Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2017 - 61

MORE GREAT
BREAKFAST SPOTS
AROUND THE REGION

The current Roanoker building, moved into in 1982, is
the first one owned by the restaurant.

It's said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and thanks
to our readers, we now have several
restaurants to try in our coverage
area. They really know their breakfast
spots! Start your morning with these
suggestions recommended by fans
(see the post on our Facebook page
with over 100 comments!).
GEORGIA
The Hole in the Wall
12 B Town Square, Blairsville
706-745-5888
Thanks to Hal Cathey for letting us know
about Union County's oldest diner that
serves breakfast all day.
The Sawmill Place
1150 Pat Haralson Drive, Blairsville
706-745-1250
thesawmillplace.com
Linda Stancil says she can't get enough of
The Sawmill Place, located in the mountains of north Georgia. Lindsey Squire also
seconded the breakfast motion.
JOHN PARK

ings before we got it right."
Great flour and great shortening mean nothing, though, if the
touch is not right. "My great-niece,
Chrissy Poswiatosky, rolled these
biscuits," says Craft, pointing to the
pile of them on our table. "You have
to have the right touch. You cannot
overwork the dough."
From its earliest days, The Roanoker has served country ham.
Johnston County Hams in Smithfield, North Carolina, is the source
today, and the company is only five
years younger than The Roanoker
itself.
The curing method for ham,
owners say, is "inspired by the
techniques used by America's early
colonists." Men's Journal magazine
named the company's hams to its
list of "100 Best Things to Eat in
America."
Although the ham is cured in
North Carolina, it has Virginia ties.
The late Jesse Brown, the Johnston

County Hams curemaster who became known as the "Ham King of
the South," was from Tazewell, Virginia. His son Rufus, who now runs
the company, was born in Tazewell.
Alongside lightly fried, wafersliced ham at The Roanoker come
bowls of redeye gravy, the strong
and simple concoction made with
leavings in the skillet from the frying of the ham, a little water, and
often a few shots of leftover coffee.
Two other meaty elements help
define a true Southern breakfast
menu: grilled pork tenderloin and
fried bologna. The Roanoker serves
both. On the breakfast menu, too,
are several varieties of pancakes
and waffles and a reminder of the
old days, two eggs with corned beef
hash.
To our table of country ham, redeye gravy, and fried apples, we add
the Scrambled Canoe, named by
E.C. Warren because of the shape of
the au gratin dish it's served in. Two

KENTUCKY
Windmill Family Restaurant
90 Weddington Branch Rd.,
Pikeville
606-432-2222
NORTH CAROLINA
Dan'l Boone Inn
130 Hardin Street, Boone
828-264-8657
More than a few fans suggested this spot
that occupies one of the oldest and most
historical buildings in town.
Peter's Pancakes and Waffles
1384 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee
828-497-5116
Bobby Arnold highly recommended this
spot, citing "awesome food and great
service. And if that's not enough, one
morning while eating breakfast in the
room overlooking the river, we saw seven
elk wade into the river. Now who can say
that!"
Patricia Russell adds that "everybody
in this neck of the woods knows [the
best breakfast] is Peter's Pancakes in
Cherokee, NC!"

November/December 2017 61
http://www.thesawmillplace.com
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2017

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