RJ Rocker’s Microbrewery …Spartanburg, SC

We had one last night in Spartanburg, SC and one place we hadn’t visited was the RJ Rocker’s microbrewery in the downtown area at 226-A West Main street. We knew that on Thursday’s they had their “Tour and Taste Thursday”. So tonight from 5-7 pm we knew where we were going to be… at the Brewery. Tours and Tastings were $5 and included a pint glass souvenir.

So with the threat of a severe thunderstorm warning looming over us we headed out to the downtown area and got to the brewery right when the rain began to fall. It looked pretty dark northwest of us and it was headed our way. We decided it was probably safer in the brewery than in the motorhome under these circumstances.

There was about a dozen other people milling around when we got there. The building in a nice sized building with lots of windows and all the stainless steel vats were shining. We bought our $5.00 pass which included a pint glass with 4 “beer” tickets. We could exchange one ticket for one taste of beer in our glass. You would get anywhere from a 4 oz to 10 oz pour… depending on who poured it as it seemed.

We tasted five different beers and our two favorites were Son of a Peach and the Fish Paralyzer. The description of these two beers from their website are:

SON OF A PEACH
An unfiltered American wheat ale made with real mean peaches. The only thing missing is the fuzz. Savor the anger. Available during the late Spring and Summer months. 
6.0% abv

FISH PARALYZER
BELGIAN-STYLE PALE ALE
Fish Paralyzer is a Belgian-style pale ale that is moderately hopped with Tradition and Saaz.  The grain bill calls for a combination of specialty malt to produce its sweetness and copper color. The Belgian Ale yeast used provides a strong Belgian essence to Phenolic and spicy flavors and aromas
7.5% abv

The Fish Paralyzer was my favorite with the taste of a nice pale ale with some pizazz… The Son of a Peach was my brides favorite and I too admit this is a real nice fruity pale ale worthy of a summer toast while barbequing over a hot grill.

While the wind was howling, thunder booming, and pea sized hail pounding the tin roof we chatted with some of the locals and enjoyed our samples of beer and we were glad we were not in the park in the RV under these ominous skies. We had a good (but short) tour along with some very good beers… and all for five dollars each!! Heyduke says check it out…

Gothic styled church… Spartanburg, SC

                         

Now as I mentioned in my other blog On the Road of Retirement I am a spiritual man but not a regular Sunday go-to-church worshiper. But we saw this church several times as we were driving through Spartanburg and never stopped at it until we passed right by it one day. As I said in my other blog if we had found it sooner we may have had to visit it on a Sunday to better see the inside of it and to hear the messages were being delivered. The structure itself doesn’t immediately remind one of a church with its gothic towers that are more castle like than church like.

   

However, once you start walking the grounds you get the sense that this is indeed a religious property. The church, as with many here in the deep south, has many families  buried right on the property. In Texas this is pretty rare but here in the southeast I have witnessed this on many occasions.

 

You really need to walk around this church and look at the many grave markers to get a feel of what times were like in the 1800’s. Many youngsters and babies never made it to adulthood since medicine was either not readily available nor had been developed at that time. We even found one grave marker with a person that was born in the late 1700’s… and lived a full life of 81 years!

                           

Also one with the captions that read:

Captain in the first Florida infantry USA… during the first two years of the Confederate War. Wounded at Shiloh and taken prisoner In 1863 made full surgeon in the Confederate  Army. Remained in service until the surrender…”

He was born in 1833 and died in 1900. Wow! What these two individuals saw during their lifetimes is unfathomable! We found this church and the adjoining cemetery very fascinating and as a result this became another Road Treat… so when in the area… Heyduke says check it out…

Tuna smothered in zesty mushroom sauce…Recipe

       

I have a dish that I made in the sticks and bricks house that was so good it had to follow me on the road… So I have made it a few times and although it is a bit more of a task it is still very doable especially now that we are slowly accruing the toys we need to live this lifestyle as a life and not as part time attendees.

So I put a picture up on my other blog and had a few people ask about the recipe so here it is as best as I can provide it… you see I don’t measure anything and I wing it at times so the ingredients may change. But we had just recently purchase a new Coleman outdoor grill and the bride said let’s grill tuna so I got the camera and took some pictures and thought I would provide the recipe here on Road Treats. After all this is truly a road treat for us. So as a result I will include recipes on road treats as they fit the true meaning of what I meant this site to be… So here it is…

      

The main starting ingredients (see top two pictures) require you to slice very thinly some onion (I prefer purple, but any will do), slice jalapeno very thinly, yellow pepper very thinly, and some mushrooms (crimini or white will do) and chop a large garlic clove. Sauté these ingredients in some butter (1-2 tablespoons) until soft. I usually add all the ingredients except the mushrooms and garlic and sauté for a few minutes before adding them (see pictures above). As these items soften it is time to deglaze with some white wine… simmer a bit to remove the alcohol and then add the heavy cream till you have a good sauce to simmer down (see before and after pictures below).

      

Then while this is on low get your tuna steaks and add some sea salt and coarse black pepper on each side. Slap these babies on the grill at the same time you put on some fresh asparagus that has been sprayed with Pam and salted and peppered similarly.

Cook the tuna for a few minutes while stirring the sauce to reduce it. Flip the tuna steaks and add some thinly sliced lemon till they are done. The asparagus should be done about the same time as the tuna. Let them sit until the sauce is pretty thick. Then squeeze some fresh lemon in the sauce and give it a stir before ladling a heaping spoonful atop the tuna steaks… place the asparagus along the side and you have a road treat… compliments of Heyduke…

Give it a try and you will like it… if you really need more details let me know…

                 

Kenny’s Country Restaurant–Pinebluff, NC

We were getting propane from a local dealer in Aberdeen, NC when my darling bride struck up a conversation with one of the local ladies who was on break. Well the result of that conversation was that she said we just had to go try out Kenny’s Country Restaurant in Pinebluff, NC. So a few days later we had a craving for a good old fashioned hamburger so we googled  Kenny’s and headed over to the town of Pinebluff, NC.

       Kenny’s is located at 110 N Walnut St, Pinebluff, NC, Coordinates to plug into your GPS are 35.0982 -79.4782. The place itself is an unassuming little country diner along the main road going through Pinebluff. Nothing would make you want to stop there except the parking lot is stuffed with cars… always a great sign. The first time we stopped in was for a to go order of one of their specials. We had decided we were hungry for a burger and thought we would split one for lunch. Instead of a regular burger we ordered one of the daily specials – a cheese steak hoagie. That sucker was way more than both of us could eat and it was smothered in grilled onions and mushrooms convincing  us we had found another road treat.

                                  

What makes this place even better are the people who work there. You can tell they love their jobs and have all the important facets of providing great customer service covered. We stopped by one more time for breakfast before we departed the area and all I can say is look at the picture of this omelet… can you say give a little hash browns with my small omelet… Yum Yum!!!

So I said there appeared to be no reason to stop there but let me tell you there are many reasons… the food, the service, the hospitality, and you just have to stop by and chat with the cook and the hard working and efficient waitress… Heyduke says check it out!!!

Papa’s Breakfast Nook–Spartenburg SC

Spartanburg, South Carolina is home to a wonderful breakfast spot called Papa’s Breakfast Nook. Since we were in town we headed over there for breakfast which turned out to be a road treat.

This place isn’t just for breakfast either as it is open 24 hours. We dined here early one morning and were treated to an inexpensive and scrumptious breakfast. The is just a typical old style diner that has a flat grill that is visible from the dining room where you can watch the cooks make your trashcan omelets for breakfast or your Spartenburgers for lunch.

The place stays crowded with locals and was especially crowded the morning we were there on Easter Sunday. All I can say is the home fries are to die for and you won’t leave hungry.  Heyduke says you have to try the road treat when in the area....

     

Railhouse Brewery–Aberdeen NC…

What a treat we found in the small town of Aberdeen, North Carolina. While checking out the small towns of Aberdeen and Southern Pines or while visiting the more upscale area of Pinehurst you need to make time to stop by the little brewery by the tracks. The day we visited they had four crafted beers on tap: A Pale Ale, Honey Wheat, Brown Ale, and a newly made Oatmeal Stout. We tried three of them and each was really good in its own unique way.

The Pale Ale is hoppy, citrus flavored and lightly sweet with just the right amount of malt added to balance the flavor. The Honey Wheat had a sweet honey aroma with some yeast present and was not as sweet as I thought it would be but it was still too sweet for my liking but the wife liked it a lot… she had a few of them to make sure. The Oatmeal Stout is deep brown in color with a light sweetness and a rich earthy taste, by far and away my favorite of the three we tried.

You can find this Road Treat at 105 E. South Street in Aberdeen. The Railhouse Brewery offers wonderful hand crafted beers which can be found in several of the local taverns and pubs in the surrounding area. They will also sell you growlers (large jugs with metal handles which can be filled and refilled for a nominal fee), kegs, and clothing at the brewery. 

 

We happened to stop by on open mike night and was treated to some really nice music by some local musicians. We also got to hear one of the locals sing several songs and she had a wonderful booming voice and could easily make a living doing gigs somewhere.

Stop by some evening and you never know who may be playing there. On another night we were treated to the lyrics of singer/songwriter Jeremy Gilchrist and to borrow a quote from his reverb nation site “His music is rich with emotion, and threaded with meaning, often woven into numerous layers. This was good – almost as good as my Railhouse Oatmeal Stout. Stop by on Thursdays for open mike night and more importantly stop by for a sample or purchase a glass of your favorite crafted Railhouse beer for $3.00 (now that’s a treat!) and belly up to the makeshift bar and chat with a local from the nearby plant, play a game of pool on the free table, or get in on a game of “corn hole”…What ever you do don’t miss this Road Treat!

Thirsty Monk Pub… a place for the beer snob… ;)

The place is Asheville, NC which is a mountain town in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. The town is not much unlike those in the mountains of Colorado filled with young outdoors oriented intellectuals pursuing the American dream. We were in Asheville on a cold spring day on our way to Nashville, TN. After stopping in Asheville we were walking around the downtown area and we came across the Thirsty Monk Pub.

Now I have a weak spot for pubs so we walked and checked it out. You will find quite a selection of many locally crafted brews at this nice little no-frills pub. Not only will you find a wide assortment of craftsman beers you will find an eclectic group of locals who claim to be beer connoisseurs. You can watch them get a “flight of beer” (six glasses of 3-6 oz. of six different beers) and then they will sniff them, inhaling deeply, sip them and then swish the beer around much like the wine snobs do…

They claim to be the beer city of the USA but they are actually tied with Portland, Oregon for the title. I will admit however they have quite the assortment of craft beers on tap. Two beers I can recommend are the Green Man IPA (6.2% alcohol and quite tasty) and a Craggy Toubab Brew (a Bavarian style Zwickel beer at 4.2%) which was very mellow in flavor.

The following quote from an article in Xmountain Xpress… “Asheville’s craft-beer scene dates back to 1994, when Highland Brewing Co. set up shop in downtown Asheville. Since then, Asheville Pizza & Brewing, French Broad Brewing, Green Man Ales, Pisgah Brewing and Wedge Brewing have followed suit.” Besides these there is also the OysterHouse Brewery and two fairly new breweries - Craggie Brewing and Lexington Avenue Brewing.

If you are a “beer snob” or just like a well crafted beer then this is a Road Treat for you…