Tag: food

Savory

Eater: Holler & Dash is Cracker Barrel for Millennials

This is either a very cynical, last gasp attempt at relating to a younger crowd or a slam dunk:

Considering Cracker Barrel is a chain that has long represented the antithesis of youth culture, with its front-porch rocking chairs and old-timey feel, this restaurant is going in a totally new direction. Instead of opening off an interstate exit, Holler & Dash is moving into Homewood’s pedestrian-friendly downtown. The space’s interior is obviously directed at the coveted millennial demographic with a number of hot design elements found in many of today’s trendy eateries. There’s plenty of exposed brick, industrial lighting, and detail on the ceiling.

Evidence that it might end up being more of the latter – Cracker Barrel tapped rising star chef Brandon Frohne, formerly of Nashville’s Mason’s, to be the new venture’s directory of culinary. Color me intrigued.

Locally Notable

Business Insider picks Bida Manda as best in NC

For Business Insider’s Best Restaurant in Every State write-up, contributor Emmie Martin selects Raleigh’s Bida Manda as North Carolina’s best. No arguments here. The BI piece is short on details, so if you have any reservations about checking out Bida Manda, check out Walter Magazine’s 2013 profile of the restaurant. Here’s a taste:

With one of the few true Laotian restaurants in the United States, these two twenty-somethings are introducing Raleighites to the fresh and unexpected cuisine of their tiny native country. They’re doing it with the help of a local community rooted at N.C. State that has risen up to make their dream a reality. And they’re doing it in tribute to their parents, who have been prevented by post–9/11 visa restrictions from traveling here to witness their children’s achievement.

…

With ingredients common to the food of its neighbors in China, Vietnam, and Thailand, and with techniques inherited from its years as a French protectorate, Laos’s food is a tantalizing hybrid. Flavors are refined but surprising; dishes are familiar but refreshing, and always beautiful.

The accolades for Bida Manda are well-deserved and are a great testament to Raleigh’s ever-evolving culinary scene.

Savory

Pickin’ A Cake That Goes With Pig

This past weekend, Eater sent my heart all a flutter by introducing the web to a dessert near and dear to my heart: the Pig Pickin’ Cake:

Pig Pickin’ Cake is a traditional Southern dessert that is often eaten at barbecues, picnics, or other communal gatherings. A vanilla cake batter is usually tossed with segments of mandarin oranges which help keep the cake moist and add a sweet citrus flavor. Once baked, the cake is traditionally topped with a whipped frosting that includes chunks of pineapple and its juice.

After my first introduction to the Pig Pickin’ Cake, it became my standard request for birthdays or practically any other meal for which I had the privilege of selecting the dessert. Even as my tastes evolved into preferring red velvet cake, I tried to hold on maybe a bit too long to my all time favorite by asking my mom to take a stab at red velvet Pig Pickin’ Cake. No one liked the result except for me.

On a semi-related note, Eater is fast becoming my favorite of the Vox stable of web properties.

TIDNTKIL

Cool Off with a Nice Cold Glass of Asparagus Water

Already battling a pricing scandal, sliding sales, and decreased investor confidence, Whole Foods had to deal with a mini-controversy last week when a customer posted a picture of a product on the shelf that many thought had to be a joke: asparagus water.

If the mere thought of that grosses you out (me too, and I actually like asparagus), then stop reading now because it gets worse. This so-called asparagus water was a bottle of water with three stalks of asparagus in it and it was priced at $6! Maybe that’s fair market price (how much is a bundle of asparagus these days?), but that just doesn’t sit well with me. I can’t imagine in a million years that I would like that – and thankfully, the whole things appears to be a “misunderstanding” – but if happened to try it and I did like it, I think I would hate myself and I would go broke. And that’s why asparagus water qualified for this installment of #TIDNTKIL.

Locally Notable

Triangle Food Blog: La Farm Bakery in Cary Expanding ↬

Got word this week, and confirmed through several sources, that La Farm Bakery over in Cary is expanding into the space next to them. No word yet on a timeline or what changes the expansion might bring.

I love La Farm, but the quarters are pretty tight in there, especially on a busy day. Hopefully this expansion will allow them to increase the number of seats and make it feel a bit roomier.

On an unrelated note, it sounds like Larry’s Beans will have a retail shop in the new SkyHouse Raleigh building in Downtown Raleigh. I’m excited, but I’m not holding my breath.

O&F
Locally Notable

Romance Killers

When I saw that Second Empire made OpenTable’s 2015 list of the 100 “most romantic” restaurants in America, I cringed a bit. Not because I don’t think the restaurant is worthy, but because I felt bad for anyone who was there this past New Year’s Eve hoping for a romantic evening. I happened to be there with ten or so of my closest friends, and thanks to us, the room we were in wasn’t quite so romantic for anyone who was dining with us. Anyway, sorry folks.

Locally Notable

The Sisterhood of the Burgeoning Restaurants

The Triangle food scene has exploded in recent years and people are taking notice near and far. Andrea Weigl is certainly on top of things. Her recent write-up for the News & Observer formed a narrative around the recent spate of female entrepreneur chefs and blazed a trail for a subsequent piece coming from the New York Times by Kim Severson.

First, a bit of level-setting primer from Weigl:

But the capital has a growing crew of women running successful downtown drinking and eating establishments. Some owned their own places long before Christensen was named best chef in the Southeast last spring by the James Beard Foundation; others, inspired by her success, took the leap.

To, perhaps, a little more depth from Severson:

The North Carolina food sisterhood stretches out beyond restaurants, too, into pig farming, flour milling and pickling. Women run the state’s pre-eminent pasture-raised meat and organic produce distribution businesses and preside over its farmers’ markets. They influence food policy and lead the state’s academic food studies. And each fall, the state hosts the nation’s only retreat for women in the meat business.

I especially love the pork chop analogy that Severson uses to open up her piece to highlight the more-the-merrier atmosphere the permeates all of this growth.

Both articles are short and well worth a read. Weigl does a great job of highlighting some of the new hotspots while giving a little bit of background for the ladies behind them. Severson digs deeper into the complete farm-to-table phenomenon while also highlighting the strong female influence at each stop along the chain. The positive socio-economic impact is significant, but most importantly to me, the food is great and I’m just happy to be around to enjoy the spoils.