A couple of weeks ago I went to North Carolina. This is one of those now yearly trips I look forward to because it’s about as close to leaving the country as I can get (same goes for Louisiana). Now, I realize that New York may be a bit more of the black sheep of the country than North Carolina but as far as my existence in the world goes, North Carolina might as well be Scotland. The people are entirely different from those I am used to (they’re nice to the point of rising suspicion within me), the landscape is entirely different (remember those star thingies? I didn’t) and the food….oh yes, the food. Well, actually my first couple of food-related experiences were not so regionally distinct, though they were still good. My first meal was from Trader Joe’s. It consisted of cheese (a manchego-esque cheese), tabbouleh, smoked salmon and bread. Pretty regionally unspecific.
The next day I started my North Carolina work with experience. A “work with,” if the name isn’t clear, is when you (the wine maker/wine ambassador/child who grew up drinking the wine (me) goes around with a representative from the distributor to restaurants, bars and stores in the area attempting to convince them of how gosh darn good your product is.
My first day we stopped in at The Irregardless Cafe where we were able to sample some wines.
Here are the sparklings:
The 05 Classic Vintage Brut, 06 Wedding Cuvee and the 02 (YES 02!) Russian Cuvee (still tasting great). We paired those with the appetizer plate of Middle Eastern spreads.
For my main (which we paired with the 06 Unoaked Chardonnay, 07 Estate Chardonnay and the 07 Estate Pinot Noir) I chose the polenta topped with portabello mushrooms and pesto (amazing with the Pinot Noir, especially).
But I really hadn’t come to North Carolina to eat healthy. I came for pig. And pig I got that night at The Pit, a bit more of a high class BBQ joint, but it turned out to be just as good as any other BBQ I’d had in the past, which admittedly isn’t much, if not better.
Check out the drawing on the mirror:
They’re not burying the lead here. It’s all about the pig.
I chose to get pulled pork with bacony grits and fried okra.
I know. It’s from a fancy place. With a bar. And reservations. And seating. But oh my. It was good. So good. The pork was tender and juicy with a speckling of crispy edges. The grits were amongst the most satisfying dishes I’ve ever ever had. The okra, admittedly, was lacking in crispiness but that also could have been because I insisted on eating in my hotel room (I like to eat BBQ unsupervised and there was already purchased beer there – - yes beer! Sometimes that’s ok!) so it could have suffered on the ride home.
A good start to the trip.
