NC Triangle Dining

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

  • NC Triangle Dining
  • Home
    • Blog
  • Best of the NC Triangle
    • Best Restaurants and Food in Raleigh, NC
    • Best Restaurants and Food in Durham, NC
    • Best Restaurants and Food in Cary and Apex, NC
    • Best Food and Drink Specials
    • Triangle Top Three’s- Bars
  • Index of Reviews
    • Cary Restaurant and Bar Reviews
    • Durham Restaurant and Bar Reviews
    • Raleigh Restaurant and Bar Reviews
    • NC Video Reviews
    • Travel Reviews
  • News
    • New Restaurants and Bars in Cary
    • New Restaurants and Bars in Chapel Hill and Carrboro
    • New Restaurants and Bars in Durham
    • New Restaurants and Bars in Raleigh
    • New Restaurants and Bars of the Triangle, 2017
  • Food Photos
    • Best Dishes and Meals in the Triangle!
      • Memorable Meals for 2017
      • Memorable Meals for 2016
    • Food Event Photos
  • About NCTD
    • NCTD Blogger- Ron Wen
    • NCTD Frequently Asked Questions
    • NC Triangle Dining Blog Policy
    • Working with NCTD
    • NCTD Food Blog and Social Media Statistics

NCTD Frequently Asked Questions

Q.  How many people write for NC Triangle Dining?

Just one very hungry guy with a virtual tapeworm in his stomach! But I am looking for additional contributors to the blog, especially if you live in the Chapel Hill area…

 

Q.  Do you get paid for any reviews on this blog?

No I don’t receive any monetary compensation for reviews, although occasionally I will get comp’ed a meal. For the gory details and truth, please check out my blog policies page. I try to focus on the most objective reviews possible because I know that accepting compensation and too many comped opportunities would certainly sway my opinions.

 

Q.  How do you choose your restaurants?

Not much differently than anyone else! Through online reviews, friend recommendations and also what I read on social media. Probably the only difference is that I’ll make some effort to get to the newer hot-spots in the Triangle. I’m primarily focused in the downtown areas of the Triangle and do my best to avoid dud restaurants and chains…

 

Q.  Are your pictures professionally staged?

For the majority of my pictures, no. I try to squeeze in my pictures during my meals with a minimum of fuss and muss. During the media reviews, the food is staged a bit but rarely professionally staged with lighting, etc. Since I’m not staging my photos, I’m trying to keep it as real as possible so the pictures reflect what you might get during your visit.

 

Q.  What equipment do you use for your food photos?

Ahh, I keep it simple. Usually I’ve got my Samsung Galaxy S7 for a good portion of my pictures and then I’ll use my Canon G16 for situations where I have more time and/or lower lighting which I’m prepared for. I understand that I could get better pictures with a full SLR but don’t think it’s reasonable to use one during a standard meal service and to try and keep things discrete since I’m often eating out with friends. And as much as they tolerate my picture taking, I try to get in and out with my pics, quick as a bunny!

 

Q.  Why do you do this food blog?

Gosh, great question. All the food reviewing started for me doing online reviews for Yelp and after doing quite a few and having people thank me for them, I decided to do the blog separately but still do reviews on Yelp. My goal is to support the restaurants that I believe are doing a great job, regardless of what cuisine they are offering! I think it’s so important to explore the food scene in your neighborhood….

 

Q.  Do you ever do any really critical reviews?

Ahh, I try to avoid really negative, slams. I do hit occasional duds in my dining trail but don’t believe in kicking someone when they’re down. The restaurant business is tough enough without needing anonymous and unfair criticism. I’d expect Darwin and the market to take care of any poorly performing restaurants in its natural course. Please see my post on negative reviews for my thoughts and rationale here.

 

Q.  What’s the typical price range of the restaurants you review here?

I focus on mid-range restaurants with some excursions into higher end spots. Usually if I spend more then $60 for a meal, it’s for a special dinner event. Which means often I’m skipping out on those $$$$ restaurants since this blog is about getting food value for your money. But occasionally I’ll hit up those spots just to see what all the buzz is about.

Subscribe to NC Triangle Dining

New Reviews!

  • First Take: Zanyu Asian Noodles For a Beautiful Bowl of Flavor
  • News: Thrive NC is coming to Raleigh on May 10 and 11, Foodies Rejoice!
  • First Take: Cocoa Cinnamon Lakewood in Durham For Exquisite Coffee and Churros
  • Foodie News: Cary Downtown Dine Around, April 25 to 29

Popular Reviews

First Take: MOFU Shoppe Serves Up an Urban Asian Dining Adventure for Raleigh

First Take: Kababish Cafe in Cary, a Dining Diamond in the Rough

A Newcomers Guide to Thirteen Great Restaurants in Raleigh!

Topics

asian asian fusion bakery bar barbeque beer best breakfast brunch buffet burgers cameron village Chinese cocktails date diner donuts DPAC family fast food fried chicken grill hipster hot dogs Indian Italian Japanese lunch mediterranean Mexican nc state new orleans patio pizza ramen romantic sandwiches Seafood Southern spicy sushi takeout thai Vietnamese wine

Connect with NCTD

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

NCTD Email Subscription


Handcrafted with on the Genesis Framework