Skip to main content

Rude Dante goes to North Carolina


OK - good news - Rude Dante is on the board for 2022! And he has delighted us with tales of his recent venture to the great state of North Carolina, a region not covered prior in the RJG. There's also a side trip to Greenville, South Carolina.

Incidentally the RJG's Official Grandma (Dad's side) lived in Greenville until 1974 (RIP 1988), so I went a few times as a little tyke, remembering very well our last visit in 1972.

Here's his brief summary, and then we'll add the entries:

---

After about 2 weeks hanging out and dining in and around the Sand Hill region of North Carolina. (Was working in either Biscoe or Troy, sleeping in Olmsted Village / Pinehurst area). These will be a cluster of Pinehurst village and nearby locations, followed by some outliers.

Pinehurst is truly a golf mecca, with 9 full-length courses of 18 holes each plus a variety of additional features like Thistle Du (purportedly the first miniature golf course in the US) and the Cradle (a short 9-hole jaunt). Even a guy like Dante who plays maybe one scramble per year can find enjoyment in this place. Played the relatively tame course #1 with a coworker and a couple named Bill & Linda who were at least mid-70s, maybe 80s. If I ever become a 'real' golfer, I'll go back and play a few others.

---

Up on the Roof (atop the Embassy Suites hotel, Greenville SC)

An uneventful place other than the great views of the area (which are factored into drink prices here). Spent more on a couple apps and 2 rounds of beverages than a full dinner nearby.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Five Guys Burgers and Fries ~ national chain : Colorado Springs, Colorado

Latest visit: Oct 2023 (Colorado Springs - Interquest) First visit: Jan 2007 (Reston, VA) Locations: 49 states + DC. Only Alaska is missing. There are 30 in Colorado (4 in the Springs). That's +3 from last year. Texas has 68 (our former locale of Southlake is closed, so Hurst would have been the closest). There are 123 in California which is their largest state presence. The original Reston location that I first went to is still going.  In what appears to be a recurring theme, I state each year this will be my last visit to Five Guys. Only to return anyway. This year's excuse is I wanted to try their new location, which very recently opened up close to our house. This is definitely the closest we've ever lived to a Five Guys - even the Reston location was further from my office at the time. And I thought maybe it would make a good choice for a weekday lunch while working from home, thus putting Five Guys back into the rotation. I put that idea to the test here this Saturda...
2 comments
Read more

Denver's Old School Italian Restaurants

I know, I know... I haven't posted anything in 6 months. You were checking back every week, then every month and now I've fallen completely off your radar. Sorry about that. My only lame excuse is that I've been "saving up" for a good one. I've been wanting to write about Denver's Italian restaurants since we returned part-time last year. And you all know how the RJG feels about this style of restaurant . As someone who grew up in Dallas, perhaps I've been more drawn to cities that embrace their history rather than completely demolish it. Only recently has Dallas become more acutely aware of their past. Previously, any buildings not in use have been razed as fast as possible, to make way for the next brand new shopping center - all in the latest architecture naturally. Contrarily you have cities like St. Louis that are 19th and 20th century industrial ghost towns - places frozen in time because for most everyone who could, they just up and left to ...
8 comments
Read more

Pietro's Italian ~ Dallas, Texas ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Feb 2016 First visit: Sometime in 1984 When Mr. Music told me this earlier in the year, my heart sunk. It was reason enough to stop talking and writing about restaurants. All I can say is this: We did give you advance notice. The below was published on  March 28, 2010 , so Pietro gave you a good 7 years to check it out. If you missed it, then I'm sorry to say there is no replacement. No other place like it. A part of me went with it too... January 2014 update: Pietro's is as magnificent as ever. Mrs RJG and I just had another exquisite meal here. It remains my all-time favorite restaurant even after 30 years of going here. I beg and urge you all to try it at least once if you have a hankering for Old School Italian food. I'm sure it will not be here forever. Pietro must be close to 80 now, and it's hard to imagine the restaurant without him. We try to go 3 to 4 times a year, almost always on a Saturday or Sunday because of the traffic to get to inner Dalla...
12 comments
Read more