Tweaked Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 Does anyone have any good recommendations along I-85 from Durham, NC to Richmond. I'll be driving that route after Christmas, during the afternoon. BBQ, diners, I'm pretty much game for anything that doesn't involve a huge side trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Wells Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 7 minutes ago, Tweaked said: Does anyone have any good recommendations along I-85 from Durham, NC to Richmond. I'll be driving that route after Christmas, during the afternoon. BBQ, diners, I'm pretty much game for anything that doesn't involve a huge side trip. Pretty arid area for good food. It's been a few years since I made that drive, and both of the BBQ places I've tried north of Durham on 85 have closed. There's a Smithfield's Chicken n Bar-B-Q right off 85 in Henderson. It's an NC chain. Basic Eastern NC cue and fried chicken. Good portions. There are probably some solid local eateries in Henderson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 2 hours ago, Tweaked said: Does anyone have any good recommendations along I-85 from Durham, NC to Richmond. I'll be driving that route after Christmas, during the afternoon. BBQ, diners, I'm pretty much game for anything that doesn't involve a huge side trip. Are you coming back to DC, and if so, will you be as far West as Greensboro? If so, nix I-85 (it's a terribly boring drive) and take US Route 29, stopping at Biscuitville in Danville, VA. This is a four-lane, divided highway for the entire trip, and I've found it to be a quicker way to get back to Northern Virginia, even if the speed limit may be 55 - it's certainly more scenic. (Get a ham biscuit, a chicken biscuit, and a sweet iced tea - from White Oak to Clemson, Biscuitville was *exactly* the halfway point of a 532-mile drive (you get off I-66 in Gainesville, which used to be nothing, and I mean nothing, more than one, single 7-11 - hell, back then, I-66's terminus was the Beltway) - I've been happily using Biscuitville's drive-thru window since I was 18-years old: I've been frequenting this fine establishment for forty years!) Have you been to The Shack? If you want to break up your trip, you can stay at Stonewall Jackson Hotel and walk two easy blocks to dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted December 18, 2018 Author Share Posted December 18, 2018 No, I'm dropping off someone at the Raleigh-Durham Airport, which is already tacking on an additional hour to my drive. I-85 is about 20 minutes from the airport along Route 70. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 18 minutes ago, Tweaked said: No, I'm dropping off someone at the Raleigh-Durham Airport, which is already tacking on an additional hour to my drive. I-85 is about 20 minutes from the airport along Route 70. Have them take Lyft! You can always visit Mebane (pronounced "Mebbin," believe it or not). Why you would, I have no idea, but you can always say you've been there. Dixie Restaurant in Petersburg has been open since 1939 - it's classic southern diner fare (if you like country ham, this is a good place to get it). Petersburg also has a farmers market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted December 18, 2018 Author Share Posted December 18, 2018 I also might push through and try to hit ZZQ in Richmond before they close at 5pm. Options. Options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 11 minutes ago, Tweaked said: I also might push through and try to hit ZZQ in Richmond before they close at 5pm. Options. Options. Or, hit the Biscuitville in Joyland after dropping off your friend. Maybe get one ham biscuit (make sure to get a large drink), and then make a push for ZZQ. Have you ever been to a Bojangle's? Their chicken biscuits are really excellent. These are my two-favorite fast-food chains (Chick-fil-A used to be, but the quality has deteriorated during their massive expansion - in the 1980s, Chick-fil-A was the In-n-Out (another place that has declined) of the Southeast - both of them are still "good," but they're no longer special). Sort of like buying a bottle of Stag's Leap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted December 18, 2018 Author Share Posted December 18, 2018 A pork chop biscuit would certainly see me through to Richmond! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezy Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 There's a Bojangles at South Hill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 1 hour ago, weezy said: There's a Bojangles at South Hill. There's a Bojangles at Oxon Hill ! There are several in Maryland, but they get almost no press: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted December 19, 2018 Author Share Posted December 19, 2018 There is a Bojangles in Union Station (assuming it is still there). The Carolina relatives say it is no good, and they know their Bojangles. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 17 hours ago, Tweaked said: There is a Bojangles in Union Station (assuming it is still there). The Carolina relatives say it is no good, and they know their Bojangles. I've never felt the need to go to any Bojangles up here - there's one just north of Richmond (driving southbound on I-95) - when I see the sign on the interstate, I feel like I'm on the outskirts of "True Bojangles Territory." Chick-fil-A was SO GOOD in the 1980s. It really was. Heck, it was pretty darned good ten-years ago; now, it's a carbon copy of a carbon copy of itself. I was talking about this just a couple of days ago: Granted, I was only a child, but I remember Kentucky Fried Chicken as being *really* good back in the early 1970s. Not just the coating, but the chicken itself, too. You'd buy a bucket or a barrel, and it would get sort-of soggy by the time you got it home, but somehow that added to the delight of the chicken. For most things, I wouldn't trust my childhood memories; for this, I think I might be right. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NolaCaine Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 20 hours ago, Tweaked said: There is a Bojangles in Union Station (assuming it is still there). The Carolina relatives say it is no good, and they know their Bojangles. Smells good, makes you feel bad once you eat it. I've only had the one experience and it was on this stretch of highway and that's enough. Bottled water is sold though...and the bathrooms were very clean...staff nice. Maybe it does have some stuff to recommend it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 1 hour ago, NolaCaine said: Smells good, makes you feel bad once you eat it. I've only had the one experience and it was on this stretch of highway and that's enough. Bottled water is sold though...and the bathrooms were very clean...staff nice. Maybe it does have some stuff to recommend it. Biscuit form is what you want here - you get none of the close-to-bone gristle or fatty meat like you do with whole pieces, and the biscuit absorbs whatever tawdry guilt remains in the fried, boneless, skinless, breast meat. Forego the Dirty Rice, and get a second Chicken Biscuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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