Carolina Pie Company

When I told my friend that my family and I were moving from Huntersville to Mooresville, he said "There's this pie place you've gotta check out..."  I may have blacked-out at that point, because I don't remember anything else he said after that. A PIE PLACE?!?! Seriously?

As it turned out, that "Pie Place" is actually the Carolina Pie Company. And, as luck would have it, it's just a couple of minutes from my home -- which makes it a very dangerous location for my waist-line, indeed.

The Carolina Pie Company isn't easy to find. It's around a corner of a non-descript strip-mall. And it's toward the back, next to a side-exit of a salon. Aside from the green and white awning, it doesn't look like much from the outside. I mean, how can such a plain outside contain so much yummyness? But trust me, this place has amazing stuff.

Once you get inside, you can tell it's a legit bakery. There are trays, racks, stainless steel tables, and the sight & smell of  freshly baked pies. Often the pies are still cooling, so they haven't been boxed-up yet.

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Pops BBQ (Huntersville)

A few months ago I started to notice a BBQ trailer in front of the Cashions at the intersection of Catawba Ave. and Hwy 73. The trailer is only there on Fridays and Saturdays, and going to a BBQ trailer is something new for me -- where I grew up, there were taco stands, not BBQ stands.

So, I decided to take a chance and fill up on gas -- and top-off the car too. :)

I went up to the trailer, and didn't see anybody inside. After yelling "Hello?" I received a response, and it turns out that Pop (I don't know if that's what he's really called, but he is the owner of Pop's BBQ, so that's how I'm referring to him.) was in the back of the trailer.

As I got to talking with Pop, it turns out that cooking BBQ is a hobby that he's using to supplement his income. From our brief conversation, it sounds as if his other business isn't doing so well in the recession, so he sells BBQ to make ends meet.

I've gotta say, he's doing us all a favor by selling his BBQ, it's good stuff.

Once I got it home, I opened the box and took a look. I had a LOT of pork BBQ with his vinegar based sauce already on it. The pork was accompanied with two sides: coleslaw and baked beans. There was also a standard hamburger bun included, in case I wanted to make a sandwich.

The BBQ is standard pulled / chopped pork with a vinegar based Carolina BBQ sauce. The pork was nice and moist and the sauce had more tomato than I was expecting. It was thicker than the vinegar-based sauces that I'm used to, and it was much more red in color. In addition, it has a nice black pepper flavor to it, which gave the BBQ some depth of flavor.

I wasn't as happy with the sides. The coleslaw was nice and crunchy, while containing some carrots and bell peppers. However, it didn't have the typical mayonnaise-based sauce and because of that it seemed to be lacking in flavor. The baked beans cold. They had a nice thick molasses-like sauce but there was little, if any, meat.

That said, Pop is quite friendly, and served up the food quickly. In addition, there were a few other menu items than just BBQ. I'd definitely recommend giving Pops a try.

Score:

Atmosphere: 1/5 (It's a trailer in front of a gas station, there is no atmosphere)

Food: 3/5 (The pork is great, but the sides were lack-luster. I'd recommend getting a BBQ sandwich.

Service: 4/5 (I came to like Pop quickly, so I'll say the service was above average)

Total: 8/15 (or 7/10 I don't' think that the lack of a dining room should be held against Pop's BBQ)

Price: $ (food and drink just under $10)

Kid Friendly: No, but since you're not eating here, it doesn't matter.

Conclusion: Good BBQ for a good price. If you're driving by and in a hurry for a meal, Pop's BBQ is a good option.

Restaurant Info:

Pops BBQ

(In front of Cashions Quik Stop 5)

16600 Highway 73

Huntersville, NC 28078

Lancasters BBQ (Huntersville)

Since I moved here, I've learned that there are four things that North Carolinians take seriously: 1) March Madness; 2) NASCAR; 3) Football; 4) BBQ. And I can't think of a place in the area that does a more serious BBQ than Lancasters off of Beatties Ford Road.

I gotta be honest, I tend to prefer a thick, molasses-based Texas Style BBQ. BUT Lancasters is making me question my preference.

When I went there yesterday I was promptly seated, and the sweet tea I ordered came to my table in less than 60 seconds. My waitress apologized that the hush puppies were being made and would take a couple of minutes. Really? An apology for fresh hush-puppies?? Heck, I should be THANKING her for the impending deliciousness!

After looking over the menu I decided on the BBQ with two sides, beans and onion rings. While waiting for the food, I took a couple of minutes to take-in my surroundings. Lancasters is very clean, and has a good atmosphere for a BBQ place. The restaurant is decorated with an automotive theme, with old gas pumps in the corners, and a NASCAR engine in the back and race-car hoods on the ceiling.

After those couple of minutes, my meal came out, along with piping-hot hush puppies. Even though I knew they were just out of the fryer, I reached in, grabbed a hush puppy, and took a bite. YUMMY! The burned fingers were worth it! Then I looked at my heaping plate of food. Lancasters is nice, but it IS still a BBQ place -- the food came on a paper plate with plastic utensils. But, in all honesty, that doesn't bother me -- it kinda goes with the informal atmosphere.

The BBQ Pork was amazing. Flavorful and moist, even before I applied the Carolina vinegar-based sauce. Once I added the sauce, it was even better. The sauce added a refreshing tanginess with a hint of heat, and I devoured everything it touched. The beans were great, I love BBQ beans, and these exceeded my expectations. Keep in mind -- these are NOT vegetarian beans (though, I don't know if anything in Lancasters is vegetarian), so choose accordingly.

And lastly on the plate were the Onion Rings. These were huge onion rings, with a thick layer of crunchy fried batter. Nothing was soggy, and they were among the top 5 onion rings that I've ever had.

Needless to say, I ate waaaay too much, and today the scale hates me. But it was worth it -- how many meals can you say that about? In addition, it should be noted that the wait staff at Lancasters were awesome. My sweet tea was never empty, (something which my bladder didn't appreciate). And they were so friendly, I almost felt like I was a regular -- though the last time I'd eaten there was about a year ago.

Score:
Atmosphere: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 12/15
Price: $ (Including tip, I was out of there for less than $10)

Conclusion: Friendly service, huge portions, and great prices make this place a fantastic value. If you're in the mood for BBQ, this is the place to go to.

Restaurant Info:
Lancasters BBQ
9230 Beatties Ford Road
Huntersville, NC 28078
704-394-1464
http://www.‎lancastersbbq.com