NC Triangle Dining

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

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Retake: The Flying Saucer in Raleigh, a Classic Destination for Great Beer!

Flying Saucer in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com
Flying Saucer in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

When it comes to beer in the Triangle, we’ve been in a renaissance for the past 5 years! Breweries, bottle shops and brew pubs have been opening up, left and right, in Raleigh, Durham and points beyond. I mean, who doesn’t love a tasty, locally brewed beer on a warm summer’s day?! But way back when, before this whole beer revolution started, there were only a handful of spots you could go to get a great craft beer, enter the Flying Saucer on Morgan Street! This beer and brews stalwart has been pouring out great beer for years and even though it wasn’t my personal favorite spot, I decide to go back for some visits to see how things have held up at the Saucer. And I’m glad to say that it’s still doing an excellent job serving great beer for Oak City residents…

Covered patio at Flying Saucer in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com
Covered patio at Flying Saucer in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Located on the corner of Morgan and Harrington Street, you can’t miss the Flying Saucer! You’ll usually find the covered patio, filled with Raleighites enjoying a good beer and snacks when the weather is nice. Stepping through the doorway you’ll immediately be hit by the enormity of the Flying Saucer space and its beer hall interior. Checked floor in black and green, long bar with taps to the right and four-tops to the left. And yes, beer plates! Gold rimmed plates line every bare spot on the walls and ceilings, with a customer message on each. Part of the UFO club that the Flying Saucer runs, taste and/or drink 200 different beers and you’ll get your own special plate to adorn the Flying Saucer space! The beer hall is a bit worn and aged which adds to the charm here. There have been a LOT of brews and beers quaffed down at the Flying Saucer over the years.

Rich and weathered interior at Flying Saucer in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com
Rich and weathered interior at Flying Saucer in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Sitting down at the bar and choosing one of the Flying Saucer’s 200+ beers can be a bit intimidating but thankfully the staff here is super knowledgeable when it comes to suds. And honestly, after the Raleigh Beer Garden offered up 360+ beers, the Saucer seems less difficult. At least most of the Saucer customers know their beers pretty well, making the selection process, quicker. The Flying Saucer is also known for for its waitstaff with many of the female servers sporting plaid skirts and knee-high socks, but you know what? Don’t let their looks fool you. They know their beer here really well, too.

The Bratzel at Flying Saucer in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com
The Bratzel at Flying Saucer in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Great beer, cool decor but what about the food at the Saucer? Well they’ve offer a small selection of appetizers, sandwiches, salads (hahaha), plates and pizzas. You do need something to eat along with all that great beer! The food falls comfortably into the category of simple bar food and is not super memorable. But I do think they are upping their game when it comes to the eats. From snacks to sandwiches and pizzas, it’s all hearty rib-sticking fare are the Flying Saucer

Tex-Mex hash brown skillet at Flying Saucer in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com
Tex-Mex hash brown skillet at Flying Saucer in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com
Bacon, egg and cheese pizza at Flying Saucer in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com
Bacon, egg and cheese pizza at Flying Saucer in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

A recent visit for brunch turned up a Tex-Mex hash brown skillet and breakfast pizza! Tasty hash-browns topped with cheddar-jack cheese, fried egg and jalapenos, yum! And the breakfast pizza topped with scrambled egg, bacon and cheddar was pretty solid too! The Flying Saucer does brunch from 11am to 3pm. I think it’ll be a fun option out on that patio once it gets warmer. The Flying Saucer also runs beer specials on Sundays ($3 pints, NC Beer) and Mondays ($3 pints, all taps).

So a slow round of applause for the venerable Flying Saucer on Morgan Street! While the Raleigh food scene has improved by leaps and bounds over the years, the Saucer has also upped its game to keep up. The Flying Saucer may not be top of mind for a drink or food, I think it’s a totally decent spot to get a feel for what Raleigh is about and sample some great beer. And while I may not ever have a UFO plate up on the wall with my name on it, I will definitely be back to sample more off of their food menu!

 

Flying Saucer Raleigh

328 W Morgan Street

Raleigh, NC 27601

919.821-7401

 

Location on Google maps

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First Take: BottleDog Bites & Brews Delivers Great Beer, Pizza and Poutine

Front of Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Front of Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary – NC Triangle Dining

Along with beer and brewery boom here in North Carolina, one other type of storefront has proliferated: the bottle shop!  A place where you can sample some craft brews or grab a specialty 4-pack to enjoy at home. And usually they have one thing in common, no food! But they usually give you the option of BYOF or ordering food from a nearby restaurant or delivery service. Recently I ran across BottleDog Bites and Brews in Cary online and the reviews mentioned the food quite often. Could it be true? Might there be a bottle shop in the area that’s now offering great food on top of their beers? Well it was time to find out!

Patio at Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Patio at Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary – NC Triangle Dining

We head on over to the address looking hard for BottleDog Bites & Brews and the GPS is only somewhat helpful getting us to Chapel Hill Road. We find ourselves in a small plaza with Woody’s Sports Tavern and not much else, we start scratching our heads. But we’re not ready to give up and head to the right-hand side of the plaza and find BottleDog’s storefront. Located in the old Maximillians Pizza Kitchen, there’s a nice covered patio up front that looks dog-friendly!

Dining area at Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Dining area at Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary – NC Triangle Dining

Heading on inside to BottleDog, we find a large beer bar on the right hand side and a retail beer section and dining area to the left. BottleDog is airy and open, there’s plenty of space to stretch out in here, it definitely feels different than most other bottle shops I’ve been to in the Triangle! It neatly fills the space between bottle shop and restaurant, similar to State of Beer in Raleigh. But there are some more pleasant surprises to come!

At the bar, BottleDog has 10 or 12 beers on tap, I go with the Bond Bros American IPA, Obfuscate! It has a super floral palate but also a nice clean afterbite with just a touch of hops, dee-licious! My beer loving buddy gives BottleDog’s beer selection a big thumbs up on its quality. Peering through the food menu, we find some really cool options for lunch. Poutine?! A beaver tail? Or how about some smoked meats? So in addition to the usual hot dogs and flatbreads, BottleDog seems to be going a bit Canadian with the menu which is fine by me, I love Canada! We put our food orders in and just sit back and enjoy our beers. It’s pretty quiet given a holiday weekend but slowly people start trickling in with kids and dogs in tow.

Nashville hot chicken at Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Nashville hot chicken at Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary – NC Triangle Dining
Poutine with smoked meat at Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Poutine with smoked meat at Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary – NC Triangle Dining

Soon enough, our food starts coming out starting with my friend’s Nashville hot chicken tenders. Served up on some white bread and thick pickles, it looks fantastic and spicy! I hold back on a taste since I need to save room for my meal. My Quebecois poutine comes out next and it starts with their basic poutine (fries, brown gravy and cheese curds) but adds in some smoked meat and pickles, yum-may! I haven’t eaten much poutine in my life but this dish is G-O-O-D! The warm potato is soaked in the gravy and the cheese is just decadence on top. Add in the peppery smoked meats and you’ve got yourself a mouthful! I’m already looking forward to trying some of the other poutines, stat.

Sweet Caroline flatbread at Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Sweet Caroline flatbread at Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary – NC Triangle Dining

The Sweet Caroline flatbread also hits the spot with a perfectly done thin-crust topped with mozzarella, onions and grilled chicken. House-made barbeques sauce is drizzled on top making for a delicious barbeque chicken pizza (I know, they call it flatbread here, but…) While the crust at BottleDog isn’t a perfect Neapolitan style, it’s similar but with a crisper bottom to hold all the toppings. An excellent pie and plenty to eat for one person, you can certainly share for two lighter appetites.

Bottle selection at Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Bottle selection at Bottledog Bites & Brews in Cary – NC Triangle Dining

Service at BottleDog was solid and pretty casual which is fine for a place like this and prices this low. All you really need to know is that the food at BottleDog is really good! I’m not often surprised by restaurants but BottleDog did it for me in a very pleasant way. I get the strange idea that there may be some leftover culinary talent from the old Maximillian’s Grill here at BottleDog which would explain the great, bar eats here. So rock on BottleDog Bites & Brews. Your name is a mouthful but then again, so is your delicious food. I’ll be back again, soon…

 

Bottle Dog Bites & Brews

8306 Chapel Hill Road

Cary, NC 27513

919.694.5377

 

Location on Google maps

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First Take: Smok’t BBQ and Taps in Cary

Front of Smok't BBQ & Taps in Cary - NC Triangle Dining [one_half]Pros

  • Large dining room with patio
  • Great sides – Sweet potatoes, baked beans
  • Decent brisket, sausage[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Cons

  • Pulled pork, bland
  • Busy plaza location[/one_half_last]

As a huge fan of smoked meats, it happens to be one of those culinary areas where the Triangle is lacking. Not that you can’t get good NC barbeque but smoked brisket? Great ribs? That’s a lot harder to find. So a little while back I ran into a news tid-bit about the new Smok’t BBQ and Taps coming to Cary. Part of the Rudino’s group of restaurants, they were converting one restaurant into a smoked meats emporium. And I admit I was a bit skeptical but wanted to keep an open mind since I’ve never eaten at Rudino’s. So off I go for a first lunch at the new Smok’t BBQ and Taps down on Davis Drive!

Smok’t BBQ & Taps Ambiance and Interior

Dining room at Smok't BBQ & Taps in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Dining room at Smok’t BBQ & Taps in Cary – NC Triangle Dining

Located at the busy Davis and High House intersection, Smok’t sits quietly in the same plaza as the H-Mart Korean supermarket. From the outside it doesn’t look like much, but inside there’s plenty of space! Two large dining rooms and a patio gives you room to stretch out in, decor is pretty basic cafe-style. I head on over to the back bar to grab my lunch. There’s a handful of high-def screens throughout the space showing off a variety of sports. The closest comparison I’d have for Smok’t is Bare Bones in downtown Raleigh. Part barbeque restaurant, part brew pub with some sports bar thrown in for good measure.

Smok’t BBQ & Taps Food and Menu

The menu at Smok’t is pretty small but there’s plenty to choose from. A handful of starters and salads, a choice of smoked meat sandwiches and a selection of meat platters that come with two sides, each. The meats range from pulled pork, pulled chicken, brisket, sausage, ham, turkey, tofu and mushroom. And the usual selection of sides to go with yo meat! (baked beans, green beans, mac n cheese, potato salad, slaw, collards and more). Given it’s my first visit, I order up a three-meat combo along with sweet potato casserole and Smok’t baked beans for my sides.

Three meat plate at Smok't BBQ & Taps in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Three meat plate at Smok’t BBQ & Taps in Cary – NC Triangle Dining

It’s pretty quiet at Smok’t for lunch given how new the place is. It takes about 10 minutes for my food to come out and it’s a good looking tray for $16.49 with a good mix of smoked meats and carbs, yum! There are four thinnish slices of brisket with a bit of fat-cap, a seared spicy sausage and heap of finely chopped pork. I start off with the sides and a bit thumbs up here! The beans are tender and tangy, spiked with a bit of brisket of meat to provide some savory, dee-licious! And the sweet potato is wonderfully flavorful and sweet with some chopped nuts for crunch. Both sides are generously sized along with the cornbread. Working through the meats, I’d have to say the brisket and sausage were the highlights with the pork running a bit bland and too finely shredded. Smok’t offers up 3 barbeque sauces here and you should definitely add some vinegar to that pork.

Patio at Smok't BBQ & Taps in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Patio at Smok’t BBQ & Taps in Cary – NC Triangle Dining

Service at the Smok’t bar was fine but given the size of the space, curious to see what it’s like when the place gets busy. Smok’t also has a lovely wood deck patio for hanging out when the weather is nice so a big thumbs up here. Overall I was pleasantly surprised with my meal here. While the smoked meats were pretty decent, I’d have to say the sides are what really shines to me, so far. And given it was lunch I didn’t dig into the beer selection but I’m assuming it’s pretty good given the name of the place. So looking forward to visit #2, Smok’t! You’re off to a strong start, looking forward to digging into the rest of your mighty, meaty menu…

 

Smok’t BBQ & Taps

1937 High House Road

Cary, NC 27519

919.481.6775

 

Location on Google maps

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Media: Brunching It Up at the Mystery Brewing Public House

Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough - NC Triangle Dining
Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough – NC Triangle Dining

Out in Hillsborough, you’ll find a lot of farm land, fresh air and green trees along with the Mystery Brewing Public House! Part of a recent expansion of Mystery Brewing, Mystery Brewing Public House was created by knocking down a wall and adding a dining room. A recent invite from the Public House landed in my email inbox, a chance to sample their new brunch menu which premiered in April. So who can resist brunch and beer, not me! It was time to head out to Hillsborough for an late morning visit…

Media brunch at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough - NC Triangle Dining
Media brunch at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough – NC Triangle Dining

Now while I do cover a good chunk of the Triangle in my travels for good food, Hillsborough is pretty far away from home so I don’t often visit. But I was glad to get the invite and have an excuse to explore the area again! I turn onto Nash Street which is pretty quiet except for the small row of businesses that Mystery Brewing sits in. A large gravel lot across the way makes for easy parking and I hoof it on over to Mystery Brewing Public House. The Public House sits right next to the Hillsborough BBQ Company and the Nash Street Tavern so you’ve got some options for food on this end of the street! Inside the PR and media people are seated in the small and casual dining room for the Public House. I grab a seat with my foodie friends @meghereandthere and @jacknales and we are ready to go…

At the table I scan the menu and looks like some interesting choices! Six small plates, six entrees and six brunch items along with dessert. Given the small kitchen (sans fryer) here at the Mystery Brewing Public House, the food is not going to be your usual pub food. While the menu has some Southern flair, there are some more international twists with a beef pho, banh mi, hummus and olive oil cake on the menu. For our media visit, we’re doing a 5-course brunch paired with Mystery beers!

Deviled eggs at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough - NC Triangle Dining
Deviled eggs at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough – NC Triangle Dining
Short rib tacos at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough - NC Triangle Dining
Short rib tacos at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough – NC Triangle Dining

Our first taste of the Mystery Brewing Public House is a plate of colorful deviled eggs! Topped with a bit of pepper, prosciutto and toasted grain, the deviled eggs are really fresh and amped up with a spicy kick. The toasted grains add some crunchy texture to the back-end of these eggs. Some short rib tacos are next and punched up with some chimichurri sauce and pickled onions. These tacos are nicely soft and savory with a bit of green flavor from the chimichurri, nicely done!

Pimento benedict at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough - NC Triangle Dining
Pimento benedict at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough – NC Triangle Dining
Shrimp and grit cake at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough - NC Triangle Dining
Shrimp and grit cake at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough – NC Triangle Dining

We move on to our first official brunch item, the pimento cheese benedict. The plate is wonderfully bright full of yellow and orange hues from the cheese, egg and hollandaise. The benedict is served over a biscuit which blends in well with the richness of the cheese and yolk. A very satisfying vegetarian benedict if meat is off the menu for you! And for a final savory dish, Mystery Brewing Public House’s take on shrimp and grits: pickled shrimp with a grit cake. Paired with some indulgent collards on the side and gravy, this plate had a lot of flavor and playful texture.

Beer sandwich cookie at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough - NC Triangle Dining
Beer sandwich cookie at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough – NC Triangle Dining

The brunch piece de resistance was their beer sandwich cookie paired with an Irish stout, a great finish. The cookie is made with spent beer grains and is tender and sweet, wrapped around a soft cream filling. Very nicely done. Over the course of the meal we get to chat with Erik Lars Mysers of Mystery Brewing, he’s both owner and brewmaster here. He emphasized Mystery Brewing Public House’s commitment to local ingredients and farms to source the food on their menu. I’ve also had a chance to do a Mystery Brewing beer dinner last year, they do some solid brewskis!

Beer bar at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough - NC Triangle Dining
Beer bar at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough – NC Triangle Dining

So if you’re in the area and not in the mood for fried foods or barbeque (I have heard Hillsborough BBQ Company is quite good), check out the new Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough. They are doing an eclectic take on Southern eats and are off to a good start. And yes, don’t miss that beer sandwich cookie!

 

Mystery Brewing Public House

230 S Nash Street

Hillsborough, NC 27278

919.245.1325

 

Location on Google maps

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News: The Spirited Pig Summer Shindig Returns to Carolina Ale House, June 25th!

SpiritedPig2016-HeaderLogo

It’s that time of year again. When delicious barbeque, refreshing beer and flavorful bourbon take over the fantastic patio at Carolina Ale House on S. Glenwood for the 2nd annual Spirited Pig Summer Shindig! I had the chance to check out this event last year and it’s a lot of fun and deliciousness wrapped into one afternoon.

CAHSummerShindig-Crowd2

Sample great beer from six breweries: Aviator Brewing Company, Lonerider, Raleigh Brewing Company, Deep River Brewing Company, Top Of The Hill and Double Barley Brewing. Nosh on porky small plates from Carolina Ale house and sip on some smooth bourbon to raise money for Stop Hunger Now! Along with all this great food and sipping drinks you’ll be entertained by the jams of 40 Love and a cool photo booth. And yeah, that great Carolina Ale House patio for some fresh air and sunshine, eh?

CAHSummerShindig-ShrimpGrits

The 2nd Annual Summer Shindig goes down on Saturday, June 25th from 12 to 4pm for $35 per person and 10% of proceeds will go to support Stop Hunger Now. It’s a fun and delicious way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon in my opinion. More details below including how to get your tickets for this special event!

CAHSummerShindig-KnobCreekDisplay

2016 Spirited Pig Summer Shindig

 Carolina Ale House, Downtown Raleigh

June 25 from 12 to 4pm

Tickets- $35 ($40, day of event)

Location on Google maps

 

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