We Ate Our Way to the Coast :)

This months Southern Living magazine has an article called "Eat Your Way to the Outer Banks" by Matt Lee and Ted Lee (cookbook authors).  Challenge accepted!  Each restaurant will have a review by me and my husband Brian, based on a 5 star rating.  I had no idea that I would be the tough critic!

Our first stop was Byrd's in Kinston. The magazine suggested having a biscuit with pork tenderloin, cheese, and eggs....it looked cheaper to get the plate so I did and we just assembled our own biscuits.

Byrd's Review:

Amber: 2 stars, 

I would eat there if someone asked me to go but I wouldn't choose to go again

Brian: 3.5

Good, not great.  For a place that claims to have a million dollar biscuit I'd rather go to Bojangles

Thats right that is a WHOLE crab on my bun!  Lots of crunch with no flavor

Fish Hook Grill

Amber: 2.5 stars

The hushpuppies were yummy, but my favorite will always be Jack's BBQ in Gibsonville, NC.  I thought the soft crab sandwich was lacking in flavor there wasn't a whole lot of meat so it just tasted like fried breading.  

Brian: 4 stars because he thinks the fish (that he didn't eat) would be good

but based on his meal 3 stars (funny review huh?)

Brian thought the hushpuppies were the best he had ever had!  I have to say that they are similar to Jack's hushpuppies but they had more onion in them.  

We stopped for coffee/hot chocolate, cinnamon rolls, and scones at Coffee Affair in Morehead City, NC.

Amber: 1.5 stars

I had the coffee and it tasted like the coffee I can get at work...I work at a Lowe's Home Improvement

I had the orange and and cranberry scone, which was wonderful, and the whole reason they even got a star!  (they were out of cinnamon rolls)

Brian: 1.5 stars

The hot chocolate was AWFUL!  They used the chocolate coffee flavor instead of actual chocolate or even chocolate syrup.  He didn't even finish his cup.  Once again the whole reason he is giving them any stars is because of the scones! (he had chocolate chip)

If we hadn't already eaten at so many places we would have totally eaten at the  

No Name Pizza place that says "Fresh Burgers and Subs since 1983"  lol!  

Now to the good stuff!  When we were on our way to the coast we passed a place in LaGrange called Ken's BBQ that I wanted to try sooo bad because it was a hole in the wall and it was packed out!  But we stuck to our plan and said if it was still open when we drove back through that we would eat there for dinner.  It wasn't open.  So we drove to Durham and had Pizza Inn!  I haven't had Pizza Inn since I was a kid and it was AWESOME!!!! Do you see those pizzerts? LOL!  We stuffed ourselves silly, my favorite pizza was the baked potato pizza.  It had potatoes, bacon, green onions, and cheese!  Yummy!

Amber: 5 stars 

embarrassed(for southern living) to say but best meal of the day!

Brian: ppfffttt 5 STARS

He also thought it was the best meal of the day!

All in all even with mediocre food it was a blast!  I can't wait for our next trip!

Things Faith Says

I've decided that I'm going to start posting things that Faith says here on my blog so that it will be easy for me to find later when I'm old and gray, lets face it I'm horrible about keeping up a journal!  Tonight at dinner Faith was upset because she didn't want to go to the mountain house (because it takes so long to get there (3 hours)).  So Brian says that I guess that means she can't go to the beach when we go either because that takes the same amount of time.

Faith- well then I'm just gonna barf up.

Me-What?

Faith-I'm gonna barf up, (she then spells)  B E E F spacebar U P.  (she literally said spacebar!)

Me and Brian are cracking up!

Brian- What does beefing up have to do with it?

Faith- Its when I have beef in my mouth and then I (insert barf sound here)

Brian- Well then you had it right when you said barf

Faith-Yeah, I know but I didn't know how to spell barf

BEST BEEF STORY EVER! LOL

My yard sale find and a little spray paint!

I got these fun bookends for $3. Which is more than I would normally spend because as my sister Jenny says, she's a cheapskate but I'm a cheap cheapskate! LOL. I couldn't pass them up though because my whole childhood I was obsessed with horses (and I now have a daughter obsessed with doggies).  I did learn that Valspar makes the best spray paint! Be sure and just spend the extra money for it because it is totally worth it! So how do you think they turned out?