NC Triangle Dining

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

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The Federal in Durham, A Casual Gastropub for In-the-Know Locals

The Federal in Durham - NC Triangle Dining
The Federal in Durham – NC Triangle Dining

Over on W. Main Street in Durham you’ll find Brightleaf Square and a block of classic restaurants. Located between the ever-popular downtown Durham and 9th street neighborhoods, these two blocks often get forgotten by visitors to the area. But you’ll find a handful of interesting restaurants and bars ranging from the Little Dipper to Parker and Otis and more. One Durham fave for many years has been the Federal. Part pub, part restaurant, the Federal strikes a balance between old-school and hipster that’s appreciated by locals!

Bar at the Federal in Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Bar at the Federal in Durham – NC Triangle Dining

Head on over to a little white-washed brick building and you’ll immediately notice the Federal’s outdoor patio seating. Inside the Federal it turns into a dark and seasoned pub setting with lots of worn, weathered dark woods. You’ll usually find a good mix of plaid and beards here at the Federal, the place tends to appeals to in the know hipsters and locals. The large L-shaped bar with red leather stools dominate the space but you’ll also find a back room for your dining pleasure!

Braised pork sandwich at the Federal in Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Braised pork sandwich at the Federal in Durham – NC Triangle Dining

The Federal offers up a decent selection of draft beers along with a small menu of carefully curated eats. Basic appetizers like fries, hummus and nachos. A handful of salads, sandwiches and plates, mostly American fare. And while it may not look that impressive, where the Federal really shine is its daily specials! Here you’re find the Federal chef stretching his wings a bit and dabbling in the gourmet category so make sure you take a long look at that specials menu. And pretty much everything here is $15 and under, very reasonable prices for the Bull City.

Fried oyster poboy at the Federal in Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Fried oyster poboy at the Federal in Durham – NC Triangle Dining

Over the course of my handful of visits at the Federal I’ve chowed down on a wonderfully spicy, braised pork sandwich covered in melty cheese and jalapenos. And another visit turned up a perfect fried oyster poboy dressed with some wonderful lettuce, tomatoes and onion! And absolutely don’t miss the double-fried garlic fries which are amazingly pungent. Crispy, crunchy and garlicky, they will leave you wanting more.

Service at the Federal is casual but pretty well buttoned-down. They do a volume business here and are usually quite busy but well-run. So thank you, Federal! You’re a little bit hip but plenty delicious! And while there are newer, hotter restaurants in downtown Durham, it’s the main-stays here in the Bull City that are so crucial to keeping things real.

 

The Federal

914 W Main Street

Durham, NC 27701

919.680.8611

 

Location on Google maps

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Media: The Pie Hole Opens in Durham on Monday, 9/4

The Pie Hole in Durham - nctriangledining.com
The Pie Hole in Durham – nctriangledining.com

There’s nothing like a good slice of pie from time to time and with the new Pie Hole in Durham, that’s exactly what you’re gonna get. Slices of pie and maybe a savory hand pie for good measure! The Pie Hole Durham is the first East coast location for this small chain of pie shops (SoCal and Japan) and it’s definitely something to get excited about. I had a chance to visit on a media preview and was pretty impressed. Here’s what to expect when you visit, the Pie Hole officially opens up on 9/4!

Order counter at the Pie Hole in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Order counter at the Pie Hole in Durham – nctriangledining.com

In a newish building on Durham’s 9th Street, Pie Hole sits neatly on the corner along with some other cool restaurants: Jamba Juice (only one in the Triangle) and Zenfish (Poke). A large concrete patio sits next to the building so you’ll be able to enjoy your pie AND fresh air when the weather cools down. Inside, I meet up with Amber from Bites of Bull City and the owners of the Pie Hole (Young and Surelyn). Tonight we’ll be sampling pretty much anything we want off the menu, note that the Pie Hole also serves up coffee, wine and beer to enjoy with your pie.

John, Surelyn, Kathcy at the Pie Hole in Durham - nctriangledining.com
John, Surelyn, Kathcy at the Pie Hole in Durham – nctriangledining.com

The space at Pie Hole is modern and hipster cafe with a casual feel, Bull City Design is behind the custom wood bar top and tabletops (local reclaimed wood). On the menu, they’ve got five or so savory hand pies ($8.25), eight sweet pies by the slice ($5 to $7.50) along with some muffins and extras. A lit pastry case shows off the sweet pies to get you hungry and they’re be rotating flavors throughout the year based upon the season. They’ve also got some interesting, modern flavors like Earl Grey Tea and Cereal Killer cheesecake for curious pie-eaters. For my visit, I decide to go with the shepherd’s pie, salted caramel pecan and Mom’s double-crust blueberry. I’m given a number and out in the dining room meet up with John (Triangle Explorer) and Kathy from WRAL Out and About. The two of them are just finishing up their feast so we talk pie while I wait for my food!

Dinner feast at the Pie Hole in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Dinner feast at the Pie Hole in Durham – nctriangledining.com

Soon enough my pies come out and it’s time to dig in and really see what the Pie Hole is about. The shepherd’s pie is solid, full of gravy, slices of beef and tangy carrot. There’s enough here for a decent meal and definitely enough when paired with a sweet pie. The salted caramel pecan is a brilliant idea, pulling together the richer, sweetness of the caramel along with the crunchy pecans, a big thumbs up here. But the killer pie for me was Mom’s double-crust blueberry! With a sugar-speckled top crust, the pie is stacked deep with pungent blueberries just about spilling out of the slice. The tender crust is barely able to hold the fruit in and it’s a great finishing dessert. I’d have to say if you had to choose, I’d go with the sweet pies and dessert but you can obviously double down with a savory pie at about $15 for your meal.

Sweet corner location for the Pie Hole in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Sweet corner location for the Pie Hole in Durham – nctriangledining.com

I had a chance to chat with one of the owners, Young and while he’s originally from NYC and GA, he’s now proud to call the Triangle his home. With a couple of other locations potentially on tap, the Pie Hole Durham has a large kitchen, ready to supply any additional Pie Holes in the area! He’s excited to bring this unique concept to the area and feed y’all out there! And given that we no longer have any dedicated pie-focused restaurants in the area (bye-bye, PieBird), it’s an easy choice. The Pie Hole Durham will be in soft open mode over the Labor Day weekend so stop on by and check it out! Just be aware that there’s some flex as to when they will exactly be open to the public so you might want to call ahead, enjoy!

 

The Pie Hole Durham – Location on Google maps

810 9th Street, Suite

Durham, NC 27705

984.329.2900

 

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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: William’s Gourmet Kitchen in Durham

Williams Gourmet Kitchen in Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Williams Gourmet Kitchen in Durham – NC Triangle Dining

If you’re familiar with the RTP office area for work, you know that it’s hard to find good eats! But who wants to sit in the office cafeteria or eat at your desk? So over the past two years, I’ve been on a mission to find the best eats in the area given that I work in the hood. One restaurant that always seemed to elude my grasp is William’s Gourmet Kitchen. And while I had seen stellar online reviews for this eatery, I had never made it over until a co-worker suggested it for a lunchtime visit. And now I understand what all the hub-bub is about after a couple of lunches at William’s Gourmet Kitchen!

Counter at Williams Gourmet Kitchen in Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Counter at Williams Gourmet Kitchen in Durham – NC Triangle Dining

One of the reasons why I hadn’t been to William’s Gourmet Kitchen is its somewhat hidden location. While it sits on a prominent corner of 55/54 in S. Durham, it’s setting is somewhat sunken and out of view. Thankfully you can see the top of their building and their signage peeping out if you keep your eyes peeled. As soon as you pull into William’s busy parking lot, you can tell it’s a popular RTP lunch time spot given the dearth of parking spaces. A bit of patience might be needed to catch a good space.

Dining room at Williams Gourmet Kitchen in Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Dining room at Williams Gourmet Kitchen in Durham – NC Triangle Dining

Inside William’s Gourmet Kitchen you’ll find a bright and casual dining room along with a covered patio to the side. There’s a smattering of booths and two-tops for dine-in but I’m guessing that William’s Gourmet Kitchen does quite a bit of take-out. Two cashiers are at the ready to take your order! Menus overhead display a great selection of sandwiches, salads, burgers and small plates. A small chalkboard menu up front also offers the weekly specials, Monday to Friday. Most sandwiches are in the $7 to $11 range and you can make it a meal (drink, side) for an additional $3  to $4 depending on side. Put your order in, grab your cup and number, it’s time to wait!

Turkey and cranberry sandwich at Williams Gourmet Kitchen in Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Turkey and cranberry sandwich at Williams Gourmet Kitchen in Durham – NC Triangle Dining

While William’s Gourmet Kitchen is usually busy, their kitchen is pretty fast with my meals taking maybe 10 minutes to come out. Over the course of my two visits I’ve tried out a thick, stuffed turkey sandwich on pumpernickel with cranberry sauce, provolone and tomato. A quirky take on the classic Thanksgiving sandwich. And a fantastic honey-stung chicken sandwich! Think of a perfectly fried chicken breast, drizzled with honey, topped with LTO and a pickle all on a sweet brioche bun! William’s Gourmet Kitchen is really all about high-end sandwiches. While you won’t find kale, arugula or anything froo-froo here, they do the classics really well with fresh ingredients and in large portions.

Honey stung chicken sandwich at Williams Gourmet Kitchen in Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Honey stung chicken sandwich at Williams Gourmet Kitchen in Durham – NC Triangle Dining

Oh and don’t miss the beer-battered fries here, they are AWE-some! Service at William’s Gourmet Kitchen is efficient and a bit busy, they seem to be pretty distracted at times but get the job done. And in both my visits I was in and out in well under and hour which is a requisite for lunch. So rock on Williams Gourmet Kitchen! I now know why you’ve got all those great reviews and your food lives up to that top billing. It’s not cheap, it’s not easy to locate but if you’re willing to find Williams Gourmet Kitchen out in S. Durham, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised…

 

William’s Gourmet Kitchen

2114 NC-54 Higdway

Durham, NC 27713

919.806.0690

 

William’s Gourmet Kitchen menu

Location on Google maps

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First Take: Serena Sicilian Serving Up Italian-American Cuisine for the RTP Crowd

Front of Serena Sicilian in RTP Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Front of Serena Sicilian in RTP Durham – NC Triangle Dining

When it comes to lunch in RTP, you’ve got a handful of good, basic choices. Pizza, Southern and more, most of the choices are pretty casual and bare-bones. But sometimes I’m looking for something just a bit fancier which leaves me in a tough spot. One restaurant that ups their lunch game a bit is Serena Sicilian RTP off of S. Miami Boulevard. It’s a quirky eatery with plenty of space inside and a large outdoor patio. And if you’re looking for some classic Italian-American, a good choice for many reasons…

Dining room at Serena Sicilian in RTP Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Dining room at Serena Sicilian in RTP Durham – NC Triangle Dining

Serena Sicilian sits in a busy little plaza with several popular RTP eateries including one of my all-time faves, Randy’s Pizza RTP! So to get me to skip out on that great NY thin-slice pizza takes a lot but I’ve managed to eat at Serena Sicilian several times. Inside, the space is clean and modern with lots of interesting touches. Pendant lamps overhead, cafe seating, you’ll find a scooter in one corner of the restaurant and some classic 80’s pop streaming from the speakers overhead. It all feels a bit familiar to this ex-New Englander, it feels like a casual Italian joint you’d often find up north.

Arancini at Serena Sicilian in RTP Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Arancini at Serena Sicilian in RTP Durham – NC Triangle Dining

I’ve sat on the patio and inside which works with their table service. Staff is dressed in all black and seem pretty experienced. Digging into Serena’s lunch menu you’ll find an array of soups, salads, small plates, sandwiches and entrees to choose from. You’ll notice some interesting items like Moorish meatballs, chicken spiedie skewers, 1/4 kilo of fries, and grilled octopus. But given Sicily’s location in the Mediterranean sea, it makes sense to me! But I confess to going with Italian-American basics that make my stomach happy. The arancini at Serena RTP are not plural, they offer one VERY large arancini sitting in marinara sauce and stuffed with ground beef, peas and cheese. A very tasty version that needs to be shared since one person shouldn’t be diving in on that!

Arancini at Serena Sicilian in RTP Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Chicken spiedie at Serena Sicilian in RTP Durham – NC Triangle Dining

The chicken spiedies are a bit of a specialty, typically from upper state NY, it’s usually pork or chicken grilled after being marinated in a vinegar, mint and herb sauce. Serena does a great job here with perfectly tender chicken accented by a bit of char and served up with a tangy herb aioli. Definitely try these out if you visit!

Chicken parmigiana at Serena Sicilian in RTP Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Chicken parmigiana at Serena Sicilian in RTP Durham – NC Triangle Dining
Caprese sandwich at Serena Sicilian in RTP Durham - NC Triangle Dining
Caprese sandwich at Serena Sicilian in RTP Durham – NC Triangle Dining

For my mains I’ve done a chicken parmigiana over rotini covered with a melty oven-baked cheese, which was delicious. And I’ve dabbled in several sandwiches here which are all served on wonderful, light rolls and delicious sea-salt flecked fries. The overall food quality here at Serena RTP is above average and at pretty reasonable prices for what you get at lunch. So thank you Serena Sicilian for upping the lunch game here in RTP. While you may not be perfect, you’re pretty darn good and you leave me happy when I’m in the mood for Italian-American eats!

 

Serena Sicilian RTP

5311 S Miami Blvd

Durham, NC 27703

919.941.6380

 

Location on Google maps

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