Okay so let's get the deets out of the way. Like I said, Brintle's is right between I-77 and I-74 in NC. If you're on I-77 going north, it's the exit right before I-74. If you're on I-74 going west, it's the exit right before you get to I-77. It's super convenient to both interstates, depending on which way you're going. (remember kids, odd number interstates go north-south, even numbers go east-west) It has a decent size parking lot with parking all over the place. They also have a scale (not a CAT scale), a truck wash and a repair shop. They also have showers for like $5 or something really cheap and while they're not the biggest shower rooms out here, they're not bad. The staff, at least towards me, have always been super nice and that's always a big plus. They have a TV room, games, internet and WiFi, laundry, convenience store...
Wait let me digress for a moment. Apparently some people like to think of a magazine rack as a library and have taken to reading the magazines without paying for them. To counter this, Brintle's has taken the extra effort to saran wrap EVERY MAGAZINE THEY SELL so you can't open it first. They also have adult magazines, because, you know, some people get *ahem* frustrated and backed up out here..
Their convenience store is pretty decent, they sell all kinds of stuff from the basic snack food items to your usual truck and auto repair convenience items to cowboy boots and belt buckles and knives...knives?..yes knives. Oh and they looooove Andy Griffith out here, but more on that later. Oh and a chocolate eclair pudding that was to die for. It was yummy, it wasn't that expensive, my only complaint was that there was too much of it. I would have been just as happy with a container half the size. Food for thought, Brintle's, half size containers of your puddings, please.
So now that I've procrastinated enough, it's time to talk about the restaurant. First of all, the people are really nice! They have a varied menu with some interesting choices. They have a buffet and I guess for continuity I should talk about that one first. They do their buffet a wee bit different. Instead of having plates up there for you to grab, you order the buffet and then your server brings you a few plates. 2 dinner plates, a salad plate, a soup cup and a dessert dish. Doesn't look like it will be enough but I've never had to ask for more plates. The buffet is pretty cheap, too, I think $10.99 for dinner. That's pretty comparable, if not cheaper, than some places. The salad bar has your usual salad offerings. They usually offer 3 kinds of soup. Not 2 like most places, not 4 (not exactly sure why on that) but 3. This time I tried the chicken and dumpling soup because it sounded tempting as a comfort food. However, I think they labelled the soup wrong.
Chicken and dumplings? More like dumplings and chicken, am I right? That was just 2 ladles of soup. And those dumplings weren't floating..that top one reached all the way to the bottom of the cup. The iceberg that the Titanic hit was smaller than these dumplings.
Their hot side of the buffet had various vegetables including a rather curious squash/zucchini casserole that people seemed to be too scared to try. It was alright but I didn't have seconds. They had meatloaf but either they made it wrong or it had been sitting awhile but when I tried to scoop (yes, I said scoop. not cut, not pick-up-with-tongs, not poke-with-fork, scoop) some meatloaf onto my plate it turned into meatmush. Dude, where's my loaf? They also had bbq pork and any respectable North Carolina establishment should have bbq done right. They did have fried chicken, and you already know how I feel about fried chicken on a buffet but at least they offered main courses OTHER than fried chicken. Thank you, Brintle's! :)
I don't know if it was the meatloafmush or the grease from the bbq but...oh...yeah this is falling into TMI territory right now. Something hit my digestive system like, well, like a truck, and it had me running to the bathroom twice within 30 minutes. Nothing compliments a great meal like breaking the land speed record to the bathroom before your ass explodes. I...oh God I can't believe I'm about to say this...I hauled ass (sorry!) so fast I may have qualified for the 50-yard dash in the Olympics.
Not willing to give up, I tried the restaurant again the next day for lunch before I headed out. Not doing the buffet again (for obvious reasons), I tried a burger off the menu. The Mayberry Burger. (Remember how I said they love Andy Griffith out here?) It's an angus beef burger with yellow mustard, coleslaw and chili. Yes, all between the two buns. To cut down on the messiness (foresight!) I asked for the chili on the side. Something just told me, Liz, chili and coleslaw on a burger is going to get messy fast and there's a 1/3 chance it will either land on your boobs, your jeans, or on the plate. How lucky are you feeling today?
As it turns out, it was a good choice. Coleslaw on a burger is...different. I love it on a hotdog. Love it! Love it! Love it! On a burger, not so sure. The chili was very fine textured and it could have very well slid out while eating. It tasted like your basic regular restaurant-grade chili. Overall the burger wasn't that bad, it was unique, it was different. I'm inclined to try a few other things on the menu first before I return to it, but if it comes down to it, yeah I'd order it again. This, like many of their burgers and sandwiches, comes with home made chips. You've heard me (heard? read about. geez, Liz) mentioning Arby's home made chips. Well these are better! They don't taste pre-made. They do taste (by the way some are cooked better than others) like someone took half of a potato and a slicer and just sliced these right into the fryer. No seasoning or anything and I felt weird dipping these in ketchup so I refrained. Some were crisp, some were softer but overall, not bad. A nice change of pace from french fries.
They also have a dessert menu with a few items I'd love to try next time. Now on to the Andy Griffith thing. As you may or may not know, The Andy Griffith show, often referred to as one of the best TV shows of all time (TV Guide puts it at #9 I believe, impressive!) while set in a fictitious town, is widely believed to be based in North Carolina. The NC ties are so great that I believe the television company (wikipedia knows this better than I do) put up bronze statues of 2 of the show characters in....Mount Airy NC. (and somewhere else, I forget) Therefore, Brintle's does show some love to the show in a few of their menu offerings. They also have Andy Griffith cookbooks for sale and the convenience store has a few seasons of the show on DVD.
So that's my mixed review of Brintle's. This is not the first time I've stopped here, and it will not be the last. The staff is great, the amenities are great, the location is ideal, but I think I'll stick to ordering off the menu for the time being. You won't need Tums after your trip to the buffet, but you may need a Depends.
Don't say I didn't warn you...
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