Pork Chops co-owner Paul Edmondson, right, talks with customers Bobby, front and Jeanna McNeely of North Augusta during their lunch. (Annette M. Drowlette/Staff)
Pork Chops does pigs proud
Pork Chops, on Martintown Road in North Augusta, offers a variety of dishes at a low price and an eating environment reminiscent of a backyard cookout.
The restaurant provides booths for seating, but what's unusual about Pork Chops is that it has red picnic tables, too. Each table is supplied with a roll of paper towels, salt, pepper and a miniature cast-iron pan that serves as an ashtray.
Black and red balloons float above the tables, and pictures and statuettes of pigs fill the establishment.
On a recent lunch date, I ordered the smoked turkey plate with potato salad, smokehouse beans and two slices of white bread, served on plastic plates. The smoked turkey was delicious, but the smokehouse beans won the prize, with chunks of barbecue for an authentic taste. More relish could have been added to the potato salad, but other than that, the meal was delectable.
The menu also features sandwiches, including jumbo chipped pork, honey-smoked ham, smoked pork chop and a barbecue club. There are barbecue plates, snack sacks for children, side orders such as Gayle's Q-Stew, smokehouse beans, country potato salad, slaw, homemade chili and grilled silver queen corn. Salads and desserts, including whole cakes and pies, round out the menu.
I also tried the restaurant's specialty, Brunswick stew. Halfway through the meal, one of the owners informed me that the meat used for the stew came from a pig's buttocks. This fact only scared me for a moment, and I shamelessly continued to eat the pig butt. Although I know I've eaten nearly every part of a pig, actually knowing which part I was eating was a bit unnerving.
And speaking of pig butt, all of the staffers at Pork Chops donned shirts that read "You Can Smell Our Butts for Miles." Enough said.
Eating at Pork Chops is a great barbecue experience. Bring the entire family and sit at one of the picnic tables - they are plenty big enough.
OINK, OINK!
The Eatery: Pork Chops, 615 E. Martintown Road, North Augusta (map)
Ambiance: Casual and relaxed
Cost: $1.25-$35
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Phone: 279-0282
