Andiereid's Profile
Best Steak in Wilmington, N.C.
My preference is PortLand Grill. I've never been terribly impressed by PC Chophouse and I've always found Ruth's Chris disappointing and extremely expensive.
Best Steak in Wilmington, N.C.
I'm pretty sure Max's closed - at least Ashe's iteration of it did. Someone told me that it was being reopened as a different restaurant.
Henry's, Wilmington N.C.
I've had lunch there a couple of times, and it's pretty good. They make a solid reuben and good fries. We've always been happy to meet up with our PPD friends there for a meal, but we haven't made it over in a while since PPD moved downtown.
Breakfast in Wilmington, NC
Thanks for the info, Liz! I appreciate it! I'll definitely check out Dixie sometime this fall. And the guys at my gym swear by Chris's. One of them has tried every breakfast combo they have. He loves them.
Wilmington NC - Where do YOU dine?
Thanks for the info, Liz. I've had lunch at Bon Appetit several times and always love it, but haven't tried out their dinner yet. Have heard good things about it.
Must-Try Restaurants in Raleigh, NC
I'm in Wilmington, not Raleigh, but we get over there pretty regularly. I have to second Suzy Q's recommendation of Vivace. It's excellent Italian. Their honey-almond gelato is one of the best things I've tasted.
Date Night in Wilmington, NC
I'm afraid that the restaurants that are right on the river don't offer the best that Wilmington has to offer. You would be better off eating at one of the many places downtown a block or so away, then walking along the boardwalk afterward. Deluxe, on Market Street is excellent, as is Caprice Bistro, just a block further down (almost on the river). The Basics is also good, down at the end of Front Street at the Cotton Exchange. If you're looking for great Thai food, I'd highly recommend Big Thai, which is in our up-and-coming "Brooklyn Arts District" (no, I don't know why it's called that). Big Thai is on North Fourth Street.
Hope you enjoy your stay!
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Deluxe Cafe
114 Market St, Wilmington, NC 28401
The Basics
319 N Front St, Wilmington, NC 28401
Caprice Bistro
10 Market St, Wilmington, NC 28401
City Tavern , Wilmington NC
PickyDiner, do you mean in Charlotte, or Wilmington? In Wilmington, there are a few threads for some great places - a quick search should turn up the most recent.
Durham, NC Nice dinner with older kids
Thanks for the help, everyone. We did eat at Piedmont, which was two blocks from our hotel. They seated us upstairs, which was nice, since it gave us a little privacy for our visit. The food was excellent. The kids liked it just fine, and obviously the adults did as well. I appreciate it!
Dinner near Ovens Auditorium Charlotte, NC
Thanks for the recs, guys. We wound up at Lulu. It could not have been more convenient. The location was perfect, and we all loved the food! (This is actually quite a feat for my uber-picky dad.)
Dinner near Ovens Auditorium Charlotte, NC
We're going to be there for the Mark Knopfler concert next weekend. Any recommendations for something for dinner near Ovens Auditorium? We'll have a car, but it would be nice to be able to eat dinner someplace close by.
City Tavern , Wilmington NC
We've eaten there a couple of times. It's good, but I think the prices are a little higher than the quality.
Breakfast in Wilmington, NC
A couple of people have recommended Dixie, chefbeth. What kind of breakfast is it? Is it a standard breakfast griddle kind of thing, like Salt Works and White Front and Goody Goody?
Wilmington Suggestions
Robl, I grew up on Memphis/Arkansas-style 'cue and really disklike NC style. The almost-straight-vinegar sauce just doesn't do it for me.. But folks who grew up on it really like it. I haven't ever eaten at Jackson's, but it sounds like they're doing standard NC-style, and I know it's pretty popular here with people who like that style. If it's an acquired taste, I haven't gotten it yet, after living here for twelve years. Unfortunately, the only "memphis-style" BBQ place around here really isn't, so I've just kind of given up on BBQ here unless I make it myself.
Party Menu...Need Help!
I'd probably do the caprese salad skewers and not the jalapenos. I don't know where you are, but here in Wilmington, NC, it's too hot to even contemplate sausage stuffed anything, but a fresh caprese appeals greatly. And I think that's a very nice variety.
For sides, I'd say you don't need a potato salad with the mac and cheese. You have a nice, solid, delicious starch with that, and I think that would be enough. I like the cukes and onions - sounds great. And no, I don't think another veggie, with the good selection you have between apps and sides. For the cupcakes, I'd probably drop the chocolate with ganache and just do the german chocolate and the chocolate with peanut butter.
Don't have a white sangria recipe, but I'm sure a quick web search would find you some good options.
Have a fun party!
Pink Pig Cafe Wilmington, NC
Met a friend downtown for lunch today at the Pink Pig Cafe on Princess St. Cute place, pleasant decor, really REALLY nice ladies running it – gracious old south hospitality. Excellent iced tea. The food was fine. Didn’t offer much – you can get a cheeseburger, a hamburger, bbq or a hot dog and about five standard sides. But it was fine. My hot dog was good, My friend said her ‘cue was “good”, and the sides were OK. (frozen crinkle french fries, OK slaw). CHEAP! My lunch was four bucks. But that’s about what it was worth – I mean, it was a chili dog. So nothing special, but fast cheap eats downtown in a nice environment with warm, friendly service.
They have a breakfast menu that looks pretty good - again, standard Southern Diner type food, but I may give them a try for breakfast soon.
Wilmington Suggestions
Downtown:
Deluxe - Upscale, nice evening dining 114 Market St
Caprice Bistro - Upscale, nice evening dining 10 Market St
Catch - Best lunch in town, no holds barred. Definitely try - local ingredients, seafood 215 Princess St
The Copper Penny - pub food, casual lunch or dinner 109 Chestnut St
The Basics -Upscale Southern Food, lunch or nice dinner - great cocktail menu 319 N Front St
Big Thai - I think the best Thai food in town - lunch or dinner 1001 N 4th St
Mid-Town
El Guajiro - Authentic Cuban lunch 1015 S Kerr Ave
Los Portalas Taqueria - Authentic Mexican lunch 1207 S Kerr Ave # B
Indochine - Good Thai/Vietnamese food, not great, but really nice ambience and a local favorite 7 Wayne Dr
Oleander/toward the beach/South part of town
El Agave - inexpensive good Mexican, dinner or lunch 3803 Oleander Dr
K38 Baja - Another local favorite - slightly more upscale Baja/Southwestern good for dinner 5410 Oleander Dr
Mason's Haunt - upscale dinner, kind of "continental", I guess. Good seafood 3315 Masonboro Loop Rd
Near and on Wrightsville Beach:
Osteria Chiccetti - Good Italian out at The Forum
South Beach Grill - Good Seafood on the ICW side of Wrightsville Beach 100 S. Lumina Ave.
There are other places that I'm sure others will recommend and fill in my gaps. I will say to not have high expectations of places with a water view. The best restaurants here are pretty much off the water. It's unfortunate, but those places on the river and the beach don't offer the best food in town.
Durham, NC Nice dinner with older kids
Hey RDU Hounds - we're meeting our oldest friends in Durham in a few weeks for an overnight visit and dinner. They're celebrating their 20th anniversary, and wanted us and their two kids (girl age 14 and boy age 12) to join them. Any suggestions for a nice place that won't be too much of a palate-shock for the kids? They're not extremely picky, but they also haven't been exposed to much yet, food-wise. They live in a fairly small town and don't go dining out much. We'd all prefer someplace semi-formal, so it feels like we're paying the proper respect to the occasion.
Thanks for the help!
osteria cicchetti- wilmington,nc
We've eaten there twice now. I'm with marlowbeach - I'd give it about a B+. We loved their olive selection as well. The antipasto offerings were all pretty good. My husband loved their pizza - very thin and crunchy/crispy - more on a cracker bread than a real pizza crust. Unusual but very tasty. The first time we ate there, I had their bolognese. It was good, but a little watery and slightly bland, but certainly "B" worthy. The second time we ate there, my husband had pizza again, but I opted for the oxtail ravioli. Truly awful. I'll definitely avoid that dish next time around. The sauce was salty, greasy and burned-tasting - as though they left too much oil in the pan and then burned it before starting the sauce. I'm glad that was my second go-round and that I'd had a pretty good meal the time before, or I probably wouldn't go back. Other dishes are quite respectable, though, and it's a fun place to eat.
Wilmington NC - Where do YOU dine?
timechime, I think you'll love it. Be sure to try their cafe con leche. Sweet, rich and delicious. Makes a nice finish to the meal.
Wilmington, NC - Antonio's
Well, I'm no expert on NY Pizza, but it was really good, and yes, definitely better than Elizabeth's, which is right down the street from our house on Market. I gave up on Elizabeth's. I've never had a great pizza there, only mediocre, and the service is not very good at all. The last time I called for takeout, (on a weekday at 4:30) I was put on hold and forgotten about. Antonio's definitely gets my vote over that.
app's for southern comfort food with 25 people?
Egg salad on toast
Deviled ham on celery
Small fried green tomatoes - you could top it with a red pepper mayonnaise
Mini corn pancakes topped with sour cream and chopped country ham
Stuff won ton wrappers with cooked collard greens and country ham and fry
Buttermilk chicken strips - you could even serve it with warm cream gravy as a dipping sauce. That's about as southern comfort as it gets!
Watermelon slices, or even pickled watermelon rind
Wilmington, NC - Antonio's
Had dinner at Antonio's last night on College right at Monkey Junction. It's a great little hole-in-the-wall Italian place. We ate there with friends and their two small children. The staff was friendly, and our waiter was perfect. My husband ordered a white pizza that was really good - the ricotta they used on it was perfect - nice and smooth and creamy in just the right amount. The crust was crispy and chewy and thin, but with substance and not the least bit greasy. I ordered the bolognese - kind of my personal litmus test with Italian places. It certainly wasn't the very best I've ever had, but it was very good. I enjoyed it and had enough left over for lunch (for a couple of days, actually). One of our friends had the lasagne (his own litmus test) and he judged it very good as well.
Definitely a place worth checking out on that end of town. Very good food, excellent service, and family friendly. They do have three locations, but I haven't been to either of the other two.
http://www.antoniospizzaandpasta.com/
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Antonio's Pizza & Pasta
5120 S College Rd # 122, Wilmington, NC
Wilmington NC - Where do YOU dine?
Agreed, woceht. Ate at Los Portales a few weeks ago and it was excellent. Had a burrito the size of my head stuffed with delicious pork and a big glass of rice water. They handed us two flash-fried jalapenos while we were eating that were delicious. Nice folks, great food - another good lunch find.
If you haven't been already, I'd highly recommend El Guajiro, right down the street. Authentic Cuban. Very very good.
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El Guajiro
1015 S Kerr Ave, Wilmington, NC
Grits for Dinner - Help?
Shrimp and grits is a common meal around here in NC. It's easy to make, and Bon Appetit has a good recipe for creamy shrimp grits with prosciutto on epicurious.com here
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CREAMY-SHRIMP-GRITS-WITH-PROSCIUTTO-104183
I make that one with good results.
Grits are also an excellent side dish for grilled pork chops. Mix in a handful of sharp cheddar as well. If you want the grits to be more solid, mix in an egg as well and bake them for about 15 minutes.
Grits are a pretty versatile starch. Once you familiarize yourself with them, you'll probably come up with lots of variations on your own.
Wilmington NC - Where do YOU dine?
Yes, I do like South Beach. I guess I don't count its view so much because it's across the street from Banks Channel and you don't really get the water view except at maybe one or two tables inside. If you see the water, it's mostly from their outside tables, and then there's an awful lot of traffic and then a park separating you from the water view. But yes, the food is very good.
Wilmington NC - Where do YOU dine?
I definitely agree, timechime. It's a shame that you can't really get excellent food and the great water view, but I haven't experienced a place yet that delivers both in Wilmington. The best places are definitely off the water.
Wilmington NC - Where do YOU dine?
We ate there with my brother's sister and her husband. They ordered appetizers - fried calamari, which none of them liked very much. They said it was a little rubbery and the breading wasn't very crisp. They also ordered the cornmeal fried oysters, which they said were OK, but not great. I didn't try either, so I can't give my own opinion. They also ordered one of the special appetizers - some kind of grilled shrimp. Just didn't have much flavor, really. None of us liked it much either.
My husband had the triggerfish for dinner - I had a bite of his - good, but just not jump off the plate wonderful. I had the aged prime tenderloin French Seared. It was a good cut of meat, and cooked exactly as I'd ordered it, but the pan sauce tasted almost like it had a burned, bitter edge to it, and was very salty. I will add that I like my food saltier than most people.
For dessert, I had a cappucino cake with some kind of side sauce made to look like a fried egg. It was some kind of creme anglaise with a peach puree in the middle. It was pretty, but again, just didn't deliver on flavor.
Prices: The appetizers were around the $7 - $9 price range, the salads are about the same, the entrees were in the $21 area, maybe slightly more. Nothing that made my hair stand on end, certainly.
I didn't find the prices unreasonable. I'd just had hoped the food would be better. It wasn't bad, by any means, it just wasn't great.
Wilmington NC - Where do YOU dine?
Savannah's has not closed - we ate there for dinner night before last. It was OK - not great, but not bad. We recently gave Dockside another shot as well, and I have to say I was pretty disappointed. The view is nice, of course, but the food was just below good. We all had the soft shell crab special, and it tasted like the crab had been fried earlier in the day and then reheated in a mircrowave before serving. The crust was soft and stale tasting. I will say the french fries were great, though.
Wilmington NC - Where do YOU dine?
Had lunch at Jessamine today and it was excellent! I had their chicken noodle bowl and it was really delicious. Rice noodles, romaine lettuce and grilled chicken in a lemon curry sauce. It was so flavorful. The coconut soup they served first was also perfect. Great balance of sour/coconut/salt - beautiful, despite the fact that it was 99 degrees outside. It was a small bowl anyway. The chicken noodle bowl was a pretty huge serving. I brought home half of it. My lunch companion had the shrimp pad thai and was less impressed with that. I tasted it and agreed with her - it was mostly just sweet, without anything to cut it. But she tried my chicken noodle bowl and loved it. I'll definitely be going back there.
