HOMEGROWN RESTAURANTS

By Jenny White

The Twin Counties may be home to several small towns and communities — but our local restaurant owners and operators think big when it comes to offering savory selections.

Whether you’re looking for a white tablecloth experience or a basket full of wings, the Twin Counties is home to some of the best dining experiences in the state.

Here’s a sampling of some of the area’s eateries, that are sure to get your taste buds humming.

Moe and D’s Restaurant Grill and Bar is located at 123 S. Church Street, connected to the Bel Air Artisan Center. Owned and operated by Nash County native and basketball great Moe Deloatch, Moe’s offers a menu full of some of the South’s staple meals like country-fried steak, fried fish and fried chicken. Locals love the chicken wings and creative cocktails. Meals are moderately priced and typically ready in a short amount of time.

Deloach shares the restaurant management duties with his family, who he says loves to cook. When he opened the restaurant in 2017 he said he was confident in the future of a downtown restaurant.

“I know basketball is going to come to an end one day,” Deloach said. “I want to put myself in a position to come home and have something to do, which is one of the things I thought about. My family loves to cook and this is what we decided to do. Being that downtown area is coming up, we want to help in the development of it.”

The 2,200-square-foot restaurant can seat 46 people and has a bar area in the rear. The restaurant is typically open for lunch and dinner, Monday through Saturday.

Also located downtown is The Prime Smokehouse. Since its opening in 2013, it’s drawn patrons from across the state to

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sample the Southern, upscale offerings from owners Ed Wiley and Yalem Kios and longtime business partner, Harold Worrell Jr. Wiley and Kios closed their north Raleigh restaurant to open up shop in the revitalized downtown area and have been a culinary gift to locals and visitors alike since they arrived. Wiley said he learned the best recipes from his father’s catering business while growing up and perfected them over the years with his own catering and restaurant businesses.

“My father fried the best chicken, made the ooziest baked macaroni and cheese, and collard greens and ham hocks to die for,” Wiley said on the restaurant’s website.

His father, who was from Texas, was known for his barbecue.

“The meat would slow-smoke and tease us for half a day before, in my father’s eyes, it had reached the perfect level of smokiness, tenderness and overall deliciousness,” Wiley said.

While the barbecue is the star of the show at Prime Smokehouse, equally worthy of top billing is the sweet potato pie, the macaroni and cheese and the always fresh collard greens.

Prime Smokehouse is located at 207 E. Thomas St.

If you’re over in Edgecombe county, looking for some culinary treats, make sure you stop at Abram’s. In North Carolina it’s the unofficial home of The Cheese Biscuit and Abrams has made many friends over the years with their down home southern cooking.

Gerald Abrams started the family cooking restaurant in 1974. Today the family business has ballooned to a giant catering and entertainment business, but the Abram’s restaurant has stayed true to its roots and concentrates on offering excellent fried chicken, ribs and barbecue.

With locations in Tarboro and Pinetops, we highly suggest you make sure to put one of Abram’s locations on your list — and try the cheese biscuit. It’s worth a trip, just for one.

Also located in Tarboro is On the Square, a small whitecloth table restaurant owned and operated by Tarboro couple Stephen and Inez Ribustello. The restaurant offers American cuisine and has an always changing seasonal menu that keeps up with the plentiful agricultural offerings from the area.

Inez grew up in Tarboro and returned in 2002 with her husband Stephen, after a stint living in New York city. They started a family and opened the restaurant in 2007. In addition to the locally sourced menu items, On the Square is also a favorite local spot for sushi. Inez is world-renowned for her wine sommelier skills. Rest assured, you’ll find the perfect wine pairing to go with your exquisite and delicious food. We recommend the panseared sea bass or the char-grilled ribeye.

The restaurant is located at 115 E. James Street in Tarboro.

With the burgeoning growth of the Rocky Mount Mills located on Fall Road, visitors and residents can find an ever-expanding array of restaurants to choose from, as well as frequent food truck visitors in the evenings.

Tap@1918 offers a pub-style eatery. Owner Lou Reda said Tap@1918 is meant to be a cool place people can hang out, drink a few beers, eat some burgers and watch sports on the big screen TVs.

“We want you to come here for a drink or cocktail — we have 20 beers on tap and then have some great food to eat.”

whether you’ re looking For a white taBleCloth experienCe or a Basket Full oF wings, the twin Counties is home to some oF the Best dining experienCes in the state.

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The 3,500-square-foot mill house where Tap@1918 is located features seating for 160 people with 56 seats on the porch and 30 on the outside patio.

Also located at the Rocky Mount Mills is Tipsy Tomato and its gourmet, freshly made pizzas via a wood-burning oven, and TBC West where you can get tacos and southwestern fare to go with your craft brews.

Angelo Carlone, owner and chef at Tipsy Tomato, said he loves the family-friendly atmosphere associated with the Rocky Mount Mills, as weekends are filled with people throughout the campus enjoying craft beer and engaging in other activities that the Mills hosts during the year.

“I feel like the community support here at the Mills is through the roof, and it’s only going to grow,” he said. “Eventually, you’re going to see out-of-town consumers come here, so that will allow me to have my product reach people that aren’t from here. That’s going to be a big deal to get my product out further, and definitely the Mills is on the verge of blowing up.”

Another great spot to enjoy a brew and a hamburger is Westridge Grill, located in the Westridge Shopping Center on Sunset Avenue. This family friendly restaurant and bar has a large outdoor patio, frequently features live music and has an expansive menu. Offerings range from hamburgers, gourmet salads, chicken salad sandwiches and homemade soups and desserts.

Westridge Shopping Center is also home to Mario’s Pizza, Pitstop Shoppe, which offers fast food and frozen yogurt, Subway, Gardner’s BBQ, Golden Wok and Honey Baked Ham.

Abrams

“Home of the Original Cheese Biscuit” Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAbrams Locations in Tarboro, Pinetops, Wilson,

Greenville, Ahoskie, Windsor, “Home of the Original Cheese Biscuit” and Scotland Neck. Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner

1610 Sunset Ave., Rocky Mount, NC 27804 Across from City Lake 252-446-7946

Since

Locations in Tarboro, Pinetops, Wilson, 1974

Greenville, Ahoskie, Windsor, and Scotland Neck. • In Ground Pool Construction • Above Ground Pools

• Spas • Accessories • Chemicals 609 W. Wilson St, Tarboro • Service & Equipment Installation • Expert Vinyl Liner Replacement

(252) 823-4522 www.swimworldpoolsnc.com

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