Varmint

Do the same using butter rather than EVOO. It's really, really, good.

People, please let's get this back on topic. We have a couple of articulate and thoughtful reviews of CT here. Focus on those. Otherwise, the big boys will have to close the thread. Thank you.

My father (who's 71) has hated cauliflower his entire life -- until I served him this, of course! It was a miracle, and I'm thankful for small miracles such as this.

For those of you just joining this discussion who may not be from around here, the "Triangle" is the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, consisting of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. This is one of the 10 fastest growing areas in the US, and it actually has the fastest growing Latino population. Much of the growth is fragmented -- this area represents all that is suburban sprawl. Durham and Chapel Hill have a much more liberal and artistic bent, whereas Raleigh is the state capital and has a greater percentage of those who represent the "Old South."

OK, this is now a Magnolia Grill free zone. Plus, we don't want to put you in a difficult situation. The Raleigh atmosphere sucks because there hasn't been anyone to take the proverbial bull by the horns and make a statement. If no one tries, then it's real easy to say that it's not going to work. I can't think of a single restaurateur who really, truly tried to make a difference here. We might not have a Ninth Street or a Franklin Street, but if you're a destination restaurant where the food -- THE FOOD -- is paramount, then it will work in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill or even Cary. As far as making a difference, I'm willing to make a go of it. Now, we just need to create a plan.

Sounds worthwhile, but I'm wondering if double cooking the mussels (once to open them and once to cook the ravioli) might not make them a bit tough. Can you shuck an uncooked mussel?

Check out this thread (Click Here!) and the article linked in the first post for a recent discussion about the Raleigh dining scene. I and others have mentioned how disappointed we are with it. You may need to register (free) with the Charlotte Observer to read Kathi's article.

Toasted Vietnamese subs!!!!

Here's a menu for 223 South Elm: Menu Damn, those prices are quite decent!!!

I don't understand why he, or others, couldn't create the same environment here in Raleigh. Please explain this, as I think this market would be incredibly receptive to someone with Ben's passion, creativity and commitment. You'll fit in perfectly here on eGullet. I don't think Greg has much to go on, so his "curve" has indeed nudged up too much of late. I think a lot of the recent problems derive from the economy. Would you open up a new restaurant that doesn't take corners that has a slimmer margin in this economy? It's a tough market right now, and we're getting mediocrity and laziness as a result. Folks are too scared to take chances -- particularly banks who are very hesitant to fund such an operation. Interested? Yes. Do I think it's the "answer"? Probably not, but it's a good start. Slowfood has become almost too dogmatic, ignoring some of the realities of today's society. However, its underlying principles for a strong foundation. Ultimately, we, the consumers who "get it" and the professionals need to be more pro-active. The reason I stood at the farmers market hawking heirloom tomatoes for this particular vendor was because I knew that it was in my best interest for them to sell more tomatoes -- that way, they'd be more likely to stay in business and I could eat better tomatoes. We can all assume different levels of responsibility in this effort. Otherwise, we'll end up with what we deserve.

I used thin filets of gray sole. I would have overcooked the fish had I let it brown thoroughly. As I said before, I probably didn't brown the butter enough. Here's the fried pies: Pre-folded pie Pan frying those pies Plated pie with cinnamon eggnog ice cream. It needs some color, as did everything with this meal. Too brown.

For some bizarre reason, I can't post anything longer than a couple of lines. I'll get back to this later. But let me say this, if Ben Barker were to move Magnolia Grill to Raleigh, he'd be equally successful.

Several good points in a relatively short post. Let's focus on this one, which is the most important: With the exception of some Asian restaurants, you're right on the money with this point. When you're not looking at a chain, you're often staring at a chain-like local restaurant having no creativity or thought in its menu. It's almost as if there's a kit on how to open a restaurant that includes a formulaic menu. Yeah, some places don't follow that formula, but they certainly won't be accused of being innovators: Caffe Luna, Fishmongers, Humble Pie, Five Star, etc. None of them are great. What shall we do about that. Remember, the Triangle is not a destination. It's a place to live and raise families. People all too often leave the area for their excitement, whether geographic or gastronomic. I'm often asked what the Triangle has that is better than anywhere else, and I can't give them an answer. There's a lot of good stuff, but not anything great. Is that a lack of interest from the restaurateurs? If so, it'll take someone like Ben to step up to the plate to start something fresh involving the entire Triangle -- not just Durham and Chapel Hill. Raleigh is the poor stepchild in the Triangle's culinary scene. Folks like Chrish Peel of Carolina Wine Company (and Vin) are trying to do more with Raleigh, but it's not happening. I wish I had answers, but unfortunately, I don't -- heck, I'm not even in the industry!

You can certainly come close to an eastern style Q, but remember that eastern style, by its very nature, is one consisting of the whole hog. Try a ham and a shoulder so you get a mix of brown and white meat. Low and slow. Keep the skin on, and then try to peel it off once the meat is done to crisp it. You'll want to cut it in with the rest of the meat. Gently sauce the meat mix.

So, Dave? Did you do the pie?

I hear that bread pudding is really awesome if you reheat it in a toaster bag.

No fried pies???

For those of you who don't know this already, Karen Barker was the recipient of the Beard Award for pastry chefs this past year. Before she finally won, she had been nominated numerous times, which led me to refer to her as the Susan Lucci of pastry chefs. She, and thus phlawless, make very solid desserts that often rely on southern simplicity. I need to invite phlawless over to dinner soon!

That's what I've heard. I'm not a big fan of Bloomsbury, simply because I don't think John's figured out how to put together a menu yet. He can cook, and some of his dishes are somewhat inspirational, but there's no consistency to his menu. I can't figure out what the hell he's trying to accomplish when he has 6 or 7 different cuisines represented in his entrees. Every time I've eaten at Bloomsbury I just feel confused and disappointed. We can all crash at Soupkitchen's restaurant!!! Dalat subs. Mmmmmmmmm.

Damn, Jim keeps reminding me that I live in the wrong part of North Carolina!!!

Thanks, phlawless. There's a thread on the QShack here. I thought the sides I had several months ago were pretty good, but I haven't been back to Durham since. The new joint in Raleigh, which should open in a couple of weeks, is only a mile from my house, so I'm looking forward to visiting it. Realize, however, that they're using a commercial smoker for their barbecue, meaning that the meat is smoked rather than cooked over hardwood in a smokey environment. That's a somewhat important distinction. I still liked the stuff I had, but IIRC, I preferred the brisket.

First, welcome Sidratha!! As far as "recipes" for NC barbecue are concerned, there's really not much to do. I am in the early stages of putting together an eGCI course on a pig pickin', but let me cut to the chase: to do eastern style barbecue, you need a whole hog that you have salted (or brined -- good luck with that!). You need to slow cook it over hardwood -- it's not just smoked, you actually want a bit of heat under the pig that cooks the beast. Keep temperature as close to 225F as you can. You need to crisp the skin. Then chop the meat, making sure you cut in some crispy skin, some of the non-skin crispies. Add a touch of sauce, which is really just apple cider vinegar, red pepper, and a bit of sugar. I put some other stuff in my sauce (e.g., orange rind), but that's just an idiosyncratic thing to do to make it sound as if my sauce is truly original. That's it. For the western or Lexington style barbecue, use shoulders. Again, slow cook OVER hardwood. The difference is that this meat will be much more uniform in consistency and the smoke flavor is generally more pronounced simply because you're dealing with a smaller cut of meat. This is also chopped and sauced, but the western style sauce has some ketchup added to it, along with more sugar. I like brown sugar, simply because it has a bit more of that caramel flavor. In the end, though, this sauce is a heck of a lot more similar to eastern style sauce than it is different. It's mostly vinegar, with just a broader assortment of flavors. I ultimately prefer eastern style simply because it represents all that is good in pork. Brown and white meat, skin, a bit of fat. The sauce is hardly noticeable if done right. Screw it up, and it's mediocre. Get it right, and it's heavenly. Screw up western style, and the smoke will cover up some of the problems. Get it right, and it's also fantastic, but you don't taste the pork as well as you do with eastern style. I'll take either style any day of the week.

Gee, need to get away from Ben and Karen for a night??? Where do you like to go when you have some time off, phlawless? There's some decent places in Chapel Hill as well. It needn't be anything formal at all, but I can say it most definitely won't be Ragazzi's. Now Macaroni Grill, on the other hand. . . .

It is clear that the Triangle isn't the food hotbed of the US, but there are only a few of those anyhow. Nevertheless, I think that expectations need to be matched to reality. Will this area support a few NYC type 3 star restaurants? Perhaps only 1 or 2 at the most. It does, however, have a handful of what would be 2 or 1 star joints. Even in the San Franciscos and Chicagos of the world, the chain restaurants thrive. It's all part of the Wal-Mart phenomenon, but as consumers and professionals, we can all do our part to help sustain a good food culture. I encourage you, phlawless and soupkitchen, to help assess what more could be done in this region. I know Ben Barker works pretty hard to develop good relationships with area farmers. There's a number of chefs who rely on the Carrboro Farmers Market. What disappoints me is that I've developed a solid relationship with a farmer who grows lots of heirloom tomatoes. He sells them at the State Farmers Market at a price less than the standard, red tomatoes -- only because they're not as pretty. The consumers must be educated, and to do my part, I stood in front of his stand for 15 minutes one day, drawing in passersby and informing them how much better these tomatoes were than what was being sold elsewhere. One taste convinced them. They sold more tomatoes in that 15 minutes than they had in the prior 3 hours. I am getting to my point. Here's a farmer with a great product at a ridiculous price. I asked him if he's developed a relationship with any of the restaurants, and he said that he really hadn't even thought of that angle. We, the patrons of the restaurants, need to let the chefs know that we'd like to see more of a focus on local ingredients. We also need to push the farmers to market their products as well. Give it time, it will get better. At least, I hope it does.

I love having a list of objectives that all begin with "eat." Sort of like my last trip to NYC.