Kenansville, North Carolina

About 2 hours into our drive from Wilmington to Charlottesville we stopped in Kenansville for our first meal of the day. There’s nothing quite like driving in circles, past prisons, heavy trees, and little square houses, arguing over which of the town’s three restaurants to hit up. After about 15 minutes of back and forth, we decided on Two Dogs Pizza, the place that looked the nicest from the outside and was deemed most likely to have veggie options.

Our instincts were correct. Though I saw a chalkboard sitting on the ground as we walked into the huge dining room filled with wooden tables and chairs, I didn't pay much attention to it. Apparently, pizza was only one part of a very ample buffet and salad bar. LVL focused on the veggie options like creamed corn, collard greens (that she said seemed not to be soaked in pork fat), salad (“great toppings, worst lettuce ever,” and bizarre cornmeal discs. Clearly it was better for the carnivore. Fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, meatballs, sausage pizza, and tons more. Southern heaviness washed down with three kinds of cake – pineapple, lemon, and yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Everything cooked to country perfection by a little old lady and her team of stout daughters. It’s no wonder people in this part of the world (including me) find themselves with a spare tire or two.