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Comfort Food

September 28, 2018 by Ron Wen 2 Comments

Retake: Hayes Barton Cafe in Five Points-Raleigh

Front of Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Front of Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

Oh yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve ventured back to Hayes Barton Cafe.  This classic Raleigh eatery is known for it’s huge portions and rich food which is a blast the first time you visit. It’s been a year since my last visit and I started scratching my head, why?  Lack of money, fear of excessive calories and the Five Point parking situation meant that this place had slipped off my radar screen.  But eventually my little, prehistoric brain starts to crave cake and the culinary excess that is Hayes Barton Cafe so I set up a dinner party as an excuse for a return visit.  The big question I had was if Hayes Barton Cafe was as good as I remembered it?

Interior of Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Interior of Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Vintage interior at Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Vintage interior at Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

 

Dessert case at Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Dessert case at Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

Dinner was set for 6pm, right when the place opened and by 5:50 there were 10+ people in line.  Wow, so I guess the whole reservations thing hasn’t changed for Hayes Barton Cafe!  At 6pm the doors were promptly opened and we streamed in with a quick drive-by on the delectable dessert case.  I sat in my usual corner round table and surveyed the scene.  By 6:30pm the place was filled with Raleigh locals and people in the know, the place was buzzing.  My table of five was running a bit late but eventually they all showed up as did the server.  I put in an order for the crab dip with bagel pieces and it was what I remembered.  Lush, cheesy with large, buttered and grilled bagel chunks, whoa.  Oh-so-cholesterol-be-damned good!  Given I was with Hayes Barton Cafe newbies I dispensed as much wisdom as I could (uhm, you probably don’t want to do a soup or salad).  Orders went around for the chicken-waffles, chicken pot-pie along with a pasta dish.  I jumped in on the Dial M for Meatloaf which I had never tried before.

Meatloaf at Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Meatloaf at Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Chicken potpie at Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com
Chicken potpie at Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Fifteen minutes later our meals show up.  The potpie looks as wonderful as ever but the meatloaf?  Yeah, I nearly fell out of my chair looking at that bad-boy.  Looks like they cooked it up in a 12″ cake pan and served it up in thirds.  My mighty meatloaf must have been at least 9″ long, 2″ across and a inch and a half deep.  In this case, size really did matter so I took a deep breath and dived in.  Thick, firm texture, lovely onion gravy, a pile of mashies along with some complimentary green beans to “balance” out the meal. It was quite the comfort food meal but yeah, I barely put a dent into it, pushing the plate about halfway through.  You know Hayes Barton Cafe is all about the dessert so bring on the next course!

Chicken and waffles at Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Chicken and waffles at Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Cake slices at Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Cake slices at Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

Our waitress stopped by with detailed descriptions of the cakes for the day.  I went with the tried-and-true Hayes Barton Cafe coconut cake.  My friends spun up a chocolate mocha and one other flavor.  The slices come out and get dropped on the table, whoa!  They are as big as ever with density, moistness and flavor.  My coconut slice is decent but not quite as good as I remember, the mocha chocolate was my favorite.  When all is said and done, five of us picking on three slices finish maybe half of our cake.  But that’s how they roll at Hayes Barton Cafe.  Serious portions, serious desserts and great service.  While the experience wasn’t as magical as my first several visits, Hayes Barton Cafe hasn’t lost much.  Cool vintage decor, great service and humongous servings of comfort food.  And yeah, throw in that old-school Raleigh feel and this place is still a destination dining spot.  And the line out front at 5:50pm?  That’s all I need as proof, bon appetit!

 

Hayes Barton Cafe

2000 Fairview Road

Raleigh, NC 27608

919.856.8551

Menu at Hayes Barton Café

Hayes Barton Cafe on Facebook

Location on Google maps

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Filed Under: Raleigh, Restaurant & Bar Reviews Tagged With: Best, Comfort Food

January 23, 2014 by Ron Wen 7 Comments

Oak City Meatball Shoppe, Raleigh for Mini-Meat and More!

Oak City Meatball Shoppe, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Oak City Meatball Shoppe, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

You’ve heard of the cupcake craze. Or cronut-tiness.  But how about meatball madness?  Well my friends, it looks like meatball madness has hit the Triangle in the form of newly opened Oak City Meatball Shoppe!  (Note the “e” at the end. Cool…)  The empanada crazy folks from Calavera are now delving into meat-a-balla’s to the benefit of folks in downtown Raleigh and points beyond.  I had stalked this place for a while after seeing a blurb from my friend Kristen at Gadabout Food and then pics popping up on their Yelp page but I kept on running into issues trying to visit. Since the Oak City Meatball Shoppe is new, they are not doing lunch and closed on Sundays which made things more of a challenge.  But thankfully I was able to stop in for a visit after stopping in at Crank Arm Brewery.  After a beer, I was definitely ready to feast on some spheroid-like meat objects!

Dining room at Oak City Meatball Shoppe, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Dining room at Oak City Meatball Shoppe, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

For the outside, Oak City Meatball Shoppe is pretty plain jane but once you step inside you get a mix of hipster cool, homey warmth and a bit of funk from the music overhead.  Cool-looking staff just like Calavera, the warm red sidewall is dotted with framed pictures and the specials board is flanked by meat grinders in homage to the humble meatball’s origins.  I grab a seat at the bar and the place feels very comfortable from the start.  With five or six beers on tap, I go with their Narrangansett which is the house beer. They’ve also got a ton of bourbon’s behind the bar if you want something stronger.

Kitchen window at Oak City Meatball Shoppe, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Kitchen window at Oak City Meatball Shoppe, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

The menu at Oak City Meatball Shoppe is really basic in formula but allows for a multitude of taste combinations: five different meatball types (beef, spicy pork, chicken, veggie, special of the day), six different sauces (tomato, parm cream, pesto, meat sauce, mushroom gravy, sauce of day) and twelve sides/carbs ranging from collards to mac n cheese, smashed potatoes, kale salad and more.  Add in three different sandwich options (slider- 1 ball, sandwich- 2 balls, hoagie- 3 balls) and you can see they’ve turned a simple menu into one with a bazillion custom permutations!  I go with the spicy pork four ball plate, parm cream sauce and risotto to keep things simple.

Spicy pork meatball plate at Oak City Meatball Shoppe, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Spicy pork meatball plate at Oak City Meatball Shoppe, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

While I wait at the bar, a quick scan of the dining room shows off an eclectic set of faces from 25 – 45.  Bartenders are popping to Bruno Mars “Locked out of Heaven” and the place is lively.  Good vibe here for a Monday night.  My plate of meatballs shows up and it’s a nice pile of food!  The balls are a solid 2″ diameter and tasty.  Paired with the cream sauce and well-cooked risotto it makes for a delicious bite.  Everything’s well-cooked, probably could use a bit more flavor and spice to the risotto but otherwise, very solid.  I pass on the only dessert here, cake-pops, sticking to my beer.  Service at Oak City Meatball Shoppe is very good, they had about 4 people serving for a pretty small space but I can see this place getting crowded, quickly.

Hoagie and salad at Oak City Meatball Shoppe, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Hoagie and salad at Oak City Meatball Shoppe, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

Not every food craze is worthwhile but how can you go wrong with meatballs?  From spaghetti sauce to subs and even Chinese lion’s head, the concept of a rounded portion of meat permeates a lot of different ethnic cuisines.  So yeah, I expect the Oak City Meatball Shoppe to do well given their food, prices, service and ambiance!  And yes, they deserve the solid press so far.  Thank you so much for the lovely plate of comfort food Oak City Meatball Shoppe!  I’ll be back soon unless I get pulled over into Calavera and all their delicious empanadas….

 

Oak City Meatball Shoppe

180 East Davie Street

Raleigh, NC 27601

919.714.9014

 

Oak City Meatball Shoppe Menu

Location on Google maps

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Filed Under: Raleigh, Restaurant & Bar Reviews Tagged With: Bars and Lounges, Comfort Food

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