Ron Wen, Author at NC Triangle Dining

August 20, 2017 by Ron Wen 3 Comments

Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week, 2017

If you’re a foodie and live in Raleigh, well I’ve got some good news for you. It’s that time of the year for the Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week from August 21 – 27! Admittedly there are a bunch of restaurant weeks to keep up with but this one’s pretty simple since it’s focused on the Oak City. And it’s a bit more affordable with lunches in the $5 to $10 range along with dinners at $21 and $31. I’ve already started to scan the menus (some are still coming in) and setting up a plan of attack! But here’s what caught my eye on the menus. I’m including links to my reviews when available!

18 Seaboard Restaurant – This long-time Raleigh favorite serving up Southern cuisine always does a nice job for restaurant week! The charred watermelon gazpacho and classic shrimp and grits would be on my mind.

The Big Easy – A fun and boisterous Cajun-New Orleans style eatery on Fayetteville Street. Very interesting space with a diverse menu featuring alligator bites and crawfish etouffe, yum!

Carolina Ale House – It’s simple, it’s casual and if you like sports, you can’t go wrong with Carolina Ale House. The food has definitely gotten better, in my opinion and the Glenwood Avenue location can’t be beat with its patio!

Five Star – Another Raleigh favorite, Five Star has really improved its food game over the years. And with a $21 dinner menu for 4 different starters and 5 mains, you’ll find something here to keep you happy (heatseeker shrimp, crispy sesame beef).

Plates Neighborhood Kitchen – Plates always does a great job for restaurant week and given their excellent service and quiet patio, always highly recommend a visit here! The sticky toffee pudding is the signature dessert to get.

Provenance – A fancier, avant-garde restaurant for Raleigh, they recently changed chefs but I’ve continued to hear good things about Provenance. The chicken confit buns and farmer’s agnolotti sound pretty tasty to me.

Royale – Given the $31 three-course meal option, you’re going to get a great value at Royale! I’d have my eye on the garlic soup, duck leg confit and profiteroles given the classic French menu here.

Trophy Tap & Table – And I’ve had the chance to eat at Trophy Tap & Table once and was impressed with their simple but well-done eats. They’ve got a nice menu of 3 appetizers, 3 entrees and 3 desserts covering Southern eats and a lot more. A nice deal at $21.

2017 Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week, August 21 – 27

18 Seaboard Restaurant // $31 Dinner Menu

Course 1
Charred Watermelon Gazpacho
with jalapeno meringue, pickled watermelon rind, and basil

Butterhead Salad
with burnt peach, goat cheese, pancetta arrotolata, and sprite melon vinaigrette

Oyster Beignet
with crystal cane syrup, cotija, and citrus marigold

Course 2
Shrimp and Grits
with Pamlico Sound shrimp, cheddar grits, bacon, mushroom.pepper, and scallion

Woodfire Grilled Pork Tenderloin
with farmers market succotash, grilled okra, burnt tomato vinegar

Farmer Market Lasagna
with cashew ricotta and smoked tomato gravy

Course 3
Tomato and Peach Icebox Cake

Buttermilk Creme Brulee
with fresh peaches

Chocolate Mug Cake
with House made marshmallow fluff

The Big Easy // $21 Dinner Menu

Course 1
Louisiana Pretzel
Soft baked pretzel smothered with a crab and artichoke dip and topped with parmesan cheese.

Alligator Bites
Straight from the Bayou, marinated alligator tails quick fried in a creole breading, served with Dijon mustard.

Crab Stuffed Poppers
Poppers stuffed with crab, cheese, and jalapenos, breaded and fried.

Pimento Fritters
Homemade pimento cheese, breaded and fried. Served with ranch dressing.

Course 2
House Salad
Spring mix, served with tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers, onions, croutons and cheddar cheese.

Caesar salad
Crisp hearts of romaine, tomatoes, red onions, croutons, and parmesan cheese, tossed in Caesar dressing.

Course 3
Jamabalaya
Chicken, tasso ham, Andouille sausage, trinity vegetables and rice, topped with spicy creole sauce.

Crawfish Etouffee
Plump Louisiana crawfish sautéed in a butter roux with trinity vegetables and spices served over rice.

Chicken Opelousas
Egg battered chicken breast slow cooked in a artichoke, mushroom, and white wine sauce. Served with rice and fried spinach.

Shrimp Platter
Fresh shrimp perfectly fried to a golden brown. Served with hand cut fries and coleslaw.

Cheese Ravioli
Spinach ravioli filled with a three cheese blend served with a blue cheese cream sauce. Topped with seasonal vegetables.

Carolina Ale House // $21 Dinner Menu

Course 1
Cheese Curds
Wisconsin White Cheddar fried bites with red pepper jalapeño jam.

Frickles
Fried dill pickle chips with housemade horseradish ranch.

Course 2
Southwest Chicken
Grilled chicken breast, topped with guacamole, spicy pico de gallo, crisp onion strings and a tomato gravy with Southwestern rice.

Chorizo Meatloaf
Housemade with ground beef, bacon, chorizo sausage, poblano peppers and savory seasonings. House mashed Yukon Gold potaotes, chipotle-bacon gravy and crisp onion strings.

Grilled Chicken Apple Walnut Blue Cheese Salad
Grilled chicken breast, julienne apple, walnuts, mixed greens, blue cheese crumbles, cucumbers, craisins, and Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Course 3
Turtle Caramel Cheesecake
Creamy NY-style cheesecake with a graham cracker crust. Topped with walnuts, caramel, and chocolate sauce.

Peach Cobbler
Covered with a walnut brown sugar crumb topping and baked warm with Breyers® Vanilla ice cream and a dusting of cinnamon.

Five Star // $21 Dinner Menu

Course 1
Curry chicken empanada

Heat seeker shrimp

Japanese eggplant

Crab rangoons

Course 2
Five star generals chicken

Crispy sesame beef

Honey walnut shrimp

Salmon with Thai chile-honey glaze

Chinese spiced ribeye

Course 3
Warm chocolate cake with ice cream

Coconut rice pudding with fresh fruit

Mango sorbet

Plates Kitchen // $31 Dinner Menu

Course 1
Twice Cooked Pork Cheeks
Braised and fried pork cheeks, Hoppin’ John with field peas, heirloom tomato, local greens

Oysters Bienville
Baked oysters stuffed with mushroom, pepper, Grana Padano, roux, bread crumbs

“Second Season” Fig Salad
Raleigh City Farm greens, local figs, house made mascarpone cheese, hazelnuts, Pedro Ximénez vinaigrette

Course 2
Worldly Short Ribs
Soy garlic glaze, edamame puree, quick kimchi, carrots, bok choy

Catch of the Day
Pico de gallo, farm greens salad with key lime vinaigrette-marinated cannellini beans

Squash Spaghetti Marinara
Julienne local squash, shiitake mushroom, NC grown field peas, red pepper, edamame

Course 3
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Moist and sweet date cake covered with vanilla toffee sauce, whipped cream

Chocolate Peanut Butter S’more
Chocolate flourless cake, peanut butter, marshmallow, caramel sauce, candied peanuts (gluten free)

White Chocolate Bread Pudding
NC peach ice cream, creme anglaise, toasted pecans

Provenance // $31 Dinner Menu

Course 1
Heirloom Tomato Salad
cucumbers, sunflower shoots, herbed ricotta, savory eclair

Chicken Liver Toast
lusty monk mustard, pickled summer vegetables, brown butter crumble

Chicken Confit Steam Buns
kimchi, savory lemon curd, pickled summer vegetables

Course 2
Pork Loin
Carolina gold rice, herb puree bound field peas, summer vegetables

Steak Frites
salt and vinegar fries, potato puree, mushrooms, bearnaise

Carolina Coast Catch
Carolina gold rice and squash risotto, shaved vegetables, beurre blanc

Farmers Market Agnolotti
shaved vegetables, brown butter, crumble, beurre blanc

Course 3
Sorghum Panna Cotta
pecan praline, smoked vanilla ice cream

Paris-brest
seasonal fruit, pastry cream, caramel

Chocolate Mousse
coffee ice cream, oat crumble

Royale // $31 Dinner Menu

Course 1
Garlic Soup

Grilled Radicchio
served with arugula endive pomegranate seeds and whipped goat cheese

Heirloom Tomato Salad
served with croutons black pepper aioli and scallions

Course 2
Duck Leg Confit
over Royale Potato Salad with salsa verde

The Royale Burger

Locals Shrimp Pasta
with summer vegetables and basil

Course 3
Peanut Butter Tart

Profiteroles

Trophy Tap + Table // $21 Dinner Menu

Course 1

Trophy Poached Shrimp Salad
local heirloom tomatoes/IPA poached coastal shrimp/arugula/candied peach vinaigrette

Cornmeal Hushpuppies
black pepper honey

Smoked Chicken Empanadas
charred serrano + cilantro salsa/pickled onions

Course 2
Picnic Style Brisket
BBQ baked beans/roasted corn/potato salad/toast

Blackened Quarter Chicken
pickled okra/cheddar biscuit/buttermilk crema

Baja Fish Tacos
shredded cabbage/green onion/jasmine rice/lime sour cream

Course 3
Tres Leche Cake
horchata whipped cream/toasted cinnamon

Chocolate Chess Pie
chantilly cream/lemon zest

Mango Sorbet
sweet chile + brown sugar dust

August 17, 2017 by Ron Wen

First Take: Istanbul Cafe in Cary, a Turkish Dining Delight

Front of Istanbul Restaurant, Cary - NC Triangle Dining — Front of Istanbul Restaurant, Cary – NC Triangle Dining

While Cary may trail behind Raleigh and Durham in terms of population, it certainly does a fine job in the area of interesting, flavorful ethnic restaurants. Some of my hidden gem faves (Kababish Cafe-Pakistani, Bosphorus-Turkish, Super Wok-Szechuan) are all in Cary! So I wasn’t entirely surprised to hear about a great little restaurant online, Istanbul. Located on Kildaire Farm Roads, it’s 4 1/2 star rating caught my eye so I decide to make a special effort to get out for a tasty lunch visit.

Casual dining room at Istanbul Restaurant, Cary - NC Triangle Dining — Casual dining room at Istanbul Restaurant, Cary – NC Triangle Dining

Istanbul Restaurant is located on the far northern side of Kildaire Farms in what looks like a converted fast food place. This location has gone through several iterations of Mediterranean type restaurants over the years so let’s see how Istanbul Restaurant fares! Inside, the space it clean, tidy but a bit bare so don’t expect too much in the way of ambiance. A large laminated menu is brought to the table and it’s a bi-fold covering a good array of appetizers, soups, entrees and desserts. Pretty much everything at Istanbul Restaurant is between $4 and $15 making it a pretty inexpensive meal. And thankfully, there are pictures on the menu since I’m not entirely familiar with Turkish cuisine. I go with the borek for an appetizer along with a izgara kefte (meatball) main.

Bread and dip at Istanbul Restaurant, Cary - NC Triangle Dining — Bread and dip at Istanbul Restaurant, Cary – NC Triangle Dining

Istanbul Restaurant starts you off with some lovely Turkish bread (seeded) along with a flavorful oil punched up with chopped olives and spices. A simple but great way to get your meal going! My borek come out next and I have never tried these bad-boys before. We’re talking about a long, fried pastry (similar to an egg roll) filled with feta cheese and parsley. Served with a cool yogurt sauce, the borek are both a bit decadent and healthy at the same time!

Borek at Istanbul Restaurant, Cary - NC Triangle Dining — Borek at Istanbul Restaurant, Cary – NC Triangle Dining

It doesn’t take much longer for my main to come out of the kitchen, the kefte (meatball) plate. Made of a mix of beef and lamb, the meatballs nicely seared and oblong in shape. Accompanied by some grilled pepper-tomato, spiced onion, pita bread, bulgur wheat and a simple salad. This plate strikes me as remarkably healthy and typical of a Mediterranean setting. The meatballs are tender and nicely charred on the outside. While I’m not a huge fan of lamb, I like this blend where the lamb just gives the meat some extra flavor. The bulgur rice reminds me of a more toothsome rice pilaf and it looks as if it’s been prepared with some tomato for tang. And the rest of the plate (salad, grilled tomatoes, onion) is a nice accompaniment to the proteins in this meal, delish!

And while the restaurant was pretty empty, service was very personable and pleasant. You can definitely tell you’re in a family-run restaurant at Istanbul. I left happy and full after this healthy meal! But I have to admit that Istanbul Restaurant is still behind my other Turkish favorite, Bosphorus Cafe. Because while it certainly does home-spun Turkish eats well, it’s a bit more spartan and spare compared to its neighbor down the street. But if you’re in the mood for healthy Turkish eats, I certainly think you’ll have a pleasant and delightful meal here at Istanbul Restaurant…

Istanbul Restaurant

914 Kildaire Farm Road

Cary, NC 27511

919.651.9608

Location on Google maps

August 10, 2017 by Ron Wen

Retake: Standard Foods 2.0, an Upgraded Dining Experience for Raleigh

Standard Foods, Raleigh NC – Review, photos

The only certainty in life is change so those of us who follow the Raleigh restaurant scene were really curious when Chef Scott Crawford left Standard Foods in 2016 to start his own place. What would happen to Standard Foods after they lost their main man? And we would find out pretty quickly, Chef Eric Montagne was recruited from the Boiler Room Oyster Bar in Kinston to head Standard Foods. And master sommelier Fred Dexheimer was brought in to lead the beverage program here. And funny, but I’ve had a couple of friends tell me that even with all the changes, the neighborhood ended up with two even better dining options in Oakwood! So it was time to find out myself how Standards Foods was doing after this reboot…

Main dining room at Standard Foods in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Main dining room at Standard Foods in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

What caught my eye about the new Standard Foods was their announcement for a Saturday and Sunday brunch. It’s hard to find a good brunch, period but a good Saturday brunch? Bring it on Standard Foods! First of all, if you haven’t been to Standard Foods, understand that they have a market next door selling meats and local goods. The market has extended hours and is open seven days a week so don’t make a mistake on the restaurant hours if you intend on dining here. Currently Standard Foods is doing its brunch from 11am to 3pm on the weekend.

Brunch menu at Standard Foods in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Brunch menu at Standard Foods in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

My friend and I grab some bar seats and the interior hasn’t changed too much. The space is simple and spare with slightly retro seating with a farm-house feel. It all feels casual even if the menu here at Standard Foods is anything but. For brunch, there’s a short list of 10 or so items with some sides, cocktails and beers, brunch on Saturday and Sunday now means you get to enjoy an adult bevvy before noon time, can you give me a woo-hoo?!

Canneles at Standard Foods in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Canneles at Standard Foods in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

We decide to order some canneles (French pastry) and on my end I’m going with the duck confit benedict with a side of scrapple. What’s scrapple you ask? Well according to Wikipedia it’s a pan-fried patty of pork trimming favored by the Pennsylvania Dutch, what the heck! Our canneles come out first and they are different looking. A dark brown molded pastry with a dimple on top, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Cutting it open reveals a creamy, dense inside similar to bread pudding. But the thick, slightly caramelized plays off well with the soft interior making for a delicious starter!

Duck confit benedict at Standard Foods in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Duck confit benedict at Standard Foods in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

My benedict is out next and Standard Foods does another interesting twist, here. There’s plenty of savory duck confit on top but they’ve replaced the usual muffin with some seeded rye bread toast, nice! Given the richness of the eggs, hollandaise sauce and duck, the darker rye bread holds up well on this dish. And let me say that the hollandaise sauce here is EXCELLENT. Super buttery and creamy. And while the scrapple is a nice generous portion of browned pork parts, it’s not my favorite for the meal so I may pass in the future after this one time trial.

Steak and eggs at Standard Foods in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Steak and eggs at Standard Foods in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

My friend’s steak and egg looks excellent, a generous portion of tender sliced beef with chimichurri, nicely fried egg, black beans and rice. Our food at the bar is paced really well and my glass of cava is a wonderful beverage for a surprisingly good meal. Lunch service has also recently been added to Standard Food’s schedule and I was able to try a lovely French dip sandwich with a side of chicken salad. Very fresh, very tasty eats and reasonably priced.

I admit that now I’m tempted to come back for a third visit to see what they can do for a dinner service but I’m pretty impressed already given brunch and lunch. And I’d have to agree with friends that even with the change in chefs at Standard Foods, the neighborhood now has TWO very good dining options to offer the residents of Oakwood-Mordecai. Rock on Standard Foods, keep up that great work and those delicious eats in the kitchen…

Standard Foods

205 E Franklin Street

Raleigh, NC 27604

919.307.4652

Location on Google maps

August 5, 2017 by Ron Wen

First Take: Benny Capitale’s in Raleigh for Ginormous Pizza Slices!

Front of Benny Capitale's in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Front of Benny Capitale’s in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Ahh, pizza! I don’t know about you but I can never get enough and I’m always looking for my next slice. And in my pizza nirvana, I’ve got pizza goals. One of them is to eat one of those super large slices that I’ve seen in pictures from Washington, DC. Known as the super-slice, they’re usually as big as your head which sounds like perfection to me. So I was excited to hear about Benny Capitale’s. Part of a 16 restaurant chain of pizzerias specializing in the super-slice, they were coming to Raleigh in the summer of 2017 after opening locations in Charlotte and Chapel Hill. And I’m happy to say, they’re here and dishing out huge slices of pizza as advertised!

Order counter at Benny Capitale's in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Order counter at Benny Capitale’s in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Located in the old space that used to house Crema, you can find Benny Capitale’s behind some bright pane glass windows looking out on Fayetteville Street. Inside, the space is casual and built for serious pizza volume and business. A handful of vinyl covered booths and single diner stool seating around the edges. It’s a bit spartan but given the “by the slice” model, I’d expect a good chunk of Benny Capitale’s business to be take-out, walk out or in this case “Imma gonna eat this slice right now” standing! Note that Benny Capitale’s will be open until 3am on Friday and Saturday nights for the weekend crowd.

The super-slice at Benny Capitale's in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — The super-slice at Benny Capitale’s in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Chatting with the manager, he tells me a bit about the history of the chain and shows off a super-slice to me. The menu is super-simple at Benny Capitale’s. Three standard slices along with a couple of monthly specials. Cheese is $4, everything else $5 and canned drinks at $1. Benny Capitale’s is still working on their ABC license right now but I’m looking forward to pizza and beer in bottle/cans in the future. Full 28″ pies go for $30 and with one topping for $38. I can’t imagine trying to get that pizza box in my Mazda, I’m guessing I’d have to tie it up on my roof to get it home safely! Note, there is a Benny’s pizza challenge. Eat the whole 28″ pizza in under an hour and you can win $500…

We order up a couple of slices since we’re headed off for some beers at Trophy. My cheese slice is perfectly browned and served up on two plates, woo-hoo! It’s pretty darn big but only slightly larger than the slices at Randy’s Pizza RTP in my opinion. I take a bite and yes, this is some good NY thin-slice. The sauce is tangy with some seasonings, great cheese coverage and the crust is interesting. It is a thin-crust and holds up well to the topping but it seems to have some flakiness to it. A bit different than what I’m used to. But it’s tasty and impressive, I’ll just HAVE to come back and do some more taste-testing, eh? Overall I’m really happy with having Benny Capitale’s downtown. They’re doing a solid slice of pizza here for the lunch and late-night crowd and hey, if it happens to be bigger than your head, it’s only even better!

Benny Capitale’s

121 Fayetteville Street, Ste 11

Raleigh, NC 27601

919.239.4173

Location on Google maps

July 30, 2017 by Ron Wen

First Take: Sup Dogs in Chapel Hill for Creative and Tasty Hot Dogs

Sup Dogs in Chapel Hill - NC Triangle Dining — Sup Dogs in Chapel Hill – NC Triangle Dining

If you’re out on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, you know you’re going to have a bunch of dining choices but in the category of basic and simple, perfect for a college kid. You can’t expect upscale or fancy or frou-frou, just simple and filling eats. And that’s where Sup Dogs comes into play. A veritable hot dog emporium offering an array of weiners and grill items along with a bit of college spirit. As long as you’re not a Duke fan! Here’s how my visit to this casual college eatery played out…

Dining area at Sup Dogs in Chapel Hill - NC Triangle Dining — Dining area at Sup Dogs in Chapel Hill – NC Triangle Dining

From the outside, the first thing you’ll notice about Sup Dogs is the patio. Under cover and shaded high-top tables with condiment dispensers on each one, it looks like a great spot to grab lunch and some fresh air. The Sup Dogs signage up above lists off the primary food items on the menu and one short and pointed message to the college down Tobacco Road in a darker shade of blue (a continuing theme). Inside Sup Dogs you’ll find a large open dining room decked out in brick, wood and a lot of Carolina blue signage. The young wait staff is clad in black and Carolina blue so you definitely know you’re in Chapel Hill! I grab a seat at the bar for lunch and take some time to dig deeper into the Sup Dogs menu. Thankfully, the menu here is pretty simple: burgers, chicken sandwich and the namesake Sup Dogs along with a litany of fried sides! Most of their dogs are in the $5.99 range with fries but you can upgrade to tots or cheese fries for an extra $1.00 or to bacon cheese fries or cheesy tots for $1.50. And if you add an extra dog, it’s only a $1.00. I’m doubling down for lunch with two dogs AND bacon cheese fries, gulp… As I’m waiting for my food, a table of Duke fans sit down for lunch and notice all the smack talk signage on the walls but thankfully they take it all in good fun and stay!

Smokehouse, Western dogs and cheese fries at Sup Dogs in Chapel Hill - NC Triangle Dining — Smokehouse, Western dogs and cheese fries at Sup Dogs in Chapel Hill – NC Triangle Dining

It takes 10 minutes or so for my food and wow, it’s a lot! I’ve ordered up the Smokehouse and Western dogs which come sitting on top of a aluminum tray of by cheese fries! Sides of Sup sauce and ranch complete the meal. The Western dog (onion ring, BBQ sauce, Monterey Jack, cheddar cheese and chili) and the Smokehouse dog (bacon, Monterey Jack, cheddar cheese, Sup Dog sauce, and chili) come loaded with toppings. And they are good sized beef dogs which can stand up to all the toppings. And they’re both quite good, I like the creative options on the Sup Dogs menu. Digging in the bacon cheese fries feels like another 1,000 calories but I can’t resist! The fries have a bit of skin and great potato taste. The cheese and bacon bits are generously coated on the pile of fries, too. And the Sup Sauce is great, probably a tangy, savory Thousand Island mix that is great for dipping. All in all it’s a filling meal with plenty of salt, grease and deliciousness!

The staff here is pretty young, probably from the UNC student body but do a good job keeping my drink cup filled and check in on me regularly. And while I don’t think you should be eating here regularly due to health reasons, it’s definitely a fun lunch stop and would probably be even better after a few beers on Franklin Street. If you’re interested in hot dogs, I definitely believe that Sup Dogs is a great choice in the Triangle for its variety and value in this category. If I lived in the area, I’d definitely be back from time to time. And I’m glad I finally know, what’s up dog!

Sup Dogs

107 E Franklin St

Chapel Hill, NC 27514

919.903.9566

Location on Google maps

Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week, 2017

2017 Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week, August 21 – 27