South Carolina; Land of Trees, and Yellow Barbeque - Maurice's Gourmet Barbeque

On our way back from sunny Florida, we traveled through not as sunny South Carolina.
On the Interstate, we mostly observed pine trees. I don't know exactly what South Carolina is hiding, but obviously there is something they don't want you to see.
As we were coming into Columbia, there were less trees and more billboards. The one my wife noticed was for Maurice's Barbeque. We were going to eat at another place for lunch, but she really wanted to try this place. We thought that he had been showcased on the Food Network on regional barbeques, but we weren't sure. I could tell she really wanted to try it out by the way her tongue was hanging from her mouth. I told her that maybe we could share a sandwich and still try the lunch place.
Now I have to admit, the first time I heard the name, I thought to myself, "What would a guy named Maurice know about barbeque. Maybe French cooking, or something like that, but not barbecue." She went in and came out with the sandwich. It smelled very good, but something wasn't right. The sauce was yellow. That's right, yellow! It turns out that Maurice uses a mustard based sauce that is popular in South Carolina.
It turned out to be the best barbeque sandwich I ever tasted. My wife was so crazy over the sauce, she ordered a case of it when we got home. Maurice's turned out to be the highlight of the day. I can't even remember where we ended up eating lunch, but our 'snack" was definately memorable. The sign was correct. "Maurice's Barbeque makes you happy." Happy indeed. You can find out more about them and order sauce at:
http://www.mauricesbbq.com/

Follow Your Nose To Ted Peter's Famous Smoked Fish

When in Florida, we always try to go towards Tampa. That side of the state is just beautiful. The coast is dotted with seafood places. One of those places is Ted Peter's
Famous Smoked Fish.
This place is basically just a shack. Located at 1350 S. Pasadena Avenue in St. Petersburg, you have two choices of seating. Outside there are covered picnic tables and the outside bar. You go inside and its kind of grungy. It kind of gives you a cabin feel, a real old dingy cabin feel,complete with fireplace. I don't know if its a working fireplace,but they probably don't need it too much in Florida.
The fish is a completely different story. It first hits your nose the minute you pull in the parking lot. In fact, that is the way Ted Peter's would lure in customers when he first opened the restaurant back in 1951. According to his obituary; he died in 2003, he used to wave the lid on his smoker as customers went by. I can see how that worked. Today, the smokehouse sits next to the restaurant. You can watch the process and buy some fish to go.
The fish comes in a huge portion. It is juicy and has a great smokey flavor. I had the Mahi-Mahi and Rebbel got the Salmon. Both winners. Of course we had to try the potato salad and cole slaw. The potato salad, was a German potato salad. I usually don't care for that type, but theirs tasted totally different. It tasted more like the fried potatoes you might have with your eggs in the morning. Simply delicious.
We took some of their smoked fish dip and crackers for a snack. That too, was totally awesome. I also witnessed a lot of people ordering the hamburgers. I hear that those are really good too. I highly recommend trying this place. I have a feeling we'll be back!

Rebbel Finds Some Friends/ Sweet Tomatoes, Orlando, Fla.

"I wish you could find my friends." ,Rebbel said. Once again something had triggered her memory of two people she had known since she was a little girl living in Petersburg, Mi. Joyce and Jack Wittman were people that lived in the same subdivision across the road from Rebbel. Rebbel used to go over to their house and just hang out, play Monopoly with Joyce, and just visit. I picture a Dennis the Menace, Mr. Wilson type relationship.
It must have been pretty bad because the Wittman's moved to Lambertville, but Rebbel still managed to keep in touch. She would continue to stay in touch with them until about 1991. Joyce had told her that they were living in Florida. Soon after, we moved and Rebbel lost the post card with their new address and she lost touch.
For the past few years Rebbel has been trying to find Joyce. I would dutifully search for them on the internet every time she would bring them up. This year, I was able to find a Wittman in Florida and Rebbel called.
"Is this Jack??" , Rebbel asked. "Did you live in Petersburg? Are you married to Joyce and do you wear a size 10 shoe?" You really got to be sure you have the right person after 15 years. "This is Rebbel." Silence while Jack processed which Rebbel it could be. Then a light went off and he remembered. Joyce called back a little later and the two friends went over old times. "Remember how you always wanted to play Monopoly all the time?? I hated that game, but I knew you liked it.", Joyce said. "That's funny." Rebbel said, "I hate that game, but I thought you liked it."
When we visited Florida, they were so nice, I felt I knew them forever. They treated us to a place called Sweet Tomatoes in Orlando. We had heard about Sweet Tomatoes from other friends and all of them that gave it high marks.
Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantations are chain restaurants located in 15 states. The Sweet Tomatoes restaurant we went to was like a large salad bar buffet.
They had a great variety of fresh vegetables for their salads, different variety of soups, muffins, prepared salads, pastas and even desserts. They even had tea and pomegranate juice! The word here is healthy. Don't expect fried chicken, or ribs. It isn't that kind of buffet. If you like soup and salad you will love Sweet Tomatoes. On the other hand, if you love Monopoly, don't ask Rebbel and Joyce to play. They both hate it! You can find out more about Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation at http://www.sweettomatoes.com/

What'll You Have, What'll You Have !?? The Varsity, Atlanta Georgia

We were just outside of Atlanta when my wife says, "Call your sister(AKA Directory Assistance), and find out where this place is. I don't feel like driving all over Atlanta to find it." For some reason I couldn't find the Varsity in the Points of Interest in the Tom Tom, even though the Varsity has been in Atlanta since 1928, and is the biggest drive inn restaurant in the world.
My sister got the exact address and we plugged that in, and continued our drive down I - 75. Atlanta isn't the easiest city to maneuver around. It seemed like the highway went from 6 lanes down to 2 at one point, creating a nice bottleneck. Highway exits jumped out just daring Rebbel to take them and be hopelessly lost. Then there is the construction. It seems there is always construction there. Don't they know you're supposed to put away your orange barrels in December???
In the past we have spent many hours in Atlanta on our way to Florida. Neither one of us can recall seeing the Varsity. Our trustless Tom Tom tells us to take the exit. We exit close to Georgia Tech. We start looking. Where could someone hide an 800 car drive inn that sits on 2 acres???
Rebbel looks around and sees a big red Varsity sign. "There it is!", she exclaims.
Some one had slapped it right next to the northbound lane of I-75. Can't imagine how we missed it all these years, but then again we are the people who couldn't find the cheese steak place in Philly, or a decent steak in Dallas.
We walk through the doors and step up to the counter. We get the famous phrase, "What'll you have?" We ordered some chili dogs and some rings. The rings were real good and the chili dog was o.k. But we didn't come here for just the food.
The Varsity is a unique experience that everyone that travels through Atlanta and calls themselves a foodie really needs to try. Just look for the big drive inn off of I-75 with the big red Varsity sign. You can't miss it. If you can't find that particular location, they have 5 others. You can find those and a menu at http://www.thevarsity.com/index.php That's where I got some of the particulars about them and you can find out more!

A Hot Dog Place You Wouldn't Believe - Hillbilly Hot Dog, Lesage,W.V.

Rebbel and I first heard of Hillbilly Hot Dogs on Diners, Drive Inns and Dives. We thought it looked pretty wild. After our visit, I have to say what you see on t.v. is very accurate.
If you have never heard about Hillbilly Hot Dogs, in LeSage, West Virginia, let me briefly try to explain it.
First they took a shack and connected a bus. Then they connected another bus to the back. The out side of the establishment is adorned by everything and anything that could be found at local yard sales. These items were mostly "donated" by customers. There is even a boat and an outhouse. Inside the decor is definitely hillbilly. Everything is covered with writing from past customers, even the eight track tape collection.
The co-proprietor of the place, Sonny Knight, greeted us and gave us a menu. His weenie wife, Sherrie, had left for the day. We ordered the Hillbilly Dog, the West Virginia and the Pizza Dog. They had a very wide variety, and it was really hard to make a choice. They even have a "HOMEWRECKER" hot dog that is 1 lb. In its loaded state it is 3 1/2pounds. It is deep fried has lots of stuff on it including peppers. If you eat it in 12 minutes you get a free t shirt.
They also have many different burgers including a 10 lb double wide!
Rebbel gave Sonny my name and we sat and looked over the place. Sonny would sing his theme song when someone would finish their whole meal. One lady didn't and he offered people her fries from her plate that were left over. It was never a dull moment!
When our order was ready, Sonny clanged his bell and called for David. When Rebbel went to pick up the tray he told her that she didn't look like David. While there, he also was giving her a hard time for coming back from Florida to this weather. He even knocked on her head to see if anything was in there for making that decision.
The food was great too. We have to get back and try more dogs,and maybe even a hamburger. This is a don't miss experience. As an added bonus, if you can sing the theme song from memory, you get a free hillbilly hot dog! You can go to their website at http://www.hillbillyhotdogs.com/.