Sorry - forgot to say this is in the Triangle area of NC.

Has anyone heard of a new place on the Big Lots shopping center? Some name like Laughing tree cafe or similar.

We also do Walking Fish in Durham for a half share every other week. We really like the freshness and quality of the fish and the pick-up location is very convenient to us.

I liked Early Girl Cafe and Chai Pani on a recent visit.

The thread discussing local/independent spots in Burlington, NC was a little out-dated. Do people have any favorite places for lunch/dinner to recommend? Post with variety of food and prices and what you like and dislike about the places.

It's moved to Broad St. in the Nice Price Books parking lot.

Thanks for the recommendation of this place on Put-in Bay. The name is actually The Goat, Soup and Whiskey. We just had dinner there on Aug. 1 and everyone enjoyed their meals. Perch Tacos were a hit.

Will be traveling through WV on way to Sandusky,Ohio. A friend has recommended one place in Beckley. Any others you can recommend?

I think so. We'll be going through Akron, and past Cleveland. Does that help?

We'll be traveling from North Carolina to Sandusky area of Ohio. Any ideas for places to dine along the way that are not the usual fast food joints? One friend suggested a place in Beckley, WV - the craft center? Any opinions?

Does the King Cake at Great Harvest have a cinnamon filling?

Liberty Oak and Grenache are in downtown and are neat.

Watt's Grocery is changing to their new menu in the next few days so should be interesting.
Second the nod to Blu Seafood for nice, local place for good seafood.
Also suggest Piedmont, Rue Cler, Pop's and Four Square. I haven't been to Revolution, but friends who have, have enjoyed it.
And for casual, lunch place we love Parker & Otis - can't beat the porch for a nice place to relax for lunch.

I've always enjoyed the Beaufort Grocery when I've been in Beaufort. Also a friend recommended the Shark Shack on the main drag in Atlantic near the intersection with Durham Ave. And I second the nod for El's Drive-in. There are other nice places in Beaufort.

Parker & Otis has a great porch that allows dogs and usually has a water dish available for your pooch. They also have very yummy food, too.

The pot is brand new, so the gasket is brand new. I clean the pot and gasket after each use so make sure the grounds have been removed from the gasket after each use. I have not seen steam coming from the valve or from around the connection between the upper and lower chambers. So I think the valve is ok and that the chambers are screwed tight enough.

I have tried a coarser grind and had the same problem. Tried twice today to brew a cup of coffee and was unsuccessful. The coffee started brewing, but stopped with only about a third of the water used. I will make another effort with an even coarser grind, but I am beginning to think I may have gotten a dud coffee pot. They are such simple pieces of equipment for heaven's sake.

I'm going to try a coarser grind and see how that works. Thanks for the suggestion as that is the only thing I have not tried yet.

Do you mean what grind of beans? I drink decaffeinated. The first coffee I used was from the grocery and was Medaglia D'oro and it was pre-ground. I didn't have any problem with this coffee. The second coffee I used was from a local shop and was whole bean that I had them grind for a stove top maker. This is when the problem started. I went back to the Medaglia D'oro and am still having the problem.

So if it is the coarseness of the grind, what should I use?

Thanks for all the replies so far. I did read the instructions about the overflow valve and do make sure the water is not above the hole. I also read on the web about making sure the top and bottom are screwed tight. So I do try to make sure the connection is tight.

I have changed the heat to medium. And based on internet research which said the gurgling signaled readiness I thought that would work, but it hasn't fixed the problem. Many times now the water is gurgling, but only about a fourth of the coffee has brewed into the upper chamber. That is when I tried turning the heat off then back on. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

I bought a stove top espresso maker and when I first began using it things were great. But after the first few weeks it stopped brewing all of the water through the coffee. I did some searching on the web to see if I was doing anything incorrectly. I had been using a high heat setting, and had been waiting for all of the gurgling noised to subside, which seemed to be the only iffy actions I could change. But I still am having problems. Now I have lowered the heat and open the lid to see how the brewing is going. I seem to have to cut the heat totally off and turn it back on to get the brewing process to complete. But still have times where the brewing doesn't complete.

The pot is not a Bialetti. Any ideas on what is going on?

A couple of places in Durham that might be of interest to you are Watts Grocery and Piedmont, both of which have been reviewed here. The chefs at these 2 use local ingredients in very different, but wonderful food. Both restaurant spaces are comfortable, not stuffy.

And a perennial favorite of mine is Pop's. We just went there recently for a birthday dinner and had another enjoyable meal.