DaveN's Profile
Asheville area Updates - November "11
We had an amazingly good meal at Thai Spice tonight. After explaining to the waiter/owner that we have been to Thailand and know what we will get when ordering Thai Hot ,our dishes were spiced just right. The beef salad was a nice appetizer. Good quality beef that appeared to have been cooked to order. The curry duck was a truly great dish. The duck was crunchy and the curry was perfect. This is a restaurant not to be missed....
City KItchen Morehead Experience
We had heard good things about City Kitchen from a number of locals. The Chef and his wife had been at Stillwater in Beaufort. This weekend we quite a nice had dinner at City Kitchen.
First, the restaurant is on 11th street in the old Cafe Zito building. The house is quite pretty with a nice porch for outdoor dining and an attractive indoor dining room. The restaurant was obviously filled with locals which led to a high noise level as folks greeted friends at other tables. The dining area lacks any absorptive material so loudness is an issue. As with quite a few restaurants in this area, some acoustic treatments to quiet the space would make the dining experience much more enjoyable. Five star food can't compete with the din of a crowded restaurant.
Our dinner included three exceptional dishes and one pedestrian dish. The duck quesadilla with goat cheese was a great meal starter. The flavors were complex with a really nice chipotle peach jam. Then the grilled romaine salad with blue caesar dressing was also top notch. Entrees were a mixed bag. The dry aged duroc pork chop was delicious as were the sides of collards and barbecue sweet potatoes. The meat was perfectly grilled and very flavorful. We also tried the blackened grouper special and it was pedestrian. The fillet was thin and thus a bit dry with bland sides. The green beans are listed as a daily available side and I would not spend $4 for them. I also felt that the grouper was overpriced for the size of the fillet.
I'm not a burger fan for dinner but I saw one at another table and it looked wonderful. They should offer the homemade potato chips as a side or as an appetizer. Overall three out of four dishes were home runs and we will be back.
Starlight Cafe Greenville, NC: Where's the beef?
They do make a really tasty shrimp and grits. We split one as an appetizer.
Starlight Cafe Greenville, NC: Where's the beef?
We dined there this week and ordered the short ribs. Here is the menu description:
Slow Roasted Short Ribs
served with a spicy blackstrap BBQ sauce and hoppin’ john.
I expected a rich braised short rib dish. We were served baby back pork ribs covered in sauce. When I pointed out to the server that these are baby back ribs, not short ribs, she was clueless. Am I crazy or has anyone else seen pork ribs described as above? Unfortunately, they weren't anything special. I wish that I had gone with my first instinct and ordered their wonderful strip steak instead.
Looking For The Best Steak on Crystal Coast/Emerald Isle Area?
Watermark is known for their beef but they are also known for horrible customer service. We ate there one evening and were given the bums rush since they were busy. We were told that if we wanted dessert that we would have to eat it at the bar. This sort of service has occurred to many locals.
It is a bit of a drive but the Blue Moon Bistro in Beaufort has an amazingly good steak and Wind and Sea in Morehead is also known for a nice steak but I haven't had it in a while. Island Grill in Atlantic Beach has an incredible stuffed fillet.
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Blue Moon Bistro
119 Queen St, Beaufort, NC 28516
Best local Bottled BBQ sauce in NC?
+1 blueberry chipotle sauce from 12 Bones in Asheville
Another great sauce is sold by the bottle or gallon at Rolands in Baeufort. Vinegar based sauce that beats all the store brands I have tried.
Emerald Isle (North Carolina) - Places to Eat 2011
Willis Seafood in Salter Path, not the Emerald Isle branch, is one of the best seafood markets that you will ever find. Local, fresh seafood is plentiful. Family run and I believe that they own their own boats.
New in and around Greenville, NC
See my post above. If you like it hot, ask for it like the woman, my wife, who gets the tamarind candy like's it. ;)
New in and around Greenville, NC
We tend to get the same waitress and she knows our preferences. I'm willing to accept some variability because the quality is so good.
New in and around Greenville, NC
We are very happy with Anchalee Thai, former Saeng Thai, restaurant on Memorial. Food is as goo as what we had in Thailand if you order the right dishes and make sure that they understand that you want it "Thai Hot". Don't fall for the 1-5 pepper choice go for 15-20 if you want it authentic.
Crispy duck with basil is our favorite followed by the drunken noodles, whole chili fish, beef or shrimp salad although they are incredibly spicy so go 5 pepper for those. Sticky rice with yellow mango is delicious and my wife loves the coconut ice cream.
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Anchalee Thai Restaurant
3400 S Memorial Dr Ste 17, Greenville, NC 27834
Early Girl - 3rd strike
I posted this experience but it was pulled off this board. We gave them one strike and out in December. When the line was too long at Tupelo we went to EB. The wait was 45 minutes but we got on the list. While standing waiting for a table I was watching the cooks in the open kitchen. I saw one drop a spatula on the floor, pick it up, and continue to use it to serve from a pan. Not only was I appalled that this would happen but I was astonished that someone being observed in an open kitchen would think that they could get away with such a move. That was it for us.
Best Italian preferably near RDU
Went back to Grimaldi's in Hoboken. That is great wood oven pizza. Crust underneath is not totally crisp but the flavors are delicious.
Where is the chowish food in Zihua?
We also had a great chowish time in Zia. In a week we never had a bad meal. Following this thread's advice, we ate at:
Lety's. Best coconut shrimp ever! Stuffed fish with octopus was also tasty.
Amuleto. Outstanding service, ambiance, and food.
Elvira's. Tried the french toast but I wasn't crazy about it.
Caprichos Grill House. Enchanting courtyard dining. Food and location are tops. Service a little uneven when busy.
Great vacation venue.
Best Italian preferably near RDU
Thanks for all of the advice. Just wanted to update everyone.
We had a hectic week and decided to keep it simple with pizza close to airport. We went to Bella Mia. The overall experience and the pizza was disappointing. We arrived a little before 7:00 p.m. on a Friday night. The wait was 45 minutes. Sitting at a bar table we had a beer while waiting. The appetizer choices were limited and very expensive for the miniscule portions that we observed around us. More than 45 minutes later after seeing people that had arrived after us seated we asked about our table. It appears that we had been forgotten. We were seated in another 10 minutes.
The pizza was alright but it is not in the league of Grimaldi's. I have never seen anyone play with a pizza so much during cooking. While entertaining to watch the pizza man, I was surprised by the oven action. Ingredients were good but I found the crust had a burnt taste. Yes, I have had wood burning oven pies before even at the aforementioned mecca of pizza. I had no interest in eating the crust, which is the opposite of most pizzas, and it really killed the pie for me.
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Bella Mia
2025 Renaissance Park Pl, Cary, NC 27513
Best Italian preferably near RDU
EWR would get me to better food but we are headed to Mexico. ;)
I would prefer a meal over pizza. We can get real NY Pizza at Luigi's in Morehead. It has been depressing recently being disappointed by a number of restaurants...
Best Italian preferably near RDU
I've searched and read a few threads but we are flying out of RDU in a few weeks and I'm looking for the current, best Italian cuisine in the Raleigh/RDU area. I'm looking for something that can compete with the best family owned NJ Italian restaurant. Where should we go to be delighted?
Fiore's - Asheville
As a transplanted Northerner being on the constant lookout for good Italian cuisine in NC we tried Fiores. The wait staff is friendly and attentive but we came away unimpressed by the food.
The meal started with the stuffed fig appetizer which was unusual and very tasty. It was accompanied by one of the most uninspired loaves of bread that I have ever seen in an Italian restaurant. The bread was a multigrain, soft bread with no crunch to the crust that was served at room temperature.
We may have ordered wrong, as the steak at the next table looked absolutely great, but our Veal Marsala and Saltimboca we both just o.k. The sauces lacked delicacy, the vegetables were an afterthought, and my risotto was overcooked.
Overall, it is sad that a chain restaurant, Carrabbas, exceeds a local restaurant.
Thai Kitchen, Greenville NC
At Saeng Thai we always get the Crispy Thai Duck with Basil and either the beef or shrimp salad appetizer. The spice level varies and it is difficult to always get what we had in Thailand but the flavors are spot on.
Pho? Call, y'all. (Greenville, NC)
The best chinese I have found is Fu Leen located in Williamston's Walmart strip mall area. They have a great moo shu pork, hot and sour soup, and the chicken/pork with scallions is really nice. The only disapointing dish that I have had is the egg foo young. Most everything else on the menu is really good. The prices are also ridiculously low.
Good country sausage near Greenville, NC?
There is a place on Fire Department Rd. in Williamston that produces local sausage. They get rave reviews although I haven't tried the products. I have heard that they will make custom sausage also. I believe that they sell at the local Pig and
Shaw's Bar-B-Que. They sell factory direct also. They are across from the fire dept.
The Admiral (A'ville, NC) : I didn't understand
We dined at the Admiral last night. What a great restaurant. Our waitress was swamped but really friendly and helpful. We had the short ribs which were lean and quite tasty although the 64 degree egg did not add to the meal. One member of our party likes the eggs more done and one less done. The mussels were a huge hit as an appetizer. The broth was so good that we went through a loaf of bread sopping the sauce. I though my friend was going to request a straw! My scallops and fennel sausage was also quite good although the sausage component was flavoring for the lentil side and not what I anticipated. The chocolate ganache dessert was also a standout. We will definitely be back on our next Asheville trip. Why can't every community have a restaurant like this?
Zambra Asheville. Is the Paella authentic??
We are planning a trip to Asheville and plan on a visit to Zambra. It has been quite a while since I've had authentic paella. How is the Zambra version? It would be a disaster to order the paella for two if it isn't really special...
New to Maryville, Tennessee
Lived in Maryville for 15 years. I've been away for a while but my recommendations:
Foothills Milling
Lemongrass for Thai and sushi
There was a Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant near Foothills mall that has great Vietnamese grilled pork.
New Bern, NC and Vicinity Report (long, very long)
We were disappointed this week at Tryon. They were out of fish chowder so we tried the clam. It was o.k. but very thin. The fried oyster/shrimp combo had fresh tasting shrimp but the oysters were covered in way too much batter. Sides included good slaw and lukewarm fries that were unremarkable.
Emerald Isle NC area good eats?
Scotch Harbor in the Atlantic Beach shopping center next to Food Lion is an undiscovered gem. They have been serving some of the best food in the area for two years. They specialize in seafood with an Italian bent. We had some delicious Wahoo in a puttanesca sauce with homemade raviolis a week ago.
For breakfast try On a Roll in Morehead on Arendal. The food is very good but unfortunately they allow smoking.
Asheville; best B&B food?
We're thinking of a trip in early December. What is the best B&B? Who has great food?
Thanks,
Dave
Eastern NC Taqueria/Authentic Mexican thread
We tried La Esperanza and El Picante Mexican Grill. La Esperanza was for dinner and they were closing soon. We had the special, a grilled pork chop with sauce and a few tacos. Everything was o.k. but not great. We're thinking that this was due to the hour. Next time we will go for lunch.
El Picante Mexican Grill was quite nice despite their not selling beer. ;) The chicken enchilada verde was delicious. The tacos al pastor were good but I've had better. I'm certain that there are other delights on the menu and we will definitely be back, brown bagging it, to try other dishes.
Thanks for the head up Naco...
Beaufort dining disaster; Sharpie's Grill
This has been an interesting discussion. We went on a Saturday evening with reservations. The sloppy work from the wait staff and kitchen does not fall under the rubric of any slow food movement that I wish to support.
We never demanded any compensation. We did receive an apology but, as stated in my original post, after two disappointing experiences we are not inclined to risk another evening lost.
Floyd's 1921 Restaurant, Morehead City, NC
It's on 4th and Bridges street. Bridges parallels Arendell and 4th is very near the end of Arendell heading to Beaufort. It's in the building that Franco's used to occupy.
Desperate for great Mexican in Greenville, NC....
Thanks Naco. I'll probably get there an a week.
