Was It Just Us?? - Price's Chicken Coop Charlotte, North Carolina

Maybe it's just me. Maybe it was just the wrong time of day, or the something else I just can't grasp. We had heard of Price's Chicken Coop on the Food Channel.They are located in the south end of Charlotte at 1614 Camden Rd. and have been serving their chicken since 1952. The place was crowded four lines deep. This is a no - nonsense chicken restaurant. They don't take credit cards, they don't take checks. You get your meal take out only, in a box. They also have fish and shrimp. Have your order ready by the time you get to the counter.
The chicken we ordered came with a roll,hush puppies, tater rounds and slaw.
By the long lines, we thought we were in for the best chicken ever! We were wrong.
Now this is just our opinion and I don't mean to disparage the good folks of Charlotte,
but I just don't get the fascination. It wasn't the worst chicken I ever had, but I guess I was just expecting better. Maybe it was the long walk back to the car. Chicken is best when it is hot and juicy. There was a huge lunch time crowd and we had to park around the corner. I really did want to love this place like everybody else in Charlotte seemed to, but I just didn't feel it. If you go, be sure to park close, have your cash ready, and try to keep your expectations low. I'm sure it was just us. You can find them on the web at: http://www.priceschickencoop.com/

A Frosty Morning in Mayberry - Snappy Lunch, Mount Airy North Carolina

On our way back from our annual Christmas trip to Florida, we decide to pay a visit to
the home of Andy Griffith. Visions of Andy, Barney and even Aunt Bea ran through my head. This is the town that Andy grew and went to school. Some things in the television show coincided with the town. Was it just coincidence??? You be the judge. On our way to Mt. Airy, we went past Pilot Mountain. We were told that there was a very good pork chop sandwich at Snappy Lunch. Snappy Lunch is located next to Floyd's City Barber Shop. Snappy Lunch was mentioned in an episode of The Andy Griffith Show.
We decided to hit Snappy Lunch early. Floyd's was closed, we were hungry, and it was a tad bit chilly to walk the town. After all, we had just come from warm and toasty Florida. We were told that the famous pork chop sandwich was not available until 10:00. I decided to try a snappy breakfast. I ordered the eggs and sausage with toast.
This proved to be a mistake. While it was snappy, the sausage was over - cooked and the meal was served on a paper plate. I like dippy eggs, so the juice grabbing plate wasn't a good deal. It was closing in on 10:00 so we decided to try to order the famous pork chop sandwich. We were pretty leery after the snappy breakfast, but we decided that we would go for it. I am glad we did. The sandwich was delicious.
The pork chop, actually a pork cutlet, was very tender. It was breaded and battered,served with tasty coleslaw and mustard and onions and tomato with a sweet chilli sauce. The bun couldn't contain the tasty pork, and there was a slight overhang. As we left, we drove past Andy's old house, and through a twisty mountain road passing little flea markets and beautiful scenery. Well worth the trip.Snappy Lunch is located at 125 N. Main St. in Mt. Airy,N.C. and is open for breakfast and lunch. I would get there after 10 and get the lunch. You can find them on the web at:http://www.thesnappylunch.com
Andy probably used quite a few of the familiar things from his town for the show, but the town has used a lot of the familiar thing from the show for the tourists.