Posted in News on 21. Apr, 2011
Bob Garner’s Restaurant Road Trips
We’re inviting North Carolina ‘foodies’ to join us on an overnight culinary adventure from the Triangle and Burlington to beautiful Shelton Vineyards on Saturday and Sunday, September 10-11.
We’ll depart by deluxe motor coach from the RBC Center area in Raleigh on Saturday morning, September 10, and travel to Winston-Salem.
There we’ll begin our dining tour with a catered lunch prepared by one of North Carolina’s very
top pitmasters of Lexington-style barbecue, Richard Berrier of Little Richard’s Barbecue. (Little Richard’s restaurant is a little too small in size for us to all fit into, but he’ll have his smoky, succulent pork shoulders falling off the bone and ready to serve at a delightful site of our choosing.)
At Shelton Vineyards, in the Yadkin Valley, we’ll first get you settled into your comfortable hotel room immediately adjacent to the property. Then there will be an optional winery tour and wine tasting – an opportunity to experience first-hand one of North Carolina’s largest and most beautiful vineyards. Later, we’ll dine at the vineyard’s exquisite Harvest Grill, an upscale bistro nestled in the heart of the vineyard, which features enclosed patio seating overlooking Shelton’s kitchen garden and grapevine-covered rolling hills.
After a leisurely, Harvest Grill-catered breakfast at the hotel Sunday morning, we’ll board our 
coach and wind our way through the piedmont North Carolina countryside to the rural Randolph County community of Sophia, home to Snyder Farms Restaurant. There we’ll join hosts Wayne and Betty Snyder for a memorable Sunday dinner, featuring fantastic fried chicken and some of the best garden squash you will ever enjoy, along with other scrumptious buffet choices and a tempting array of homemade desserts.
We’ll return our contented, well-fed restaurant road trippers to their boarding sites in Burlington and Raleigh late Sunday afternoon.
The price for this gastronomic jaunt is $350 per person (double occupancy) or $400 for single occupancy, including transportation, all meals, afternoon tour and wine tasting, taxes and tips. For further details and online registration – of if you have questions – visit bobgarnerbbq.com, or give us a call at 226-228-1751 or 919-998-8836 (Bob’s cell).
Posted in News on 05. Mar, 2011
Stephen Grady serves up some of his famous wood-cooked, eastern NC barbecue.
After picking up restaurant road trippers in Greensboro, Burlington and Raleigh, we enjoyed the short ride to Goldsboro, where an authentic North Carolina pig pickin’ awaited, served , on a perfect “bluebird” day, at Waynesborough Historical Village outside Goldsboro. Stephen Grady of legendary Grady’s Barbecue in Dudley (off 117 between Goldsboro and Mt. Olive) served from a whole roast pig barbecued over oak coals, with traditional sides. After the meal, travelers enjoyed strolling around the historical village, made up of historic buildings moved to the site once occupied by an early county seat of Wayne County. The weather could not have been more delightful.
Balcony view from the Inlet Inn
Following the relaxing ride to Beaufort, guests were entranced with their harbor-facing rooms at the Inlet Inn- most with balconies overlooking Beaufort’s gorgeous waterfront and wild pony-inhabited Carrot Island .
The museum's tower overlooks Core Sound and the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.
The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Harkers Island, a 45-minute drive from Beaufort (only 15 minutes by water!) is devoted to preserving the culture and heritage of down-east Carteret County, including decoy carving, boat building and many other aspects of life beside the sounds and barrier islands separating the North Carolina mainland from the Atlantic Ocean.
The Menhaden Chanteymen now sing from a semicircle on stage, rather than from skiffs surrounding the Menhaden fishing net.
The chanteys sung by fishermen in skiffs as they hauled in the nets containing small Menhaden fish are being preserved by a group calling itself The Menhaden Chanteymen – which once sang in Carnegie Hall. Their gripping performance followed local stories and humorous anecdotes by lifetime local resident and “Fish House Liar” Rodney Kemp. The authentic meal which began the evening included local dishes such as stewed Redhead duck and rutabegas, baked flounder, scallop fritters, stewed shrimp with corn dumplings, collard greens, baked sweet potatoes and “sweet puppies” (similar to fried apple fritters), rolled in powdered sugar and served over homemade ice cream.
Our Sunday dinner was a real adventure! The original caterer in Farmville was forced to cancel due to a family emergency, so we detoured to Bum’s Restaurant in Ayden, which graciously opened Sunday morning (when it’s normally closed) to host our group and serve what some later said was the best and most interesting meal of the trip. We feasted on crispy yet moist fried chicken and all the fixings, along with warm, meringue-topped banana pudding that approached dream-like status. Travelers were ready for even more barbecue, as well, especially after host Larry Dennis led groups back to the restaurant pits to observe his methods for cooking whole pigs over oak wood coals. The Dennis ancestors have been cooking and serving barbecue in the area since 1830.
Put yourself in the picture on a Bob Garner Restaurant Road Trip, presented by Our State.
Bob Garner Restaurant Road Trips are a way to travel to interesting and engaging overnight destinations, connect with authentic and traditional foods in particular locales and regions of North Carolina and share experiences and laughter with fellow food and dining enthusiasts. Check out our “Road Trips” pull-down section on the navigation bar and use our handy online registration to get yourself registered for the next adventure!
top pitmasters of Lexington-style barbecue, Richard Berrier of Little Richard’s Barbecue. (Little Richard’s restaurant is a little too small in size for us to all fit into, but he’ll have his smoky, succulent pork shoulders falling off the bone and ready to serve at a delightful site of our choosing.)
At Shelton Vineyards, in the Yadkin Valley, we’ll first get you settled into your comfortable hotel room immediately adjacent to the property. Then there will be an optional winery tour and wine tasting – an opportunity to experience first-hand one of North Carolina’s largest and most beautiful vineyards. Later, we’ll dine at the vineyard’s exquisite Harvest Grill, an upscale bistro nestled in the heart of the vineyard, which features enclosed patio seating overlooking Shelton’s kitchen garden and grapevine-covered rolling hills.
coach and wind our way through the piedmont North Carolina countryside to the rural Randolph County community of Sophia, home to Snyder Farms Restaurant. There we’ll join hosts Wayne and Betty Snyder for a memorable Sunday dinner, featuring fantastic fried chicken and some of the best garden squash you will ever enjoy, along with other scrumptious buffet choices and a tempting array of homemade desserts.
The price for this gastronomic jaunt is $350 per person (double occupancy) or $400 for single occupancy, including transportation, all meals, afternoon tour and wine tasting, taxes and tips. For further details and online registration – of if you have questions – visit bobgarnerbbq.com, or give us a call at 226-228-1751 or 919-998-8836 (Bob’s cell).
Bob Garner …television personality, restaurant reviewer, speaker, author, pitmaster and connoisseur of North Carolina barbecue and the best southern traditional foods .
