We pulled into Silver Spring, Maryland with The General Store in our sights.  The chef there beat Bobby Flay on the Fried Chicken Throwdown and the corn dog looked killer too.  I’ve had lots of good fried chicken, but I don’t know that I’ve ever had great fried chicken.  You can just imagine my disappointment to find out that the place was closed.  It appeared to be closed for remodeling, but I think it has closed permanently.  Not only did I not get the food I was looking for, but it also threw off our plans (more than we realized it turns out).

Our motel plans didn’t work out either and we ended up getting a room in Camp Springs, Maryland.  I unloaded the car and we decided to just chill out for the night and relax.  The girl at the front desk told me the closest food was a couple of fast food places, one chicken and the other burgers.  We’d never eaten at either place (and wish we hadn’t that night either). Continue reading →

Monday, April 25^th   We headed north out of Mississippi on the Natchez Trace Parkway which is a bucolic two lane affair with virtually no traffic.  We pulled off at one point to visit a man who I know through his writing, Franklin Sanders.  We had a great visit, and I hope our paths cross again someday.  You can find out more about him on my links.  In an amazing coincidence, that also happens to be the very day that silver peaked about $49.75 per ounce.  I say amazing because Mr. Sanders literally wrote the book on the investment opportunity in silver, and is a leading precious metals dealer as well as a market analyst and commentator.

Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint

We pulled into Nolansville and drove straight to Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint.  As you can see from the pictures, Martin’s is great looking place with lots of picnic tables and signs on the walls.  You order at the register and they bring your food out to you.  I went exploring and found the whole hog smoker towards the back (which was dormant at the time).  I didn’t have any trouble keeping myself amused while we waited for our food.

Redneck Taco at Martin’s
Bar-B-Que Joint

We ordered the famous Red Neck Taco, which was excellent (BBQ pulled pork on tortillas with coleslaw and sauce).  We also had a half rack of ribs and baked beans, cole slaw, extra BBQ sauce and Texas Toast. The prices were modest.  Everything was excellent and we left happy except for one minor detail… Continue reading →

The King

We rolled into Memphis just in time for lunch and headed straight for Uncle Lou‘s Southern Kitchen.  To refresh your memory, this is the place that has the famous fried and honey dipped chicken.  BBQ chicken is one of Anna’s favorite foods and we ordered a three piece dinner to share with coleslaw and a biscuit.  They served us fried okra by mistake, but said to enjoy it anyway—and we did.  Uncle Lou was there working and the place was packed.  The honey sauce is spicy, with the spice blend called “Corruption” because once you’ve had it, you’ve been corrupted.  Guy called the honey dipping sauce “Sweet, Spicy, Love” and it appears that Uncle Lou changed the name (following Guy’s keen restaurant acumen).  It was messy but it sure was good.  It’s probably the best chicken we’ve had anywhere so far.  We took it to go and ate it at a local park, which we like to do when we can.  I forgot to take pictures, but they wouldn’t have done the chicken justice anyway.

Painted Mural Millington, Tennessee

We ended up having to drive back and forth across Memphis to accommodate our destinations with our appetite.  First we drove up to Millington, which is where I was born.  My dad was in the Navy, and they had a medical facility there at the time.  I can’t say that I remember being born, but it was touch and go during those first few weeks while I was learning how to walk and feed myself.  It was another month or so before I developed my life-long infatuation with girls and learned how to flirt. Of course, it’s not easy trying to look cool and pick up chicks on a tricycle, but the Big Wheel hadn’t been invented yet; and by the time it came out I was too big for it.  Things didn’t really heat up until preschool, and by Kindergarten there were so many girls around its a wonder I ever learned anything.  Having been born in the South, I am a proud Southern Boy and expect I always will be (although I was raised in California).

Continue reading →

April 2011:  This is the trip that put us into the Big Time as serious DDD fans.  We went on the road for seven weeks and went to over a hundred DDD places; going as far as Portland, Maine.  It was a trip of a lifetime; and there were so many places to see and things to do, that it took over a month just to plan the trip.  As usual, we had family and friends to visit along the way.

We bought a GPS, and preloaded all of our destinations into it (it worked perfectly).  It was amazing actually.  By the way, driving on the east coast is a lot different from the west coast.  Even with the GPS, I made several aggressive lane changes and more than a few illegal turns just to negotiate the toll booths and busy surface streets with no left turns (craazeee).  It was entertaining and a bit harrowing at times, but no harm done.  I got the finger a few times, but I can get that just for having California plates.  I’m sure Anna was relieved that she didn’t have to navigate (although she is a real heads-up passenger).  She keeps her eyes out for critters, cops, pile-ups, rest areas, coffee stands, taco trucks, adult superstores, aluminum cans and loose change.  She also helps spot our destinations as we roll up on them.

Continue reading →

Fab Hot Dogs in Reseda

We live just a few hours north of Los Angeles, but hardly ever go there anymore (if we can help it).  We figured it must have been ten years since we were there last (although we used to go fairly often).  That’s where the DDD spots are at, and so off we went.  We only planned to hit a few spots and stay for a couple of days.  Turns out Anna and I had never been to Disneyland together, so we were due for a trip to the magic kingdom.

Texas Burrito Dog
at Fab Hot Dogs

We jumped off the 405 near Reseda and made a beeline for Fab Hot Dogs.  On their episode, they made chili from scratch and then used it on a Texas Burrito Dog (which is exactly what we ordered).  As you can see from the picture, it is an inspired creation of grilled hot dogs smothered in chili, topped with cheese, onions, bacon and corn chips, then wrapped up in a tortilla and grilled.  I’m happy to tell you it tasted just as good as it looks and I’ll be having it again next time I get to town.  We split the dog because we had to save room for our next stop.  Fab Hot Dogs has an impressive menu, and some of the best dogs you’ll find anywhere.  It’s a good thing I don’t live anywhere close. Continue reading →