A New Venture & BBQ Tonight!

Brandon and I are no culinary experts, but we know our BBQ... so we've started a blog about it!

Join us TONIGHT at The Pit in Downtown Raleigh for a fan viewing of their Throwdown with Bobby Flay from the Food Network!

http://www.ncbbqtour.com/2009/05/our-first-event.html

You LIke to Eat, Right?

Ok good... because here's a cool event going on this weekend that supports our farmers!

'Cuegrass Festival at The Pit
Bring your lawn chairs for some outside BBQ, beer, and bluegrass!!


(Click to enlarge)
FREE STREET FESTIVAL - Saturday, April 4 Rain or Shine!

11am - Filmore Valley Boys
12:30pm - Town Mountain
2pm - Old Habits

**Bring your lawn chairs!**

$5 beers & BBQ sandwiches on the street.
Sponsored by Whole Foods, Coca-Cola, LoneRider Brewer and Aviator Brewery

Proceeds benefit Feed the Farm, a non-profit organization helping to raise money to provide financial assistance for NC farmers.

The Pit
328 W. Davie Street
Raleigh, NC
(919) 890-4500

Facebook event listing | DowntownRaleigh.com

Update: Hot Sauce Festival

Remember my surprise (and enjoyment) at how NC event boasts a Hot Sauce Festival?

Triangle Brewing Company has a cool video on their blog with pictures from the event... take a look!

Looks like it was a beautiful day in Oxford for it - would've been nice to check it out in person!

Hot Sauce Festival?!

No, not the Buckhead band (who still manage to amaze me with their on-stage shenanigans on Friday and Saturday evenings), but the real hot sauce!

From today's Boss' Planner, Jonny mentions September 13th as the date for the NC Hot Sauce Festival... further proof that we'll have a festival for anything! But hey, I'm not complaining.

While I probably won't be at that event (darn you, acid reflux), I still think it's a fun idea.

Clarification: apparently it's the "hot sauce contest" as Google search results would have it.

Update: Beer, BBQ, & Bourbon

From my earlier post tonight, here's more info... a link to the official site and a few details about the cause supported by a portion of the proceeds from the event.

Official Website

AND a portion of the proceeds benefit:

I love a great festival with a heart, too!

Mega-Post of "Must Do" Events

Please forgive my brief hiatus last week/end... real estate licensing + more bridesmaid dresses mishaps + Amber's bridal shower/luau with these girls = sleeping in AND a nap on Sunday.

So here's your new calendar entries, which of course, have been added to my Google calendar for all to share:

August 9th - First Annual Beer Bourbon and BBQ Festival
Thank you Cary Magazine for the email tip!

Love of my life did this in Charlotte a few weeks back... I'll have to get his expert opinion for a blog post follow-up.

"Attendees will be able to indulge in tasting the best beers, sipping the finest bourbon and eating the best barbeque that N.C. has to offer. More than 60 craft beers and more than 40 different bourbons wil be available for tasting. While enjoying the spirits and food, guests can listen to live music and shop 25 different art and craft exhibits. There will also be five tasting classes to heighten people's awareness of the flavor profile of great bourbons."

Tickets and info at boothamphitheatre.com

September 19th-20th - visitRaleigh.com Benefit Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
"On September 19 and 20, 2008, Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary will play host to one of the biggest concert events of 2008 — the benefit concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the John Entwistle Foundation. Only 7000 people from around the world will be fortunate enough to score a ticket to what is certain to be a concert event that will be talked about for years to come.

A line-up comprised of some of Rock & Rolls best-known front men will perform some of their individual or groups greatest hits backed by an all-star band for the ages. In addition to the concert, other activities include a showing of vintage footage from past Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, an afternoon music showcase of up-and-coming bands with North Carolina ties, pre-and post-concert parties, and weeklong celebration of the importance of Rock and Roll and its influence on society."

VisitRaleigh.com/RockHallBenefit for more info and tixPhew - what a line-up for the start of fall.

What I Love...

...about the South.

Thank you Rodney Atkins for a song that pays tribute:

"What I love (what I love)
About the South (about the South)
If you need a Dixie Fix just a' come on down
It's what I love (what I love)
About the South (about the South)
Southern Belles with a drawl make you stop and drop your jaw, come on y'all, shut your mouth...."And thank you Adrianne for a late-night blog post that was AWESOME to start my morning with:"So my Yankee boyfriend is consistently reminding me of what a Southerner I really am. Maybe I should to a blog miniseries on this...

Anyways, today's reminder of our regional differences: summer beverages.

Apparently, north of our nation's capital, they drink unsweetened crap tea and black coffee year round. Well not down here, thank goodness. There are a few things that every Southern needs in the summer:

* BBQ (the food, not the action, I'll have to share the language barrier we had based on that word some point in the future)
* Watermelons, peaches, and strawberries
* Some time at the beach/lake/sprinkler/your local body of water
* Potato salad
* Porches
* And of course, lemonade (Country Time, Chick-Fil-A, or freshly-squeezed. Pink or Regular. I'm not picky.)

Here's some recipes from RealSimple.com for some summer lemonade for my fellow Southerns who will really appreciate it (aka Lil Lisa.)

And if you love lemonade and you happen to live in Raleigh then I'm going to tell you a secret. The city's best lemonade (and maybe the best BBQ) is at Cooper's Barbecue. It's downtown on Davie Street (across from Progress Energy) and you can get a BBQ sandwich, Lemonade, hushpuppies, and a side for $5. They only take cash but it's TOTALLY worth the trip to the ATM. That's my local endorsement of the day. :-P

P.S.: If you want your summer beverage done up grown-up style then remember, citrus vodka can always go in lemonade, no matter what flavor it is. :-)"See there, she even graced everyone with a great BBQ joint recommendation!

Soon-to-Be Tailgating Favorites!

Mandy from Swagger is at market this week... and the good stuff is already coming back to town via her market update blog posts!

I have a feeling these southern collegiate essentials she blogged about yesterday are going to be totally necessary come football season:

Market Watch July 08 - Day 3
Today we found some really great collegiate gifts! One of my favorites was this grill cover! I would have been in the photo but I the sample was a UGA grill cover and I went to Georgia Tech so there was NOOOO way that was going to happen! I forced my mom to be in it but I think she dislikes them as much as I do!:)



One of my other favorite gifts was a really cool coozie that was magnetic so you could stick it to the side of your car when you are tailgating - now that is a great idea! The salesman said you can even stick it to the side of your lawn mower - now you might be a redneck if.....:) I will let you guys know when we actually get this stuff in the store!

MandyI am really excited about the koozies that you can have your car hold for you... you know, for when you don't have a free hand thanks to the plate of bbq in one, and your fork in the other! It's freakin' genius I tell ya.

I double love the redneck inspiration to have your lawnmower hold your beer while you cut the grass. (Chad from A-1 Lawn will be getting one for Christmas this year no doubt!)

BBQ Festival? Yes Ma'am!

I'd reallllllly love to be at the CMA Festival this year in Nashville, TN (after watching JMC's performance from last year over-and-over again on GAC) during the weekend of June 5-8, 2008 but if I'm not...

Annual BBQ festival at fairgrounds
RALEIGH - The state’s top ‘cue makers will be crowned at The N.C. Pork Council’s Carolina Championship Barbecue Cook-off on June 6 and 7.
Twenty-five teams from across the state will gather at the State Fairgrounds and begin cooking the night of June 6 to prepare for judging at noon on June 7. The annual contest, sponsored by the N.C. Pork Council, will award the top teams in both culinary and showmanship divisions. Winning cooks will share more than $4,700 worth of cash prizes.

For more information, log on to www.ncagfest.com.How awesome is it that as noted in the same article from above: The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, a Raleigh-based organization that distributes food to the area's poor and undernourished, and the Wake Tech Culinary Technology program will receive all proceeds made from the sale of competing teams’ barbecue.So I checked out http://www.ncagfest.com/ and there are lots of cool things taking place (oh hush, I'm a country girl at heart!): Celebrate North Carolina's farm bounty at the first Got to be NC Festival blending the largest assembly of antique farm equipment in the state with a full carnival with games, rides and great food. Mix in the official N.C. Barbecue Cooking Championship sponsored by the N.C. Pork Council, the Got to be NC Agriculture Food Expo featuring tasty foods to sample and buy, antique tractor pulls, fireworks, great music, draft horse pulls, a petting zoo, pig races and fun for the whole family.

Admission is free except for the tractor pulls, grandstand concerts, rides and games. Gates open Thursday and Friday, 3 p.m to midnight; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to midnight.Schedule, maps, and more are available on the site, too!