In early June, the Large’s (two humans, two dogs) and the Lentile’s (three humans) went on a mountain vacation to the Blowing Rock and Boone areas of North Carolina, the home of Appalachian State University. My brother, Clint, had a hand in choosing the location as this was his post-college graduation trip. He suggested the Blowing Rock area because it is known for its rock climbing. Summer 2019, adventure #1, here we go!

When I go to a new place, national or international, I look for four things: shopping, coffee, food and views. I found all four, but today, I’m going to be talking about the coffee and the food as I walk you through a perfect day of eating in Boone, North Carolina.

If you are like my momma and my girl, Haley Lambert, you need to start your day with a cup of coffee. As Haley has rubbed off on me, the hunt for the best cup of coffee in a new town is half the fun. My favorite that I tried this trip was veteran-owned, Camp Coffee Roasters in Blowing Rock. Not only are the pastries delightful, but they serve up a strong cup of joe that will help kickstart your day or afternoon, in my case. On the rainy day we stopped by, the barista was a pleasure to talk to and left me with this memorable moment:

Me: Thanks for everything. Stay dry, right?

Barista: Well, stay found.

I don’t know what that means, but I like it.

If you are a farmers market junkie like I am, grab coffee at Camp and then head to the Watauga County Farmers Market in Boone for pastries, bread, vegetables, fruit, honey, more coffee and anything else you can think of. My brother was happy to snack on this bacon crescent. And yes, she thick.

You may also find the Everybody’s Loaded Biscuits food truck there too. I didn’t get a chance to try a biscuit, but come on…who doesn’t like biscuits?

For lunch, an easy choice would be The Pedalin’ Pig in Banner Elk. I know, I know, I am a vegetarian, but they had the BEST veggie (garden) burger I have ever had. I try veggie burgers everywhere I go and this one is the reigning champ at the moment. My family enjoyed their ribs, brisket and pulled pork/chicken and they even had gluten free buns for my momma to enjoy.

Are you full yet?

Last, but certainly not least, you should finish your day of eating at The Cardinal in Boone. They have an eclectic menu that allowed my whole family (gluten free, vegetarian, no beef and all the meat) to eat happily with not a single salad in sight. (Nothing wrong with a salad, but some variety is a welcome sight for a vegetarian.) We dove through a pile of the jalapeño cheddar hushpuppies as an appetizer and I had the Buffalo Tempeh Tender Sandwich, which I am still daydreaming about.

There were so many more places we didn’t get to try and so many other hits that didn’t make the list, so I will just list a few more.

Honorable Mentions: Espresso News, Mellow Mushroom and Storie Street Grille

Didn’t Get to Try: All Thai’d Up, Sunrise Grill and Everybody’s Loaded Biscuits

I should also say that there is a Cookout in Boone, which requires no explanation on my end.

Let me know if you have been or plan on going to the Boone area. My family sure enjoyed our time there and I am sure we will be going back in the future.