September 12, 2011
You like Herons restaurant in the Umstead, don’t you?
And you love the Shimmer Wall, Marbles Museum and the cool ring sculpture on the lawn behind the North Carolina Museum of Art, right (it’s called Gyre, for what it’s worth)?
Well, what would you think about an event where that particular artist, Raleigh’s own Thomas Sayre, and the Herons’ chef, Scott Crawford, combine forces for a once in a lifetime event? An event where Chef Crawford, and some other amazing guest chefs (including Colin Bedford from the Fearrington House and Matthew Medure of Jacksonville, FL) create food inspired by Sayre’s art? Where the chefs and the artists come together and talk about how they inspire each other?
This event — Expressions, A Celebration of Food and Art — is happening on Friday, September 23rd at the Umstead Hotel and Spa. This event benefits the Lucy Daniels Center, and I need you, my readers, to step up and buy a seat or two. You’ll be the recipient of some amazing food and wine that will knock your socks off. You’ll learn about the creative process for chefs and artists. And you’ll be helping out an amazing organization — the Lucy Daniels Center — the Triangle’s leading provider of mental health services to children.
I’m begging you to come to this event (I’m the chair of the board of the Center), and you won’t regret it. Heck, if you buy a seat at this dinner, I’ll double your value. I’ll cook a special dinner for anyone who buys a seat and mentions that they heard about it through VarmintBites. So, that means you get the dinner at Herons and then a dinner at my house. Yes, the Herons dinner will be better, but mine won’t be too shabby, either. We’ll have to work out the logistics, but if 24 people buy seats and mention my site, then I’ll have to figure out a way to cook another dinner for 24. Yes, I might have to break it into three dinners of eight, but we’ll get it done.
To buy tickets online, go here: https://jtsuther.wufoo.com/forms/expressions-registration/ And when you list the guests, mention “Referred by Varmint” to be added to the dinner list. We’ll follow up with you.
If you have questions, call the Center at 919-459-1611 and ask for Patti Wilt.
Leave a Comment » | 
Best Of the Triangle, Cary, chefs, Events, Restaurants | Tagged: Colin Bedford, Fearrington House, Herons, Lucy Daniels Center, Matthew Medure, Scott Crawford, Thomas Sayre, Umstead Hotel and Spa | 
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Posted by Varmint
January 21, 2011
Greg Cox of the News & Observer named Bella Mia his “Restaurant of the Year.” Now some people have asked, “A pizza joint? Restaurant of the year? Seriously?”
My response: Most definitely.
Note that Cox did not say Bella Mia was the best restaurant of the year. Nor did he give it his highest rating of 5 stars — it only received 4 stars.
So why does Bella Mia deserve to be called the Restaurant of the Year? When one looks at the state of pizza in the Triangle a year ago, there are a lot of places that make a decent pie. Some have wood-fired ovens, some use great ingredients, and you could always get a solid pizza. But could you get a transcendent pizza? No.
Bella Mia makes a transcendent pizza. Their coal-fired oven hits temperatures of nearly 1,000 degrees. The Guerra brothers, Louis and Anthony, use the finest ingredients and cook those pizzas with just the right amount of char. There is no place in North Carolina that comes close to this play. Some individuals may disagree, but the consensus is that Bella Mia is unlike any pizzeria that came before it in our area. And because it is so much better than anyone else makes it worthy of the ROTY designation.
This is the only restaurant with which I am totally obsessed. I’ve probably eaten there 30-40 times since they opened. I’ve gotten to know the Guerra family fairly well, and when you think of how big of a chance they took, investing in beautiful tile-laden coal-fired ovens in the back of a Cary strip mall, I can’t help but smile over their success. They dared to raise the bar for an iconic food like pizza, and they blew away the competition in doing so.
So congratulations to Bella Mia and the Guerra family. And a big thumbs up to Greg Cox to have the balls to pick a pizza joint as his Restaurant of the Year. Who’da thunk it?
9 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Cary, General, Restaurants | Tagged: Bella Mia, Cary, Greg Cox, Guerra, News & Observer, Restaurant of the Year, Triangle Restaurants | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
November 10, 2010
You know how many restaurants’ menus just list a few ingredients to describe a dish? Like Alinea, with these examples: Short Rib, Guiness, peanut, fried broccoli. Or Sardine, black olive, tomato, arugula (and note their use of the Oxford comma). Yes, this gives you some idea of what might be in the dish, but it gives you no clue of what the dish actually is.
This week’s contestant in our game of Restaurant Review Roulette doesn’t have this exact problem, as the menu thoroughly describes each dish (more on that later). However, Cary’s Chef’s Palette uses a different approach to confuse the diner: they make up names for dishes that leave you guessing as to what they are. Let’s have a quiz. I’m going to list five menu items, and you try to tell me what they are:
- Tidal Pool Rendezvous
- The Mad Hatter
- Earth and Sky
- Vesuvius
- The Howling Wolf
Have at it. Now you might be able to figure out that the Tidal Pool Rendezvous is seafood-based, and probably some form of crustacean or bivalve. The Earth and Sky involve some meat (the Earth) and some bird (the Sky). But really, do you have a clue what these dishes really represent? Did you even come close to establishing that The Howling Wolf is “Jumbo shrimp dredged in a spicy apple butter barbeque sauce, served over a crawfish and sweet basil infused potato cake and drizzled with a white remoulade nestled in a pool of corn soubise.”
The other thing that sticks out about this menu is how detailed the actual descriptions are. Here’s your answer for the Tidal Pool Rendezvous: “ Colossal Scallops wrapped in rosemary-peppered bacon and lightly seared. Served with creamy stone ground gouda grits and grilled asparagus.” OK, that sounds pretty good, except for the damn bacon around the scallops. Folks, contrary to popular belief, bacon does NOT make everything better. A rosemary-peppered bacon would overwhelm a decent scallop, so keep it away. Here’s the description of Vesuvius: “House made marinara ladled over a nest of angel hair pasta, crowned with char grilled shrimp and finished with aged parmesan reggiano.” OK, they must stack this baby up like a big-ass cone, and hope it shoots the marinara out of the middle. Now THAT would be cool. But I suspect it’s just a marinara pasta with shrimp.
So what about the food? Beats me. I never heard of this place until this morning. Like most places, some people appear to love it, and it’s just “meh” for others. To me, this place looks like an acceptable option for a strip mall. They look like they’re trying to be all things to all people, and that’s a very tough task. In the end, I suspect Greg Cox liked it just fine, but he didn’t love it. And so (drumroll, please), I’m guessing this is a 3 star review.
Here are this week’s odds:
5 stars — 20 to 1
4.5 stars – 8 to 1
4 stars — 3 to 1
3.5 stars — 3 to 2
3 stars — 1 to 1
2.5 stars — 2 to 1
2 stars — 4 to 1
1.5 stars — 7 to 1
1 star — 35 to 1
And by the way, these folks do know the difference between “palette” and “palate.” So what do you think will be the outcome of Greg Cox’s review of Chef’s Palette? And why?
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Edit, November 12, 2010 — Greg Cox gives Chef’s Palette a 3-star review. If you bet anything other than 3 stars, I’m going to use that money on something a bit less artsy.
5 Comments | Cary, Restaurant Roulette, Restaurants | Tagged: Chef's Palette, Greg Cox, News & Observer, Restaurant Review Roulette | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
September 1, 2010
I’ve gotten pretty good at guessing how many stars Greg Cox will give a restaurant, even when I’ve never even heard of the place. But this week, I have a different challenge: figuring out the rating of a friend’s restaurant — in this case, Chef Jay Pierce’s Lucky 32. I’ve previously written about this place, as Jay has invited me over twice to give him feedback on new menu items. I like what Jay has done with the restaurant, making it a high end “meat ‘n 3″ place. Frankly, the stars of Lucky 32 are often the side dishes.
The problem with this edition of Restaurant Review Roulette is that I’m not sure how well Greg Cox will like it. If I had to put my own money down, it would be at the 4 or 3.5 star level. Lucky 32 has a number of dishes that are 4 star level or higher, but its menu is so large that I suspect Cox will think it’s overreaching. I’ve also heard comments from others that love several of Lucky 32′s dishes, but they’re not enamored with others.
So, I’m going to go with 4 stars, as Lucky 32 is certainly as good as other places receiving that rating, and in some instances, even better.
Here are the odds:
5 stars — 32 to 1
4.5 stars – 32 to 9
4 stars — 32 to 23
3.5 stars — 32 to 19
3 stars — 32 to 13
2.5 stars — 32 to 5
2 stars — 32 to 4
1.5 stars — 32 to 1.2
1 star — 32 to .32
The one thing we know is that Lucky 32 won’t be getting 32 stars. How many will Greg Cox give it?
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Edit, September 3, 2010: Greg Cox gave Lucky 32 3.5 stars in this week’s review. This is one of those reviews where the description of the place, including the food, doesn’t really match up with the rating. Greg is quite positive about the place across the board, with a couple of minor exceptions, which led me to think he wanted to give it 4 stars. But I sense that Greg just couldn’t bring himself to give them that extra half star. What I will say is that a LOT of the dishes on that menu are worthy of 4 stars, but I also have no problem with Greg’s final verdict.
3 Comments | Cary, chefs, General, Restaurant Roulette, Restaurants | Tagged: Greg Cox, Jay Pierce, Lucky 32, News & Observer, Restaurant Review Roulette | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
August 11, 2010
To be reviewed this week is Bravo’s Mexican Grill, which appears to be a fairly standard Mexican restaurant in Cary. Nothing stands out about the menu. The website has the most god-awful sound ever, which I think is music, but it comes through as distortion (and I would hate it even if it were nice music). The owners apparently have two other places in South Carolina, but I know nothing about those.
This is the type of place that screams for a review of 2 or 2.5 stars, but the teaser in today’s N&O suggests that it might be a bit better than that. Maybe it’s their “Pollo Relleno” that is served with something called, “Creamy Broccoli Gravy.” I have no clue, and the online reviews don’t provide any great insight, either. Damn it, I hate guessing these places. But I suspect that this place just might be better than mediocre, and that’s why my target is 3 stars.
5 stars — 2,000 to 1
4.5 stars – 250 to 1
4 stars — 25 to 1
3.5 stars — 3 to 1
3 stars — 5 to 4
2.5 stars — 2 to 1
2 stars — 5 to 1
1.5 stars — 7 to 1
1 star — 25 to 1
Let me know if you’ve eaten there. And how many stars you think it will get. And if you go back, please tell the owners to drop the music from the website!
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Edit, August 13, 2010 — Hah, take that, you naysayers! Bravo’s got 3 stars from the N&O. And so what if there really weren’t any naysayers? I just like to say that I’m right and create controversy when there really is none.
3 Comments | Cary, Restaurant Roulette, Restaurants | Tagged: Bravo's Mexican Grill, Greg Cox, News & Observer, Restaurant Review Roulette | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
July 14, 2010
If you ask a local for a good breakfast spot, Courtney’s will get mentioned as much as anyone else. There are a few Courtney’s locations in the Triangle, and many people swear their breakfasts are the best in the area. I don’t agree, as the food has always been decent, but not great, but I can understand the appeal. Courtney’s also serves lunch, offering soups, salads and sandwiches. Courtney’s has not, however, traditionally served dinner. Until recently.
Enter Chef Orobosa John Uwagbai. And Courtney’s Bistro. Chef Orobosa is a native Nigerian who has been cooking low country fare in the Charleston area for some time, and then worked at Gregory’s in Cary. The Courtney’s Bistro website claims he’s listed as one of the top 25 chefs in the country (although they don’t list the source of that list). He’s now partnered with the owners of Courtney’s to offer a “unique and exquisite dinner service.” Now this is quite a combination, combining crystal and linen with the diner-like feel of Courtney’s. The menu certainly focuses on low country specialties such as shrimp and grits and gumbo, but he also offers traditional fare such as rack of lamb and pasta dishes.
And now Greg Cox gets to review this bizarre combination.
I have no clue how good the food is. I have no clue how this concept works. I have no clue if Greg Cox will love or loathe the place. What to do, oh, what to do?
Punt. That’s what I need to do. But, alas, this being Restaurant Review Roulette, I cannot run away. I have to establish the odds. There is a substantial amount of betting going on, I’m sure (snicker), and so I offer this week’s prognostication: Courtney’s Bistro will garner 3 stars.
5 stars — 200 to 1
4.5 stars – 20 to 1
4 stars — 9 to 2
3.5 stars — 2 to 1
3 stars — 3 to 2
2.5 stars — 5 to 2
2 stars — 3 to 1
1.5 stars — 7 to 1
1 star — 17 to 1
I don’t know a soul who has tried Courtney’s Bistro. Let me know your thoughts. And your predictions.
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Edit, July 16, 2010: Greg Cox gave Courtney’s Bistro 3 stars, just as I predicted. However, the description of the food sounds as if Courtney’s Bistro could have merited at least another half star. I guess the guy has a problem with formica tables.
2 Comments | Cary, chefs, Restaurant Roulette, Restaurants | Tagged: Cary, Courtney's Bistro, Greg Cox, News & Observer, Restaurant Review Roulette | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
July 13, 2010
Image courtesy of Lucky 32
You might have heard of Lucky 32, and you might have even eaten there over the years. There are two Lucky 32 locations, one in Greensboro and the other in Cary near Regency Park, and until last year, I didn’t think much about the place. My recollections of Lucky 32 were of a glorified, slightly high-end chain restaurant in the ilk of Tripp’s. The menu was all over the place, with food representing cuisine from just about every major country. People who have never been have told me that they thought it was a Chinese restaurant.
Last October, while attending the Southern Foodways Alliance’s annual symposium, I was waiting in line to get some grub and started talking to this guy with long hair pulled back into a pony tail and a bitchin’ goatee. He told me his name was Jay Pierce, and that he was the chef at Lucky 32. In a moment of Southern food snobbery, I wondered what the hell a chef of a high-end Applebee’s was doing at the SFA symposium. I quickly learned from Chef Pierce that Lucky 32 was a completely different restaurant, that it had a focus on Southern cuisine with locally sourced ingredients. I couldn’t believe that Lucky 32 had changed so much.
A month or two later, I got an email from Jay, asking me if I’d be willing to come over and go through a tasting of the new winter menu. I was intrigued by what they were doing, and so I came over at lunch time and joined Jay and General Manager Shane Garrity in a whirl-wind tour of about 15 dishes. These were dishes that were sometimes classic Southern, but always inspired by Southern traditions. I offered my comments to Jay, telling him what I liked and what I would change slightly. I told Chef Pierce that Lucky 32 had become a high-end “meat and 3″ place, as the side dishes were as much of a feature as the mains. He liked that concept, but frankly, I had forgotten about it until recently.
Flash forward to two weeks ago, when Jay invited me back to try to summer menu, which he was calling “Suddenly This Summer.” I was excited to get back for two reasons. First of all, because I had failed to write about my first tasting experience, but second, and more importantly, because I wanted to see what he was going to do with summer produce. As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed that the name of the restaurant had slightly changed; it’s now “Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen.” It appears this transformation to a high end meat and 3 is complete, so I was anxious to eat. This is what I tasted, and the comments I gave. Read the rest of this entry »
11 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Cary, chefs, General, Restaurants, Southern food | Tagged: Cary, Greensbor, Jay Pierce, Lucky 32, Meat and 3, Restaurants | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
June 30, 2010
I love pizza, and even mediocre pizza is pretty damn good. But great pizza is so hard to find — the Triangle has not had a great pizza place. And when I say “great”, I mean the pizza is hauntingly memorable, where you can’t get the taste out of your head. I’ve had great pizza in New York, New Haven and Phoenix. This pizza is all about the crust, with a slight char, where the toppings almost melt into oblivion. Moreover, these pizzas (or pizze) are inevitably cooked in super-hot ovens, typically 900 degrees or more and fired with coal. Most pizza joints have gas-fueled pizza ovens, which can get up to 500 degrees or so, but still far cooler than what’s needed. Wood-fired ovens get a bit hotter, but not quite enough. Coal is where it’s at. And we now have a coal-fired pizza oven in the Triangle. In Cary, of all places. And very close to my home.
This place is Bella Mia, in the Arboretum at the corner of Weston Parkway and Harrison Avenue. The place is owned by Rick Guerra, a New Yorker if there ever was one. Guerra is friendly and passionate about what he does. His sons man the two ovens that are fueled initially with oak, and then hard coal to bring up the heat. The flour is imported “00″ grade. The tomatoes, San Marzano. The mozzarella, from water buffaloes. This place doesn’t put second rate ingredients on its pies, and damn, the crust is so good.
We’re talking fairly thin-crust Neapolitan-style pizza here. And as I said above, it’s all about the crust — perfectly charred, with just the right amount of texture and salt (and not even the slightest bit of sweetness, thank you very much). I’d prefer it just slightly thinner, but I’m not complaining. This is the real deal, folks, and I suspect Bella Mia will soon have lines snaking out the door, as NO ONE in the Triangle has a pizza this good. Just order the Margherita and enjoy. I just finished an hour ago, and I’m already wanting to get back.
Bella Mia
2015 Renaissance Park Place (in the Arboretum off Westin Pkwy)
Cary, NC
919-677-3999
www.bellamiacoalfire.com
22 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Cary, Restaurants | Tagged: Bella Mia, Cary, Pizza, Restaurants | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
June 30, 2010
Another week, another review of a restaurant that I may never visit. Oh, the glamorous life of a restaurant reviewer! Seriously, I know Greg Cox’s primary objective is to be a consumer advocate. He’s trying to help his readers make dining decisions, but for god’s sake, wouldn’t it be maddening to have to go to middling places day after day? Places that are new not in concept or cuisine, but only in name?
This week’s subject: Carini, an Italian place in Cary (warning: home page has music that cannot be turned off). Now this is the exact type of restaurant I look for in unfamiliar towns when I’m trying to line up a team meal for one of my kids’ soccer teams during a tournament. I want the tried and true Italian-American menu, with lots of inexpensive pasta offerings and the availability of pizza. There are thousands of places like this across the country (maybe even the state), and rarely does one stand out, on either the good or the bad side. But this is not the type of place I generally want to visit on a night out in the Triangle. I’m sure it’s just fine — but that’s the problem. I want more than “just fine” when dining in the area.
I don’t know the history of Carini. I don’t know the owners. I don’t know how long they’ve been around. I don’t know what type of pizza they offer or whether their red sauce is piquant or sweet. I don’t know if their desserts are made in house or purchased from a supplier (I suspect the latter based on the pictures).
What I’m pretty sure of is that you can probably get a very reliable meal at Carini, just like most other Italian joints. I base this on a couple of diner reviews floating around the internet. It’s not great and not bad.
So, I’m guessing it gets 3 stars. Not great. Not bad. Here are this week’s odds:
5 stars — 150 to 1
4.5 stars – 80 to 1
4 stars — 14 to 1
3.5 stars — 3 to 1
3 stars — 2 to 1
2.5 stars — 3 to 1
2 stars — 7 to 1
1.5 stars — 25 to 1
1 star — 45 to 1
If website design were part of the review, I would have given the place less than 2 stars, but even Greg Cox doesn’t use that in his process. How many stars do you think Carini will get?
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Edit — July 2, 2010: As predicted, Carini received 3 stars. No, it’s not that I’m that good in predicting what Greg Cox will do, it’s just that this restaurant was so predictable.
Leave a Comment » | Cary, Restaurant Roulette, Restaurants | Tagged: Carini, Cary, Greg Cox, News & Observer, Restaurant Review Roulette, Restaurants | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
June 2, 2010
Rocky Top Hospitality’s latest restaurant, Tribeca Tavern, is an homage to burgers. And it’s the subject of News & Observer restaurant critic Greg Cox’s review this week. Located in a huge space in Cary, I’ve heard a few decent things about the place and their burgers. I’ve heard they grind their own beef and bake their own brioche rolls. I’ve also heard that the service is a bit suspect, which should not surprise anyone — as any new place of this size will take quite some time until they get the kinks worked out.
I love me a good burger, and I’ll be heading over to try a Tribeca Tavern version one of these days, regardless of what Greg Cox’s review says. I suspect he’ll like the burgers. I suspect he’ll not like the service. I suspect he’ll think the menu is too expansive, leading to inconsistency in other foods. And I suspect he’ll give Tribeca Tavern 3.5 stars.
Here are this week’s odds:
5 stars — 50 to 1
4.5 stars – 14 to 1
4 stars — 5 to 1
3.5 stars — 2 to 1
3 stars — 4 to 1
2.5 stars — 7 to 1
2 stars — 11 to 1
1.5 stars — 18 to 1
1 star — 64 to 1
So, what do you think Greg Cox will give Tribeca Tavern?
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(Edit — June 4, 2010) – Well, it’s a 3-star review for Tribeca Tavern. Restaurant critic Greg Cox noted that the place was still on the upside of the learning curve, and the burgers outshine anything else on the menu. Cox also prefers his burgers to be of the simple variety, instead of the myriad “baroque” combinations on the menu.
Point of correction: the buns at Tribeca Tavern are not baked in-house. They’re baked by the local Neomonde bakery. They get a lot of their stuff from in-state providers including beef, cheeses, produce and even pickles! Thanks to owner Dean Ogan for pointing this out to me. I’m really going to have to give their burger a try.
4 Comments | Cary, General, Restaurant Roulette, Restaurants | Tagged: Cary, Greg Cox, News & Observer, Restaurant Review Roulette, Tribeca Tavern | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
April 14, 2010
This week’s review in the News & Observer will focus on Giorgio, the Cary-based creation of local uber-restaurateur, Georgios Bakatsias. Bakatsias has opened over 35 restaurants over the years, and I believe Giorgio is his first venture into Cary since Cafe Georgios back in the 80s and early 90s. He hired Chef Ricky Moore from Chapel Hill’s noted small plate restaurant, Glasshalfull. The restaurant sticks to Bakatsias’ roots with a Mediterranean focus, not unlike his Durham outpost, Parizade. In fact, I sense that Giorgio could be called Parizade of Cary.
I’ve not eaten at Giorgio, but I know Greg Cox has not been a big fan of Parizade, giving it only 2.5 stars (he originally gave it 2 out of 4 stars, which has subsequently been adjusted to 2.5 out of the current 5 star system). The discussions on Chowhound and Yelp are mixed, so I’m thinking that this place wouldn’t dazzle Mr. Cox. This tells me that Giorgio is going to get right around 3 stars — yet another middling restaurant in the eyes of Greg Cox (with whom I’m almost always in agreement in that regard).
Here are this week’s odds:
5 stars — 2,048 to 1
4.5 stars –128 to 1
4 stars — 16 to 1
3.5 stars — 4 to 1
3 stars — 3 to 2
2.5 stars — 5 to 1
2 stars — 12 to 1
1 to 1.5 stars — 50 to 1
Have you made it Giorgio yet? If so, how many stars do you give it? And what’s your guess for the Greg Cox review?
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Edit (4/16/10): Wow, was I ever wrong, as Greg Cox gave Giorgio 4 stars in today’s review. This prognostication thing is a dangerous game to play, particularly when you know nothing about the restaurant. I’m glad I’m not running an actually betting parlor on this, as I’d be out of business.
1 Comment | Cary, General, Restaurant Roulette, Restaurants | Tagged: Cary, Giorgio, Giorgios Bakatsias, Greg Cox, News & Observer, Restaurant Review Roulette | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
April 7, 2010
This is a blatant rip-off of a recent piece in the Seattle Weekly, but I don’t give a damn. Here are a few local restaurants that could be a sex shop if you didn’t know any better. Sure, I may be making fun of some foreign language issues, but I’ll get over it if you do.
7. Humble Pie — Frankly, any place with the word “pie” in it will qualify here, but this Raleigh institution fit the bill.
6. Wang’s Kitchen — This is a silly, slightly politically incorrect take.
5. Fu Kee Express — See above, but this one is a lot funnier. If you need a quickie . . .
4. Buns — So simple. Sir Mix-A-Lot would like it here.
3. Woody’s — Anyone with this name deserves a spot here.
2. Twisted Noodle — I really don’t want to think too much what might go on in this place.
1. Jerk Masters — They’re the absolute best when it comes to a nice jerk.
Honorable Mentions: Pho Cali (come on, say it out loud), Roast Grill (actually, just for their “Hot Weiners” sign), Casalinga (sounds dirty to me), Hot Pot, Globe.
4 Comments | Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, General, Raleigh, Restaurants | Tagged: Sex Shops, Triangle Restaurants | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
January 21, 2010
This Sunday and Monday, a number of Triangle-based restaurants will be donating 10% of their proceeds to two charities for the relief efforts in Haiti. This effort was initiated on Facebook by local chefs and foodies, and as of the time of this post, there are 20 restaurants participating. Here’s the list of confirmed restaurants:
SUNDAY, JANUARY 24
Watt’s Grocery (Durham)
Bogart’s American Grill (Raleigh)
Crook’s Corner (Evening Service Only – Chapel Hill)
Cup A Joe (Chapel Hill)
HI5 (Raleigh)
Joe Van Gogh (Durham)
Michael Dean’s Seafood Grill (Raleigh)
Milltown (Carrboro)
Panzanella (Carrboro)
Red Room Tapas Lounge (Raleigh)
Saladelia Cafe (Durham)
Saxapahaw General Store (Saxapahaw)
Southern Rail (Carrboro)
The Mash House (Fayetteville)
Twisted Fork (Raleigh)
West End Wine Bar (Durham)
MONDAY, JANUARY 25
ACME Food and Beverage Co. (Carrboro)
Cup A Joe (Chapel Hill)
Cypress On The Hill (Chapel Hill)
Foster’s Market (Durham/Chapel Hill)
GlassHalFull (Carrboro)
Globe Restaurant (Raleigh)
Joe Van Gogh (Durham)
Lantern (Chapel Hill)
Mad Hatter’s Bakeshop and Cafe (Durham)
Neal’s Deli (Carrboro)
Parker and Otis (Durham)
Pop’s (Durham)
Rockwood Filling Station (Durham)
Ruckus Pizza Pasta and Spirits (Cary)
Rue Cler (Durham)
Sandwhich (Chapel Hill)
Six Plates Wine Bar (Durham)
Toast (Durham)
Tyler’s Restaurant and Tap Room (Carborro, Durham and Apex)
West End Wine Bar (Chapel Hill)
Zely and Ritz (Raleigh)
More information on this fantastic effort can be found on this Facebook page or this new blog that’s been started. The blog says that 10% of profits will be donated to the charities, but that is a misprint. It is 10% of sales. So go to brunch on Sunday and then to dinner on Monday. And spread the word!
(Edited to reflect changes to participating restaurants at 8:15 AM, 1/23/10)
9 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Cary, Chapel Hill, chefs, Durham, Events, General, Raleigh, Restaurants | Tagged: Charity, Dine Out for Haiti, Dining, Haiti, Restaurants, Triangle | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
November 2, 2009
(Note: This is the third and final part of a series describing my time spent working in the Herons’ kitchen. Part 1 can be found here, and Part 2 is here.)
I knew that the chefs at Herons had taken it easy on me on the first day, giving me plenty to do, but simultaneously allowing me to see what goes on and to taste dishes as they were being put together. I also knew that my second day might be a little different, as it was a big day – the biggest day for Herons since Chef Scott Crawford took over. The Umstead Hotel and Spa was hosting a group of powerful CEOs from across the nation for a few days – we’re talking Fortune 100 companies. I joked that if someone had dropped a bomb on the hotel that day, the US economy would be crippled. No one thought that was funny, of course, as they knew that 35 of these heavy hitters would come into the dining room at one time and our job was to feed them as quickly as possible.
Even though the menu was going to be limited for these guests, they could order whatever they wanted if they truly chose to do so. Herons is all about taking care of the customer, even when the customer is wrong. Yes, the customer can be wrong, but the customer gets what he or she wants. Read the rest of this entry »
10 Comments | Cary, chefs, General, Restaurants | Tagged: Herons Restaurant, Scott Crawford, Steven Greene, Umstead Hotel and Spa | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
October 20, 2009
(Note — This is the second of several parts regarding my two days spent in the Herons’ kitchen.)
Chef Steven Greene and I walked out to the front of the house to address the waitstaff, letting them know what tonight’s amuse bouche was and to inform them that we were not out of any items on the menu. They looked at me, the new guy, trying to figure out who I was. Later on, one of the waiters asked me if I were the new sous chef. I had to laugh after informing him that I was just hanging around for a couple of days.
Tonight’s dinner would not be particularly busy, with maybe only 35 or 40 customers. Chef Greene and I made a sample bouche, and he had me taste it. ”Too much salt,” I responded, as the 5 or 6 grains of sea salt overpowered the scallop and yuzu mignonette. We determined that two grains was the perfect amount, and this small bite of shellfish, apple, radish and citrus was a flavor explosion. The guests would like this one. Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Cary, chefs, General, Restaurants | Tagged: Herons, Scott Crawford, Steven Greene, Umstead Hotel | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
October 18, 2009
(Note — This is the first of several parts regarding my two days spent in the Herons’ kitchen.)
DAY 1 — PREP WORK
It was a week before I had planned on spending two days working in the kitchen of Herons, the ultra-swank restaurant in the deluxe Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary. I had worked in a small restaurant the month before, but I knew this experience would be different. A lot different. I had asked Chef Scott Crawford what I needed to wear and bring, and I got this email response:
We are very much looking forward to seeing you next week. We are very busy next week, so you will see some action. You can arrive any time around 2:00 or shortly after and I will meet you in the lobby. If you give me your jacket size I will have one ready for you. I recommend you wear a white t-shirt under the chef jacket. Black pants are appropriate. I will provide you with an apron. You can bring a knife kit. We will have you doing a rotation through the stations so you get an overall understanding of how we organize. On some of those stations you will need some knife skills (I hope you’ve been practicing).
Crap. I don’t have any black chef pants, so I was wondering if I could get away with just some everyday, black cotton chinos. And what about the shoes? I knew this was a formal kitchen, so I needed to play the role properly. So I went and bought me a pair of black chef pants and ordered some black chef shoes. Heck they were on sale, so better to be safe than sorry. Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Cary, chefs, Cooking, General, Restaurants | Tagged: chefs, Devereaux's, Herons, Scott Crawford, Steven Greene, The Umstead | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
October 11, 2009
I’ll be back in action this week, when I work a couple of shifts at Herons, the fantastic restaurant in Cary’s posh Umstead Hotel. I’ll be in the Herons’ kitchen on Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 to 11 PM, and I suspect this will be different than my last go-around at Raleigh’s Globe Restaurant. At Globe, I essentially just stepped in and did whatever was needed. They gave me a bib and then just started having me prepare for an unexpectedly busy dinner service. There wasn’t much organization, just a lot of craziness.
At Herons, I’ll have a training matrix. What the hell is a training matrix? I had to Google it, and I suspect that what it means is that Chef Scott Crawford is focused on making sure that I learn something out of this while not completely fucking up his dinner service. I’ll have a chef’s jacket. I have to wear black pants and have been told to bring my knife kit. I’ve been told that my knife skills will be tested. I can envision it now: “You call that a goddamn brunoise? Throw that crap away and do it again!”
Actually, that’s now how Crawford leads, and so I suspect that I’ll get treated better than that. But I’ll still probably be asked to do it again.
I know Herons is a little more expensive than Globe, but this is a completely different dining experience. Come on out and give the place a try on Tuesday or Wednesday. Scott Crawford won’t let me screw things up that badly.
5 Comments | Cary, chefs, General, Restaurants | Tagged: chefs, Herons, Scott Crawford, The Umstead | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
August 18, 2009
Well, when I wrote a couple weeks ago that I had never worked a minute in a restaurant, I stated the following:
I’m announcing today that I’m offering up my services to work the line in a real restaurant, to flip burgers, to prep for the day’s service. I got your brunoise right here, buddy. I’ll wait tables, wash dishes, or throw together a tasty mojito. Oh, I’ll screw it up, of course, and your customers may suffer, but I want to see how incompetent I’ll be. And how stupid I’ll look, as I don’t even have the right kind of shoes to work in a kitchen.
I thought I might get one or two offers, but I ended up getting 6 that represented 15 different establishments across the Triangle. And these didn’t include offers from chefs who have become pretty close friends over the years. And I didn’t accept one offer, I was stupid enough to do two.
So, where will I be working? My first adventure will be at Globe Restaurant and Bar on Glenwood Avenue. If you want to witness a train wreck, or avoid it, I’ll be working both lunch and dinner on Friday, August 28. Yes, that’s a Friday. Yes, that’s Restaurant Week. Yes, I’m completely insane. I’ll be in the kitchen, trying to stay out of the way of chefs Heath Holloman and Gray Modlin.
That would be crazy enough if I stopped there, but, NOOOOOO, I have to completely prove that I’m not fit for this business by working at Herons Restaurant in the ultra-swank Umstead Hotel. I’ll be plenty nervous working at Globe, but working the dinner service at Herons may make me break out the adult diapers. I’ll be in the kitchen on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 13th and 14th. I’ll be working the dinner service, so you’re safe for lunch. I was informed today that the Fall menu will be in place then, and knowing how talented chef Scott Crawford is, it’ll be a blast. And I’ll even get a uniform and apron! I’ll also do a front of the house shift after I complete my kitchen training, but we haven’t sorted out that date yet.
Honestly, I’m not at all nervous about this, as these will be fun experiences for me. Sure, I’ll screw up, but we’re all entering into this relationship with our eyes wide open. And I assure you that no one will let any of my mistakes end up on your plate.
So come and heckle me at Globe or Herons on those nights. Who knows, I just might do a decent job.
6 Comments | Cary, chefs, Cooking, General, Raleigh, Restaurants | Tagged: Cary, chefs, Cooking, Globe, Gray Modlin, Heath Holloman, Herons, Insanity, Raleigh, Restaurants, Scott Crawford, Umstead Hotel | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
July 8, 2009
The News & Observer’s Andrea Weigl has put together a list of the top 50 food items/icons in the Triangle, and boy, what a list it is! And you know what? There’s no way in hell I could have come close to doing such a great job. Now mind you, there are a lot more than 50 things on this list as Weigl has a number of groupings, such as women chefs (Andrea Reusing, Amyu Trnquist and Ashley Christensen) as a single listing.
So go to the multi-media presentation and check out the listing. What did she miss? What should not be included?
Edit: Oh my goodness, this blog got a mention as #42 on the list! Thanks, Andrea!!!
15 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Cary, Chapel Hill, chefs, Durham, General, Raleigh, Restaurants | Tagged: Andrea Weigl, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Food, News & Observer, Raleigh, Top 50 in the Triangle | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
July 6, 2009
I try to teach my kids how to cook and to make it fun. I’m not always as patient as I should be, but for the most part, each of my four children love to eat, they’re happy and relaxed in the kitchen, and they know how to make a lot of the basics. They can make a bechamel and how to poach an egg. They appreciate homemade pasta and freshly ground meat for burgers. But my youngest, the 8 year-old, is the one with the greatest passion for cooking. If you follow my Twitter feed, you know how frequently I come home to muffins or cookies or bread. Clara makes those all the time, and her favorite book right now is the Fannie Farmer Baking Book (she actually reads it before she goes to bed). She also loves baking books by Dorie Greenspan, Karen Barker, and Nancie McDermott. Yes, the child likes to cook, but she really loves to bake.
Well, last week she spent her days at a cooking camp: Classy Kids Cook! in Cary. When I read about this place, quite frankly, I wanted to gag a bit. The website seems so over the top in the “touchy-feely” category. And when I heard that the instructors all had to be called “Chef,” I really rolled my eyes. But then Clara started to go to this camp and come home describing what she did that day. She made pesto and pasta from scratch. She learned the proper way to set a formal table. She worked in a professional kitchen with a full walk-in fridge and learned not to be a slave to recipes. And most importantly, she had fun.
I’ve attended a number of cooking classes, and quite honestly, they’re usually a waste of time for me. Yeah, I’m snooty and feel like I know more than the instructor, but that’s because the type of class offered is rarely focused on advanced technique, like learn butchery or esoteric Asian cooking. Most classes focus on cooking from recipes without giving proper attention to technique. They’re geared to the home cook who isn’t all that comfortable in the kitchen. And more often than not, the instructors take themselves WAY too seriously. After hearing about Classy Kids Cook!, I certainly thought that this camp would fall victim to the “too serious” approach.
I was wrong.
Yes, Classy Kids Cook! does take itself seriously, but they don’t take the fun out of it. They teach kids to respect the food and how to prepare it. They properly teach basic technique. But throughout the process, they engage the children. The kids don’t learn to cook purely by recipes, they learn to think about what they’re doing and how to improvise. And most importantly, they also make the kids laugh. The camp ends with an “Iron Chef” type of competition, with three separate teams each making 3 dishes, all judged by the parents (we don’t know which child was on which team, so it’s pretty fair). Clara’s team didn’t win (although I gave them highest marks even though I didn’t know it was her team), but she still got a kick out of it and loved explaining how they made their three dishes.
In the end, Clara had a blast and is ready to do another session — Spain, perhaps?? And I look forward to getting home this evening to see what she whipped up today.
1 Comment | Cary, Family and Food, General | Tagged: Classy Kids Cook, Cooking Class, Summer Camp | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
