Mooresville Family House Restaurant, Mooresville, North Carolina

I do love a breakfast biscuit. At the end of the first day of our trip from DC to Blowing Rock marked by stops at Backcountry, Jimmy’s, and College, Nancy and I spent the night in Mooresville. We woke up bright and early and while Nancy went to the hotel gym, I went to Mooresville Family House at 668 River Highway for breakfast.

It’s a large space, with three sections plus a private room, and perhaps a recent HVAC update. It wasn’t busy early on a Thursday morning, so I had a roomy booth to myself.

I was greeted by a server who did North Carolina proud by her friendliness.

As I said, I love biscuit sandwiches, and North Carolina may be the best place for them anywhere, with spots like Flo’s, Sunrise (go to the one in Louisburg if you want a sandwich), and the Oak Level Cafe, among many others. I always get country ham if it’s available, and I usually also get a sausage, egg, and cheese or a tenderloin. When I’m in Western North Carolina, however, I’m on the hunt for livermush.

The name may repel you, and I did a well-received post once with livermush as the punch line. Then I summoned the nerve to try some, and it was a revelation. The liver favor is deeply muted by seasoning, and it ends up being nothing more that the thread of liver you get in a good country pâté. Indeed I chose Family House because it had livermush. I was not disappointed.

I ordered coffee, of course, and two biscuit sandwiches — country ham and livermush.

Let’s zoom in on the country ham biscuit.

This was an outstanding slice of country ham, salty, rich, and with a delightful touch of crispness from the grill. Note the caramelization of the fat on the rim. You want to try that ham.

And here’s the livermush.

Doesn’t it have a good crust? The center is as creamy as can be.  A mild liver flavor was present but well controlled by the seasonings and elevated by a few drops of Texas Pete, which helps all sorts of things.

I’ll pause to note how good the biscuits were, tall and buttery. And the service was very attentive, with frequent coffee touch-ups to keep it hot. I was impressed that the server got right to the point when I ordered the livermush. She nodded, said simply “Ketchup or Texas Pete?”, and nodded approvingly when I responded.

The country ham and livermush were just right, and I’ll bet their sausage is, too. You might try the tenderloin biscuit. I thought about it, but that third biscuit can be a problem when you’re planning three lunches. Trust me on that. Even better, get on over to the Family House and try them all. One by one.

***

And while you’re at it, click “follow” on our front page to receive blog posts in your email box. Or bookmark us and check in from time to time. We’re on Instagram  (johntannerbbq)  and  X/Twitter  (johntannerbbq1).  If you’re planning a trip, you can “Search” the name of the destination city, state, or country for good restaurants (in Europe, often close to sites, like the Louvre, Prague Castle, Vienna’s Old City, or the Van Gogh Museum, that you’ll want to visit in any event).  We welcome comments and questions, and eagerly seek suggestions of places to eat and stories to cover.