Family Reunion Part 1
This past weekend I traveled up North for my mom’s side of the family, family reunion. Many of them I had not met before or hadn’t seen in awhile so it was a lot of fun getting to see everyone. One thing about a family reunion with a Polish Family is you know there is going to be a lot of food! We had our first get together Friday night for the meet and greet and then Saturday was the big reunion. I want to touch on the first night and Polish food we ate in this blog and then will follow up with the Rock Bake we had!!
The night of the meet and greet we had every type of food you can imagine and it was all delicious! Most of it was homemade except for the Sushi which came from a locally owned restaurant. When having a party or get together food from a locally owned restaurant is always good, but there is nothing better than home made food! We had Polish Sausage and Periogies, wings, crab stuffed mushrooms, artichoke dips, crab salad, and so much more. It was a great time of eating, talking, and laughing!
McCormick and Schmicks now in Raleigh
Last Thursday, July 10th, McCormick and Schmicks opened at the Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh. It’s a chain restaurant, but I had a great experience when I was there and wanted to let you all know what I thought. I was able to eat there last Monday with 3 of my colleagues for lunch. Between the 4 of us we had 2 appetizers, 4 salads, 4 entrees and 2 desserts. We had the calamari and crab-cakes for our appetizers, both of which were good, but nothing to different from anywhere else you go. Next we had our entrees, Jennifer and I both had their Salmon (which came with Asparagus and Mashed Potatoes) which was served on a cedar plank and was pretty tasty. Nancy had the Crabmelt 
sandwich which she really liked. I’m not a huge fan of mayonnaise, in fact I hate it, so I didn’t really like the sandwich, but everyone else seemed to. Then came Doug…Doug had the shrimp and scallop Macaroni and Cheese. When I first read the item on the menu I was like seafood in Mac and Cheese, I’m not so sure about that, but it was amazing! The sauce was really light and the shrimp and scallops were so good. Something you probably want to share because it was huge and very filling, but delicious none the less.
Then came the best part of all….dessert! We ordered the Tiramisu Cheesecake and the Chocolate bag. The Tiramisu Cheesecake was really good, but next to the Chocolate bag, nothing compares. I have never seen a dessert like this. They melt down dark chocolate, put it into a bag, freeze it and then use the frozen chocolate as a bag. They then fill it with white chocolate mouse and fresh berries! I was so stuffed by the time we got dessert. I literally couldn’t stop eating it. If anything go there to see and try this dessert!
Take your dog to breakfast, lunch, and dinner
One of my favorite parts about Spring, Summer and Fall is getting to sit outside and eat dinner, whether it’s grilling out and eating on your porch or going out to eat and sitting on their porch. My sister and I also have a dog so we love to go places where we can eat outside. You can se my sister, her dog, and my best friend in the picture, we were eating at one of our favorite restuarants in Charleston. We love Red’s because the food is good, the atmosphere is super relaxed, and you can bring your dogs!
I know of some places in Raleigh where you can take your dog: Stone Wolf Coffee, Moonlight Pizza, Tavolla Rossa on Sunday nights, and… That’s my question to you all. Where in the triangle can you take your dog, sit on the porch, enjoy the day/night and have great food!?!?!
Looking forward to hearing from everyone and trying some of these places out!
New Restaurant in Durham
Below is part of a press release I recieved last week.
Richard Holcomb and Sarig Agasi, the farmer and chef partners of
Raleigh’s 4-star restaurant Zely & Ritz have joined forces with Southern food enthusiast Jamie DeMent to bring to life her vision of a farm-to-table restaurant. Eno Restaurant & Market (Rogers Alley, 101 City Hall Plaza, Durham, NC; www.enorestaurantandmarket.com) will open in partnership with Holcomb’s Coon Rock Farm in the 1920’s era Fire Station Building in Durham’s revitalized downtown. Eno’s mission to honor
North Carolina will be unmistakable in this North Carolina Historic Registry and LEED certified redevelopment. Combining sustainable ambition, farmer expertise and farm-to-kitchen know-how this unique team may create one of the region’s most faithful farm-to-table restaurants yet.
“After working the soil and discovering the sheer bounty produced at Coon Rock Farm, I began dreaming about a restaurant based primarily on this farm; a place where you can enjoy the kind of food we ate as kids, and honor the way it comes to the table — from neighboring farms,” explained DeMent. A native North Carolinian, DeMent was raised around her family’s farm supply store and developed an interest in organically farmed foods and environmental issues after seeing nearby farms slowly disappear throughout her childhood. Holcomb, who began Coon Rock Farm in 2005 after 20 successful years as a software entrepreneur, is pleased to have a new outlet for his heirloom vegetables and pasture raised meats including chickens (and eggs), pork, lamb, goat and more.
Named for the
Eno
River, which flows through the farm and into the city of
Durham, Eno Restaurant & Market will offer a daily menu dictated by Coon Rock Farm’s harvest and the season. The casual ingredient-driven menu will reflect DeMent’s North Carolina heritage and organic farming in
North Carolina today. DeMent family recipes featuring farm-fresh items will be mainstays year round, while house-cured bacon, preserved vegetables and fruits, and honey from the farm’s hives will shine in winter. And as DeMent explained, quoting her granddaddy, “the whole animal will be used…everything but the oink,” so diners can expect house made whole hog terrines, pates and sausages. “This is what it’s all about… to plant the crops by hand, then see friendly faces enjoying it months later. It’s that direct connection to the food and the people we share it with that makes this so fulfilling; we hope it will be the same for our customers at Eno,” explained Holcomb. Complementary ingredients from select North Carolina farm partners will also be featured, including cow’s milk cheeses from Chapel Hill Creamery, grass fed beef from Harris Robinette Farm, and fish from
North Carolina’s coast.
Chef Sarig Agasi, whose farm-driven restaurant Zely & Ritz was named one of the “Top 20 Organic Restaurants in America” by Organic Style, will work closely with Eno’s Chef de Cuisine, lending his keen understanding of how to operate a restaurant kitchen supplied primarily by a single farm, Coon Rock Farm.
Eno will bring the farm even closer to the table through their restaurant staff work-share program whereby cooks and servers alike will handpick and nurture vegetables in the garden and livestock in the pasture. As a result, Holcomb and DeMent imagine a more informed conversation between their staff and diners, and ultimately a rare opportunity for Eno patrons to have a very intimate relationship with the farm and the food on their plate.
Similarly, a retail market adjacent to the restaurant will bring the farm to the customer, making local, seasonal goods from Coon Rock Farm and their farm partners available for sale on a daily basis. A separate entrance will enable customers to purchase goods from their farm and other farm partners, to pick up their Coon Rock Farm CSA order, or special custom orders.
Eno Restaurant & Market will serve lunch and dinner daily, and brunch on the weekends.
Julian’s Cafe - Dominican Food
Jessica took Doug to Julian’s Cafe while I was on vacation, as soon as I got back the first thing Doug said to me was I had to try this place! Doug described it as mexican food without the cheese. I love cheese so I was a little hesitant about that, but he says it’s so good you don’t need cheese. So last week Doug and I went back and I took my camera. We didn’t have Jessica with us so we didn’t know exactly what we were eating, and the video kinda reflects that! 
Hope yall enjoy the video and if you know of anymore fun places to try, let me know!
Cruise food…ate way too much!
It’s been a little over a week now since I got back from my cruise and I have to say I’m still getting used to these numbers on the right side of all the menus. Yes, the prices, I don’t like them, on the cruise everything’s free and I loved it..probably a little too much! The food on the cruise was so good and always there! From the Breakfast Buffet that started at 6am with anything you could want. They had hot foods, cold foods, cereals, freshly made omlets, and every pastry you can imagine.
Then came the lunch buffet! It was event better, everything you could ever want 
was on the buffett: Pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches, soups, and so much more..and everything is so good! Then the ice cream machine opened and you could get as many ice cream cones as you wanted! Chocolate was my favorite..go figure right!
The best part of the day was always the 5-star dinner we had! Charlie and Johnson were our waiters (of course that wasn’t their real names, but that’s what they told us to call them since we couldn’t pronounce their real names) They would give you a menu with 5 or 6 appetizer choices, 7 or 8 dinner choices, and then 4 or 5 desserts! I would order around 2 of each one each night! Lobster night I definitely went for more! There were a couple things that didn’t really impress me (Lobster Bisque, way too much Sherry), but overall it was all delicious and I always ate way too much!
Oh ya, and if that wasn’t enough the promenade had a cafe that was open all the time with sandwiches, desserts, cookies, just incase you get hungry while your walking around the ship. And…don’t forget the free room service!!
Nothing gets better than some of the restaurants here in Raleigh, but when sailing the high seas you can’t go wrong with all you can eat dinners, cafes, and buffets!
The Pit - downtown Raleigh
The Pit in downtown Raleigh is one of the restaurants I’ve been wanting to try in downtown Raleigh. It is on my list of places to go, so hopefully I will make it down there soon. We recieved news today that the owners will be featured on the Today show on Monday. Check out the e-mail below and tune in on Monday! Also stay tuned to my blog when I go and check it out for myself!
“Ed Mitchell, Pitmaster and owner of The Pit of Downtown Raleigh will be going to New York Monday to appear on the Today Show. He and his brother, Aubrey Mitchell will return to New York for the second time this month to represent and showcase Eastern Carolina BBQ.”
Mura’s Sushi Tasting and Benefit - Thursday, June 19th
I’m back and my cruise was amazing! I will be blogging soon about the food on the boat, but I wanted to let everyone know about this Thursday night! My colleagues have written about the event on their blogs so I’ll just provide some links to them! Hope to see everyone there!
http://blogs.wncn.info/dsutton/2008/06/16/thursday-night-luau-at-mura-benefiting-muscular-dystrophy/
http://blogs.wncn.info/smartcity/2008/06/16/hula-your-way-to-a-good-time-this-week/
Cruise Ship Food
So It’s not exactly locally owned and operated, but I’m on vacation for the next 9 days so I thought I would write about the food on a cruise ship. I’ve been on one Carnival cruise about 5 years ago and had a great time. Having everything catered to you and waking up in a new and different place each morning is definitely something I could get used to.
One of the best parts about being on a cruise is the all you can eat food. From the 24-hr ice cream and pizza bar, to the midnight chocolate and fresh fruit bar, to the 5 star all you can eat meals! This time I am going to the eastern carribean on a Royal Carribean cruise and heard it doesn’t get any better! When I get back I will let you all know about the food, my experience and then of course start getting back into the locally owned and operated restaurants around the Triangle!
In the mean time keep the suggestions coming, I still have the Cuban restaurant in Cary on my radar and am looking for!
Wake Forest Coffee - Downtown Wake Forest
On April Fools Day of this year Wake Forest’s downtown had a new kid on the block - Wake Forest Coffee. Located at 156 S. White Street Wake Forest Coffee caters to just about anybody in Wake Forest. They have your daily selection of coffees, lattes, desserts, breakfast items, iced drinks, smoothies, ice cream and more! All the drinks are hand made by their well trained baristas.
It’s a great place to come for meetings, hanging out, studying, and to just get a good cup of coffee! The atmosphere inside is something to look at as well. With the big open window in the front, the dark hardwood floors, 
and local artists artwork displayed on the walls of the store you really feel at home. I frequently use the coffee shop as a place to meet with people in the Wake Forest community and to get a great cup of coffee. The customer service is great and they want to make sure you are satisfied with what you get while you are there. They also like to make up a lot of different drinks and combinations so you’re always in for a treat!
So next time your around downtown Wake Forest stop in and say hello to Albert and the crew!
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