Petit Le Mans offered the perfect opportunity for a road trip, and this one was really special and unique. I drove an Acura NSX south to Road Atlanta, mostly via twisty back roads, then made the return trip on the Interstate in a Honda Ridgeline. Talk about two radically different ways to achieve 23.5 miles per gallon!
I’m writing a more detailed story about the whole experience that will appear soon on the IMSA.com website. For now, let’s look at the highs and lows of the culinary side of my trip.
In fact, let’s get the only low out of the way first. I joke that I am a connoisseur of fried foods and salted snacks, and my go-to French fry when I’m traveling in the south is Krystal. Save your jokes about the sliders, because I’ve never had one (though I must say the little Krystal Chik sandwiches are excellent). Krystal had great fries. HAD, as in past tense, because Krystal recently introduced new seasoned, coated fries, and they made the cardinal mistake of not keeping the original fries available. The clerk at the location where I stopped (and left without buying food) gave me the impression that I’m not the only loyal Krystal customer who is not impressed with this short-sighted corporate decision.
Conversely, when I silently glided the NSX down the street under electric power to a Bojangle’s a few blocks away, I found the classic Bo’s food that I expected and craved: Fried chicken with a bit of a cayenne kick, dirty rice, tasty wedge fries, and of course, Bo’s Legendary Iced Tea.
I swapped out the NSX for the Ridgeline, and frankly, I was glad I was in the truck for the 66-mile slog from Road Atlanta to the ATL airport to pick up my girlfriend on Friday night. We then lucked into a relatively quiet table at the back of the crowded Parma Rustic Tavern in Buford, GA. I ordered one of the October specials – fettuccini pasta with a house made Bolognese that was truly delicious.
The HPD Honda/Acura hospitality team did not make the journey to Road Atlanta, so media dining was a mix of catered meals and vouchers for items at the Paddock Grill. The Paddock Grill does a nice job. The pulled pork sandwich and macaroni and cheese were solid, and while the fried shrimp basket could have used a side of cocktail sauce, it was served hot and fresh.
The highlight was my race day lunch, purchased from Skogie’s On The Go, a food truck spinoff of Skogie’s, a popular dockside restaurant on Lake Lanier in Gainesville. I got a piece of fresh fried grouper and fries that was just outstanding. The owner said this is Skogie’s sixth year in the Fan Zone at Road Atlanta, and I can see why they did great business over the Petit Le Mans weekend.
