Thursday, July 16, 2009

Gravy - (3 / 5)

Odd experience from the second we walked in the door. The hostess greeted us with a very soft voice that was severely overpowered by the music. We had no idea what she was saying, but guessed by the body language that she had told us to hang on for a minute while she got a table ready. She walked back, had someone set the table, returned back to where we were standing, grabbed the menus and waiting for what felt like an awkward 5 minutes or so while we watched people fumbling to put bundled silverware on the table. It was humorous, but a tad awkward, nonetheless. Then she turned around and either said it would be another minute or follow me, but we had no clue what she was saying so we just waited until she started walking and followed.

After being seated, the waitress, who was great, greeted us. We ordered drinks + an appetizer. The appetizer arrived even though we hadn't put in our main entree order yet. The table was a two-seater so we had nowhere to put the menus other than in our laps. Again, a little odd. Thankfully, thee fried risotto cakes were tasty so we still had hope for the food at this point.

Halfway through the appetizer, the waitress came back to take our order. I ordered a full sized apricot salad and Todd ordered Bolognese + a side arugula salad. We were told that they'd usually bring out bread, but they had run out. About 15 minutes later, someone else brought me a very small looking peach salad. Hmm, peach salad was not on the menu, but I know my fruits and those weren't apricots! I couldn't taste them, however, because I didn't have any silverware. It had been cleared with the appetizer plates. About 10 minutes after that salad had been delivered, our waitress came back and immediately acknowledged the mistake. She gave us some options and I ended up keeping the small "apricot" aka peach salad. Not a big deal and certainly not her fault. Todd's salad finally arrived and it was literally just arugula with a few cheese shavings. Very plain, not bad, just nothing to rave about. Then his Bolognese arrived - decent, but again, nothing to crave. Meanwhile, we are seeing bread being delivered to random tables...recycled or ??

Overall, food was ok, just not a great experience. It was humorous and gave us something to talk about, but definitely didn't make the 'must go back' list.


Food - 3.5 - decent/good Italian food
Decor / Service - 4.5 - Beautiful space, waitress was wonderful
Kid-Friendliness - 2 - we didn't try and most likely won't
Summary - 3.5

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Enoteca Vin - 4.5

Also known as Vin, this is by far one of the best restaurants in Raleigh. Another fantastic establishment that Ashley Christensen, executive chef and part owner, has turned into a favorite spot.

Food - 5


Dishes at Vin are inspired by the season and memorable, to say the least. There is always something new and creative on the menu which keeps things interesting. I would describe the cuisine as being a French-American fusion with a southern twist. Most items on the menu pair very nicely with Vin's large wine offering and it is a must try for anyone who appreciates a nice bottle of wine.

The brunch menu ranges anywhere from $9-$13 with most items in the $9 range. The portions aren't huge, but they are filling. Oh, and best shrimp and grits in the area, hands down in the Triangle.

The dinner menu ranges from $7-$20, with an average price of $16. There is also a nice assortment of cheeses and small plates that pair wonderfully with wine, which is also reasonably priced.

Decor / Service - 4


Vin is definitely a trendy establishment, residing on Glenwood Avenue, one of the hottest places in Raleigh. With exposed brick, a warehouse feel and a open-look at the wine behind the bar as well as the kitchen, it has a great energy to it. It isn't a huge space, so it is very quaint and may require a reservation.

The only downside that I see is that the service can tend to be on the slow side. The food comes out quickly once ordered, but the pre/post ordering can be an issue. If you are the type that likes to get in and out, you may want to inform your waitperson of this ahead of time. They have a tendency to chat behind the bar quite a bit.

Kid-Friendliness - 2


It isn't extremely kid-friendly, but they do have highchairs. Be prepared, that they will serve your toddler drinks in a glass! There aren't any children's activities offered, nor is there a kids menu, but our kids haven't had any issues with the menu! We rarely take our kids here for dinner, but will take them there for brunch.

Summary - 4.5


Great place to go out to dinner as a couple or with adult friends to enjoy fresh, local cuisine and a nice bottle of wine. Also a great spot for brunch, but be prepared if you have kids!

*top 5 brunch
*top 5 dinner
*best shrimp and grits

Saturday, December 01, 2007

The Pit ( 4 / 5 )

The Pit is Empire Properties latest restaurant to bring to downtown Raleigh and takes over the space formerly housed by Nana's Chophouse. I'd describe it as urban BBQ and features Ed Mitchell (formerly of Mitchell's BBQ in Wilson, NC) as the pit-master.

Food - 3.5


The menu features traditional BBQ fare. Ed's specialty is open pit-smoked pig, and I must say it's wonderful. They offer a number of styles of BBQ including Whole Pig ( the traditional eastern NC style ), pulled pork shoulder, ribs, beef brisket, turkey, and others. There are also plenty of combo platters for those that really want to sample ( like me ). I had the pork shoulder, baby back ribs and beef brisket. Although the shoulder was "pulled", the meat was served in large chunks which were extremely smokey and tender. The ribs were simply amazing -- tender enough to pull apart with ease and full of flavor. The brisket was good, but it honestly didn't stand out. I sampled the vinegar-based BBQ sauce ( they also have a ketchup-based option as well ). It was excellent and much spicier than expected.

Each BBQ platter comes with cole slaw and a choice of sides which include potato salad, beans, mac 'n cheese, and other very typical items. The sides were all tasty and fresh but there was nothing exceptional or unique about the options.

Given the restaurant's location and target clientele, they offer some higher end entrees. We didn't sample any of them, but they look interesting.

The Pit offers a good range of beers and wine which is great given the large and very nice bar area.

Decor / Service - 3


The decor hasn't changed since Nana's Chophouse. It's large, open, contemporary, and a very clean look. The restaurant feels like a place worth eating out -- it's very comfortable.

We visited the Pit during opening week, and in our experience restaurants need some time before the service is perfected. Our visit was no different. Our meals took about 45 minutes which was shocking since they smoke the meat for around 24 hours. We weren't sure if they were trying to simulate the wait times in a normal higher-end restaurant, or if this was a mistake. Regardless, we surely hope they get it worked out. Otherwise, the staff was friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable.

Kid-Friendliness - 2

We brought our entire brood to The Pit and in general it was a positive experience. They provide a child's menu with good options and have high chairs and didn't look down upon us when we arrived request 2 of them. They did not have any child activities (crayons). But all in all, BBQ is a kid-friendly cuisine and The Pit offers plenty for the kids to enjoy.

Summary - 3

The Pit is an excellent new addition to the downtown Raleigh restaurant scene. Although I was a bit saddened when I learned that Nana's Chophouse is no longer with us, The Pit is a good option. Honestly, we'll likely visit The Pit more than we visited Nana's Chophouse given its better kid friendly rating.
We hope The Pit is successful in what is fast becoming one of the hottest area's in Raleigh. Hopefully there's enough critical mass now that the area will flourish.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Saffron (5/5)

Let's just say that the executive chef at Saffron is an amazingly talented chef. He recently moved here from NYC where he worked at one of the top Indian restaurants in the country, Tamarind. I am elated that such talent has come to this area.

The restaurant is absolutely phenomenal. I have dined at many Indian restaurants in my day and moved to the Triangle from the bay area (CA) which boasts one of the largest Indian populations in the country. You can imagine that there were many great restaurants and I had my favorite. When I moved out here, I was so sad to have left that greatness behind. It wasn't until last week that I not only found a great Indian restaurant in Saffron, but the best and the freshest I have ever had. The ambiance is nice, definitely more modern and upscale than your typical Indian restaurant and they boast a wine list of 95 different wines.

http://www.saffronnc.com/home.html

We started with a few appetizers - the vegetable samosas and chicken kabobs. The samosas were great, not too greasy but still a ton of flavor. The chutneys that went along with them were so fresh and so flavorful. They really helped bring out all of the spices. The kabobs were unlike anyother I have tasted. The chicken was cooked to perfection and literally melted in my mouth. They were a huge hit at our table.

For my main dish, I decided on Saag Paneer. Absolutely the best paneer I have ever tasted. It was so flavorful and had the perfect consistency. I typically only use a little rice with my dishes so I don't dilute the flavor and spice, but this one had a lot of great flavor and went a long way. I ended up taking at least half of it home. By the way, I'm not much for leftovers, but it was still delicious the next day.

We ordered a few other things such as a side of mint naan, which was excellent. The mint was very subtle, but added a nice kick to the naan. For the baby, a nice chicken naan that wasn't spicy, but had great flavor. It was easy to break apart and was a good sized portion for a baby. The mango lassi was a huge hit with the baby, and myself as well. Very fresh.

Our son special ordered chicken makhani. This wasn't on their menu, but they had no problem accomodating. This was a wonderful dish as well and definitely earned his approval! This leads me to another point, they brought out two orders of the dish by mistake. We told them that we had only ordered one and they simply said, no problem - compliments of the chef.

All in all, this is a must try. It is certainly the best Indian food in the area and probably one of the best in the country.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Five Star: ( 4.5 / 5 )

The best Chinese restaurant in the Triangle, Five Star, just got better.

We recently had dinner there and was surprised to see that the menu was very different (note: the menu on the website is old). It used to be very minimalist (especially when compared with other Chinese restaurants) and fit on a 5x12 piece of paper. They've migrated to a more traditional 8x10 menu with much higher-end entrees.

If you're looking for your old favorites, most of them are under small plates at the top of the menu. As described, the portions are smaller than previously. However, they've added a bunch of new items including lettuce wraps (warning: these did not sit well in my stomach), scallops, and duck rolls.

They have a whole section of noodle bowls that have a number of options for customizing your dish. I don't like inventing my own food, so I didn't venture into this portion of the menu.

The entrees look awesome. They are all a little more "gourmet" than the appetizers and are not your typical Chinese restaurant entrees. As expected, they are more expensive ( > $15 ). We had the duck with blueberry-lychee sauce. The duck was very tender while the sauce was flavorful and not too sweet.

Kid-factor: Our kids have always loved it here. Our son's favorite dish is the Five Star General's Chicken. Now that it's a small plate, the portion is far more appropriate (although less to share for us).

My rating: 4.5 / 5

Still the best Chinese option available in the Triangle and the new menu items are fantastic. The only reason I didn't rate it a perfect 5 was the decor. I'm not sure what audience they're targeting, but the decor and art were boring.

Welcome to Triangle Foodies

We're Amanda and Todd Olson -- a husband and wife team living in the Research Triangle Park area in North Carolina that are passionate about food and wine. A bunch of people have independently told us that we're "foodies," because we love sharing honest reviews about all the restaurants we've tried. We thought a blog would be a great medium to archive and share our restaurant reviews (it certainly makes it easier to remember).

If you're like us, then you'll agree that there simply are not many good resources for learning about great restaurants. We live in an area where Hardee's is consistently ranked the best hamburger on Citysearch. Pretty insane.

The Triangle is an odd place, with fantastic restaurants hidden away in strip malls that only locals know about. People often don't travel amongst the different locales. The area is growing so rapidly that there are many new dining choices almost weekly.

Focus
- Location: anything food-related in the RTP area including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, and others.
- Type: All. Typically non-chain (certainly non-national chains)

Style
Typically we'll each review restaurants based on our own tastes. This will give both a male/female look at every establishment. We have 2 kids, so most posts will have some information on the kid-factor. From time to time our 10-yr-old may even be a guest blogger.

Note: we are not professional food reviewers, so please don't expect us to sample everything from a menu!

Bon Appetit,

Amanda and Todd Olson