So: Shall We Talk Restaurants?

[selhars]

If all the restaurants in a place are mediocre to bad….one may be better than another, but that doesn't change the fact that NONE are good. (as defined by diners there). And of course if all you've even had is bad, then you don't know any better.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

I think I've already outlined why not.

Lawnside! The most historic of the historically black suburbs in this region, and the only one that's an incorporated municipality in its own right. I had the distinct pleasure of ending up at the Still family reunion there one summer. (William Still, brother of the "Physician of the Pines" James Still, was born in Shamong and is regarded as "the father of the Underground Railroad." There's a historical marker in front of the place where his Philadelphia home stood on South 12th Street, but William's great-granddaughter owns a handsome rancher on a large lot in Lawnside where the family reunion I attended took place. I'm also acquainted with another Still descendant in my own generation, a charming man named Kelly Still.)

Back to the banquet:

Q cooked with gas? The horror!

As for good Q and cities: I thought you said you had been to Kansas City? You should go if you haven't been; like Memphis, it's an exception to your rule. I will note, however, that one of the more popular Q places in KC, Fiorella's Jack Stack, is pretty fancy; as I described it to my traveling companion when we dined at its Crossroads location in 2014, "This is what happens when you dress up barbecue in a suit and tie and take it out for a night on the town." Their baked beans and burnt ends, however, deserve their good reputations.



SC is the one where the sauce is mustard-based, right?

BTW, Sweet Lucy's, which I've mentioned above, is owned and run by NC expats. That may explain why it's so good. But the Q is not Eastern NC-style. (What are the signature dishes of Lexington Q? SL's has bangin' ribs.)

In no particular order:
The signature side of Lexington/western NC Q is bbq slaw AKA red slaw. Lexington uses pork butt vs whole hog & the sauce, while vinegar-based, is red. SC Q has the mustard based sauce. Sauce color is the easiest way to tell which version of Carolina Q you've run across. There is a group of bbq places in NC that are designated as "legacy". Even legacy bbq establishments are now offering chicken as well as the pork. Many Q joints & restaurants in NC are now run by people who have won in the many bbq cookoffs in the state, which are KC style. Without checking the official website I'm aware of cookoffs as early as April & as late as November.

I haven't been to Kansas City. I'm not traveling for pleasure until I finish paying off my medical bills.

My theory on cities is based on the locations of the legacy Q establishments in NC. They aren't in the big cities. Plus, the bbq establishments in South Jersey have been in smaller municipalities.

[gomezm007]

Originally Posted by timeEd32

So can someone explain to me how a hoagie is different than a sub/hero? Let me say it this way to Subway doesn't somehow get thrown into the explanation:

How is a Philadelphia hoagie different from a New York sub? Genuinely curious.

Historically speaking, there is a difference between the two, usually concerning the bread (whether it was toasted or not as well as the company). This is one of the reasons the Grinder in New England is called that since you had to grind your teeth because of the toasted bread. In terms of the insides, they tend to be similar ingredients, though I have noticed certain specific deli meats in one and not the other. As for soda and pop, they are more similar, since "pop" generated from the "popping" sound of opening a glass bottle while "soda" just referred to the method of preparing the drink (i.e. soda water).

[gomezm007]

Generally I am in the middle. Like most, I tend to favor the local establishments for food since they do have that certain touch when it comes to service and taste and Philly has numerous great locations (I love the Asian variety in a number of locations, particularly since in South Florida, Asian food overall is not good). However, there are some chain places that I will go because I've had good experiences with them, including the high-end steakhouses of Capital Grille, Morton's, Ruth's; as well as the Brazilian steakhouse locations of Fogo de Chao and Texas de Brazil. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of Applebee's and I can never understand the amount of traffic that goes in the Olive Garden near where I live (I mean sure they have good breadsticks and the salad is okay, but the food is not that good). However the worst chain for me hands down is Taco Bell (or has I have always called it "Toxic Hell").