Tag: restaurants

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.

Locally Notable

H-Street Kitchen

Just the rich Raleigh and NC State heritage alone of the people involved piqued my interest when I first heard initial whispers about the restaurant concept coming to the vacant Varsity Theatre space on Hillsborough Street. And now that we know more, I can’t wait to get a chance to explore the space. Construction is only just beginning, but the renderings and description of H-Street Kitchen look and sound fantastic:

The 240-seat restaurant will feature an open kitchen serving up an American menu developed by executive chef Adam Rose, formerly of Il Palio and Straw Valley Cafe. Offerings will include sandwiches, burgers, entrees and a rotating selection of “Red Plate” specials. Bryant said dishes will run $8 to $17.

I love what they hope to accomplish and I hope they do it. This is the most excited I’ve been about an upcoming project in the Triangle in a long time.

Savory

Driftwood Southern Kitchen

Last night, I met up with a couple of friends at Driftwood, my first visit to the southern style kitchen in North Raleigh’s Lafayette Village. Everything about it made a great first impression: the decor, atmosphere, Wednesday night whiskey special and, of course, the menu. Undoubtedly, the brisket was the star of the table, with the ribs being a close second. I had the meatloaf, which was also very good.

As it turns out, brisket is on a bit of a come-up in the barbecue world, as chronicled in a recent feature by Jim Shahin over on First We Feast1.

Once associated solely with Texas, the meat is so commonplace that it is harder to find a barbecue restaurant in the country—even in full-blown pig territories—that hasn’t added the Lone Star icon to its menu.

If you haven’t tried brisket yet, I highly recommend it; and Driftwood’s take on it would certainly make for a nice introduction.

  1. via Dave Pell  ↩

Short Cuts

N&O: Ashley Christensen to open pizza joint in downtown Raleigh ↬

No target opening date yet, but it has a name: PooleSide Pie, apropos to its location next to Christensen’s flagship restaurant, Poole’s Diner.

“I’m super excited about it,” Christensen wrote in an email. “Much like coffee, I think there’s lots of room for great pizza of varying styles in downtown. I predict that you’ll see a number of unique spots to pop up in the next couple of years. The idea of that makes me very happy.”

I can’t wait.

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.