Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A quick trip to all of our favorites

We have been on a tear. Tearing up the landscape trying to hit all of our faves in just a couple of weeks.
  • Vin Rouge for lunch a few weeks ago, seared rare tuna salad nicoise, actually very good!;
  • Neomonde for lunch a couple of weeks ago, chicken shawarma! yum!; 
  • Two Guys for lunch the other day, plate of spaghetti with meat sauce and tea, gooood; 
  • Spice Street in Durham Sunday night, PERFECTLY grilled salmon; 
  • Fosters last night, steak tacos and fresh arugula salad, amazing; 
  • and the piece de resistance, tomorrow night Cafe Parizade!
Just thought I'd let you know what we're up to these days...

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Pop's is Tops in Durham

After a long week of work travel, my wife said as she was being picked up at RDU, "Let's go to Durham for dinner!" OK! But where? Daughter prefers something middle of the road, with a vegetarian option. Hmmm. As we drove closer to Brightleaf Square it became obvious we needed to revisit an old chow down, Pop's.

Turns out Pop's isn't where it used to be, in the Brightleaf complex. They moved a few months back, across Duke Street into the trendy Liggett and Myers buildings. Parking was always a hassle at the old place, not so now. Wheelchair access was a hassle, too, as one had to traverse a long walkway just to get in the door. In the new location, even though the restaurant is up one flight of stairs, a very convenient wheelchair elevator awaits inside the main door. Bravo!

Bravo! to the food as well! After sharing a salad of field greens and goat cheese with a light creamy balsamic drizzle, we ordered the giant scallops. The vegetarian in our happy trio was delighted to find a vegetarian lasagne as one of the specials. It did not disappoint, as at other places serve light on the veggies and heavy on the sauce. This was a delightful middle ground with fresh sauce, noodles and veggies singing a delicious harmony.

Now the scallops. You know when you bite into a scallop and edges are slightly crisp and the middle just tender, your mouth sends a delicious! signal and your body responds by going all gooey and a sneaky smile lightens your face? Well these are the scallops to do just that. Served with a perfectly seasoned potato gnocchi, roasted local eggplants, mushrooms and caramelized onion broth side, this is a regular-menu item worth the time you take savoring the flavor.

Of course, great "puts-hair-on-your-chest" coffee and a fresh warm peach crisp with a dollop of vanilla gelato are also worth savoring. Overall, Pop's made the right move when it crossed the street. Now it's your turn to make the right move.

Pop's: A Durham Trattoria - 605 West Main Street, Durham, NC 919.956.7677

Friday, July 23, 2010

Neomonde is consistently good!

Went to Neomonde in Morrisville last night for a bite of dinner. Neo is my personal favorite go-to place for great Middle Eastern cuisine. I had chicken shawarma, a whole wheat pita pocket filled with yummy marinated, chopped, grilled chicken, with their authentic garlic paste and small-chop grilled onion. Topped with ripe tomato, pickled okra, and a delicious lemon-tahini sauce, it was a fun rollercoaster ride for the tastebuds. Yum! Highly recommend Neomonde, with locations in Raleigh and Morrisville.   http://neomonde.com/home/index.aspx

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Summer, food and those who are in need

Hi folks, this is a great time of year: time to relax, time to vacate, time to enjoy good food and all of natures bounty.

As our tables are flush with all the edible goodness we want, please don't forget those who truly don't have all they need. Please join me in making a donation to a food charity this summer.

My food charities of choice are Meals On Wheels of Wake County  http://www.wakemow.org  and the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, http://www.foodshuttle.org. Please donate generously if you are able, you will help a worthwhile cause and help someone in need enjoy a summer of good food!

Thanks,
Grant

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Planes, trains and automobiles (and ships) and salmon!

Just came back from a 7-day Alaskan cruise last week to Ketchican, Juneau and Skagway. We sailed on Celebrity Infinity out of Seattle, which had just been 'repositioned' to this cruise for the summer, which means it was taken off a previous route. The staff had some newbies, and it showed. Celebrity is supposed to he Royal Caribbean's upscale line, but between the age of the ship and the spotty service I'd rather go back to the big Royal Caribbean ships. The food was OK, nothing spectacular, which is what you can say about RCL's bigger ships.

The memorable highlight was our pre-boarding dinner at Anthony's at Pier 66 in Seattle, conveniently located right next to the cruise dock. We had the Copper River King salmon. Copper River salmon is REALLY good and here they know how to prepare it: Keep it Simple. So good. Mmmmmmm. I can still taste it's delicate sweet salmon flavor.



If you get to enjoy some salmon, make sure it's Copper River from Alaska, you won't be disappointed!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

NoFo SloFo

Remember Piggly Wiggly? If you do you're showing your age. If you don't, you missed out, sorry. Back in the day, Piggly Wiggly was THE neighborhood grocery. Especially in the Five Points area of Raleigh.

A few years ago that PW was closed and turned into NoFo at the Pig, a neat store upstairs and restaurant and bar downstairs. I've been on many occasions and holidays, always looking forward to a great meal.

On a recent visit celebrating having both girls, Hayley and Hannah, home for Mother's day weekend I was reminded that NoFo has been sliding down a slippery slope for a few years. My wife and had the special, a blue crab-stuffed flounder filet with lightly sauteed asparagus and wafer thin sliced onion-topped rice, all atop a delicious lemon cream sauce base. The flounder was overdone, which overshadowed the sweet chunks of blue crab nestled inside. The asparagus was perfectly done and the lemon cream sauce was a great complementary base.

Dessert is a slam-dunk here. Sticky toffee pudding. That's all I'll say. Try it, you won't regret it. We order it every time.

The service was a bit slow, good thing we weren't in a hurry. Our waiter was new but very competent, and I noticed the other tables were slow to have their food delivered. Must have been a slow night in the kitchen. But that was the excuse we used on our last visit, too.

If you go and have a hankering for shrimp and grits, Crooks Corner style, they put on an excellent rendering of Bill Neal's shrimp and grits.

And now a word about their accessibility. I use a wheelchair and when possible I report on an establishment's facilities and ease of use. They have very accessible bathrooms, good placement of  grab bars, sinks, soap dispensers and paper towel holder.

Friday, April 30, 2010

A Wolf in Rams Territory

Being a Wolfpack fan isn't always easy (psst, we got CJ) Basketball season is over. Football season is six months away. But when some of my favorite restaurants are in Chapel Hill, I put rivalry aside and focus on the food. Except at Town Hall Grill in Southern Village. There's enough Carolina blue jerseys and other paraphernalia on the walls to make the hairs stand up on the back of the neck of any self-respecting Packbacker.

This evening we met friends there and had a great time talking, dining and watching the sunset on the outdoor patio.

As always, the food was excellent. This is an establishment, like others I have reviewed, where we have never had a bad meal. Tonight we had onion strings appetizer, thinly slice quick fried strings of delicate "OHN-YON"-as my favorite cajun chef Justin Wilson would say. This was followed with lightly breaded fish and chips (we substituted delicious grilled asparagus). Ask for the remoulade sauce, delicious! Add a couple of glasses of wine and the evening was complete. Only problem was they don't have my favorite chardonnay - Sonoma Cutrer any more, boo!

As we drove away, my stomach was very happy - and my neck hairs finally relaxed.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Sitti-ing Around

Very quick review here of a great Lebanese restaurant. Went to Sitti in downtown Raleigh last night. Sitti is a downtown version of Neomonde because it's owned by the same folks. We had the mixed grill, lamb (medium rare), ground beef, and chicken with flavorful rice. Excellent! Orange salad, delicious!

The flavors were mouthwatering and multi-layered. The wine list, while not extensive, had delicious choices including some from Lebanon. Most dishes were in the $10-20 range.

We will definitely go back!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Creatures of habit, and good food

Just can't stay away can we. I recently told you about Hotpoint in Cary and how we like it so much. So much that we went there again this evening! I mentioned the Tuscan salmon salad in my last post about Hotpoint. Well, we split that and a cup of their incredible black bean soup. Outstanding as always. We sat outside and wiled away an hour soaking up some great sunshine along with our meal and the obligatory "bowl" of wine.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Irregardless of the circumstances

Got to eat lunch at one of our faves, Irregardless, in Raleigh today. Robin and I met good friend and fellow foodie Mike Hobbs and catching-up conversation ruled the lunch hour. My grilled portabello topped, seared goat cheese salad with lightly candied walnuts and craisins was very tasty. I've never had seared goat cheese, which, was a small round of delicate grilled goat cheese. The portabello was marinated, grilled and sliced thin atop fresh greens. Delicious.

Robin had a black bean burger-in-a-pita, which was not as good as she has had in the past at this venerable vegetarian mecca. Friend Mike, had French Onion soup and a side of potato salad which he said was very good.

We will be back. Next time it will include one of their excellent Tanqueray and tonics - we think the best in Raleigh.
 

Triangle foodies unite!

Thanks to fellow Triangle food blogger RDUgonnaeatthat for this info on a neat event coming up:

http://rdugonnaeatthat.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/triangle-foodie-tweetup/

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Hotpoint, Cary

Let me tell you a story. A weary traveler called me one warm April afternoon. Tired and stressed, her voice crackled from two days of stuffy meeting rooms, average food, and airplane air conditioning. She told me her stories and I listened, knowing the only dinner I could offer was leftover (but really good butter chicken and navratan korma). Thinking quickly and remembering where the best wine value in town was, Hotpoint Deli seemed perfect for her.

Hotpoint Deli has always been a default dining option for the southern side of Cary. The original owners have started Hot Point II (it's excellent too!) in the North Hills shopping area off of the beltline and sold the original to a young entrepreneur from Texas. The menu stayed the same, save for a few new Southwestern-influenced dishes. Our all-time favorite is the Tuscan salmon salad. I highly recommend this. There are many delicious and inventive sandwiches, not least of all is the Red Chili Pesto, blackened chicken breast, grilled veggies, jalapenos, smoked chili pesto, mayonnaise on a house-baked focaccia. Also highly recommended: Grizelda's Dish, and a sandwich named Thanksgiving on a Bun. Actually, you could be blindfolded and point anywhere on the menu and hit a winner!

And the wine! spend $7 on a glass ANYWHERE and you get a glass of wine. Here you get a BOWL of wine. Seriously, I don't know how they do it but the amount is double what you'll get anywhere else. And it's kept in a wine cooler, so you know it's fresh and good.

After a bowl of vino, a Red Chili Pesto, garden salad and gorgeous warm evening outside on the dining patio, all the worries and stress magically disappeared from the weary traveler, my wife, Robin.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Time for a (restau)rant

I don't do this very often, but it's time. The newly opened Tribeca Tavern in Cary is just an average joint. There. Greg Cox, the N&O food critic, said it was wonderful. Don't believe it. On a recent visit, my wife and I were treated to a burger with way too much stuff on it. Fried mashed potatoes for a topping? They grind their own burger, but it was a bit greasy and not very flavorful. A zucchini chips appetizer arrived hot and good, but again, greasy. The place is loud and busy. Fine for some, but for the expense, I'd like a bit more atmosphere. And speaking of expense -- could they have spared any more on the wine list? Only two glasses of red are offered, a merlot and a zin. That's it. Do they not know the wine culture in this part of the county? Maybe in N. Raleigh where the flagship of the company, Michael Dean's, is located people don't care so much about a decent wine-by-the-glass list, but around here with the competition keen on excellent wines, a short list is like sour grapes. Our waiter said they have a brown-bag policy, where if you BUY a bottle you can take what's left with you. Um, NO! Might as well buy a decent bottle from our friends at the Wine Merchant cheaper and drink it at home.
The bottom line...Tribeca will make a fine place to watch a game (there are big TV's everywhere), swig a brew and eat some average bar food, or if you need somewhere to take the kids for a meal. Or go across High House Road to Connelly's or Rudino's for better food and atmosphere. For a better burger, drive a little farther down High House and go to Spirits Pub and Grub.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Indian food in Cary

Lots of choices for authentic food from India in Cary Apex Morrisville, (CAM). What's your flavor? Vegetarian, Hyderabaad, Southern, Northern? We've got them. Now. Was a time when it was hard to find a decent Indian restaurant in Cary. Our last experience a couple of nights ago was delicious, at what was Suchi, now named Chef of India. I like hot and spicy, but we usually get medium heat. As always here, our taste buds had a blast and that was no small thing as the dal mahkani was smooth with tender lentils. Next up, chicken tikka in the tomato-based sauce. Chicken tikka, here very similar to butter chicken, was outstanding. The garlic naan never disappoints, and the portion is perfect for two. We use Royal India in N. Raleigh as our benchmark for excellence in Indian cuisine - now open in Morrisville as Royal Dhaba - and Chef of India is one of our favorites in Cary. They also have a buffet on the weekend you shouldn't miss.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Welcome fellow Triangle food enthusiasts

OK so we all like to eat great food. But what defines great food? Opinions out there are as numerous and variable as the number of recipes in a Julia Child cookbook. Example: While some people might think Red Lobster is the ultimate in great seafood, I would skip them as I avoid chains, too many other great choices in this area for excellent seafood.

Here in the Triangle, we have been blessed with some really talented chefs, who work hard to dazzle us with new and delicious dishes. As you will see in my restaurant reviews, I prefer fresh locally grown fare, excellent prep and execution, decor, and customer service. I don't always go to the neatest, newest, hippest for a decent meal -- my stops range from Crook's Corner to Connelly's in Cary. CCCcool!

Also, since I use a wheelchair and accessibility is huge on my radar, you'll see my access ratings for establishments as well.

So tune in and see where I go on a cuisine trek around Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Cary and the surrounding area and please add your comments!