O.C. Stonestreet, Statesville Landmark and Record

One man's quest for the perfect down-home meal

We owe D. G. Martin a pat on the back, or perhaps a couple of antacid tablets. He, on his own, took on the onerous task of recommending 100 eating places along North Carolina's six interstates — I-26, I-40, I-77, I-85, I-95, and our two newest, I-73 and I-74, which is located south of Greensboro.
Needless to say, Martin has not included any chain restaurants in his 103-page book. His book's subtitle is "A Guide to Down-Home Cooking Along North Carolina's Interstates." With a few exceptions, it is the places that serve "down home" or rural Southern cooking that he seeks out and writes about.
This handy glove compartment-sized paperback volume is the second edition of Martin's opus. It is published by Our State Magazine in Greensboro.
As Martin (whose column usually appears in the R&L on Wednesdays) says, "Sometimes we get really hungry when we're taking a long trip on one of North Carolina's interstates. And sometimes we crave home cooking, the kind you find in off-the-beaten-path places that only local people know about."
So true.
And sometimes we want to sit in a plush booth, to be waited on, to have more iced tea — in a real glass — brought to us, to order something like country-style steak, or stew beef, or fried okra, or collard greens and cornbread instead of the ubiquitous burger and fries.
Martin continues, "To me home cooking means more than just good food. It also means eating in a place that makes you feel comfortable, like home."
He thoughtfully gives a little history of each establishment along with good directions, street addresses, telephone numbers, Web sites and hours of operation.
The only lredell County place on I-40 that Martin mentions is Keaton's BBQ in Cleveland, an Iredell original that draws customers from far and near.
Establishments reviewed by Martin off I-77 are Isy Bell's Cafe on North Main in Mooresville; Lancaster's Bar-B-Que & Wings off exit 36 in Mooresville; Julia's Talley House Restaurant on North Main in Troutman; Carolina Bar-B-Que on Salisbury Road in Statesville; and The Cook Shack, off exit 65 in Union Grove.
Martin usually mentions a specialty of the house. For instance, the country ham served at Julia's Talley House or the peach cobbler at Isy Bell's.
Martin never claims to be a culinary expert. He just knows what he likes, and he shows the good judgment to defer to authority from time to time, quoting "Barbecue Bob" Garner, author of "North Carolina Barbecue: Flavored by Time," and Jim Early, who wrote "The Best Tar Heel Barbecue: Manteo to Murphy." These two volumes are culinary classics that no one who makes any pretense at evaluating barbecue should be without.
As mentioned before, you will not find the golden arches mentioned in Martin's book.
The national chain restaurants have their place. They are a known commodity, some are open 24-7. And, granted, they are fast. But even if some are now advertising that they serve "Southern-style iced tea," they wouldn't know down home cooking if it bit them.
The only fault, if it is a fault, I found is that Martin lists mostly barbecue places, with only a very few restaurants serving Italian, Mexican or other non-Southern fare appearing in the book. Some exceptions are Soprano's Italian Restaurant in Randleman, the Open Kitchen on Morehead Street in Charlotte, Margaret's Cantina in Chapel Hill and the Bamboo Garden Oriental Restaurant in Archdale. There are several others as well.
Martin, who hails from Davidson, is cosmopolitan enough to appreciate cuisines not indigenous to the Old North State. Perhaps he just hasn't found enough of these restaurants that made the cut.
All in all, though, this is a book to take with you in the car or SUV, not to sit on a shelf. It is attractive, reader friendly and serves a purpose.
Perhaps this second edition will lead to a third. I know several places just off I-40 and I-77 that might qualify, and you probably know some as well.
My napkin is off to men such as D.G., Bob and Jim, who selflessly risk their appetites and blood pressure in barbecue joints and other eateries, day in and day out. Realizing that they owe it to their readers, these three and others like them repeatedly test the small chopped tray, the banana pudding, the salt and pepper catfish for all of us, knowing full well that the cook may have just lucked out on that particular day and that repeated testing is the only way they have to verify quality.
As they say, it's hard, thankless work, but somebody's got to do it. Keep them in your prayers.
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"Interstate Eateries- A Guide to Down-Home Cooking Along North Carolina's Interstates" will soon be in bookstores, or it can be obtained from the publisher at Our State Store, P.O. Box 4552, Greensboro, NC 27404. The price is $6.95 plus tax and $5 for shipping and handling. Call them at 1-800-948-1409 or visit ourstate.com
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This book would make a good stocking-stuffer.