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 Sep 28 2007
18 Seaboard
Last night was my first chance to dine on 18 Seaboard's second
floor outdoor patio. I must say eating outside with a view of the
Raleigh skyline was wonderful. The weather was perfect and I had
great company. I went out with a group of friends to celebrate a
birthday. I think that a true test of any restaurant is how that
they handle a large party for dinner.
18 Seaboard has a mixture of southern style dishes with contemporary
American foods. The table started with a true southern classic,
Fried Green Tomatoes. I'm not the biggest fan of this dish, but
I will have to admit that these were some of the best that I have
tried. For my entree I ordered the cornmeal crusted catfish served
with spinach, grilled grit cake, and smoked corn relish. It was
delicious. I got mixed reviews from the rest of the table. Everyone
who had the salmon with cranberry and apple compote loved their
dish, however there were a couple complaints about the Wahoo and
pork shank being overcooked. In fact there was one dish sent back
and replaced, but the restaurant staff and management couldn't have
been nicer about it. Overall, I think it was a pretty successful
meal and it's on my recommend list of places to eat.
However, there were a couple of things about 18 Seaboard that were
not the best. The funny thing that happened was that our waiter
told the table to be quiet so that he could tell us about the special.
Not in those exact words, but it was a little bit of a surprise
to be shooshed by the waiter. Otherwise, if you bring a cake to
the restaurant they are very good about taking the cake and plating
it up to be served, but be prepared to pay for that service. It
cost $15 for them to cut our table's nine pieces of cake. Next time
I'll be sure to bring my own cake cutter and plates.
Summing it all up....
Rating? RRR 1/2
Cost? Tier 3
Sanitation
Grade
Park in the back of the building. There is no entrance in the front
of the building that faces Peace St.
Location and Contact Info:
18
Seaboard, Suite 100
Raleigh, NC 27604
Phone: 919.861.4318
Sep 27 2007
More new restaurants...
During my cake hunt today, I discovered that coming soon are two
new restaurants to the Raleigh area. First is Gianni
& Gaitanos Italian Restaurant opening up a new location
at Triangle Town Center. They will occupy the old Bamboo Club Asian
Bistro building in the outside commons area. This is another restaurant
in the Cinelli family franchise. The other restaurant is Peace
China located in the Seaboard area beside of Ace Hardware. Peace
China's sign states that they are a healthy way of Chinese takeout.
Sounds pretty interesting. Can't wait for them to open.
Sep 27 2007
Where do you go for birthday cake?
Tonight is one of my good friend's birthday party and I got put
in charge of the cake. We're headed to 18 Seaboard tonight, so expect
a review tomorrow. Anyway, I took this as an opportunity to research
different places in Raleigh to find a cake that isn't as expensive
as an Edible Art cake but a little bit better than a grocery store
cake.
I knew exactly where to go and get the cake, a little restaurant
named Zest. Zest is
known for having delicious coconut and pineapple cakes. I've heard
that all of their cakes are made by a lady that lives in Wake Forest
and they taste homemade. But, I was in search of a chocolate cake,
and Zest did not have a whole chocolate cake for sale. I should
have planned ahead and called in a request. Next on the list was
Hereghty Heavenly Delicious,
a little dessertery and coffee shop at the corner of Glenwood and
Oberlin Rd. Hereghty is a very upscale dessert shop with some delicious
looking items, but they only had 6" cakes and I need to serve
12 people. Ok, so on to My Kids and Me bakery at the Farmer's Market.
They had a homemade 10-layer cake with fudge icing. I was on my
way to pick that cake up when I stopped off at Whole Foods to check
out their cakes. I was pleasantly surprised by all of the beautiful
cakes. It was really hard to pick just one. I ended up with a black
and white cake, which is chocolate cake with white butter cream
icing and chocolate shavings on top. I think this one's a winner.
Sep 25 2007
Cameron Bar and Grill
It looks like The Village Draft House is about to have some competition
in Cameron Village. The Cameron Bar and Grill will be coming soon
to the center building of Cameron Village facing Peace Street. Can't
wait to try it.
Sep 22 2007
The Triangle Grille
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The Triangle Grille opened up last year in a newly built triangular
shaped building near the corner of Chatham and Maynard in Cary.
The Triangle Grille has definitely run with the theme of the
triangle. Their reception stand in triangular, the building,
the match boxes, etc... |
It's hard to pin down exactly what their food theme is, other
than a mixture of American and Italian food. Since I drove past
this place I have wanted to try it out. The patio and building just
looked really interesting. Needless to say, I really wanted to like
this place. Unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations.
Today my friend and I each got something from the lunch specials.
I tried the grilled pork chops with the Calvados sauce over mashed
potatoes. The Calvados sauce is chicken stock, apples, onions, Dijon
mustard, and Brandi. I was expecting something very flavorful, but
it was just a little boring. The pork chops were the thin kind you
get at the grocery store with the bone in four to the pack. The
potatoes really needed some salt and the sauce really needed something.
Half way through I traded off with my friend who got the southwestern
chicken wrap. You would think that the chicken wrap would be a little
spicy, but no still kind of bland. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't
that good either. Oh, and there was a hair in my food. I'm pretty
sure it wasn't mine cause I don't have black hair. I might go back
if someone else really wanted to go but otherwise, I might just
skip this place.
Summing it all up....
Rating? RR
Cost? Tier 3
Sanitation
Grade
Location and Contact Info:
701
E. Chatham Street
Cary, NC 27511
Phone: 919.460.9179
Sep 20 2007
Logan's Seaboard Cafe
Logan's Nursery moved into Raleigh's old train station several
years ago and with it Logan's Seaboard Cafe. The cafe is only open
at lunch from 11am to 2:30pm. All of the seating is outdoor under
a shelter, so if it's really hot then you might consider skipping
this place. But, the atmosphere is not like any other place in Raleigh.
This should definitely be on your list of places to take a lunch
date. You can't beat eating outdoors in the middle of a nursery
full of plants and flowers. Then add on top of that, the fact that
it occupies an old train station and you have a winner. After you
have lunch then you can stroll through the nursery and look at all
the flowers. That's a perfect lunch date.
Now, the food is pretty simple at the Seaboard Cafe. They have
mostly deli sandwiches, salads, and some burgers. It's not spectacular
food, but I still like to go just for the atmosphere. Last time
I was at Logan's I ran into my old high school English teacher and
she recommended the crab cake sandwich. Uhm, it's a good thing she's
an English teacher and not a food critic, because the crab cakes
are terrible. I say stick with something you can't mess up like
a deli sandwich.
Summing it all up....
Rating? RRR
Cost? Tier 1.5
Sanitation
Grade
Call up that girl you've been trying to impress and take her out
to lunch here. Extra credit if you have flowers delivered to her
work while you're out at lunch.
Location and Contact Info:
707
Semart Drive
Raleigh, NC 27604
Phone: 919.821.7553
Sep 18 2007
Sosta Cafe
If you are Vegetarian or Vegan, I have a new place for you to try.
Sosta Cafe is a relatively new coffee/sandwich shop downtown in
Progress Plaza. Sosta is set up as a hip, trendy coffee shop that
serves a few panini, sandwiches and salads. What is very different
about Sosta is that there are choices for Vegans and Vegetarians.
Since one of my best friends is vegetarian I know how hard it is
to find restaurants that serve something other than salad that is
Vegetarian friendly. There are Vegetarian burgers, soy chicken salad,
and other vegetable only sandwiches. I got the turkey sandwich.
My appetite is not Vegetarian friendly. All of the sandwiches come
with chick peas and cous cous as a side. The turkey sandwich I got,
came on a French baguette with roasted red peppers, provolone, and
honey dijon mustard. It was pretty good. The bread and roasted red
pepper made it not a boring turkey sandwich. Overall, Sosta Cafe
is not a bad place to stop in for lunch when you are downtown.
Summing it all up....
Rating? RRR
Cost? Tier 1.5
Sanitation
Grade
Location and Contact Info:
130
E. Davie Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: 919.833.1006
Sep 14 2007
Pei Wei
I usually pronounce this restaurant as Pay Way. Pei Wei is an Asian
style restaurant that has the fast food order and pay first, but
then a more restaurant feel of a wait staff that brings out your
food. Pei Wei is setup similar to a Bear Rock, Fudruckers, or Panera,
but with better service. You can actually order an appetizer and
a meal, and their wait staff brings the appetizer out before the
meal. I was amazed that the whole order didn't come out all at once
at this style of restaurant. I ordered the chicken lo mein, which
I couldn't finish, and it cost me $6.50. That's pretty cheap and
the food was tasty.
PF Chang's actually owns the Pei Wei chain. An analogy of the two
would be Lexus and Toyota. Lexus and Toyota are the same company,
but obviously the Lexus is a little nicer than a Toyota. If you
want the Lexus then go to PF Changs, but if you're ok with driving
a Camry, then head over to Pei Wei.
Summing it all up....
Rating? RRR
Cost? Tier 1.5
Location and Contact Info:
Sep 12 2007
New Restaurants at Crabtree Valley Mall
The artist's
rendering of the three new restaurants coming to Crabtree Valley
Mall has a couple of names now added. It appears that we will have
a McCormicks and Schmicks Seafood and a Flemming's Steakhouse. I'm
looking forward to seeing what will occupy the third location. There
should be a lot of new and exciting restaurants coming to the Crabtree
area with the construction of Crabtree Village and the Soleil Center.
Sep 11 2007
Cardinal Club
The Cardinal Club is a private dining club that is located on the
28th floor of the Wachovia Building downtown. Dining at the Cardinal
Club is certainly not like eating anywhere else in Raleigh. Mostly
for one reason....The View!
The Cardinal Club serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a very
high level of service. There are few places in Raleigh that offer
such attentive and great service. Unfortunately, in order to eat
at the Cardinal Club, you have to either be a member or be a guest
of a member. The Cardinal Club is a very popular location for wedding
receptions, rehearsal dinners, or business parties. There is a spiral
staircase in their lobby that leads to their second floor which
has a large dining room and a bar area.
I generally go for lunch, which is a buffet that changes everyday.
I would recommend trying the mint tea for your drink and the bourbon
chocolate pecan pie for dessert if available. Also, make sure to
stop in the lobby and pick up a chocolate chip cookie for later.
Since the Cardinal Club is pretty fancy, appropriate attire is
required. A jacket and tie are required at dinner. This a romantic
place to take a date and take in a beautiful view of Raleigh from
the spiral staircase. Afterwards, if you plan ahead you can go for
a carriage ride. J&L Carriages offer rides until 10pm, but I
suggest calling them for a reservation (919) 915-0378.
Summing it all up....
Rating? RRR1/2
Cost? Tier 4
Sanitation
Grade
Location and Contact Info:
150
Fayetteville Street
Suite 2800
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: 919.834.8829
Sep 7 2007
Herons at The Umstead
I finally had the opportunity to visit Raleigh's newest and only
four star hotel. I have to admit that The Umstead is unlike any
hotel in Raleigh. The facilities are definitely four star. The lobby
area, spa, pool, and terrace are absolutely beautiful.
I met one of my friends who works out in Cary at Herons. I was
really excited to try the food from a restaurant in a four star
hotel. The dining area, like the rest of the hotel was beautiful
and the service was great, other than a short wait before we were
seated. There were many things on the menu that I wanted to order.
The most interesting thing was a trio of burgers which included
Kobe beef, Dry Aged beef, and Prime Sirloin. Ok, I wish I tried
the burgers, but I caved at the last minute and ordered the fish.
(If you've read my other reviews I'm sure you're surprised that
I ordered the fish.) I had Pan Seared Red Snapper which was complemented
with three types of beans and a tomato broth. My friend ordered
the Free Range Chicken Panini which included brie, pear, arugula,
and honey mustard. I had heard that they served their ice tea with
a simple syrup for sweetener, so I wanted to try that as well. I
wasn't a big fan of how the syrup made the tea taste, but it wasn't
bad. The Snapper was good, but I was expecting amazing. I have had
very similar quality dishes at Nana's Chophouse and Fins. Granted
both are great restaurants, but I expected Herons might have become
one of my new favorites. My friend had a similar experience. She
said that the food was good, but not great.
I would recommend visiting Herons because of the beautiful facilities.
If you go and it's not too hot, sit outside on the terrace. There
is a beautiful view.
One other very unique service offered by The Umstead is afternoon
tea served Monday through Saturday between 2:30 and 4:30pm.
Summing it all up....
Rating? RRRR
Cost? Tier 4
Sanitation
Grade
Show up early and wander around the hotel. But, don't tell them
I told you to do that.
Location and Contact Info:
100
Woodland Pond
Cary, North Carolina 27513
Phone: 919.447.4000
Sep 6 2007
Hot Point Cafe
I've been to Hot Point about three times and each of those times
the wait for my food has been incredibly long. One of my coworkers
suggested we go there today and I decided to give it one more chance.
Hot Point has a really interesting menu. Things like catfish quesadillas,
flatbread sandwiches with grilled eggplant, and California pizzas.
I will admit that the food is good, but how long will I have to
wait for it? Today I ordered the Chicken Parmadorro sandwich and
decided to time my wait. The Chicken Parmadorro sandwich has cheese,
tomatoes, lettuce, sundried tomato pesto, chicken and eggplant.
It is a very tasty sandwich and today it only took 23 minutes for
the food to come out. Not half bad, especially since I was there
at noon, the peak time for lunch traffic.
If you're tired of eating the same old boring sandwich and have
a little time, then you should check out Hot Point Cafe. It will
help you get out of your same old lunch time routine.
Summing it all up....
Rating? RRR
Cost? Tier 2
Sanitation
Grade
Hot Point has a small dining room, but they have plenty of outdoor
seating.
Location and Contact Info:
4209Lassiter
Mill Rd # 136
Raleigh, NC27609
Phone: 919.788.8240
Sep 5 2007
Person Street Pharmacy
When I was a kid and had done something good, my dad took me to
a small burger joint, George's, in Cameron Village to get an orangeade.
Some of you might not be familiar with an orangeade, so let me explain.
Combine freshly squeezed oranges, sugar water and crushed ice and
you have yourself an orangeade. George's hasn't been in Cameron
Village for years and it has been really difficult to find somewhere
that serves orangeades. Person Street Pharmacy is the only place
that I know in Raleigh that still serves a REAL orangeade. There
are a few other restaurants that serve orangeades, but it is just
orange juice with cubed ice. So, if you have never tried this drink,
you should definitely stop by Person Street Pharmacy and order one.
It's perfect for the summer time.
Summing it all up....
Rating? RRRR (just for the orangeade)
Cost? Tier 1.5
Sanitation
Grade
It's just like the corner drug store used to be.
Location and Contact Info:
702
N Person St
Raleigh, NC 27604
Phone: 919.832.6433
Sep 3 2007
Dish It Up Raleigh!
This Sunday, September 9th from 3pm-8pm, at Triangle Town Center
Commons there will be thirty different restaurants from around the
triangle serving up their best dishes. Wake Med is promoting healthy
eating and raising money for their children's hospital. Sounds like
a win, win situation. After looking through the list of restaurants
that will be at the event, I am pretty excited about going. I highly
recommend putting it on your list of things to do. You can get more
information and buy your tasting tickets online for this event
here. Have fun!
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