John Wayne’s Barbecue, Lexington, NC

I had heard that John Wayne’s is known around town for its sides. It was a tough decision, but green peas, which turned out to be brown, called out to us, as did the potato cake, which was described as mashed potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, mashed into a flat disk and fried. That’s pretty much exactly what it tasted like. Good enough.

We went with the coarse chopped barbecue—chunks sitting in a sweet, tasty sauce that probably would have been too sweet for minced. Charles and Jeremy were looking for more fat in the chunks, but I was happy not to see too much of it. Hush puppies tasted like donuts, which is always a good thing.

I fell into a fit of giggles upon tasting the sweet tea—possibly twice as sweet as its nearest competitor—and switched to water.

We’re off for a walk now. I want to hit two more places before heading home, but the boys might not be up for it.