Restaurant Reviews By Chef Paul

April 1, 2010

Firehouse Subs

Firehouse Subs in Hickory on Highway 127, 2423 North Center Street, is one of my favorite spots to grab lunch. Not only do they do a great job with their food, it’s also a fun place to go. Children will enjoy going into the restaurant and being able to see the fire fighting memorabilia. Large murals of firefighters and their trucks really accent the theme of the restaurant. The idea of the place came from the large sandwiches and meals that firefighters cook and enjoy together. Firehouse specializes in toasted, freshly made sub sandwiches and salads.

On a recent beautiful day, I choose the New York Steamer, which is my favorite sub sandwich in town. Loaded with freshly sliced corned beef and pastrami, the sandwich is more than an eyeful. This sandwich reminds me of one you could get in authentic New York deli. Melted provolone cheese and a toasted hoagie roll seems simple, but taking the time to prepare it right makes all the difference in the world. Firehouse offers many wonderful varieties of hot and cold sandwiches as well as great salads and their famous chili. And if it’s a hot sauce you desire then firehouse has the largest selection of hot sauces I have ever seen.

Firehouse is the first deli restaurant I have visited along our “Fork in the Road “ journey and it was no disappointment. The restaurant is a great value with wonderful food and friendly service.

The BBQ Man

As a native North Carolinian you had to expect my journey would lead somewhere along the road to a good BBQ restaurant. Well, one day not too long ago while driving up Highway 321 through Hudson, NC, I saw a large pink building with a dancing pig on the sign.

Any time this chef comes along such a restaurant I stop. Walking into “The BBQ Man” restaurant, 2608 Hickory Blvd., a large collection of pig memorabilia and antiques greet you on your way to your seat. I really enjoyed the atmosphere because it reminded me of some of the great BBQ restaurants I have eaten at in Eastern North Carolina.

To begin with, “The BBQ Man” has been an award winning BBQ chef for many years. The pork is smoked at the restaurant and the sauces are prepared on site as well. I had a plate of smoked chopped pork BBQ with coleslaw and baked beans. The pork was not dry and I could taste the smoke in the meat. Many chefs cheat by cooking the pork in the oven rather than slow smoking the pork - not here. I also enjoyed the fact that “The BBQ Man” had several different choices of sauces ranging from vinegar- based to our favorite here in Western North Carolina, tomato based.

The coleslaw they prepared really accented the smoked pork that they serve. Some restaurants serve slaw that is way too spicy or runny. The slaw was great and the baked beans were baked and seasoned perfectly as well.

The restaurant is very clean and the service was wonderful. We never had to ask for a drink refill and we were greeted with a smile by all during our dining experience.

If anyone traveling up Highway 321 has the craving for some really good BBQ, stop at the big pink building on the hill. As a chef I have been to many bbq restaurants here in our great state. “The BBQ Man” is doing a wonderful job here in our community, so please give him a try. You will leave happy.