Raleigh/Durham, NC

Does any body knows if there is a type of Forum or blog similar to LTH, in the Raleigh/Durham, NC. area?

Not a part of the world I know well, but I'd suggest trying these:

South - Chowhound
eG Forums -> Southeast

Or just try posting here and seeing what happens. As LTH grows, the odds of having good participation outside of Chicago increase...

Having recently lived there for a couple of years, germuska's suggestions are the forums I used most frequently. However, I would look forward to participating in discussions right here should you want to initiate an exchange.

Thaks, so much for your help.

As a North Carolina native planning a move to Chicago next fall, it's difficult for me to resist making comparisons between my much loved but slightly countrified state and the international metropolis that is the City of Chicago (note: North Carolina has no real cities, just glorified towns). Some comparisons are merely differences, bereft of any competition to sour the other. For example, North Carolina boasts the bluegrass, folk-influenced music scene that gave birth to greats like Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Charlie Daniels, Warren Haynes, and the Avett Brothers (of more recent fame; if you haven’t heard their stuff I highly recommend it) ((and if talking of North Carolina musicians, please don’t mention Clay Aiken to me)), whereas the Chicago jazz-blues scene is unrivaled. Different flavors, like comparing apples to oranges. But when it comes to comparing food…well, the Old North State shows its age next to the energetic and ever-changing Windy City. Now, before Allen & Son enthusiasts jump on me, I have to acknowledge that barbecue is one thing we do well… and by "we" I'm referring to one or two long-established places in a region where barbecue means “slow-cooked-over-wood pork”, not a style of cooking, as defined in other areas of the country. But find me an international experience like Xni-Pec or a transporting-indulgence like Pasticceria Natalina, and I’ll turn down my job offer in Chicago and move back into my parent’s house in Raleigh to eat my words (and Natalie's transcendent cannoli) for the rest of my days.

That being said (and I apologize for the long-winded introduction; this being my first post I got a little excited) every now and then I am pleasantly surprised by a restaurant in Chapel Hill or Raleigh that, IMHO, could hold its own against food in Chicago. Last night was such an experience. My roommates and I treated ourselves to a night-out at the downtown Raleigh restaurant Enoteca Vin. Nestled in the trendy but hit-or-miss Glenwood South neighborhood, behind Hard Times Café (a chain that brags of its four runny chili-esque mixes and could not be more appropriately named), Enoteca Vin is unpretentious in a location that is known for in-your-face flamboyance. And the food?

Our meal started with the butternut squash bisque with caramelized onions and a single sherry crouton, which came plated as a giant toasted French-bread round soaking in the middle of the soup, with the caramelized onions arranged in a nest on top. Most butternut squash bisques that I’ve had fall far short of expectations as over-pureed, bland insults that lack any sort of autumnal personality and whose texture is best described as “mush”. The bisque featured at Vin, as it is informally known, was thick in consistency and pleasantly toothsome, and while the butternut squash flavor was certainly at the forefront, the addition of caramelized onions was a revelation.

We each ordered a separate main: Sarah the brown-butter scallops with lobster cream, tarragon, and mizuna; Catie, the braised leg of lamb with mascarpone polenta, stewed tomatoes, and NC squash; I the mero (a Japanese white fish) with braised green beans and spaghetti squash. Each dish came elegantly plated and joined in two respects, the first being the presence of pungent, dark red tomatoes, the second the pleasant sense of fall that pervaded every dish. And each was excellent; the lamb meat falling off the leg, my mero flaking delicately in the mouth, the scallops rich and satisfying, and the vegetable sides as fresh and flavorful as if plucked just before preparation. And no wonder, looking at the pedigree of Vin’s chef, Ashley Christiansen, who has studied under the likes of Andrea Reusing, owner of Chapel Hill’s acclaimed Lantern, a fusion of Japanese-style cooking and seasonal and local NC ingredients. Both the Lantern and Enoteca Vin are a tribute to local North Carolina farmers, and excellent food. My dinner made me realize in my lust to get to Chicago I’ve been too hasty to judge my home state. And while not convinced enough to make a permanent return to my childhood home, there will be more than enough gastronomic adventures to keep me busy until next year.

We finished our meal with a shared El Rey molten chocolate cake with nutella ice cream. I also ordered a Lillet Blanc on ice, perhaps not the most appropriate pairing with this dessert, but as a personal nod to things to come. Lillet was recommended to me by Pigmon long ago, and serves as my current signature drink and name-sake on LTH. The cake and ice cream arrived as two distinct entities separated on a vast expanse of plate along with two carefully measured circles of dusted cocoa. I mentioned to my dinner-mates the presentation resembled a Martian landscape and, though not quite out-of-this-world, this sweet ending was a delectable reminder to keep myself grounded and enjoy my roots, one last year.

Welcome, and thanks for a great first post!

We don't have those grapes with the tough peels here. Or Magnolia Grill. Or peaches.

We do too have peaches, lovely Red Haven peaches.

teatpuller
PostPosted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 4:54 pm Post subject:
We don't have those grapes with the tough peels here.

I've never been a huge scuppernong fan anyway

I think both Concord and Niagara grapes are also slipskins, yes? And they both grow here.

Lillet,

Lantern and Enoteca Vin, all the more reason to visit NC, though Allen and Son's will be first in the batting order.

Terrific post, welcome to LTHForum.

Enjoy,
Gary

Lillet,

As a point of comparison, how do you like Mo's Diner as compared to Enoteca Vin?

Lillet,

Thanks for the beautiful post from NC.

BTW, have you ever been to the Lantern?

I appreciate the welcome from everyone!

Gary - I look forward to your visit. You'll have to join Pigmon next time he comes down here.

Pigmon - I have not been able to try the Lantern yet. Every time I've tried to go I called too late to get a reservation, though I suppose its continued popularity is a good indicator of excellence.

nr706 - I hadn't heard of Mo's Diner before but its definitely on my list for the holidays. I'll try to get back to you on that one.

On a side note, another restaurant in the area serving up excellent fare based on local produce is Panzanella in Carrboro. It's been a few months since I've been so the menu has changed, but I remember having a great gnocchi con carciofi e noci. The atmosphere is extremely relaxed but if you're at all familiar with the Carrboro area, that shouldn't surprise you. Some would call Carrboro Chapel Hill's even more liberal cousin, but it'd be more accurate to say Carrboro is Chapel Hill's pot-smoking artsy Siamese twin (the two towns are so closely located you easily could enter one without realizing you've left the first). That being said, Carrboro is teeming with a population that really respects nature's bounty, with several notable restaurants whose menus reflect this. Acme is one such establishment in downtown Carrboro, but what I'm really keen to check out is Southern Rail, an old train station converted into a bar/restaurant, built into the original cars.

Ever been to the Q-shack in Durham? I'm no BBQ expert but I love that place. Never thought hushpuppies could be good before I went there.

I like the sweet tea too. But that has to cause diabetes.

leek wrote:I think both Concord and Niagara grapes are also slipskins, yes? And they both grow here.

Yes, and yes.

muscadines are totally different than concords. not only different variety, a different species altogether.

In a much delayed reply to Nr706, I finally made the trip to Mo's Diner and find it a difficult comparison to Enoteca Vin. Not that the foods are necessarily better or worse at either, but the styles are so different. Whereas Vin takes local ingredients and translates them into gourmet dishes with sophisticated plating, Mo's prepares their food simply to bring out the most vibrant flavors without pretense. Mo's menu states a motto akin to "quality ingredients prepared simply" (can't remember exactly) and, interestingly, the owners chose to type the menu solely by ingredients (ex. oysters, spinach, bacon, butter... etc.) instead of naming the dish "Oysters Florentine". The dishes are recognizable when they arrive, but my dad surmised that in not naming the dishes a particular thing, Mo's could focus on preparing the dishes as they saw fit, without having to meet the expectations associated with a particular name.

Hi All:
After 8 wonderful years in Chicago Mr. Sandwiches and I are relocating to Durham, NC. Better job for him, better weather for me, and much, MUCH cheaper.
I have two friends who live in the area, but one of them thinks Sonic is fine dining, and the other one hasn't lived there very long and spends most of his time working or at home with a toddler.
So, if any of you are familiar with the area, have friends/relatives there, etc., and have restaurant and food recommendations to make, I'd greatly appreciate it! I've done some cursory exploration myself, but don't want to rely on Yelp. In particular, we'd love good ethnic food recommendations of all sorts, as we suspect that is what we'll end up missing the most about the Chicago dining scene.
We're moving May 1st or thereabouts, just in time for the Mr. to experience his first swamp-assy Southern summer.

Thanks in advance, and to those of you whom we've met and befriended through the board, though I haven't been active in a bit, we will certainly miss you!

Had an outstanding Peruvian lunch yesterday at Mami Nora's Rotisserie Chicken. A beautifully seasoned, moist natural wood-smoked bird served with a high quality white rice halfway to sticky. The only downside here is their somewhat thin aji sauce.

If you're a chicken & rice fan, I'd highly recommend this place. The locals seem to agree.