by Anna Beth Adcock | Aug 31, 2023 | Eat, July/August 2023
RM’s most-loved lunch locales
Why do dinner and brunch get all the hype? We’re all about a midday pick-me-up—and it’s about time lunch gets some of the recognition it deserves. So, we sought the opinions of the RM team for their standout selects among the lineup of loveable lunch spots spanning the city. … At noon, we lunch!
“In Midtown, I love the patio at Vivace. In Downtown, Capital Club 16—love the windows and watching busy people on the street.”
—Gina Stephens, Publisher, @ginasdawgs
“Sola: good coffee, good sandwiches and close to work. The perfect spot.”
—Liz Comella, Creative Director, @liz.comella.design
“Cantina 18 will always have my heart for lunch—paired with perf patio weather and a marg, and if I’m lucky, my mom as my date.”
—Melissa Howsam, Editor-in-Chief, @mahowsam
“I don’t usually go out to lunch but when I do I’ll go for Happy + Hale. It’s light + delicious!”
—Lauren Kruchten, Associate Editor, @laurenn_nicol
“I am all about a lunch spot with fab flavors and a good outdoor ambiance, so I love a daytime date at Anise Pho or Gringo A Go Go. And a good friend to share my meal with is always a plus!
—Anna Beth Adcock, Editorial Assistant, @_annabethadcock
“Morgan Street Food Hall is already so cool, and Cowbar has a truffle burger to die for (hence its nod on our 2023 Best Burgers list 😉).”
—Cameron Rhinehardt, Account Executive, @camrht
“Coquette Brasserie for the consistently good lunch menu and the atmosphere.”
—Debby Serena, Account Executive
“David’s Dumpling and Noodle Bar is a criminally underrated lunch stop—the crispy spicy wontons are immaculate.”
—Heidi Reid, Contributing Writer, @heidi.laurel
“Coquette for their French onion soup!”
—Emily O’Brien, Contributing Writer
“I like Longleaf Swine for lunch!”
—Forrest Mason, Contributing Photographer, @fmasonmedia
“My favorite local lunch spot is Raleigh Times. The fried pickles are a must.”
—Sean Junqueira, Contributing Photographer, @seanjunqueira
by Sheila Barker | Mar 1, 2023 | Eat, March 2023
Looking to switch up your next drinking sesh? As one of the oldest and most consumed alcoholic beverages a la Japan, sake is having a moment—and we are here for it, ya know, for the sake of it (see what we did there…). Here’s where you can sip—or grab a juice box!—around town.
Sake by the juice box? Yes, please! In addition to a stellar gin, vermouth and absinthe collection, this hidden Morgan Street Food Hall gem also boasts a Lucky Dog Sake juice box. … But don’t be fooled by the packaging. This light sake with hints of ripe apple and honeydew melon is not too sweet, nor too dry, and packed with plenty of flavor—and, of course, character. Why should kids have all the fun?!
Waraji is home to the largest selection of sake on the East Coast, with 100+ varieties from which to choose. Order it hot or sparkling, go for the lightly filtered sake, or sip on one brewed with traditional Japanese techniques. Can’t choose? Opt for the sake flight to taste your way through all the ops. Additionally, each month, the chef handpicks four sakes that differ in both taste and style—so you’ll always get to experience something new.
This aesthetically pleasing modern Laotian and Taiwanese restaurant boasts a sake menu that reads like a four-star wine list, with intriguing names that are guaranteed to pull you in—think Golden Treasure, Dancing Gold Flakes, Drunken Whale and more. Pair your sake pick with one of Heirloom’s delicious Asian-inspired dishes to elevate your next happy hour.
At this longtime Hillsborough Street resto, sake stars in a variety of tasty sake cocktails—see the Fizzy Apple (Fuji apple sake with Moscato d’Asti), Sunset Jewel (Living Jewel sake, blood orange syrup and lemonade) and Blood Orange Sunrise (pear sake and orange juice with blood orange syrup and cherry juice). David’s also carries a robust list of standard sakes and sake flights—NTM those stellar dumplings that make great pairings.
It might seem odd that Jason Howard’s country music-blaring honky-tonk would have sake on its menu—and well, it sort of is. But, still—don’t sleep on it. If you’re not feeling a beer, shooter or cocktail, go for a shot of cold or hot sake (pro tip: Add a flavor to the hot sake to jazz things up!).
