Eating my way through Raleigh
Updated: Feb 22, 2020
I recently attended the fabulous wedding of the daughter of dear friends in Raleigh, really one of the most fun weddings I have ever attended. Since this was not really a “vacation” trip, I didn’t have the opportunity to see and do much other than spend time with friends and celebrate the newlyweds. But, per usual, I wanted to explore at least a few good dining options and share those. Having lived in North Carolina for a few years as well as meeting my spouse there, I had been to Raleigh numerous times and have a number of great friends there. It’s a fun place to visit! Though the trip was marred with some flight delays and scheduling mix ups (causing us to miss the “I Do BBQ”), we had a great time – most of which was spent in the Five Points and North Hills areas. This blog is not really intended to be a restaurant review site so please forgive me if my comments are a little light. There are so many other “review” sites you can choose from to get that kind of feedback. But everything I’ve noted here, I personally tried and loved.
After having to unexpectedly fly through New York from DC to get to Raleigh, we were absolutely starved when we arrived. So after checking in at the very modern and conveniently located Renaissance Raleigh North Hills, we quickly headed out for a bite. This area of North Hills used to be a shopping mall and was recently redone in a more modern, outdoor, town-square style development. There were lots of convenient and interesting looking options and we quickly got settled and headed to Coquette Brasserie. I’m pretty much a sucker for all things French and this did not disappoint with the full on zinc bar and atmosphere. Given our timing, we had the “midday” menu and my croque madame was as authentic as could be with thick bread, creamy mornay sauce, and a well-dressed side salad. Cocktails were smart and hit the spot.
Dinner was at Garland, in downtown, which bills itself as “Indian and Asian Cuisine, Southern Spirit” and that is a very apt description. The food was fantastic and was most definitely a blend of India and Asian foods – nothing was really truly traditional. The wait staff was quirky but helpful and efficient and the restaurant was packed, loud and fun. There were six of us and we shared a number of small plates – the Cauliflower 65 and Moroccan “Hummus” were standouts. As far as large plates, the Lemongrass Brisket, Tamarind Chili Glazed Pork Rice Bowl and Lamb Shank Osso-Bucco were also crowd pleasers. There are a lot of vegetarian options too and creative cocktails (try the Alice Walker). This was the foodie highlight of the trip.
Two other great options in the North Hills area are bartaco and Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls. Now these are both chains and were just right outside of the hotel so it feels a little like cheating to me, but they were also REALLY good. We had lunch at both over the course of the weekend and they were packed with lots of locals. Bartaco is upscale Mexican street food and the main draw is tacos – they are all small so you can mix and match and there are corn tortilla and lettuce wrap choices. The Crispy Rock Shrimp and Glazed Pork Belly were among our favorites as well as the street corn, which you can get on or off the cob. As for Mason’s, what else can I say but LOBSTER ROLLS! Who does not love them? Very traditional New England-style packed full of succulent lobster in a buttery roll. I could eat dozens of these!
Before the full suite of wedding activities, we did enjoy some exploring time in the Five Points area. Des Livres et Delices is charming French bookstore and gourmet food shop. The two sides of the shop house a wide variety of French-language books of all types, cards, toys and other gifts, and a wide variety of French foods and wines. You can also order on-line and they also host a number of events in the store, including book clubs. NOFO @ the pig is a super fun gift shop, food market and café. It’s in an old Piggly Wiggly grocery store and really plays off the pig motif and contains some of the original grocery store equipment used as display areas. There were tons of fun ornaments, clothes, gifts, North Carolina-centric food items, and more. We did not eat or drink at the café but it’s won a lot of local awards so seems like definitely worth a try. Finally we had a quick stop into Anisette, a small bakery and coffee shop. They are known for their meringues which were crunchy, chewy, and soft at the same time – and delicious. Everything in the bakery case looked and smelled wonderful, the coffee was strong, and we had a very pleasant break in the outdoor seating by the fire pits.
While Raleigh may not have all the choices of say New York, it’s a city full of lovely and caring people with enough interesting sites, restaurants and bars to fill several days.
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