You can’t miss the signs for Smith’s Exxon in Santee, SC, right off I-95. It’s become a tourist destination in itself! I wonder if the folks at Exxon have a particular bent towards the culinary realm; after all, I’ve also been to “Chez Exxon” — the restaurant — on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
This is a great place to stock up on locally produced foods, such as peach cider, peanuts, pickled quail eggs (tasty as a Bloody Mary garnish or sliced with sandwiches), pecans and pecan products. Their pecan pralines are very sweet and I’ve got to keep that sort of thing to a dull roar.
I did a taste comparison of Scuppernog cider with Muscadine cider. Despite its name, Scuppernog has a more earthy, “musky” flavor. If you’re avoiding alcohol, I would suggest this as a quite sophisticated substitute pairing with wild game and other rich meats. Serve it on ice. Muscadine has that grape candy flavor.
Smith’s Exxon is open 24 hours a day. The gas station is located next to a storefront church.
