The Social, A Local Joint, Boone, North Carolina

We started the day with an all-family hike from Chetola Lodge up to Bass Lake, and then around the lake and back. Lily especially enjoyed seeing the Lily pads on the lake.

After a brief rain shower, we began talking about lunch.

Where to eat lunch? It’s a question that haunts my travels. I suggested a trip to Boone, a larger town and the home to Appalachian State University. Michael suggested we drive down to King Street, apparently the main shopping/dining strip of Boone. We did and quickly settled on The Social at 585 West King Street.

King Street is the social hub of Boone, or so it seems to an outsider, and The Social sets a great tone. Take a look at the metalwork in the interior.

It adds a lot to the space, and you might note that it’s also up on the ceiling of the dining area. And see the bar? There is a hook for a purse or a can at every seat AND a double plug between every two seats so that all the seated tipplers can charge their electronics. This is a well thought out space.

Variety marks the menu as social draws from different cuisines and their ingredients with a remarkable inventiveness that we witnessed as soon as the food arrived.

First to arrive was an order of “corn riblets,” an appetizer. Here’s one, a portion an ear of sweet corn dressed with ahi verde, feta, and tajin, a spice blend from Mexico.

That’s not your ordinary street corn. Nor is this an ordinary serving of fried okra.

As you can see, the okra was shredded rather than sliced across as usual. These were a big hit, by the way. Nancy raved about the okra, and we all enjoyed it. The shredding reminded me of onion strings, which is my favorite type of fried onion.

Michael chose the Short Rib Burger.    

The short rib has been pulled, shredded, and chopped. I won’t argue if you say it’s not really a burger, but there’s no question that the flavor was just outstanding. You can’t see it but the sandwich came topped with collards, an Alabama vinegar-based white sauce, and some tobacco onion rings (I think that means onion strings) on a potato bun.  All those flavors and textures worked together, and this was one great burger. Or sandwich, if you prefer.

Liza ordered the Shrimp Burger.

I think the onion is a nice touch. Liza enjoyed it, but …. Liza is used to the Captain’s Kitchen shrimpburgers and Michael Boyd’s grilled shrimpburgers, and The Social’s merely very good version can’t stand up to that competition.

Nancy chose the Social Burger with blue cheese, which she quickly removed from the bun, and she chose a side salad over French fries.

Now that’s one huge salad. See how it dwarfs the burger, which was something like eight ounces. Nancy liked the burger, and specifically commented on the lemon vinaigrette dressing of the salad. By the way, the tomatoes were real summer tomatoes. The yellow strips on the salad were yellow beets, which were a good addition.

My choice was the Social Club, which featured a grilled chicken thigh, cheese, and bacon

There also was the lettuce and tomato that you see, picked onions, and toum (a Middle Eastern garlic sauce). This was a terrific sandwich. Grilled chicken thighs have it all over turkey breast, and how many of you had Toum on your North Carolina Mountains Club Sandwich bingo card? Me neither.

One of the side options was Jean’s Beans. I took a flyer and ordered the beans as my side. They turned out to be Alabama Caviar or Mississippi Caviar or Texas Caviar or pick a state of your choice Caviar, a mix of black eyed peas, onion, and bell pepper. It’s a nice side, always a good order.

This was a delicious and, with the inventive use of atypical seasonings, a fun meal. We left very happy and strolled down King Street for a bit. We entered an antique store, and we had to drag the girls out as they were so fascinated with everything. To them, everything old is new. You should go there if you’re in or near Boone with young children, and you certainly should go to The Social. We all liked everything about the place, and I expect that we’ll go back next trip to Blowing Rock. Give it a try.

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