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| The ceremonial taps |
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| The bottling area |
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| The taps at Weeping Radish, all 6 are made on site |
The food came and normally I don't like liverwurst, pate, or sweet potato but these were really good. There was a bit of spice on them and they tasted really fresh. I was really surprised how much I enjoyed it. I would definitely get them again. This place is a hidden gem, basically in the middle of farm country on the road to the beach. If you are headed into the Outer Banks on Caratoke Highway, make the stop!
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| The Weeping Radish's Signature Appetizer - Sweet Potato-Liverwurst Crostini |
I headed back into the Outer Banks area to my next stop. The "Black Pelican Seafood Company" is a tourist type restaurant right on the beach. It is a loud, popular place that serves all kinds of seafood. It was pretty busy for lunch and I could detect that they weren't too interested in my travels, aos I wasn't able to get my book signed here. There is a lot of Wright Brothers memorabilia and pictures throughout the place.
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| Black Pelican Seafood Company in Kitty Hawk |
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| Ocean view form the Black Pelican |
I decided to stay in the theme of the place and try to "Oyster's Orville". The Black Pelican's version of Oyster's Rockefeller. The five oysters were topped with very sharp Swiss Cheese and some spices. They were ok, but the cheese was so thick and sharp that I could almost not taste the oyster. This place was good, not sure if I would return with the other places in the area. It sort of reminded me of Phillips in Ocean City, MD.
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| Back Pelican's Oyster's Orville |
My next stop was a very cool place called "Outer Banks Brewing Station". This place is very cool and most of the place is powered by a Wind Mill that is on the property. I took a seat at the bar where you can look out at the brewing area. They make and feature seven types of beer. You can get the beer to take home using bottle growlers, but they do can and bottle the beers and sell them in 4 packs.
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| Outer Banks Brewing Station's Wind Mill |
I decided to just try one of the brews and chose to try a glass of the Carolina Hard Cider. This was easily the best hard cider I have ever had. It was sweet and delicious. Very refreshing, especially on a hot summer day. The bar tender emphasized that it's made from North Carolina apples!
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| Carolina Hard Cider |
The owner came over to sign my book and he told me that when Guy and his extended family had a vacation in the Outer Banks a few years ago they reserved the upper room for a huge dinner. He had nothing but great things to say about Guy.
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| Outer Banks Brewing Station's cool coasters |
They have a big menu and will recommend the right beer for the food. I was really impressed with Outer Banks Brewing Station. I headed to the next stop not too far away. "Tortuga's Lie" can easily be called a shack if you pass it by, but inside it was pretty cool. There are several rooms and it a bright and airy place.
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| Tortuga's Lie - Good Food in Nags head, North Carolina |
I was seated at a small table in one of the outer rooms. I looked over the menu and chose the chefs choice fish bites. The chef chooses the type of fish each day for this popular appetizer. Mine would be lightly breaded and fried Yellowtail Tuna. The plate came with a sweet dipping sauce and a spicy cocktail style sauce. It was really good. I think it was really made by the sauces. This is another gem of a place that you might miss if you didn't know about it. I had just missed the owner, so the server got the chef to sign my book.
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| Tortuga's Lie Fish Bites |
My last stop would take me to the town of Manteo. It's about 20 minutes drive from the beach area and it a really neat place. I had heard of Manteo because it was where Andy Griffith had retired and lived until his death just a few years ago. The town is very neat, narrow streets and very eclectic shops. I found a parking spot just a down the street from a small but very cool café called "Ortega'z Southwestern Grill and Wine Bar".
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| Ortega'z - A gem of a café in Manteo, North Caroline |
I was seated near the entrance and looked over the menu. I knew I wanted to get something small and I noticed that the meals seemed pretty big so I decided to try a cup of their She Crab Poblano Pepper Soup. This soup was awesome, creamy and loaded with big chunks of Crabmeat. Now I love crab, so this was heavenly! I was able to meet the owner as she came out to sign my book. I left Manteo and headed away form the Outer Banks Raleigh. This was my first visit to this wonderful area and I hop to make it back very soon. Now I know why so many people love it here!
As I drove back I thought about all the great people and great food I have been able to experience, not only in the Outer Banks but in all of my travels. My Triple D count now stands at 472.
