The Dive-N

Laura, Hayden, and I decided to jump in the car and head up to Pineville for some good eats and to take the little guy up to Monkey Joe's. Due to its proximity to the fun place with Hayden, we decided to go to this place called The Dive-N. With a name like that and the size of the place, we kind of knew what we were in for when we walked in through the door. We were actually really impressed with the atmosphere of the place. The staff was very inviting and eager to help us as soon a we walked in and were very pleasant. The menu was posted on a blackboard and a bit hard to read because it was a little cluttered, but I can live with that. The place has the word DIVE in it. Which means meals in a basket with cheap paper or styrofoam cups. I instantly see one of my go to sandwiches on the board. A pimento cheeseburger. If anyone truly knows me, I am actually a very picky eater despite my size. I like fresh ingredients, with great service. Good sweet tea is another must to win me over. I was impressed on all levels by this place. Fantastic food, great sweet tea, good atmosphere, clean, good staff, nice people = great experience. The pimento cheese was rich, sharp, and creamy. It made the burger ooze with decadence. The fries were just simple crinkle cut fries that could have definitely used some seasoning. That was the only thing that kept me from truly loving this place enough to give it more than a 3.5 out of 5. The Dive-In is located on Polk, not far from the intersection with Pineville-Matthews Rd. Definite recommendation for a good lunch.

The Yolk

For the past few weeks, my wife Laura and I had been hearing of this place over on Mt. Gallant Rd called The Yolk. Owner Greg Collier came up with the idea for this place obviously out of the warmest place of his soul. It's breakfast food on southern heroin. The sheer wonderment of the flavors he builds with simple recipes is something to behold. I had a classic combination of chicken and waffles and Laura had a simple cheddar cheese omelet with Tennessee home fries. We also split an order of good old South Carolina ground hambone grits that would make you swear out your Momma. Hayden had something even more normal than that. Pancakes. It wasn't the simple recipes that got me though. It was the love that this man put into the food. All the ingredients he uses are local and fresh. No artificial mess, no fillers, no processed junk. Just fresh stuff being cooked right and cooked southern style. First of all, the waffle. Let me preempt this with the word euphoria. It was a perfectly cooked buttermilk pecan waffle with real maple syrup. No Waffle House imitation syrup here. With home whipped butter, so light and airy, that it was an explosion of happy on my taste buds. Then the three chicken wings. Seasoned with with I don't know what you would call it but it made this chicken taste like a happy dream. And let me go back to the grits. Creamy, buttery, ham jus kissed love in a bowl that would make any redneck shed a man tear in bliss. The Yolk is one place I will visit regularly as I can given that I'm on a very tight budget. The prices are a little bit higher than your typical diner fare. But then again, I don't mind paying a little more for the quality of food. I'd give this place a good 4.5 out of 5. I wish that he would include Eggs Benedict on a daily basis though. Absolutely fantastic food. It's located on Mt Gallant Rd right beside Carswell bakery. Mad props for the chef and owner Greg Collier for the best breakfast I've had in a very long time.