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The Sly Fox

Yesterday, we lunched on chicken and manchego croquettes with roasted red pepper coulis and shepherd’s pie at what will soon be The Sly Fox in Southern Pines.  sandhillsDig.com was fortunate to be “in the way” as owner, Chef Mark Elliott, Sly Fox Executive Chef Dan Piotrowicz and General Manager Andy Heisinger tested out some of their latest pub fare twists on innocent bystanders (landscapers, construction workers, etc.) But no one complained. We were also able to get some answers to the questions everyone has been asking...

Where is this new restaurant located?

Last week, I got a phone call from my friend Greg about grabbing some lunch. An alarm went off inside of me that it was time for some hickory smoked barbecue, cabbage, slaw & hushpuppies from Pik N Pig. We made the short scenic drive from Southern Pines to Carthage to check out this diamond of a restaurant at Gilliam-McConnell Airfield.

The Sheppard’s have been in the barbecue business of serving up delicious barbecue for 3 generations and the atmosphere is one of a kind. How often can you satisfy your pulled-pork craving while watching a Cessna 152 perform a spot on landing?

Pik N Pig has quite a following throughout all of North Carolina. My cousin Baron, who is 17 and just got his solo pilot’s license, flies his plane from his home outside of Winston-Salem for a Pik N Pig barbecue dinner plate with two sides.

Here are a few facts about the Pik N Pig:
• Cozy dining room plus outdoor seating for the warm weather days
• The full menu is available for take out
• Full service catering (they did our friend Sean Butler’s wedding rehearsal dinner and it was awesome!)
• The barbecue is slow cooked all night long over a natural wood fire…yum!
• The Pik N Pig was featured on the Tar Heel Traveler this past September. See what Scott Mason has to say:

The house is finally cleaned up from the holidays and I just couldn’t bring myself to get the cutting boards, pots, pans and dishes back out. Exhausted from getting the house this way and with no energy to fix up and go out (Fix up? Yes, you can’t go out looking too bad in the Sandhills as you are always guaranteed to see 5+ people that you know!). 

My mother-in-law, Carolyn, taught me an important method for exactly this type of evening. Call your husband shortly before he gets off work and say, “Well, what would you like for dinner tonight?” And after he replies, you simply say: “Sounds great, just pick it up on your way home!” Thanks mom. No cooking, cleaning or make-up tonight.

We like to see all of our options before we decide. Check out the sandhillsDig.com restaurant guide to help you make your dine in or take out choices.

Tonight’s take out choice = Vito’s Ristorante & Pizzeria
• One large “Vito’s Special” pizza
• Salads with creamy Italian dressing (also good for dipping your pizza crusts)

It is always fun to come up with just the right gift for your loved ones. Anna and I had the best time shopping for cool local gifts to give our family & friends this past Christmas. There was one gift in particular that we wanted to hold onto because of its fun factor…

Wow. Thanksgiving has come and gone…as well as the leftovers. All the fried turkey, stuffing, collards, casseroles and pies have finally disappeared. As I write, I’m reminded that the next few weeks leading up to Christmas always seems to get busier and busier. Therefore, I’m going to get ahead of the game this year starting with my dinner reservations. For instance, we are headed to the Village of Pinehurst Tree Lighting this Friday evening and want to enjoy a delicious dinner with friends afterwards. Where should we go?

Browse our local restaurant guide and make your holiday reservations ahead of time!