Biscuits and BBQ: Do It For the Food Chapel Hill, NC Edition

A few weeks ago if you followed us on Twitter you might have noticed our...well JD's...consumption of a level of Voodoo doughnuts in Portland that would make Mayor Bloomberg faint. As the sugar coursed through our body we decided that it would be a great idea to start a new feature when we travel...not just reviews of the hotels or nice international flights we take, but the food that we eat.

JD and I are both foodies and are always interested in going for the best local options that new cities have to offer. You can get a real sense of the culture of a city by the local restaurants that are around and the ones that all of the locals go to. JD often plays a game when traveling that involved only going to restaurants and bars that are recommended by workers at other restaurants and bars. This way you get to the place that the people who work in the business want to sit down for a meal at. So...we bring you the first edition of...#DoItForTheFood.

Our first city is Chapel Hill, NC. As I posted on Friday I was on my own in Chapel Hill while Kelsey was busy trying to decide where she would be going to grad school next year. I knew that Chapel Hill had a great reputation for food...and the prospect of biscuits and BBQ had me salivating and I let my nose guide me to the perfect foodie day in Chapel Hill.

Starting off I walked from the University of North Carolina campus to the start of the town of Carrboro, NC. It ended up being about a 20-30 minute walk, but it was beautiful out and I needed to stretch my legs and stay active so it was well worth it. After walking for a bit I stumbled upon Jessee's Coffee and Bar and the prospect of a good cup of coffee drew me in. The small shop has about 10 tables and a big bar that you can sit at. They roast their own Espresso and Coffee and it was clear that the latte I had was fresh and the espresso roast was amazing. I also ordered an egg, bacon and cheese sandwich on a fresh made biscuit that I could have had at least 10 more of. The biscuit was warm and flaky and the egg, bacon and cheese cures whatever ails you as always. I also sampled the coffee offerings at The Looking Glass Cafe in Carrboro and it was very good if you need another option.

After walking over 5 miles and not realizing that the local buses were free I had worked up quite an appetite for lunch so I used my nose and eyes to find the restaurant along Franklin Street in Chapel Hill that seemed to have the most people in it still at 1:00 pm and ended up choosing Spanky's Restaurant & Bar . Spanky's has been a Chapel Hill institution since 1977 and their menu was inspired by local ingredients and their beer menu featured almost exclusively local brews. I sat at the bar for lunch and the service was great and all of the staff members were wonderful. I went for the BBQ sandwich (of course) which was bbq pork with a spicy NC style vinegar based sauce and topped with slaw. Now I'm a Kansas City BBQ purist and refuse to recognize that their might be a better kind of BBQ...but I gotta say...this was absolutely amazing Q. The pork was beautifully smoked and the sauce was spicy but full of flavor. I would have ordered another, but I had to save room for more biscuits the next day. ;)

After meeting up with Kelsey and wandering around Chapel Hill for a bit it was time for dinner and we wanted to have a drink along with dinner so we opted to go for the local Carolina Brewery Brewpub and Restaurant. On the drink front Kelsey went for the Sky Blue Golden Ale which was a Kolsch style ale. I went for the Copperline Amber Ale which is my favorite Red Ale with just a bit of hopps and a slight bitter aftertaste. For food we both went with the burger which was well seasoned and delicious so it really hit the spot.

Hopefully this will be a decent guide for those that are visiting Chapel Hill and looking for some options of where to eat. If you live in the area or used to live in the area and I missed out on some places, or your disagree...let me know...because I want to know where you would go so I can go there when we go back!

Now I just want biscuits and BBQ....
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