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eG Foodblogs: Toolprincess (2011) - Food adventures from North Carolin


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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!

Ever try them with a drizzle of honey? I have to try making some . . :smile:

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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!

Ever try them with a drizzle of honey? I have to try making some . . :smile:

I don't think I've ever had them with just honey but I have had them with honey butter. NOMNOMNOM!!!

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Does the Vietnamese place serve Banh mi? I really, really miss Sweet Basil down in Holly Springs that did a wonderful banh mi.

Have you tried the Lime Rickey at Goodberry's? I've been taking my kids to Goodberry's for about 16 years now, and I've never actually tried the custard because I always go for the lime rickey (freshly squeezed limeade.)

Also worth trying is Stick Boy Bread Company down in Fuquay-Varina. Their summer stollen is excellent.

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Does the Vietnamese place serve Banh mi? I really, really miss Sweet Basil down in Holly Springs that did a wonderful banh mi.

Have you tried the Lime Rickey at Goodberry's? I've been taking my kids to Goodberry's for about 16 years now, and I've never actually tried the custard because I always go for the lime rickey (freshly squeezed limeade.)

Also worth trying is Stick Boy Bread Company down in Fuquay-Varina. Their summer stollen is excellent.

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?

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That Snoopy's Hot Dog is speaking to me! My usual dog is with mustard and onion, but topping it with chili is genius. Will do very soon - maybe even this weekend! Very fun blog!

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.

Edited by blue_dolphin (log)
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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.

grapeleafandhummus.jpg

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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). :raz:

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. :wink:

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That Snoopy's Hot Dog is speaking to me! My usual dog is with mustard and onion, but topping it with chili is genius. Will do very soon - maybe even this weekend! Very fun blog!

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. :biggrin:

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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... :raz:

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That Snoopy's Hot Dog is speaking to me! My usual dog is with mustard and onion, but topping it with chili is genius. Will do very soon - maybe even this weekend! Very fun 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. :biggrin:

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That Snoopy's Hot Dog is speaking to me! My usual dog is with mustard and onion, but topping it with chili is genius. Will do very soon - maybe even this weekend! Very fun 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. :biggrin:

Yum! Perfect Saturday fare!

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That Snoopy's Hot Dog is speaking to me! My usual dog is with mustard and onion, but topping it with chili is genius. Will do very soon - maybe even this weekend! Very fun 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. :biggrin:

Yum! Perfect Saturday fare!

Very Yum! I'll post the results on the Dinner topic. Thanks again for a very enjoyable blog.

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Thanks to everyone who read this blog and supported me throughout the week. I hope you enjoyed sharing my food adventures. If I get a chance to blog here again one day - there is still LOTS to share and I also didn't plan very well this week for doing some cooking myself as well as sharing local treats. In retrospect perhaps I should have taken a few days off from work -- the better to DO MORE, EAT MORE, and POST MORE. :blink:

As promised I am attaching my kitchen pictures. Yes I did some cleaning beforehand (full disclosure) and yes my counters are still loaded!

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As you can see I have a lot of refrigerator acne!

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Here is my china cabinet in the dining area. Also used to store various items on the top.

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Inside china cabinet

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My Le Crueset pitcher collection

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Herb keeper - one of my "tools" that is useful but not really a necessity. :wink:

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drawer with little to no organization

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jumble of kitchen tools with knives in background

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Shrimp boil :wub:

Sounds like a plan!

I vicariously enjoyed all the fried goodies in particular. Also that pickled cantaloupe has got me thinking. I always have one in the fridge for my African tortoise and there is only so much fresh melon he can eat before it turns; plus I prefer salty over sweet.

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toolprincess-

i fondly remember the triangle from many years ago. after our first year of marriage in Hooks, Tx and environs this was the first place we could have food that WASN'T FRIED while moving back north.

we were still tx bbq oriented (beef over open pit) and the first thing we both ordered was broiled fish.

are there any places that do mutton bbq around you? or any variations of bbq? how prevalent are other food styles such as various asian or traditional soul/southern?

now one of my old coworkers has retired and live in your town and we just lost a good friend to a new job in the triangle.

The triangle is a nice area. I think here you have the ability to live "rurally", "suburbanly" or slightly urbany. With 3 distinct college towns it also offers a bit of the eclectic.

I have never had mutton bbq. There are some variations - at some places you can find beef brisket as well as pork BBQ and Ed Mitchell is currently promoting his whole turkey BBQ.

Soul Food/southern is available certainly but I would say the best places are in the smaller towns of NC. A very popular and well-known place is MaMa Dip's. I prefer a smaller lesser known place in Fuquay-Varina - Joyce's Family Restaurant.

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This morning for breakfast I stopped by Chick-fil-aand grabbed a chicken biscuit - as you can infer we do not lack for options of fried chicken here. :raz:

That is one thing I miss about the south - now that I live in MN, no chicken biscuits for breakfast anywhere!

I really enjoyed your blog this week, thanks for sharing with us.

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Here's a question: a colleague from work is moving to the Triangle area in a few weeks, he and his fiance are starting grad school at Duke and UNC. I'd love to give them a going-away gift of a restaurant gift certificate to introduce them to the cuisine of their new home. Any suggestions from what you've shown us? I was thinking BBQ (neither have been out of the northeast before) but wonder if you'd suggest something else.

Thanks so much for the tour, it's been great fun.


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