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!

Triangle Restaurant Week - Irregardless Cafe

Last week's Triangle Restaurant Week was a perfect opportunity to try one of the area's best restaurants in the area.  The event covered restaurants in Durham, Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, Morrisville, Apex, Cary, Raleigh and Wake Forest.  The event corresponded with our decision to start going out to eat on a Monday or Tuesday as something to look forward to at the beginning of the work week (now that football season is almost over!).

We really wanted to go Watt's Grocery in Durham, since it came highly recommended by friends and yelp, but to our dismay, there were no reservations available. Instead, we decided to try the "Contemporary American" restaurant Irregardless, known for it's popular vegetarian and vegan options.

Triangle Restaurant Week offered $20 and $30 3-course prix fixe menus.  Irregardless offered a $20 3-course vegetarian meal and $30 3-course non-vegetarian menu.  The vegetarian entree options included Shepard's Pie, Chile Rellenos, and Roasted Vegetable Polenta. The non-vegetarian entree options included pan-roasted salmon, Morgan Street chicken, and BBQ Short Ribs.  Our appetizer options included a Middle Eastern Platter, Garden Salad, Vidalhia Onion Pizza, spicy soup, or bean soup.  The dessert options included a flourless chocolate cake, creme brule, and apple berry crisp.

We decided to do one vegetarian option and one non-vegetarian option. I didn't get a picture of the appetizer, but we each split the white bean soup (which was delicious, but too small), and the garden salad.  We then split the Shepard's Pie and the Morgan Street Chicken, and finished off withe the flourless chocolate cake and creme brule.

The Shepard's Pie

The Shepard's Pie was good, but tasted a little too much like the dough of the crust. The vegetable interior and the sauce didn't give the dish quite enough flavor.  

The Morgan Street Chicken

The chicken, which was described as a breast of chicken, marinated in lemon tahini sauce, coated with crushed cashews and panko crumbs, and topped with an herb compound butter, was also not as delicious as we expected.  To me, it tasted just like the pork chops my mom used to make in the "shake and bake" seasoning.  The chicken was really dry, and just didn't provide the flavors I expected.

The flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce

Along with the white bean soup, the flourless chocolate cake was the highlight of the meal.  It was so rich and delicious.  We probably should have each gotten our own piece!!

The Grand Marinier Creme Brule

We actually ordered the Apple Berry Crisp, but were served the Creme Brule instead. We each took a bite and decided it was good enough not to complain and make a big deal about the mix-up.

Overall, it was a fairly disappointing $50+ meal.  We each could have gotten delicious bean soup from the vegan/vegetarian restaurant The Remedy Diner and 2 slices of amazing flourless chocolate cake from Hayes Barton for $25 and been perfectly satisfied with our meal.  I was most disappointed because Irregardless has such a great reputation.

Oh well, at least we will get to try another place tonight! I expect it will be much less expensive, I hope it will be very tasty, and I look forward to sharing the details with you in a future post.

Have you ever tried Watt's Grocery?

What is the best Restaurant Week experience you've ever had?

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.

Good ol North Carolina BBQ

Last week we decided to try some North Carolina barbecue for our date night. We've been wanting to find a good BBQ place to take friends when they visit and many people had suggested "The Pit," located in downtown Raleigh, for authentic eats. The restaurant has been featured on The Food Network and other TV programs.

We debated ordering some appetizers, but I'm glad we did not because they brought us some hush puppies and cornbread shortly after we ordered our meals. Wikipedia provides a detailed history of hush puppies, or deep fried cornmeal balls, if you are interested in reading up on them. Personally, I prefer regular cornbread to hush puppies.

Hush puppies and biscuits for the table.

I ordered a "Western NC BBQ" entree consisting of a half rack of ribs and Colin opted for the "Eastern NC BBQ" in the form of pulled pork. We also tried ordering sides that would be consistent with our North Carolina BBQ meal.

Eastern North Carolina barbecue pulled pork, collard greens, and mac n cheese 

Apparently, there is a whole science to BBQ in North Carolina. "Eastern-NC-Style BBQ is plain whole-hog pork meat, with just the tiniest bit of vinegar-based "sauce" which isn't a sauce at all, applied as a moistening agent." It also includes bare traces of hot pepper and a minimum amount of additional flavorings. I've had it a few times, never expecting it to taste good, but it always surprises me with its delicious flavor. Thankfully, I've been steered in the right direction on all 3 occasions where I've eaten Eastern NC BBQ (the state fair, Doug Sauls near Nashville, NC, and now The Pit in Raleigh).

I have always loved sweet barbecue sauces, which is why I chose the Western NC BBQ. This BBQ (also know as "Lexington"-style) differs from Eastern style in two distinct ways: 1) it's always made from pork shoulders only, and 2) it uses a real sauce, of which heavy doses of ketchup are added to the vinegar base universally, and often a small amount of sugar is added as well. My ribs in this Western sauce were delicious!

Western North Carolina half rack of ribs, black eyed peas, and broccoli salad 

Both meats were very tasty. I've read that Eastern NC BBQ either tastes delicious or is horrible and is a difficult process to master. Since Colin and I both enjoyed it, I would feel confident recommending "The Pit" for people wanting to experience either style of NC BBQ. While the meat was good, I give our sides mixed reviews. The mac and cheese was the highlight of the side dishes, with its great flavor and a perfectly baked consistency. The black eyed peas were the worst, completely lacking in flavor (though the consistency was good). The collards were okay, leaving me wishing for a little more flavor. And lastly, the broccoli salad was also okay. The flavor tasted okay, but it just seemed like they doused vegetables in a creamy ranch-type sauce.

We knew we had to save some room for dessert, since The Pit's signature dessert, the banana pudding, came highly recommended. Since we ate the hush puppies and cornbread, we saved some of our entrees to take home. The dessert was good, but I would definitely not say amazing. The presentation of the dish was wonderful, the bananas in the dish were plentiful, but I expected more consistency than just bananas, pudding and whipped cream. A little graham cracker, wafers, or pie crust would have likely made me love it.

Banana pudding for dessert 

Last week I posted about eating vegetarian and trying to choose sustainable meat. This week I put all of that to the side to enjoy some North Carolina barbecue. I didn't ask where the meat came from because I was afraid of the answer. And Colin and I wanted to find a good North Carolina barbecue place where we could take friends who come to visit. Thankfully, I can feel better about the meat I ate after looking at The Pit's website, which tells me their "pigs are all raised in North Carolina using free-range farming practices, and the freshest of the state's bountiful produce is featured in the starters, sides and desserts." While the produce is most likely not organic, I love that they get their produce from local sources.

By no means would I consider our meals healthy. The healthiest things on our plates were the black eyed peas - and they had no flavor. By limiting ourselves to one night where we go out to eat, we are limiting the excess calories, fat, and sodium we eat. Most of the days of the week, we eat healthy foods like plain oatmeal, eggs (with veggies), soups, vegetables, fruits, and entrees that include lots of vegetables. We are suckers for salty snacks (like tortilla chips and sesame sticks), but for the most part the rest of our foods are fresh.

I've done a fair amount of travel for work this week, so we didn't do our usual date night early in the week. Plus, it's my birthday today, so we might go out to celebrate with dinner this weekend. But, since the weather's been so nice, I'd prefer to have a nice meal cooked at home (hopefully complements of chef Colin!) and enjoyed out on the patio! I'll keep you posted!!

How do celebrate your birthday?

Date Night Goes Vegetarian

Colin and I are always looking for good vegetarian meals.  We subscribe to the philosophy of eating better quality meat and less often. As a result, we end up cooking vegetarian meals pretty often.

So much of the meat we find in the grocery store has come from animals raised in horrible conditions on factory farms, where the animals are fed grains to fatten up quickly.  Because cows are not meant to eat grains, but rather to graze on grass, their man-made diet causes ulcers in their stomach and so we humans medicate them with antibiotics.  I'm not going to get into the health concerns that raises in humans, or the environmental impacts - you can research that on your own when you are ready to connect with the reality of where your meat comes from.

I will say that I care about my health and I care about the harm that is done to the environment in the name of capitalism.  I recognize that Americans want their meat on the table and agriculture has done what is necessary to meet demand, but I know that the amount we now consume is not the process of natural selection.  

I could get into the science behind the fact that most Americans only require 50-100 grams of protein per day and that some burgers at fast food joints provide a whole day's supply of protein in one burger (and excess calories and fat).  But, I'll spare you ... this time.

Instead, I'll focus on our experience dining at one of WRAL's five fave vegetarian restaurants.  We started at the top of the list with "Remedy Diner" in the heart of downtown Raleigh, around the corner from Moore Square.  Their menu of "remedies" and "prescriptions" offered variety for diners spanning the spectrum from vegan, to vegetarian, to omnivorous.  

I enjoy vegetarian options at restaurants because I don't have to stress about where my meat came from, but I am frequently frustrated by the fact that many vegetarian restaurants primarily offer soy substitutes for meat.  I suspect I have a slight allergy to soy, so I try not to consume it in large quantities.  And, I want to eat a plate full of vegetables that taste good and are satisfying.  The frustration I have with soy substitutes is that people (myself included) have become so conditioned to a solid mass on our plate, that we require vegetarian equivalents to meat.

The Remedy Diner's vegetarian menu was typical - offering a variety of soy entrees, and a black bean burger and portobello mushroom sandwich for the non-soy eaters.  They also offered real deli meat sandwiches, informing patrons that they "only use Boar's Head meats which contain no fillers, gluten, artificial colors, flavors, or trans fat."  But, that doesn't tell us anything about how that animal was raised.  As far as I know Boar's Head does not source local, sustainable meat, and actually has a link to the "American Meat Institute's refute to the myths provided in the movie Food, Inc.

Colin ordered the "tempeh tantrum" sandwich, which was marinated tempeh with vegan pesto, vegan bacon, avocado and lettuce on sourdough.  I had the black bean burger, because I was not going to get meat or soy at a vegetarian restaurant and Colin makes really good portobello sandwiches.  The item I most looked forward to was the chickpea soup we had as a side. 

 Above: Colin's tempeh sandwich and chickpea soup

Below: My black bean burger and garden salad

The food was very flavorful, though we both wondered if the soup taste came from a high-sodium bouillon cube.  The pesto, avocado and "fake" bacon on Colin's tempeh was delicious (I just had a bite).  And my black bean burger was also delicious and maintained a good consistency in the bun.

We haven't mastered the art of making a good black bean burger at home ... yet! 

I realized later that the diner offered vegan cheese, which I always assumed was another "fake" cheese made from soy.  When I looked up Daiya cheese on wikipedia, I found out that it is actually made from cassava and arrowroot.  I'll have to try it out sometime.

Since our dinners were not too over-indulgent, we decided to split a dessert.  The "chess pie" - a pie that looked and tasted like a cookie, was really good!  The soft consistency of the cookie and very rich flavor were likely a result of lots of butter - but I did enjoy every bite.

Chess pie for dessert

Overall, the meal was tasty.  We were able to eat a few servings of vegetables between the salad, soup, and sandwiches, but I'm sure the calories, sugar, fat and salt outweighed any benefits from the vegetables.  We certainly could have gone without the dessert to cut down on some calories, fat, and sugar.  I would have preferred more vegetable based entrees, but the menu was to be expected for a vegetarian diner.  The atmosphere was very laid-back, with a college feel that brought me back to UVM.  

Stay tuned for more posts about Miller adventures! The weather is getting warmer, which means we should be getting back to outdoor activities - which we need after all this going out to eat!!  I expect there to be a weekly, or biweekly semimonthly fortnightly post about our date nights since I will be traveling for work much of this month and will be eating on the road during the day.  I'm not a fan of dining out for lunch AND dinner!

But I wonder - have you ever had daiya cheese?  If so, is it good?

A New Series of Posts Starts with 18 Seaboard

Colin and I have decided to give ourselves something to look forward to at the beginning of each week.  We have decided to try a new restaurant in the triangle every Monday or Tuesday night.  Colin needs something to balance out not looking forward to starting the work week, I want the date night with the opportunity to spend time alone together without distractions.  

We are using the lists of "five faves" in the entertainment section of the local news station, WRAL, to find highly rated restaurants in various categories. Categories on our list to try first include; "best restaurant," "best vegetarian," and "best barbecue."

The first restaurant selected was 18 Seaboard, located in a historic-looking area of Raleigh, very close to Peace College.  This restaurant was listed as one of the top 5 "best restaurants" and boasts locally sourced food.

Not having been to this area of Raleigh very often, we struggled to find parking when we first arrived.  Once we drove around to the back of the restaurant however, we found a much larger parking area with plenty of open spots.  My first impression of the restaurant was that it set a romantic mood.  The lighting was low, the tables were not crowded together, and the contrast between the dark wood tables and light colored tableware was relaxing.  Once I paid closer attention, I decided my favorite decorative area was the single brick wall.

The menu offered lots of variety for a "sustainable" restaurant, and I ended up going with a Mahi-Mahi wood grilled fish after consulting my app on sustainable fish to be sure it was not high in mercury or in danger of overfishing.  Colin opted for the wood grilled BBQ brisket.  My fish was from Florida and only the Swordfish was locally sourced. Since Swordfish is high in mercury (a big no-no for women of childbearing age) and I really wanted fish, I went with the Florida Mahi-Mahi. Our choices for sides included mashed potatoes with goat cheese, pistachio-lavender grits, bacon braised collards, and fennel with bok choy.

Brisket, grits and collards above

Mahi-Mahi, mashed potatoes and fennel/bok choy below

The standout (in a not-so-good way) was the very salty fish! I know restaurants use a lot of butter and salt to flavor their foods, but someone definitely overdid it with the salt shaker.  The vegetables (both the fennel/bok choy and collards) were also doused in butter.  I love food that tastes good and is healthy and it just seemed like the chefs were not able to provide delicious flavor with healthy ingredients.  It's such a shame that so few restaurants can provide both local, sustainable ingredients AND good flavor.  There are lots of other healthy seasonings that could have been used instead of the butter and salt (things like lemon and vegetable oils for marinating, and seasonings likes fresh rosemary and thyme). The pistachio-lavender grits, and BBQ brisket were merely ok.  The best food on both of our plates was the goat cheese mashed potatoes.

For a restaurant that sources local ingredients and offers a seasonal menu, prices compared to similar restaurants ($16-28 per entree).  The service was fantastic, the ambiance - very romantic, the presentation was beautiful, but the taste left much to be desired.  Colin and I left the restaurant feeling full, but not feeling satisfied. 

Do you have any restaurant suggestions in the triangle that are sustainable and tasty?