This is in my backyard?

Hi everyone! I’m going to a new Italian restaurant in Clayton tonight, called Mulberry on Main, and I’m really excited  because I’ve heard so many good things about it! I’ll be taking my camera so expect to see something soon on it!

 My question today though is……where are some good locally owned and operated restaurants in your town! I’ve gotten some good suggestions in the past and am always trying to discover more places! Let me know what your favorite is, so I can check it out!

I’ve eaten at La Foresta in downtown Wake Forest a couple of times now and both times it has been really good! I’ve never been there for dinner, but their lunches are so good I can just imagine what their dinners must be like! I have gotten a salad with their house dressing and the baked ziti which are both really good. You can tell that the baked ziti is home made because it has big chunks of tomatoes and vegetables in it which I really like. You can also get big slices of pizza and salad just incase you can’t eat a whole pizza or don’t have anyone to share it with! The atmosphere is fun with large windows and big booths which is always nice.

Have you ever been there for dinner before…what was your experience like?

Last week I had a lunch meeting at 518 West in downtown Raleigh. I have always heard amazing things about it, but never had the chance to go there. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is amazing. They have these huge open windows over looking the train tracks and the streets of downtown Raleigh along with the lower and upper level dining area, perfect for a date. Our server was very good and the food was delicious. I ordered a side salad with crumbled blue cheese, nuts, and their yummy vinaigarette dressing, along with a pizza that had tomotoes, feta, and spinach on it. It was all so good! I normally don’t eat bread before my meal, but the bread they brought out while we were waiting on our food looked so good I had to try it…I was right..the bread was amazing! Next time I am in the mood for Italian I will definitely go! Have you ever been to 518..whats your favorite thing about it?

This past Monday the Business Development and Community Connection team (which I am a part of it) all went to a welcome lunch for our newest and last member Jessica. Our station isn’t far from North Hills so we like to go there a lot for lunch, this time we decided on Vivace! I hate to admit it but I have been there once before (another welcome lunch for new team members) and I didn’t really like what I got, I believe it was the agnolotti so I was a little hesitant when we decided that’s where we were going. Much to my delight though this time the food was amazing, and not just mine, I tried a couple of my coworkers dishes as well!

 This time I got a seasonal insalata with Salmon, cherry tomatoes, Pomegranate, a good cheese I had never tried before, nuts, and a delicious balsamic vinaigrette. The way all the flavors came together was delicious. I also tried Courtney’s Pizza which was a smoked chicken pizza with pesto and artichoke which was also very good. Maryann and Candace got the pizza as well and liked their’s as well. It wasn’t really heavy and greasy like most pizzas are which was a refreshing change. I also tried Doug’s dish which was a scallop risotto which was also very good. Ashley Sue and Jessica had the spaghetti and both said it was amazing. Lastly we all split the black and white tiramisu and these fancy donut holes. Both desserts were amazing, especially the tiramisu…I had a lot of tiramisu while I was in Italy this summer and I have to say Vivace’s tiramisu is right up there with the tiramisu I had in Italy.

Do you have a favorite Italian restaurant in the area? 

Ok so you all are probably going to think all I eat is Italian food, but I promise I eat just about everything there is, I’ve just been lucky enough to have a lot of Italian food lately! This week we held a Community Focus Forum in Rolesville. We ended up having it at and catered by Anzio’s Pizza in Rolesville.

The restaurant is owned by Christina and her husband. They moved down here from Jersey a couple years ago and decided Rolesville needed a good Pizza place, they definitely accomplished that. We had their salad, Baked Ziti, Lasagna, and Cavatelli with Broccoli and it was all delicious. I have to say my favorite part with the salad dressing. I tried their Balsamic Vinaigrette and it was different than any Balsamic Vinaigrette I’ve ever had and by different..I mean better! We were thoroughly pleased with their services and thrilled with their food! Definitely check it out sometime!