by Lauren Kruchten | Nov 21, 2023 | Eat, November 2023
What to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers, as recommended by local chefs.
There are two types of people when it comes to Thanksgiving leftovers: Those who can eat the same heated-up meal for a week on repeat, and those who need a remainders refresh. If you’re of the latter and looking for some fresh inspo for your food, well, refresh… we’ve gotcha covered. We tapped local chefs for their creative solutions for Thanksgiving #leftoverlife. Stay hungry!
Ashley Christensen | AC Restaurants
“I really love soup, so that’s always a natural fit for me to put leftovers to good use. I take all of the carved-up turkey bones and drippings from the pan and make a nice, rich, roasted stock by covering the bones with water and tossing in whatever mirepoix veg has survived the holiday in my fridge. I make a soup with this stock and some remaining turkey meat, leftover braised greens (usually collards in our house on Thanksgiving), and a can of the Muir Glen organic diced fire-roasted tomatoes (juice and all). Super simple and really foolproof. You can also throw some beans or pasta into this to bulk it up into a heavier experience, but after the decadence of Thanksgiving, I prefer the lighter route.
Another idea: We always serve a delicious cornbread dressing at our Thanksgiving, based on my mom’s grandma’s recipe. It’s really delicious day-of on its own, but I like to flex it into a post-Thanksgiving baked oyster. I work it (from fridge temp) into a crumbled texture, and I mix in a little sausage or bacon with one egg. Then I spoon that onto freshly shucked oysters on the half-shell and bake them at 400 for about 8–10 minutes. It makes a great game-day snack for what is usually the post-Thanksgiving football showdown between UNC and my alma mater, NC State (GO PACK!!! 🐺).”
Sean Fowler | Mandolin
“Thanksgiving stuffing crabcakes: Use leftover stuffing/dressing with lump crabmeat and mayo to bind. Make patties, pan-sear and finish in the oven.”
Sunny Gerhart | St. Roch
“Smoked turkey and sausage jambalaya”
Cheetie Kumar | Ajja
“My favorite Thanksgiving leftover hack is thanks to my mother-in-law. She always made these crusty little ‘balls’ from leftover dressing. I embellished them a little.
Take leftover dressing/stuffing and mix in one egg and a little melted butter. With a small scoop or a large spoon, flatten a little disc onto your palm, put a small piece of sharp cheese (cheddar or aged provolone etc) in the center and roll into a ball. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or a sprayed mini-muffin tin and bake at 350 until crusty on the outside and hot and set on the inside. Serve while still hot with cranberry sauce and some spiced nuts. So delicious!”
Kyle Teears | The Willard
“Make green bean casserole risotto. This is a lot of fun because risotto is a lovely dish—and a perfect outlet for using your leftover green bean casserole, an otherwise unused leftover side dish. I have purposely omitted salt as most people use a can of cream of mushroom soup which can be salty. But, if you taste your risotto at the 25-minute mark and it needs seasoning, by all means, add a pinch of salt. You can also add other leftovers if you have some, such as asparagus, mushrooms, bacon or ham pieces, etc. Don’t forget to have fun and cook with your heart.
Start by cooking 2 cups of Arborio rice over medium-high heat in 1/4 cup olive oil for about 5 minutes. The edges of the rice should be translucent. Add 1 cup of white wine (whatever you have leftover from the night before will be fine). Allow most of the wine to evaporate, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in warm water half a cup at a time (if you have vegetable or chicken stock left, use it up). Keep adding water/stock every couple of minutes and stir constantly. If the liquid is evaporating too quickly reduce heat to medium-low. After around 25 minutes, check the consistency of the rice. It should be al dente. Stir in 2 cups of your leftover green bean casserole. If you have less than that don’t worry, you’ll be just fine. Cook for another 5 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in 4 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of Parmesan or pecorino gradually. There you go! Now you have a delicious risotto for dinner.
Preeti Waas | Cheeni Indian Food Emporium
“I make a cranberry chutney with fresh ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and oranges for Thanksgiving, and my favorite thing to do is make turnovers with it the next morning for breakfast. Fill an all-butter puff pastry with whipped cream cheese and cranberry chutney, brush with egg wash, and bake at 410 degrees. Serve warm.”
Luis Zouain | Madre
“Make some turkey dumplings! Shred the leftover meat and mix with gravy—add some chopped veggies in there too if you have any. If you’re too lazy you can buy the dough already done and assemble at least 25. Pan-sear and finish them up with a flour wash in the bottom of the pan to create a crusty situation. Make a spicy cranberry dipping sauce and you’re ready to go!”
by Lauren Kruchten | Nov 9, 2023 | Eat, November 2023
Haven’t got your tickets yet? Here’s 8 reasons to nab ’em ASAP.
If you were looking for a sign to buy tickets to our first annual The Cocktail Classic, presented by The Exchange Raleigh, on Saturday, Nov. 18, at Killjoy, here it is! This promises to be the party of the year, complete with all sorts of elevated experiences and surprises. We promise you don’t want to miss it. Only a few tix are left, so get yours now—and avoid the FOMO! Here’s what we have in store.
10 Cocktails Mixed by Raleigh Magazine’s Best Bartender Nominees
Our cast of Best Bartender nominees—the best of the best mixologists in the city!—were each tasked with mixing up riffs on classics (think Old-Fashioned, Negroni, martini) in tandem with a top-shelf liquor brand. You’ll get to taste your way through all 10 of them throughout the night—plus enjoy special cocktail demonstrations at the Killjoy bar. Um, cheers to that! P.S. There will be NA beverages available as well.
Music by Deluxe Event Group and Food by Ladyfingers Served All Night Long
When the munchies hit (which they likely will), we’ve got you covered with a plethora of delicious grub from Ladyfingers. … NTM water to keep you hydrated throughout the evening. And providing the background jams for the entirety of the event will be Deluxe Event Group—so get ready to get down with your bad selves!
Glam and Glow Experience to Keep You Looking Your Best by Woodhouse Spa North Hills
Need to freshen up midevent? Woodhouse Spa has you covered with a glam setup of travel-size makeup products, mirrors, Champagne (!) and more. Glow on, gals!
Cocktail & Couture by Charles & Colvard
Baubles and booze unite at Charles & Colvard’s private room feat. jewels and The Exchange’s signature cocktail. Talk about a *sweet* attraction!
Cocktail Classic Book
Since you can’t order these riffs at the bar and will definitely be left craving more, you’re going to love this. We’ve created a cocktail book with photos and recipes from each of our noms for every guest to take home. … And it’s so beautiful you’ll want to drink it all up.
Rideshare Code
We cannot stress this enough: Don’t drink and drive! Each group of ticket holders will get a rideshare code to take them to and from Killjoy on the day of the event only. This is your excuse to safely enjoy yourself at The Cocktail Classic!
Discount Code for The Longleaf Hotel
Enjoy and extend your evening even further by taking advantage of our block of rooms at The Longleaf Hotel available at a discounted price. Staycation all I ever wanted… (!)
Tickets Benefit Ben’s Friends and the RDU Chapter of the U.S. Bartenders’ Guild
To top off the entire Cocktail Classic event, ticket sales benefit both Raleigh-Durham USBG and Ben’s Friends, a support group for members of the food and beverage industry suffering from abuse or addiction. Drinking for a good cause? Don’t mind if we do!
by Lauren Kruchten | Oct 30, 2023 | Eat, November 2023
Scott Crawford’s Brodeto to bow at Raleigh Iron Works in December.
It was during a trip to Croatia in 2018 Scott Crawford enjoyed a particularly tasty traditional brodeto (otherwise known as fish soup) that he thought, “I could just do a whole restaurant about this type of [flavor] profile.” And, now, that serendipitous idea will become a reality as his resto of the same name is anticipated to open at Raleigh Iron Works before the end of the year.
First announced late last year, Brodeto will pay homage to the cuisine of the Adriatic portion of the Mediterranean—specifically Southern Italy and Croatia—via lighter coastal Italian food, with a strong focus on seafood. Rustic, humble and memorable are just a few words Crawford uses to describe the fare.
“We fell in love with those flavor profiles, so we’re gonna cook them the way we cook here,” says Crawford, who’s spent the last four years traveling to the region—most recently exploring 16 cities in Italy alone. “I’m not from Italy; I’m not trying to honor my family with this as I was with my other businesses. I’m not pretending to be this guy who trained in Italy or anything like that. This is very authentic in that we love this concept—we love the feeling that we got there and we want to recreate that.”
Brodeto will, of course, be a highlight of the menu, and rotate seasonally with a heavier broth in the colder months and a lighter one in summertime. Additional menu highlights include crudo, housemade pastas (orecchiette, cavatelli and lightly stuffed pastas, to name a few styles) and breads (namely a Croatian bread, a crusty Italian bread and a great focaccia). Not to mention wood-fired meats, vegetables and seafood on a Beech wood-fired hearth rack system—similar to how food is prepared in Croatia—with seafood being sourced both locally and from the Mediterranean.
There will also be a chef’s table-like experience where diners can order dishes not found on the restaurant menu, like a seafood or crudo tower. “People should anticipate what they experience at Crawford and Son and Jolie,” Crawford emphasizes, “where you can expect a little unexpected—some nice surprises. … But also this is very grounded and based in a tried-and-true style of cooking. I think finding that balance is where we really have a lot of fun as a team.”
The simple yet masterfully balanced cocktail program by Beverage Manager Jordan Joseph will also place a large focus on coastal flavors, amari and herbal liqueurs, coal-grilled fruits and vegetables, infused salts, and bitters—not to mention a list of coastal and mainland wines from Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and throughout the Adriatic.
“Travel, to me, is such a big part of being inspired—and I was inspired there to want to cook that food and bring that experience to people in our community,” says Crawford. “The region has so much to offer and show, and the flavor combinations are limitless between linking the best of what each territory can offer.” And, so, a worldly trip for the senses awaits. brodeto.com
by Lauren Kruchten | Oct 30, 2023 | Eat, November 2023
Alex Ricci’s Prospects restaurant to serve up good eats and drinks for Raleighites—by Raleighites.
When the opportunity arrived for Alex Ricci to open his own restaurant in Raleigh, he naturally tapped residents to help him build the menu—think friends, influencers, fellow chefs and other “people who have really impacted both me and the food scene here,” he says.
That concept, Prospects Craft Kitchen & Cocktail Bar, is opening in the former Rainbow Luncheonette space on North West Street in December, but will evolve as Ricci continues to query guests for featured rotating dishes.
“I’ve written tons of menus, but I’ve never really thought about what my guests want and what dishes mean something to them,” elaborates Ricci. “So instead of having a chef-driven concept, it’ll be a guest-driven concept.”
The menu features Ricci’s elevated takes of those inspired, nostalgic dishes, like a Puerto Rican-inspired pork dish—a nod to his mom; and a steak dinner as an ode to Rainbow Luncheonette, with $5 from every one sold going to late Rainbow employee Tyler McDavid’s daughter’s college fund. Meanwhile, the bev menu features cocktails, boozy milkshakes and beer.
Adding a super-late-night option to the city relatively lacking one, Prospects will serve food until 3am Thursday through Saturday. NTM the longest (and latest) brunch in the city (!)—11am to 6pm on Sundays—to ensure industry folk can still get a hearty weekend breakfast in, even if they worked a brunch shift elsewhere that day.
To further encourage communication and relationships between Ricci and guests, an open layout ensures patrons will feel like they’re eating at his own home kitchen. And while the signature rainbow floors remain, Ricci enlivened the space with hydroponic gardens, spice racks and cool commissioned pieces from local artist Cassie Ott. … Peep the black-and-white painting of Anthony Bourdain that looks down at the chef as he prepares food in the kitchen. And look out for an alfresco parklet to connect Prospects to sister bar The Devereux, opening by the end of the year. @prospectsnc
by Lauren Kruchten | Oct 30, 2023 | Buzz, November 2023
Both the Canes and PNC are shaking things up this hockey season.
True to their Bunch of Jerks nickname, the Carolina Hurricanes are poised to “cause chaos” this 2023–24 season—in the best way. The new tagline dropped ahead of the Canes’ first regular season game Oct. 11 and proved to be true following a 5–3 win over the Ottawa Senators. Not to mention our home hockey team is the consensus favorite to win the Stanley Cup among sportsbooks (!). Adding to the allure of the season are a bunch of updates at PNC Arena, including four new food and beverage concepts, three of which are local: The BBQ Lab (sections 105 and 120), Gonza Tacos y Tequila (section 112 stand and section 130 cart), The Optimist (section 105) and Chick-fil-A (section 120 and 325 carts). Needless to say, you’re gonna wanna Take Warning for one heck of a season. Go Canes!
