From James Beard to Smoked Bologna
“Too few people understand a really good sandwich.”
So, today wasn’t the most fun.
I mean, it wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t fun. It was one of those days that you just have to power through to get from point A to point B. Which meant driving - in a bunch of rain - through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. Ten hours of cautious driving.
At least Lisa had a chance to show off her rig to the big boys during a break in the action.
And Chloe didn’t seem to mind catching up on her beauty rest …
Backing up a bit, we’re now one week into our journey and we’ve been up the coast of South Carolina, across the state of North Carolina, and deep into Tennessee. Just dinking our way across the country to the main event out west.
We had a great visit with the kids on the July 4th weekend up in North Myrtle Beach, SC. Now that Kyle has taken ownership of my Big Green Egg, he prepared us a great feast for a good old fashioned cookout. And, of course, we consumed way too much bourbon. If that is such a thing.
One night we went out to The Oyster Rock in Calabash, NC where we took the opportunity to take a peek at who delivered the provisions for our dinner.
Our first real stop of the adventure was Asheville, North Carolina. Hard to believe that we’ve lived in South Carolina for over 13 years and haven’t made it to Asheville until now. That’s Asheville. North Carolina. Not Nashville. Tennessee. We run into the same problem down here with Charlotte, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina. I still get confused.
And how can you take a trip to Asheville without visiting the iconic Biltmore Mansion? Talk about the “Guilded Age”!!!
Sorry for the obligatory selfie.
Without a doubt, one of the highlights of our stop in Asheville was our incredible dinner at Cúrate. It’s been recommended by several friends, but words just can’t do it justice. James Beard winner. I usually don’t get worked up by those things, but can surely see how this was well deserved.
In fact, I was so drawn into the meal, that I neglected to capture a photo of a single dish! But I did get a shot of the entrance. If you’re wondering … the best dish (of the eight we sampled) was the “pluma ibérica a las finas hierbas”.
You’ve probably already figured this out, but after our stay in Asheville, we made a quick visit to Nashville. Tennessee. We’ve been there before, but this was our first time taking the backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry. Literally, the home of Country Music. Wow, such musical history.
And how does one get to the iconic Circle of Wood at the Grand Ole Opry? Perhaps by jamming it out at a place like The Listening Room. A place where local Nashville artists can be seen and heard. What a great concept and venue.
We had the pleasure of seeing an incredibly talented duo by the name of Maybe April. They crushed it. They lit up the room!
That is until we had a wicked storm and resulting power failure. But you know the drill: The Show Must Go On!!!
Fortunately, there was a group in the audience who coincidentally had lighted cowboy hats that they donated to the cause!
And the best news was that the griddle was still hot, so I was able to enjoy my Smoked Bologna sandwich. Grilled thick cut bologna served on Texas Toast with spicy brown mustard, lettuce, tomato and onion. I think they snuck in some bacon. Kinda like the tapas at Cúrate. But different.
Tomorrow, we’re off to The Grand Falls Casino & Resort in Larchwood, Iowa! And then we start exploring the wild, wild west.
