CityView Magazine

24 | April 2016 T here is always that one guy in town who can tell you just where to eat. Joe Sugar, a Fayetteville native and owner of Joe Sugar's of St. Pauls, a destination menswear shop ("If you have a figure—we can fit it.") knows best. I stopped in to chat with Joe Sugar about some of his favorite places to eat near his store on West Broad Street, in the heart of St. Pauls, a city known as "A Small Town with a Big Heart." St. Pauls is a place where men from Pine- hurst, Fayetteville and Lumberton would come to shop for clothes. For an all day event, people needed some place to get a bite to eat before they headed back home. Joe Sugar's, celebrating their first century of business on June 9th, was one popular destination. But it surely means Joe Sugar, the man himself, has been around long enough to know which restaurants are the best. Here are some of his favorite restaurant recommendations. TarPackers "ey didn't take long to establish themselves as a desti- nation restaurant," Joe Sugar told me. Aer they opened in 1991, the restaurant soon became a landmark. People would ask for directions, Is TarPackers near Sugar's? Is Sugar's near TarPackers? Each was a reason to come to town. "ey've always had a neat idea, marrying up Wolfpack fans and Tarheel fans, hence the name TarPackers," said Sugar. Inside, they have nostalgic memorabilia: ban- ners, license plates and collectibles from NC State and Chapel Hill. On the wall there are six- foot tall posters of players and coaches. "It's a museum of sorts," he explained. His favorite dish? "eir loaded stuffed potato is to die for. e potato is loaded with onion, peppers, turkey and ham with melted cheese over the top, in abundance." ough it comes with butter and sour cream, Joe Sugar said, "No butter or sour cream is necessary with this potato." Joe also likes their homemade chicken salad, which is served on a flaky croissant with lettuce and tomato and comes with either a baked potato, french fries or chips. For sides, he likes their most popular items, the fried squash or the fried okra. "I've got a catcher's mitt right here. I'm glad I've got a fine place to get my clothes." Photo by Matthew Wonderly food Joe Sugar Knows Food BY ERIN PESUT TarPackers loaded stuffed potato is to die for. Joe thinks the regular wings at Zachary's Pizza are even better than the spicy ones.

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