Mama Dip's

In my previous post I discussed the food styling class I attended in North Carolina. Prior to leaving for North Carolina, I decided to go onto the Food TV Network web site, and check out if there were any restaurants any of their TV chefs had visited in the Durham area. I was in luck! Rachel Ray had visited four restaurants in the Durham/Chapel Hill area. My second evening in Durham, I decided to take a drive over to Chapel Hill and shop for a bit at the South Pointe Mall. A trip into Barnes and Noble would find me purchasing the cookbook of one of the restaurants Rachel had visited -- Mama Dip's. During checkout, I talked about Mama Dip's with the clerk, and she advised me to make sure I took a trip to the restaurant. So being the adventurer that I am, I decided to find Mama Dip's no matter what it took. About one hour later, and a tour through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I would finally find Mama Dip's Restaurant!

Although I like to adventure, I do not like eating alone, but I did so. Am I ever happy I overcame my dislike of eating alone. The restaurant looks like one of the original homes from the area restructured into a restaurant. There is a wrap around porch filled with old rocking chairs. As I walked in the doors of the restaurant, there sat an African-American woman -- IT WAS MAMA DIP! Surprisingly, I did not run over to her, introduce myself, and ask for an autograph in her cookbook I purchased, but I regret that I did not to this day. The waiter sat me in a small booth, which I later found out is Mama Dip's favorite seat when she is in the restaurant. I was thrilled to be sitting there at that moment. That evening I enjoyed fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, BBQ pulled pork, corn bread, squash casserole, and greens. I also enjoyed their Country/City tea which is lemonade combined with iced tea. Everything was fabulous! My favorite was the fried green tomatoes. The fried chicken had a perfect coating with almost a sweet breading. The corn bread was fresh and full of corn flavor. I have not had many greens, but her greens were perfect. I could not eat another bite; however, could not pass up dessert, so I took a slice of pecan pie back to the hotel with me. About two hours later, I broke into the pie, and it was still warm. THE BEST PECAN PIE I HAVE EVER HAD -- buttery, full of pecans, buttery crust and a ton of gooey filling.

The next day I went to my class and could not stop thinking about the pecan pie. I had every intention to not go back to Mama Dip's the next night, but found myself driving there again. This time I tried her chicken and dumplings with corn bread, fried okra, and macaroni and cheese. Simply delicious! A home cooked meal made from the heart! Again, I packed up a slice of pie for myself and four small pies for the airplane trip home to share with family. I also exchanged the book I purchased at Barnes and Noble for an autographed book the restaurant carries in stock.

If you ever travel to North Carolina, I suggest you check out Mama Dip's, for a true American meal. The atmosphere is simply southern and old-fashioned, no bistro or high-end restaurant style. The staff is down-to-earth and the food is something you will crave to go back for again and again.