Way up in Harlem, there's a restaurant called Sylvia's. It's famous for its soul food, and one dish that gets mentioned often is Sylvia's smothered chicken. Now, I have eaten that chicken, and I have sung its praises. That was one tasty bird, and Sylvia's deserves its fame. Go eat there some time.
But maybe you just can't get up to the Rotten Apple any time soon. Maybe the whole length and breadth of Yankeeland gives you the hives. Maybe you just want to stay right here in North Carolina and have yourself some delicious soul food. If so, then Dips is the place to go.
Fact is, the fried chicken smothered in gravy at Dip's beats the pants off Sylvia's. No joke! The chicken is fried just right: light and crispy on the outside, tender and juicy where it counts. And the gravy? Whoo-whee! The gravy turns fried chicken perfection into pure poultry nirvana.
But wait, there's more. Dip's is locally famous for their side dishes, particularly their greens and cassaroles. Even my vegetarian friends (yes, even I have a few of those, poor misguided souls that they are) find bliss at Dip's, because the vegetables cooked properly--with pork, that is--are clearly marked on the menu; the veggies can stear straight for the fried okra and butter beans without veering into the evil, nasty world of the flesh-eating ghouls.
Yes, I know, you're waiting to hear about the barbecue. Unfortunately, it
doesn't come close to the rest of the tasty stuff on the Dip's menu, even
though they sell the sauce separately and have a banner on their window
advertising their worship of the great god, Porku-Porku. Fact is, I
haven't eaten it there in ages, because I was disappointed one too many
times, but fellow Shinola rockstar Alec Vance has, so I'm going to hand
over the most important part of the review to him. Alec? --The Mayor
Here's where my true slackerness shines. It's been so long since I updated the site that I can't honestly remember any of the qualities of DIp's Barbeque other than I gave two pigs by virtue of the fact I was neither impressed nor disappointed in either the 'cue or the sides.
The atmosphere is homey and rustic without being
schmaltzy redneck. (If it was more so, the Mayor of Honky-Tonk would probably eat there all the
time.) The service was very friendly, if a bit slow compared to the usually incredible speed in
which you get served at most joints. Other people I know say they have had bad experiences
there, but we were given God's blessings several times over, whether we wanted them or
not. I'll go back soon and write a real review, I swear.--Alec