L'uva Enoteca is one of our favorite places. I believe they're open all day until they close in the evening. If you're there when they offer dinner menu, and I don't know when that starts, they have half orders of pasta that might be just the right size for Lulu. I am also a pushover for any of the fish dishes there.

Definitely go. We haven't been in a year or two since we don't get to HH very often but I remember having very good meal there. Our waiter was very familiar with the menu and advised us well. Room is very nice. We usually eat mostly seafood and salads. I looked at current menu and see lots of things I'd order in a heartbeat. Go and enjoy.

We've always liked Catch alot. In fact, we used to drive down from Chapel Hill for a great seafood lunch. Keith Rhodes is a vastly talented chef and we'd choose either Catch or his new Vietnamese place which has a great sounding menu.

There are some wonderful dumplings in the freezer case made in New York. Can't remember name right now but they come in pork with cabbage, shrimp and pork with leeks and small round pork dumplings very much like soup dumplings. Large bags have about 40 dumplings in each. I pan fry pork and cabbage and shrimp and pork with with leeks, soup dumplings I steam or boil in stock. They also have some shrimp dumplings that come in smaller packages. Brand I buy is made from shrimp, another brand seems to have that fake fish listed before shrimp on package. I tried some frozen baked pork buns and would advise you stay away from them. On weekends, you can get dim sum at the restaurant there. Everything we've tasted is pretty good.
Fresh vegetables are very good but much is pre-packaged and are too much of one thing for us. Mushrooms are very good, ginger is freshest we've found.

Well, we were near Briar Creek the other day and gave it a try. Sadly, we were both right. Place is not very good. Sushi had small portion of rice, which is good, sashimi was nicely cut but strangely had little taste. Tempura was swimming in grease. I think maybe Greg Cox just can't be trusted with Japanese food.

Glad you asked. I've been wondering, too. Menu certainly doesn't give me much hope. Could it have been a typo?

We were quite pleased. Room is smaller than I thought it would be, and was full. Service was attentive. Restaurant Week menu let us choose any large plate and a salad for $10 at lunch. A good deal for Restaurant Week here which doesn't seem to offer many. We chose Korean Seafood Noodle and Walnut Prawns. Salads to start were excellent with a light miso and I think raspberry vinegar dressing. Walnut Prawns were great presentation with, I think, 6 large prawns deep fried on a bed of cabbage and topped with honied walnuts. Dish was crisp and a little dry, but I think it was supposed to be that way. My opinion was Seafood Noodle dish was the star of the show. Large scallops, lots of shrimp, mushrooms, scallions, maybe carrots, too, tossed with udon noodles in a spicy Korean sauce. Reminded me of something I had at An but I don't remember what it was called. We loved everything. Desert menu looked good, but we were pretty happy by then. Enjoyed it all so much, I'm planning to go back with husband so he can give it a try.

I'm happy I went. Will certainly go back again. Stay away from first table in the dining room on a cold day. Even though it's a long way from the door, it was very drafty every time someone came in or left.

I've been meaning to try Element in Chapel Hill, from the former owner of An. This is the perfect excuse. Going for lunch today. Will report back.

I'm sorry to see them go, too. I thought their wine selection was inspired - everything we tried was great.

Thanks to your report we tried lunch at Pizzeria Toro today and couldn't have enjoyed it more. Pizza is different from any other we've had, and it may just be the best. The sprinkling of salt and olive oil on the crust when the pizza comes out of the wood fired oven really brings out the flavor of the pizza. We didn't try the kale but the baby lettuce salad was superb. Greens were handled with care and perfectly dressed. Pizza is so light, we probably could have eaten two which we'll try and do next time. Choices are hard because everything sounds luscious. Service was attentive and everyone on staff wanted us to enjoy the meal. We certainly did.

It's a little far and a little pricey, but A Southern Season hand slices their lox and smoked salmon. I find the Smoked Scottish Salmon particularly good and I'm happy with a 1/4 of that instead of a bigger package of the inferior stuff. Plus they're always glad to let you try whatever they have so you can choose what tastes best to you.

I agree. Salsa and fresh chips from On the Border were wonderful. We really miss the one in Durham. In fact, we haven't found a good rice and beans kind of Mexican restaurant to replace it and don't think we haven't tried. Somehow the Durham cantina was better than either the one in Cary or North Raleigh.

Salsa at Tonali can be terrific but you just never know which one he's going to make. And it's definitely not a gooey enchillada, rice and beans kind of place.

When I broke my leg and was in a wheelchair, I found 411 West most comfortable for lunch. There is a handicapped space ub tge kit right next door to the restaurant. The wide doors are easy in and out. Haven't been there in a while but liked the food, especially fish specials and fresh pasta. In fact, I like it better for lunch than for dinner.

Back from trip and wanted to report. Went to Pizza DeMarco on the way up. Place was pretty empty but it was raining. Got lunch pizza (Margarita) & salad for $10.95. Pizza was only fair - too much sauce made it quite soggy. Not much flavor. Ordered one each, but pizza is larger than usual Neopolitan so we would have been fine with splitting one.

Coming home, we stopped at Pizzeria Orso near Tyson's Corners. Margarita again. Dough had great flavor. Good sauce and cheese. If crust had been done just a little more on the bottom, it would have ranked right up there with the best we've had. Order of meatballs was even better than the pizza. Service was first rate. If we lived in the area, we'd be regulars.

Thanks for advice. Next time we'll try and get to CS.

You all are lucky to have so many great choices. In the Raleigh area, we have exactly one. Thanks for info. Close to highway made it an easy choice. DeMarco here we come. Thanks.

Driving from NC to York, PA tomorrow. We'd like to get a good Neopolitan pizza off I-95 for lunch. I looked at Pizzeria DaMarco in Bethesda, Pizza CS in Rockville and Pacci's Pizzeria in Silver Spring. Which one should we stop at? Or is there someplace else you know about that I haven't found?

Thanks for help.

We still love L'uva. We'd go there for the bread alone but fortunately we don't have to. Usually order at least one of the fish specials and pasta bolognaise if it's on the menu. Salads are original and perfectly dressed. We've been for lunch and Sunday brunch a couple of weeks ago. We were delighted to see many of our lunchtime favorites on the brunch menu and the antipasto laid out on the bar looked delicious. We've probably been at least a dozen times and never left unhappy although I remember a Bresaola appetizer that was less than thrilling. We like the room and service has always been attentive and professional.

We tried Maru for the first time a couple of weeks ago and I, too, was impressed. Sushi was carefully made, fish was fresh and well cut, and there was wasabi on the sushi in the classic Japanese fashion. Salad that came with sushi lunch was much better than usual. Service was attentive. We will be back soon.

I like NY Bagels on Falls of Neuse, too. One in Cary is supposed to be owned by same people but I don't think they're as good in Cary - also more expensive, go figure.

As for lox, they do hand cut it at Southern Season or at least they used to before change of ownership. It is absurdly expensive but the best I've found around here. Harris Teeter has prepackaged Admiral's Norwegian Salmon that's much better than their acme trimmings. It was recently on sale for half price. They also carry whitefish salad that's quite good on a bagel..

We've been out of town so perhaps you can use info for later on in the summer.

We don't like driving at night so we go out mostly for lunch. Current favorite places are L'uva in Durham at American Tobacco, Komo-Komo, a small very casual Korean/French bistro owned by a former Duke Washington Inn chef/CIA graduate, in Cary. We have been to Lantern and although it's always good, it's never made us want to come back the next day. Love Bella Mia and its pizzas but service is way too slow for a place that makes pizzas. Table is good and specials are usually interesting. Tonali is very good, miles and miles above any Mexican restaurant around and we always enjoy our meal. Even though it's close enough that we go for dinner, it doesn't seem to call out to us like our first choices do.

Revolution was one of our favorites since I think Jim Anile is a genius with fish. When they closed for lunch and opened L'uva, we took our appetites there. Starting with the best bread in the state, I can vouch for any of the fish dishes, pasta, risotto and extraordinary lasagna Bolognese. Menu changes often and I always have a hard time choosing between dishes that all sound as praiseworthy as the squid ink pasta I had last time we were there. We still like Revolution for dinner.

I get Melinas pasta every week or two at Saturday morning farmer's market behind Southern Season. I think her black pepper pasta is a little more interesting than the plain. She made a black pepper linguine that was wonderful but last week, she said she has stopped making it and is making angel hair instead. She is a work in progress. You can see locations where she sells at her website, http://www.melinaskitchen.com/

We just got back from California where we were able to get what was called Kobe rare roast beef sliced for sandwiches at Albertson's. There was a huge difference between it and the Boars Head we find around here. Anyone know if the past 3 years have brought any really good roast beef to our locale?

I'd second Kitchen in Chapel Hill. Good food and service, interesting small plates. Great atmosphere. We always find lots of things we'd like to order. Plus plenty of parking. Lots of special in addition to regular menu. You can check it out here: http://kitchenchapelhill.com/kitchen/...

Our current favorite restaurant is L'uva in Durham but unfortunately they close on Sunday.

Best pizza in town is Bella Mia - coal fired, crispy thin crust, homemade cheese. It was named Restaurant of the Year last year shortly after they opened and it's still excellent. Good local beers on tap. Meatballs and roasted vegetables make nice starters. You're lucky you'll be so close. We have to drive a long way to get there and we happily do although when we walk in, we're ready to eat and service is sometimes a little slow.

We're leaving for Phoenix in 2 weeks. If you'd like to name a couple of those good Mexican restaurants, we'll give them a try. I'll check back soon..

No, you will never be sorry. You will be delighted as long as you follow some of Emile Henry's suggestions for using the pan. They say to preheat the pastry 5 minutes before filling and bake 10 minutes longer than recipe that uses a pyrex or tin pan. Pies come out beautiful and do not stick. In fact, I find it easier to get pie out of Emile Henry plate than anything else I've used. And cutting with a sharp knife doesn't make lines or dents in the pan. It's wonderful.

We were there again the other day and again, it was wonderful. Starting with the bread which supposedly comes from New Jersey and is the best bread I know. Olive oil and pesto is great for dipping. We ordered linguine bolognaise with a salad and another delicious salmon dish, the menu said it was poached in olive oil but it wasn't oily just moist and almost creamy in texture served with salad. I saw Jim Anile there and was told the regular chef is back in Italy right now so Jim is in the kitchen for both lunch and dinner. If you're looking to give L'uva a second chance, Durhamois, this is a good time.

My suggestion for you is L'uva at American Tobacco in Durham. Every dish we've had there has been excellent. Fish is extraordinary. Menu changes weekly. Service is first class. Place is quite small but high style and has lots of good energy. Everyone there seems to be enjoying themselves. Greg Cox gave it good review just a week or two ago.

I often shop at A Southern Season for things I have a hard time finding elsewhere. I have noticed some unsettling results of the change in ownership. Food counter has stopped carrying Neutske's smoked ham. They used to sell it by the slice which meant we didn't have to buy a whole ham to have a couple of slices with eggs. In bakery, I usually picked up a couple of sandwich breads from Guglhupf. Price used to be the same or just a little bit more at SS. Last one I got was $5.75 for bread Guglhupf charges $3.75 for. Not a good sign. I'll take the time to go to Durham next time. I used to think Southern Season was a local treasure. Now it's starting to become less relevant.

Thanks for your post, Hungry Man. We were in Greensboro the other day and headed over to Sticks and Stones for Pizza after it was also recommended by the counter person at Giacomo's when we stopped for Italian sausage. Pizza was terrific. Maybe the best crust around. Now that Bella Mia in Cary is closed for lunch, we're always on the lookout for good pizza. This was so good, we should have gotten a large.

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Sticks and Stones
2200 Walker Ave, Greensboro, NC 27403

Bella Mia
2025 Renaissance Park Pl, Cary, NC 27513

I got a baguette there that was everything a baguette should be. They told me they make cinnamon raisin bread on Tuesdays. I use cinnamon raisin bread for French Toast so I'll give it a try soon. And their berry muffins are wonderful but quite pricy to my way of thinking. It's a nice space with plenty of parking. I hope they do well.