Penguin

Topping my Must-Do List in our recent trip to North Carolina is to sample the 'freaking awesome' food at Penguin.
Penguin is a landmark and has been around for many years. It is a burger and hotdog joint but not just any burger and hotdog joint. It boasts of a menu and recipes that has remained unchanged for decades and patrons literally wait in line to enjoy it.
For starters we had Fried Pickles. Yes, you read it right, Fried Pickles. They are thinly sliced cucumber pickles that are tossed in tempura-like batter then deep fried. This comes with ranch dressing and is surprisingly delectable. I loved it so much that I almost hesitated to share it with H and the kids.

H ordered hotdogs with slaw and onions with a side of fries. Honestly, I couldn't distinguish whats great about it; a hotdog is a hotdog to someone who doesn't truly enjoy processed food. One thing is certain though- its doesn't taste at all like 'tender,juicy' nor 'mighty meaty', it's more like NY's Sabrett.

I ordered chopped barbecue with hush puppies. Now this is more complicated, so lets start with the barbecue:
The barbecue is not at all like Aling Nene's. It tastes more like lechon minus the liver sauce. It is very tender, with a subtle hint of smokiness. I like it with the vinegar-based sauce.
The Hush Puppies are very interesting and yummy. I was told that in the earlier years, cooks would fry some of these and throw them at the dogs to keep them quiet and tame, hence the name hush puppies. Its like the fried cornmeal batter in corndogs, without the hotdogs. Pretty damn good.

In Manila, we do not normally make pies out of pumpkins so I made it a point to try 'em and thus started my love affair with pumpkin pies. Penguin's dessert of the day was a cheesecake version and it too, was very good. Very creamy but not heavy. The perfect dessert to wrap up a great meal.

Over all, the meal was worth the wait. Understandably, it has been featured at the Food Network as one of the best dining places. By and large, one outstanding lunch.

MrsA


'Freaking awesome' is how our eldest Luke would describe the food and I can only agree.