This year I will be writing the Now Ya Travelin’ article for my friend Chef Phil. Business and pleasure sends my wife Vivian and me to the city of New Orleans. Instead of flying, we decided to drive and see the sights. The way my back is feeling this morning, maybe that was not such a good idea. Saturday the 19th of April we headed out of my home town, Abbeville S.C. Within 30 minutes of starting the car we had to make our first stop. Grits and Groceries is a small restaurant on the outskirts of Abbeville, towards Anderson, sitting at a country intersection called Saylor’s Crossroads. The actual address is 2440 Belton SC, 29627. Heidi and Joe have a great restaurant. Everyone is treated like family, and the food is as good as it gets. This morning, after taking 2.3 seconds to look at the menu my pick was the Rooster breakfast, with grits, gravy, over easy eggs, a piece of fried chicken, a biscuit and sweet tea to drink. Viv had the same except scrambled eggs and a Bloody Mary. (Gonna be a good vacation/ business trip!) The food was just right, and the part of the Bloody Mary I stole was pretty damn good! If you are ever in the area, or just want to take a road trip, you won't be dissatisfied if you stop by to visit Heidi and Joe at Grits & Groceries. Visit their web site to see the menu and learn about all they do. Back to the car, and we’re off to Montgomery, Alabama, where we would spend our first night in the historic section of the city.
My wife laughs at me every time we go on road trips because we will not unpack until I give the nod of approval that the room and the view are just right. I have caused her to repack and move to another room just because I didn't like looking at the wall of another building, or a rooftop of AC units. I get to the front desk of the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery and announce my arrival. During the check in process, I ask if the room has a good view. Viv is smiling. (I don't know why I do it. I work 10 to 11 hours a day at JES, and they don't let me out much to play, so at the very least, I should get a good view. So there!) The lady behind the desk smiles and lets me know that for $20 more she would fix me up. Ok, so here's my $20. Where's my view? We get to the room and two double glass windows overlook the Alabama River, which flows thru Montgomery, and the River Walk section of town. An old fashioned riverboat is docking down on the river, and I wondered at that point were why wouldn’t ask for this view? Well worth $20! I nod to Viv, and the unpacking starts.
Viv and I have a grandson, Bentley Wheeler West, named after both our grandfathers. Now one thing Bentley inherited from Viv is that, when she says she’s hungry, you better start deciding where you gonna eat! If not, things can turn bad fast. Not knowing anything about our surroundings, I ask the bell man for good spot, close enough so we can walk. His reply was Dreamland BBQ. I thank him, and we head off for who knows where. Ok, it's after 7 PM, my wife has not eaten since the morning, and I can see the gene pool bubbling, so it's time to choose from the other restaurants we see. I usually tend to over analyze where we eat, but not now, not tonight. Dreamland BBQ it is. When you walk in the door, you know you have found something special. Football helmets on a shelf, drawings on the wall, neon signs, with one that reads NO FARTING…this is my kind of place! In 1958, John “Big Daddy” Bishop started his first restaurant. You can read their story at dreamlandbbq.com. Now it’s time to order, and I go for the combo plate, with ribs, chopped BBQ, chopped chicken, sausage, beans and slaw. We even add a side order of Dreamland chicken wings. I am now seeing the hunger gene start to subside, and a smile comes over my lovely wife's face. Great ribs, chopped meat, chicken wings, and I think the best was the sausage. I have had lots of sausage in BBQ joints but this was the best.
Hand in hand, Viv and I stroll back to the hotel in the warm, spring Alabama breeze. All is right with the world! Back at the hotel, we sit looking at the activity below when there’s a great big boom and a flash of light! What the hell? Hey!!!! A firework show is going on at the minor league baseball stadium, just up the street, about 1/4 mile, and we can it see right outside our window. All the smiles and grins about my view are gone now as we enjoy one hell of a fireworks display. Yep! All is good in my world, and in the morning it on the road to NOLA.
