wvurx's Profile
Sunday late lunch/early dinner between DC and Baltimore
I'm visiting DC this weekend and meeting a friend from Baltimore anywhere in between. We like food that's fresh and not bland, so that usually means ethnic (Indian, Ethiopian, Thai, etc.) but we're open to almost anything. Any suggestions of places open for Sunday lunch/dinner that would be fun, memorable, scenic, or otherwise interesting?
Triangle NC area Top 5
I like casual and inexpensive places, so here's my list:
1. The Federal in Durham for highly creative and inexpensive food and the best fries I've had.
2. Backyard Barbeque in Durham for chopped pork and country sides, but family style at Barbeque Lodge in Raleigh is hard to beat.
3. Fiesta Grill in Carrboro for tasty Tex-Mex.
4. Weathervane in Southern Season in Chapel Hill for weekend brunch and eating outside
5. Akashi or Sushi Love in Durham for sushi.
Country buffet in Durham - Pan Pan
I ate lunch there today and was impressed, although my expectations were low for two reasons: (1) it's in Northgate Mall, not where you would expect a country/soul food restaurant to be, and (2) the name sounds like it should be a cheap Chinese buffet.
The price was right ($7.99 for lunch, all you can eat) and I really it that they serve you, which lets them keep the food fresh, keeps you from having to wander around lost with a plate, and it keeps careless patrons from making a mess of the food. You just go down the line like at a cafeteria except you pay just one price and the sweet lady behind the steam table fixes your plate for you (being careful to put items like greens and beans in their own bowls).
They have a nice little salad bar, with homemade mustardy potato salad and coleslaw being the standouts. Two soups, today being vegetable-beef and gumbo (didn't try those). Meats included excellent fried chicken, baked chicken, pretty good pork barbeque, barbequed country ribs, fried fish, perfect meat loaf ,and probably other items I'm forgetting. There were many vegetables -- macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes with either beef or chicken gravy, dressing, collards, pinto beans, cabbage, corn, green beans, and amazing sweet potatoes (fresh, with a glaze that had hints of coconut and orange). Breads were rolls, corn bread, and good hush puppies. Desserts were included - peach or apple cobbler or pumpkin pie.
The people are very nice, the iced tea is just fine, and the server brought to-go teas as we left without our even asking. They have outside entrance, so you can park near the door and not enter the mall if you don't want to (it's right off I-85 for anybody traveling through Durham). The dinner and Sunday buffet goes up to $11.99, but they add items such as carved turkey, ribeye steak, and more seafood choices (according to the sign out front, anyway). I checked their inspection scores online and they've been running in the mid-90s.
I haven't found many good country restaurants in the area. In terms of variety and value, it's hard to beat Pan Pan. It's certainly not special occasion place, but if you were raised in the South and crave fried chicken and greens and a sweet tea, I think it's a winner. If it were in some rustic old building in the middle of nowhere, I suspect it would be packed all the time.
Blue Mist Barbecue near/in Asheboro NC on 64 - wood pile outside
Good choice on 64 - that's a great drive, especially if you are sick of I40. Good roadside scenery.
I like the Blue Mist very much. Although I can't say the barbeque is really memorable, it is very good and the atmosphere is definitely retro. It's cheap, too, and the only negative is as you mentioned - lots of smoking by the patrons and not the pitmaster (NC is poised to eliminate restaurant smoking, though). I like it better than Stamey's, Short Sugar's, and Smithfield for sure.
They also have a old-school menu of non-BBQ items as well. We've eaten breakfast there and it was pretty good. Lots of "warmup, hon?" kind of local atmosphere. The name, the sign, and the 50s-style building alone make it worth a stop.
We've passed on the Blue Mist the last couple of times because there's a Cook-Out just down the road that has indoor seating, self-serve drink refills, and manager specials (like 99 cent milkshakes) that I've never seen in the usual drive-through version. There's nothing like a barbeque or footlong tray with an orange pushup shake eaten INSIDE instead of slopping it all over my shirt in the car. Next time, though, Blue Mist for sure.
Salt Creek Cafe Grand Strand
We went to Salt Creek Cafe recently and it was quite nice. Our only objection was that the Web site's happy hour menu lists all kinds of great food specials, we got there for happy hour and told them we wanted that menu, they were confused but let us order from it, and were still charged full price. Apparently they are confused between Happy Hour and Early Bird, which have different hours. Ask first if that's important (although we did and still got the wrong answer).
Homemade potato chips were excellent. Hoegarden drafts, at least if you can figure out what hours they have the special on them, were $2. It was really hard to decide with all the options (Thanksgiving dinner? Meatloaf dinner? Fresh blackened fish?) The BBQ chicken pizza was pretty good. The only thing I wouldn't get again was dessert (some kind of "mudslide" concoction that was cold, sweet, and not very interesting).
The owners were extremely gracious and semi-fixed the price issue. We will definitely go back.
Raleigh-Myrtle Beach Roadtrip
Fuller's BBQ is right on I-95. Probably not the best example of any one food, but the buffet is a great sampling of everything Southern (barbeque, catfish, fried chicken, greens, homemade pies, etc.). The first time I tried to stop there, the road was completely congested with cars parked at every angle in any wide spot for 1/4 mile in either direction. I thought it was a huge accident, but it was just the Fuller's after-church Sunday lunch crowd. I went back another time and l understood why (good, friendly, and cheap).
-----
Fuller's Old Fashion Bbq
3201 N Roberts Ave, Lumberton, NC 28360
Triangle - Layoff-induced Budget Eating!
Condolences on losing your job. For what it's worth, most of the people I've known in that situation ended up doing better, maybe because companies laying off aren't always much fun to work at anyway.
I'd rather eat lunch out rather than dinner: the crowds are less, the prices lower for what is often nearly the same food, and I like having the day's large meal earlier.
My choices (admittedly Durham-centric and non-chain):
1. The $4.99 barbeque and two sides deal at Backyard Barbeque on Hwy 55 in Durham.
2. Lunch at Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill for around $10-12. Last time, I had NC-raised catfish over tomato 'gravy' with andouille sausage, leeks, and mushrooms over cheese grits for $12. Plus, the homemade bread is outstanding and the historic building is fun to walk around.
3. Lunch at the Weathervane at Southern Season, especially on days nice enough to eat outside. The mango gazpacho is outstanding and I'm hooked on the fried green tomato and bacon sandwich.
4. Weekend brunch at Piedmont for around $8-10.
5. Any Indian lunch buffet, hearty and spicy. I like Bombay Grille and Taste of India in Durham.
6. My favorite picnic: Cookout fast food and any nearby park.
7. As mentioned by mikeh, Q-Shack in Durham.
8. I keep hearing that the Angus Barn's bar has a two-can-share burger for not much money, but I haven't tried that yet.
9. Some would disagree, but I find Torero's Mexican food to be pretty good and cheap. Two can easily split a dinner plate or lunch fajitas are around $7.
10. The Federal in Durham, a dumpy bar with an incredible kitchen that makes everything from scratch. We knew it was special when, as we were eating one of the best burger-and-fry combos anywhere at $7, the blue-jeaned bartender was bemoaning to a patron that the menu required a last-minute change because the fresh mussels weren't delivered as expected.
Lunch in Triangle Area
I'm a fan of the Carolina Crossroads restaurant in the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill:
http://carolinainn.com/dining.htm
Nice lunch menu, an old-time feel, and good prices right on the UNC campus. Not stuffy or crowded for weekend lunch. We end up there a lot. Fridays on the Porch there is fun at 5:00 on Fridays for bluegrass, beer, and food.
Weathervane at Southern Season is great too (ask for an outside table if the weather is good - it's a completely different experience from inside), as is the Washington Duke Inn in Durham (on the Duke campus) for outside lunch dining on the golf course (the food isn't as southern, but the setting is really nice). If you're up for a pleasant drive to Snow Camp, Ye Olde Country Kitchen is good and old-timey.
For barbeque, I like Backyard Barbecue and Q-Shack in Durham.
Triangle Restaurant Week, May 12-18
Doesn't seem very Triangle-y since every restaurant is in Raleigh, other than one in Cary and one in Apex. Nothing in Durham or Chapel Hill.
FYI, the Flash website links work only if you use Internet Explorer, apparently (and turn your speakers down because the music is LOUD).
Saturday Lunch in Danville, VA
Barbeque is always subjective, but I have to say that Short Sugar's is the worst I've ever (partially) eaten and I'm very forgiving in that regard and will happily enjoy anything even close to barbeque. I went only once, so hopefully it was an off day, but that teriyaki-like sauce was just strange (at least don't use much until you taste it). I had high hopes because the building and the sign are cool and the giant woodpile is encouraging, but even my wife said it was inedible.
more good news for Durham chowhounds
We've eaten twice at Papa Mojo's this week and liked it very much. It's nearly hidden way back in the corner of Greenwood Commons, down past the Golden Corral on the right side of Hwy 55 just off I40. Unfortunately for them, you can't see it at all from Hwy 55 (they should really put some kind of sign or painted van out by the road.) It's a lot more interesting inside than I would have predicted, with most of one wall decorated with old fireplace mantels going three high way up to ceiling, interesting drop ceilings, and industrial light fixtures.
I like the vibe of the place, the music they play, and food that's a little different for here. They aren't afraid to put the spice to it.
The pork barbeque is interesting, big slices from a roast with a smoke ring and served with a sauce heavy on cider vinegar and black pepper (great if you like spicy, although sweet). I really liked the deep, dark red beans and rice and the jambalaya that was heavy on andouille in the Cajun sampler, although the etoufee wasn't interesting at all (it benefited from a heavy dose of the Cajun Power garlic hot sauce on the table). Fries are home made and served hot and crispy.
My wife had the steak po boy today and it was a large portion, with caramelized onions and mushrooms. I had the crab stuffed shrimp with tasso cream gravy over linguini and it was loaded with crab, with a nice kick to the sauce. They make great iced tea. We've had the bread pudding both times and really liked it, a big portion with whiskey sauce and chantilly cream for $4, plenty for two.
Service varies, but they've been open only a couple of weeks. For the price and the casual atmosphere, it's OK. Always friendly if not especially skilled.
We will definitely be regulars. It's easy to get to off I40, has close parking, and offers good food at good prices. I hope business picks up since we were nearly the only people there both times, although maybe the RTP lunch crowd helps. They apparently have live music sometimes, but the website doesn't have a schedule yet and none was scheduled tonight.
