By Jane and Michael Stern Originally Published 2009 Gourmet Magazine One essential characteristic of any worthy hamburger is democracy of spirit—it should be accessible to all and not cost an arm and a leg. That’s why our list of the nation’s best burgers doesn’t include the foie-gras-filled one at DB Bistro Moderne, in New York … Continue reading 20 Burgers to Eat Before it’s Too Late
20 Burgers to Eat Before it’s Too Late
August 20th, 2019 by Lorelai Dunn
Birds of Paradise
August 19th, 2019 by Lorelai Dunn
By Jane and Michael Stern Originally Published 2008 Gourmet Magazine A visit to Price’s Chicken Coop is the fried-chicken-eating experience of a lifetime. Once inside the door of the little South End storefront, two thirds of which is dedicated to cooking and the rest to ordering, the first decision you need to make is which … Continue reading Birds of Paradise
Leave it to Cleaver
August 19th, 2019 by Lorelai Dunn
By Jane and Micheal Stern Originally Published 2008 Gourmet Magazine The barbecue of eastern North Carolina tastes great. But long before you begin eating it, you smell it and hear it. The air surrounding each of the region’s top pits is so heavily perfumed with the scent of halved hogs sizzling on a grate, their … Continue reading Leave it to Cleaver
Drive Ins
August 14th, 2019 by Lorelai Dunn
By Jane and Michael Stern Originally Published 2005 Gourmet Magazine For two-lane travelers, pulling into a parking lot perfumed by hamburgers and hot onion rings is as satisfying as any four-star dining experience. At a true classic drive-in, you never even need to undo your seatbelt. Ensconced behind the steering wheel, you order from a … Continue reading Drive Ins
Hard of Herring
August 14th, 2019 by Lorelai Dunn
By Jane and Michael Stern Originally Published 2005 Gourmet Magazine Junior bond takes a straight razor to Michael’s neck. As he shaves an impeccable nape hairline, the 40-year-veteran Williamston, North Carolina, barber declares that he hates herring. A strapping big tobacco farmer in overalls who sits waiting for his turn in the one-man shop takes … Continue reading Hard of Herring
Chicken Riddle
August 8th, 2019 by Lorelai Dunn
By Jane and Michael Stern Originally Published 2002 Gourmet Magazine THIS IS A STORY about getting lost and eating chicken. When you drive around western North Carolina, it is good to do both. For those of us accustomed to ordinary roads laid out with logic, traveling this part of the world can be mind-bending. It … Continue reading Chicken Riddle
Mount Airy North Carolina
August 1st, 2019 by Lorelai Dunn
By Jane and Michael Stern Originally Published 1998 Gourmet Magazine Can someone please help a man in distress? Charles Dowell, who first started working at Snappy Lunch on Main Street in 1943 at the age of fourteen and is now the chef and owner of what is today Mount Airy’s oldest eatery, sees himself headed … Continue reading Mount Airy North Carolina
Bridges Barbecue Lodge And Caro-Mi Dining Room
July 18th, 2019 by Lorelai Dunn
By Jane and Michael Stern Originally Published 1994 Gourmet Magazine The Caro-Mi Dining Room in Tryon, North Carolina, is “the most divine dining room of the gentle South,” a culinary tipster advised us. “You won’t believe the ham,” she wrote. “It is country-style, with grits and gravy and all the trimmings. As for fried chicken, … Continue reading Bridges Barbecue Lodge And Caro-Mi Dining Room