BBQ TRIP!

The emblematic picture of the day:

This trip was going to be a much bigger affair, with an overnight stay, a music venue, and trodding into North Carolina territory, but. The Snow piled up, and piled up, and didn't go away. So we figured it would be safer to stay closer to home. My friends Jess, Liz and I aimed to make it still quite the stuff-yourself-silly affair, however.

At Buzz and Ned's- the premiere destination of the trip, in Richmond- the sign says: "ATTENTION: This is not fast food. It takes time to create a masterpiece. So cool your jets, little piggies. We're moving at the speed of real BBQ."

OMG, it was soooo good- 2 of us had the BBQ pork, and one had BBQ chicken, I believe. Poor girl. The sweet potato fries were excellent, and the hush puppies were flat-out amazing.

Isn't eating FUN?

The other nameless place we went to in Richmond, where the hush puppies were terrible. I include this shot because Jess and Liz both went ape over this particular brand of hot sauce. Go figure. From my recent experience with the Hot Pot, I stayed away. Oh, and you are also seeing our primary means of navigating- via one of the two smartphones with us on the trip. Good thing I was responsible for driving.

Snacking on the road, in style.

Goolrick's Drugs- still-operating soda fountain from back in the Day, where we tried to go, but it was closed on Sundays. Damn! Instead, we found Riverby Books (this is in Fredericksburg, VA) and were completey delighted with that. None of my photos does it justice, but it is cozy, inviting, with plenty of different types of seating, plenty of different types of books, bright displays, friendly people... it felt like home in the way only a good used bookstore can.
After enough of a break to respectably be able to say that we had room in our bellies for ice cream, we went here for our fix. Recommended by the bookstore guys, and obviously popular as entertainment for the townspeople...
We finished our BBQ adventure in Annandale, VA, home of Korean BBQ. Yum. Featured in foreground is my first bibimbap- a rustic rice dish with savory beef toppings- gorgeous.
Final stop minus one = Sheela Bakery for a bubble tea and some chocolate (it was Valentine's Day after all). Final Stop? No incriminating pictures here, but it was at karaoke- very fun. :-) My girls rock.