Three Pigs in a Boat BBQ

This weekend we headed over to a new BBQ place in Aiken. It is on Richland Avenue in front of Roses Department Store. It has only been open a few weeks, at least at this location. The first thing I noticed was the grill in the parking lot. It had propane tanks attached. I didnt see any evidence of wood stacked anywhere. I sort of panicked a little. I calmed the nerves and proceeded in. The dining area was really small, with four tables and a small bar. Unfortunately, a quick scan of the place revealed that they didnt have any child seats. I inquired with the wife if we should leave, but she said it was OK. One of the owners quickly apologized and said that he had been meaning to bring them in. So, he hoped in his truck and went home to get them. We sat at the table and the other owner asked what we wanted to drink . He was very welcoming and pleasant. It seemed to me that he has one of those personalities and faces that people always think that they know him from somewhere. He reminded me of my cousin. We ordered, BBQ for me, and fried chicken for the wife. We of course had to wait 15 minutes for the fried chicken to cook, which I will give them credit for cooking it fresh. They brought us pig-tails and rice and some hush-puppies while we waited. I guess my wife thought he was joking about the pig-tails until she discovered it in there. She liked the rice though. He called it a bog, so I knew immediately he wasnt from this part of the state. Chicken bog is what you get on the eastern side of the state. While waiting I examined the sauce. It was thin, vinegary, and dark brown. It looked like sauces I frequently get in Georgia.

Finally the BBQ came. I got the the purple slaw, which was red cabbage slaw. It was pretty good. My wife also got the slaw and liked it. She got macaroni and cheese as her second side. It was actually very good, rivaling any I have ever eaten in a restaurant. My second side was hash and rice. The rice was well cooked, but I couldnt quite place the hash. It did not have a strong "other parts" taste, but didnt quite taste like pork shoulder either. It was different from any I had ever had. It might not be what I was expecting for hash but it was good. I think my wife might have eaten it.

OK, about the BBQ. It appeared to be pulled, in larger pieces than most restaurants but still bite size. It was tender and juicy. It had a very weak smoky flavor. It did have the vinegar taste from the sauce but it wasnt overpowering. It had a strong ground pepper (black pepper) taste. I tasted just the sauce and it had the strong pepper flavor, which is much different from any vinegar based sauce that I have had before. I found it intriguing. I actually ate most of the meat without adding any extra sauce. It might not appeal to everyone but I enjoyed it.

My wife's fried chicken was also heavily seasoned with black pepper. I think my mom would like the fried chicken, cause that is how my great-grandmother made it. I liked it too. We did get a back of fried pork skins to go. They were seasoned with pepper too. They were good. I didnt get a chance to try the ribs. I am guessing that they would also have a strong pepper flavor. They brought a rack in from the grill and it looked really good.

I would return for more BBQ from Three Pigs in a Boat. It was reasonably priced and is conveniently located near my home. I am going to tell people about the restaurant, but I cant say that it is the best BBQ out there. It is good though.

The Big Mo

The Big Mo is our local drive in movie theater in Monetta, SC (http://www.thebigmo.com/). Its a really good deal, 5 dollars per person and you get two movies for that price. They have new release movies and have two theaters, so there is a pretty good choice on any given weekend. They broadcast the sound over the radio so there are no boxes to attach to your car. They are closed during the winter but are getting ready to reopen next month. Before my wife and I had the baby we would frequently go to Shealy's BBQ for dinner and then hit the Big Mo on the way home. We would drive the truck, pull in backwards, put the chairs in the bed of the truck, kick our shoes off and sit back and relax. It is great family fun. But we didnt get to go at all last year because of the baby. Maybe this year.

Brookwood Farms BBQ

I was travelling through the Charlotte, NC airport recently and actually had a little time to eat lunch this time. Other times I had to grab something in my rush to get to the gate. This meant I could try Brookwood Farms BBQ in the airport. I occasionally get the version that is sold at the grocery store and it is passable with a little doctoring. I figured the restaurant version must be better. It wasnt. I was pretty dissappointed. I actually think that the grocery store version is better. :(

The Nations Capitol

The next trip that my wife and I took was to Washington DC. I had to go for several days so my wife tagged along and we stayed for the weekend and for several days afterward I finished working. I didn’t have to work the day we arrived so we started out at the Air and Space Museum located at the airport. The things that particularly interested me on display were the Enola Gay, a Blackbird, a Corsair, aP-38 Lightning, and the space shuttle. The sculpture/water fountain outside was particularly interesting too.

Next we headed to the hotel and found out what DC traffic was really like. The next few days I spent working and my wife headed downtown. We were actually in Germantown but luckily for us there was a bus stop right outside of the hotel that went to the subway. So my wife was able to head to downtown DC while I was working. She was able to go to the Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History, the Freer Gallery of Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, American Art Museum, American Indian Museum, Art and Industries Building, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the National Mint. She also met a former coworker and saw the Capitol. The Folk Art Festival was going on at the National Mall too. I think that she had a great time even though I didn’t get to go with her (or is that why she had such a good time?!?!?)

One of the nights we met a college friend of mine that lives in DC. He suggested that we go to Grapeseed American Bistro and Wine Bar for dinner. It was a little on the expensive side but such a nice, cozy, little place. I think that their gimmick is that they design a dinner around a wine instead of picking a wine to go with a dinner. We really enjoyed dinner and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

By the weekend I was finally finished with work and ready to see the sights. I really wanted to see the Museum of American History so I dragged her back to that. Then we went to the National Postal Museum and the Museum of Natural History. The next day we met another college friend of mine and had lunch down at Union Station. We ate at Uno’s, which I wasn’t too pleased about since I travel to Chicago frequently and eat at Geno’s East and Giordono’s regularly. However, that Chicago style pizza in DC was just as good as any I had ever had in Chicago. After looking around Union Station we decided to take the Duck Tour. This took us to all of the highlights in DC and then took us to the airport for the water part of the tour. The planes were coming in for a landing just over where we were. After that we went to the International Spy Museum.

The next day we went to the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Washington Monument, the reflecting pool, and the National Mall.

After 7 interesting days, we checked out of the hotel to spend the last night closer to the airport. We drove well out of our way to go to IKEA. IKEA is my wife’s favorite store. I don’t get it. But she doesn’t get Bass Pro Shop either. I have to admit that IKEA is pretty cool and might be worth the money if it were closer. There was also some big mall nearby that we went to. We spent the night at Chantilly, VA at a Comfort Suites. I got the free upgrade and got an enormous room. As you enter the room, the bathroom was to the left and was pretty normal. The closet was to the right and just beyond that was the mini fridge and microwave. Past the bathroom the room opened up and there was a full size, 2-person Jacuzzi. Then there was a full size couch, loveseat, chair, coffee table and a big screen TV. To the left was another room with a king size bed and full size closet. It was nearly two full hotel rooms. The Jacuzzi was nice end to the trip.