Bars and Stars or Bar-B-Que, Why Not Both?

Maurice's Gourmet BBQ
South Carolina


Suit420 recently found himself back in South Carolina.

And since I was just passing through and only had time for a quick lunch, it meant one thing – Maurice’s Gourmet BBQ.

You see, Maurice's is one of my favorite -- if not my favorite -- BBQ "joints" around.

Maurice's has won many awards and has been featured on various food shows.

And Maurice’s BBQ has been around South Carolina for a long, long time.

In fact, Maurice’s dates all the way back to 1939, when Joseph Bessinger opened the first store -- Piggie Park -- in Holly Hill, South Carolina.

The first official Maurice's BBQ opened in 1953.

There are now over ten Maurice’s BBQ locations around South Carolina, most being in the Greater Columbia Area.


But it's not just the food that Suit420 likes about Maurice's so much. It's the man behind Maurice's, Maurice Bessinger.

Maurice Bessinger is proud of his Southern heritage.

So proud that Maurice flies the Bars and Stars on a flagpole outside of most of his locations.

Not only that, but his special mustard sauce – which I’ll touch on more later – has a picture of the Bars and Stars on the side of it, which as you can imagine, has cause some controversy over the years.

And if you're looking for some traditional, Southern BBQ, Maurice's is your place.

Maurice’s proudly still cooks his BBQ the old-fashioned way.

And he uses the best pork hams around, and pit-cooks it slowly over hickory coals for 24 hours, which gives it an amazing hickory flavor.

And no preservatives or chemicals of any kind are used.

Now, one thing you need to know about Maurices is that it isn’t fancy.


Some of the stores that have buffets are larger, but some of them – like the one I dropped by on my visit – are about the size of a small fast-food restaurant.

But no matter which store you go in, the atmosphere is always laid back, and you can be sure you’ll get a good dose of Southern Hospitality while you're there.

And in some of the bigger stores you’ll find books about the Confederacy, books about political philosophy, as well as t-shirts and other good southern paraphernalia.

When it comes to food, Maurice’s has a decent amount to offer on the menu.

You can get a Big Joe (6 ounces of pulled pork) Sandwich, or a Little Joe Sandwich if you’re not as hungry.

There’s BBQ Chicken, BBQ Beef Brisket, Chili, Cheeseburgers and Chicken Fingers.

Or if you’re looking for a “dinner basket,” you can choose from food like a quarter of a pound of pit-cooked BBQ Pork, Carolina Hash over rice, homemade cole slaw, hushpuppies and dinner roll to 4 to 6 tender BBQ Ribs, Carolina Hash over rice, homemade cole slaw, hushpuppies and dinner roll.

Since it was lunch, and I was just passing through, I decided to go with the Big Joe sandwich with French fries and hushpuppies.


You may be wondering where the names “Big Joe” and “Little Joe” come from?

Well, back in 1939, Maurice’s father was known as “Big Joe,” and he and his brother were known as “Little Joe.”

I ordered a sweet tea to drink, and sat down to wait on my food and read a Southern Heritage newspaper that was laying there.

But I didn’t have long to read because my food was ready before I knew it.

And boy did it look good.

To me, Maurice’s is best because of his famous mustard sauce, which is a family secret how it’s made.

The sandwich already had the sauce on it, but Suit420 needed to add a little more. I also like to dip my fries in it.


It’s just that dadburn good.

So, if it’s so good, then why can’t you find it in grocery stores?

Well, years ago, you could find Maurice’s BBQ sauce in Food Lion and other grocery stores.

Until someone complained about the bottle having the Bars and Stars on it.

It what turned it a mess – where a lot of good folks got injured – Maurice’s BBQ sauce was eventually pulled from the shelves because of his unwillingness to remove the flag from the bottle.


If only every American would stand on principle like that.

I dumped some more sauce on my Big Boy, and dug in.

Perfect, I thought.

Once I finished, I looked around for a minute, and just thought about how neat it was that this business had survived since the 1930s.

I bet it's a lot more difficult to start a business these days with Big Brother around.

I walked up to the counter, purchased a shirt and headed on my way.

On the way out I noticed a sign advertising that they were currently hiring.

After over 50 years, even during such tough economic times, not only is Maurice Bessinger providing the public with arguably some of the best BBQ in the country -- but he's also providing good jobs at the same time.



Rating: Bought the Shirt

Hunting Fresh Meat at the Speakeasy

Delaney's Speakeasy
711 Saluda Ave.
Columbia, SC



After disappearing in a massive cloud of smoke for a couple of months – Suit420 is back in action.

But Suit420 is single now.

So when picking a restaurant to review, the food selection is no longer my top priority.

Alcohol and hunting "two-legged whitetails" are.

And on this particular business trip, Suit420 found himself back in Columbia, SC for an evening -- an evening filled with good food, good drinks and plenty of USC college girls.

So I left my hotel and headed down to Five Points – a local area full of college bars.

While cruising through looking for a good spot, I saw a sign that said “Delaney’s Speakeasy.”

Now, as you can imagine, Suit420 isn’t a big fan of prohibition – alcohol or other.

Fortunately, alcohol prohibition was repealed with passage of the 21st Amendment in 1933. 

But unfortunately, Suit420's favorite smoke has been under prohibition here in the U.S. for about as long.

The good news is, as long as people have an appetite for something, government can never succeed in stamping it out.  And during the prohibition era, moonshiners, rumrunners and speakeasies -- hidden establishments that illegally sold alcohol -- were prime examples.

So I decided to try the Speakeasy to see what it was all about.  What a good decision that turned out to be.

Delaney’s Speakeasy has been around since 2002.  It's a cigar and jazz bar that has over 40 varieties of scotch and over 200 beers.

Walking in the door, Suit420 immediately fell in love with the place.

The atmosphere is dark. Old Frank Sinatra-style music is playing, and there are pictures of gangsters all over the wall not to mention there are nice leather couches in the back.

"What a perfect atmosphere to for some hunting," I thought.

When I first arrived, the place was kind of dead – but hey, it was early, and I was in a college town.

So I strolled up to the bar and ordered a “Gin Rickey.”


Originally created with whiskey in Washington, D.C. in the 1880s by bartender George A. Williamson and Democratic lobbyist Colonel Joe Rickey, the Gin Rickey became a worldwide sensation when mixed with gin a decade later.

Delaney’s also has $2 drafts all night, and a pretty good selection, ranging from Shock Top to Yuengling to Strongbow.

Now for the food I thought.

And this was what was interesting. Delaney’s Speakeasy is right next door to “Delaney’s Irish Pub.” And that’s where the Speakeasy’s food comes from.

So I grabbed a menu and started looking it over.

And Suit420 had already made up his mind that he wasn’t going to eat chicken this time.

There were a lot of good selections, but I decided to go with the Irish Whiskey Steak – MEDIUM.

That’s right.

Not only did Suit420 not order chicken, but I ordered my steak medium – Just for Suit69.

While waiting on my food, I took a look at the scenery, and discovered the coolest thing ever.

A bottle of liquor in the shape of a Tommy Gun.


There was also a hot Marilyn Monroe picture on the wall, which Suit420 liked a lot.

Before long, my food had arrived.

Steak.  Rice.  Mashed ‘tators and gravy.  Yum.

The first thing Suit420 did was cut up my steak – which immediately made me wonder what in the hell I was thinking ordering it medium.


But it wasn’t all that bad.

The outside was good and crisp, which I liked a lot.

And it had a good flavor, as it was soaked in a special Irish Whiskey.

As for the rice and tators, they were also amazing.

The gravy was especially good, and helped me with not seeing the red blood in my steak.

Hungry, I wanted to scuff it down.

But I’m a food reviewer, so I took my time and got the flavor of every bite.  Every single bite.

Until there was absolutely none left.

And at the end of my meal, the bartender gave me a huge frozen Reeses peanut butter cup.

I was now full, so instead of a Gin Rickey, I ordered a Woodford Reserve and I kicked back and waited on the place to fill up with college girls in short skirts.


Let's just say Suit420 was pleased.

 You’ll just have to make up the rest of my night in your head . . .

Rating:  Would have bought the shirt, but they don't sell them (It's a Speakeasy, so they stay secret).

Inhaling at the Smokehouse

Hickory Smokehouse Barbecue
Hickory, NC



Being Suit 420, it sometimes surprises people when I tell 'em how much I love pigs.

Smoked, fried, ham, in sausage form -- or even just running through the woods waiting for me to shoot them.

In fact, the reason I was in North Carolina recently was to do a little pig hunting.

But this wasn't an ordinary pig. This was a wild boar.

A big wild boar.


Of course, after a good hunt like I had, you work up an appetite.


And because I was hog hunting, I had barbecue on my mind.

Fortunately, there were a few barbecue places nearby, so after the hunt, I jumped in my truck and headed out to find something good.

On the way there, Suit420 noticed a small place called Hickory Smokehouse Barbecue.

Hickory Smokehouse is located in a shopping center, but in it's own stand-alone building.

I've eaten enough barbecue to know that's a good sign. 

Any time you see an old restaurant building right in the middle of a shopping center it's usually means it's been in business a while.

Another good sign, was that on the outside of the building, written with shoe polish, was the claim that Hickory Smokehouse was voted best barbecue in town!


It was about 2:30 in the afternoon when I rolled up, so the place wasn't crowded.

But it also wasn't empty.

And boy did it smell wonderful -- and make my stomach growl louder than the hog I'd just bagged.

For my main course, I had the chopped BBQ plate, with a side of baked beans, hush puppies and fries.

And Hickory Smokehouse also has fried pickles -- a North Carolina staple -- so Suit 420 ordered some of those, too.

To drink, it was Sweet Tea.  Anything else with barbecue just wouldn't be right.  I sat down at a booth, sipped on my tea and waited.

The table had multiple types of sauces.


There was sweet sauce, hot sauce, mustard sauce and vinegar.

Vinegar sauce isn't my favorite -- the main type you find in North Carolina -- so I'd just be trying the other three.

After just a couple of minutes my food was ready.

And Suit 420's food was on a Styrofoam plate.

Another good sign for a barbecue place.

I ate my fried pickles first.


They were hand-breaded dill chips with ranch sauce.

Crispy, tangy and salty, Suit420 was in heaven.

Then I dug in for the main course.

I was surprised actually.  The barbecue was actually delicious without even putting sauce on it.

But as a Suit, I knew that I needed to try all three of the sauces for a good review.

So I went with the mustard sauce first.

I've always thought Maurice's Barbecue in South Carolina has the best mustard sauce, but Hickory Barbecue's sauce was better.

I was shocked.

So I dropped a little on my plate and dug in.

As I mentioned, the barbecue had a great flavor without even having to put sauce on it, but the sauce made it out of this world.


Next up was the sweet sauce. Also amazing. And it was actually good combined with the mustard sauce.

Then Suit 420 hit the hot sauce, which was good, but not hot enough to make Suit420 chug his entire tea.

After it was said and done, I decided my favorite was the mustard.

So that's what I finished the rest of my meal with.


As for the baked beans, Hickory Smokehouse got it right.

They tasted like they had a touch of brown sugar, and were very good.

As for the fries, they were fries.  They worked real well as barbecue sauce delivery devices.

Needless to say, Suit 420 left Hickory Barbecue full and happy.


Since Hickory Smokehouse was wallet friendly, and the taste of the food even better, I had no choice but to buy a shirt.

And that's where the disappointment came in.

The owner, who was an extremely nice guy and happened to be in the kitchen (another good sign), told me that he had just ran out of t-shirts and would be getting some more in the next few weeks.

So even though I wanted to buy the shirt, I couldn't because they were out of them.

Too bad. I really wanted one -- especially because they were tie-dye which works well with the whole image I'm trying to convey.


The next time I go back to North Carolina to chase down a hog, I'll definitely make a trip to Hickory to eat at the Smoke House -- and probably order the exact same thing.

And if they have the shirts then, I'll try to buy one, wear it proudly and tell everyone I know to go there and grab a bite to eat.

Hickory Smokehouse is just that darn good.

Rating: Bought the Shirt (Well, would have)

Crunked at the Coastal Cafe

Coastal Cafe
Virginia Beach, VA


Suit420 recently found himself back in Virginia Beach, VA.

It was a Wednesday, and the only meal I'd have time to eat would be lunch.

But lunch is one of Suit420's favorite meals.

A big breakfast makes me want to go back to sleep.

And a big supper makes me want to go to the gym because I feel all bloated after eating food so late.

But it's kind of hard to go wrong with a big lunch.

You're half way through the workday, and you still have time to let your food settle and then hit the gym later.

I left my meeting around noon, and decided to drive down the road and try to find a little hole-in-the-wall looking place to stop by for lunch -- and possibly a beer to go with it.

And not too far from where one of my meetings was, in the Food Lion shopping center, tucked away in the corner was a little place called "Coastal Cafe."

Suit420 knew this was the place, so I headed to the back corner for some lunch and a beer.

Coastal Cafe is a very, very small bar. There are a few tables on the wall (literally one or two), a few bar stools, and some pool tables.


The front door had a sign that said Wednesday night was ladies night.

Of course, as luck would have it, I was there a few hours early and there weren't any ladies.

I whipped up a seat at the bar and asked for a menu. The bartender was super nice and friendly, and told me all their specials that day.

But Suit420 was feeling a grilled chicken sandwich. I didn't even need a menu. So I order grilled chicken on wheat with a side of baked beans.

I also ordered a cold one to sip on while I waited. Nothing fancy. Just a regular Bud Light draft.


The kitchen at Coastal Cafe is right behind the bar. So I got to watch the cook make my food while I sat right there. I like that because I knew they wore gloves and weren't dropping my food on the floor.

I got some change for a ten and threw a couple of Hank Williams classics on the juke box, and started looking around.

That's when I discovered that Coastal Cafe is also a fan of Suit420.

Directly on the wall in front of me was a statue of a gnome, fishing with a pipe hanging out of his mouth.

And right next to him was a little sign that said "420."

Two songs and a beer later and Suit420s food had arrived.

And yes, it was as good as it looks.

The sandwich was amazing. I'm not sure why, but I really liked it.

I think it was the way the entire piece of meat was covered with a lot of melted cheese.

Suit420 likes cheese.

And the regular wheat bread gave it a nice nutty flavor.

The baked beans were good, but they could have been better. They had a great bacon flavor as soon as they hit your mouth, but after the first bite the flavor was gone.


Suit420 recommends throwing some brown sugar in with the baked beans to fix that problem.

But all in all, this was a solid meal.

A large beer and a full stomach for $10 even.

Add in a couple Hank songs and the 420 gnome-friend I met, and this was a satisfying lunch.

Rating: Seriously Thought About Buying a Shirt!

Looking for Some Fresh "Greens"

Princess Anne County Grill
Virginia Beach, VA

Sure, Suit420 loves the wonders of modern technology.

It's nice to be able to have a video chat with my little nephew that lives across the country.

It's nice for Suit420 to know what's going on in the world on a moment's notice.

And it's nice to be able to share my eating, traveling and smoking experiences with folks from all over the globe.

In fact, since me and a few of my "buds" kicked off this SuitsinStrangePlaces thing, folks from as far away as Brazil, France, the Netherlands, Lebanon, Russia and China have logged on to check us out.

But sometimes Suit420 wants to escape the fast-paced 21st Century, and return to the "good ole days."

And on another recent trip to Virginia Beach, Suit420 found the perfect place to do just that.

Princess Anne County Grill.

On this particular day, Suit420 was searching for a farmer's market to pick up some fresh greens and fruit (not the "green" you're thinking of) and for somewhere to grab a bite to eat.

So I fired up a smoke and routed myself toward the Virginia Beach Farmer's Market.

And yeah, as usual, Suit420 had the munchies and cotton mouth bad.

The Virginia Beach Farmer's Market is pretty sweet.

There are rows of old wooden shops that makes you think of those "good ole days" Suit420 was talking about stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables. Jams. Jellies.

There's even a butcher shop and a bakery that made Suit420s munchies really kick in when I walked by.

But best of all, right there in the middle of the farmer's market, was an old-timey looking restaurant called Princess Anne County Grill.

Hmm. I had found my greens and some homemade jam. But I also stumbled across an interesting-looking restaurant.

"Why not get two birds stoned at once," Suit420 was thinking.

So I decided to head into the Princess Anne County Grill to take care of my munchies.

Wow. The place was amazing. It reminded me of the Agrirama in Tifton, GA near where Suit420 grew up.

The Grill does a wonderful job of keeping the "good ole days" feeling alive and well.

And it was much more authentic than say Cracker Barrel.



There are antique signs and furniture. It's family oriented -- there was a very nice lady, and what appeared to be her two daughters, working when I came in.

And the coolest part is that they get all of their ingredients from the other stores at the Farmer's Market.

It's not only guaranteed fresh, but Suit420 thought it was cool how all the stores did business with each other.

In fact, while I was eating, someone from the butcher's shop came down to borrow some forks.


I sat down and opened up the menu.

I wasn't surprised that they didn't serve alcohol, and it wasn't a big deal to me that day because I was just looking to munch down on some vittles.

Holy cow. The prices were amazing.

They have a "Daily Blue Plate Special" for $5.99. It ranges -- depending on what day -- from fried chicken, corn and mac and cheese, pork chops with barbeque sauce and a baked potato, and even chicken 'n dumplings and corn bread.

And yes, they even have grits for breakfast.

For Suit420, the Blue Plate Special was oven roasted turkey breast, mashed potatoes and green beans.

Sounded good, but Suit420 was torn. They also have bbq sandwiches, crab cakes, steak and cheese, you name it.

Suit420 decided to try the Blue Plate Special.

While waiting on my order I took a look around. Even more awesome.


From Memorial Day to Labor Day, Princess Anne County Grill has meatloaf and live country music every Friday night. Too bad Suit420 couldn't go back in time a few months.

It wasn't long before my food arrived.

And it looked just like something my Nana would have made as a child. Very southern looking, which is perfect for Suit420s taste.

Suit420 was impressed. I had an enormous helping of mashed taters, a ton of green beans, a buttered roll and a big piece of delicious-looking turkey...

... all for 5.99.



And trust Suit420, it tasted as good as it looks.

The turkey gravy tasted great, with a little peppery flavoring.

Obviously the beans were fresh since they were from the farmer's market, and the potatoes were real -- not the fake stuff from a box.

And everything was great.

In fact, I struggled to eat it all, but when I finally downed the last bite and paid my bill, I let out a big sigh, and headed to my car to enjoy a ride with my post-meal "greens."

But if I'm ever back in Virginia Beach from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and it's a Friday night, Princess Anne County Grill is where Suit420 will be. Just follow the smoke trails and join me back in time.

You'll be glad you did.

Rating:  Bought the Shirt!

Messed Up on Martinis and Meatballs

Marchetti's
Cranston, Rhode Island


Sometimes everyone needs a little Italian.

And if there's one thing Suit 420 is good at, it's gettin' some!

Food, that is.

And on my recent trip to Rhode Island, the place where it all went down was Marchetti's.

Marchetti's is owned by brothers David and Donald Marchetti, and it has been around for over twenty yeas.

Now, if you've ever seen the movie "The Departed," Marchetti's is the type of place that the mob bosses would have hung out at while they consumed their alcohol and planned their next crime.

And one of the owners, David, looks like a mob boss.


The inside is dark, and there's old gangster pictures all over the place.

As for the food?

I'll never be able to go to an Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill again.

When I arrived, the place was jam packed, so I put in for a table, and headed off to the bar while I waited.

This is where I became really impressed.

Marchetti's had martini's for $2.85 a pop.

In fact, while I waited on my table, I downed two martinis, and one glass of wine, and was able to pay for it for under ten bucks.

Not bad, I thought.  It's always a plus when you can get out of an Italian restaurant with both arms and legs attached and no kneecaps busted.

Someone at the bar told me they used to serve box wine by the glass for $1.10. Nice.

After my three drinks, Suit 420 had a little buzz going on.

Of course, being Suit 420, I had a buzz when I walked in the door -- but that's a different buzz.


Pretty much this is how everything was looking to old Suit 420 at that point.


It wasn't too long before the waitress took me to a table and handed me a menu.

Wow.


Was there anything they didn't have. And could it get any LESS expensive?

Appetizers included Garlic Bread, Fired Calamari, Clams Casino, Stuffies, Chicken Wings and many others.

And the highest priced appetizer was 7.95 -- the Calamari -- which I ordered.

Marchetti's also has $5.95 sandwiches, ranging from meatball, sausage with cheese, sirloin steak or grilled chicken.

Impressive, I thought.

But I wanted a full meal, so I ordered the Veal Parmesan.

Based on the prices, I was a little worried perhaps it might not be the greatest. 

After all, there's no such thing as cheap and good . . . right?

As I waited, I downed a few more martinis, and checked out the scenery.

There are literally old mafia/jazz-like pictures everywhere.

I saw Sinatra. Dean. Connick, Jr.

And, of course, Elvis.


It wasn't too long before my calamari arrived.

And I must say, it was delicious. The calamari wasn't overcooked.  It wasn't chewy.  And the breading didn't overpower the fresh, salty flavor of the seafood.


Not much later, the Veal Parmesan arrived.

It was good, but I decided shortly thereafter I definitely should have ordered the chicken instead.

Suit 420 just likes chicken.


That's the Southerner in me. What can I say?

I managed to finish most of my meal, but couldn't quite get it all down.

But all in all, it was a good meal. A dadgum good meal.

I walked -- or partially stumbled thanks to six martinis -- out of Marchetti's with a full stomach.

And best of all, my wallet wasn't hurting after this meal either.

On the way out, I couldn't help but think about the movie The Departed again.

Suit420 was now full and feening a smoke. Where were my Yankee friends now, I thought.

I was tempted to seek some mafia smoke connections, but decided I didn't want to end up dead in a dumpster -- not yet anyways.

Rating: Seriously Thought About Buying the Shirt.

Serving Up a Slider

Slider's
Fernindina Beach, FL



As a "little smoky," Suit420 spent a lot of summers on vacation at Fernindina Beach, FL.

It's not that far from South Georgia. It's safe. Not trashy. Family oriented. And relatively inexpensive compared to other vacation spots.

But of all the times Suit420 visited Fernindina, I was never over 18.

That meant I never saw the nightlife. I stayed back at the hotel with the other under-agers and consumed alcohol on the premises while the adults went out.

Well, this New Year's brought me to Jacksonville -- which isn't that far from Fernindina.

And after the Christmas cold spell that had just brought teen temperatures to South Georgia, it was finally sunny and up in the 70s in Jacksonville.

So Suit420 decided to make the ride to Fernindina to kick back a few cold ones and have lunch at the bar I remembered the adults used to frequent each summer.

The ride from Jacksonville to Fernindina is pretty nice. It's full of bridges, marshes, nice houses and a lot of water.

And since it was 70 degrees outside, Suit420 let the windows down, cranked up the radio, and fired up a smoke -- which meant Slider's better have good food cause I'd be hungry for sure.

When I hit A1A near the Fernindina Plantation, I was in familiar territory. The scenery hadn't changed too much, other than a few new condos probably thrown up during the housing bubble.

There was the Ritz. Pete's Point. The Plantation. Amelia by the Sea.

And then there was Slider's.

Slider's is an old brick building located on a busy intersection, right on the ocean front.  And there's a large parking lot for customers to park in.


I whipped into the parking lot, flipped out my smoke and headed towards the building.

I was impressed without even setting foot in the door.

Out back is a huge outside area -- equipped with plenty of seating, standing room, a bar overlooking the ocean and a playground for children.

Perfect, I thought.

You could bring your family to the beach, and while you and your wife relax to a pina colada, the kids could wear themselves out on the playground so they'd go to bed early -- leaving you more quality time to spend with the lady in the evenings.


I was tempted to sit outside, but decided to sit inside at a booth. That way I could get the full feeling, because I knew as soon as I ordered a drink and some food I'd head outside to sit at the bar and smoke a clove cigarette.

I grabbed a menu, and ordered a rum and diet coke from my waitress, and kicked back to check out the scenery.

The inside was nice. It was wooden, and had perfect lighting from the outside.

The kind of lighting that's not too bright, but gives that shine that kind of wakes you up -- and makes you want a drink.


And I have to note the waitress made a big plus.

 While she was waiting on the bartender to make my rum and diet, she went ahead and brought me an ice water without me asking. Suit420 notices things like that -- especially when he has cottonmouth.

It's like when you're sitting at the bar, kicking back some beers. A good bartender will never let you take your last swallow without having you a refill ready to go. With a crappy bartender, sometimes you have to stare at an empty glass full of suds wondering what in the hell is taking so long.

I was pretty hungry -- of course -- after a 45 minute ride full of smoke and music.

So I decided to go with the steak bites and calamari.

I'm not a big seafood person, but I do like calamari.

Most of the time.

I can't stand it when it's cooked a tad too long and gets chewy.

Suit420 ordered chips and salsa for munchies too.


While waiting on my food I decided to venture outside to sip my cocktail and smoke a clove overlooking the beach.

It was about 1:30pm, and the place was starting to get busy. I sat down at the bar so I could check out the ocean while I puffed my special Clove.


And not to mention there were two cute bartenders working there as well. That's always a factor.


There were also some folks there taking advantage of the playground.

Slider's also has a wooden stage where the bartender says live reggae-style beach music plays during the days, and bands play at night.

Sounded right up Suit420s alley.

I finished my clove, and headed back in for my calamari.

Perfect timing. My calamari was ready, and the waitress had me another rum and diet on the way.

Suit420 was pleased with the calamari and the chips and salsa.


The calamari was cooked perfectly. Not too chewy. And the salsa was far above average.

It wasn't that spicy, but had a good tang to it.

I downed it all, and as soon as I did, the waitress came out with my steak tips and french fries.

Of course, Suit420 ordered his steaktips well done.

They were perfect too.

I covered it in A1 Sauce and ketchup, and killed all of the tips and all of my fries.


And three more rum and diets.

The waitress brought me my tab, and I looked around one last time and headed out.

Suit420 was pleased.

It was a beautiful day. I went to a place full of childhood memories I hadn't been in years.

And the food was awesome.

But since Christmas had just passed, Suit420 didn't want to spend any money on another restaurant shirt.

I thought about it, but headed out to enjoy my ride full of smoke and music to Jacksonville.

Rating: Seriously Thought About Buying the Shirt

Hankerin' for "Hash" Browns

AJ's Restaurant
West Warwick, RI


If you're like Suit420, over the Thanksgiving holidays -- or any holiday -- you wake up hungover and feeling like crap virtually every single day.

And if you're like Suit420, you'll agree that the best cure for that hangover is a greasy breakfast full of meat and eggs.

Well, actually, the best cure is Suit420's favorite smoke, but that just leads to greasy food so it's kind of a one-two punch to kill a hangover.

And this Thanksgiving Suit420 found himself up in West Warwick, Rhode Island.

Now, being from South Georgia, there's one thing I've learned over the past few years about Yankees.

Them folks can draink!

And I don't mean sipping on beer.  I'm talking shots.  Lots of them.

But if I were one of the unfortunate folks who were born up North, I'd probably drink a lot as well to hide my misery, as well.

On this particular morning, Suit420 had taken a lot of shots the night before, and was feeling like pure crap.

I needed a smoke, followed by a greasy spoon breakfast.

And it just so happened that West Warwick, Rhode Island has the perfect place for that:

AJ's.

AJ's is a small, mom and pop diner that's been around for -- depending on who you ask -- "several years."

And AJ's happens to be known for it's superb breakfast.

So Suit420 grabbed a smoke for the ride, and headed up to AJ's, which was only a 3-mile drive from where I was staying -- which was a good thing because I was still a tad buzzy from the night before and was working on another one on the ride.


As soon as I pulled into the parking lot I knew that this was the place for me.

It looked like I was pulling up to an old house or some type of apartment.

Definitely not a Denny's or Waffle House.

I got out of my car, walked around the corner, and finally found the main entrance.


Ignore the fancy BMW out front. AJ's isn't that type of place at all.

When I opened the main door I was surprised.

The place was full of people -- which is always a good sign.

There was a young couple sitting in the corner.

A table full of old men sitting around talking about the weather.

And a table full of old ladies talking about old men.

The waitresses were busy hustling around the restaurant.

One of the neatest things was they had a small counter top -- no they don't serve alcohol -- where you could sit and eat and watch them cook the food.


I always like places where you can see the cooks in plain sight.

It makes me worry less about finding someone's nasty hair in my food.   Or the cooks doing something to my food.

You never know about them Yankees.

I was approached by a nice waitress, and she led me to a table for two.

I ordered some orange juice, water and iced coffee, and opened up my menu.

Holy crap.

They had everything I wanted, and the prices were dirt cheap.

I'm talking five dollar omelets, and ribeye and eggs for 8 bucks.


Since I was hungover -- and had the munchies -- I decided to order a lot of food.

And that was one of the fun parts.

Being from the deep South, there is a big language barrier between me and New England folks.

In fact, virtually every person I talk to -- even if just asking one question -- immediately responds, "where in the hell are you from?"

I get so tired of it I start responding, without missing a beat, "Long Island."

And the waitress at AJ's didn't disappoint me.

Suit420 decided to go with the Virginia ham, eggs, hash browns -- my favorite of all the browns -- bacon and toast.

All that for right around 6 bucks. So I ordered my food and decided to look around and check out the scenery.

That's when I discovered that there is an entire other section to AJ's, and it was full of customers as well.

And that's about the time I saw a girl walk in wearing a "Connecticut, USSA" sweatshirt.

Interesting.

Normally, I would use that as an opportunity to start a conversation, and find some special smokes while on the road.

But I had no need for that on this trip.  My Yankee friends took care of me and my cloves.

I didn't have long to look around.

At AJ's, despite the place being jam packed, they pride themselves in having your food ready quickly.

It actually was on my table in less than 6 minutes.

Impressive.

But even more impressive was the taste.


I'll start with the ham.

It was Virginia Baked ham, so you know it has to be good. And it was fried perfectly.

I could cut it with a fork, and there wasn't any fat on it.

I ate it my normal way -- covered in syrup.

Suit420 has a habit of putting syrup on all breakfast food. You should try it sometime.

Next, the eggs.

The eggs were just average. That may be because Suit420 prefers grits mixed with his eggs, but Yankees don't know anything about that.

The bacon was, well, bacon.  Awesome.

But the best part of the meal was the hash browns.

In fact, they were -- without a doubt -- the best I'd ever eaten.

They were fried to a crisp, yet still maintained their potato-like inside. The outside was brown and crispy, and made for some good eating.



When the bill came due, I tried to pay with my debit card, but AJ's only accepts cash.

Good thing they had an ATM.

So I got my cash out and paid the waitress.

With a full stomach, Suit420s hangover was now on its way out.

All I needed now was a post-meal puff, and I would be ready to take shots again with Yankees that evening.

Which would give me another excuse to visit AJ's the next morning!

Rating: Would have bought the shirt if they had one.