Hello and welcome to August.
I hope it’s treating you well. We’ve had a bit of cool weather blow in around us, and I sure am enjoying it. We’ll see how soon fall is around the corner.
While we wait to see about that weather, take a look at what N.C. foods and festivities I have been enjoying over the past month.
I know that I’ve mentioned this spot before, but I just must reiterate how amazing their pimento cheese is. It’s creamy, smokey and served on bread with figs and honey. You’ve got to go try some (and a schnitzel sandwich, too).
I think I’ve also put this place on the blog, too, for their tasty brunch and lunch fare. But recently I got to try out their dessert and coffee after a dinner date. Our pot de creme with peach jam and candied pecans was just perfect, and so was the accompanying coffee and tea.
I am so happy that I got a chance to visit Rise in Durham this month. Biscuits and donuts…together! It’s totally really and amazing. I tried a pea cake biscuit sandwich with mayo, arugula and pickled red onions paired with a blueberry cake donut. It was so tasty and one of my favorite biscuits ever! I would love to snag a cronut from Rise someday, but I bet I’ll have to get there early.
Fullsteam puts out some of our favorite NC beers (Cack-a-Lacky, Summer Basil and El Toro to name a few). It was fun to explore their Durham tasting room and try a sampler.
I’m pretty partial to Trophy Brewing‘s pizza, but Lilly’s is stiff competition. Their crust is a little sweet and quite pillow-ey. We had a fancy ham and cheese pizza that was filling and delicious.
This is one of my favorite places to walk near my house, well it’s a little bit of a drive but worth it. It’s a beautiful 2.2-mile loop with lookouts, forests, a lake and geese!
King’s X at the Lincoln Theater
I got to check something off of my bucket list by seeing King’s X in concert at Lincoln Theater. This band was pretty popular in the 80s and 90s, and my dad introduced me to them many years ago. These guys have been playing music for a long time, but it was fun to see them live.
Jason and I got to go out on a 3-year engage-aversary date to Gravy in downtown Raleigh. We love going out for nice Italian for special occasions, and Gravy did not disappoint. I tried the Eggplant Pie and gobbled up the whole thing along with a garlic knot.
We finally made it back to an Ethnosh meeting (they’re a group that organizes monthly explorations of local ethnic restaurants). It was at Pho Vietnam in Cary, and we loved getting to try the pho (my first time) and banh mi!
One day when I was picking up some bread from Yellow Dog Bread Co., I walked down to the little farm stand here. I was greeted with samples of heirloom tomatoes and these beautiful pieces of produce pictured in my bag.
Another farmers market that I’ve been frequenting is the Midtown Farmers Market in North Hills. It’s one of my Saturday morning stops where I can get fresh veggies, peaches and more. I would also really like to get some local meat from the vendors sometime in the future.
Jason and I got to the chance to explore Chapel Hill and Carrboro on a Friday afternoon/evening, and we ended up at this gastropub for dinner. We saw the poutine on the menu, and knew that was a must, along with the spinach artichoke dip. Both were rich, savory and absolutely worth every bite.
Before going to a Durham Bulls Game, we decided to check out the Que (the bbq place opened by the owner of The Pit in Raleigh). It was a long wait (busy with baseball game goers), but the food delivered. It was basically just like The Pit in a much more casual atmosphere. I’m still fairly partial to the Pit, myself.
I treated myself this past weekend to a biscuit date at Jubala. I was lucky to nab a seat where I could enjoy my beautiful pot of tea and biscuit with apple butter. Two thumbs up for the buttery, fluffy yet perfectly crunchy biscuit. I will definitely be back to try their waffles and sandwiches, too.
Stay tuned on Thursday to read about another special restaurant that I just tried out. If you’re a fan of Indian food, you’ll definitely want to come back then!