Robert ‘the Earl of’ Carter’s Royal Road Feast: Week 4
I’m Robert Earl Carter, and while I’m a HUGE fan of high school football in South Carolina, I am also a big fan of FOOD, especially those little out-of-the-way, hidden culinary gems around our great state. I absolutely LOVE to eat, and I love all kinds of food. I’ve loved it so much in the past that I’ve had to change my diet and cut back on some things to drop a few pounds, but Friday nights will be my “cheat” night! I’ve had the good fortune of traveling all over the Palmetto State covering high school football, and one of the biggest highlights of every season for our OTS broadcast tandems is the opportunity to visit great local restaurants in big cities and small towns. Each week this season I’ll be sharing with you my suggestions of where to eat on your road trips when following your favorite team in “Robert (the) Earl (of) Carter’s Royal Road Feast”!
This is Week #4 and the OTS Sports Network has only one game out of town this week: Nation Ford at Ridgeview. Since Fort Mill traveled to Blythewood last week and I already gave my report on where to go for that one, I’ll repost it, but I’ll throw in one more just to give you another option.
Ridgeview High School uses the stadium at Blythewood High for their games, so the choices for Fort Mill fans who wait to get there are limited in the immediate area off Exit 27, so I would recommend that you hop off the interstate early…at Exit 65 in Richburg and treat yourself to some great “down home country cooking” at the Front Porch (no website). There are no menus at the Front Porch- there is a chalkboard on the wall with all the meats and sides of the day listed for you to choose. Everything is homemade and cooked to order so be prepared to wait a few minutes for some items, but it’s worth the wait and always tasty. They have some of the best fried squash, mac-n-cheese, and fried green tomatoes that you will ever taste! As far as the meats go, you’ll find things like pork chops, fried chicken, beef tips over rice, and BBQ. The desserts are great, too- things like homemade cobblers, cakes, and pies. The Front Porch has been around for a long, long time and has always been great, and the staff will make you feel like you’re eating at Grandma’s house. After you eat, you’ll have about a 35 minute drive to Blythewood to watch the Yellow Jackets take care of business.
Option 2 is between I-77 and Blythewood High School: Carolina Wings & Ribhouse (http://www.carolinawings.com/) I’ve eaten here a few times, as have many of our OTS play-by-play teams, and the food is always awesome. As it says in their name, wings and ribs are the primary fare, but they also have nachos, quesadillas, BBQ pork, salads and more. Choose from 20 flavors of wings, or 6 different BBQ sauces & rubs for your ribs. Carolina Wings & Ribhouse is very convenient to the stadium (less than a mile away), but one word of caution: the service can be hit or miss. Their food is outstanding, just be prepared for the possibility of a wait.
Non-region play wraps up tonight and all of the OTS Sports Network teams will be playing each other for the remainder of the season, and I think most of you know where to eat or have your pre-game favorites when your team is at home. The Royal Road Feast will, therefore, go on hiatus until the playoffs begin in mid-November.
Enjoy your meal and enjoy the game!!
The Front Porch
Highway 9 (I-77 Exit 65)
Richburg, SC
803-789-5029
Carolina Wings and Ribhouse
240 Blythewood Rd.
Blythewood, SC 29016
803-714-0181