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After being closed for an expansion and renovation The Village Deli in Cameron Village is back open with a new kitchen, dining room, and expanded menu. The Village Deli has been around for quite a while and it is a favorite place of many people in Raleigh. It has a sort of rustic country feel inside and plenty of seating outside. It's always busy and now that they have expanded, it gets even more busy. So if you don't want to wait in line you can call ahead or get one of the box lunches to go. The Village Deli is popular for their deli sandwiches, sweet tea and desserts like the pineapple cake. I really like their bacon. It's always nice and crisp and goes great with the turkey sandwich. Today, I wanted to go over to The Village Deli and skip my normal turkey sandwich and try out some of their new menu items. There are several appetizers added to the menu and many seafood entrees. Things like oyster po boys, shrimp burgers, grilled tuna sandwiches, and flounder sandwiches. I know what you're thinking...Seafood at a deli?? I was thinking the exact same thing. How are they going to pull this off? So today I convinced everyone I was eating with to try out something from the new section of the menu. I ordered the flounder sandwich. It consists of a fried flounder filet, tomato, lettuce, onion, and remoulade on a hoagie. Pretty simple. We also ordered fried oysters and a shrimp burger. Overall, I would probably skip the flounder, the shrimp burger was decent and the oysters were surprisingly good. So there are some good things and bad things with the new menu. However, it's hard to go wrong with some of their deli sandwiches, that they have always had on the menu. The Village Deli is having some growing pains from the new expansion, but all the improvements are great. They even plan to add breakfast service in the near future. I'm sure that they will continue to be successful. Summing it all up.... Rating? RRR Cost? Tier 2 Location and Contact Info: November 12, 2007
The Grape is primarily focused on wine, but they also serve a variety of appetizers, salads, gourmet cheeses, and entrees. I would describe the decor at The Grape as cool, sheik, and most of all PURPLE. Admittedly, the restaurant does look great, but probably not the best place to meet your buddy to watch the game. The restaurant has a calm and intimate atmosphere which would probably be a great fit for a romantic date. Their menu is a very eclectic mixture of gourmet pita pizzas, quesadillas, quiche, and panini. They also have a selection of specials that go along with their standard menu, which was more lengthy than I expected. And, as you might expect, each of these menu items have a range of wine pairings suggested by The Grape. I was starving last night and as soon as I saw Kobe Beef Sliders on their list of specials, I didn't have to look any further. This dish consisted of two quarter pound Kobe beef patties, spicy mustard, an Asian style BBQ sauce, and a side of tomatoes, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar. The burgers were very good and so was everything else that we ordered last night. Our table also ordered the spinach salad with a hot bacon dressing, a chicken and Portobello quiche and the Brie en Croûte. I don't think that you could go wrong with any of those dishes. However, the Brie was the most interesting dish. It was Brie baked in a pastry crust with fruit chutney and a cabernet syrup. If you are a fan of Brie, then I suggest that you go and try this dish. Wine lovers and food lovers should enjoy this restaurant, and if you're searching for something open on a Sunday night, then don't forget about The Grape. Summing it all up.... Rating? RRR 1/2 Cost? Tier 3 Location and Contact Info: November 8, 2007
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Jibarra is a modern Mexican restaurant located in north Raleigh. I first heard about Jibarra when they participated in the Dish It Up Raleigh fundraiser held at Triangle Town Center. Since, every Mexican restaurant in the area serves very similar food, (i.e. Speedy Gonzales) I was really curious about this place.
I finally got a chance to visit them yesterday and I must admit that it is drastically different from any Mexican restaurant in the area. The restaurant itself is beautiful. It has a very hip and trendy decor with a really great looking lounge and bar area. Looks like a perfect place to hold a simple after work social event. The rest of the restaurant has a great stone tile on the floor and some colorful original artwork on the walls. One look at the menu, and I realized that there was no way to order a chicken taco, enchilada and rice. There are a lot of really interesting menu items. Jibarra has items like rabbit, duck, crab and lobster. All items I have never seen on a menu at any Mexican restaurant. The waiter suggested that chips with guacamole was the perfect starter since they make it fresh daily. The guacamole was good, but a little too plain for my taste. I ordered the Tacos de Asada for my entree. They consist of sliced rib eye, mashed potatoes, onions, poblano peppers, guacamole, and salsa molcajeteada. It came out in a build your own taco format with soft tortillas. I really liked the combination of potatoes and steak in my taco and everything was very tasty. I was afraid that it might be too spicy for me with the salsa, but none of the food made me gulp down my water. My lunch companion got the Club Fajita Quesidillas, consisting of cheese, chorizo, chicken and guacamole. This was definitely my favorite thing that I tried. The chorizo, which is like sausage, really made the quesidilla. The next time I visit Jibarra, I will probably order the Fajita Quesidilla for my entree.
One other thing that I though was interesting was the choice to have a three course meal for $20. You could order a soup or salad, entree and dessert.
You should definitely venture out to north Raleigh and try Jibarra out sometime soon. It really is a great Mexican restaurant.
Summing it all up....
Rating? RRR 1/2
Cost? Tier 3
Location and Contact Info:
7420
Six Forks Rd
Raleigh , NC 27615
Phone: 919.844.6330
November 5, 2007
The Duck and
DumplingLocated next door to Moore's Square and The City Market, The Duck and Dumpling is an Asian style restaurant that has become a Raleigh favorite. While my friends and I were out for First Friday we decided to try out the Duck and Dumpling for dinner. While it is not a large restaurant, it does have a modern trendy look that is very nice.
As the restaurant's name suggest, there are plenty of dumplings
to try for starters. We decided to order David's Dumpling Platter.
This platter consists of two half fried pork dumplings, a shrimp
and pork dumpling, and a one sui mai dumpling. I've never had a
dumpling that I did not like and these were no exception. Entrees
ordered were the Kung Pao Shrimp, Kung Pao Chicken and the Sea Bass.
Now, I had always heard that The Duck and Dumpling was a little
over priced for the food you receive. And yes, there is not a lot
of quantity with the entrees, but they were all quality. Everyone
loved their food. The Sea Bass was wonderful and came in a scallion
soy broth that was delicious. The plates are all beautifully adorned
with flowers made from radish. It's pretty amazing that someone
can make flowers like that. Another unique aspect of this restaurant
is that the Chef, David Mao, comes out to meet everyone. It's a
pretty nice touch.
The Duck and Dumpling is going to make my recommend list for places to go eat while you're in Downtown Raleigh.
Summing it all up....
Rating? RRR 1/2
Cost? Tier 4
Location and Contact Info:
222
S Blount St
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: 919.838.0085
November 1, 2007
The Office
Christmas PartyIf you haven't started planning your office Christmas party, then you're probably in trouble. It's amazing how far in advance people reserve a location. I've been stuck with helping plan my office Christmas party for the past several years. There are lots of great options in Raleigh, but I wanted to share a couple options that I have used and then some ideas that I think are great.
1. Rocky Top Hospitality
The best part about using Rocky Top Hospitality is that they have
a lot of options available since they operate seven restaurants
in the area. These restaurants include Bogarts, HI-5, Red Room,
Twisted Fork, Michael Deans, 1705 Prime, and The Mash House. Usually
between one of their restaurants they can work your event in on
the date you need. They have a wide variety of menu options from
sit down dinners to heavy hors'dourves. And, compared to most restaurants
in Raleigh, they have options that won't break the bank on a cost
per head basis. I have used them for our last three office Christmas
parties and each one has been a success. Depending on the number
in your party, they provide one to two servers specifically assigned
to your party and a bartender operating a wet bar. Rocky Top is
on my recommend list for a nice and affordable Christmas Party.
2. Prime Only Steakhouse
and Sashimi Bar
Are you having a hard time finding a semi-private space in a restaurant
for a large party and don't want to rent out the whole place? Try
Prime Only Steakhouse in the power district downtown. Prime Only
has several sections of their restaurant that can be excluded from
the rest of their patrons. In addition, to their main dining room
and the sashimi dining area, there is a separate space upstairs
and another downstairs in the back of the restaurant. They even
have a section that has it's own entrance and exit. Another great
aspect is that there is a parking deck directly behind the restaurant,
so there should be plenty of parking available. This might be a
little pricier option, but it's a great facility.
Ok, so it's been a pretty good year at Spacely Sprockets and you really want to have a impressive Christmas Party. The Cardinal Club located in Downtown Raleigh is a perfect choice for having a more formal style Christmas Party. They can accommodate parties upward of about 300-400 people and since they are located on the 28th and 29th floors of the Wachovia building, there is a beautiful view. The Cardinal Club can work with you on setting up an evening with heavy hors'dourves, carving stations, buffets or a sit down meal. I have no doubt that the food will be great and the service superior. They also can provide a podium with microphone, projectors, screens, etc.... We have had an office Christmas party at the Cardinal Club and I'd say that it was the most popular one yet. But, it was the most expensive one as well.
4. RBC Center
So, you're in the oil business and you have been raking it in this year and need a tax write off... Why not take your entire staff to a hockey game in a private suite? The RBC Center has a group of private suites that are available to rent for each basketball and hockey game. They can accommodate from 12 people to 60 people. However, you will have to purchase everyone a ticket to the game. Last year, it was $100 for the ticket and then you have to order at least $25 worth of food per person. You also get VIP parking passes, that allow you to park right in front of the entrance. It's going to be expensive, but I'm positive it will go down as one of everyone's favorite Christmas parties. If you're worried that the only food available will be hot dogs and pretzels, don't be. The food that the catering company, Hot Tomato Creations, provides is a great selection and it actually tastes good. Make sure to invite me if this ends up being your choice.
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