Thanks, Jan. I'd said that "we are pretty adventurous and like all kinds of cuisines" in an attempt to specify that we're open to just about anything.

We love sushi, Italian, Mexican, Latin, Chinese, Thai, French and anything in between. Additionally, would be open to trying something completely new.

We are going to be visiting SD for the first time in mid-October for a conference. For a few nights, we'll be staying at the Hilton Bayfront. Any recs for spots nearby that are your favorites? We are pretty adventurous and like all kinds of cuisines, and love anything from upscale to a total dive, as long as the food is special. We will have a car.
The second part of my question is: we will likely add a few days to our trip & can't decide if we should stay in town, or venture out to another area. Are there any surrounding areas (and we don't mind driving up to an hour or even two) that are fun, walkable foodie towns? Thanks in advance for your guidance. I have no shame - I plan every trip around food, so I like to start planning early. ;-)

That sounds WONDERFUL. :)

+1 for (SR) White Lily flour; i think it makes the best bicuits. Also, House Autry Self Rising Cornmeal mix makes great cornbread. Anson Mills has some good stuff too; including grits. http://ansonmills.com/
Best of luck on your move! :)

Green Valley Grill might fit the bill. We've eaten there several times & have always had an enjoyable meal with great service too. http://www.greenvalleygrill.com

...will be traveling through/near Bennettsville, Marion, Conway. Are there any notable places near that route (don't mind veering off course) that would be good for lunch?

A big NAY to the TJ's "Apple Turnovers". Absolutely not one bit of discernible apple; barely any apple taste. All dough. I'm a pie crust lovin' kinda girl, but I this case that was all there was. Maybe I got an "off" batch? Very disappointing.

I had a 9 qt French oven that, after 10+ years of use developed some damage to the bottom after I accidentally burned a dish. I wasn't sure if I'd caused the problem or not when I tried to clean it. The bottom of the pot was rough & the iron appeared to be peeking through. I wasn't sure if I'd somehow caused this, but emailed anyway to see what they had to say, which, was to return the pot for them to evaluate. I got the required RA number and returned it for their inspection. With no questions asked they returned a brand new one in my choice of color (which they ask you to provide your choice of color when you send your existing one in for evaluation. If they can accommodate, they will) They even included the metal oven proof knob for the lid - which I didn't have before....

As Chemicalkinetics says, this is the standard LC response. I had a 9 qt French oven that, after 10+ years of use developed some damage to the bottom after I accidentally burned a dish. I wasn't sure if I'd caused the problem or not when I tried to clean it - but emailed anyway to see what they had to say, which, was the same reply you got. I got the required RA number and returned it for their inspection. With no questions asked they returned a brand new one in my choice of color (which they ask you to provide your choice of color when you send your existing one in for evaluation. If they can accommodate, they will) They even included the metal oven proof knob for the lid - which I didn't have before.. So I must defend their customer service. It was one of the better customer service experiences I've had of late. There aren't many things I can think of that you can return after 10+ years of use for a brand new product.

Meatn3 - if you don't mind sharing... What's the other forum you follow? I'd love to add it to my list of resources! :)

Anyone wondering about Asheville & what's cookin' at Thanksgiving? Here's a link I just came across that may be helpful to you: http://www.romanticasheville.com/than...

Thanksgiving is usually at our house, however due to unforeseen circumstances, my husband and I are now on our own for the holiday. Any suggestions on places (anywhere) in NC where we might go - maybe even stay a night - for a great meal? Currently looking into the O.Henry, but wanted to request fellow Chowhounders' input. Thanks in advance!

One thing I noticed when reading about this topic; apparently there is rendered and non-rendered leaf lard. If you're looking for rendered, you may want to ask first, just to make sure.

I agree! I'd make a trip just to visit! :)

It looks like you can order leaf lard via this site in Western NC: http://www.rockhousefarm.info
Click the "order now" and on the right, there's a list of best sellers (leaf lard being close to the top!). This was a new one for me, thanks for sharing!

Yes, I'm NC born 'n bred so I know it's rather large. I didn't specify an area because I travel quite a bit and am always willing to drive for good food, whatever the cuisine may be. :)

Where might one find authentic fish and chips in North Carolina? I've lived in England and Scotland and am dreaming of the best...
Thank you in advance, y'all! :)

The dinner highlight of our trip last year was the Kill Devil Grill. Wonderful food. http://www.thekilldevilgrill.com/

Thanks for all of the input! Anyone else have suggestions?

Thanks, y'all! I'm NC born & bred too - actually grew up near the southeastern coast. With that said, it has been quite a while since I've been to Holden Beach.:) I have read about how charming Southport is - haven't been there recently either. Thank you all for the suggestions - whether you're "losing it" or not - I'll fit right in :)

Hi Chowhoundies,
Looking around, there doesn't seem to be much of anything here on CH about Holden Beach with regard to places to eat. We're going down that way in a few weeks & so I wanted to ask you all what your favorite places are. Doesn't have to be in Holden Beach - we'll be down there for a little over a week & will likely go to Wilmington one day, and who knows where else for day trips. And, we'll eat just about anything - not looking (necessarily) for anything upscale, although we may go out to a "nice" dinner once or twice while there. Just looking for good, local food.
Thank you very much!
Amy

Awwww no! I hate to hear about Beefmastor's sad decline. I lived in Wilson in the mid-90's and it was fabulous - although my hoity toity manager at the time (who considered himself 'better than' since he lived in Raleigh) always grimaced when it was suggested for a corporate dinner - "... oh, Beefmastor? The place where you can get a ribeye, ...or, a ribeye... or a RIBEYE?" Snob. ;)

Has anyone tried Emma Key's Flat Top Grill in Greensboro? http://www.emmakey.com/ It's rated well on Urbanspoon & Yelp... We tried Fincastle's a while back, and it was pretty good - I didn't ask if they would prepare it medium/medium rare because, well, I'm so used to not being able to get it that way in NC. May be worth it to ask.

Jim :) No need to apologize, none at all. I'm just sorry it wouldn't work for your crab cakes. :) Thanks for calling to find out the story!

Ugh. That would be so disappointing. I didn't get a chance to call them either. However I meant to say in my earlier post - Tara Foreman is the owner. Apparently it is a family-run business. They do seafood packing & also (I think) have a restaurant on site.

I hope someone can recommend a hidden gem that I haven't found yet. The best burger I've had since moving to the High Point area is at the Corner Grill (Lexington Ave, HPt). Basic place, but the burger was pretty good.

Hi DixieGal, I have a 6.75 qt in white - and it isn't gradient, but solid white. As a side note, I got it as a replacement for one that I had that was called "flame" which *was* gradient; reddish/orange. I'd had it for several years when something happened to the bottom (inside) of the pot; the enamel became damaged. I emailed Le Creuset, they asked that I box it & send it to them for an evaluation; and that if they determined it wasn't caused by my negligence, they would replace it. I also was asked include a note with a few colors that I would prefer for the replacement. In a couple of weeks, my new pot arrived - in white - , no questions asked! Great customer service :)

Please update us with your findings! It is strange that it doesn't have "product of" listed on the container. It's certainly possible that they're processing foreign crab, but gosh... I really hope that's not the case. NC has such great seafood (yes, I'm biased)... I would hope that businesses could rely on locally souced products to be profitable, but I know that's probably not possible nowadays :) I tried to find contact info to email them, but wasn't successful. However, I did find a phone number: 252-796-0795.

I can't say that I've seen this particular product in our Costco, but I can tell you that I grew up in eastern North Carolina & Columbia is *very* close to the coast, and North Carolina is a primary producer of blue crabs - along with, of course, Maryland, South Carolina, Louisiana, etc... I wouldn't assume it's Asian in this case.

Saliba is still there & is so welcoming and helpful! Love JM!