Stamey's Barbecue - Greensboro, NC

According to their web site, Warner Stamey started this restaurant in 1938. It has been passed down through the family generations ever since.

I only did take-out here but even from the outside, this place had character.  There is no doubt that not a drop of liquid smoke was used in the production of Stamey's BBQ products.  They had piles of hand cut wood outside of their building with a sign warning any wood thieves to think again about it.

It wouldn't be fair of me to rate this restaurant because I don't feel like I fully experienced it.  I couldn't tell you a thing about their service because all I did was pull up at the drive through window, for example.

I can tell you what I did like.  The hush puppies were really good.  They were kind of long shaped, not the balls that you normally see.

I got the Brunswick stew.  This was a meat, bean, vegetable stew that was very filling and very good.  It was served very hot but not spicy at all.  Eating even a relatively small container of the stew with the hush puppies filled me up in no time at all. 

Stameys Barbecue
2206 High Point Road
Greensboro, NC 27403
336-299-9888
www.stameys.com

Whale's Rib - Deerfield Beach, FL

Florida from a culinary point of view is about seafood, recreational summertime beverages and key-lime pie.  That pretty sums up the Whale's Rib.

They had an actual jawbone from a 712-pound tiger shark hanging behind the bar.  I didn't notice any actual whale ribs or bones of any kind anywhere. The bartender said that it was very old, probably from the 1930's but she had no further intel on it. 

The bar/restaurant is a few yards from the Atlantic Ocean.  Beach-goers can step out of the blinding Florida sun and into the dark bar to let their sunburns heal and feed their hunger and thirst.

I was unfortunately not in Deerfield Beach to play so, I had to behave myself during lunch.  The only liquid that I had was water with a slice of lemon.  The first time that I visited Whale's Rib I got the dolphin sandwich on bar tender's suggestion.  The restaurant seating area was too full and we had to sit at the bar.  This was a good sign.

The dolphin sandwich was very surprisingly good.  The dolphin fish (mahi mahi, not flipper) was really fresh as you would expect a few feet from the ocean and flavorful.  They also did not hold back on the fish quantity.  It kept sliding out of the sandwich because it was in a slippery creamy sauce that had a slight kick to it. 

I had actually started out with a cup of lobster bisque.  My experience has been that outside of the Boston area, to set your expectation level down a few notches.  I really like lobster bisque soup and am willing to accept the fact that I can't get the best quality soup everywhere.  This was a huge exception.  It was every bit as good as you would find in Bean-Town.

My lunch partner and I liked the Whale's Rib so much that we went back again for dinner the next day.  I liked the lobster bisque and was so tickled that I could get a really good one that I had it again this night.  I almost wanted it to fail so that I could prove my original theory correct.  I was gladly let down.  It was as good as ever.

I had the lobster salad for dinner to go with the bisque.  This was not the wisest of moves.  I did not have my bar tender friend to lead me in the right direction.  The whole neighborhood including the restaruant had lost electrical power for a couple of hours and it came on just before we got there.  So, all the workers were rushing around trying to get back on track.  No dinnertime help.

The lobster salad was a little bland at first.  Luckily, they had a whole assortment of pepper sauces on the table.  I man-ed up and set out to literally spice up this meal.  I tried a few types and finally settled on the house spice in the unmarked generic plastic ketchup squeeze bottle.  This made all the difference.  I don't know why they didn't just serve it that way.

Then again, would have to guess that the average age of local residence was well over 65.  I suppose the bland lobster salad would be good for a lot of the local Deerfield residents.  I suppose that you kind of had to take some level of ownership of your dining experience with the lobster salad.  Whereas the dolphin sandwich was given to you ready to go, the lobster required that you use a little imagination.  It all turned out well in the end.

In fact, the best part of the whole experience was the dessert.  When in Florida, I have to have the key-lime pie.  It was absolute killer!    

I would give the Whale's Rib a 9.1 on the triple-D scale.  My second visit was for dinner and I also got to sample their beer selection which was pretty wide.  I think that this put me in a pleasant mood from the get go and might have added a few happiness points to their score.  Oh well, all's fair in love and dining.

Whale's Rib
2033 NE 2nd St
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
(954) 421-8880

Colossal Cafe - Minneapolis, MN

The first thing that hits you when you walk in the door of the Colossal Cafe is the diminutive size of the dining area.  It's tiny! The accompanying photos probably don't really convey this.

As you step up To the counter they have some of their signature deserts called "flips" under glass and under your nose to tempt you. Flips are basically whipped cream in a pastry shell. The strawberry flips have sliced strawberries half sunk into the cream. I didn't try them but they look delicious.  On yelp someone made a comment about how good the walnut and brie flappers were.  I don't know if they meant flips.

What the dining area lacks in size, it makes up in quaintness. There were fresh flowers on each table.   The tables are close together so, its easy to make friends with your neighbors, and we did. 

This is a friendly neighborhood restaurant.  Young moms walked up, unstrapped and picked-up their youngsters and left their strollers outside while they communed with other young moms and their kids inside.

I had the Tunisian pumpkin spice soup and the Meatloaf sandwich.  The pumpkin soup was thick with a tiny bit of spicy heat to it.  The heat was not in a Cajun pepper kind of way, more like a Mediterranean food kind of way.

My neighbor said that he was originally from Egypt and makes this soup at home all of the time.  It is very healthy according to him.

Not all of the food served at the Colossal was probably all that healthy.  One of the tables was being served a breakfast biscuit.  This thing was an egg/flour monster.  I wasn't sure if she was going to eat it or if it was going to eat her.  It was huge!  I'm afraid to know what the calorie and cholestorol count on that beast was.  It did look decadently good though.

The meatloaf sandwich was like nothing that I've ever had before.  It was a mix of meats to begin with.  I think it was pork and beef with some kind of spices, maybe parsley and pepper.  The bun was really good bread; like a pretzel bun without the thick kosher salt.  They threw on some alfalfa and other green leafy stuff.  But, what really made this special was the cranberry chutney sauce.  It made the sandwich kind of like a Thanksgiving sandwich if you had meatloaf for Thanksgiving dinner.  The citrus flavor of the cranberry chutney was in perfect contrast to the savory meat flavor and consistency. 

One meatloaf patty would have been plenty but, they give you two.  I was not complaining.  It all comes served with some kettle style potato chips and baby pickles. 

Service was good.  The wait-folks were friendly and helpful. 

They only accept cash or local checks.  No credit cards accepted.

Food, service and atmosphere were everything that you would expect from a triple-D restaruant.  I would give Colossal Cafe a 9.8 on Bill's Triple-D scale.  Definitely worth checking out.


Colossal Cafe - Minneapolis, MN
1839 East 42nd Street
Minneapolis, MN 55407
(612) 729-2377
http://www.colossalcafe.com/