Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 63

Prince, R.I.P.

Another pop music icon has died.  This has been a rough year for the music scene.  I didn't love or even like all of Prince's music, but his talent was undeniable, and I did love some of his songs.  I remember watching Purple Rain in the theaters and both enjoying the music and wondering what kind of strange being he was.  I kept on doing both for many years.

Give a listen to his music sometime soon.  It's worth the time.

Wilber's Barbecue remains an NC treasure

On the drive home from Kinston today, I stopped for lunch at a place I haven't visited in year's, Wilber's Barbecue in Goldsboro.  I remembered Wilber's as the source of a particularly smoky and tasty variety of pulled pork.  When I first ate there so long ago, it was the best North Carolina pulled pork I'd tasted, but I've eaten a lot of pulled pork since that time.

I'm happy to report that though Wilber's continues to be nothing special on the outside, its pulled pork barbecue is, for my taste, the best in the state.

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Rich, tangy, smoky, and moist, this meat was as perfect a version of pulled pork as I've ever had.  I'm not much of a slaw fan, but this slaw provided a perfect counterpoint to the slightly spicy meat.  The hush puppies were also exemplars of their type, hot and not greasy but completely delicious.

You also have to love the decor.


Seriously, I felt happier the moment I walked into the place, and I got happier when the server greeted me with classic southern hospitality.

A homemade strawberry shortcake, which featured fresh berries from a nearby farm, was on offer, so of course two of us had to try it.


"Ya'll eat this quick before the Cool Whip melts," the server said, and we did.  As much as I love perfectly flavored whipped cream, I was fine with this dish using Cool Whip.  It just seemed perfect.  Every bite was delicious.

If you're anywhere near Wilber's, make a detour and treat yourself to some amazing pulled pork.

If that shortcake is still on the menu, grab some of it as well.  You can thank me later.

Chef and the Farmer is worth a trip

Outside the walls of Chef and the Farmer, downtown Kinston shimmers with a Southern Gothic vibe.  With decaying buildings and closed businesses lining much of the main drag, as well as an array of southern characters who might have been the decent folks in many a southern story, the city feels like it might fade away at any moment.

Step inside the restaurant, though, and while you'll never forget you're in the South, you're in a wholly better world, where the food is locally sourced and many of the dishes are delicious interpretations of southern classics.

Consider, for example, these two appetizers.


On the left, we have slow-cooked grits, but with turnip run-ups and egg and tomatoes and a pecan pesto.  The combination melded many textures with a wonderful grits base, and it was delightful.  The flatbread showcased asparagus, with small bits of roasted asparagus and an asparagus parmesan cream.  It was also delicious.

All the dishes were at least good, and some were better.  The beef rib was the best I've had outside of Texas, smoky and tender.


The only thing wrong with this dish was its size:  the rib had to contain a solid pound of meat.  I needed many more people to share it and didn't even come close to finishing it--in part because I was determined to sample the desserts.

They proved to be equally good, with the first chocolate chess pie I've really loved--perhaps because it was more a flourless chocolate tart of a pie than a true chess pie.

In my ranking system, Chef and the Farmer did not make it to world-class, but it was absolutely top-drawer.  I do not regret the trip here to try it.  If it was in the Triangle, I'd go regularly.

Given the rest of Kinston, I'm not sure I'll be back here again, but I am glad I came this time.

Country road trip

On the way to my destination today, I passed many signs for a place I clearly had to visit.  So, after quite a number of turns onto well-paved country roads, I arrived at the subject of the signs.

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If the signs are telling the truth, the Nahunta Pork Center is home to the country's largest pork display.  Having now walked through it and browsed many, many yards of pork products, I can say with complete confidence that it has the biggest pork display I have ever seen.  From complete heads to both sliced and whole feet, every part of the pig you might want--and many you probably don't care for--are available at the Nahunta Pork Center.

I am already contemplating swinging by there on the way home to pick up some bacon, a little pulled pork, and just maybe a Pork King t-shirt.  Because, of course.

My destination, and where I will be until late Wed. morning, is the odd and somewhat decaying town of Kinston, North Carolina.  I'm here to eat the food of chef Vivian Howard, star of the PBS show, A Chef's Life.  Tomorrow night, I'm going to her main restaurant, Chef and the Farmer, but I arrived today so I could try her more casual establishment, the Boiler Room Oyster Bar.


Tucked down an alley across the street from Chef and the Farmer, the Boiler Room intrigued me with its southern poutine and interesting appetizers.  The southern poutine indeed proved to be the tastiest thing I tried,


a gooey, greasy concoction of barbecue, fries, and cheese.  I'm not saying it's a heart attack on a plate, but it's certainly at least the opening act for one.

Overall, though, the food was good but nothing sufficiently great that if it was in the Triangle, I would frequent the place.

I'm hoping for significantly better from Chef and the Farmer.  More on that tomorrow night.

Midnight Special

barely ran in local theaters and only well after its supposed national opening date, so I considered myself lucky to get to see it.  It's the sort of low-budget SF film that garners minimal local press, appears and disappears quickly, and then shows up in a DVD bargain bin, where you and friends discover it and find out you've lucked into one of the good ones.

The movie starts in media res, explains itself only in ways that fit the story, and follows a relentless plot arc that makes perfect sense at the end--but most folks won't see the end coming.  I strongly encourage you not to seek spoilers on this one; just let it work on you.

The film's cinematography and a lot of its vibe have a very seventies-SF feel, which is just fine; they suit it.

The acting is consistently strong, with Michael Shannon, playing his usual strong, silent, slightly crazed character, and Joel Edgerton, his friend and helper, turning in particularly excellent performances.

I really don't want to ruin it for you, so trust me on this one:  go see Midnight Special.

Cirque du Soleil cancelled a show I had tickets for--And I'm glad they did

If you know me or have read this blog for a long time, you know I love Cirque du Soleil's shows.  I've been to all of the Las Vegas permanent shows (except the one about Michael Jackson; I won't support him).  I particularly love O and Love and Ka, but I've enjoyed all of them.  If my journeys take me to a city where a Cirque traveling show is playing, I go if I possibly can.  It's no surprise, then, that when Cirque announced last year a show, Toruk, would be playing in Raleigh, I bought tickets.  I had great seats.  I was very much looking forward to seeing the show on Sunday, June 26.

Yesterday, Cirque cancelled that show and all of its upcoming shows in North Carolina.

Normally, I'd be bummed, but right now, I'm not.  I'm glad the Cirque folks cancelled these shows, because the reason they did it is one I support:  they're protesting North Carolina's stupid, offensive, discriminatory HB2 law, which
I have to stand with those people and organizations.  We should not accept this awful law; we should protest it.

And, come election time, we should vote out of office every single NC legislator who voted for the bill, as well as our governor, who signed it.

Not getting to see a show is a small price to pay for supporting the rights of others.

I'm home again

Even though I had an exit-row seat on the first flight, it sucked massively thanks to overcrowding and a flight attendant who seemed intent on destroying my shoulder by walking repeatedly right through it.

On the second flight, however, the travel gods smiled on me, and I received a first-class upgrade.  It was glorious to be able to work in comfort for the entire flight.

To wind up salad week, today's lunch was this tasty Cobb salad at a cafe in PDX.

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It's great to be home.

Another great salad

This one came from the fine folks at Le Pigeon, one of my favorite restaurants.

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Butter lettuce, chives, and radish slices form the healthy part of this appetizer.  The bleu cheese and dressing make it incredibly delicious but definitely diminish its healthiness.  This salad has been on the menu here for years, but I'd never ordered it.  I'm glad I finally did.

The entire meal was excellent, as always.

I recommend Le Pigeon without reservation to anyone who's close enough to visit it.

Another salad!

At home, I eat salad nearly every day, so making a big deal of eating it on the road is a bit disingenuous, but this salad, courtesy of local Italian fave Ava Gene's, is something special.

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The menu's description of this dish read only, "radish, turnips, cashews, prosciutto".  Wow, was it amazingly good.  I even liked the radish and turnip bits.

The two of us at dinner ordered different pasta dishes, but both shared a problem:  they used way, way too much pepper.  These plates marked the first time I've not loved a course from Ava Gene's.

Despite them, I still highly recommend the place.  I just hope they control the pepper better in the future.

Look: something healthy!

Lest you think I never eat anything healthy while on the road, check out this very reasonable, lightly dressed, and quite tasty salad, which I enjoyed tonight at Bamboo Sushi.

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Of course, I also had a sushi roll and some miso soup, and there was the matter of the steam bun with pork belly in it, but all in all, it was not a heavy meal.

The small ice cream I ordered from the Salt & Straw location next door didn't help my cause, but, hey, Salt & Straw right next door!

Tomorrow, more meetings, a metric shit-ton of work, and a dinner at another fine restaurant.