hotel Archives ~ NC Triangle Dining

July 15, 2017 by Ron Wen

News: The Unscripted Hotel Now Open in Durham!

The new Unscripted Hotel Durham - NC Triangle Dining — The new Unscripted Hotel Durham – NC Triangle Dining

The NC Triangle has been on a roll with boutique hotels over the past couple of years. From the 21C Museum Hotel and Durham Hotel out in the Bull City to the Aloft Hotel in Raleigh, these hip, urban hotels usually feature some interesting retail offerings like cool restaurants, stores and more. The upcoming opening of the Unscripted Hotel out in Durham is the latest in a wave of these new stay and play destinations!

The new Studio lounge at the Unscripted Hotel Durham - NC Triangle Dining — The new Studio lounge at the Unscripted Hotel Durham – NC Triangle Dining

Located in the old Jack Tar Motel on Corcoran Street, the new Unscripted hosts 74 guest rooms, five food and beverage establishments and a 3rd floor rooftop pool and lounge. During a media visit we got to experience life Unscripted as their tagline would say! It’s a funky little motel that’s been left in a slightly retro, 70’s decor state. Inside Unscripted you’ve got an interesting lounge and coffee bar area known as the Studio and Allday. You can enjoy a cocktail, coffee and small plates in a very stylish space.

Hotel room at the Unscripted Hotel Durham - NC Triangle Dining — Hotel room at the Unscripted Hotel Durham – NC Triangle Dining

Moving out to the hotel itself, we toured a couple of rooms and like any throw-back experience, entry to the rooms is through individual doorways looking out onto a small pool. Inside, the rooms are decorated with bright, geometric wallpaper and modern furniture. The rooms are average-sized and look comfortable if not luxurious. And the big question is whether you want one overlooking the pool because…

Pool area at the Unscripted Hotel Durham - NC Triangle Dining — Pool area at the Unscripted Hotel Durham – NC Triangle Dining

Because the Patio and pool is really what Unscripted is all about! Open to the public and serving a short menu of plates, sandwiches and entrees, Unscripted Hotel’s pool is really designed to be a scene for the local Durham crowd. Large white square umbrellas, soft furniture and a patio bar set this place up to be a hopping weekend destination for drinks and eats. We got to sample some tasty bacon sliders, sushi cones, lamb lollipops and more during our media visit. It was all quite good but I’ll have to come back for a full visit to review this dining option.

Sliders at the Unscripted Hotel Durham - NC Triangle Dining — Sliders at the Unscripted Hotel Durham – NC Triangle Dining

Separate from the local, Unscripted Hotel food, there will be a Neomonde, Jack Tar Diner (folks from Pizzeria Toro) and Pour Taproom (already open) on the street level. I’ve had a chance to visit Pour which was pretty cool! A modern beer bar with 60+ self-serve taps paid for with a magic band.

Pour Taproom at the new Unscripted Hotel Durham - NC Triangle Dining — Pour Taproom at the new Unscripted Hotel Durham – NC Triangle Dining

The grand opening for Unscripted Durham was pretty impressive and fun. It represents another twist and turn in the Durham entertainment scene as we move from hipster to a more urban, cosmopolitan feel. In the Triangle, while Raleigh plays it pretty close to the vest, the Bull City has pressed forward with some interesting new concepts and ideas around food, dining and entertainment. And while they won’t all be huge hits, they certainly are keeping things lively in Durham and the Unscripted Hotel is one perfect example of pushing the envelope for the area. So are you ready to live life Unscripted? Durhamites, you’re about to find out….

In celebration of the hotel’s grand opening, locals can take advantage of a special staycation package, including 10 percent off a room, free parking and late check-out (Use promo code LOCALS when booking). Now through Sept. 5, travelers can also enjoy 10 percent off room bookings, as well as two complimentary drinks at The Patio, bike rentals for two and late check-out by using the code OPENING when making a reservation.

Unscripted Hotel Durham

Grand Opening on July 19th

202 Corcoran Street

Durham, NC 27701

984.329.9500

Location on Google maps

April 12, 2016 by Ron Wen 2 Comments

First Take: Verandah at the New Mayton Inn in Cary!

Front of the Mayton Inn, Cary- NC Triangle Dining

Boutique hotels seem to be popping up all around the Triangle of late. The 21C Museum Hotel and Durham Hotel out in the Bull City. The Aloft over on Hillsborough Street and now the Mayton Inn located in the heart of downtown Cary. And while I may never stay in the Mayton Inn since I’m a local, I had gotten wind of its restaurant, the Verandah. Dubbed as innovative, Southern-inspired casual fare, the menu looked interesting and their PR team had reached out to me. While I wasn’t able to work out a visit for their St. Patricks Day dinner, a friend wanted to check them out for lunch so off we go!

Lobby at the Mayton Inn, Cary- NC Triangle Dining

First thing to note that there is a LOT of construction going down on Academy Street right now and it may be tricky finding your way over. Parking is not that accessible for the Mayton so I ended up using a side-street across the way. (Note: The Mayton Inn also has free valet parking.) From the front, the Mayton has a classic look with brick facade and columns. Inside it feels quite luxurious and modern with a library, bar and the main Verandah dining room showing off high-end European decor. A bit posh but updated for today. The staff at the Mayton was very well-trained, greeting me as I traversed the hotel even though I was dressed pretty casually and not a guest.

Verandah bar at the Mayton Inn, Cary- NC Triangle Dining

We grab a seat at the more casual bar/lounge area which is decked out in dark woods and leather chairs. For lunch the menu is pretty simple at the Verandah: salads, sandwiches and plates, about 10+ items in total. Since we’re here visiting for the first time, I order up the chicken sandwich and burger to share while my friend goes with the butternut squash salad as his main. Prices for lunch are $12 and under, my sandwiches are offered with a salad or side of fries.

Butternut squash salad at the Mayton Inn, Cary- NC Triangle Dining

The crowd here is definitely a bit more mature and older as you would expect. Pretty much 35 and up in general. Our food comes out and the salads look excellent. Fresh greens, brightly punctuated with some contrasting veggies and add-in’s making for a visual feast. The sandwiches are both excellent. Loved their chicken sandwich which came smeared with an aioli and pickled green tomato. The chicken was very tender and the sandwich worked great with all the ingredients and sweet brioche bun. The burger was also solid, served with a bright orange pimiento cheese. A messy bite but quite good.

Side salad at Verandah at the Mayton Inn, Cary- NC Triangle Dining

As you would expect, service was excellent at the bar and I would expect that to be the case at any place in the Mayton Inn. The service levels here remind me of the Washington Duke Inn or Umstead, stellar! And I was pleasantly surprised by the food here. While the environment and service is quite upscale, the food was reasonably priced and well worth the effort. Would love to come back and try more off the dinner menu sometime soon. So if you can manage around all the construction on Academy Street or work locally in the area, check out the Verandah at the Mayton for some excellent Southern and American cuisine!

Verandah at the Mayton Inn

301 S Academy Street

Cary, NC 27511

919.670.5000

Location on Google maps

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December 21, 2013 by Ron Wen 3 Comments

First Take: Afternoon Tea at the Luxurious Herons in the Umstead Hotel!

The lounge at Herons in Cary, NC Triangle Dining

While I enjoy my frou-frou food, I’m not really a huge fan of high-end restaurants because of the ambiance and financial expense. So Herons has always been on my long and special occasion list but never a super-pressing visit for me. Thankfully, two friends wanted to check them out for afternoon tea (yeah, it’s sort of frou-frou) which piques my interest. So it’s time to head out to SAS Boulevard and one of the area’s only 5-star hotels, the Umstead and enjoy a civilized tea outing!

Leigh at the Umstead Hotel Christmas tree in Cary, NC Triangle Dining

When I arrived at the Umstead, the interior was done up for the holidays and there’s a quiet and warm feel to the place. Staffers are available everywhere here and they’ve obviously been trained well to take care of their customers. I walk through the spa, past the meeting and conference room area, past Herons and to the lobby. Very serene and relaxed hotel, I’d have to guess the clientele here is 35 – 70, mostly executive business travelers. I’m early and get to hang out a bit before my partners in crime Leigh (Hines-Sight blog) and Kristen (Gadaboutfood blog) show up. We’re all in good spirits as the holidays approach and excited to see what Herons can offer.

Kristen and our pots of tea at Herons in Cary, NC Triangle Dining

We stop by the restaurant hostess stand but there’s nobody there so we head off to the bar/lounge area where apparently they do the afternoon tea. We’re led to a small table by the Christmas tree where we have a small couch and two period chairs on either side. Our server for the day is Elizabeth and we peruse the tea menu to pick out a personal pot of tea. After that, it’s 4 courses of savory and sweets to tide us over before our polo match… (just kidding!) I go with a pomegrante-acai tea to keep things sort of healthy, you also have the pricey option to add on some champagne and bubbly.

Finger sandwiches at Herons in Cary, NC Triangle Dining

Ten minutes later, Elizabeth brings over three large, spherical pots of teas and our first course, the finger sandwiches. These little sandwiches are beautifully presented and are all full of flavor. A traditional cucumber sandwich with cream and uncrusted bread, fabulous! A chicken salad, egg salad and cheese with pepper jelly, wonderful. And finally a square of smoked salmon (gravlax) with creme finishes things off. Five great flavors all in their own unique shapes, fun. The pots of tea are large which will tide you over through all four courses.

Chocolate chip scones at Herons in Cary, NC Triangle Dining

Colorful macaroons at Herons in Cary, NC Triangle Dining

As the harpist next to us plays some soothing music we next get a plate of chocolate chip scones speckled with rock sugar. A trio of sauces (lemon curd, cream and raspberry jam) are available for blinging out the scones but they are delicious naked. A rectangular container of colorful macaroons are paired up with the scones and they are also fantastic. Can’t remember all the flavors but the light, crunchy outside breaks down into a chewy, flavorful inside which makes for a great mouth sensation.

Dessert stand at Herons in Cary, NC Triangle Dining

And finally we get a dessert stand with a parfait, key lime cookies and muffins on top. It’s a nice presentation and I only get through one dessert before tapping out. Need to hit the gym tonight and all these sweets will NOT improve the workout. We receive a box of complimentary truffles and it’s a nice and thoughtful touch from Chef Daniel, thanks! We linger for a bit longer, finishing up the pots of tea and our conversations and the entire tab comes out to about $40 per person. Certainly not cheap for an afternoon interlude but also reasonable for the ambiance and service you get at Herons. Served 2:30 – 4pm from Wednesday to Sunday, I’d recommend it as an introduction to the restaurant and a nice treat for you and some close friends. All the food and sweets we tried were playful, flavorful and impeccably put together. Which is a great way to finish off the afternoon, much appreciated Herons!

Herons Restaurant @Umstead Hotel (Afternoon Tea)

100 Woodland Pond Drive

Cary, NC 27513

919.447.4200

Location on Google maps

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News: The Unscripted Hotel Now Open in Durham!