raleighchow's Profile
Raleigh Restaurant Week
The other one I tried for restaurant week was Solas:
Dined at Solas Saturday night for Restaurant week. It was my first experience at this restaurant, but my sister who went with me had been there before, and had nothing but good things to say about her prior experience. We had 6:00 reservations, and we were greeted warmly, then seated outside, though I had not requested outside. When I questioned it, I was told basically we had no choice but to sit outside. Fortunately for us, it wasn't too hot, and they had ceiling fans that helped. Street noises were a bit loud at times, and there were a few bugs flying, but no big deal. Our waiter was kind enough to fix the wobbly table before anything was served.
For my appetizer, I selected the bbq duck quesadilla, with avocado salsa. My sister had the she crab soup with crab raft, which she had had there before. We decided to share two entrees: the jerk dorado and the scallops with lobster succotash. I LOVED the duck quesadilla. The avocado had a nice kick to it. It was creamy and tasty and absolutely perfect. I got to taste my sister's she crab soup which was delicious also. Loved the sherry in it. She remembered it having a potato type raft before, but this time it was bread. Still good, and very rich. Entrees were also very good. Light and fresh. Scallops could've used a bit more of a sear, but were still good and the lobster succotash is very yummy. Never had dorado before and it was okay. It had a jerk seasoning and salsa. It was pretty light and well done. We were glad to share dishes to vary the experience.
Dessert for me was berries with chambord cream. My sister got the vanilla creme brulee. The berries could not have been more fresh or delicious, not to mention HUGE. Giant raspberries & nice blackberries, plus tasty blueberries and a very fresh strawberry. YUM. My sister's creme brulee was small but perfectly done. She was already full anyway.
Service was very good. Our waiter from Rome, was friendly and professional. Water was served without ice, but if you ask for it, they'll bring it. I liked the wine the waiter recommended, and if you like champagne, the Prosecco for $7 a glass is a great deal. It's served as a small bottle with a slice of strawberry.
I am very much looking forward to dining at Solas again and trying more items on
their regular menu.
Raleigh Restaurant Week
Anyone else take advantage of this week? I would love to hear your experiences. I tried two places. First was Fins:
I have eaten at Fins before for lunch. As a matter of fact, probably the best sandwich I've ever eaten is the Vietnamese pork sandwich that Fin's serves up at lunchtime. However, I hadn't tried Fins for dinner. Restaurant week this week seemed like the ideal time to try Fins for dinner.
We went on Friday night at 6:15. Service was excellent. Food was very good. Due to restaurant-week, there was a $30 pre-fixe menu that we went with. I got the tuna tartare. Other two members of my party got the corn potage with crabmeat. The soup, which I tried, had a very strong corn flavor. They were both pleased with it. My tuna tartare was served on a lettuce leaf with pickled ginger and taro root chips. At first I thought it was a bit boring, but mix the pickled ginger in with the tuna and it really came alive.
Entrees were good also. I had a shrimp filled agnoloti with tomato and spinach, with creamy garlic. Very light and flavorful. The other two in my party had sea bass with shitake glaze & eggplant. They liked it. Dessert for two of us was a banana cinnamon cake with chocolate sauce and it was served with coconut sorbet, but they were kind enough to give me mango sorbet instead, as I don't care for coconut. Surprisingly light and not too sweet. Very nice. Coffee took 8 minutes or so, which was a slight disappointment for us, especially the one who got the cherry dessert who wanted the coffee to offset the sweetness. For the price and quality, this was a DEAL. With two glasses of wine and the coffee, my dinner was around $50 before tip. Very nice! I would not hesitate to go back to Fins for lunch or dinner.
Great Raleigh Happy Hour
Forgot to mention that my husband tried the burger as well and said it was quite good, especially for the happy hour price!
Great Raleigh Happy Hour
Okay, I've tried it twice now, so I feel really good about recommending Tobacco Road Cafe for their Happy Hour. They are in Raleigh in the Glenwood South area, not too far from Hillsborough St. From 4-6, if you buy a drink of $2.50 or more, you can select from $1.95 or $2.95 food items. We have now tried the $1.95 nachos, and the $1.95 black-eyed pea cakes (with salad that includes oranges, grapefruit and pine nuts...yum!)...We have also tried the $2.95 burger, and barbecue sandwich (they make their own...very smokey and lean)...and their grilled chicken sandwich. All of these sandwiches come with side choice. I loved their collard greens. The fries are very good, as well. Food is really top-notch, and we've found some great drink choices as well. Mondays are mojito mondays for $4 (haven't caught that special though).
The Raleigh Times
On our way to the Farmer's Market this past Saturday we were hungry. Decided to try Poole's Diner, but found there to be mostly breakfast-type food, so we went on and landed at The Raleigh Times. We were told we could sit anywhere we wanted, so we chose the bar. Hungry, everything on the menu looked good. I chose the blackened salmon with pesto risotto and green beans. My husband chose the fish and chips. We were both happy with our order. Although we started off with tea and diet coke, we each ended up with another drink choice. I chose the house-made lemoncello w/soda and mint. My husband got a tasty beer. We then shared a gran marnier cake that the bartender had to go next door to get. It was good, and not too sweet. We loved this place and are looking forward to going back and trying more things!
Raleigh//Cary NC area near the NC Fair Grounds
It really depends what kind of food you're looking for. Can you be more specific? Bella Monica is very close to the fairgrounds and is good for Italian, but unless you have reservations you probably won't get in. Sushi Thai is good and is down Lake Boone, not far from the fairgrounds. I have not tried the new Backyard Bistro yet, nor Spirits, but they certainly sound good. You're also not that far from Crabtree Valley Mall, where you would find two great places for Happy Hour, should you be looking for eats during that time. Either McCormick & Schmicks or Brio's Tuscan Grille both are very good for Happy Hour. Not to mention for regular dining as well.
Raleigh NC - place to eat
Can you be more specific? Are you talking about brunch? Sunday dinner? What part of Raleigh?
Coquette-Raleigh
Six of us picked Coquette to celebrate a birthday today (Wednesday lunch). I tried for 11:30 reservations, but they weren't available. Our choices were 11:15 or 12:00. We took 11:15. Arrived to an empty restaurant. We were led to a nice, open-ended on both sides booth for six. Comfortable and cozy, yet with enough elbow room. Drinks were brought quickly and replenished at impeccable speed the whole time. Bread is brought in cute little cup baskets. Two kinds. Baguette slices and Rye w/Sunflower Seeds. Served with butter at a perfect temperature. Not too hard or soft. Two of us shared the frisee salad with poached egg. Delicious. Our main dishes took quite awhile to come out, but they were worth the wait. My son and I shared mussels with chorizo & frites, and seafood crepe. Two others had the duck confit crepes, and another a steak sandwich with frites. The frites come with an awesome aioli. Very garlicky. We did ask for some ketchup as well (sorry, blasphemy, but the two went so well together). The mussels were a generous bowlful, but many of them were not quite open. Some were stringy. The ones that were good were really really good. The broth was excellent as a dipper for the bread. The seafood crepe was very tasty. Light. The crepes themselves are not filled. They're served folded with sauce, peas and seafood on top. Duck confit crepes are two generously filled crepes. I only got a small taste, but would happily go back and order it for myself. The steak sandwich looked good and was appreciated by my husband, but he sure didn't part with so much as a bite, so I can't attest to that one myself.
For dessert we shared the profiteroles and one other dessert that I don't remember the name of. It had two tiny poached pears plus a small pastry with a small scoop of ice cream. All together we had 2 iced teas, 2 diet cokes and 2 coffees. Total bill was $90 before gratuity.
I felt the same way I do when I go to Vivace (a sister restaurant for these owners)...like I'd had a high-quality dining experience for a medium-price. Great value for the dollar. Excellent service, by the way. This staff is taught well. I can't wait to go back and try more menu items!
Raleigh restaurants near Waraji?
How about Taverna Agora? A very nice Greek place on Glenwood.
Restaurants in downtown for a crowd, but open for Saturday lunch in Raleigh?
I have not eaten there yet, but Poole's Diner is open for Saturday brunch. I had some of their food at a charity event and it was very good.
The Big Easy is a Cajun place in downtown. We've been there for lunch on Sunday, but I can't tell from their website if they're open for Saturday lunch or not.
The restaurant at the new Marriott in downtown is likely to be open for lunch. Expensive, but it would be convenient and could certainly handle a crowd.
Authentic Italian in the Triangle?
I also have had some good experiences at Casalinga. Has anyone tried Cafe Luna downtown? They are not an old-timey Italian type place, but what they do is good. Their red clam sauce is excellent. They use good quality cheese. The place can be very loud because of the acoustics, but the food is excellent. imho.
Thanksgiving Dinner in Raleigh
oops...you're right...however I love all the urbanfood group people, and I would recommend any of their properties as well. (although I don't know if they're doing Thanksgiving).
The email I was referring to, by the way, was, yes from the RockyTop folks. Thank you for my correction.
Thanksgiving Dinner in Raleigh
I just got an email from Michael Deans about their Thanksgiving meal and it looks very good for $24.99 for adults. I bet all the Rocky Top properties are doing Thanksgiving. You could check them out. Bogarts, Red Room, Twisted Fork...urbanfoodgroup.com
Thanksgiving Dinner in Raleigh
Irregardless usually does Thanksgiving. Never been there for it, but I would expect Arthur Gordon would do it up right.
Triangle - Layoff-induced Budget Eating!
I thought of another place. Hi5 on Glenwood...most or all items on the menu are $5.
Triangle - Layoff-induced Budget Eating!
I think this is a great topic and love the tips you've already gotten. I can make a few suggestions. If you like seafood, North Seafood Bistro on Durant Road features "Date Night" on Tuesdays. You can get 2 salads, 2 entrees (any on the menu!) and a bottle of wine for $35. We've been there for it twice and it was really good. According to their website they have $6.50 lunch specials daily, but we have not tried them for lunch.
Right next to North Seafood Bistro is Bella Italian Restaurant. I don't know if they are still doing it or not, but they had "Date Night" on Wednesdays (their website does not currently mention it, so I don't know if they still do). When we went it was two salads, any two entrees, and a bottle of wine for $29. It was very good.
McCormick & Schmick's Happy Hour is another great deal. I believe it's 4-6. Bar items start at just $1.95! That includes a cheeseburger and fries. They also have some items for $2.95 and some for $3.95. I believe you have to buy a drink, but the night we went, they even had drink specials.
Like others here, I also use Restaurant.com a lot. Be sure to get on their email list and wait until they put their coupons on sale. I've gotten them for 50-90% off. They're good for a year. Right now, I have $25 ones for Marco's, Baby Moon Cafe,, Johnny Carino's, North Seafood, Napper Tandy's, Cinelli's at North Hills, The Big Easy...and $10 ones for Ted's Montana Grill, North Ridge Pub & Fonda Birrieria. It's a great way to try new restaurants, and so far, we've only found 2 restaurants that we would not go back to, and neither was terrible.
Another suggestion for coupons is to check Money Mailer.com and ValPak.com. They usually have plenty.
Another resource I use is to check ZSpotlight.com. They have a daily event calendar where many places post their daily specials.
Italian in Las Vegas?
We really like Bootlegger's. It's no where near the strip, but anyplace that serves a killer linguine with clam sauce at 9:30am is my kind of Italian restaurant!
Vegas report
Loved your review, especially since we're going tomorrow, and we are also lunch-people. Mesa Grill and the Country Club are two on my list of wanting to try. I know FIX isn't open for lunch. Can you tell us more about your experience there?
NEWCOMER - BIRTHDAY DINNER IN RALEIGH?
I've had a couple very nice meals at Bloomsbury Bistro. It's been awhile though. Restaurant.com has coupons for that restaurant also. Did you, by any chance, see the Weekend section of the N&O Friday? The food critic has lists of his all-time favorites. That might be helpful to you.
NEWCOMER - BIRTHDAY DINNER IN RALEIGH?
The last time we went to Second Empire was after a show at Memorial Auditorium. We wanted a glass of wine and a little something to eat. We went to the bar downstairs and were the only ones in the place. They said we still had time though. We each selected a glass of wine. I HATED mine. Didn't know how a chardonnay could be that hideously awful. We ordered a crab dip of some type. It was okay. Nothing memorable. The bartender didn't seem to care that I hated my wine. After I choked it down he told me he didn't like it either. We split one other glass of wine, that was less expensive and was great. The total bill for three glasses of wine and a small dip was over $50. And again, none of it was particularly memorable.
I've been there several times after work for a drink and appetizers, and I can't remember a single thing that I had. It's been years since I had a meal in the main dining room, and again, I remember nothing about the meal other than it was okay, and I was really glad I wasn't paying for it.
However, many many people like the place, and I've heard of some really nice meals there. Perhaps you could get them to fax you a current menu to see if you like the sound of it?
It's been years since I've been to Fins, but I did have a couple very nice meals there. Again, I think a lot depends on current menus and what your wife likes. I think it's wonderful that you're taking time to consider your options and do something nice for her!
NEWCOMER - BIRTHDAY DINNER IN RALEIGH?
We ate at Underground for the first time (since it was this restaurant) last week before going to see "Movin Out". It was one of the most perfect meals I've had in awhile food-wise. I'm still dreaming about the salad I started with...arugula, beets, touch of horseradish, topped with a perfectly poached egg. The combination worked so well. My husband loved his goat cheese on bruschetta appetizer with olive tapenade and roasted garlic. I believe they were $5 each. We then shared hangar steak with mustard & horseradish ($9), and scallops with lobster & corn ($13), along with a gratinee of cauliflower.($4) Perfect, perfect, perfect! Along with French Roast pressed coffee, we shared a vanilla-ginger creme brulee. Again, perfect. The only slight criticism of the place is the atmosphere. It's still underground. But as soon as the food starts coming, none of that matters. If you go to Restaurant.com by the way, they have coupons you can purchase for the Underground.
Soooo...to answer your question about whether it would be suitable for a birthday celebration, that depends on what's important to you and your wife.
Vivace is a wonderful suggestion. Food is excellent, atmosphere is great, although it will get loud in there.
I've personally never been a fan of Second Empire. It's okay, but I've never had anything that felt like it was worth the sky high prices. As for Sullivan's, the one time I ate there with a gift certificate was one of the worst dining experiences I've ever ever ever had, and it was my birthday. Glad you ruled that one out.
I too am sorry you had a bad Jibarra experience. I tried it once and absolutely loved it.
Dinner in Raleigh w/ college kids and teens
I suggest you head for the Glenwood South area. Just take Hillsborough St. and head toward downtown. Turn left onto St.Mary's St. Turn right on Peace Street, and you'll see Mellow Mushroom on your right. That's one suggestion. You can turn right onto Glenwood Avenue and there are several good places to eat on Glenwood. This area is known as Glenwood South. Everything from Moe's which is a casual burger place, to Armadillo Grill which is a very casual Mexican place, to 518 West which has salads, and homemade pastas and pizzas. There is High-5, Bogart's and Red Room which are all owned by the same company but are completely different-type restaurants. I believe all three have menus posted you can check out.
