Review: Gringos, Greenville, SC

Gringos

Gringos is a new South West Mexican style restaurant in Downtown Greenville. I have to be honest, when I first heard about it, I swore it off. When I eat "Mexican", I don't want some interpretation. I want it from people that actually know what they're doing. The name Gringos made me think this was a bunch of white people (Gringo) making Mexican food. It's still kind of like that, but it's not a Mexican Restaurant, so I'm able to let it slide. 

We went to Fall For Greenville (Fall Down In Greenville as most of us know it), a few months back and ended up trying their tacos. It didn't hurt that they were the only ones with some what reasonable prices for the amount of food you were getting. 

Dawn got something weird, and I got the Bacon Cheeseburger Taco ... yeah. We both really enjoyed it, so I agreed to give it a shot. 

Now, a little back story ... Dawn is the easiest person in the world to get with surprises, but she has a really tough time getting me with one. Now, she'll hit me with a surprise cupcake or something every now and then, but I mean a REAL surprise. Well, an envelope came in the mail one day, I saw it was for her so I just put it aside. She asked when she got home if I saw who it was from, and I told her no (the truth). Then she told me I had to wait before she'd tell me. 

She had me in suspense for nearly 2 months, but on the day of, surprised me with tickets to the So You Think You Can Dance tour. Possibly one of the least "typical manly" things about it, I love dancing and love SYTYCD. The tickets weren't the cheapest, so I told her it was ok if we didn't go. She definitely got one on me. 

Ok, back to now, throughout the day we were trying to make plans for the show that night. One of us suggested Gringos since we both liked it, and it was within walking distant of The Peace Center, where SYTYCD was performing. 

Dawn got the Locos Chicken Burrito. She said it wasn't her favorite burrito, but still pretty good. I think the wrapping process made a few bites be all beans or all something else instead of even bites. 

Of course me being me, I didn't want to try anything new (why try something new when you know something is already good?). I got 2 Bacon Cheeseburger tacos. The Bacon Cheeseburger taco consist of ground beef, bacon, queso, and french fries. 

I really try not to be "that guy" in public taking pictures of food, so I try to do it quickly ... hence the bad quality. 

I've heard a lot of talk about Gringos, but it was really empty in there when we went. It was earlier in the night on a week day, so I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. All I know is we both really enjoyed the food, and will be going back. White people making Mexican ... you've finally won me over. 

Review: Green River Barbecue

Green River Barbecue

Every year I have to perform my husbandly duties and go apple picking with the wife. It's not something I thoroughly enjoy but I don't mind it either, and it makes her happy and that's the point right? This year we went to Sky Top Orchard, so we decided to find a new BBQ restaurant to try on the way.

We found a couple of different places, but just our luck, most weren't open on Sunday. The one that was in the final list and actually open on Sundays was Green River Barbecue. It had good reviews and Dawn said that she had eaten there before (probably with some dumb guy before me). 

It actually worked out perfect for us, because Green River ended up being a few minutes away from the orchard, and the gps took us down some neat back roads. 

I ordered the small pulled pork plate ... yes, apparently this is the small ... with green beans, mac n cheese, and fries. As you can see from the picture, the pork was a little soupie. I'm not sure where the liquid came from, or what it even is. Minus the liquid in the pork, everything else was good. The sauces were really good.

Dawn got the brisket plate with hush puppies, baked beans, and sweet potato crunch. Unlike the pork, the brisket was a little dried out, but she still like the flavor. The beans came out the temperature of the sun, but once they cooled off she really enjoyed them as well. 

This is a good place to stop and have a good beer and good food if you're wanting to take a little cruise through the mountains. 

Things Worth Being Thankful For As A Cook

If you have Facebook (I would assume Twitter as well, but I'm not on there to know), I'm sure you've seen the "Day 14 - I'm thankful for ..." posts. My news feed has been cluttered all month with everything from children to jobs to health to Reese Peanut Butter Cups (my sister). 

This year I thought I would put together my own "Thankful List", but things that I'm thankful for in the outdoor cooking world. 

1. I'm thankful for non-rainy days. Nothing is worse than trying to cook while battling the elements. 

2. I'm thankful for Jessica Lang. Dawn got her something shinny, so I got my something flat black, and I think we both still secretly look at them from time to time and just smile. 

3. I'm thankful for Bullet Bill. As great as Jessica is, Bullet Bill is perfect for the short/small cooks for just Dawn and myself. 

4. I'm thankful for my Pit Bulls "Mean Green" Meat Injector. I haven't mentioned it much on here, but this is one of my favorite "toys". It makes life a million times easier. 

5. I'm thankful for my grill. I haven't come up with a fancy name for it, but that doesn't change anything. This bad boy has put how some amazing food in the year and a half that we've had it.

6. I'm thankful for good meat. There's a saying in the computer world, "GIGO", which stands for Garbage In Garbage Out. The same thing works for meat. If you start with garbage meant, nothing is going to make it taste better. 

7. I'm thankful for great rubs. Maybe not a good item to be thankful for immediately following meat ... but yeah. The Rub Co., Simply Marvelous, and Plowboys fill out my top 3, but we use so many mixes and brands, I'm thankful for them all. 

8. I'm thankful for BBQ Brethren. When I first decided that I was interested in Qing, I googled bbq message boards. BBQ Brethren was one of 2 that I signed up for, but since the Brethren had the same set up as the sports message board I'm on, I leaned toward it more. Over the past 3 years, I've learned so much from those guys and gals, and definitely wouldn't be where I'm at today if it wasn't for their help.

9. I'm thankful for BBQ Pitmasters. For the same reasons I'm thank for BBQ Brethren, I'm thankful for BBQ Pitmasters. I enjoy watching the episodes that have meats that I haven't cooked before, or meats that I'm planning on cooking, and see how "the pros do it."

10. I'm thankful for Myron Mixon's cook books. I've used his recipes for food, rubs, and injections, and everything we've ever made from them has been great.

11. I'm thankful for my injection recipe. Might be tooting my own horn a little, but my injection recipe that I got my tweeking Myron's, has really boosted the flavor in my pork. 

12. I'm thankful for Clorox Wipes. Cleaning up after trimming, injecting, and rubbing down 80lbs of meat is a task of it's own. Clorox Wipes, are amazing because they help speed that process up a bit. When you're ready to crack open that first beer ... this is crucial. 

13. I'm thankful for meat thermometers. I love my digital remote thermometers. On the days that you have to cook, but have other things you really need to be doing too. It's nice to be able to set up the thermometers, and just be able to walk over and look to see what all of your temps are. 

14. I'm thankful for my super duper ultra fast red Thermapen. Nothing beats having to check the temp of your meat, but not wanting to leave everything wide open so all of the heat escapes. 

15. I'm thankful for latex gloves. This is a trick I actually learned from watching BBQ Pitmasters. There's nothing worst then having to wash your hands 100 times a cook. Throw some gloves on and when you need clean hands, just pull them off and throw them away. 

I'm also thankful for everyone that views this blog. It's not the pretties blog, it's not the best written blog, it's not the most updated blog, but it's something I enjoy doing and it would be pointless without each and every one of you checking it out. The goal is to provide recipes, tips, reviews and whatever else for regular people. Nobody stacks their food on top of each other or wipes their plates clean before they eat dinner.

Most importantly, I'm thankful for my amazing wife. When we cook inside, she's the head chef and I'm her sous chef, but when I cook outside the rolls are reversed. Without her support none of this would be possible. I think she's ok with the outcome of all of the food, so it's not like she's suffering or anything. But when a new box of rub comes in, or when I show up with 4 butts because they were on sale, or when I start looking a new grills/smokers "just cause" ... she never complains. I have to say, I'm pretty lucky. 

Look Out, She Knows How To Shoot

What happened to the days that if you upset your wife you only had to worry about a frying pan flying at your head?

We went this past weekend and took our CWP (Concealed Weapons Permit) certification class. Before Monday, Dawn had never shot a gun. I had, but not a whole lot (unless we can count Call of Duty. If that's the case, then I'm a deadly assassin). 

Note to self: never do another "man" event with Dawn. Not only did she do better on the written test (by 1 question), she did better than me on the shooting. 

I would like to note that during the "shoot 2" part I only shot once and then had to rush the 2nd shot causing the "misses". Neither of us actually missed a single shot, but I had 4 land outside of the 9 point circle and she had none. If I want to make myself feel better, I did however, have a LOT more in the bulls-eye section than she did. 

For her to have been as nervous as she was, she did really well and I was/am very proud of her ... now I just have to make sure I'm never the blue guy. 

Review: Del's Twisted Kitchen

Del's Twisted Kitchen

Dawn got a Groupon (or one of those things) for Del's Twisted Kitchen, and since it's across the street from the movie theater, we thought we'd try it out beforehand. 

Del's is in the old Jack In The Box/Metro Burger location. The sign is very poorly lit, and kind of hard to read/understand what it is. We had passed by it numerous times, and never realized it was a restaurant that we'd want to try out. 

We sat down around 5:30 and the place was empty. Literally, we were the only people there till 2 other guys walked in. I've always heard, you can tell how a restaurant is depending on how many customers they have, so I was very scared about this ... but hey, we got it on discount. 

Dawn got The Philly Dip with sweet potato fries, and as it came out, it smelled amazing. Before we even started eating, the other guys that walked in asked across the restaurant what she had gotten because it smelled and looked so good. 

The sandwich was "yummy" as she said, but she said the sweet potato fries were some of the best she's ever had in her life.

(Note, check out her reflection in the gravy haha)

I decided to go with Del's Twisted Mac and Cheese. When the plate came out, it didn't really look like I had expected. I was a bit skeptical, but once I took that first bite ... wow. The chicken had just enough spice so you got a little heat, but it wasn't hot enough to make you cry. You smelled the heat more than you tasted it, so it was really good. I kept telling Dawn that I was waiting on the bite that was going to light me on fire. It never came, so I all but finished the plate. 

When the check came, the prices were very reasonable even without the discount we had. I think the problem Del's is having is due to the restaurant being kind of in a "hole" and their signs are very hard to tell that it's an open restaurant. 

I think if they can get some people in the door, they have a really good chance of having a successful business. Right now they're in an old fast food restaurant building, it's hard to see there's anything there, and nobody has heard about it. 

If you're around Woodruff road, and looking for something new and good ... give it a shot.

Movie Review: Last Vegas

There hasn't been a whole lot of movies come out lately that we've wanted to see, but we've had our eye on Last Vegas for a few months. I've heard it referred to as the "old peoples Hangover", but I didn't think that at all.

The movie begins in the 1950s, and shows how the group originated their bond together. It starts in a general store, the owner's son starts bullying Billy, but then Patty steps up and knocks him out. As they run out of the store, one picks up a bottle of whiskey and the group unites. 

With just an hour and 44 minutes, there isn't a lot of time to kill. Each section of the movie builds the story, and really has something to add to the movie.  

To go back to the Hangover reference, in the Hangover movies, everything is taken to its extreme. The only real stretch in this movie is how the group acquires their suite. To not spoil anything, I'll just say that I believe it would take a lot more to have a casino offer you a free room.

With a cast like DeNiro, Douglas, Freeman, and Kline it's easy to forget you're watching a movie. Towards the end of the movie as they're all giving their goodbyes I actually felt how much they were going to miss each other. Then it hit me, oh yeah, these guys are just actors pretending to care about each other. 

This is a can't go wrong movie. If you need a good laugh (and maybe a little choke up or two), check this one out.

Review: Ria's Bluebird, Atlanta GA

Ria's Bluebird

We went to Atlanta a few weeks ago, and before we went to the Zoo, I looked up places to eat for Breakfast. We ultimately decided to go to Flying Biscuit Cafe, but I saw a lot of very good reviews for Ria's Bluebird. To our surprise, we actually passed Ria's Bluebird on our way to the Zoo. As we turned passed it I spotted their smoker on the side, and told Dawn that we were definitely going there on our next trip to Atlanta. 

Fast forward to the next trip to Atlanta, and true to my word, we had breakfast at Ria's Bluebird. 

A word to those that may not be familiar with it, Ria's has a very small parking lot, so if you may want to rent a smart car ... or a bicycle. Nah, it's not that small, but it is very snug in there. Plus, you can always park on the side of the street if you need door space (just watch out for crazy Atlanta drivers). 

It was also odd that they had inside and outside eating areas, and although there were 4 empty tables inside once we were sat, others waited outside (on a fairly cool morning) for another 5-10 minutes before being sat. From what I could see, the waitresses were also the hostess, so that may have slowed the seating down a bit. 

Although the smoker drew my/our attention, shockingly enough, neither one of us got anything from it. The only thing on the menu (that we saw) was the Brisket Breakfast. It comes in a tomato broth with 2 eggs poached, so I passed. 

Dawn went with the Early Bird Special with sausage, grits, and an english muffin. She enjoyed everything she got, but really loved the sausage. I actually snuck me a bite and agree, it was very good. 

I had the biscuits and gravy with a side of bacon. I actually ended up crumbling one of the pieces of bacon and adding it to my gravy biscuits. The biscuits were delicious, but the pepper gravy as they call it, was very pepper heavy. I'm talking it was close to being returned because it had so much in there. 

If you're ever in the Atlanta area and looking for another hippie breakfast restaurant (apparently that's all that town has), Ria's Bluebird is another good stop. They even offer vegan options with their "soysage" and spicy tofu cubes as well. 

Review: Chuy's

Chuy's

Dawn and I were going to an early afternoon movie, so we thought we'd try out the new Tex-Mex restaurant in town. I didn't realize till I visited their website that they have an Elvis section in every restaurant. I noticed the Elvis items on the menu, but didn't see the section. 

The chips and salsa were very good, a little bit of spice, but good. They went very good with the Dos Equis we ordered to wash it down with. 

I always have to have cheese dip to go with my fajitas. It came out before our food did, and I was a bit thrown back when it was orange. I've been to a few places before with orange cheese instead of white, but it's definitely not the norm. As you can see in the picture, it had a little heat to it as well. 

We were sat at the world's tiniest table (I can't confirm this to be true. There wasn't any form of certification to prove this, but it surely seemed like it was.), so the fajita set up took up nearly the entire table. 

Although the pictures have a yellow tent to them, the food was really good. Everything was jam packed with flavor, and the spices were enough to open up the sinuses. The tortilla shells were fresh and homemade and delicious. 

All of the food was amazing, the decor was cool, the beer was cold (uh oh, you know what's coming don't you) ... BUT ... the check came and wowzers was it not cheap. We ordered the Chicken Fajitas for 2, 2 beers, and a cheese dip, and it was $10-$15 more than any other Mexican restaurant we've been to. I don't know that it's enough to keep us away forever, but it's enough to keep us from being regulars.  

Review: Allen and Son Barbecue

Allen and Son BBQ

On the way home from our Raleigh trip, my boss and I stopped at Allen and Son Barbecue. I've heard nothing but good things about it, so when I spotted that it was near by, it was a must that we go. 

The GPS was weird for the location we went to. It has you turn back on this sharp turn, and then says it a little ways up the road. However, it's actually on the corner of that fork in the road. 

As soon as we walked in and sat down, I couldn't help but notice the gigantic cast iron pan. Just imagine the cornbread you could make in that bad boy. 

My boss and I both went for the pulled pork plates. No matter what, it comes with slaw and fries on the side. 

The pork, flavor, and sauce was very similar to that at Scott's BBQ. Wait, did I just compare someone else's BBQ to the place that I say could be the best ever? Yep! The sauce was a little more on the vinegar side than Scott's was, so I can't say it's as good or better, but the flavors were all very similar. They both half a little heat built in, but not enough to light you on fire. 

The fries were good, and the slaw ... I didn't touch, but the sweet tea was amazing. Again, I'm not a huge sweat tea drinker, so when I want to bath in it, it must be pretty dang good. I snuck in a chocolate chunk cookie before we left too, and it was just as good as you would expect. 

If you're ever near Raleigh, or any of their other locations, make sure to check out Allen and Son ... you won't be disappointed. 

Review: Kyle Fletcher's BBQ

Kyle Fletcher's BBQ Facebook Page

To celebrate our 3 year anniversary of being together (yes, I understand once you get married it's not an anniversary, but it still has to be acknowledged), my company thought it'd be a great idea to plan an event that I would need to be at, 4 hours away from home. 

To make sure the trip wasn't a total loss, my boss and I decided we'd hit a few BBQ joints on the trip. 

We were just about to hit Charlotte, on our way to Raleigh, and decided to look through the gps to find something to eat. He comes across Kyle Fletcher's, and we were able to figure that it wasn't too far off the interstate so if it didn't look good we could turn around. 

I'm driving down the road, the gps says we still have a little ways to go but a huge cloud of smoke boiling up from behind this building catches my eye. I tell my boss "either that's the spot or we need to call the fire department." I look back at the gps and the extra distance it was telling us we'd have to go, was because there was a median and I had to do a U turn. 

I pulled into the little bitty parking lot in my semi truck (not really a semi truck, but it was a rental truck for the trip and a lot bigger than I'm used to driving), and my boss says to me "at least we know they cook with wood." 

Now, I'm a big sports fan, and when a place is decorated top to bottom with one of my sworn enemies "swag" ... I've been known to let that alter my opinion on the place. I despise UNC (University of North Carolina) almost as much as I do Clemson, and Kyle Fletcher's is ceiling to floor (literally) in UNC posters/pictures/figures/shoes/autographs/jerseys etc etc. I apparently didn't drink my haterade that morning, because I was able to put that to the side and take the experience in with an open mind. In all honesty, it was actually a pretty cool environment (for what it was). 

My boss ordered the chopped pork plate, and I was all set to do the same, but the ribs just kept drawing my attention. I went with the half rack plate with fries and beans and a sweet tea. 

One thing about Kyle Fletcher's, they don't go skimpy on their serving sizes. My boss's chopped pork came in a basket the same size as my ribs did, and it was 1/2 full of pulled pork to the top. As you can see, they didn't pull a Bacon Bro's and give me 4 bones as a half a rack. They gave me 8 full bones of juicy tender ribs. 

I sampled some of the chopped pork, and it was really good and tender. You could tell they used a very basic rub (if not just salt and pepper) to let the pork really shine with the wood smoke. The ribs were great and perfectly cooked. I added just a dab of their sauce and cleaned my plate/basket. The fries were good, but definitely not their main focus, but the beans made up for any let down the fries might have left.

Movie Review: Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips is Tom Hanks's newest movie, inspired by the 2009 cargo ship hijacking by Somali pirates. I'll go out on a limb and say it'll be his next award winner. 

The movie starts off showing the relationship strain that a job like this can have on two people. His wife kisses him goodbye and wishes him well as he flies to shipyard to take over the cargo ship. 

Once Captain Phillips boards the ship he checks multiple doors and locks, and tells crew members to make sure all doors are locked because they will be heading into dangerous waters. The crew isn't thrilled about the direction they're heading, but with only one way to go, they have to put their worries aside and continue marching on. 

The next morning Captain Phillips wakes and has the crew run through a hijacking situation, in an almost psychic move. The crew sets up the water hoses, which turnout to be their only defense against smaller, quicker boats. 

The crew bands together and does all it can to keep the pirates off the ship. Once that fails, they then do all they can to help each other survive. 

This is one of the best movies we've seen in a very long time. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry, and it'll blow you away all at the same time. In 20 years when they put together a "Best of Tom Hanks" collection. This will be in there with Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan and many others. Hollywood has actors, good actors, great actors, and then you have the level that Tom Hanks and a select few are on by themselves. 

Before we even made it out of the theater Dawn turns to me and says "I'm making an executive couples decision. If this doesn't get 5 pigs I'm punching you in the face." So ... to save my face, and because it's deserving .. 

Review: River City Cafe

River City Cafe

One of our favorite stops in Myrtle Beach is the River City Cafe. It's a little restaurant on 21st Ave N that has some great burgers. 

Dawn always gets the Philly Cheeseburger, but substitutes the patty for a turkey burger. She raves about how good it is every time we go, so if that's up your wheel house you might want to give it a shot.

I'm usually a bacon cheeseburger kind of guy. I'm a pretty picky eater, so I don't like a lot of gunk on my burgers. Dawn spotted the "Cowboy Burger", and told me I should give it a shot. It's a cheeseburger with pork rinds, jalapenos, BBQ sauce, and their spicy mayonnaise. I had thought about it, but was just going to play it safe. I didn't want to spend $7 for a burger and it be horrible and me not eat it. 

The waitress comes out and asks us for our order and I told her I was bouncing around the idea but wasn't sure about the BBQ sauce. She said to give her a second and she'd bring a little out for me. Once I tried it, and from the peer pressure, I decided that I would go with the Cowboy Burger, but wanted everything on the side so I could construct it. 

I don't eat a lot of peppers on things (for reasons stated above), but wanted to give it a try. I ended up adding everything to the burger except for the mayo.

Once it was put together, it was a rather large bite. 

I have to admit, the burger blew me away. The crunch of the pork rinds and the heat from the BBQ sauce and jalapenos was perfect together. As I was eating it I just couldn't help but to thing, "this is so good, but it's missing something." 

The waitress came by to check on us and I told her that the burger was amazing, but it'd be better with bacon. I mentioned that I was going to ask for some before, but figured I was being too much of a pest to begin with so I didn't. Before I had time to tell her no, she said she'd get me a few slices to put on it and was gone. 

She came out with 3 full slices (I ate the other slice by itself), and just as I imagined ... it was AMAZING. 

As we're about to finish eating, I looked up and these sat right in front of me. Now, a mullet in today's world is rare enough, but to spot 2 mullets together in the wild is virtually impossible. It's like finding 2 Native Americans at the same time ... it just doesn't happen. 

If you're ever in the Myrtle Beach area and find yourself craving a burger ... go by River City Cafe and enjoy.

Review: Scott's BBQ

Scott's BBQ

Over the past few years, my family has been going to the beach for a long Labor Day weekend. This year was no different, but I wanted to make it a little more memorable. For the months leading up to the trip, I've been talking Dawn and the rest of the family into driving an hour+ away from the beach to eat at Scott's BBQ and an hour+ back. It seemed like a no brainer to me, but a few others didn't want to "ruin their vacation" spending so much time on the road. I had to meet a guy in Sumter to pick up some bowling pins for a game I'm going to make for a tailgate later this year, so Dawn suggested we just go on down to Hemingway and eat on the way down. 

We left the house shortly after lunch and started the trek down. Neither of us had ever been to either of these places, or the towns between, so it was a very eye opening ride. Everything had an old school feel to it. Some of the towns had really nice downtown areas with older buildings, and a classic small town in the South feel to them. 

Hemingway is a little different from those towns. From what we saw, it was more woods and fields than shops and diners. 

What Hemingway may miss in "modern living" they definitely make up in with BBQ. Scott's BBQ has been in the NY Times and other publications and also on numerous TV shows. When you go to a place like this you always have to worry if it's a tourist trap, or it's really that good and the locals enjoy it as well.

We were the only (obvious) tourist when we were there until another group of guys walked in dressed in business casual attire. They may have been local, but I highly doubt it. As a rookie, I didn't notice they had their own homemade pork rinds for sale. As we were eating, I saw numerous people walk by with multiple bags of it. Another way to know that we weren't from around there. The locals were picking up to-go boxes of pounds of pork. Yes, boxES of POUNDS of pork.

We apparently got there just in time, because the wait was only about 10-15 minutes. By the time we left, I would guess it was a solid 30-45 minute wait. 

I've mentioned it time and time again, but when I think of BBQ joints, I don't want some fancy restaurant with cloth napkins and $3 drinks. When I think of a BBQ joint I think of exactly what Scott's is. It's an old building with a couple of tables, a line out the door, hand written signs, and a welcoming feel. 

My favorite sign is easily the "no drop down pants" sign. When I saw that I almost busted out laughing. You can tell these people mean business, and just want good people to come in and enjoy their good food. 

We each ordered the BBQ Plate which comes with slaw, baked beans, and a tea. Dawn's mom was the only one that had the slaw and really enjoyed it. Once the beans cooled down a little we were able to dig in, and they were really good too. I'm a new bean eater, so I wouldn't say take my word on it, but Dawn ate ever bite of hers. I'm not a huge tea drinker, but this was some of the best sweat tea I've ever had in my life. I drank every last sip of it. 

Those little specs you see on the pork is the seasoning and spices. This was some of the spicest BBQ I've ever eaten, but dang was it amazing. It wasn't spicey to the point that it would light your tail on fire, but it was spicey to let you know it was there. Their sauce is a vinegar base and it complimented the spicey Q perfectly.  

Scott's BBQ is EASILY in the top 5 greatest BBQ joints I've ever been to, if not #1. I would personally prefer some mac'n'cheese or other sides, but that's not their forte so I can't knock them on that. 

If you're ever in town ... ok let's not joke, you will never been in town in Hemingway ... so do yourself a favor and go OUT OF YOUR WAY to visit Scott's BBQ (just make sure you go by the bank on the way, because they only accept cash). The building looks like it could fall any day now, but once you taste this BBQ you'll be willing to sit there with one hand in the air to hold the roof up if it came to that to keep eating their BBQ. 

20,000 Views - BBQ Gift Pack Give-A-Way Winner Is ...

TREY DAVIS!!!!!

Thank you to everyone that helped spread the word, and joined this contest. Keep an eye out, because more cooks, reviews, and contest will be coming. 

Special thanks to Pit Bulls Up In Smoke for the deal on the rub and injector.

Review: The Flying Biscuit Cafe

We like to try new places to eat when we go out of town (hence the whole point of the food review section of this blog), so before we left Hotlanta, we wanted to try a new breakfast place. 

I checked on my phone, while the wifey was getting ready, and found The Flying Biscuit. I knew it looked familiar, and later on she looked it up and they have been on some Food Network show or something. So, off we went. 

Knowing it was a "famous" spot we were kind of dreading the wait, because we were already running a little later than we wanted, so we were both starving. We got there and was told the wait was 5-10 for 2, so obviously we waited.  

I looked at the menu and the first I noticed was that I felt like I was about to throw up. The light over us was higher up than the ceiling fan, so the blades gave it this almost strobe-light affect. I'm not one to get motion sick or anything, but I had to pick the menu up and actually stand it up before I did. I looked around and it didn't look like every table was like this, so maybe just bad luck, but dang was it annoying. 

Dawn got the Southern Scramble without collards. Which included 3 eggs with turkey bacon and onions scrambled together, "creamy dreamy grits", and biscuit. She wasn't too sure about the grits at first, but it grew on her and she liked them before we left. Her favorite part was the biscuits and (what we believe to be) cranberry apple butter they give you. I have to agree, whatever that stuff is, it's good.

Let me preface this by saying, Dawn is a more health-conscious person that I am. She eats turkey bacon on a regular occasion and substitutes turkey whatever in recipes (as you've seen here) all the time. 

I ordered the Flying Biscuit Breakfast which comes with 2 eggs scrambled, "creamy dreamy grits", chicken sausage, and added a side of turkey bacon. The waitress even looked at me and said "it's turkey bacon, is that ok?" I wanted to say "well no, it's not ok, but it'll do." However, I was nice and just said "yes, ma'am."

The eggs were great, but it takes talent to mess up eggs. The grits were ok. I don't know what they put in them to make them so creamy, but I'm not a big fan of cream in the first place, so it was a little meh. They weren't horrible, and most people will probably like them, but I'm just not a fan. The chicken sausage had great flavor. The first one I ate was super duper dry though. I'm talking, it adsorb all of the liquid in my mouth, it was so dry. The second piece was a LOT better and was really good. I think the first might have been sitting out a little while, or maybe was just overdone. The turkey bacon, I wish I could get my $2 back. To make sure I wasn't biased, I even let Dawn try it and she agreed I might as well had been eating a tired. These things had NO crunch at all and literally tasted like rubber. I will leave a restaurant completely miserable before I will leave bacon behind ... I left a slice and a half on the table when we left. 

Again, the biscuits and that jam/jelly, was off the chain. I don't do a lot of jam/jelly on things, but this was just absolutely delicious. 

I don't know if I'd say this is a "must go" place, but it's not a "stay away" place either. The biscuits are great, you should definitely go try the biscuits if nothing else, but if you order a full meal ... dodge the "bacon" like the plague.