SOUTHERN BARBEQUE

A Couple of weeks back, my wife had read an article about Southern Barbecue, just off I-85 at the Highway 221 exit (Chesnee Highway). The article mentioned that they had trained in Lexington NC and that they cooked Lexington Style BBQ and put red slaw on the sandwich. All of these factors put it on our "must try" list.

Since the Gaston NC County Library was having a sale today, we decided to go to there and this would give us a chance to eat at Southern Barbecue on the way back. In case you ever decide to check out the Gaston Sale, here's a few hints: They only take cash (and no large bills) and you have to bring your own bags or boxes (they don't provide any). Probably one of the strangest sales we go to, but it's a short ride and we usually get to eat somewhere different.

The somewhere this time, of course, was Southern Barbecue. The restaurant lived up to the article. This was definitely Lexington Style BBQ. Smoked and served with red BBQ slaw (a mix of finely chopped slaw with sauce mixed into it).


I had a chopped pork sandwich (if it ain't pork, it ain't bbq) with a side of hush puppies. The sandwich was great and the hush puppies were good but could have been improved with the addition of onion.

My wife also had a chopped sandwich with a cup of Brunswick Stew. I normally don't like Brunswick Stew, but I probably ate half of her order, that's how good it was.

We had hoped to try their homemade banana pudding, but with the amount of meat on the sandwiches and the two sides, we were stuffed. With a couple of beverages our total order before tip was only $12.00. Great bargain in my opinion.

If I was awarding prizes, Henry's Smokehouse on Wade Hampton would win hands down. They, without a doubt in my mind, have the best smoked meat around. However, ranking my personal favorites, my list goes:  Southern Barbecue, Henry's Smokehouse, and Bucky's BBQ on Roper Mountain Road. I would eat at ANY of these ANYTIME, but my preference would be in the order listed.

GUADALAJARA MEXICAN RESTAURANT

We recently had the chance to dine in downtown Greenville at The Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant. It is definitely a cut above your normal Greenville Mexican Restaurant.














As with most Mexican Restaurants they bring you a basket of chips and salsa. Along with the regular tomato based salsa, Guadalajara also brings you a small bowl of homemade white salsa (think spicy homemade mayonnaise). The white salsa was definitely a good tasty surprise and the tomato salsa was just spicy enough, it didn't burn your tongue, but you definitely knew you were eating something with a little kick.














There was a slight mix-up with my order, I ordered a chimichanga but they brought out a burrito, so I don't have a photo of my dish, but the mistake was quickly remedied. The above photo is a chicken quesadilla that my wife ordered.

Everything that we had was just a little more flavorful than what you normally get in Mexican restaurants in Greenville. I do still like Rosalinda's tacos at the White Horse Flea Market and if you've read my New Orleans blog: "If I Lived Here, I'd Be Dead By Now" you would know that I'm a big fan of El Gato Negro in the French Quarter. However, I think anyone who tries Guadalajara will be pleasantly surprised on how much better it is than what you normally get in Greenville's Mexican restaurants; I know I was.