September 26 – 30, 2024

Our drive to Durham would take about five hours and as luck would have it, take us through Norfolk right around lunch time.  So, we made the easy decision to stop at Doumar’s Cones and Barbecue which we visited in 2003 during a road trip with Bev and her boys Jed and Dillon that took us from Washington DC to Williamsburg to Ann and Rendy’s in North Carolina, to Gatlinburg in Tennessee, to Doug’s place near Louisville and then back to D.C. 

On the way to Ann and Rendy’s from Williamsburg we detoured to Norfolk based on a recommendation in book titled Road Food that recommended Doumar’s.  We enjoyed it so much then we just knew we would have to return someday.  Historically, the business operated at the Ocean View Amusement Park and at that location Abe Doumar, the business’ creator, is credited with creating the world’s first ice cream cone in 1904 at the St. Louis Exposition.  Later, he opened another restaurant at Ocean View Amusement Park, but after a hurricane destroyed the stands in 1933, his brother George opened the new restaurant at its location on Monticello Avenue in 1934.

Legend holds that Abe, at 16, bought a waffle from another vendor who came from Ghent in Belgium with the Fritz waffle machine invented by a cousin in 1855 in Brussels.  Abe rolled the waffle up and placed a scoop of ice cream on top.  His cones were such a success that he designed a four-iron baking machine and had a foundry make it for him.  At the Jamestown Exposition in 1907, his outlet sold nearly twenty-three thousand cones.

We went for broke when we ordered, the minced BBQ for Joanna and a cheeseburger for me, accompanied by an order of fries, a diet coke and a pumpkin shake.  We finished it all off with a single dip ice cream cone.  There isn’t anything fancy about this place.  The burgers come out wrapped in some kind of film and you use that as your plate.  Fries in paper tray, big enough to pour some ketchup into for dipping.  It was all really good, and we left full to bursting for a total tab of $27.50 including a tip.  Take that fast food joints. 

Back on the road we made good time to Durham and landed at Nicole’s house, so familiar to us after all of these years of visiting.  This visit though would feature a dramatic change from times past in that one reason for our visits to North Carolina was to spend time with Joanna’s Mom Joan, first in Charlotte, and then in Raleigh.  That all ended on September 17^th (while we were in Kansas City) when she passed away at the age of 87. 

She lived a long and full life, having raised three accomplished daughters and welcomed four grandchildren into her orbit.  We will all miss her love of the arts, animals, and a good white Russian cocktail.  The timing of her passing was fortuitous, as we would be able to take possession of her ashes and transport them home to Los Angeles for internment with her deceased husband Carl, who left us in 2010.  And so, another circle closes.

We stayed close to the house the next day as Durham got hit with heavy rain due to the hurricane that passed west of town and devastated North Carolina mountain towns like Asheville.  By Saturday the skies had cleared and so we ventured out for a bike ride on the nearby American Tobacco Trail.  We’d end up on the trail twice given its convenience and relatively easy profile, but the first time is always a little surprising as one doesn’t really know what to expect.  In this case, being a Saturday it was busy with other folks out exercising and covered in lots of wind-blown debris.  But fun to ride none the less. 

We stopped part way down at a Harris Teeter market for a coffee at the in-store Starbucks and while enjoying it, were taken slightly aback at the sight of a heavily armed, tactical vest wearing security guard.  Keep in mind this is a middle-class supermarket in a stable and prosperous neighborhood.  What was he here to guard us from?  Rogue cyclists perhaps?  Anyway, we finished up our coffee without causing any undue suspicion and returned to the path to complete our ride. 

With Nicole busy that night, we set out for nearby to Growler Grlz, a long-established tap room we’ve frequented a number of times, appreciating as we do its welcoming environment and extensive selection of draft beers.  An added bonus is they are next to Randy’s Pizza, where we’ve enjoyed many memorable pies.  Sipping on our first round, we engaged in conversation with a couple from the area that had recently moved to the beach and then went outside in the warm night air to listen to a band warming up. 

It became apparent that the band wouldn’t be playing soon (they were busy scarfing down pizza from Randy’s) and so we drained the last of our beers and drove around the corner to Chubby’s Tacos for dinner.  A local chain with five locations in North Carolina and two in Texas, it’s an informal place where one orders food at one station and alcohol at the bar.  We placed our order, the Birria Tacos (4 hour slow cooked Birria Tacos topped with onion, cilantro and served with consommé) for Joanna and the Taco Salad (Ground Beef, Shredded Lettuce, Refried Beans, and Sour Cream on the side) for me and then hit the bar for two El Jefe Margarita’s, served in large glasses and well worth the price. 

It was nicely prepared food and filling, just what we needed that day and not too damaging to the pocketbook, with the drinks coming in at $33 including tip and food at $26.  As I’m sure we will be returning to Durham in the future to spent time with Nicole, it’s good to know about this place as I’m pretty certain we’ll be back at some point in time.  And we’ll be back in Durham for the next post. 

Links

Doumar’s Cones and Barbecue: https://doumars.com/

American Tobacco Trail: https://www.wake.gov/departments-government/parks-recreation-open-space/all-parks-trails/american-tobacco-trail

Growler Grlz: https://growlergrlz.com/

Chubby’s Tacos: https://www.chubbystacos.com/