I’ve made no secret about my love of the south, specifically North Carolina. I adore everything – from the use of “y’all” to the smell of biscuits in the morning from my grandmother’s kitchen.
I find myself constantly on a quest to find the “southern” in the Northeast. With the amount of restaurants and food scenes in here in Philly and in the surrounding states, I didn’t think finding southern food would be much of a challenge, but I found that most “southern” food was also classified as “soul food.” To me, soul food is a Deep South characteristic, grouping the tastes around New Orleans. So, armed with my notebook and a homesickness somethin’ fierce, I am on a hunt for the Southernness in the North.
Music is a strong tie to any homeland, and for me, this is no exception. The Avett Brothers, a popular act from Concord, N.C., tour about once or twice a year in the Northeast. When tickets went on sale for their show last Saturday at the Susquehanna Bank Center, I jumped online. The Avetts are from my hometown, and their banjo-laced songs capped off with an accent I hardly ever hear anymore, takes me back to the country I come from.
I was determined to have a “Southern Saturday” the day of the show, and began Googling to find a place where I could have even the slightest taste of home. This search brought me to the newly-opened Morgan’s Pier. Now, it doesn’t seem the slightest bit southern from the outside, nor would I particularly classify it as such, but one particular menu item caught my eye: Carolina-Style Pulled Pork.
Where I come from, we call pulled pork “barbecue” – as in, I’ll have a barbeque sandwich for dinner (of course, with the heavy Carolina accent it comes out more like “BARBIE-Q”). We like our barbeque a very specific way, with a vinegar sauce on it, so it seeps into the bun and, let’s face it, makes everything better.
Now, I have had pulled pork many different places, and I have never had anything close to the barbeque I grew to love as a kid. I remember when the Poplar Tent Presbyterian Church would sell it every year. It was so popular, and such as hit in the community, that eating a barbeque sandwich became part of the campaign trail for local politicians. You had to order ahead, and then hoard it in your freezer for a whole year, stretching it out, until November would roll around and it was barbeque time again.
Clearly, I have high standards to meet when it comes to a simple pulled pork sandwich, and they had never been met… until now. Morgan’s Pier, you are doing barbeque right! I bit into the sandwich and it was a taste of home. Suddenly it was November, and I could smell the wood fires and the crisp in the air. You took me back to a very specific time and place, and your pulled pork sandwich will forever have my North Carolina seal of approval. Folks… this is how you do barbeque. Period.
I paired the delicious sandwich with a “Tennessee Lemonade” which I thought was appropriately southern, consisting of: Jack Honey, Longtrail’s Blackbeary Wheat Ale and lemonade. I really appreciated the laid back vibe of Morgan’s Pier, and the views weren’t too bad either. Situated almost right under Ben Franklin Bridge, the smell of the water reminded me of those laid back days on the Carolina shore. It was the perfect place to relax prior to the show.
And how was the concert you ask? Perfect! If you don’t know my hometown favorites, please take yourself to the local record store! You won’t be sorry.
Until my next Southern adventure…Y’all take care!
