A Tale of Two Parties, Part II

Posted on March 6, 2011 by Val

Fig & Olive’s Opening Party

West Hollywood, California

The newly opened Fig and Olive in West Hollywood

The newly opened Fig and Olive in West Hollywood

Having escaped a hangover after having attending the 5th Anniversary party at Ford’s Filling Station in Culver City, I braced myself for what undoubtedly would become one of the culinary social events of the season – the opening party for Fig & Olive’s newest location in West Hollywood, California. Fig & Olive’s fete was held with all the pomp and glory of any other Hollywood premier, right down to the red carpet and velvet ropes at the entrance. The restaurant has four locations in the New York area, and the West Hollywood site is the start of an expansion that will undoubtedly be international. The area is spacious, with an indoor balcony/bar area; the main dining area is centered on a single olive tree framed by rosemary shrubs and one wall is completely populated with back-lit shelves of their signature olive oil. A small glassed-in private dining area also features some small olive trees, but no matter how hard I looked (and asked) there wasn’t a single fig tree to be found. For the third of three opening night events (featuring a southern French theme), the tables and chairs were removed from the main dining area to accommodate the teeming masses in attendance.

Piscine featuring fresh strawberries and sparkling wine

Piscine featuring fresh strawberries and sparkling wine

A group of VIP diners ate in the aquarium, while the mostly-media revelers noshed on hors d’oeuvres, with crostini being the medium of choice for the evening. This included crushed tomato with olive oil (which because of its orange-pink color was frequently mistaken for salmon); chopped bell pepper with ricotta cheese, fig paste with “special almonds” and blanketed by a triangle of Manchego cheese; prosciutto on a ricotta spread topped with a fig segment; a bresaola (which oddly tasted a little like fried bologna) with goat cheese and black olive; the ever-popular salmon with ricotta and cilantro; a tomato slice topped with charmoula sauce and a single boquerone (sardine); and a pile of crimini mushroom with artichoke, truffle and Parmesan. Several other tapas-sized food circulated including Lilliputian tubs of something simply referred to as “fish soup”, square micro-bowls of cucumber peppercorn soup, a zucchini carpaccio with pine nuts, and the bizarre citrus tilapia (yes, I said tilapia).

Founder Laurent Halasz introduces the mayor of Mougins, France

Founder Laurent Halasz introduces the mayor of Mougins, France

The music for the evening was provided by Fig & Olive’s resident DJ (Julien Nolan) who in keeping with the French theme also hails from southern France. Midway through the event, five young women stood on black platforms in the main area to show off fashion by Frédéric Fekkai salon of New York, although to many of the patrons they probably seemed like other partiers trying to get a better view of their surroundings. At one point, the music was cut and a group led by founder Laurent Halasz ascended the platform. Halasz introduced the evening’s special guests, including Mougins, France’s Mayor Richard Galy (easily identified by his tri-color sash); Executive Chef, Pascal Lorange; Chef Sebastien Chambru of Moulin de Mougins; and, Serges Gouloumes of Mas Candill (also from France). Despite a shushing of the crowd, the volume of conversation only diminished during the brief speeches.

The main dining area at Fig and Olive

The main dining area at Fig and Olive

The party kicked back in gear and the waitstaff circulated platters of a “dessert crostini” featuring Amarena cherries, mascarpone and pistachio on shortbread as well as what looked like little plastic cups of Jell-O pudding (I’m betting it wasn’t). Promptly at 9 PM, the free booze trickled to a halt and the staff began bringing the tables and chairs back in. The bars remained open for paying patrons, and one of the bartenders who reluctantly accepted the title of “mixologist” created several unique beverages, one of which started with 10 Cane Rum with the addition of a clove-infused syrup and drops of 18 year fig balsamic vinegar applied in drops with a straw. This drink along with another featuring a sweet citrus base and topped with cream tasted like liquid candy.

A desert crostini with cherries and mascarpone

A desert crostini with cherries and mascarpone

It was obvious that Fig & Olive pulled out the stops for their opening, but Angelenos who haven’t frequented their New York locations will still have to experience the cuisine for themselves. My only recommendation is that they get a fig tree so that they won’t eventually have to shorten their name to “Olive”. Oh, well, there are always the ficuses outside…

Fig and Olive
8490 Melrose Place
West Hollywood, CA 90069
GPS coordinates: 34°5’0.50″N 118°22’34.54″W

See images from the third night of the opening party for Fig & Olive in West Hollywood, California

NOTE: This cost for this event or meal was provided by the venue, restaurant, event coordinator or public relations firm. The content provided in this article was not influenced whatsoever by the organizer of the event

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A Tale of Two Parties, Part I

Posted on March 6, 2011 by Val

Ford’s Filling Station’s 5th Anniversary party

Culver City, California

The window at The Filling Station boasts its age

The window at The Filling Station boasts its age

You can mark off a pretty good week on the calendar when you’ve had the pleasure and the privilege to attend two extravaganzas several days apart as was the case this past week. Ford’s Filling Station in Culver City hosted a private party to celebrate 5 years as the premier purveyor of perfectly prepared pork; several days later Fig & Olive hosted a no expenses spared shindig for the opening of their newest location in West Hollywood, California. Both events featured signature cuisine, free-flowing spirits, music and the presence of the restaurants’ founders, but they couldn’t have been any more different from one another.

Chef and Ford’s Filling Station founder Ben Ford held his anniversary party on what would normally been a quiet Tuesday night in the heart of Culver City’s dining and entertainment area. The first thing to catch the eye approaching the premises was Ford’s portable smoker, its gull-wing door ajar to reveal its two passengers – a couple of whole, gutted hogs, deep red and crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. A basket of snouts and ears (accessories and not snacks, unfortunately) was available at the bar, the perfect accoutrements for making a pig of one’s self, both figuratively and literally. A power trio provided the joyful noise, with additional singers and musicians sitting in at various times.

The band rocks out at Fords anniversary party

The band rocks out at Fords anniversary party

Cocktails started immediately, and being the DD for the evening I stuck to a refreshing booze-free drink featuring orange juice, crushed blueberries, mint and sparkling water, but there was plenty to keep the revelers happy. Hors d’oeuvres were circulated liberally – these included dark Medjool dates wrapped in crispy, smoky bacon so that the date was broken down into a delightful sugary goop; crispy taquitos filled with the most flavorful brisket you can possibly get your head around; a variety of cheeses with accompanying walnuts and quince paste; and what looked like spicy cheese-laden squares that I unfortunately dropped before I was able to taste it. Ben made his rounds throughout the evening seeing to the needs and desires of the small but rowdy crowd – at one point he led me to the kitchen to try his Head Cheese 2.0. The last time I had it at Ford’s, the head cheese had a creamier consistency, and Ben lamented that he wanted to achieve a more traditional chewy, gelatinous suspension of porcine bits – he achieved that with flying colors. The thin slices had the perfect variety of textures and consistency and were nothing short of delicious.

Porky and Petunia are ready for eating

Porky and Petunia are ready for eating

The line formed to get heaping plates of Porky and Petunia, and I was lucky that my favorite parts were intact; I had the carver slice me off a generous hunk of pig cheek, complete with crispy skin and an eyeball thrown in for good measure. The pork was served on a cross between a roti and a tortilla, thick and bubbly and able to hold up to the moist pig flesh. The party lasted about three hours, but oh, what a party it was. I am grateful for having been able to attend and will undoubtedly remember it for a long time. I said it before, and I’ll say it again: Ben Ford is still the big cheese, the head honcho.

Ford’s Filling Station
9531 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232-2618
GPS coordinates: 34°1’23.41″N 118°23’43.16″W

GALLERY: See images from Ford’s Filling Station’s 5th Anniversary Party in Culver City, California

NOTE: This cost for this private event was provided by Ford’s Filling Station. The content provided in this article was not influenced whatsoever by Chef Ben Ford or any of the staff of The Filling Station.

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Executive Decision

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Val

Cooper’s BBQ, Llano, TX

Ben’s Chili Bowl, Washington, D.C.

Bens Chili Bowl and Coopers BBQ

Bens Chili Bowl and Coopers BBQ

Checking out a restaurant that has been visited by a U.S. President comes complete with a variety of risks, including whether the food lives up to the hype and if an hour-plus wait in line is worth it in the long run. Bill Clinton made it easy – the answer to both of those questions regarding his penchant for fast food is clearly “No”; however, two places where both of these referendum questions receive a unanimous “Yea” vote are Cooper’s Pit BBQ in Llano, Texas (just north of Austin) and Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington D.C. Both restaurants have been around for over half a century and have had their share of celebrity visits, and the legendary quality of the food has prompted long lines at both for decades. People will be arguing for decades who was a better president, George W. Bush or Barack Obama, but one thing is for certain – the clear winner is the diner who visits Cooper’s or Ben’s Chili Bowl.

Son of founder Ben Ali mans the grill

Son of founder Ben Ali mans the grill

We’ll start with Ben’s, a tiny restaurant with a diner atmosphere opened by Ben and Virginia Ali in August of 1958. The restaurant is on a stretch of U Street in Washington D.C. formerly known as “Black Broadway” because of its association with the musical and theater arts. Built next door to the Lincoln Theater, the restaurant has had numerous visits throughout the years from the likes of Miles Davis, Martin Luther King Jr. and Bill Cosby; it was one of the few buildings that escaped the fury of the 1968 riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Ben’s had experienced fluctuating popularity over the years but it was a visit from President Elect Barack Obama in January of 2009 that turned Ben’s into an international phenomenon. According to the staff at Ben’s, Obama arrived with Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty in tow, requiring the front doors to be locked with the patrons still inside. The newly elected president sat at one of the tiny tables and ordered a half-smoke (a spicy smoked sausage composed of half beef and half pork and then grilled) with chili.

Knocking back a half smoke with chili and cheese

Knocking back a half smoke with chili and cheese

On my visit (about two weeks afterwards) the line stretched out into the 20-degree cold and ran down to the end of the block. The man standing in front of me in line admitted that he was a frequent patron, and although he told me what Obama had eaten on his visit, I asked him what his recommendation was – apparently, he always orders the half-smoke with chili and cheese, which sounded pretty good to me. While Claudia waited in line to order I grabbed the first available table I could find, still littered with the previous diner’s refuse. The staff member who cleaned the mess up said to me, “You’re sitting at his table”, pointing to the Presidential Seal on the mirror behind me. I was not only sitting at his table, I was sitting in his seat, but I didn’t think he’d be popping in to kick me out any time soon. The sausage was delicious – hot and hearty, the grilled casing having just the right snap and the coarsely ground meat inside providing a nice chewy texture. The soft bun soaked up a considerable amount of the juices from the chili and the whole thing was a rich, glorious mess. Ben’s can be considered “doubly presidential” after having recently served France’s President Sarkozy and his family there.

A variety of meats straight from the pit

A variety of meats straight from the pit

Cooper’s Pit BBQ in Llano, Texas was actually the second restaurant to be opened by the Cooper family; George Cooper opened the original BBQ joint in 1953 in Mason, Texas (it is still opened, but no longer affiliated with what is becoming a chain). George’s son Tommy opened the second location in Lake Buchanan (which later moved Llano) and ran the place until his death in a hunting accident; at that time the business was sold to Terry Wooten, who had worked there as a teenager. Cooper’s had long been a word-of-mouth experience in Texas’ Hill Country – since the pits are fired up early in the morning, it’s not uncommon to find huge lines waiting outside for the lunchtime opening (when the meat is gone, it’s gone). George W. Bush frequented Cooper’s in Llano (the Spanish word for “plain” but pronounced locally as “Lan-O”) while he was governor of the Republic of Texas and photos from his frequent visits can still be seen on the wall (near the sign reading “Free BBQ Tomorrow”). In fact, W enjoyed the cuisine at Cooper’s so much that he had it flown to the White House (and hopefully he didn’t wipe his hands on the curtains in the Lincoln Bedroom).

That is one tasty pork chop

That is one tasty pork chop

After you claim a parking spot and head towards the line you’re hit with a wall of smoke coming off the pits. As you get up to the front, the grillmaster will open the top and you simply point to what you want amidst a gathering of brisket, sausages, ribs and pork chops the size of your head. You can get an optional dunk in the watery BBQ sauce before your choices are placed on butcher paper on a plastic tray and you are directed inside. The inside staff takes your order, weighs it, cuts it into manageable pieces and puts it back on the tray (you should probably ask for extra butcher paper “plates”). While you’re waiting in line you can choose your sides (the potato salad is firm and not heavily mayonnaise-laden, but the corn on the cob is generally overcooked) and get some of their freshly baked berry or peach cobbler for desert (an optimistic move to be sure). Jalapeno pinto beans are free and available in a large crock where you pick up your silverware; their vats of homemade sweet or unsweet tea provide a refreshing beverage to complement the meal. You need to be socially outgoing at Cooper’s since dining is communal-style at indoor picnic tables – each table is stocked with condiments, paper towels and the obligatory loaves of white bread. My personal favorite is their pork chop, a 3″ thick meat monstrosity that is juicy, smoke-permeated and packed with flavor.

Mail order half smokes grilled locally

Mail order half smokes grilled locally

Since their presidential visits, you can now have meat from both locations shipped anywhere in the U.S. via their websites. Ben’s Chili Bowl and Cooper’s Pit BBQ are two places where carnivores are the majority party; whether you are Democrat, Republican, Independent, or Bull Moose, when you visit either you’ll find yourself reaching across the aisle, if for no other reason to request a napkin.

Cooper’s Pit BBQ
604 West Young Street
Llano, TX 78643-1249
GPS Coordinates: 30°45’33.29″N 98°40’55.56″W

Ben’s Chili Bowl
1213 U Street NW
Washington D.C., DC 20009
GPS Coordinates: 38°55’1.61″N 77° 1’43.55″W

GALLERY: See images from Val’s visit to Cooper’s and Ben’s Chili Bowl

See a parody of Bill Clinton’s love of fast food from SNL

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A Date With Destiny

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Val

Riverside County Fair and Date Festival

Indio, California

The date with cheese and prosciutto with honey on crostini

The date with cheese and prosciutto with honey on crostini

The county fair has always been a place to bring a date, but at the Riverside County Fair you can eat them. The Riverside County Fair was once part of the triumvirate of local autumn fairs which included the Orange County and Los Angeles County Fairs, but since the fair is held in conjunction with the annual date festival it is now held in February to mark the end of date harvesting season. The fair and Date Festival have been held in the same location in Indio, California for over 65 years and is constantly expanding. The Coachella Valley region (and Indio in particular) has been one of the world’s major date producers since just after the turn of the 20th century, blossoming from a few date palms transplanted from Algeria. The climate is perfect for date growing; all that was needed was good irrigation (date palms drink a considerable amount of water) and once that was supplied the region became the largest date producer outside of the Middle East. The fair features your standard county fair attractions: vomit-inducing rides, fried foods and meat, livestock barns and a hall displaying gems and minerals, but it differs where it embraces a Middle Eastern and date theme. In a domed hall looking like a giant sound stage (and impossibly named the Taj Majal), dates of all varieties are on display, each type sealed by the grower and submitted for judging for awards. Glass cases show off baked goods made with dates and in the middle of the hall there is an area where cooking demonstrations are held featuring the sweet fruit.

A wide variety of locally grown dates

A wide variety of locally grown dates

On the day I attended, Executive Chef Brent Pollock of Jackalope Ranch in Indio, California demonstrated how to make date hors d’oeuvres with slightly grilled medjool dates sitting atop crostini with a camembert/gorgonzola blend, prosciutto and a drizzle of honey. The flavor was astounding with an explosion of textures and contrasts in sweetness and rich, smooth smokiness from the cheese and ham. The fair traditionally crowns a Queen Scheherazade (this year’s winner is Anna Acosta), who was present in the Taj Majal with her court of Princess Dunyazade (Haley Glass) and Princess Jasmine (Mylea Wilson) to hand out samples to an eagerly awaiting audience. The pageant takes place in the fall, when local girls compete for scholarships by presenting speeches in business attire, and correctly answering questions about date cultivation and harvesting as well as the history of the fair. Since the 1940s the fair has been held in the current location which is owned by the city; there is a small date palm grove on the grounds. Food is typical fair grub, with a few exceptions. One woman had a half Tostito bag filled with cucumbers, onions, chili, lime, Tostitos and Clamato – I’ve eaten some strange things at fairs but this had “Danger” written all over it. Although major date producers such as Shields Date Gardens and Oasis Date Gardens were present, the date options were unusually scarce. One person told us that one of the vendors was selling deep-fried dates, which turned out to be the infamous Chicken Charlie (purveyor of the deep-fried Twinkies and Krispy Kreme chicken sandwich at the Los Angeles County Fair). Unfortunately, Chicken Charlie was not attending the 2011 fair, but efforts are being made to bring him in next year. Neither Shields nor Oasis had date shakes, but Santa Rosa Date and Fruit Company featured date shakes made with date paste (as opposed to using the date crystals as is the case with Shields); it was less sweet and smoother than Shields’ with a strong date taste and easy to finish.

The camels go crazy

The camels go crazy

For years one of the big draws to the fair and date festival has been the camel races, but in recent years they have expanded to feature other animal races as well. The first race held is the ostrich races, with jockeys weighing less than 150 pounds mounting the gigantic birds and trying to get them out of the gate and once around the short track. The ostriches are also harnessed to chariots and guided with brooms, but in both cases they appeared to have a mind of their own and it is with luck that they finish the race at all. A new feature has several riders racing zebras, which are tame but also don’t appear to have any sense of urgency about completing the race. Three children are chosen from the audience with each getting to herd an Australian emu down the track for a prize (a free camel ride), and toddlers get to corral roosters a short distance over a finish line. The camels are the last to race, and if there’s a NASCAR or air show moment waiting to happen, it will most likely occur with the camels. None of the animals racing seemed to have a competing spirit, let alone any desire to go in any semblance of organization around the track – a few of the ostriches and camels ended up wandering around in the mud wallow at the end of the track.

A date shake from Santa Rosa Date and Fruit Company

A date shake from Santa Rosa Date and Fruit Company

After the races there is an opportunity to wander across the fairgrounds to an area where the kids can have pony rides, or more spectacularly $5 camel rides. Just in case you’re envisioning a dromedary barreling down the midway, the camels used for the rides are not racers, and they maintain a slow, steady pace two laps around a small grassy oval. I am not embarrassed to admit that I rode a camel, and was surprised that it was calm and safe. I asked the handler who was leading the camel if he had ever eaten camel meat and he confided that he did not, but would if it were available (I could think of several also-rans that would probably make a nice roast that would feed about 80 people after the race).

The Riverside County Fair in Indio, California

The Riverside County Fair in Indio, California

In comparison to the other big Southern California fairs (the Los Angeles and Orange County Fairs), the Riverside County Fair and Date Festival is considerably smaller, but when you consider the educational factor of learning about and tasting a wide variety of locally grown dates, slurping down a tall, thick, frosty date shake, attending cooking presentations and cheering on your favorite desert beast in the races, the Riverside County Fair makes for a fun day out. The February timeframe also guarantees you won’t roast in the sun like a Medjool. Don’t forget to bring a date, although you shouldn’t have a problem picking one up there.

Riverside County Fair and Date Festival
Riverside County Fairgrounds
82-503 Hwy 111
Indio, CA 92201
GPS coordinates: 33°42’46.94″N 116°13’16.15″W

GALLERY: See images from the 2010 Riverside County Fair and Date Festival in Indio, California

NOTE: Admission to the Riverside County Fair was provided by the event coordinator. The content provided in this article was not influenced whatsoever by the organizer of the event.

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Gringo Star

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Val

South of the Border

Hamer, South Carolina

Pedro looms over the site of the original beer stand

Pedro looms over the site of the original beer stand

Mention the phrase “South of the Border’ and thoughts turn to Mexican border towns catering to American tourists with local cuisine and cheap handmade crafts for sale. Hamer, South Carolina’s South of the Border is not one of these places. This sprawling faux-Mexican roadside attraction is over a square mile in size, but it is more akin to the Frito Bandito meets Wall Drug than a tip of the hat to towns such as Tijuana, Matamoras or Nuevo Laredo. South of the Border features 5 restaurants, 7 gift shops, a motor inn, a miniature golf course (with the tongue-in-cheek moniker of “The Golf of Mexico”), a sombrero-shaped observation tower, a kiddy amusement park and the largest collection of concrete critters (and stereotypical Mexican cartoon statues) this side of the South Dakota badlands. SOB (as a nearby water tower nicknames the city-within-a-city) wasn’t always the road trip stopover destination it is today – it has blossomed from its humble beginnings as a tiny beer stand (South of the Border Beer Depot). Alan Schafer opened the stand in 1949 to serve beer to citizens who crossed the North/South Carolina border from dry Robeson County to wet their whistles. At the time, the name simply indicated its location just south of the North Carolina border in Hamer. The stand became so popular that Schafer was able to add 20 motel rooms to the site in 1954 (giving patrons who had too much of good thing a place to crash rather than on the roads back north). With the Interstate System creation of I-95 in the 1950s, the stop became a regular place for drivers motoring between New York and Florida; the later addition of a grill heralded the name change to South of the Border Drive-In. It wasn’t until Schaefer began selling souvenirs brought back from a trip to Mexico that the Mexican theme originated. On one of these trips, he arranged for two boys to come back with him to work as bellboys in the hotel. As you would expect from the racially tolerant, culturally-understanding southerners of the 1950s, the two boys were given the names “Pedro” and “Pancho”, until at one point they were both simply called “Pedro”. People became so accustomed to the name Pedro that to this day, every employee of South of the Border is named Pedro. If it gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling, know that native Ben Bernanke (yes, the Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke) was a summer Pedro to earn money for college.

The hamburger looks like a larger version of my rented VW

The hamburger looks like a larger version of my rented VW

The Mexican caricature of Pedro has become so synonymous with SOB that billboards up and down I-95 through multiple states feature Pedro with ridiculous puns (think, “You never sausage a place”). If South of the Border is your destination, the hundreds of remaining billboards are there to constantly remind you how close you are. The kid’s cries of “Are we there yet?” are totally unnecessary – when you see Sombrero Tower looming for several miles in the distance, you’ll know you’re there. The tower (a late addition) features a glass elevator that for a paltry dollar will whisk you above the South Carolina countryside to a spectacular 360-degree view from the brim of the hat. Unfortunately the view from the Space Needle of the East is primarily comprised of fields and trees (this is, after all, Hamer, South Carolina and not New York City). The tower is described as anywhere from 165 to 200 feet tall; however the SOB brochure lists it at a dubious 300 feet tall. The base of the tower is housed in an arcade, the perfect place to get rid of those annoying coins laying about the floor of the family sedan. The Mexico Shop East and Sombrero Restaurant now occupy the site where the original beer stand stood; outside a 97-foot flat Pedro straddles the parking lot holding up a blackboard-looking South of the Border sign. The Mexico Shop East is one of many selling the same types of cheap Mexican souvenirs you’d expect to find in a real border town, except it is about the size of a small K-Mart.

One of the many concrete Pedros that populate SOB

One of the many concrete Pedros that populate SOB

To the left of the gift shop check-out counter is a neon portal to what can probably be called “Classic Gabacho Mexican Cuisine”, the themed Sombrero Restaurant. I carefully weighed my food options – I could have chosen Pedro’s Diner, the various burger, hot dog and ice cream stands, or the Peddler Steakhouse, but I decided to go with the Mexican theme and patronize the Sombrero. Vinyl cowhide booths under adobe arches are lit by Tiffany-style swag lamps that look like they’d be more at home at a TGI Fridays, and the most polite (Anglo) wait staff are attentive to all your fake Mexican needs. I went with the enchilada plate (mixing beef and chicken) that featured sides of rice and refried beans and tortilla chips that were undoubtedly out of a bag. How was the food, you ask? Well, it didn’t suck, and oddly I mean that as a compliment. The food was a far cry better than the infamous Mexican food impostor, Taco Bell, but it was somewhat lacking in spice. The enchiladas were firm and the meat tasted fresh (it wasn’t the goopy Tex-Mex disaster I feared); the shredded iceberg lettuce and diced tomato strewn about the top weren’t mushy or wilted. The beans were somewhat dry, but not like they were hours old, and the rice was as white as it’s origin. I asked for a bottle of Tabasco just to add some kick to it, and imagined that the food is geared towards busloads of elderly tourists on their way to West Palm Beach or Atlantic City. The waitress confided that since Shafer died of leukemia in July of 2001, his sons have “cut corners” resulting in a decline in quality but the grounds seemed kept up well and the concrete denizens appeared to all be sporting fresh paint (for some strange reason, the gorilla had a painted-on shirt, but no pants).

Bland but decent fake Mexican food

Bland but decent fake Mexican food

As Rednexican as this kitsch Disneyland is, you have no excuse for not stopping to take in the rambling park that looks like something out of a Tim Burton daydream, as SOB is open 365 days a year. It is a convenient time-killer on that snowbird trek down the eastern seaboard, located almost exactly halfway between New York and Florida. You could even make it an overnight stop, and if the romance and charm get to you, consider taking advantage of SOB’s wedding package that will get you hitched and provide you with the honeymoon suite and a free breakfast before continuing on your journey to see the world’s largest bowling pin. In these days of nationalism, it’s nice to know that you can travel freely south of a border that never closes and that the only papers you’ll need are roadmaps.

South of the Border
3346 Highway 301 North
Hamer, SC 29547
GPS Coordinates: 34°29’53.59″N 79°18’31.99″W

GALLERY: See images from Val’s visit to South of The Border, Hamer SC

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