NC Triangle Dining

Find the Best Restaurants, Food, and Drink in Raleigh, Durham, Cary & Chapel Hill

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Retake: Bella Monica, a Cozy Italian Ristorante for Raleigh

Front of Bella Monica and its covered patio in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Front of Bella Monica and its covered patio in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Even though I’m a huge fan of all the new restaurants starting up in the Triangle, it’s always fun to re-visit old-school favorites. And when you think of Italian food, Bella Monica is often mentioned by Raleigh locals. This long-time favorite has been part of the neighborhood for years and is known for its flat-breads and Italian eats. And luckily, I headed over for an early dinner on a Friday evening to catch up with a friend and their great Italian eats!

Bar at Bella Monica and its covered patio in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Bar at Bella Monica and its covered patio in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

The first thing you’ll notice about Bella Monica is that despite all the local kudos, it sits in a humble little strip plaza and doesn’t look like much from the outside. Their patio is enclosed by a temporary enclosure for colder weather and I’d have to guess that Bella Monica is just one of those local favorites that just grew over time. Stepping inside I was immediately greeted by the host and brought over to a window table. The dining room is a bit tight with a cozy bar in the corner and wine rack behind it. Bella Monica is one of the closer dining spots to PNC Arena which is why the place is unusually busy, reservations are recommended for most evenings.

Focaccia at Bella Monica and its covered patio in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Focaccia at Bella Monica and its covered patio in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

After my guest shows up, we put in orders for our drinks and Bella Monica’s famous focaccia is brought to the table. The focaccia is a beautiful square of plump baked goodness served with some olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of onions-chives on top. It’s a tasty start and could be a meal in itself according to my dining companion. We put our orders in and we’re doing the beef carpaccio appetizer along with the chicken parmigiana for my main!

Beef carpaccio at Bella Monica and its covered patio in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Beef carpaccio at Bella Monica and its covered patio in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

As we’re waiting for our appetizer, I scan the room and it’s a very diverse crowd. Couples, families, dates trying to get to PNC arena. It’s the type of crowd you get when you’ve been running a good restaurant for many years. Shortly the plate of carpaccio comes out and it’s a bright dish of thinly sliced beef topped with spicy arugula and parmesan shards. A bit of olive oil completes the dish and it’s a nice palate cleanser before we move on to the rest of our meal.

Chicken parmigiana at Bella Monica and its covered patio in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Chicken parmigiana at Bella Monica and its covered patio in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

My plate of chicken parmigiana is brought to the table and it looks classic. A portion of spaghetti smothered in a bright red marinara and sprinkled with some parsley. It’s a generous portion of very tender and nicely fried chicken breast over al dente pasta and a bright red sauce, very nice! But of course half the meal goes home with me, even if I COULD have eaten it all in one sitting.

Service is excellent at Bella Monica, the staff is very gracious and responsive to all the questions coming from the table and they’ve got a busy dining room. Over the course of the evening we also chat with the chef a bit and learn of a new Bella Monica restaurant (Stellino’s) being opened at Parkside Town Commons in Southwest Cary. And given how busy Bella Monica is, it makes total sense for them to open up another outpost in the Triangle. While part of me wishes they would expand their restaurant in Raleigh, it just wouldn’t be the same for the time-tested formula of great Italian eats in a cozy family setting.

 

Bella Monica

3121 Edwards Mill Road

Raleigh, NC 27612

919.881.9778

 

Location on Google maps

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Merry Franksters Food Trailer, Dishing Out Delicious Hot Dogs for the Triangle!

Merry Franksters food trailer based out of Carrboro - NC Triangle Dining
Merry Franksters food trailer based out of Carrboro – NC Triangle Dining

Now who doesn’t like a good hot dog or brat, now that summer is here? Whether you’re talking about a late-night dog from Snoopy’s or sitting at the counter at the Roast Grill, biting into a snappy, juicy hot dog is a burst of taste and flavor. And now there’s a new food truck on the scene, specializing in gourmet hot dogs: Merry Franksters. I ran into this truck at an event at the Raleigh Wine Shop a little while back. Because as much as I like hot dogs, I know there are some people that only want to eat happy hot dogs otherwise know as sustain-ably farmed meats in hot dogs. And that’s where Merry Franksters steps in! Based out of Carrboro, they are serving up happy hot dogs hand-made out at the Pig from Chapel Hill, so I was curious to see what the Merry Franksters are dishing out.

Order window at Merry Franksters food trailer based out of Carrboro - NC Triangle Dining
Order window at Merry Franksters food trailer based out of Carrboro – NC Triangle Dining

Heading over to the Raleigh Wine shop, I spy a bright aluminum Airstream trailer pulling into the side lot. It’s a funky looking, retro trailer with interesting blue pop-art on the sides and back! A chalkboard flip-board up front shows off the Merry Franksters menu, 10 or so hot dogs and a handful of sides! Prices are in the $4 to $6 range which is about right. I’m torn between a couple of options but go with the bacon-wrapped Memphis Dawg and the classic New York Dawg along with a side of beer-battered onion rings. The Merry Frankster owners are very sweet and laid-back, reminds me a bit of when I lived in Carrboro!

Merry Franksters food trailer menu - NC Triangle Dining
Merry Franksters food trailer menu – NC Triangle Dining
Hot dog meal from Merry Franksters food trailer - NC Triangle Dining
Hot dog meal from Merry Franksters food trailer – NC Triangle Dining

A glass of wine keeps me company as I wait for my eats but it’s not too long, maybe 10 – 15 minutes. I get three paper food trays with my goodies and decide to hoof it on home so I can pig out in private! The short drive is tough as I’m staring at my dee-licious looking dogs and rings…  Back at home I get to inspect my dawgs more closely. Merry Franksters uses a potato bun and they all look nicely grilled and filled.

NY dawg from Merry Franksters food trailer - NC Triangle Dining
NY dawg from Merry Franksters food trailer – NC Triangle Dining
Memphis dawg from Merry Franksters food trailer - NC Triangle Dining
Memphis dawg from Merry Franksters food trailer – NC Triangle Dining

I start off with the NY Dawg which pairs a Sabretts beef hot dog with sauerkraut and onions! A great bite, basic but done very well by the Merry Franksters. And while you may think one hot dog may be enough, I’m glad I got two! The Memphis dog comes on a larger bun, probably needed to hold the bacon-wrapped dog and additional toppings (onions, cheddar, barbeque sauce). The Memphis dawg is a messy bite but totally worth it! The crisp, salty bacon works well against the sweet barbeque sauce and it’s all worth getting your hands dirty. Thumbs up for me, here!

Onion rings from Merry Franksters food trailer - NC Triangle Dining
Onion rings from Merry Franksters food trailer – NC Triangle Dining

And finally the onion rings! Described as beer-battered, they have more of a light tempura-like coating to me and reminded me a lot of onion rings I would get in Massachusetts. Totally delicious and well fried, if Merry Franksters has them on the menu I feel it’s a must-do. Overall I was pretty happy with my meal at the Merry Franksters food truck. Creative, well made hot dogs at a reasonable price, works for me! And while I will always love my $1.50 Costco hot dog, Merry Franksters takes the humble sausage to a whole nother level. While Merry Franksters is based in Carrboro at Cliff’s Meat Market, they do get around quite a bit and are in Raleigh pretty frequently, hot dog!

 

Merry Franksters food truck

100 W Main Street

Carrboro, NC 27510

 

Various Locations in the Triangle

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Media: Cortez Seafood + Cocktail Offering Up Fresh Flavors and Seafood to Raleigh!

Front door at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh
Front door at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh

While the S. Glenwood neighborhood has always been known for fun bars, lively clubs and friendly pubs, good food was always tougher to find. There are some half-decent options for dining but not as many as you would expect on this popular and busy street. So when I heard that Cortez Seafood + Cocktail was coming to S. Glenwood, I was pretty pumped! Brought to you by the Ibarra family that runs Jose and Sons along with several other Mexican restaurants in the area, Cortez would be taking over the old Helios space next to Solas. And since I live in the neighborhood, I was able to watch its build out over the months. Thankfully, I received and invite from the Ibarra family to preview Cortez Seafood as it was in its final shake-down run before its opening. And it was a great experience, here’s how it all went down!

Ambiance and interior at the Cortez Seafood + Cocktail, Raleigh

Patio at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Patio at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Heading on over to 413 S Glenwood, the first thing you’ll notice is that the patio area at Cortez Seafood has been opened up. Previously a wall of hedges to provide privacy, the lovely patio is now more visible from the street and sidewalk making for a more inviting destination and dining location. The staff at Cortez is decked out in more traditional black slacks and white shirts. I check in at the small hostess kiosk up front and head on over to the bar to wait for friends.

Creme brulee at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh

Bar at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Bar at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

At the bar I get a chance to scan Cortez Seafood’s menu for the evening. Given it’s a friends and family night, there are no prices and it may not be the official menu for the public opening but it should give you a good idea about their food concept. Raw oysters, seafood salads, some larger plates and sides along with a short selection of wine, beer and cocktails! So you need to be a seafood lover outside of a handful of dishes with meat.

Stylish dining room at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Stylish dining room at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Cortez Seafood seats about 70 people in the dining room and on the patio. The dining room is clean and gives a Mediterranean feel with the turquoise leather bench seating, chamfered table tops and chairs along with speckled floor. It all feels very comfortable, open and stylish, very nicely done on the interior. With about 12 seats at the bar you’ve got some good seating options depending on the weather. My hungry friends show up ( including Kristen, @gadaboutfood) and we’re seated at a 4-top and ready to eat!

Food and menu at the Cortez Seafood + Cocktail, Raleigh

Fresh NC oysters at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Fresh NC oysters at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining
Poached shrimp w dill at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Poached shrimp w dill at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

We start off with a plate of raw NC oysters on ice served with rose mignonette and cocktail sauce. These bivalves are beautifully briny with the pure taste of the ocean. Raleigh’s been on an oyster roll of late, don’t miss these! Our next small plate is the wonderful cold, poached shrimp. These plump shrimp are paired with tzatziki and some dill making for a bright and light bite, loved this fresh starter plate of shrimp. The dill really pops out on the palate and pairs perfectly with the seafood.

Mackerel gazpacho at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Mackerel gazpacho at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining
Leche de tigre ceviche at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Leche de tigre ceviche at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining
Yellowtail poke nori at Cortez Seafood - NC Triangle Dining
Yellowtail poke nori at Cortez Seafood – NC Triangle Dining

My friend has ordered up a beautiful mackerel gazpacho that’s full of color and texture. I’ve always been impressed with Chef Oscar’s food at Jose and Sons and I think you’ll see the same great preparation and plating here at Cortez Seafood. And it will be interesting to see what he comes up with, moving into a different category and cuisine of foods! But I have full faith he will dazzle your taste-buds like he usually does. The leche de tigre consists of yellow tail in an aji sauce and mixed with corn nuts, red onion, and avocado. Very creative and a bit creamy. We finish up with a yellowtail poke nori served with crunchy seaweed crackers, yum! All of Cortez’ cold plates are nicely balanced in terms of textures and colors along with taste, of course.

Mexrib sandwich at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Mexrib sandwich at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining
Seared mackerel with rapini at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Seared mackerel with rapini at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Now it’s on to the warm plates! At the table we’ve got the Mexrib sandwich (rib and pork shoulder patty) served with Carolina gold barbeque sauce and chips, it looks great. My seared mackerel is soft and tender on the tongue with a bit of crispy skin on top. I haven’t eaten a lot of mackerel, it’s usually considered an oily fish but the seared fish here is delicious and plays off nicely against the bright Carolina sunshine sauce. The warm potato salad and charred rapini are huge hits mixed with a bit of salty country ham and love the rapini topped with a soft poached egg.

Warm potato salad at Cortez Seafood - NC Triangle Dining
Warm potato salad at Cortez Seafood – NC Triangle Dining
Charred rapini with country ham at Cortez Seafood - NC Triangle Dining
Charred rapini with country ham at Cortez Seafood – NC Triangle Dining

Over the course of my meal at Cortez Seafood, you’ll notice the homage and tip of the hat to local NC ingredients. Which in my mind says, fresh! And the seafood preparation cuts across a swath of cuisine categories, playing with a lot of different styles and flavors. But all quite delicious.

Creamy creme brulee at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining
Creamy creme brulee at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

We finish off with a dense and creamy creme brulee that’s perfect for a single person or a sharing couple. A really wonderful ending to our meal. The staff at Cortez Seafood is fairly new and working into their roles but they are well-trained and amenable. Again, I have no concerns here given my experience at many meals at Jose and Sons over the years. So a slow round of applause for the new Cortez Seafood + Cocktail! Love the concept, love the food and the great space. And while there may be a bit of menu overlap with what Vidrio is doing across the street, I think you’ll find the experience to be quite different here at this cozy little seafood eatery. Looking forward to my first visit after your official opening!

 

The Cortez Seafood + Cocktail

413 S. Glenwood Avenue

Raleigh, NC 27601

919.342.8227

 

Location on Google maps

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Retake: Dim Sum House in Morrisville, a Decent Option for Chinese Small Plates!

Dim Sum House in Morrisville - NC Triangle Dining
Dim Sum House in Morrisville – NC Triangle Dining

When it comes to authentic Chinese food in the Triangle, your choices are few and far between. And when it comes to Cantonese eats and dim sum, it gets even harder! If you’re a fan of these Chinese small plates for brunch, you know that it’s a special treat. Steamed and fried goodies served lickety split off of carts, typically on the weekend. In the area, we’ve had some restaurants try it from time to time but the most consistent options for dim sum have been the Hong Kong out in Durham and Dim Sum House in Morrisville. When it first opened up, Dim Sum House did a great job with its food, a bit lower for service. Changes in ownership and the chefs left me scratching my head at the decline in food quality over the years. But eventually I got curious and figured it was time to see where Dim Sum House was at!

Dining room at Dim Sum House in Morrisville - NC Triangle Dining
Dining room at Dim Sum House in Morrisville – NC Triangle Dining

I slide in for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon and the restaurant is pretty quiet. Dim Sum House hasn’t changed much on the inside. Same yellow walls with green carpeting, it all feels a bit worn but clean. I’m seated at a booth near a window and handed two menus along with a paper slip. One menu and the paper slip are for ordering up dim-sum. If you’re not familiar with dim-sum, the prices are by the size of the plate: small-medium-large at prices of $2.95-$3.55-$3.95. And dim-sum tends to come in two main types of preparation: steamed and fried, it also typically is heavy on ground pork and shrimp so if you’re kosher you’re out of luck!

Tofu skin rolls at Dim Sum House in Morrisville - NC Triangle Dining
Tofu skin rolls at Dim Sum House in Morrisville – NC Triangle Dining

Given I’m dining solo, I try to constrain myself to three plates which should be puh-lenty! The first dish out of Dim Sum House’s kitchen is the tofu skin rolls. A bit different than what I expected, these rolls aren’t braised and have more a pan-fried, crisp skin around a shrimp filling. But they’re pretty decent and well-stuffed so I’m good with this dish.

Pan-fried buns at Dim Sum House in Morrisville - NC Triangle Dining
Pan-fried buns at Dim Sum House in Morrisville – NC Triangle Dining

Shu-mai at Dim Sum House in Morrisville - NC Triangle Dining
Shu-mai at Dim Sum House in Morrisville – NC Triangle Dining

Next up are the pan-fried buns. These are steamed and then pan-fried a bit to give it a crispy bottom. Stuffed with ground pork, these buns are nicely done at Dim Sum House but I’m not a 100% sure they are made in-house based on the texture of their bottoms. I’ll have to dig in further and find out. And finally the dim-sum classic, shu-mai dumplings! These are open-faced shrimp dumplings steamed in a yellow wrapper. Dim Sum House does a solid job here with a LOT of filling but it’s missing a bit of complexity like a hit of ginger. But totally acceptable for lunch, it’s a robust dish. Note that Dim Sum House has a separate lunch menu of some more typical Chinese-American dishes if dim-sum is not your thang!

Har-gow and steamed roast pork buns at Dim Sum House in Morrisville - NC Triangle Dining
Har-gow and steamed roast pork buns at Dim Sum House in Morrisville – NC Triangle Dining
Fried shrimp balls at Dim Sum House in Morrisville - NC Triangle Dining
Fried shrimp balls at Dim Sum House in Morrisville – NC Triangle Dining

I’ve already been back for a second visit and managed to try some solid steamed pork buns, delicious har gow and fried shimp balls. Again, everything was tasty, well-stuffed and prepared decently. I’d qualify the dim-sum here as OK but for the Triangle?! It’s quite good…

Front counter at Dim Sum House in Morrisville - NC Triangle Dining
Front counter at Dim Sum House in Morrisville – NC Triangle Dining

Service at Dim Sum House was very good for both lunches but the test will be on the weekends when they’re busy. The dining room has opened up quite a bit, gone are the round 8-tops meaning it will feel like more of a civilized meal when dining here. But yes, they did a solid job for lunch and I need to get back here for a busy weekend meal. Dim-sum is traditionally a weekend offering and I suspect there will be a much higher volume resulting in fresher food out of the kitchen! And there are certain dim-sum items on the menu that are only available on the weekend. So rock on, Dim Sum House! It’s good to know that you’re still doing dim-sum for the Triangle and I’m looking forward to my next visit here and trying more off of the Cantonese menu…

 

Dim Sum House

100 Jerusalem Dr #104

Morrisville, NC 27560

919.380.3087

 

Location on Google maps

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News: La Farm Bakery Opens Its House on June 24th in Cary!

La Farm Bakery 2017 Open House in Cary on June 24th from 3 to 5pm - Photos from La Farm Bakery
La Farm Bakery 2017 Open House in Cary on June 24th from 3 to 5pm – Photos from La Farm Bakery

When it comes to delicious baking and bread, La Farm Bakery out in Cary is an easy choice. Known for their rustic, artisan French loaves, I’ve always been a huge fan of their bread and pastries over the years. But thankfully for my waist-line, they remain safely out of arm’s reach in central Cary. But if you are a fan of La Farm Bakery, you don’t want to miss their upcoming open house on Saturday, June 24th from 3 to 5pm. As part of the 5th annual Bread Bakers Guild of America open houses, you’ll get a behind the scenes tour of La Farm, sample delicious breads and take home one of their dee-licious white chocolate mini baguettes! And yes, it’s all for free my bread-loving friend.

You’ll get a chance to see this lovely bakery in action with a bread-shaping demo and loading the hearth oven. And master baker-owner Lionel Vatinet will be on-hand for the celebration! I had the chance to take a pastry baking class at La Farm Bakery with Lionel and I can tell you for certain that he is a funny and talented man. So how can you pass up an opportunity like this? If you’d like to join in on the baking fun and eat, please RSVP with an email to [email protected]  And if I don’t make it there on Saturday, grab a white chocolate baguette for me!

La Farm Bakery

2017 Bakery Open House for the Break Bakers Guild of America

4248 NW Cary Parkway

Cary, NC 27513

June 24th from 3 to 5pm

 

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