On my Carolina BBQ tour, I stopped at Lewis Barbecue.


Most of the previous BBQ places in the area I tried were more "hole in the wall."


Lewis Barbecue is definitely more hip with this industrial vibe and super duper busy.


I placed an order to pick up, so I skipped the ordering part where they compile everything for you behind the counter.


I waited a little bit for my order to be complete, but then I took it all back to my hotel to chow down.


First off, they give you pickled onion, pickles and white onion for your meal.


This restaurant serves Texas-style barbecue, so I had to get some brisket.


It's sliced USDA Prime Beef Brisket. I like mine on the lean side.


Speaking of sides, I went with macaroni & cheese (of course).


And I also got the green chile corn pudding - ohh myy goodness. Spicy, but oh so good.


And the sauces I tried: a red, a tangy and a green hatch chile.

As I've said before, my heart is in supporting local establishments. But, it's also fun to check out regional chains sometimes, too.


When I saw Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, I had to check it out. Based in Kansas, Freddy's features steakburgers - which are flattened burgers and frozen custard.


I tried their signature Turtle concrete, which comes with "fresh & creamy vanilla custard, hot fudge, hot caramel, toasted pecans, whipped cream & a cherry."

I mean, you can't go wrong with that.

I've heard about Duck Donuts for what feels like forever.


It all began on the sandy beaches of the Outer Banks in Duck, North Carolina. There, Russ DiGilio and his family would enjoy relaxing and fun vacations… but something was missing, there were no fresh donuts! So, they decided to create their own… and Duck Donuts was born.


When I was driving by a location, I stopped to try as many varieties as I could.


There are so many flavors, but I narrowed it down to six.


The ones I went with: cookies & cream, strawberry shortcake, blueberry with blackberry drizzle, strawberry with lemon drizzle, neopolitan and chocolate nut sundae.


Oh goodness were these good.


Do you have a favorite flavor?

Before I left Charlotte, I wanted to try some BBQ.


After a little bit of research, I discovered Midwood Smokehouse would be my place.



"With pit masters working 24 hours a day, an impressive selection of house-made BBQ sauces, and plenty of moonshine, Midwood Smokehouse is certainly worth the hype. The all-wood smoker is hand crafted with hickory logs, leaving the restaurant's hunks of fresh, local meat with a perfect, smoky finish. The slow-smoked barbecue favorites range from smoked wings to brisket and salmon steaks, all drenched in the famous house sauce, and all of which can be served atop salads or slices of thick-cut Texas toast. When you've mostly removed the rib-residue from your face, following your sizable carnivorous entrée, try a pickle-back shot of moonshine to perk you back up." - Thrillist


I went for the Beef Brisket - Texas style sliced USDA Prime Beef Brisket served in its natural juices.


For my side, I went for mac & cheese (of course) and it came with hush puppies.


I'll admit, I had some really good brisket in Texas. This is a bit different, but it's still tasty.


How do you take your BBQ?

O'Charley's is a chain restaurant with more than 200 locations in the country. But there are very few in West Virginia, so I wanted to go check it out.


I placed an order spinach and artichoke dip with tortilla chips.


And the Garlic Shrimp Pasta - Tender shrimp sauteed in our crushed tomato and garlic sauce. Tossed with linguini and topped with parmesan cheese and seasoned bread crumbs. Not too shabby.