Lexington Landslide

Pure heaven. The Nirvana of pigmeat. The apotheosis of pork. That's how one critic, Shinola, describes the food at Lexington Barbecue. Apparently, our readers agree. Lexington, known locally in Davidson County as Honeymonks, scored a landslide victory in our barbecue poll for the best restaurant serving western flavored pork.

Stamey's, the consistently popular spot in Greensboro, finished second in the Best of the West poll. Woodland's in the High Country at Blowing Rock finished third. Earlier, our blog readers chose Hog Heaven of Durham as the top spot for Down East Barbecue. Hog Heaven also has a strong reputation for chicken and dumplings.

Some of you complained that a lot of good restaurants were left out of the poll. You're right but we had to limit the restaurants to the ones that were nominated in our call for entries last week. Rules aren't fun but necessary.

Some of the most fun I had with this contest was learning about a Fuquay-Varina comedy duo that penned and performed a terrific song about barbecue. Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal have become internet sensations with a road trip series featuring famous foods and restaurants across the country. For lots of laughs and a good education to boot check out their Web site and click on the interstate highway sign.