This is in my backyard?

For about a month now I have heard a lot about The Mint, downtown Raleigh’s newest Restaurant on Fayetteville Street. The thing is I can’t figure out if it’s everything it’s cut out to be. Before it even opened there was a lot of controversy around it because of how much money was going into it. I want to know if it’s really all it’s cracked up to be. I’ve heard from some people it’s absolutely delicious and I’ve heard from others it’s just ok. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, so I want to hear what you think of it. Either what you have heard or if you have tried it what your experience was like. Let me know!

Here is a picture 0f my boss Maryann with her husband and our Co-worker Shuneca with her husband at The Mint.

As I started this adventure of discovering great local places to eat in the area, one of the places I first heard about was Irregardless. My colleague Ashley Sue said it was a must, it took me awhile but Ashley Sue and I finally made it down there for lunch. I must say, I wish I would have gone sooner. Irregardless was delicious! Besides the on-going choices on their menu the fact that they have daily specials absolutely amazed me, you never hear of that anymore, at least not as extensively as they offer. The owner, Arthur, goes to the farmers market every morning to see what is fresh and available and then builds his menu off of that. Terry, our waitress/manager, was such a help in deciding want to choose and also in filling me in on all the splendid things the restaurant had going on. You should definitely try Irregardless either for lunch or dinner, or live music or dancing, they have it all (and they cater)! Check out my video and see what I mean!

I have heard so many wonderful things about 18 Seaboard that last week I decided I had to check it out for myself! I invited my friend and lover of food Shae to go along with me! As I was walking up to the restaurant I was so intrigued at the look and decor of the restaurant…I was already falling in love!

You walk in and the front is all glass looking out over Logans Trading Station and the other stores around. The hostess lead us through the restaurant and sat us by huge windows towards the back, the shades were drawn, but I took a peak and realized they have a spectacular view of the city.

Shae and I took our time paroozing the menu because there were so many good options to choose from. Even though I wanted one of everything I decided to choose something from the “Hardwood Fire” part of the menu. The Hardwood Fire  lists their fish and steaks. I decided to go with this part of the menu because once you choose your entree you get to choose which sauce you would like on it and a choice of two sides. With the advice of our very helpful and patient server Brandon,  I choose the Salmon Filet, with the Champagne tarragon butter, Sauteed Spinach, and Lindley Mills Cheddar Grits. It was amazing, the sauce wasn’t too heavy, the Salmon was cooked perfectly and the sides were just right…Shae wanted everyone to know the Mahi-Mahi was also very good!

Overall the atmosphere was great, the food was amazing and the service was just right. I have included a video that I shot that night, it’s a little dark, but you can get an idea of our experience at 18 Seaboard!

Hit play, then pause and let it buffer through, then hit play again.

One of my all time favorite places in Raleigh is the Village Draft House in Cameron Village and last night we went there for my sisters birthday! I’ve been going the Village Draft House ever since I discovered it when I was a freshmen at NC State, seeing as how it was only a hop skip and a jump away from campus it made it nice! I love the atmosphere of Cameron Village and the atmosphere of the draft house itself,  and the food is delicious. I normally get one of their salads, but the sandwiches and burgers are also to die for.  I went there with some friends for my birthday this past fall and split a steak with one of my friends. I didn’t really want the steak, because I’m pretty picky about my steaks, but it was actually pretty good!

The Village Draft House has also recently been remolded. They took over the store next to them which gave them a lot of additional space, which was much needed. One of my favorite things to do during the nice Carolina nights is to sit outside on their porch area (last night was a little too cold for that). It’s just so charming and the food and service is still great! Last nights choice was the black and blue burger with a side salad…delish!

Thanks to my newest colleague Doug Sutton I have discovered my new favorite place in Raleigh. Courtney and I we’re deciding where we were going to go for lunch the other day (you know choosing from the same ‘ol places) when Doug said we should try the Seaboard Cafe at Logan’s trading company. He was trying to describe to us where it was and I kept imagining run down buildings and nothing there. Courtney and I decided to try it anyways and as we were turning off of Peace Street I saw all the cute buildings and shops that make up the Seaboard Station.

Courtney and I immediately fell in love with this part of Raleigh. There were so many other cute restaurants we wanted to try, but we continued on our way. We walked into Logans which is one of the cutest gift/garden shops I’ve ever seen. We went to the back of the store where you will find the Seaboard Cafe. The ambiance is so cute with the all glass walls that look out onto the old train tracks and the garden center of Logans. Courtney and I both got the special they were having that day, a fried chicken ranch sandwich (I know…. healthy) and it was delicious. I got the fat-free ziti side which was really good and Court got the potato salad which she loved. Everything we saw there looked delicious and grabbed a monster cookie on the way out!

All in all it was a wonderful experience and I will definitely go back!!