Watts Grocery

Last week we made our way to the well-known and highly rated Watts Grocery in Durham.  The restaurant has come highly recommended to us by several people and offers sustainable fair from local farms.  Colin was really excited when he saw they had chess pie on the dessert menu online, so we decided against an appetizer so we could save room for dessert.

We were a bit worried that we would need reservations, since the restaurant seems to be very popular, but when we called there was only an opportunity to leave a message. We took our chances, hoping that a 5:45pm dinner on a Wednesday night would not be a popular time.  Upon arrival, there were very few people dining and plenty of open tables. The space was larger than I anticipated with quite a few tables and a bar area.

Shortly after we ordered, we were presented with four very basic dinner rolls and butter. I'm guessing the butter was local and maybe the bread was baked in-house, but Colin was expecting more.  He commented on expecting who grain rolls, or some sesame seeds, and maybe some olive oil and vinegar, or chive-butter.  The dinner rolls did not match our expectations for a pricey, sustainable restaurant.

Since the restaurant sourced it's meat locally, we decided to try the steak and the chicken.  The Pan Roasted Chicken Confit came with yellow grits and butterbean and pea succotash.  I had to go back to the menu to know what the butterbeans were because they were so soft and very rich. Originally, I thought they were pork fat.  The dish was very flavorful, maybe a little too rich and flavorful.  After a few bites, I was already full (well, saving a little room for dessert).

The Grilled Hand-Cut Angus Ribeye came on smoked tomato and bacon braised collard, and with broccoli and Four Leaf Farm pea shoot butter.  It's too bad we didn't have the butter for the bread! Neither of us used the butter with the steak dish, which was also very flavorful. The meat was very tender and cooked perfectly to Colin's liking (medium-rare).  The collards, in their smoked tomato and bacon sauce were a bit too rich for me, but Colin was a huge fan.  While the steak did not beat his favorites in NYC (The Post House, Strip House and Angelo Maxies) or the amazing steaks we ate in Aruba, he thought the meat was the best we've had in the Triangle.  His highest marks went to the collards, which he'll likely try to replicate at home.

Both entrees tasted amazing as leftovers (especially since I could cook the steak a little more to my liking)!

Pan-Roasted Chicken Confit

Grilled Hand-Cut Angus Ribeye

Once Colin got his heart set on the chess pie, he had me convinced we had to get it for dessert. So when the waitress came over to ask if we were finished, and we requested a box to pack up our leftovers, Colin immediately ordered the chess pie.  Imagine the letdown when the waitress explained that the dessert menu had not been updated online in awhile!  Oh boy were we disappointed.  It pretty much ruined the whole experience for Colin.  We were brought the updated menu and couldn't find anything on it that remotely resembled the chess pie, so we paid for our bill and left.  

On our way out of Durham, we stopped to get dessert at Dulce Cafe.  There were only a few varieties of desserts to choose from (but had lots of each dessert).  We had been preparing for chocolate so we went with the chocolate cake filled with a cherry filling and a chocolate/chocolate cupcake.  We brought it home to enjoy in the comfort of our sweatpants!  The desserts were good, but certainly nothing to rave about. I doubt we will make a trip out there for desserts again.

Chocolate cake with cherry filling (L) and chocolate cupcake (R)

Where can we get amazing chess pie in the area?  

Now we just can't seem to let it go!

A Wonderful Dining Experience in Cary

Last week Colin and I decided to try the restaurant Lucky 32.  When I was traveling to Greensboro for work a few weeks ago, I saw the restaurant listed on Eat Well Guide, the site that informs consumers about where they can find sustainable foods.  The website indicated a restaurant was also located in Cary, not far from our home.  Receiving a coupon from my coworker was the sign that told me it was time to try it out.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, we saw there were lots of seats available outside.  With temperatures warm near the 80s and the sun lowering in the sky, it was an amazing night to enjoy dinner outdoors.  

Since we had the coupon, we decided to try an appetizer and a dessert.  The server offered to split our beet salad on two plates and when we received them, it seemed like we had each ordered our own salad!  Even the waiter seemed surprised at our large portions.  The beet salad was more like a leafy green salad, with beets, blue cheese, pears, apples and walnuts.  It was very good, but we had expected more beets.

My "half" of the beet salad

Colin opted for the local, grass fed burger with cheddar cheese and french fries.  If you have never had local, grass fed burger meat, you are certainly missing out!  We always notice how much better it tastes when we buy it at Whole Foods.  And we were not let down at Lucky 32.  The meat was perfectly cooked - a little pink and very juicy! 

Local, Grass-fed beef burger with cheddar cheese and fries

I decided to get the lamb sliders - 3 mini burgers made from lamb sausage - from the seasonal menu.  The beet salad also came from the seasonal menu, which is available from April 4-May 15.  We rarely eat lamb, and have enjoyed it in the past, so I figured it would be a good choice. I didn't think it was possible for the mini burgers to taste as good as Colin's burger, but it was equally delicious.  Colin even thought it was better!  I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't for the pepper jelly.

Lambtastic sliders with goat Lady chevre cheese and pepper jelly

For dessert, we opted for the chess pie.  Nothing seemed better than chocolate pie to end an evening enjoying burgers outdoors.  The only unfortunate part of the evening was that I didn't get photos of our little outdoor nook or the chess pie.  It was too tempting to not dig in right away.

When friends and family visit, we will definitely look forward to taking them to Lucky 32.  I look forward to trying future seasonal menus, listening to their variety of southern music, and enjoying a wonderful dining experience indoors or out.