toolprincess

I love San Diego, it's a beautiful place. And it's nice to see that another "princess" is blogging this week! I just have a couple more wrap up posts and I'll be clearing out of the blogging scene. Look forward to reading your blog!

A great article here about Eastern NC hot dog chili (and a recipe!). Thanks for the link! The chili is finishing on the stove and the dogs are waiting to go on the grill. Homemade buns, yellow mustard, and chopped onions standing by. Crinkle cut fries, with Heinz ketchup, will be on the side. Yum! Perfect Saturday fare!

Well folks our time is winding down. So far we have experienced several different cuisines across three NC counties (wake, durham, and chatham). I still have a few things up my sleeve later today and tomorrow. I hope you are enjoying the journey! Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion...

There were also 2 flights of beers so that all the beers could be tasted. My friend Trish is doing "research" to decide which local brewery she will choose for her birthday celebration. They offer growlers (for take home beer) also. The restaurant has a children's seating/play area labeled "future beer drinkers". Their fountain soda machine is solely Boylan Sodas which are made with pure cane sugar. They also have a Enomatic Wine Machine for the non-beer drinkers.

After the farmers market we decided to cool off at the Bull City Burger and Brewery. We were warmly greeted and decided to sit at the bar to have our burgers. We shared a burger special of the day, vegetarian special of the day (polenta burger that was really delicious but looked like a Filet o fish when it arrived), an order of their duck fat frites with rosemary, an order of dirty fries (handcut) and a couple of starters - the bowl of "pickled stuff" and the fried pickle chips with pretzel coating. Everything was delicious. The pickled stuff was cantalope, watermelon rind, carrots, cucumbers, and wax beans. The pickled cantalope was surprisingly good. Dessert was grilled lemon pound cake with vanilla ice cream, spicy chocolate sauce and blueberries.

There were also quite a few food trucks and food vendors. We tried a truck called Pie Pushers. We had a slice of breakfast pie, a bacon and cheese biscuit, and a cherry dessert pie. The Only burger truck was serving up a breakfast burger with pimento cheese and a fried egg. (which we didn't try but looked delicious). My compadres did also try an almond pastry from another bakery booth (the name escapes me). We also checked out the Fullsteam Brewery booth where they were selling growlers of beer.

This morning I ventured out to the Durham Farmer's Market. It was my first time visiting the Durham Market. It was quite busy and there was a large variety of stands. I did see the Scratch stand but they were virtually wiped out so I guess you have to get there early in the market to experience their full array of goods. I did get a large cantelope, a few tomatoes, some basil, a couple of patty pan squash and a dozen ears of corn. Here are a few general market photos:

A great article here about Eastern NC hot dog chili (and a recipe!). Regional hot dogs and sausages are so interesting! I thought the Snoopy's dog looked amazing similar to a hot dog that's popular where I grew up in Northeastern NY, where they are curiously called "michigans." They also feature a snappy red dog and the cooking method in the sauce recipe you linked to is quite similar to the michigan sauce recipe I've used, though mine uses more chili powder, cumin and cayenne, the texture must be similar. Mustard and onions are the usual michigan garnishes - no coleslaw. Also thanks for answering my questions about the Durham restaurants mentioned in the NYT travel section article last Sunday. I think it's always interesting to hear a local perspective on those things. And thanks again for blogging. I find local variations endlessly fascinating! Thanks for the link. Looks delicious and now I have a new 'dog' to seek out if I am ever in the area. My fiance and I are very different in our food tastes and our palates but the one thing we do share is a love of all things hot dog.

I used to have a very favorite Thai restaurant in Cary, NC called Viva Thai. It was in a small strip mall but they had the most amazing food and it was close to my job. Unfortunately, it closed, I changed jobs and the place re-opened as SuperWok - not a name that sets my heart aflutter I assumed that it was going to be a quickie chinese takeout place. Then I started to hear rumblings that SuperWok was not only not a quickie takeout place but was serving authentic Chinese food. I was still skeptical but another Chinese place in Chapel Hill which had been known as a mediocre takeout had started serving authentic Chinese and even though it's name - Gourmet Kingdom remains unfortunate - the food was delicious. The service at Gourmet Kingdom was however very slow and the restaurant itself is 45 minutes away. Therefore it was a no brainer that I needed to try the geographically closer and reputedly as authentic SuperWok. Ladies and Gentleman - SuperWok did not disappoint. (insert angel chorus and light from heaven here). The food was delicious and spicy. The service was quick and good. I left with my lips tingling and the meal was appropriately endorphin inducing. We had dumplings in chili oil (look very hot but really were not), Spicy beef and tripe - a cold appetizer garnished with cilantro that started the lip tingling. The cilantro was a really nice contrast in this dish. We followed that with pea tips in garlic sauce which were very nice, lotus root stir-fried with pork belly - I love the texture of lotus root and the pork belly gave it a good flavor. Unfortunately, the lack of chili oil or other spices leave the dish looking rather gray. Gourmet kingdom has a Kung Pao lotus root dish that wins both for taste and visual appeal. Rounding out the spicefest was Tri-pepper chicken and pork with sichuan sauce. I am generally not a big fan of cooked celery but the celery pieces in the pork dish were just the right crispness and worked well with the spiciness of the dish. All in all a very good meal. However, I suffered from vivid strange dreams all night and I am blaming the spicy food.

Small afternoon snack. Mini Vanilla moonpie. I was trying to show the inside textures of a moonpie but I am not sure my picture does the cakey, graham-y, marshmallowy inside justice.

Friday is generally our official "lunch out" day at the office. My lunch gang obliged me by venturing a bit off the beaten path yesterday to go to a local bakery, Lebanese and Mediterranean deli. I had a half hummus pita sandwich and a half grape leaf pita sandwich. My colleague had a half sandwich platter with a grape leaf sandwich, falafel and hummus. My other colleague had a grape leaf sandwich. The grape leaf sandwich comes with labneh, lettuce and tomato. The hummus sandwich has pickles, tahini, hummus, lettuce and tomato. We washed it down with Dr. Brown's sodas. I also picked up a package of pita while we were there, the others also bought some bread and a pound of stuffed grape leaves to take home.

Posting a link to the hot dog slaw recipe. I think the main point here is that the cabbage is finely chopped, generally in a food processor although I have to mention that my grandmother used her blender to make delicious slaw.

Ooh San Diego is a fave place of mine!

I heard that 9N9 does have bahn mi but it's not on the menu, maybe it's only on the weekend? I will ask my friend who is Vietnamese she might have some inside info. I never made it to Sweet Basil and I guess they are closed now. *sigh* Have you been to lotus leaf in Cary? They serve the Vietnamese pancake which the name escapes me ... It's like a thin crepe with shrimp, pork, and you top it with bean sprouts, cilantro and dip in fish sauce and sugar. Very yummy. I haven't had the lime Rickey at goodberrys will have to try it. Odd that I never have since lime is one of my favorite flavors. I love stick boy and we are considering them fir our wedding cake. I'll have to try the summer stollen. Thanks for the tip. Do you also go to Nils bakery in F-V?

What? they stopped making it? I have a shaker of it at home...not sure I might have purchased it a few years ago. Adolph's is the BEST!

You can eat them however you like! I like them "as is" but sometimes I'll dip them in the vinegar sauce and some folks dip them in a little ketchup. I think one of my dining companions with the seafood was even using tartar sauce as a dip! Ever try them with a drizzle of honey? I have to try making some . . I don't think I've ever had them with just honey but I have had them with honey butter. NOMNOMNOM!!!

For those who are interested in "Lexington Style" pulled pork and coleslaw - a great article (with recipes) can be found here.

Here's an article about red hotdogs. I grew up eating red dogs and though I've come to appreciate many styles of hot dog - eastern N.C. style "full dressed" (Mustard, chili, slaw and onions) will always speak to me and say HOME.

A great article here about Eastern NC hot dog chili (and a recipe!).

That might qualify as one of the most revolutionary uses of scones in decades! Let me know if you try it!

That's exactly what I was thinking, but I was focusing on the BBQ. The hushpuppies look good - do you eat them as is or use some sort of sauce or dip? You can eat them however you like! I like them "as is" but sometimes I'll dip them in the vinegar sauce and some folks dip them in a little ketchup. I think one of my dining companions with the seafood was even using tartar sauce as a dip!

Iowa?? I am terrible at this game.....

I use groupon and twongo for all kinds of deals and a lot of restaurant deals. I always jump on them if I see a favorite restaurant. I have never had an issue using them. Generally whatever "fine" print stipulations for the deal are listed on the Groupon or Twongo page. With most restaurants it is generally that you have to spend a minimum amount and that you cannot use your "deal" on alcohol. Also, generally they won't accept more than one deal per table (i.e. everyone with you can't get $10 off or whatever the deal is, rather it is that amount applied to the total bill.

Tonight I gathered up the troops and headed out to Pittsboro for some barbeque. Allen and Sons does traditional eastern style and had a house made vinegar hot sauce. Their house sauce is made with butter so you have to shake it up before you douse your meat to get the true flavor. Sides are also traditional hush puppies, coleslaw, french fries, fried okra and potato salad (we did not have any potato salad). The french fries are very good they make them fresh from handcut potatoes. They also serve fried seafood and my fellow diners obliged by ordering a variety of different items (seafood platter and a catfish plate). We also ordered some of their brunswick stew. It is not bad but unfortunately our order was cold. Also unfortunate for all brunswick stew I encounter is that my late father was a master stew maker so generally no brunswick stew can compare! The original Allen and Sons is in Chapel Hill but we went to the outpost in Pittsboro which is closer to us, also it is generally less crowded than the original location. Everyone says that they have excellent desserts but I never have room after eating the barbeque and hushpuppies! As usual I am stuffed and it probably isn't helping that I had Chick-fil-a and Hotdogs today.

Across the street from Snoopy's - Arby's. Interesting only because they still have the "big hat" sign even though the Arby's has been remodeled to the "modern" version.