Emily Brooks

Corn, lima beans, and smoky pork all crowded into one thick spoonful was not what I expected from…

By Emily Brooks · Oct 2

Wooden pilings, salty air, and a dining room floating right over the water make a strong first impression…

By Emily Brooks · Oct 1

A chrome counter, a squeaky vinyl seat, and a mug that somehow never gets empty can turn an…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 30

Sugar shells crackle louder than you expect when you bite into a concha still warm from the rack.…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 29

Crackly bread crumbs all over the car seat are the surest sign of a detour well spent. Across…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 28

A line of cars snaking onto the road before sunrise was my first clue that something good was…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 27

Breadcrumbs have been sneaking into crab cakes for years, pretending to be crab, and plenty of us have…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 26

The first bite of truly great fried chicken makes a noise, a sharp crackle you can hear across…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 25

Orange cheese flecked with red pepper doesn’t look like much sitting in a plastic tub at the grocery…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 24

Behind a plain strip-mall door in North Carolina, past a buffet line of smothered chicken, I found a…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 23

Sometimes the best plate of food in North Carolina hides behind a plain storefront and a hand-lettered sign…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 22

My car once made a wrong turn down a side street in North Carolina, and my nose caught…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 21

Somewhere in North Carolina, the steady rhythm of cleavers striking a chopping block has been drawing hungry folks…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 20

A really good Reuben can turn an ordinary lunch break into the best part of your whole week.…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 19

Bison short rib that slides right off the bone with just a poke of your fork sounds like…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 18

The first bite of real country sausage, the kind ground and seasoned by hand that very week, tastes…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 17

My favorite mornings in North Carolina begin with the smell of locally roasted coffee drifting out an open…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 16

The moment a knife slides under a shell and pops it open just inches from your seat, oysters…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 15

A round sandwich stacked with cured meats, cheese, and briny olive salad might feel like a New Orleans…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 14

The smell hits you before you even open the car door in North Carolina, that sweet drift of…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 13

A perfectly cooked ribeye has a way of turning an ordinary evening into a memory you keep replaying.…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 12

Some of the best afternoons in North Carolina start by accident, when a winding country road drops you…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 11

Some of the best meals happen by accident. You are strolling down a small-town street in North Carolina,…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 10

There’s a certain magic that happens when you turn off a quiet North Carolina road and find rows…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 9

Some mornings you follow your nose more than your map, and that instinct rarely steers you wrong in…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 8

Some of the best breakfasts in North Carolina happen in places you might drive right past without a…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 7

Some meals stay with you long after the last bite, and this is one of those places worth…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 6

There’s a special kind of joy in stumbling onto a little spot in North Carolina where the fried…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 5

Some restaurants hide in plain sight, tucked into an old neighborhood where you least expect a great meal.…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 4

There’s a certain magic in pulling up to a tiny, unassuming spot in North Carolina and realizing the…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 3

Some of the best meals in North Carolina hide in plain sight, tucked into a corner of downtown…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 2

Some restaurants sneak up on you. From the outside, this spot in North Carolina looks like an old…

By Emily Brooks · Sep 1

There’s a special kind of joy in walking into a tiny hot dog stand in North Carolina and…

By Emily Brooks · Aug 31

Every so often you stumble onto a place that looks unassuming from the sidewalk, then completely surprises you…

By Emily Brooks · Aug 30

Somewhere in North Carolina, there’s a little roadside spot where the biscuits come out bigger than your fist…

By Emily Brooks · Aug 29

Some of the best meals hide in plain sight, tucked into small towns you might drive right past.…

By Emily Brooks · Aug 28

Some meals stick with you not just for the food, but for the whole feeling of the moment.…

By Emily Brooks · Aug 27

Some of the best meals in North Carolina hide in the most unexpected corners, tucked into a plain…

By Emily Brooks · Aug 26

Some places in North Carolina don’t shout for your attention. They just quietly cook the same way they…

By Emily Brooks · Aug 25