by Addie Ladner | Dec 17, 2018 | December 2018 / January 2019, Eat
Soft lighting, starched linen tablecloths, glass vases coddling freshly picked zinnias—if these atmospheric elements are what you’re looking for, you probably won’t find them in the shops and restaurants that comprise Cary’s Chatham Square. For those who feel at home in upscale boutiques and eateries in downtown Raleigh or North Hills, the dreary, standard concrete strip mall on East Chatham Street isn’t exactly beguiling. But spend a little time there exploring its multicultural gift shops, markets and eateries, and you’ll find that the ostensibly unremarkable shopping center actually harbors a palpable ambient charm—and a lot of really good food. Here are some of our favorite spots.
Tibetan Himalayan Gift Shop
746 E. Chatham St., Suite-B
This little gift shop is filled to the brim with colorful Tibetan textiles and clothes, sheep’s wool hats and mittens, wall art, delicate handmade jewelry, meditation cushions and more. The gracious owners, Ngawang Choechen and Tenzin Dolma, source most of these items directly from Tibetan refugee women living in Himalayan countries who can’t find steady work or get an education. Choechen and Dolma help them earn a living by selling their creations, which makes the gift shop a perfect, local option to find meaningful gifts for loved ones.
Tacos Estilo Hidalgo
748 E. Chatham St.
“Soup of cow,” according to a server, is what regulars at this small Mexican-Salvadoran fast food joint order most often. Of course, there’s the usual fare: tacos, burritos, beans and rice. But if you drop in around lunchtime, you’ll find most people slurping down this vegetable and beef stew instead. It’s served with huge chunks of corn, zucchini, potato and beef (bone and all), piled high, swimming in a salty tomato broth. Try this place on Tuesdays for dollar tacos (order the chicken and don’t overlook the toppings bar), along with the soup and a bottle of Mexican Coke, made using cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup.
The Sea Depot
750 E. Chatham St.
The best thing about this family-run fish market is that, for just a buck or two extra, you can take your pick of the goods and have whatever’s fresh for sale fried, Calabash style, right there in front of you. The Sea Depot’s inventory is extensive, with offerings ranging from squid to mackerel, reflecting the diverse clientele that frequents the store. You can find you share of NC seafood, too, including shellfish and flounder. The owner, Li-Ping Hsu, uses one of the oldest, homegrown brands of breading—Atkinson’s fish meal—to fry the seafood; it comes out just crispy enough.
Baghdad Bakery
744 E. Chatham St.
If you approach this bakery with visions of Middle Eastern pastries and bread piled high, you’ll likely be disappointed; it’s more of a convenience store, selling snacks, olive oil and other everyday items. But follow the alluring smells emanating from the store’s small brick oven and you’ll find piping hot bread loves dusted with sesame seeds. Hasanain, the baker, bakes 300-400 of these loaves, an Iraqi bread known as sammoun, each day. He says they often sell out. Sammoun is traditionally stuffed with herbs, tomatoes, meats and cheese. It’s soft and slightly chewy on the inside, with a crispy flaky outside. And you can get your hands on them for a mere 60 cents apiece.
by Addie Ladner | Oct 8, 2018 | Eat, October 2018
Raleigh is une ville cosmopolite, with an irresistible pocket of French culture that spans from Europe to the colonial outposts. Whether you speak the language or are a major Francophile, you’ll feel at home at one of the City of Oaks’ authentic French restaurants, bakeries, and bookshop that will keep you well-versed in all things Gallic. Here, we’ve rounded up some hotspots française to check out around the city; you’ll have as French of an experience as you can get without hopping on RDU’s direct flight to Charles de Gaulle, from books to baguettes to boeuf bourguignon.
Raleigh French Bakery
Kadar Boughrara, the owner of this Hillsborough Street bakery, learned French pastry-making techniques from traveling back and forth for two years to a bakery in the Algerian neighborhood where he grew up. “I’d fly back here from Algeria and buy all this butter, eggs, sugar and flour and practice for two weeks, over and over,” Boughrara says. Friends and family soon wanted to purchase the products of his practice runs, and, a few locations in other parts of the Triangle later, he’s now settling into his newest location, with morning regulars and local French students who frequently stop by. His bestsellers, and rightly so, are his rustic butter and chocolate croissants. You’ll notice they all look different and, Boughrara says, he always uses extra cold butter (as opposed to margarine), which makes them so popular. The bakery’s peach tarts, galettes and spread of dainty almond and pistachio cookies also beg to be tasted.
1213 Hillsborough St; raleighfrenchbakery.org
Bloomsbury Bistro
This Five Points staple has been open for 25 years under the same owner and head chef, John Toler, who trained at L’Academie de Cuisine, a small French culinary school near Washington, D.C. and, at the time, the only one of its kind. Toler is known for his unique takes on French classics and globally inspired dishes prepared using French techniques. “We are more about the French ideology and approach to our cooking technique than necessarily always serving French food,” Toler says. The restaurant’s popular escargot appetizer, for instance, is served differently than the traditional style snail-in-shell bathed in garlic and butter. “We take the idea and flavors of this classic French dish and add to it. It’s not the ubiquitous escargot presentation.” Bloomsbury’s escargot is served in bite-sized, homemade parmesan pastries with garlic, butter, crispy parsley and served alongside tangy marinated tomatoes. Another popular dish is the quintessential Rabbit Normandy. “We have customers who’ve been to Normandy and tell us this was as good, or better—that it reminded them of their travels,” Toler says. 509 W Whitaker Mill Rd; bloomsburybistro.com
Saint Jacques
Located in an unassuming shopping center off of Falls of Neuse Road, Saint Jacques is run by chef and general manager Serge Falcoz-Vigne, who says what sets the restaurant apart is authenticity and passion; he is French after all! “The love comes from the kitchen and that is reflected in the plates,” Falcoz-Vigne says. He hails from the southeast region of Grenoble and trained in Paris. Saint Jacques’ menu features true French classics with a variety of flavors, such as boeuf bourguignon, roasted lamb and foie gras. Falcoz-Vigne says he takes inspiration from the seasons and what’s around him, which he translates into his dishes and the dining experience. “For me, it’s about providing our guests with an overall French experience,” he says. “When you are eating, nothing is as important as eating.” 6112 Falls of Neuse Rd; saintjacquesfrenchcuisine.com
Des Livres et Delices
Located in Five Points, this bookstore, gift and gourmet food shop is owned by Laurence and Philippe Kneuss, who are originally from Burgundy. You won’t find crusty translations of Sartre and American interpretations of Brie here; most of the books in stock are actually written in French and the cheeses, mustards, tea and wines are sourced directly from their country of origin. The Kneusses are happy to share a bit of their world with you. “We want to offer very specific French tastes,” Philippe says. “We’re not selling the same thing as Whole Foods; we choose very specific flavors and keep a short inventory.” That includes a handful of items you can’t buy anywhere else in the U.S., such as stationery from the oldest theater in Paris, La Comedie Françoise, and a line of mustards from the only artisan in Burgundy who still makes mustard by hand. Check the shop’s website to partake in some truly French experiences, including cheese and wine tastings and visits from authors and artists. 2008-2010 Fairview Rd; deslivresetdelicesus.com
by Addie Ladner | Sep 30, 2018 | Eat, October 2018
Imagine gazing at the face of Audrey Hepburn, Willie Nelson, Bill Murray or Waylon Jennings, glazed onto your plate, halfway through a helping of housemade tagliatelle.
You may have had this experience if you’ve dined recently at the Blount Street restaurant Stanbury. Co-owner Joseph Jeffers commissioned local potter, Liz Kelly, to create dishes emblazoned with the faces of some folks he finds inspiring after learning that Kelly was trained in ceramic decal transferring—a sort of ‘pop’ pottery crafting technique that allows artisans to source vintage designs and incorporate them into their pieces. Kelly has used the technique to transform most of Stanbury’s plateware into pieces as unique as the items on the restaurant’s menu (roasted bone marrow, anyone?).
This page: Tagliatelle at Stanbury on Liz Kelly pottery. Photo by Jeff Bramwell.
“We see eye to eye as makers and people who have a lot of personality in our work,” Kelly says of her relationship with the folks at Stanbury. Along with the faces, dishes also host flecks of vintage floral patterns and other rustic, yet edgy, prints. With 17 years of work experience in bars and restaurants, Kelly says it seemed only fitting that her work would end up in eateries. “It was a big part of my personal work history,” she says. “I always loved the idea of fusing pottery with my work in restaurants and bars. It’s a perfect synthesis of the worlds I had.” She adds that Jeffers, who studied art in college, has a strong sense of style that he brings to all the elements of his restaurant.
“It’s not just about the look of the plates, but the feel,” Jeffers says. “The plates, like the restaurant to me, are comfortable. They mean something to me.”
A few other Raleigh restaurateurs and chefs are using their dishware to touch all the senses and to reflect their menus and restaurants’ spirits.
“There’s a definite movement towards artisan ceramics and pottery in restaurants, for a certain niche,” says Mandolin owner and chef Sean Fowler. “We try to not work with just local artisans and farmers, but with local businesses as well, so fostering those relationships is just an extension of what we do.” Fowler sources his dishes to consciously help convey Mandolin’s style and philosophy. “The first way you taste a plate of food is with your eyes,” he says. He hopes Mandolin diners will see its plates, like its menu and ambiance, as refined, classic and a little bit rustic.
Ratatouille Salad at Mandolin on Vietri plates. Photo by Food Seen.
Mandolin’s dishware comes from the Hillsborough, NC-based ceramics dinnerware and decor company Vietri; the dishes are all white and handmade from strong, Italian stoneware. “A lot of our clientele are people who have Vietri in their china cabinets and cupboards at home, so it seemed like a likely partnership,” Fowler says. While he agrees that it’s risky to source this fine Italian ceramic ware for restaurants, Fowler says there’s value in paying more for a plate. “In restaurants, we are admittedly very tough on dishes—it’s high temps and fast paced, so we impart on our staff to try to take care of them.”
Haand, a pottery company out of Burlington, NC, is helping to foster more opportunities for restaurants to use pottery as serving ware. Haand supplies hand-crafted dishes to restaurants all over the world, including several in Raleigh, such as Ashley Christensen’s Death and Taxes. Chris Pence, Haand’s co-founder, describes the company’s style as “farmhouse futuristic,” and says everything at Haand is handmade using traditional craft methods. The company can produce modern, organic products and form a niche in the restaurant scene simultaneously, as Haand pieces are equal parts artisan and durable, able to hold up in strenuous restaurant environments.
Grilled NC fish with mussels at Death and Taxes on Haand pottery. Photo by Kaitlyn Goalen
“Our clay is fully vitrified, meaning the clay is more a glasslike structure, and fired to industrial porcelain, so it’s able to be thin, but strong,” Pence says. Because of this technique, Haand is able to compete with larger, European producers by creating unique artisan pieces that aren’t commodities. If restaurant-goers look closely at the beautiful, glossy dishes at Death and Taxes, they’ll notice bits of ashes from the first firing of the restaurant’s grill infused in the glaze. It’s Haand’s work and an idea Ashley Christensen herself came up with, according to Kaitlyn Goalen, the executive director of AC Restaurants. All the dishes have a literal connection to the grill.
“We were excited to be able to memorialize how this place opened and use the elements of the grill in every concept of the restaurant,” Goalen says. “And North Carolina is so well-known for pottery. It was exciting for us. We wear our love of North Carolina on our sleeve.” ■
by Addie Ladner | Jul 9, 2018 | Eat, July 2018 / August 2018
Exploring the city’s burgeoning raw food scene
Raw food creations have become so popular in Raleigh, there’s now a handful of entire eateries dedicated to preparing and serving uncooked fare. Oyster and juice bars anyone? That’s not to mention sushi joints and salad specializers. The raw food craze is a trend for good reason—raw dishes boost color, flavor, and creativity and are often made with the freshest of ingredients—and, hopefully, it’s a trend that’s here to stay, as these often hand-crafted concoctions can be as good for you as they are tasty.
As Raleigh residents grow even more appreciative of this unique, no-heat food preparation method and seek out both healthier and more adventurous options, we thought summer was the ideal season to try out some refreshing local creations from the city’s network of diverse options. So, if you haven’t caught the crudo or cold-pressed juice bug yet, we sampled some top-notch fare at all-raw and traditional restaurants alike. You may be surprised how many restaurants offer raw dishes. Here, we present to you our favorites.
Living Kitchen’s Sweet Potato Cashew Sushi
555 Fayetteville St.
Living Kitchen can turn even the most serious vegan food skeptic into a fan for life with its beautiful and totally inventive classic dishes recreated solely using plant foods. Juliana Luna, the founder of Living Kitchen who opened her first location in Charlotte, noticed a gap in the restaurant scene for places offering vegan dishes that truly celebrated plant foods rather than offering dishes heavily reliant on meat substitutes and soy products. You won’t find those things in Living Kitchen’s dishes, nor will you miss meat, cheese and refined sugars. Try the ingenious “sushi” made with raw nori, raw grated sweet potato and cashews in lieu of rice, plus fresh vegetables like peppery arugula and sweet red peppers. The manicotti, made of raw zucchini noodles and a cashew ricotta, is another major contender that might be the freshest, lightest manicotti you’ll ever try, but is satisfying nonetheless. Save room for the turtle cake which you’d never know is made of mostly nuts, dates and coconuts and tastes of sweet, tart chocolate.
Seasonal crudo at Mandolin
Mandolin’s Seasonal Crudo
2519 Fairview Rd.
Crudo translates from the Italian to “raw” and the crudo currently on rotation at Five Points hotspot Mandolin is perhaps one of the most beautiful and colorful crudos that you ever will see. The seasonal dish, a top-seller according to Mandolin Chef and owner Sean Fowler, now showcases North Carolina pink snapper, served with rhubarb, dehydrated strawberries, diced cucumbers, edible flowers, fresh mint and basil. The crudo comes dressed with a light fizzy cucumber sauce and topped with granola (yes, granola!) for a slight crunch. It’s a multitude of flavors and textures and it comes together perfectly. You can also expect a cold summer gazpacho at Mandolin soon, or try the spring primavera, topped with a golden egg yolk straight from the restaurant’s farm.
Stanbury’s beef tartare
Stanbury’s Beef Tartare
938 N. Blount St.
Start your meal at Stanbury, a rustic city favorite tucked away at the edge of downtown, with the beef tartare. It’s made-to-order using the finest quality local beef, seasoned with coarse grain mustard, capers, shallots, parsley, and topped with a buttery fresh raw quail egg. It’s raw from start to finish, with a perfect melt-in-your-mouth tanginess; somehow, it feels light and hearty all at once. Not quite ready to give completely raw beef and egg a try? Try Stanbury’s seasonally inspired ceviche. Currently composed of local tilefish and shrimp, it’s marinated in citrus and spices for several hours just before serving, bringing to you the tart, tasty Latin flavors of the sea.
Raleigh Raw’s Cold-Pressed Juice and Poke Bowls
7 W. Hargett St.
Juice and poke bowls from Raleigh Raw
Raleigh Raw is a small, stylish place located right downtown, a fitting location since the spot’s mantra and mission is to “fuel the hustle” of the city’s spirited residents and professionals. The juice bar and café offers a cadre of cold-press raw juices made from organic fruits and vegetables, as well as original poke bowls and other raw, mostly plant-based creations, including smoothies and lattes. Try the current seasonal juice, Summer in the City, which blends watermelon (even the rind), lime, celery and chia seeds and turns it into a dark pink-hued, invigorating summer beverage. For your main dish, go for the Tuna Rosarito Poke bowl. It’s filled with raw goodness, including avocado, grapefruit, jackfruit sorrel and tomato. Even though the juice shop and café source as much as possible locally, parts of the menu feel exotic, with certain fish species and produce sourced mindfully from other parts of the world— bringing to mind that longed-for Hawaiian vacation.
by Addie Ladner | Nov 6, 2017 | Eat, November 2017, Uncategorized
As a follow up to our recent story “Where the Chefs Eat,” let’s hone in on the younger City of Oaks generations for a minute. They’re the children lucky enough to be growing up in a city that has been named one of the South’s tastiest towns by Southern Living Magazine, with a cadre of James Beard Award winners and finalists to prove it. It’s no secret the food scene here is a worldly one and a hospitable one—we’re in the South after all. I’ve also found it can be a surprisingly family-friendly scene, too, just as Raleigh is itself. Take, for instance, these four restaurants that many people reserve for date nights or special occasions. Only one of them has a kids menu but its contents aren’t your run-of-the-mill pizza or chicken nuggets. For food-loving parents in Raleigh hoping to shape little gourmands, however, these spots are exactly the kinds of places their kids should be eating and building their palates. Read on for what to order when you go and other reasons why you’ll find these restaurants are happily accommodating when it comes to family meals out.
Whiskey Kitchen
This large, airy bar and Southern kitchen may not have a great high-chair stash and there are definitely more drink options than food, but the large tables allow everyone to eat comfortably. You’ll find that the menu is filled with flavorful, healthy options for everyone. Try the pickle plate, grilled corn with queso fresco, and chef’s board dressed with artisanal cheese and meats. These dishes make for a mess-free, easy-to-eat kid’s meal. Older babies will love Whiskey Kitchen’s smooth, fresh gazpacho. Go before they shift their menu to match the cooler temperatures! whiskey.kitchen
Brewery Bhavana
Don’t be intimidated to bring your budding gourmands to this foodie destination—a beautiful restaurant, brewery, flower shop and bookstore in one. While everyone waits for a table, hang out in the sun room where you’ll find books for kids of all ages—even board books—or treat them to a few fresh flowers. Order the scallion pancakes, seafood wontons, pork bao and, of course, fluffy white rice. I don’t know many kids who can deny the delicious spread that is Dim Sum; Brewery Bhavana’s is next level. brewerybhavana.com
Coquette Brasserie
I always look forward to dining here, where kids can order their own miniature versions of French classics such as seared salmon with haricot vert or beef bourguignon. Use the cloth napkins for bibs and your young kids will fit right in in the dimly-lit, French bistro atmosphere. Even with the classy ambiance, Coquette still provides crayons and paper menus to draw on, as well as undeniably good frittes. coquetteraleigh.com
Humble Pie
Just because a restaurant doesn’t scream “bring the kids,” it doesn’t always mean they’re not welcome there. Take Humble Pie, for instance. Even with its adult-oriented speakeasy ambiance and small, ever-changing menu, it’s somehow evolved into our go-to. Try Humble Pie’s lamb meatballs, roasted beets and sea scallops over the sweetest cauliflower puree. The fact that the scrumptious small plates can be served one to two at a time keeps everyone interested and well-fed. This makes for a fun, relaxing meal. Aside from the food, what I look forward to most is getting the staff-made kids’ cups, formed from cylindrical to-go containers and a drinking straw cut in half. Talk about creative service! humblepierestaurant.com
