My experience was, gulp, 20 years ago or more.

The location I was familiar with was at MacGregor Downs in Cary, and this would have been mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s. I was working as a consultant out at IBM's Regency Park offices, and probably ate at Horwitz's at least once a week. Never had a bad meal there, and remember it fondly.

Ah, now, this is good news. (I lived in NYC for about 15 years later in my life, but the first bite of lox I ever had was at Horwitz's Deli, back in the day.)

Uh, really? What are your favorite things to order at China Chef or Jade Palace? I've been to them both, and while they are serviceable, I would say a place like Neo-China on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh would be better, especially for veggie dishes...

Panski, thanks for this. I've never even met you and feel a deep need to buy you a beer - I grew up in the Triangle but haven't lived here since the early 1990s; my wife and I relocated to Chapel Hill this spring.

I concur with the recommendation of Casa Carbone in the Oak Park Shopping Center in Raleigh - old-school red-sauce joint that is very good for what it is. They use good ingredients and stick to simple preparations - the bread isn't as good as when John Carbone used to make it on-premises every day, but it's family-owned and has been continuously reliable for 25+ years now. (I grew up in Oak Park.)

In terms of food quality - if you're familar with John's of 12th Street in the East Village in NYC, imagine it with much nicer decor and much friendlier staff. ;-)

Mine, in no order but these are the top 5:

Allen and Son Barbecue (Millhouse Road, Chapel Hill, NC) for pulled pork 'cue
Saffron (Morrisville, NC) for Indian
Saxapahaw General Store Cafe (Saxapahaw, NC) for whatever they're cooking on a Saturday night
Waraji (Raleigh, NC) for sushi and sashimi
The Barbecue Joint (Chapel Hill, NC) for fun tricks with smoked meats, non-pulled-pork category

This is *not* Southern cooking, but it's really really good: Neomonde, on Beryl Road, is a short drive from the Fairgrounds; it's a very good bakery and cafe owned by a Lebanese family. (They also sell groceries and deli stuff there.)

We live in Chapel Hill, but when we're visiting friends or family in Raleigh we will often drop by to stock up on pistachios and pita bread, and we've had many a good, inexpensive meal there. The lamb sandwiches and all of the cold salads are very good; as for dessert, the baklava and mamoul cookies are particularly good.

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Neomonde Mediterranean Deli
3817 Beryl Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607

Had a delightful dinner there a few weeks ago with friends. Worth seeking out, I think... and reasonably priced considering the quality of food.

I ate veal sweetbreads, a romaine salad with Roqeufort dressing, and the pan-seared duck; my wife had a mixed green salad with figs and apples, and the Kentucky ham and gruyere stuffed chicken. The kitchen knows what it's doing.

(I tasted some other dishes too - my friends and I are horrible in restaurants, passing forks around - but I am not recalling too clearly what they were - I distinctly remember a really good onion tart in there somewhere.)

You won't really go wrong with either one. I agree with David Sprague that Keen's gets a slight edge for food, but I think Old Homestead actually might be better for a larger group.

There's absolutely magnificent North Carolina pulled pork in New York City one weekend a year... at Madison Square Park, during the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, at Ed Mitchell's booth. If you're a fan, don't miss it.

Of the pulled pork *sandwiches* i've eaten in the city, I like Daisy May's best. They get the details right, particularly the quality of the slaw, which is crucial in an authentic Carolina-style barbecue sandwich.

- enrevanche, native North Carolinian

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Daisy May's BBQ
623 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036

For something to have before an evening of jazz at the Village Vanguard -

Try Ostia, Seventh Ave at Christopher St (diagonally down the block from the Vanguard.)

Small tapas place with a small menu; everything I've tried has been good, but the standouts are the simple dishes like dates wrapped in Serrano ham. (The menu is online at www.ostiatapas.com.

Friendly staff.

We live in the neighborhood, and rely on it for light meals and drinks with friends, some of whom now come from outside the neighborhood to eat and drink there.

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Ostia
113 7th Ave S, New York, NY 10014

I haven't been to Tocqueville, but the prix fixe lunch at Fleur de Sel is enthusiastically seconded.

Actually, I think would enthusiastically recommend any meal at Fleur de Sel. :-)

I'll give you some guidance for the corridor of I-95 that runs through North and South Carolina. ;-) (I'm a NYC resident, former NC resident, have made the drive from NYC to Raleigh and NYC to Savannah, GA quite a few times.)

Maurice's Piggy Park in Santee, SC - Mustard-style barbecue sauce, but once you get over that :-), brilliant stuff. "Maurice" has some distasteful political beliefs but no longer owns these restaurants (it's not a chain, there are three or four of them tops; the one in Santee is not the original but it's nearest the interstate.)

Bill's Barbecue and/or Parker's Barbecue in Wilson, NC - Both excellent examples of the Eastern NC barbecue style.

Skylight Inn, Ayden, NC (about 1.5 hours off of 95 and absolutely worth the three-hour round trip detour...yes, I've done this...) - Outside of Allen and Son in Chapel Hill, NC, gets my vote for best barbecue in North Carolina.

We were at Devi in late November and had a wonderful meal, easily as good or better than the one we had last summer. Go!

Thanks to all for their comments and suggestions. As it turns out, despite being closed for a few days, Mama Buddha is apparently back in operation (per my wife, who spoke with them this morning when she walked past, and Eater.com as well.)

Eater reports this morning that MaMa Buddha on Hudson Street is closed for business.

This means that I'm in the market for a new Chinese delivery joint (and yes, I know that Baby Buddha on Washington and Bethune is still open and has a similar menu.)

If you've got ideas, I'm all ears.

Downtown 'hound here, seeking advice for a congenial place for high-quality burgers and beer after work in Midtown... will be at 50th St and 6th Ave on Friday afternoon, would like pointers to acceptable choices within walking distance on a hot, humid day.

Thanks!

Eater is reporting Pio Maya as being permanently closed.

http://eater.com/archives/2007/05/the...

Will try to verify personally this weekend.

Updating an old answer of mine that is no longer correct.

There is really good, cheap Mexican in the Village now.

Pio Maya
40 W 8th St
New York, NY 10011
(212) 254-2277

The neighborhood is lucky to have them. Just a few tables inside, but great for takeout if you can't get a seat and VERY nice people in addition to very good food.

Oh, and for breakfast, the Village Den (neighborhood diner/coffeeshop) on the corner of Greenwich Ave and 12th St is the perfect place.

Sapore has good, basic Italian food and very affordable lunch specials.

Elephant and Castle has very good burgers.

The "Israeli Place on Waverly" is called Taim and it has the best Israeli falafel in this part of the city, but almost no seating; it's basically takeout only as a practical matter, unless you can score one of two or three stools inside or the bench outside. On a nice day this can be a very good option.

Tacqueria de Mexico has closed, and I would avoid Bone Lick Park, actually (and I'm one of the people who recommended it not long after it opened; it has gone decidedly downhill.)

Tell your friend to just wear whatever's clean and go hungry. The food's very good there, portions are generous and it's completely unpretentious. Jeans and a nice shirt will be right on the money.

Seconding Biricchino enthusiastically. Affordable, very good Northern Italian, under the same ownership as the adjacent salumeria (http://www.salumeriabiellese.com/).

Get the antipasto, or order any of the entrees or specials with (homemade) sausage in them.

The food is good but nothing special and a touch expensive for what it is.

The time to hit Corner Bistro, if you can swing it, is around 1PM on a weekday.

For me, they're still all about the burgers, but I agree that the chicken sandwich is a nice change of pace. Much to be said for keeping a menu simple.

Good on Greenwich Avenue in the West Village, if you can get there relatively early (before noon is optimal); otherwise, expect to wait.

Favorite brunch dishes include the corn arepas topped with fried eggs and queso blanco, and the "BLT" omelette. The bar pours strong drinks if you need a little hair of the dog with your brunch, the coffee is good and the staff is friendly.

Easy access from either the A/C or the 1/2/3 at 14th St.

Good
89 Greenwich Ave (between 7th and 8th Aves)
New York, New York 10014
212-691-8080

Enthusiastically seconded. Taim is an amazing addition to the neighborhood and the fries are fantastic (but obviously they have to be eaten right there; fries don't travel well at all.)

Morani is still sheathed in plywood. No clue as to opening date.

The restaurant formerly known as Ye Waverly Inn was bought out by a consortium of investors that includes Graydon Carter, editor of Vanity Fair magazine, who lives a few doors down. The renovation work inside is still *very* much in progress (we live just down the block and pass it every day walking the dogs.)

"Late October" is possible but IMO optimistic. Whatever the food is like, it is sure to be devastatingly fashionable for at least five minutes when it finally opens.

- er

I second (or third, now) Barney Greengrass. That is the New York City brunch experience, right there.