I awoke early on Thursday morning before my alarm went off.  Got up, showered, and left early enough to get to Asheville by about 11am.  I almost always stop at the Davie County Rest Area for a bathroom break and stretch.

I got into Asheville with enough time to find Cafe Azalea on Tunnel Road about 30 minutes before it opened.  I roamed down around a few mountain roads and went past Warren Wilson College before turning around and making it back to the restaurant.

There are a few outside tables, at which there were a few adults and a little girl.  I walked into the darkened interior and was seated by the waiter near the back, but facing out (the establishment having a large glass front).

I looked through the menu, and the waiter brought me iced tea, and waited on several other customers (a couple by the front door, a man reading a paper by the front window, and a couple which came in, went to the register/bar area, talked briefly with the staff and then left).

I ordered the Shrimp & Grits, which I had seen reviewed online as being distinct in that they weren’t too spicy, but perfect for the reviewer.  *And my review would be the opposite.  They weren’t distinctive, because they weren’t spicy, and although not totally bland, just “nothing to write home about.”   However, they are worth blogging about;-)

I also ordered a cup of the Ginger-Carrot Soup, which in addition to those ingredients already mentioned, included creme fraiche and coconut flavoring with a topping of chives (I think.).  I enjoyed the slight flavors, but eventually added some raw sugar to “turn” the soup for a sweet element.

The Shrimp and Grits were a disappointment, but the soup was different, and good.

I finished my meal, left and entered the Blue Ridge Parkway below the restaurant.  I soon found the Folk Art Center (a museum, working art studio and gift shop).  I roamed the aisles, and bought a couple of coffee mugs, toured the museum and then left.

I found the Days Inn via my GPS (almost) and after checking in, realized that this was a really old hotel which had been renovated… The cheap price had not entered my consciousness as a question mark.  *The hotel, room and facilities were adequate for me.  If I were married, I would not bring my wife…

I did ride around downtown Asheville, by the Grove Arcade, and then eventually out to the WNC Farmer’s Market where I made a quick tour.  *I did not intend to buy anything on Thursday, especially ramps.  But returned on Friday morning to buy cheese, honey, some potatoes, a couple of tomatoes, and a couple of bunches of ramps (@$3).

At some point, around 5pm, I set my GPS to find Luella’s BBQ Restaurant.  It appears to have been a curb side service at some point, but no longer, and is located at one of the entrances to UNC-Asheville.

I entered and was seated by a young blond waitress in a black t-shirt and black jeans (the uniform of the establishment).  I was given a menu and ordered sweet tea.  There are tables, booths, and bar stools at the “bar” by the kitchen.

I ordered a half-rack of ribs, a bean salad, and a house salad with a sundried tomato vinagrette and hush puppies.  I tried various sauces, liking the Luella’s sauce.  *I left with about half the ribs and a small cup of the Luella’s sauce.

So, I head out on US 40 West, eventually turning off and winding my way to Canton, NC.  I then took a southerly leaning road, hoping to find the Blue Ridge Parkway at some point, and then take that back to Asheville.  The road followed a small winding river, sometimes close and sometimes further away, but then returning.

Eventually, I found myself on Hwy 215 which I followed for a good distance.  The sun began to dip behind the mountains, but I chose to continue on Hwy 215, not knowing for sure that it would cross the BRP.

I came to a large mountain lake ( ), which I think was an Episcopal summer retreat.  I continued on although there were no longer any homes visible from the road, and I only recall passing 4 motorcycles and an old truck heading down the mountain(s).  *It finally dawned on me that the tops of the mountains were coming nearer.  I passed a rushing waterfall, and continued to wind back and forth along the road.

Finally, I saw a sign for the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I was pretty close to being as far along the Parkway as I had ever come southward.  I think I was about 30 miles from Asheville when I started back along the road.  I stopped at several points to take a few quick pictures.  I noted a few instances of lovers stopped in vehicles to view the setting sun.

I passed what must have been a landslide which closed the Parkway a few years ago.  A large portion of the mountain-side appeared to be sandy soil with a few large boulders dotted about.  It looked none to secure, and I would not be surprised to hear that the Parkway was closed again due to another slide in less than two years.

As I neared Asheville, it was already night-time, and the increased lights of homes and businesses were obvious.

The next morning, I ate the breakfast buffet provided by the hotel.  The food was good, but I did note that most of the guests were speaking Spanish, and that pinto beans and jalapenos were included on the buffet.

I packed up, filled the cooler with ice, and headed downtown to find an Indian restaurant.  I did find it, but parking would have been a problem for lunch, so I decided to eat elsewhere.  I headed out to the Farmer’s Market where I bought my goods.

Just before leaving Asheville on Friday, I drove along Tunnel Road (which parallels US 40) and turned into the East Village Grille, which is a sports bar & restaurant located diagonally across from the Veterans Hospital (east Asheville). The sign appears to be old, but inside could be 5, 10, 15 years or older.

There were several tables of customers when I walked in. A waitress smiled and told me I could sit where I liked. I walked to the end of the room, nearest a large window facing Tunnel Road. Traffic was not worrisome or noticeable to me as I watched TV, and people.

I was handed a large booklet menu. Probably 10 pages, wrapped in vinyl, and items such as sandwiches, chicken, seafood, Greek food, and wines, etc.

A male waiter, dressed in black (as were all… dressed in black) came to my table and I made a comment about the menu being like “War and Peace,” or some other large tome. I ordered sweet tea (which was sweet and good when it arrived), and the Philly Cheese Steak and potato salad (good, but could have had a touch of sweetness). *The bun was good, the cheese was melted, and the steak & mushrooms were well done.

I asked the waitress if I could have a small amount of “Tiger” Sauce. My waiter came back with a small black cup of Tiger Sauce, which was a rich deep ruby red, with flecks of pepper seeds in it. The Tiger Sauce was worth the whole meal. I dipped my Philly Steak, cheese and even the bun eventually to get every hot drop of this sauce. It was hot, and I believe had Habaneros in it, but it wasn’t too hot. *Today, I googled for Tiger Sauce, and see that it is a known quantity, sold by various companies. I’ll go looking for something that looks like what I remember, and hope it will have the same flavor. Habanero hot, but without garlic, and sweet.

[NOTE 02/14/25]:  Something small I still remember about that first taste of Tiger Sauce, was that they charged me for the sample.  I think it was only 35 cents, but at the time I thought that I should have gotten it for free.  I think later, I realized that the sample I received cost them about 35 cents, because of what a bottle of Tiger Sauce cost. [end NOTE]

After lunch, I decided to drive along Hwy 70 instead of US 40. I think I’ve done this one other time, with the same result. You eventually take US 40 over the Continental Divide, and down the mountain. But once down to Old Fort, I intentionally got back on Hwy 70 and took the scenic tour toward Winston-Salem. Eventually, at Hickory, after shopping at Belk for pants, shirts, socks and even a pair of new shoes (brown suede), I did get on US 40 and made it to my Comfort Suites hotel by a little after 6pm. I did stop off to eat supper at Panera Bread where I had some vegetable soup, a ham sandwich, and a cold lemonade.

I fell asleep almost immediately after getting in my room, leaving the television on, while on the Weather Channel. My sleep was basically restful, while having brief bouts of awareness that there were severe storms coming up from the south and doing great damage as they did. About 10:43pm I finally woke up, and turned the TV to the movie Avatar, (by chance, not intent). I cussed as Spanish sub-titles panned across the screen, but eventually found the CC (Closed Captioning) button and turned off any text display.

The next morning, when I awoke about 6:30am, rain was coming in brief waves and rain drops bouncing in puddles on the parking lot and vehicles below. I showered, and went downstairs for breakfast. I had a large Belgian waffle, some syrup, a glass of cranberry juice, and later, some milk, and some coffee before heading out on tour. It was still raining when I left the hotel and quickly found a gas station where I filled up my tank. I then took the Hanes Mall (road or parkway) path and came to Silas Creek Parkway. I now know that I turned in the opposite direction from which I should. Eventually, I would use my GPS to get back on track, and crisscrossing roads, would find Reynolda Road, and take a brief tour of the Wake Forest University campus on a rainy, early morning.

When I returned to my hotel, I googled for Indian restaurants, and found one Tumeric, which ended up being only a short distance from where I was. I called and found that they opened at 11am. So, I packed up my goods, loaded them into the Civic, and drove around town to kill time until about 11:30, when I hoped that there would not be many customers, but would have all of the lunch buffet deployed.

I tried the buffet at Tumeric Indian Restaurant in Winston-Salem on Friday at lunch. They open at 11am, and I was apparently their first customer about 11:30am. Three more customers arrived before I had finished my meal.

As I pulled up to the curb, there was a young red headed, white guy, sitting out on a bench beside the front door. He hopped up and went inside, which made me think he might be a waiter or clerk. Sure enough, he was my waiter, and sat me at a table for two near the cash register. There was a young Indian, probably in his 30s, at the cash register. I almost choked as I sat down because the air was stifling from whatever had been cooked already. I quickly got over this feeling and was quite comfortable before I was deep into my meal.

I ordered water to drink and was told the buffet was ready.

I hopped up and went back to the buffet area which was behind my table.

I can tell from an online recipe that one of the deserts that I had, and went back for a little more, was Dal Payasam. There were raisins and cashews on top.

I had some yogurt rice, and tried both the goat and chicken curry. I’m not sure if it was called a chutney, but I had a couple of other mixtures, which I suppose were not a main course.

The food was good, the water cold, and the desserts simple but delicious. I talked briefly with my waiter about being from the Coast of North Carolina, and that I liked going to the beach when everyone else was not there. Especially like the rainy day that was that morning in Winston-Salem.

The day would clear up quickly as I drove down to Pinehurst to visit Russ and Deborah Savage. But, later, one of the storms of the day would blow quickly thorough the Village and then no more rain or breeze there. That was not the case across much of middle and eastern NC for the rest of the day. Russ and I watched the storm(s) reporting on TV as tornadoes touched down in Sanford, Raleigh, and other points.

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Addendum [05/30/22]:  NC Tornadoes – April 2011 (10 years later) *  I was visiting Russ & Deborah on the day when the tornadoes came through the Fayetteville/Lumberton area.  But, there was a wide swath of destruction which in my mind looked like God had taken his hand and scraped it along the Earth from the SW to the NE, lifting it at some points but a definite NE direction.  **I think they told me that Longhill Pointe apartments had some damage from this storm (including the apartment I live in).  I drove over to the nice neighborhood next to Longhill and saw some brand new brick homes that had been demolished, leaving only a lone brick wall standing.

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On Sunday, Russ, Deb and I drove up to Winston-Salem to tour the Reynolda House Museum. Afterwards, we ate at Old Staley’s Grill & Ale Restaurant which is directly across from the house, but not visible because of dense vegetation.

Russ drove past the restaurant at first because there were only about 4 cars visible. It was a large deserted parking lot at about 4 pm. He turned around at the Reynolda House entrance and then drove into the restaurant’s parking lot and up near the front door. The sign said that they should be open. Russ parked across several motorcycle parking spaces, so that the car would be in the shade, and we all went inside.

We were seated quickly, as there were only a few customers sparsely sitting about the restaurant. It is a sports bar with large TVs and at least one really, really large TV. A NASCAR race from Talledega was coming to an exciting finish… if I had the least bit of interest in stock car racing, which I haven’t since I graduated high school.

Bright, bubbly Bailey was our waitress, quick with a smile and information. We ordered burgers all around. Russ had the waffle sweet potato fries (good), Deb had crinkle cut regular fries (good, crisp, chewy middle and just the right amount of salt), and I had baked beans (a good sweet bean). Russ did order sour cream (at my suggestion) for his fries. Whether it was Bailey, or the “new” cook, what Russ got was a dollop of butter (which Deborah said was actually margarine). None of us ever brought this faux-pax to Bailey’s attention.

My burger was large and good, a little pink in the middle. I scraped off the chili, and asked if I had actually gotten any Pepper Jack cheese, which I had ordered. It was pointed out to me that there appeared to be a little cheese around the edge of the burger, and that the rest had probably melted into the hot burger. There were dill pickle slices on the burger (I prefer sweet.), and a large dill wedge on the side.

I just recently came across the Tiger Sauce – Habanero Lime flavor. It was really good, but I’m not sure how different it is from the Original flavor. Maybe hotter, and I don’t remember any lime flavor coming through.

ADDENDUM [03/04/23]: I’ve probably mentioned this elsewhere, but I found that I liked the new Habanero-Lime Tiger Sauce better than I did the Original. I even ordered a 6-Pack of the Habanero-Lime Tiger Sauce and think I gave away some as Christmas presents. But later, when I tried to make another order, I found that the new sauce had been discontinued. And, then later, I got a notice that the Habanero-Lime Tiger Sauce was available. I ordered another 6-Pack, and it arrived in a few days. But, when I opened it, they had sent me the Original version. The new version wasn’t available, and Amazon told me to throw, use, or give it away and not send it back.

My friend, Deb, recently celebrated another birthday. Our rushed society has come to think nothing of combining into one celebration, the birthdays of several friends or relatives. It is more convenient and less of a strain upon our limited time. Due to missed communication, I only left her birthday present, upon her doorstep, and then returned home without actually seeing her, on Her day. Later that night, I called to leave a birthday message, only to have Deb answer the phone. It was then that I learned that she had phoned and left a message notifying me of her change of plans on her birthday. She would not be home late that night, but would be home most of the day (apparently, except for the brief time that I stopped to leave her present).

So, I sent Deb an email, and then later called, and we arranged to spend most of the day together, a week later, in honor of her birthday. One of the presents I had left upon her doorstep, were a couple of small jars of one, a salad dressing, and two, barbecue sauce, which were recipes from “Mama Dips.” Both of these had been purchased at the Museum Shop of the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh. I had stopped by there in hopes that I might find a book that Deb would like, but when my eyes had lit upon the name “Mama Dips,” I knew I had a small something to add as a present.

Deb had met Mama Dip at a speaking engagement. I had thought that she and her husband, Russ, had visited Mama Dips Restaurant in Chapel Hill, but on Saturday I found that this wasn’t the case.

In my email, I had suggested that we might eat at Mama Dips. Deb thought this was a very good idea, but it was only on Saturday morning that I realized that the Duke / Carolina basketball game was to be televised that night at 8pm. I couldn’t recall where the first game had been played, but soon googled and found that the game was going to be played in Chapel Hill.

I could not imagine a worse time to visit Chapel Hill, in order to eat at Mama Dips Restaurant. Could there be more people in Chapel Hill than on “game day” for the most important game of the season? The second meeting of the two basketball teams this season? Wouldn’t there be long lines at all restaurants, and impossible to find parking?

I eventually agreed to at least try to eat at Mama Dips, although, as we drove to Chapel Hill, I couldn’t imaging not having to backtrack and finding a less crowded restaurant along the way. And, as we went, Deb expressed that she was getting extremely hungry.

When we neared Chapel Hill, I started the Sprint Navigation app on my phone. I clicked on the “speak destination” option and when prompted, said, “Mama Dips.” I did not add the words, “restaurant,” nor “Chapel Hill,” but the app understood what I said, and came up easily with the location and directions to Mama Dips Restaurant on Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill, NC.

We made the suggested twists and eventually, as we turned into Mama Dips parking lot (running around and back of the restaurant), I saw several empty spaces, and no lines of any type waiting to enter her establishment. We parked, got out of the vehicle and walked around to the side of the building and up the steps.

As we entered the door, there was a couple waiting on a bench, but then it became obvious that there was no line for waiting to be served, and the maitre-d took a couple of menus and guided us into a crowded room and to a table for four.

The walls of the room amplified the noise of the people, with a door to the kitchen just off to my right.

A tall, thin, black waiter came to our table and we ordered sweet tea. Later, Deb ordered fried chicken, green beans and (I don’t recall, and apparently did not try some of it.), and a biscuit. I ordered the barbecue pork ribs, potato salad and black-eyed peas (with some chopped onion) and cornbread.

Two women sat at a booth in front of me. One had a baby boy.

At some point, there was a small commotion behind me as a group of guests came to their table and began to sit down. I first noticed a tall, bald, black man whose face was familiar, although my first thought was that he must have been a former Carolina ball player that I had seen on TV. I then recognized the face of a white TV commentator, and then I realized that the black man was also a basketball commentator. It was then that it made sense that college basketball commentators have to eat, just like the rest of us.

My first thought was that the white commentator was Jim Lampley, which I almost immediately knew was incorrect. Eventually, I was able to google and find that this was Jim Nantz. It was only at game time, later that night, when both Nantz and his co-anchor appeared on the TV screen, that I was able to say, that’s “Clark Kellogg.”

Nantz and the others began to talk about the game and players. Eventually, as Deb and I continued our meal, I realized that I could hear Nantz’s distinctive voice above the loud drone of the other people in the room. I told Deb that it was like leaving your TV on in the room, tuned to some program that you weren’t interested in, but wanting to have that familiar drone in the background.

I tried some of Deb’s fried chicken. The meat was moist and tender and had a very good flavor, and the breaded skin had good flavor. *Often, you can taste the oil in which the chicken was fried, but this wasn’t the case.

Deb tried some of my barbecue pork ribs. They were tender, moist and there was a good amount of meat on each bone. However, I did not think they had any barbecue sauce on them. The sauce was brought in a small plastic cup. The sauce had an unusual flavor, and a high vinegar content. I added some sugar to “turn” the vinegar, and later asked for another cup of sauce.

The potato salad was good, and included celery seeds, but it was not something that I would say was exceptional.

I asked for some chopped onions for my black-eyed peas. I thought the peas were under-cooked making them a little mealy, and too lightly seasoned for my taste, but then probably many people would not like the peas if they were more highly flavored. The cornbread was of the light cake type and did not detract from the rest of the meal.

Deb ordered Coconut Cream Pie for desert, and we both had coffee. The coffee was hot, and good. I tasted her desert. The pie reminded me of Pecan Pie, without the pecans and chewy coconut added. This definitely wouldn’t be something that I would order. Coconut cream pie should be light, hmmm… and creamy.

We left the restaurant, stopping outside the door to get several “free” magazines. As we drove around the back of the restaurant, Jim Nantz was getting into his vehicle with several other men. *I later would say that we had lunch at Mama Dips with Jim Nantz and left together. True, but subjective;-)

[NOTE 01/06/25]: Mama Dips has been closed for several years in Chapel Hill. The best fried chicken is on the buffet at Seaboard Station in Hamlet, North Carolina. [end NOTE]

The Secret to Good Black-Eyed Peas

My favorite simple food might be “a mess of” cooked black-eyed peas, ham hock, and some chopped Vidalia onion. I could possibly enjoy a whole meal of nothing but this, and perhaps some cornbread. I like cornbread that is almost like a light cake, but I also like the flat fried type of corn cake.

I found that cooking black-eyed peas and ham hock is easy if you use a slow cooker. Use the dried beans, and add plenty of water to cover them (and allow for the absorption of much of the water into the beans). I like a ham hock with a good bone and several knots of good meat that will eventually “fall off the bone.” Add a little ground pepper. Let them cook slowly for at least 4 hours. Taste them at the end of the 4 hours period, looking to see if they have fully cooked (and are not mealy) and are tender.

Once the beans are tender, you might mash some of the beans up, which will help the broth thicken.

Now, the “secret” is to pull the beans off the heat, let them cool, and then put them in a bowl and cover them and let them refrigerate overnight. The next day, re-heat the beans and ham hock, chop up some sweet Vidalia onion and serve. The flavors will break down and meld together overnight (or perhaps by the refrigeration), and what are good beans will become great beans. I have several times tried to speed the process, but the beans are “always better the second day.”

If you have a surplus of the cooked beans that last into the 3^rd day, then you might boil some white or small red potatoes, quarter or halve them and add them to the beans.

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INSTANT POT VERSION

Black-Eyed Peas & Seasoning Meat — Half Recipe (Instant Pot)

Servings: 1–2

Ingredients:

• 1 heaping cup dried black-eyed peas (this equals 1/2 lb)
• 2–3 oz seasoning meat (diced uncooked bacon, ham hock, fatback, or smoked turkey)
• 1/4–1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups water or broth
• 1/4 tsp salt (add after cooking if needed)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Optional:
  • Pinch crushed red pepper,
  • 1/4–1/2 tsp smoked paprika,
  • 1/2 small bay leaf

Instructions:

Press Sauté. Add the seasoning meat and let some fat render. Add the diced onion and cook 2–3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir 30 seconds.

Add the black-eyed peas and the water or broth. Add pepper, optional spices, and bay leaf. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot.

Seal the lid. Cook on Manual/Pressure Cook for 15 minutes. Let the pot naturally release for 15 minutes, then quick-release any remaining pressure.

Stir and taste. Add salt only if needed. If you want a thicker broth, use Sauté for 2–3 minutes to reduce.