Grub Crawl - Downtown: Neon Beach (Closed), Corner Pizza Bar, Robinson Coffee Room, Deeply Coffee Company and Neighborhood Eatery *SC/NC Travel Notes

I tried the places last Friday at lunch. The first is near Motorworks Brewing on Orange. The second is on Magnolia and Church. The third is on Pine and Magnolia next to Shots. The fourth is in that high rise at Magnolia and Palmetto nearer to the lake. The fifth is down the street from that (nearer to the Courthouse) on Magnolia. I want to thank Bluddy Diarrhea (or is it the fat lady?) for putting in all those pay meters that make downtown so unwelcoming. It really helps with the "congestion". Hope it pays for his Pro-Active. And I want to thank you all for proving to me, once and for all, that "word of mouth" truly is not an effective marketing strategy. Even if the content/product/service is free. I saw that Magnolia on Magnolia had shut down and Cucina looked like they didn't get scared off and is almost open.

Neon Beach - The brain child of the Tin & Taco people. A Miami themed place. It looks more like a bar. But, they have some food. Not sure what Miami based cuisine means to most people. I'm guessing Carib fusion. They do have a Cuban quesadilla. I was unimpressed by the selection or pricing. I settled on a Cobb salad after a week of questionable choices. Not that that is a healthy option anyway. It was ok. It cost $10. Mostly fresh stuff. Alot of blue cheese crumbles. BTW did you know that when you buy shredded cheese in a package it is teeming with cellulose? That's saw dust. Block cheese has a greater chance of being "real". The menu had snooze inducers like burgers and such. They said they were changing it soon. The place is kind of Miami. High ceilings. Bar in the middle. White orbs made of twigs. Pine branches. Kind of palmy murals. Open for a year.

The Corner Pizza Bar - It is the latest in this space that I think had been called the Magnolia Marketplace. I've been here when they tried to have different stalls. A place called 801 Coal Oven Pizza or something. Frankenfurters too? Now it is just non-Italian Italian and a bar. Basically the same thing it has always been. Same pizza oven even. I just had a slice to go when I realized this and that it wasn't craft pizza. Was just going for a pie anyway. Over priced. It (alone) cost $3. A big NY style slice. Ok. I say it is non-Italian because they offer things like pickle fries, Mexican pizza and jalapeno poppers. In addition to such Italian favorites as wings, strips and fries. The Italian items they do have run range from subs to pasta. Open for six months. I think they said they had 80 beers. Probably not a single Italian one. I think Italian. I think beer anyway! Every price ends in a seven?

Robinson Coffee Room - I just bumped into them. It's in a location that was Knife something and Red Mug something and Breakfast Club. Open for two years! It's cool. Very modern. Youngster hang. Insipid breast milk (I mean coffee and tea) pacifiers. Plus a small pastry counter and a breakfast menu of around ten items at around $10. Think avocado toast. Open seven days for breakfast through dinner. Big space. Patio. Oh, I tried a chocolate twist that I doubt they make. It cost $5. Bland. It may actually be closer to Livingston than Magnolia. Hence the name.

Deeply Coffee Company - Another breast milk sippy cup place for adult children. Open since 2015. I had a coffee cola for $5. Fine. Place is spartan. Seems like a work space for the unemployed or adult children whom can't let go of the college experience/atmosphere. They sell wine too. By the bottle. Like a store. 

The Neighborhood Eatery - Turns out I tried the same exact thing here on December 30th 2015 (if you want to read that post). Good to see they had staying power. I had the Koagie for $9. I think it cost $8 last time. Korean cheese steak/hoagie. Good. Sweet. Glossy bun. Small. Like half a hoagie. I'll take this opportunity to reprimand the every growing number of sandwich places that are pulling this (half sandwich) stunt. 

*Travel Notes - SC/NC: I ate a Cribb burger with smoky potato salad at Cribb's Kitchen in Spartanburg SC. Slept at Hampton Inn for $86. Grabbed terrible smoked chicken salad at Daddy Joe's Beach House Grill in Gaffney SC. Ok espresso and chocolate frosted and chocolate frosted with coconut at Local Lion in Boone NC. Had sloppy ground beef pot pie at Wild Craft Eatery. Slept two nights at really good Comfort Inn for $85 a night. Skied at Beech Mountain for $46 and $34 for ski package (there). Skied the next day at Sugar Mountain for $49 and $28 for skis package (there). There were cheaper rental places around both resorts. There was a little walk from the lots, so, I just ponied up to save walking in ski boots (with skis). Both resorts are around fifteen miles from Boone. While there (Boone area) I went to a place (highest peak) called Grandfather Mountain. There was a cool bridge on it. Because they were gay about Covid rules and it cost over $20, I didn't go in. Even though they wanted me bad. Boone is home to Appalachian State University. I drove around there. I also bought a bottle (untasted) of wine at Grandfather Vineyard. I also went to Appalachian Ski Resort. It wasn't worth it. Just for novices. Internet said lift tix were $44 (w) and rentals were $26 (w). Plus you had to pay for parking and they wanted a reservation in advance. I should mention that the prices at the other places were for during the week. Full day. On the way home, I passed by a place called Blowing Rock. You could see it from the gift shop, so, I passed on the $7 fee. I grabbed a half pound of bad sliced pork at Hannah's BBQ in Lenoir NC. Like they took that sliced tenderloin you get at the market and cooked that. I expected a hunk of cooked pork that they then slice. You know. Like human beings do. I seem to be channeling John Mulaney. I topped that off with a terrible STP Dipper (rb and t) at a place called Groucho's Deli (that turned out to be a chain) in Irmo SC. Slept there at a Hyatt Place for $113. Since I came back the way you might drive there (Boone), I will tell you it in reverse. 95N - 26N (to Columbia) - 77N (to Charlotte) - 85W (to Gastonia) - 321N. Pretty easy. Roads weren't tricky. Only possible issues could be very near Boone and then on the roads to the resorts. Those are still well used and modern and not very hilly. It's a good vacation. Skiing isn't that shabby either. Especially at these prices and being able to avoid the friendly skies.