Chapel Hill (& environs) b-day dinner

[dscott]

On a spur of the moment deal, the wife and I have decided to visit friends in Chapel Hill this Friday for a b-day dinner for my wife and one of our friends.

It's been a year since I've been in CH and I'm looking for good middle-high-end restaurant recommendations. High-end places like Mag Grill, Nana's, Fearrington, Fins, etc are a bit over the top (in terms of the $$$). What's good in the next step down these days?

My default would be to go to The Lantern. I've had two delicious meals there and enjoy the atmosphere as well as the food. I think that my 2nd choice might be Pop's in Durham (although it's been several years since I've been there).

I would probably prefer to skip Crook's b/c I've been there so often and I'm looking for a little something different.

Chapel Hill is our first preference for location, Durham 2nd, Raleigh is a distant third.

Your recommendations are appreciated.

[Varmint]

What do you want to accomplish with your meal? Food, atmosphere, crazy fun? If the food, what kind of food? What type of beverages? And how much money do you really want to spend? Sorry to ask so many questions, but when you're in the next lower tier, there are different experiences for different people.

FWIW, I don't care too much for Pop's, although I appreciate Scott's work. Lantern is indeed a great place, and I'm looking to get back there soon.

[dscott]

Varmint, thanks for the reply. Here are some more specifics (I apologize for the length).

If it were just the wife and me, I would choose Mag Grill b/c of the amazing food w/o an uptight atmosphere. I have no problem paying the extra $$ to get that food. However, my dining partners aren't so loose with their wallet. (I'm guessing that they wince at the Lantern's prices but we've gone with them before and they've sucked it up.) So, I'm looking for similar good food in an unpretentious atmosphere.

Drinks are less important since wife is pregnant and the other 2 aren't big wine drinkers (which means that I get outvoted). I'll probably end up with a couple of glasses of wine.

"Crazy fun"? Not sure exactly what this means. Definitely not looking for a drink-your-socks-off-and-fall-in-the-gutter birthday experience (see pregnant comment above). If fun equals loud, I guess that's not what we're looking for. I enjoy places like Four-Eleven and Cafe Parizade but they can get awfully loud on a Friday night.

I'm the only unabashed foodie in the group although the other three all enjoy good food. I'd be willing to take one for the team and substitute food for the experience if there's a place with a nice atmosphere, is relatively inexpensive and has good (but not amazing) food (e.g., Acme in Carrboro).

What kind of food? Contemporary American (plus fusion), seafood, and modern italian all come to the top of my head but I'm sure that I'm not too hamstrung on this point. If there's good East-Asian fusion (or south Asian fusion [mmmm Tabla]) other than the Lantern, I think the crew would be game. They're definitely NOT game for tripe on a bed of chicken feet or anything of that nature. (You'll have to report on your NYC lunch for that).

I'm definitely not averse to going back to the Lantern. I was just surveying to see if there's anything else I'm missing.

Thanks again Varmint. I told my wife that you'd come through! Hell, thanks for all that you do as the Southeast coordinator. Love those posts.

[Varmint]

dscott-

It's pretty clear that you already know the Triangle dining scene quite well, so I'm not sure how much more I could add. However, if you're not going to drink, Magnolia Grill still turns out to be quite a bargain, but I understand that $50 a head for 3 courses may be more than some (crazy) people want to spend. Yikes!

Have you thought about going ultra-rustic, and just focus on the fun side of dinner, and break it up into a couple of destinations? How about going to a place like the Q Shack in Durham on a Friday night, when they have live bluegrass, and then venture over to Mad Hatter's for some dessert? Another option is to come to Raleigh and eat at NOFO (or Lilly's Pizza FWIW) and then get dessert at Hayes Barton Pharmacy. Get away from the concept of having to stay at one place for 3 different courses. Franklin St., Ninth St. and Glenwood South all give you the option of parking your car and venturing from place to place. Some people like to bar hop. I like to food hop.

[dscott]

Didn't mean to waste your time, V. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing a good new place.

I really like your food hopping idea. I will present that to the crew and see what the reaction is.

Now, I just need to make sure that I get to CH in time to hit Allen and Sons for lunch. :smile:

[Guilty Gourmand]

Dscott and Varmint,

Have either of you tried Provence in Carrboro? I have not had an opportunity to visit yet but have heard very good things from friends in Chapel Hill. Perhaps it's out of the desired price range for this outing.

[acbelan]

If you can stand uninformed and often slow (but sweet) service, Vin Rouge on Durham's 9th St. is a great middle of the road place. The space itself is very atmospheric, stylish but relaxed, with a great patio. The food has been consistently good and at a good price. My only complaint is the service. We had one waiter tell us that the charcuterie plate "is all meat," and another tell us that the cheese plate had "French cheeses and stuff." Well, one other complaint--the menu has hardly changed since opening, and it leans toward heavy, wintery foods. Somehow, the lamb doesn't sound so delicious on an August night. But they always have a catch of the day, for the lighter side of things.

[dscott]

Excellent suggestions everyone! Many oohs, ahhs and "good idea"s from my dining crew.

Grazing in Raleigh was a consensus pick. Now we have to decide where? Sticking around Five Points looks like a great suggestion, Varmint. In the interest of an eclectic experience, what do you think about sharing some apps and entrees at a few different places? So instead of either NOFO OR Lilly's, maybe start with a slice and a beer at Lilly's, head over to Bloomsbury Bistro for apps and end up at NOFO for some apps or entrees. Finish it all up at Hayes Barton Pharmacy for dessert. Now, I've never been to any of these places except Lilly's, is this too ambitious for a Friday night (crowds)? Also, it looks from Mapquest that they're all pretty close to each other. True?

Thanks for the other suggestions also. We try to get to Chapel Hill 2x/year and are always looking for new places to try.

[Varmint]

Bloomsbury will be the only tough part, as that's a pretty high end restaurant. Search for their website for a menu. Other than that, everything is within 2 blocks of each other. You also have a coffee shop (Third Place), a bar or two, another pizza joint, and a great movie theater. Have fun!

[Zeb A]

Sounds like a good plan. Bloomsbury has a lively bar where you can get appetizers, but it will be crowded on a Friday night, and the bar is not large. Quite a different crowd from the Lilly's crowd. Although it would take your further down Glenwood toward downtown, consider Vin. It is a great place for sampling small portions of great appetizers, meat, and cheese. I would also say that it has a much more "hip" feel than Bloomsbury. Given the event and companions you describe, I would strongly consider substituting Vin for Bloomsbury, even though it would require a short drive. After all, is sounds like you have at least 1 designated driver anyway.

[Guilty Gourmand]

DScott, I'll second Zeb A on the Vin recommendation given the day and time and group you describe. However, having just sampled Toler's new late summer menu at Bloomsbury last weekend, there are some very exciting new appetizers there if you get the chance.