I can’t believe I haven’t posted an NC update in like 2 months!
Time sure does fly, and we are loving all of the spring and summer events in Raleigh. The strawberries are ripe, the sun is out and so are the food trucks!
Here are a few of the things I’ve been tasting over the past two months:
This company makes some creative and tasty bitters and other drink accouterments to spice up your cocktails year-round. I picked up these bitters and shrub at the Rock & Shop Market in Durham.
This tea shop in Cameron Village has hundreds of unique tea types to choose from…and plenty of decaf options for people like me. I ended up with a really nice mix that I’ve been enjoying for weeks.
Frozen custard and hundreds of mix-ins for your concrete- oh yeah! For my first visit to this NC ice cream staple, I tried a blackberry and hazelnut concrete, and it was so tasty and surprisingly light. I love this company’s mission in making fresh ice cream with natural ingredients, and they have Reese’s peanut butter cup concretes!
I got to try a deli sandwich from Groucho’s at a work lunch, and it was really impressive. Quality bread, thinly-sliced meat and savory toppings made it better than your average cold cut sandwich.
Thank goodness that I started liking craft beer one week before this local beer festival in Raleigh. Downtown the streets were lined with dozens and dozens of craft breweries doling out some creative beers. Some of my favorites were the Strawberry Cream Ale by Foothills Brewing and the Scottish Ale from Raleigh Brewing Company.
At Brewgaloo, we got to try some delicious grilled cheeses from the American Meltdown food truck. I had a fig and goat cheese melt with some amazing fried Brussels sprouts.
Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo
In Raleigh, we kicked off the warmer weather and entry into summer with the first of this season’s food truck rodeos. Yes- I’m talking about downtown streets filled with enticing smells and sweet and savory offerings from local trucks. We tried Big Mike’s BBQ (redneck nachos pictured above), Chirba Chirba and many others.
My sister and I went to see all that Second Saturday Raleigh was about and picked up some loaves from Boulted Bread. Their rye bread is seriously thick and seriously good (especially in a Ploughman’s Lunch). The market also had offerings from local farmers and seafood companies.
I got to go with some of new friends from church to Cowfish, a sushi and burger bar. I was intrigued by the idea and really enjoyed my burger bento box that had a combo of edamame, sweet potato fries, a refreshing cucumber salad, a slider and a spicy tuna roll.
Props to you for making it to the end of my list, because I’ve saved one of my favorites for last. Trophy Brewing has got some great things going on: a nice patio, unique craft beers and top-notch pizza. I can’t wait until they bring back their Rose Gose beer (that tasted like citrus and rosemary), and I must try more of their amazingly-topped pies (of the pizza variety, that is).