Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Ongoing Journal about Favorite Eats and Drinks...


Jack Brown's Bar and Grill Greenville NC




This cool place is not large but we love the all around experience here.  From a deep fried oreo and burger contest, trivia night and more, this place is pretty dang cool and open to 2am.  Of course, we bring kids when it's not a date night so we are usually here early and leave no later than 9pm.




You Get in this unique 100 Notch Club if you try 100 different beers and ciders!  Of course that meant Challenge Accepted for Gina and me!!





As you can see as of January 2020, we were only about 1/4 of the way to our 100 notches!  Gina used a 1-5 scale and I used a 1-10 Scale



In our quest to earn 100 notches, I tried this waitress recommendation when the sampler drafts didn't really sparkle any interest.  Gina of course asked how many samplers would I continue to try haha!  The waitress let me try this based on my ranking orders on my notch card.  It was pretty good at a 7/10 rating for me.



Before this place, Landon would only eat Chicken Tenders so thank you JBs!!  Let's put it this way.  On one of Landon's birthdays, Landon chose to go to Red Robin but nope... not for burgers... Chicken freakin' tenders haha!  Kamryn and Landon enjoy this place and we often play games and simply hang out.


 

Gina ranked this Sea Dog Wild Blueberry pretty high at 4.75/5 and yep, I love my bourbon and when related to beer it was an even higher rating at 10/10 for me!






I love the metal art around Greenville and JB's has it near the front of it's entrance!!








Sometimes we will meet up here before getting kiddos for a quick daytime date



Jack Brown's has a large number of custom creative style burgers!!  The Cowboy is my fav but I love many of them!!  













You can't leave this place without trying a deep fried OREO!!!
The record as of January 2020 is 23 of these!








ECU College Buddy Darrin, Running Buddy Anthony and I taking care of business!  Anthony has already made the 100 notch club and will soon hit 200!!  This is him on February 4th, 2020.





Another JB creation with bacon egg and cheese!



I love the metal art around Greenville.  JB's is no exception.






We were able to celebrate Morgan's 25th belated birthday here while doing an early St Patrick's Day celebration.  I think this was my first ever green beer!


JB's host and cooking crew!  Special thanks to these men for always helping us have a good time!




This about sums it up with Kamryn's thumbs up!!!





The Copper Penny Wilmington NC



This cool place in Wilmington was a lucky find from a simple google search in my attempts to find food near Landon's soccer matches.  My martial arts mentor Vikki couldn't meet up but my former co-worker and workout buddy Tom was able to meet me here.  Time sure slips by so make those efforts to continue to connect with your friends and especially your family!



I really liked this hallway to the bathrooms!  Anytime I see some old school vinyl albums, it brings back lots of memories of growing up and my dad's extensive collection.



This loaded burger and sweet potato fries were incredible!!


Of course, Landon went with the Chicken Tenders!


Me and my buddy Tom!
Tom is an RN now in leadership roles but is also a minister.  It's always great to catch up while also praising God for our blessings.







Tapped  Greenville NC




This bar is great to meet friends and may even have a food truck off and on!  It has a large selection of board and other games, cards, and even old school arcade games.  They are also registered with the Untapped App so you can rate your drinks and toast your friends!  Jeff and I went to ECU together.  He was roommates with one of my ECU XC Teammates Ricky!



Tim, Kent, Nate and Brian

Great place to meet my friends and simply relax after hard work weeks




Tim, Charles, Nate, Kent, and Brian


In the background, you'll see the quirkle game our family plays... if you come relatively early it's family friendly and they even have a set of games, arcade games, and even children's books.

Pitt Street Brewing Company Greenville NC





Great place to meet friends!  My favorite beer here was the Cat Scratch Fever but it unfortunately rotated out.  Plenty of other good stuff though!!




Gina's work crew selected this place for the Christmas Social.  Here we are having some fun with pictures




Anchalee Thai Greenville NC





By far my favorite Thai Restaurant so far!  Yes, we've been to many in many places but this place is the best when looking at quality and cost etc.



Well, let's try Thai Beer since we are eating Thai food!



My favorite dish... Red Curry Chicken with spice level 3/5.  Sometimes, I will add a Mango too for that sweet and spicy combo I love so much!  



Kids love the Spring Rolls and Gina typically gets the Chicken no spice Pad See Ew.  I love it all!




Bright Penny Mebane NC


Gina found this great place!  As you can see, we both have a love to explore new places to eat, drink and have adventures!!










Junction on 70 Mebane NC


Another cool place near Landon's soccer training area.





It was a cool place but Gina and I just got appetizers this round.


First Watch Greenville NC




This place is awesome but definitely expensive overall.  You pay for the creative dishes and presentation for sure but sometimes you simply deserve it.  We spend about what we would for dinner here so I would make it your brunch.








I chose the Farmhouse Skillet Hash.  It was great for sure but not sure if $12 worth for breakfast foods.  I held the onions and added the grilled peppers instead.  YUM!






Landon never goes wrong with bacon and waffles... how about those fruit buddy!


Gina had this omelette and had plenty to take with her for another small meal later.



Kamryn eats a little all the time but enjoyed eggs, pancakes and bacon!







Mebane Knights Mebane NC









I decided to share the pimento cheese dip with pita chips.  It was good but I think warmed up dip would of been lots better.  I wasn't exactly hungry yet but honestly just wanted to try a new place with different craft beers.


The tomato basil soup was really good!



This potato soup got a 10 from me!  Gina and I shared the soups and pita chips etc.








EAT23 Greenville NC
(Sadly this place went out of business)



Gina and I found this new place in town.  It's near our karate school.  Gina found a video about the owner and the restaurant.  Once we saw it, we were sold and had to try it out.



The prices were good and the food and service were even better!  For the food prices vs value etc, this ranks high among all the places we've been.  The drinks were a bit high but the coffee bar was neat as you could check out multiple flavors etc.




I tried several and my fav was the mix of Banana Crunch with Sensual Chocolate. 


Simple yet perfect for me....


Gina chose this masterpiece and yep I tried it and it was amazing!!


The cool thing is that you can order breakfast or lunch foods here!  You guessed it... Landon with chicken tenders!  It does close at 3pm so make it another great spot to go early in the day!


The inside in nice so don't judge the food and eating atmosphere from the outside...







Mi Cabana Greenville NC


If you want to enjoy your food you must go to places that sell items like Chicken fingers and Mac & Cheese



Upon request, you can get hot sauce!  It seems it's always a bit different depending on who makes it that day but it's always good!


My favorite is chicken fajitas but a combo of chile releno, taco, and any other sides make a great combo!  Their Taco Salads are very filling as well.



Great drinks are always available including this Jumbo Strawberry Margarita!  They have specials about every day of the week!



Molly's Community Cafe' Greenville NC



This neat little cafe' is located near the county court house and open every day!  





Prices were cheaper overall except for my 2 egg breakfast for $8.50 was much higher than the EAT23 restaurant.  You can't beat being able to buy sides to create your own meal at a relatively low cost.



Kids loved the pancakes and bacon


They have these unique biscuits which were quite yummy and very filling



The self serve tea and coffee bar was neat.  You can pick from various tea flavors and different cups to drink your coffee or tea from.  There is a book trader set too.  So bring a book, take a book and enjoy or just read while there.



I tried the French toast from my wife and it was really good!  Of course, Bacon with anything is yummy!



The 2 Egg and fixins breakfast was great!  You could choose from different meats or starches etc such as sausage or toast or other items.




In this time and age, it's always great to have USB outlets!






Nauti Dog Winterville NC








This cool place makes their own beer!!  I tried the Mild Dark beer pictured and it was great.  They are also registered with the Untapped application so you can keep track of all the great beers!  They also have guest beers etc too.



It's always fun to hang out after a long week!



They have a nice selection of games and areas to sit and enjoy good conversations as well!





Shogun Japanese Restaurant  Greenville NC



This is a nice Japanese restaurant that has a nice bar you don't have to wait to be seated for.  It's a great place to hang out and while you are at the bar they have a  nice TV which this day had an ACC basketball game on.  The clear soup was delicious!



My wife and I love sushi so this is a great place for that!  The specialty rolls seemed a par above the regular rolls this night.



When at a Japanese restaurant, one must try Japanese beer!  This was delicious but they had a ton of other beers of all types.  The bar was well stocked and they had a nice selection of wines as well.



You never know who might be out???  Here are a couple of new friends we made... Jimmy D and Zach!  aka The Beast and Artist!





The Biscuit & The Bean Cafe' Winterville NC












You can buy edible cookie dough!





This Grit Bowl was awesome!






Take home these greats!





My son loves the bacon and pancakes!  These pancakes were huge!













After eating, we enjoyed sitting on the comfy couches and socializing with friends...  Overall, this place was really neat with lots of yummy foods and a great atmosphere for simply hanging out.




Taqueria Tere in Winterville NC combined with Local Oak Brewing Company





These authentic tacos were amazing at $2.55 each.  If it was a little bit cheaper I would of had 3 more haha!  I got 1 steak and 2 chicken tacos and added cheese for 50 cents more each.  I think if they would do a multiple taco deal it would be cool but they are so good they had to close down early to catch up on all their orders.  That being said they don't need to.  The mild green salsa was delicious but actually spicy.  Add this to Local Oak's Golden Ticket Stout and the meal is perfect.  Only negative which could be a positive too is they rotate beers.  This $7 beer got a 10/10 from me.   









Camp Coffee Roasters Blowing Rock NC














Ford + Shep Greenville NC

We decided to go to the Ford & Shep for our late celebration of our 15th Anniversary!  The food and service was amazing and being a celebration of our love combined with it being a place we haven't been to, it was exciting.



Evidently, it used to be part of a bank!



Coronado Orange Beer

Pork Belly for Starters...



We met the artist who created the wall canvas behind us


Snapper!

Shrimp and Grits



Chocolate Dessert











Wayback Burgers Raleigh NC







My wife found this gem after one of our son's soccer matches.  You can pretty much build your own burger with a large variety of cheeses, sauces, and other fixins.  We all loved it!  Family of 5 was about $45 so it's not cheap but for a great treat once in a while it's a winner!




Brew Masters Wilson NC

After our son's battle on the soccer field, we needed a place to fuel us up!  My wife with help from a friend, helped us decide on this neat place!  I was also happy to learn they have one in my home town of Goldsboro NC.  Everyone was very nice and despite being a bar and grill type place, it was very family friendly with other kids there.  They had several nice TV's for sporting events and a small area with some games such as a large version of JENGA.  Our family was all pleased here... well anytime my son can get chicken tenders he is happy!  I got a personal meat lover's pizza for $7 and a Ten Fidy Porter 16oz drink for $10.  They have a large variety of foods so there was a little bit for everyone to be happy.












Warren's Hot Dogs Greenville NC





For kids like my son, you can get plain hot dogs or whatever you like.


I enjoy my hot dogs from there "All the way" which includes a special navy bean spicy chili sauce with grilled onions on a deep fried hot dog.  These hot dogs are amazing if you like spicy foods.  I usually buy the tailgate special of 10 hot dogs which were $10 when I first started and now just $12.50.  My body screams of course as we know these are good to you but not good for you!  It doesn't help that I will eat 5 or more in one sitting but I only do this once in a while.
























Common grounds coffee shop was a really cool place!  I recommend it for sure as it is a great way to meet up with family and friends when out of town too!




Spring Break at Port St Lucie's Sandpiper Bay Club Med




enough said... I gained 10lbs in 7 days ... 




Sup Dogs Greenville NC



This is a great place with reasonable prices.  Outdoor and indoor areas with several TV's to watch events.  We actually watched the Super Regional Game here when NC State upset Arkansas.  BUT, we wished ECU would of upset Vandy.  ECU had close games but just couldn't get to the College World Series again. Arghhhhh!






They have a pretty large menu for specialty drinks!



For $1.50 more you can add a hotdog to your hotdog or burger meal!




Many specialty hotdogs and 1/3 pound burgers here!



Nice bar and a BIG ASS FAN Above us too!








Jay's Kitchen
Goldsboro NC



Right off the start, I really liked the decor inside and out of this restaurant.  We looked it up online and saw that it had a large range of food so everyone including the kids would be happy.  This would indeed be a great place to take my mom and family for my mom's 78th birthday.  Before we go any further, it was not a cheap place $85 for 3 adults and 2 kids and although the Asian food was excellent and the American food was okay, the amount of food for the money for the Sushi was not comparable to a Greenville Japan Inn or Hibachi Express.  I paid $12 for a delicious Dragon Roll and mom got the Firecracker roll for also about $12 but I think it was more like about $8 worth of food.  I would have had to spend about $50 just to get my fill.  Fortunately, they did give a good amount of the Korean Beef and rice so I was able to take a few bites from my wife.  Anyways, I was still a bit hungry but it was delicious.


This place had a nice bar and a nice variety of drinks available.



I think the coffee in a glass was a neat variation.



The Firecracker roll my mom chose was really good!  I chose the Dragon Roll which was also excellent but I forgot to take that picture.


The Korean Beef was excellent with lots of flavor!



Nice areas with TV's for a night out with friends etc.



I loved the water in a bottle touch.  Pretty classy and it reminded me of a place we ate at in Germany



The French Fries were great!



My son wolfed down the Cheeseburger so I'm thinking it was good to go!  Honestly, I'm just happy many places offer other meal options so you don't have to worry about your picky kids and adults too!





I liked the large variety of drinks including craft beers and drafts.



My daughter enjoyed the thin cheese pizza but said it was a bit hard to eat.





Again, this place had many nice touches in decor which help make you feel better about the higher than most places costs.



Paula Deen's at Broadway at the Beach
Myrtle Beach SC







We attempted to go another night and they were already booked by 6pm for the entire night so we decided on a late lunch and did not have to wait but a couple of minutes!  No this was not cheap and there is no way you can eat enough food to justify the price but what a fun experience and heck it's vacation time and YOLO!




Bathrooms are downstairs FYI... look behind escalators









Try not to get full on these delicious biscuits they bring first!!!



Felt like Thanksgiving!!!




To get an extra side, it's a good idea to try this mouth watering tender roast!  It comes with rice!






My First Plate






They allow you to take home the dessert but as you can see this banana pudding is tiny.  It was like 3 large bites.



View from parking lot


You can catch your breath after all that eating by watching Carp!!





Leaving Fat and Happy!!!






RIOZ Brazilian Steakhouse Broadway at the Beach Area Myrtle Beach SC



It was about an hour wait but oh my!!  It was worth it!!!





Yep, probably the most money I've ever spend on just a family dinner out but again like other places... you only live once and we were on vacation!



They served you all the meats and pineapple but you had to get your own hot and cold bar items here.  They even had shrimp and sushi!!!  Okay, the Sushi was basic and not really good but they had all kinds of sides from mashed potatoes, salad items, rice, pasta etc.  Of course, I didn't waste my tummy space on this stuff knowing the meats were coming soon on skewers!!!



Pineapple Mohito my wife got was amazing too!




Cinnamon glazed pineapple was incredible!!!



There were all kinds of meats... bacon wrapped chicken and steak, parmesan wrapped chicken, sirloin, pork loins, chicken legs, sausage and much more!!!

 


My starter plate... you got a disc with red on one side and green on the opposite side.  If on green they kept coming with more and more meats etc!


















River City Cafe Myrtle Beach SC


I always like these little but yummy places that are locally owned with just a feel good environment




PGSA 09 STARS aka The Soccer Family 
These boys won the 2021 preseason tournament at Myrtle Beach!




I chose the loaded Bacon Cheeseburger... it was amazing!



Peanuts while you wait were a plus!


Parents of the soccer family had mixed reviews but overall everyone liked this place.  They even had a turkey burger that was liked too!


Footsteps!








Town Hall Burger & Beer
Holly Springs NC




We really liked the atmosphere here and the staff were friendly and willing to change the TV so we could watch a football game.  





Any parent knows it's great to have the basics for kids!!


This place had a pretty good selection!



I was happy that they carried a nice selection of Craft Beers.  I'm into stouts and porters etc so I was not disappointed.  This was a Hershey's Chocolate Porter I gave a 4.5/5.  It is made at the Yuengling Brewery.





I gave this Carolina Burger a 10/10!  It was awesome!





Wood & Iron
Richmond Virginia




Nice Gingerbread Porter with my ECU Running Mates

Oh my goodness, these were delicious!!


The kids chicken tenders were enough for an adult!


Jim got the California Burger with sweet potato fries

Dave got the double with an egg and fries!

Kamryn got the grilled cheese!

I got the double bacon cheese burger with egg and sweet potato fries!



It was a great time for all!


The Flyin' Pig
Richmond Virginia






So this place had nearly the same menu items as the Wood and Iron Place so we have to guess there is definitely some kind of connection... Both not cheap

Delicious Corn Bread!!!

Kamryn approved!

Nice Selection of craft beers etc but several were out





I had enough BBQ for 2 sandwiches!!




I tried both sauces on my BBQ Sandwich and they were both great!


1st time I'd ever had BBQ Baked beans with actual BBQ Pork in it... it was great!!




Biscuits and Porn
Nag's Head OBX NC












Yep there was a line and for a good reason... delicious food!  I got an old favorite of creamed sausage on toast!!  SOS!!  The rest of the family got a mix of chicken biscuits, Bacon Egg and Cheese and more!  Everyone was happy!  Yes they sold porn here.





BEARTOWN Bistro & Pizza Company
New Bern NC














The best deal was simply the great pizza you could custom make!  It was great!


Extra credit in the bathroom with the Star Wars Decor!




The BEARTOWN pizza place was super nice with a small town feel with yummy pizza!  It was just Kamryn and me for another split duty with the wife and kids playing soccer etc in different towns.



The Drive Shack
Wake County NC





It was pretty cool to smack some golf balls while enjoying time with friends and of course food and drinks!!


ok so we had never been to a place like this and it was one of my wife's hit list locations to go so we decided since it was her birth week it was a must see and do!  We aren't golfers but we had a great time!!










We went after Landon and is teammate Tanner had a soccer match.  They had many games you could play!  It was pretty neat!  The score went all over the place.  It was a great time!




The Scullery
Greenville NC







The Scullery is definitely a great place to go!  My only complaint is that the grits are way too expensive.  $4 for cheese grits in that small container.  They charge the same for plain grits.  That being said, I had wonderful company, the birthday girl, my wife.





Lucky Tavern #12
Nag's Head Area OBX NC



I rented a beach house for my wife's 40th birthday!  It was an opportunity for her to hand out in her old stomping grounds.  Many could not make it due to life and covid and such but we had a great time anyway!















Loved that this place had old school pinball and video games!!








More extra credit for Santa!







Morning View Coffee Shop
Nag's Head OBX area NC





Pretty Cool!!!
















John's Drive In
Nag's Head OBX Area NC












That's the summation of John's in the last pic!  IT's a win!!!!






La Rancherita Grill & Tequila Bar Greenville NC




Family Time for my 53rd Birthday

Blackberry Mohito was superb!!






Overall we had to give this place a 10!  All the prices of Mexican restaurants have gone up in town but since they are now about the same price, the atmosphere and drink menu pulls this one above the others.





The Lantern Inn Goldsboro NC


Great place for breakfast especially when seeing my nephew David who works there!


Always priceless moments with mom and kiddos!




I've been going to this place since I was a kid.  Always a win since I can get my killer breakfast and kids can get their usual chicken tenders and grilled cheese etc.  Mom loves the omelet there!






Tie Breakers Winterville NC



Beer a little expensive...


The ECU Burger and House Chips $12





About $10 Yikes





Overall, the family gave this place a 9/10.  I loved all the TV's including booths with your own TV.  Craft Beers and a large selection of foods was great.  Prices seemed typical for this type of location so expect to pull out a Benjamin for a family.  I will definitely come again during March Madness.


-------------------------------------

Mountain Trip

June 2022














Beech Mountain









Kettle Works


















Check out more  places!!!

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