DPAC Archives - NC Triangle Dining

December 21, 2016 by Ron Wen 4 Comments

Best Restaurants and Dining Deals near the DPAC in Durham

Best restaurants and food near the DPAC in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

As a huge fan of the Durham Performing Arts Center’s (DPAC) Broadway series, I’ve gotten to know the area really well when it comes to restaurants. Between the DPAC and the Durham Bulls ballpark, downtown Durham can get really busy, which is actually a great thing! With all the people flowing through the area, new restaurants and bars have popped up over the years to take care of all those hungry theater goers. Great eating and food options ranging from Mexican nouveau, casual Italian sandwiches, Neapolitan pizza, gourmet burgers and seasonal urban chic. So if you’re headed out to catch a DPAC show or game, there’s plenty of great restaurant options within walking distance of DPAC in the Mangum and Main Street area!

(And if none of the restaurants near Mangum Street suit your fancy, please check out my other DPAC dining posts below!)

Best Restaurant and Dining Deals around the DPAC in Durham, Part II (Walk to DPAC, Five Points)

Best Restaurant and Dining Deals around the DPAC in Durham, Part III (Closest to DPAC, ATC)

Best Bars and Cocktails Around the DPAC in Durham

Beauty and the Beast at DPAC in Durham, NC Triangle Dining

With most shows starting at 7:30 to 8:00 pm and ending after 10pm you can certainly do dinner after the show but I for one, would find it hard to enjoy things with a rumbling tummy. And while you’ve got some uber-convenient restaurant options right at the American Tobacco Campus (Tyler’s, Tobacco Road Sports, Mellow Mushroom, Cuban Revolution), I prefer to grab a bite away from the main DPAC drag. Mellow Mushroom is a favorite of mine but from what I’ve seen it can be jam-packed in Durham. I can’t imagine what it’s like before a popular show like Wicked. Tyler’s has decent pub grub but it’s not a great option for a night at the theater in my opinion. You might be better off just doing beer and cocktails here. And Cuban Revolution? Online reviews have been ALL OVER the place for this restaurant with regards to food and service so I’d prefer to avoid it for a big night out.

View Best Restaurant and Dining Deals Around DPAC! in a larger map

So what’s my strategy for the DPAC? While season ticket holders get free private parking, I prefer to just head on over to Main and Chapel Hill Street between 5 – 6pm. You’re allowed one hour of parking until 6pm when it becomes free for the evening. So at 5pm there are typically free spaces (possibly with meters) that you can park in all night. If Main Street is full, try Ramseur or Parrish Street. Even with all the construction in the area, it’s rare when I can’t find something within a couple of blocks near Main Street. As a bonus, you avoid traffic jams in a parking structure on the way home.

Lovely interior of Luna Rotisserie and Empanadas in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Once you’ve found a space, you’ve got some great restaurants within four blocks of Main Street and Mangum: Luna Rotisserie, Dos Perros, Piedmont, Rue Cler, Bull City Burger and Brewery, and Pompieri Pizza (on the map in red)! Some great dining choices that will have you circling the globe.

Pulled chicken plate at Luna Rotisserie and Empanadas in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

First up on Main Street you’ll find the new Luna Rotisserie and Empanadas! This hip and casual eatery offers up wood-smoked meats (chicken, brisket, pork) along with other Central American favorites at a reasonable price ($10 – $18 entrees). Inside the decor is warm and sultry and taken with the delicious aromas of roast meat, you’ll be ready to eat. Add in a very nice bar and communal table and I’m pretty sure you’ll find Luna Rotisserie to be a great pre-DPAC show option for dinner.

Further north you’ll find Dos Perros, a fairly new nuevo latino-Mexican restaurant. On one side you’ll find a cozy bar area and the other, a very simple bare-bones dining room. But make no mistake about Dos Perros, it’s all about more unusual Mexican dishes from a variety of regions of the country. I’ve tried out their chicken mole poblano and empanadas, good stuff! Sitting at the bar with a cocktail and some appetizers is a great way to get your evening started. The restaurant is still finding its way with the menu but I think Dos Perros is a fine option for Mexican and the ambiance is cool and casual.

Front of Rue Cler in Durham - NC Triangle Dining — Front of Rue Cler in Durham – NC Triangle Dining

Interior of Rue Cler in Durham - NC Triangle Dining — Interior of Rue Cler in Durham – NC Triangle Dining

Another good dining choice would be Rue Cler, a solid French bistro with great service. They’ve also got a very affordable ($30) three course prix fixe menu, perfect for theater night. Mix and match from the seasonal menu or from the a la carte portion to your heart’s content. Recently I had a lovely lentil soup, braised asparagus and steak frites with bearnaise sauce as my prix fixe meal. Just keep the stiletto’s at home for ease of walking since Rue Cler is a bit further away off of Mangum Street!

Front of Bull City Burger & Brewery in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Burger from Bull City Burger & Brewery in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

And don’t forget about Bull City Burger & Brewery and the new Pompieri Pizza, two casual spots! Bull City Burger & Brewery spins out fresh beer brewed on the premises along with top-notch gourmet burgers. Most everything is made in-house at Bull City Burger, the owner Seth, is very fussy about the quality of his wares. He has also opened up the new Pompieri Pizza located right down the street which does thin-crust Neapolitan pizzas with great local ingredients.

Interior of Pompieri Pizza in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Pompieri Pizza sits in an old firehouse so it’s a large and open space. Pompieri specializes in Neapolitan thin-crust pizza, a classic Italian style. Order in back at the counter, grab a soda or beer and they bring you your individual pie with shears! Snip away a slice that’s perfectly sized, the pizza crust is perfect here. I’ve tried their pork belly pie and name-sake Pompieri pie, both were excellent with great crust.

In the end it all just depends on your mood: fancy and frilly or tasty and simple! Getting in for an early dinner around DPAC is typically not that hard unless there’s something very popular showing. But in all honesty, sometimes I’m just in the mood for some small plates and apps before hitting the show. It can be a bit easier than doing a full, three course meal if you’re pressed for time. Just don’t go to the DPAC hungry because outside of some cookies, gelato, candied nuts and adult beverages, you won’t find much to tide you over for three hours! And it’s really hard to enjoy a show when you’re famished, take advantage of the great dining options in the area, bon appetit!

Best Restaurants around Downtown Durham and DPAC- Main and Mangum Street

Additional Dining Options around DPAC

September 10, 2016 by Ron Wen 2 Comments

First Take: Motto in Durham Delivers Southern Italian in a New Way!

Front of Motto in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

If you’re a fan of shows at the DPAC, it’s always interesting trying to find good dining options. And while there are plenty of nearby restaurants, when you have thousands of patrons in the area looking to do the same thing, it can still be a challenge. But if you’re willing to walk a bit, I’ve got a great new option for you, the newly opened Motto! Brought to you by the Urban Food group and a refresh of what used to be Lucia Restaurant, Motto is a beautiful new space with a couple of surprises waiting for you!

Great interior at Motto in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Located in what used to be the space for Pop’s, from the outside you wouldn’t really notice Motto. Large brick building with minimal signage, its 2nd floor spot keeps it out of pedestrian eye-view. Since it sits between downtown Durham’s core and Brightleaf Square, this area doesn’t get as much attention as it should but it’s just a slightly longer walk to DPAC, just past the Amtrak station. Go up the stairs and you’ll be greeted by a hostess station. Long bar in front of you to the left and two dining rooms to the right, the space feels a bit luxurious but with some rustic touches including an interesting, wood pallet wall on one side. But given the time constraints for my show, we grab a couple of seats at the bar.

Bar at Motto in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Cracklins at Motto in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

The menu at Motto has been swizzled a bit from the old Lucia menu. Rather than just doing Italian, they have worked in a bit of Southerness to it in homage to their NC roots. And with only about 20+ items on the menu, it’s more of a small plates type situation. We order up some cracklins, mussels and I’m doing a corn agnolotti which caught my eye. The cracklins show up and are awesome: crisp, not greasy and perfectly fried. Dusted with some spices, they make for a great starter.

Mussels at Motto in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Next up are the mussels, loving presented in a large ceramic bowl with grilled crust slices of bread stacked atop. A squeeze of lemon and we dig in. They’re cooked up with tomatillo and chorizo which is decent. There’s a bit of spice on the back end but pretty mildly flavored overall, liked them but it wasn’t quite love.

Charred corn agnolotti at Motto in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

While the smaller hot plates are in the $11 to $13 range, Motto’s large plates go for $20 to $30 which is about right for the ambiance here. My aglonotti is a generous plate of stuffed pasta: ricotta, corn puree and dusted with some parmesan and sauteed mushrooms. L-O-V-E this plate, it bursts with the sweet corn flavor and earthy mushrooms. It’s served with brown butter sauce which plays nicely with the whole meal. My tablemate’s braised pork cheek is beautifully plated with some slivered radish and cracklin but I hold back on taking a taste.

All I can say is that nice job Motto! You’ve only been open a couple of weeks but it looks like an impressive start for you. From the great decor, excellent prepared Italian eats to the on-point pricing, DPAC and Durhamites have another great dining option in the hood. My motto for Motto would be: Delicious Italian-Southern eats near DPAC! So seek them out, Motto is more than just some words, it’s some great food…

Motto

605 W Main St,

Durham, NC 27701

984.219.1965

June 8, 2016 by Ron Wen Leave a Comment

First Take: NanaSteak For a Classic Steakhouse Experience Near DPAC

Front of NanaSteak in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

When it comes to steakhouses in the Triangle, people usually mention Angus Barn, Sullivan’s, Ruth Chris or maybe Flemings. I’m typically not a huge fan of them because they offer pretty basic food at usually, a pretty steep price. But they are great for celebrations because who can argue with the basics of meat and potatoes paired with great service? Which is usually what you get at a steakhouse. As luck would have it, a friend’s birthday celebration brought me out to the new NanaSteak in downtown Durham. And here’s how it went down, the good, the not so good and everything else…

Aloft Hotel with NanaSteak in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

If you haven’t been to downtown Durham or DPAC recently, you are IN for a surprise. I’m in the neighborhood pretty frequently and was still shocked at what I saw. I spent about 20 minutes trying to find NanaSteak and confess that I’m often confused trying to find businesses on Blackwell Street and the American Tobacco Center. But you can NOT miss the new Aloft Hotel next to the greens by DPAC. I snapped a couple of pictures and continued down Blackwell to find NanaSteak with no success. I eventually backtrack and take a closer look at the Aloft Hotel. And way on the bottom left I notice the discrete signage for NanaSteak on the 1st floor of the Aloft building, a-ha! On the bottom floor with the large glass panes you’ll find the sunken entrance across the green and a LONG way off from Blackwell. The signage is much more visible at night, trust me!

Bar at NanaSteak in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Inside NanaSteak you’ll immediately be struck by the classic feel to the space. There’s a beautiful polished wood bar up front in the first dining room with crystal chandelier overhead. Reminds me a bit of Bar Virgile. The patrons at NanaSteak are a bit older, befitting a steak house. Probably in the 30 – 60 year old range. The hostess brings me back into the 2nd dining room which is large and open, to a flight of stairs leading to the events space. There, past a display of wine bottles, we’ve got a table for 14 set up, woo-hoo success!

Dining room at NanaSteak in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Eventually our whole group filters in, including the happy birthday girl. We’ve got one wait-person for the table which should be interesting since NanaSteak has only been for 3 months or so. The menu at NanaSteak is pretty short like most steakhouses. Nine or so apps, 3 pastas and a slew of roasted meats and seafood paired with a handful of sides and vegetables. Prices at NanaSteak are actually pretty reasonable for the basic Certified Angus Beef ($25 to $35) but bump into the higher range for grass-fed beef, $40 to $55. While most of the meal is a la carte you do get one veggie with your main which is definitely a plus! I order up some fried oysters, a 12 oz. ribeye along with some bearnaise sauce, creamed greens and truffled cauliflower.

Fried oyster app at NanaSteak in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Mussels app at NanaSteak in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

The apps come out and it’s a decent plate of small fried oysters (corn meal coating, I think). This dish is a bit different served up with some light broth and pork belly. I like it but the broth softens up the fried coating and the pork belly, while nice, seems like a throw-in which doesn’t necessarily enhance the oysters. The plate of mussels brought to the table look quite good, too…

Prime rib at NanaSteak in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Ribeye steak at NanaSteak in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Service is a bit slow here but we’re talking about a Saturday night at prime time for a group of 14, ouch. It takes a while for our mains and when they do come out, there’s definitely some confusion as to who gets what. But eventually my rib-eye steak shows up and she looks great! A deep cross-hatch sear on both sides, cup of bearnaise and large helping of cauliflower fill out the plate. I bite into the steak and the meat is tender and fatty, no surprise for this cut. The truffled cauliflower is nicely done and has that back-end umami from the truffle sauce, delish. My only concern is that it’s served a bit messily on the steak’s juice. I’m assuming the rib-eye was rested before serving which is the right thing to do but the cauliflower mixed into the juices doesn’t look great. I would have preferred the cauliflower served in its own dish. And the bearnaise sauce was solid and buttery but you can probably pass on it given the quality and taste of the bare steak here.

We wrap up our meal grab our checks and need to head out to our next destination. It’s been a 2 hour plus meal but we did bring a large party in. Overall NanaSteak is doing a pretty decent job at bringing a reasonably priced steak house to Durham. And given its premium location as THE closest restaurant to the DPAC, I’m relatively certain it will do great. Was the experience perfect? No it wasn’t but given the slightly lower prices I think the miscues are forgivable. And Nana Steak is still relatively new so here’s to continued evolution and improvement. So thank you NanaSteak for the delicious evening, I’m already looking forward to my next DPAC show and dinner here!

NanaSteak

345 Blackwell Street

Durham, NC 27701

919.282.1183

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March 10, 2015 by Ron Wen Leave a Comment

Bar Virgile, Durham: A New Food and Drink Option Near DPAC

Cool neon sign outside of Bar Virgile, Durham- NC Triangle Dining

There’s nothing better than a night at the theater or a concert at DPAC. Love their service and it’s always fun to wrap dinner and/or drinks around a special evening. With the demise of Whiskey over at Five Points, there weren’t many options for a pre-show cocktail until Bar Virgile came onto the scene. Owned and run by the folks from Nana’s, I was able to stop in before a Wednesday night presentation of Wicked. And all I can say is that I loved it! And I’m pretty sure you will too, here’s why…

Dining room at Bar Virgile, Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Bar Virgile is one of the closest bars to DPAC given its convenient Mangum Street location. From the outside you’ll first notice Bar Virgile’s bright neon sign. The front is pretty non-descript, just some plate glass windows with a side entryway tucked in a bit. Inside you’ll find Bar Virgile to be a comforting watering hole. Polished dark wood bar with a tall wall of bottles behind it, Bar Virgile also has a small dining room for a short menu of appetizers, charcuterie, and sandwiches, cool! The tight kitchen is in the corner next to the bar and you can watch all the action unfold from the end seats. And don’t miss the cool stamped metal ceiling in the bar area, very cool.

Lovely stamped metal ceiling at Bar Virgile, Durham- NC Triangle Dining

The bar menu is not too big and not too small. A good selection of beers, wines and classic cocktails. Vested bartenders are working hard in back serving the bar crowd along with the dining room, I go for a couple of beers tonight to keep things simple. It’s fun to watch the crowd come in and out, it’s probably a 30 – 55 year old scene given the pre-show time frame. Poking through the menu it seems pretty eclectic and includes spiced pecans, foie gras, lobster roll and more. Just enough to tide you over for a bit without going all out!

Menu at Bar Virgile, Durham- NC Triangle Dining

I finish my beer, thank the bartender and head on out into the night for my DPAC show. And I was pretty impressed with Bar Virgile, it just seemed really comfortable to me and reminds me of some of my favorite haunts in SF. A little bit classic and a lotta bit comfortable. Give Bar Virgile a try the next time you’re at DPAC for a show! Next time I really hope to try some of their eats off the menu…

Bar Virgile

105 S Mangum Street

Durham, NC 27701

919.973.3000

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March 7, 2015 by Ron Wen 1 Comment

First Take: Only Burger at the ATC, Burgers Done Right

Front of Only Burger ATC, Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Running a food truck is a lot of hard work, but certainly lower risk than opening up a restaurant. And it’s a great way to test out a food concept so it’s always impressive to see a food truck take the leap from four wheels to brick and mortar. When Only Burger came on the Triangle scene, it was one of the first and most popular food trucks around. With the opening of store fronts in Durham at Woodcraft and now the ATC, you have to wonder how their concept would morph into a physical store and I got my answer during my first visit to Only Burger @American Tobacco Campus…

Interior at Only Burger ATC, Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Only Burger ATC, Durham- NC Triangle Dining

From the outside it’s hard to miss Only Burger in its new location. A replica orange food truck sits overhead in homage to its roots. Inside you’ll find the same short menu featuring burgers, fries and sides. It’s counter-order, I go with a mushroom melt, small fries and drink for about $11. Grab my drink and check out the scene here, it’s busy before my DPAC show and given the size of the dining room, it’s impressive how Only Burger’s small kitchen can keep up! I sit at the communal table up front which has used truck wheels holding up the table legs, pretty cool.

Mushroom melt burger at Only Burger ATC, Durham- NC Triangle Dining

It takes about 15 minutes for my food and I pick it up back at the counter. Unwrapping the burger it looks pretty good, a 1/4 lb. patty with a nice layer of cheese, onions and mushrooms, yum! Nicely seared meat, melty cheese, Only Burger uses high-quality grass fed beef so it’s a great bite. The fries are a shoe string and perfectly done, making for that classic meat and potatoes combo. While most of the times I do something fancier before a DPAC show, Only Burger hits the spot for me and it probably will for most meat-eaters!

With a nice open and bright space, a simple menu and great location to DPAC, I think this Only Burger location will be a big success. Why go to Moe’s two doors down when you can support a local, Durham business and get some meaty deliciousness here? Welcome to the ATC, Only Burger and glad you’re still truckin’ along with your burger concept…

Only Burger, ATC

359 Blackwell Street

Durham, NC 27701

919.237.2431

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Best Restaurants and Dining Deals near the DPAC in Durham

Best Restaurants around Downtown Durham and DPAC- Main and Mangum Street

Additional Dining Options around DPAC

First Take: Motto in Durham Delivers Southern Italian in a New Way!

First Take: NanaSteak For a Classic Steakhouse Experience Near DPAC

Bar Virgile, Durham: A New Food and Drink Option Near DPAC

First Take: Only Burger at the ATC, Burgers Done Right

First Take: soca Cocina Latina Offers Up Flavors From South of the Border

First Take: Pizzeria Faulisi in Cary Raises the Bar on Neapolitan Pizza for the Triangle!

First Take: Mama Jee Delivers Sushi and Thai for W. Raleigh and NC State

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Best Restaurants around Downtown Durham and DPAC- Main and Mangum Street

Additional Dining Options around DPAC

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