Varmint

There's 6 of us eating, so I think I could do a pairing with each course, but I'll pass on the dessert. I was thinking of starting with a chablis style for the croquettes, a dry/minerally riesling with the salmon, a very light pinot noir for the squid (that's difficult with the different fillings), and maybe a syrah for the chicken (as the roasted vegetable puree will add the necessary heartiness.

I still don't know why these boards haven't taken the culinary world by storm. They are the best cutting boards around. They're made of a hard rubber that still gives like wood when cutting (i.e., much softer than the white plastic boards). They can be sanded down like wood. They can be put in the dishwasher. If they warp, put them in a warm oven for a few minutes and all will be flat again. They last forever. Sure, they're heavy and a bit expensive, but there's really nothing like these. I've had mine for years, and I hate it when I have to use anything but this cutting board.

If you make the jellyroll vertical, couldn't you end up constructing something using the pineapple carpaccio that actually looks like a fresh pineapple?

Bryan sent me the menu for this Friday: So, anyone have any tips on wine pairings?

Yes, there are both, but where in Raleigh will you be? We can then get you somewhere close to that.

On the other hand, I'd expect that these experiments aren't done completely de novo where we're the first to sample something made with a newly tried technique. I know Bryan has done a lot of sous vide cooking and has used some polymers to present food in a non-original state. So I'm hoping that he's going to try those on us. And I hope he's trying to experiment with different flavor combinations. But I wouldn't want to pay him to eat shrimp noodles when he's never tried the technique before. Fortunately, I've got nothing to worry about. I did share with Bryan the dietary limitations of our party. The three ladies do not eat red meat, meaning anything mammalian. No beef, lamb, pork, mutton, rabbit, elk, bear, 'coon, or rodent. I cannot eat oysters. Finally, three people do not like cilantro. I don't like to impose limitations on Bryan, but he needed to know that this is not a completely omniverous crew. He's starting to develop his menu ideas, but here's his first set of possible dishes:

We'll be hitting the Z Kitchen on Friday, and I agree that pushing the flavor boundaries is a risk-reward proposition. I'm all for it, as will a couple of our companions. And as long as the flavors work, it's just fine. But when you start experimenting without working out the flavors beforehand, you run the risk of turning off your guests. But I'm ready for anything this week, and I'll be sure to report back. Not sure if I'll take pictures, but I'll try to remember to bring my camera. Maybe a tripod, too, to get that "just right" light.

And although I like Chapel Hill's Lantern -- a lot -- to even begin to think it's anywhere close to being one of the top 50, 100 or 150 restaurants in the country is insane. Nevertheless, I'm happy for the restaurant.

Not at all bad etiquette, and I think I'll start a new discussion about this restaurant. Go here for the discussion about Piedmont, the soon-to-be-opened restaurant from the team that brought us The Federal.

New eGS member drewpbrown let it be known that he was opening a new restaurant in Durham, so I couldn't just let that fly by without further inquiry. Then, after a great email exchange, I learned that Drew is one of the three amigos that ran the Federal: Drew Brown, Andy Magowan and Abby Pearce. They're opening Piedmont, a new Franco-Italo joint, in downtown Durham next to the new farmers market. Here's a blurb that Drew sent me: If you ever had Andy's charcuterie at the Federal, you'll know that we're all in for a treat. I hope Drew will chime in with some thoughts, but I'm very pumped that this will be another great addition to the Triangle.

Let me jump in as the host of this forum and remind everyone that it's perfectly fine to offer Bryan advice. He asked for it. It's perfectly fine to offer constructive criticism, even when it may be less than positive. But let's not attack any individual or his or her opinion. And keep the discussion focused on food, not legal issues. Yes, Bryan may very well have some issues to deal with. He may get evicted from his student dorm. He may have to deal with tax issues. And the more successful he is, the more likely he'll be a target. But right now, I'm willing to ask Bryan to cook for us and I'll cover his food costs. There's no profit motive here. C'mon, he's at Duke and travels around the world -- he's not hurting for money!!! So, I and 5 of my friends will be there on September 29, and we'll report back.

I'm working on firming up a date to eat at Z Kitchen later this month. I'll report back here with the details. Bryan's been very responsive and accomodating, and we look forward to giving his cooking a try.

I'll just have Bryan haul his stuff over to my house in Raleigh. We could all cover his costs. detlefchef will pick the wines. I can find room for 20 or so! Up for it, Bryan???

Any reports??? Brooks told me he shucked 3 sacks of Raspberry Points and that the turnout was great.

I had a nice chat with Ann the other night, and she's very excited about this bigger version of Johnny's. Tonight's special event is very near and dear to her, as she's been a big fan of the SFA for a number of years. Something tells me that this place will be incredibly busy for years to come. Go support a great cause tonight and pick up a ticket for the event. And then tell Brooks to shuck you a dozen in 3 minutes or less!

You often wonder whether new owners will "get it" after getting enough complaints. It's been 2 years for these folks, and if your experience was the norm rather than an anomaly, I guess they'll never understand what made the place. However, joiei's comments that all was great a year ago leaves one with some hope . . . .

I still think this is one of the best restaurants for kids anywhere. I have 4 children ages 5, 7, 11 and 12, and here's what they ate this past Friday: Salt cod fritters Fried calamari with aioli Braised oxtail with mashed potatoes Mussels steamed with tomato Pork sausage with white beans Steak with onions and some sauce Cheese bread Garlic Shrimp Now, my children are starting to get a bit more adventurous, but they easily found things they were willing to try. And that's the beauty of any tapas restaurant, but especially Jaleo. The portions are plenty big for kids, but they're good enough sizes for the adults, too. And then they got to sample a couple of Steve Klc's desserts. My son had the fruit soup with berries and cheese ice cream and loved it. The basque cake and flan were also big hits. We ate and drank like crazy (I love vacationing in towns where you don't drive). In the end, it was expensive for a casual dinner for 7 people (we had a family friend with us), but it was well worth it. Plus, there's nothing like a glass of ice cold sangria after a long day walking all over the place!

Traveling with 4 L'il Varmints, the Old Ebbitt Grill was a great place to visit. Although they didn't have our table for us when we arrived, we had a most excellent bartender at the raw bar. He had beers refilled before we asked him for another. He got our kids anything they wanted. He got us our clams and oysters within 5 minutes -- and this was 6:30 on a Saturday night. The food itself was very good. It certainly beats anything that a chain might have to offer, and the prices were quite reasonable. Everyone in our family was quite pleased. Is this the best restaurant in the city? Of course not. But it was certainly the best restaurant for our family that night!

Yes, it's bad enough when she has to slum it at my house!

I know many of you are concerned about the legality of Bryan's concept. He's a big boy and based on the language of his website, he's sought counsel on this issue. I'm a lawyer who knows the laws regarding running restaurants in NC, and although I haven't spoken to Bryan about any legal aspect of what he's doing, it clearly appears he's done some things to mitigate the risk. If he's not, then he'll pay the price, but let's not dwell on those issues. Instead, let's talk about the food!

I've spent some time with Steven and Ellen. Steven manages to consume a few calories when on the road. Or at home. Or in a boat. Or with a goat. Or in a box. Or with a fox. Ellen, on the other hand, manages to look like she's eating a ton of everything, but she's sly in her ways. Her physique don't lie!

My parents happen to live in Leesburg, so I should be loaded with information, right? Unfortunately, no. There is a great German bakery south of Leesburg, Yalaha Bakery. There is also a great hot dog spot in town. It might be called A&B Hot Dogs.

I don't think there's any new place that would be in the "best of" class. However, there are a number of new restaurants that would be considered extremely good. In Raleigh, you'll find Riviera and 18 Seaboard. There are also a number of new-ish restaurants in North Hills that make the area a prime dining destination. None of them will knock your socks off, but all are very solid additions. I don't know about the bistro. Of course, I've heard about this new Z-Kitchen concept!

Kevin and Stacey Jennings are the Triangle's best restaurateurs. It's as simple as that. The Jennings, through their company Urban Food Group, run three Raleigh restaurants: Frazier's, Porter's City Tavern, and their newest establishment, Vivace. Located in the northern part of North Hills shopping district, Vivace is an ultra-hip and stylish Italian trattoria featuring creative foods, a great wine service and all at affordable prices. In fact, Vivace is yet another example that the Jennings are the masters of high value dining. First, the buzz: Vivace opened nearly 6 months ago, and this place is as popular as ever. Whether it's lunch or dinner, the place will be packed. Now, the restaurant may not be as full with twenty-somethings, replaced by some of the Carolina Country Club gray-hair set, but that just means that the word about the place has reached the masses. Second, the food: Jeremy Sabo and his sous chef Dave Zoller have put together a super menu of original and seasonal creations that focus on flavor and value. Starting with house baked bread served with a great white bean puree (rather than butter or olive oil), the restaurant makes a strong impression. Other appetizers include fantastic mussels, tuna carpaccio (more like seared tuna sashimi), and a salad of prosciutto, roasted peaches and gorgonzola. My personal favorite is the meat plate that is served with several types of salumi, Italian cheese, roasted olives, almonds, honeycomb, and Zoller's kick-ass mostarda. Of course, the slightly piquant red bell pepper gazpacho is another great dish, with just enough bite to counter the acidity of this variation of the traditional summer soup (yeah, so what if they serve a Spanish soup in an Italian restaurant). Of course, when I refer to appetizers, I wasn't talking about the pastas and risotti. I've tried three: a wonderful agnolotti with smoked chicken thigh pieces (yes, dark meat rules) and sun-dried tomato, a flavorful summer risotto with crab, asparagus, corn and a bit too much truffle oil, and the killer pasta: short rib raviolini with tomatoes, arugula, horseradish cream and just an appropriate whiff of truffle oil. Damn, the short ribs in this pasta really rocked my world! Entrees, which with one exception range in price from 16 to 20 dollars, are also top-notch. North Carolina tuna is grilled over wood, leaving a barely perceptible smokiness, and is served with fregola (referred to on the menu as Sardinian couscous) and summer vegetables, all with a peperonata vinaigrette. The combination of the flavors and textures is perfect making this the main course of the evening. A friend had a beef double header of wood-grilled strip steak and braised short rib – yes, short ribs in August. This dish worked, even though it was nearly 90 degrees outside, as the contrast in the flavors and textures between the beef was remarkable. Served with marscapone potatoes and pole beans, I'd gladly eat that for my red meat fix any day. But that's not what I ordered – I had the pancetta stuffed veal breast. Ho hum, just another dish that I often whip up for myself at home. Served with pan seared ricotta gnocchi, asparagus, and a marsala sauce, this is another plate of comfort food that takes care of what ails you. For dessert, I had the best panna cotta I've ever eaten in my life. Now, I'm not a big fan of panna cotta, but the milky saffron version served at Vivace with a fig and peach compote forever changed the way I'll think of this glorified Italian Jello. Unfortunately, at that point I had so much wine that I can't recall what others had for dessert! But let me talk about the wine! Vivace's new general manager and sommelier, Scott Luetgenau, has been on the job for about a month. I got to know Luetgenau when he served in a similar capacity at Enoteca Vin, and his knowledge of wine and passion to teach others made a wine ignoramus like me want to keep returning to learn more. One day, however, Luetgenau left Vin to take over the cellars at Il Palio in Chapel Hill's Siena Hotel. That was a sad day for me when I arrived at Vin and heard he had left. But Luetgenau wised up, returned to Raleigh, and has been given the task of completely overhauling the Vivace wine list. Folks, you're in for a treat. I can't recall the specifics of each wine, other than to recall that we had some varietals that are not commonplace. We had a Riesling blend from the Alto Adige, which was a perfect starter. We also had a fairly young Barbera d'Asti, that Luetgenau quickly decanted for us, opening it up tremendously. An Aglianico was a perfect complement to my veal breast – this ancient grape is one that should not be ignored. We also tried a stellar Greco. Frankly, the wines were superb, as was the wine service. If you want a special treat, just let Scott Luetgenau take care of you. You won't be disappointed. Yes, the food is great, the wine is fantastic and the buzz remains strong. But what makes me want to come back to Vivace – or Frazier's or Porter's for that matter – is the value. I believe we were comped the bottle of Greco, simply because Luetgenau wanted to try it himself. Other than that, we paid full freight. Most of us had three courses. A couple had four (yes, I was one of those!). Our tab before tax and tip averaged out to 60 bucks a head. To eat and drink at this level for that price is astonishing to me, but that's exactly what Kevin and Stacy Jennings have successfully accomplished in this market. Now we'll just have to wait until they find the right location for a French brasserie, their next dream project!!!

It's always a good time to revive an old thread, particularly this one. I won't rank my favorites, but I would agree that Fins, the Grill, and Vin are all on my favorites list, and they're completely different styles. I'll have a report shortly on Vivace, which I wouldn't put on the top of my list for elegant dining, but it's a restaurant that firmly clinches Kevin and Stacey Jennings as the Triangle restaurateurs who deliver the best higher-end dining value.