Cook Out North Carolina
David and I landed in North Carolina on Saturday afternoon and the first thing on my mind was Cook Out. Cook Out has the absolute best pulled pork sandwich I’ve ever had (trust me, I’ve had quite a few) and the “restaurant” is conveniently located close to my house, so every time I come home, I have to go at least twice. In terms of fast food restaurants, it’s probably one of my favorite places to go, next to In-N-Out. Cook Out isn’t really a restaurant – it just has 2 drive-thru windows and a walk-up window:
The prices are also ridiculous – I mean, you get a full plate AND a drink for about $5. They also have Cheerwine, which is something I’ve only found in the South, but is a cherry flavored soda that’s pretty tasty. A full plate is a pulled pork sandwich and TWO sides – the sides aren’t great, but the pulled pork sandwich is so amazing that you don’t even remember to eat your sides. I usually order a pulled pork sandwich with fries and a corndog or chicken nuggets:
Cook Out features North Carolina style barbeque, which I think is the best, and the pulled pork sandwich is topped with an amazing coleslaw; the coleslaw is a basic cabbage and light mayonnaise mixture that really adds a wonderful touch to the sandwich. It is seriously the best sandwich EVER.
They also have great flame-grilled burgers:
Last time Chris came to visit, we went to Cook Out because I told him how amazing it was and after he tasted the pulled pork sandwich, we ended up going two more times before we flew back to New York. Cook Out is really an amazing little shack, especially because they make 36 different kinds of milkshakes (they have their own wikipedia entry). My favorite shake is the banana pineapple mixture (next to the strawberry banana shake):
They use fresh bananas and canned pineapples (which I’m usually not a fan of) but the ice cream semi-freezes the pineapple chunks, which makes the shake unbelievably good. They also have seasonal flavors, like watermelon in August and egg nog in December. The fruit flavors are better than the candy mixes because the candy chunks are still kind of large and you end up eating the shake with a spoon instead of drinking it with a straw, but all of the shakes are pretty amazing.
Cook Out is also open really late, so if you’re ever craving a milkshake or a pulled pork sandwich around midnight, you don’t have to go to bed hungry!
Reader Comments
I so agree with you about the Cook Out! My daughter lives in St Paul’s and used to live in Fayetteville. That is when I discovered the Cook Out! I have been telling folks for years about their barbeque being the best in all the land. I now go at least once every time I go south, feel awful if I miss it!
I so agree with you about the Cook Out! My daughter lives in St Paul’s and used to live in Fayetteville. That is when I discovered the Cook Out! I have been telling folks for years about their barbeque being the best in all the land. I now go at least once every time I go south, feel awful if I miss it!
I disagree with your comment that this is not really a restaurant.
res·tau·rant (rstr-nt, -t-ränt)
n.
A place where meals are served to the public.
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[French, restorative soup, restaurant, from present participle of restaurer, to restore, from Old French restorer; see restore.]
ALSO
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: restaurant
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Establishment where refreshments or meals are served to paying guests. Though inns and taverns served simple fare to travelers for centuries, the first modern restaurant where guests could order from a varied menu is thought to have belonged to A. Boulanger, a soup vendor who opened his business in Paris in 1765. The sign above his door advertised restoratives, or restaurants, referring to his soups and broths. By 1804 Paris had more than 500 restaurants, and France soon became internationally famous for its cuisine. Other European restaurants include the Italian trattorie, taverns featuring local specialties; the German Weinstuben, informal restaurants with a large wine selection; the Spanish tapas bars, which serve a wide variety of appetizers; and the public houses of England. Asian restaurants include the Japanese sushi bars and teahouses serving formal Kaiseki cuisine as well as the noodle shops of China. Most U.S. restaurant innovations have revolved around speed. The cafeteria originated in San Francisco during the 1849 gold rush; cafeterias feature self-service and offer a variety of foods displayed on counters. The U.S. also pioneered fast-food restaurants such as White Castle (founded 1921) and McDonald’s (see Ray Kroc), usually operated as chains and offering limited menus.