The Charcoal Grill Sizzles

One thing is for sure. The Charcoal Grill along Route One in the Food Lion Shopping Center is tough to miss. The lighted, bright yellow, block letter sign announcing the restaurant is huge and commanding. It says, “We will not be ignored!”

And well you shouldn’t. With a casual, friendly atmosphere, really reasonable prices, and delicious pit beef and pulled pork to name just two of their specialties, you should definitely give it a try. I happened upon the place on burger night a couple of weeks ago and the $6 burger was super.

For owners Wendy Adams and Tracy Winstead, the restaurant, which opened back in March, is their second destination in the area, the first was on the Forgotten Mile of Route One, in a location that was difficult to turn into. Hence, after three years, they moved to the new location with the great big sign.

Well, it appears they have been discovered. Last Sunday night, the bar portion of the restaurant was hopping with folks I knew from both my neighborhood (right behind the restaurant) and CAMP—lots of familiar faces! There’s a Happy Hour every evening from 4-7 and lots of specials available throughout the week. In addition to those $6 burgers on Thursdays, you can get a half-rack of their signature ribs along with two sides on Wednesday nights for just $11 (reg. $14.95 which is a bargain all other days). Oh, and they are open daily for breakfast, too, which is great—and is traditional bacon and egg fare, as well as standbys like creamed chipped beef. If you dawdle, like me, you can have brunch, where some of your party might want breakfast and some the pulled pork!

While the owners take care of the front of the house, it’s Chef Michael Deller doing the grilling magic. Formerly an executive chef at a downtown hotel, Deller is responsible for the slow cooked (overnight!) pork BBQ, and slow roasted pit ham, along with the Top Round Pit Beef, dry rubbed and grilled. And you can order it rare, medium, or well.

While I have already had my way with the burger, pulled pork, and ribs (and even a salad or two, just for balance) I look forward to trying the quarter pound hot dogs, including the New York Dawg with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard (all that’s missing is the Yankee game), the Chicago Dog with tomatoes, onions, relish, and celery seed, and the one that gets my vote for best name, the BBQ Bowzer, basted with BBQ sauce and topped with slaw.

And speaking of slaw apparently it’s the homemade kind that Bonnie’s Mom used to make, so there are nights I head to the corner to get their slaw to round out our at home dining.

Let’s see, what else should you know? Oh, there’s a cool deal where you can order dinner for four for $36 that includes choice of meat (Pit Beef, Pork BBQ, Chicken Quarter), two sides (BBQ beans, slaw, mac ‘n cheese, or potato salad) and Kaiser rolls; also: dinner for six ($54), eight ($72) or ten ($90). Sweet deal.
Which reminds me of sweets, but I have always been too sated to sample Tracy’s Cheesecake (the flavors change daily), Wendy’s Coconut Cake, or Nana’s Bread Pudding (with Rum Sauce). Writing all this is making me hungry, so I have a feeling I am about to take a stroll down the block.

Enjoy the BBQ, sit at the comfy bar, watch a game, and meet and greet all the folks who hang there. Good food, good prices, friendly people, and a great big sign.