My new hometown, Wilmington NC is a medium-sized city mostly known for the beautiful beaches, Cape Fear River basin (and port) and historic downtown as well as the home of UNC-Wilmington. So there's a bunch to discover and explore and I'm looking forward to immersing myself in the area. But on my first few weeks in town, I knew I had to find a good 'ol BBQ joint.

After some research on internet postings and "best of" sites, I picked an older establishment to try first. If a restaurant has been around for years and years it usually means they know what they are doing. Especially in this economy.

So my first stop was at Flip's BBQ House at 5818 Oleander Drive.

Serving since 1950, Flip's has just the look of a tried and true BBQ restaurant: One story building, probably built in the 50's or 60's, old timey sign (doesn't even light up, so it's a bit hard to find in the dark) and plenty of parking.

Inside, the decor doesn't disappoint. Bent wood benches, Formica table tops and industrial flooring that while clean, is worn with thousands of customers treading across it's length. There's even a counter with a small tube-style TV playing a local channel constantly sitting at the end of the bar.

The menu is also standard for Eastern Style. You can choose between barbeque, chicken and ribs, with standard sides. I went for the chopped pork plate with fried okra, potato salad and sweet tea. Each plate comes with hushpuppies and extra BBQ sauce is on the table. As with most Eastern NC BBQ, the sauce is vinegar based and a bit spicy with red pepper flakes.

Flip's didn't disappoint. It gets high marks for the fried okra, too, even though I'm pretty sure it was from a frozen stash, it tasted almost fresh. I'll be back, but not befpre I sample a few other Wilmington BBQ offerings...stay tuned.