October 2018
brewery bhavana / biscuitville / sunrise biscuit kitchen / saltbox seafood joint / clouds brewing / rose's noodles, dumplings, and sweets / saint james seafood / viceroy / rise / jack-tar and the colonel's daughter / m kokko / pizzeria toro / neomonde mediterranean / pincho loco / rose's noodles, dumplings, and sweets / sitar indian cuisine / saladelia cafe / goorsha / waffle house / cook out / guasaca
// Raleigh, NC
(Brewery Bhavana) is a combination taproom, flower shop, bookstore, and dim sum restaurant.
Scallion Pancakes (Brewery Bhavana)
bone marrow, coconut and oxtail jam
^ The jam is stupendous.
Crispy Pig Ears (Brewery Bhavana)
spicy nuoc cham fish sauce
// Durham, NC
Chatham Co. Crispy Pigs' Ears (Pizzeria Toro)
nc apple mostarda
^ Both crispy pig ear dishes are good. I preferred the apple mostarda to the nuoc cham, though.
// Chapel Hill, NC
Chicken Breast Biscuit (Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen)
—(Sunrise)'s biscuits are abnormally bread-y.
// Raleigh, NC
Spicy Chickaboom Chicken Biscuit (Rise)
with boom boom sauce, pickled jalapeños, and crispy onions
^ Not like this…
"Hashpuppies" (Rise)
grated idaho potatoes, cheddar cheese
—Oversized tater tots studded with pockets of melted cheese.
// Durham, NC al fine
Slaw Salad and Crispy Seasoned Potatoes (Saltbox Seafood Joint)
—Come for the seafood, stay for the remarkably refreshing side slaw and almost-chip potatoes.
Hush-Honeys (Saltbox Seafood Joint)
—I don't care for hush puppies or honey, but I enjoyed these.
Fried Lasagna (Clouds Brewing)
beer, bratwurst, marinara sauce, romano cheese, sides of salsa verde and sour cream
—Lame lasagna fingers.
Risotto Cakes (Clouds Brewing)
flash-fried arborio rice, romano cheese, country ham gravy, green onion
—Surprisingly delicious.
Chocolate Galette (Rose's Noodles, Dumplings, and Sweets)
Passion Fruit Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich (Rose's Noodles, Dumplings, and Sweets)
ginger snaps
Honey Roasted Peanut Butter Ice Cream (Pincho Loco)
—Why isn't "honey roasted peanut" a more prevalent ice cream flavour?
Banana Pudding Ice Cream (Pincho Loco)
—The banana flavour tasted artificial.
Cook Out Tray: Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Onion Rings, Cajun Fries, Banana Pudding Shake (Cook Out)
—First time eating at (Cook Out). Its trays are an outrageous value, and its Banana Pudding Shake is outstanding.
Turducken Sausage (Jack-Tar and the Colonel’s Daughter)
—Patties.
Gray's Mom's Lamb Spaghetti (Jack-Tar and the Colonel’s Daughter)
buffalo ricotta, pecorino
Szechuan Peppercorn Hot Chicken (Jack-Tar and the Colonel’s Daughter)
hawaiian rolls, pickles
—Nummy.
Vegan Biang Biang Noodles (M Kokko)
soy-braised shiitake mushrooms, smoked tofu, yu choi, cilantro, crispy shallots, pickled mustard root, black vinaigrette, chilli oil
—No lamb, no problem.
"Chowder Fries" (Saint James Seafood)
old bay fries, clam chowder, aged white cheddar, benton's bacon
—Light on chowder.
Bollywood Poutine (Viceroy)
house-made rosemary white truffle fries topped with mumbai-spiced chicken keema and fresh peas, garnished with parmesan
—My fries were half-raw and topped with a cheese that doesn't melt.
(Viceroy)'s Indian food is the worst Indian food I have ever tried.
When ordering, my server asked me how spicy I wanted my food to be on a scale of 1 to 6, with 6 being the spiciest.
"A scale of 1 to 6?," I thought. "Okay…"
"4," I replied.
None of my food was spicy whatsoever.
Thai Chili Naan (Viceroy)
Bhaji + Chaat (Viceroy)
mixed vegetable fritters with cilantro, chickpea masala, tomato, onion, yogurt, chutney
^ "Indian nachos."
Kitfo Goorsha (Goorsha)
minced beef tartare seasoned with mitmita, cardamom, ayeb, and goorsha’s spiced butter; served on a bed of spinach wrapped in injera
^ Ethiopian tacos. Injera doesn't really work as tortillas.
Guasaca Sauce (Guasaca)
—Venezuelan guacamole.