There’s something about winter that just makes you want to hole up and hibernate. I have never been one for cold weather and even the mild winters in Raleigh have me bundled up like Ralphie’s brother in “A Christmas Story.” It’s no surprise then that I turn to homey comfort foods in the winter; lots of soups, stews, and pot pie. We have heard about the delicious desserts at Piebird (618 N. Person St Raleigh, NC 27604) for a while, but I needed a piping hot pot pie on a particular chilly night.

The first thing that I noticed walking into Piebird was the set-up. Most of the seating is down a long, communal booth. It’s great if you have a larger crowd, but if you’re on a date, it’s not the most intimate setting. By the end of the meal, I knew more about the career plans of the diners next to us than we ever wanted to. I did like the small quirky touches though, I am in love with their bird salt and pepper shakers. If I wasn’t so honest, I’d be tempted to slip these in my purse and bring them home.

To start off the meal, we had an order of the pie cracklings, which were pieces of fried pie dough served with hummus. My favorite part of pie is the crust, so this was like heaven for me, a dish with nothing but crust! The hummus served with it was equally good, the only drawback was that it was so busy that night, our pie cracklings came only a few minutes before our main course, so I was double-fisting bites of pot pie while trying to get more of those delicious cracklings.

The menu for Piebird’s entrees is plenty small, just five different items, which was actually comforting for me. I knew exactly what I wanted and I knew with so few dishes, the kitchen could really concentrate on making them great. Matt and I took on two variations of chicken pot pie; I ordered the classic and Matt ordered the madras curried version. The classic pot pie was delicious; with a layer of crust on top, creamy sauce, and perfectly cooked veggies within. The potpies I’ve had at other places tend to be mush inside, so it was nice to have carrots, potatoes and peas that still had a nice bite. The only complaint I had was that I missed a layer of crust at the bottom. Overall though, Matt won with his pot pie choice; the addition of the curry brought a subtle heat and spice to an already great dish and the side raita and chutney brought a nice Indian influence to a very Western meal. The sides really brought the meal together. My tomato basil soup was exactly the comforting dish I needed and the fries Matt ordered may possibly be the best French fries in Raleigh; perfectly crisp and salted, with a great fluffy interior. It’s my understanding that the sides change up frequently, so if you’re there when the fries are offered, grab them while you can!

Finally, we reached the other main event; Dessert!!! There were lots of different dessert pies to choose from, but Matt went traditional with cherry pie. His pie was delicious, but Matt was hoping for a little bit more tartness. My choice, the honey sea salt pie was amazing. Sweet, but with just enough salt to balance it. Plus, once again, I could eat pie crust all day long and the crust was perfectly flaky and the great mix of savory and sweet.

If you want a long and complicated menu, there’s lots of places in Raleigh to choose from. But, if you want simple, but well-made comfort food, I can’t think of a better place to go. Even when it starts getting warm outside, I plan to be there, I just might need my pie a la mode.

~Rebecca

I really did find the combination of fried chicken on top of waffles to be an odd combination when I first heard about it. I love waffles and fried chicken, but it never occurred to me that these two things would be great together.  But after years of hearing about how it was a local soul food delicacy of sorts (and driving by Dames), we knew that we had to just go for it.

Dame’s immediately struck me as a charmingly decorated but definitely down-home style place.  Because of the breakfast focus of Dame’s signature dish, it’s hard to imagine myself having a meal at there after 2 PM (though they must have business late since they have night-time hours), but it is definitely a great place for a pre-afternoon meal.   We both found the staff  super-attentive and the actual dining experience was great.

The menu at Dames focuses on its signature dish, with each of the chicken and waffle combinations included the combination of waffle and cuts of chicken with a specific type of shmear.  We were both surprised at the use of the schmear which is almost always used to denote a particular type of cream cheese spread  on a bagel.  In this case it is a fruit-flavored creme that is meant to be spread over the waffle.  I also loved the fact that the menu included a Vegan (and now apparently Gingerbread waffles) version of their dish, and I am actually quite tempted to give them try next time we visit.  All of the dishes had stylized chicken oriented names, and I made my choice of  the “red-crested rose comb”.   This dish included drumsticks on top of a pair of standard waffles with strawberry shmear on the side.

Once my dish arrived, I spread the creme over the waffle, poured the syrup and dug in.  The waffle was great with a light crispiness that didn’t fall prey to the heaviness issue that often ruins waffles.  Let me say though, the thing that really made me fall in love with Dame’s was the fried chicken.  Outside of Bojo’s, this was the first time that I have really loved fried chicken that I’ve eaten in North Carolina.  The seasoning on the skin blew me away with a richness that included a combinations of spices that I can’t quite put my finger on but which I think included a touch of thyme. The chicken was both crispy on the outside and the perfect juiciness on the inside.  Part of me wished that I could take a whole tub of the fried chicken home with me.  In addition to the main event, I also had a side of the mac and cheese which a great rich and creamy compliment to the rest of the meal.

Dame’s is a great place to try a soul food original, and I highly recommend it to anybody who loves their fried chicken or waffles.  Honestly, I personally can’t wait for another chance to visit Dame’s and eat another bite of their scrumptious fried chicken.

-Matt

It’s here! It’s here! Ask anyone in Raleigh what they are doing from 10/13-10/23 and you’ll get one answer: I’m going to the fair! Matt and I look forward to the fair every year. We have our favorite haunts (Oddities tent, anyone?) and always find something new to discover.

Click to view slideshow.

Deep-fried!:

We lucked out when we managed to get tickets to the Opening Night tweet-up. Not only did we get to hang out with some of our favorite bloggers and Twitterites (@ellenlynch, @bcwriter, and @dawnacrawford), but we got a chance to try out some of the latest in greasy confectionery.  First of all, we got to try out the latest craze in fair food; the deep-fried kool-aid. It’s not as crazy as last year’s kool-aid pickles and much tastier. The kool-aid is mixed with batter and then deep-fried. Easy enough! Think a sweeter and redder hush puppy. I enjoyed mine, although some people found theirs to be little dry. Luckily, the original hush puppy was being served as a doughy palate cleanser.

The big draw though was the deep-fried bubblegum, a concoction that sounded both appealing and disgusting. Once again, the recipe is simpler than it seems; bubblegum-flavored marshmallow, deep fried, drizzled with syrup and bubble-gum pieces. Picking one up felt vaguely disconcerting; it was squishy like a water balloon about to pop. Biting into one was a license in evading a gooey mess, but it was worth it. The sweetness of the marshmallow, the crispiness of the fried coating, and that familiar Bubble Yum flavor was irresistible. Unfortunately, finding this treat again among the food stands was impossible. We asked around and no one knew a stand that was actually selling these treats. The deep-fried bubblegum may be the Bigfoot of the Fair world.

My one attempt at being healthy was picking up a basket of fried veggies. Someone realized the only way to get people to eat broccoli and cauliflower at the fair would be to dip it into batter and fry the crap out of it. Unfortunately, the coating slipped off too easily, leaving a trail of various dropped veggies in my wake.

Luckily, the Chef D’Lite stand offered some solace. Focusing on southern-fried goodies, I had to pick up my favorite: the deep-fried mac and cheese. These little triangles of delight were offered up piping hot and with a spicy dipping sauce. Meanwhile, the deep-fried cookie dough was an even richer counterpoint. For $5, you get a whole lot of chocolatey goodness, so be prepared to split them with a friend.

Here’s the meat!:

What’s the point of all of this fried stuff without a hunk of meat to nosh on with it? Last year’s darling was the Krispe Kreme bacon cheeseburger, so this year it was accompanied by its cousin; the Goober Burger. Two Krispe Kreme donuts, peanut butter, grape jelly, and a burger patty. It seems so wrong, yet oh so right. I better it’d be better with a more charred patty, but that was surprisingly some good eatin’!

Matt took on some traditional corndogs, but I had my eye set on the trifecta; the bacon cheese dog. A red hot sausage, cheese sauce, and crispy bacon. I was a little sad that the cheese sauce was a little bland, but between the red hot and the perfectly crispy bacon, I was perfectly content sitting on a bench with a cold drink and one of these to munch on.

Misc. Goodies:

The big trend in goodies was the candy apple. Not just any candy apple; but a variety of crazy concoctions. Coated in chocolate, coconut, sprinkles, every color of the candied rainbow. Woe to the dentally-challenged like me. My poor bridge would not be able to withstand these treats, although I’d love to try. Have an apple for me, everyone!

At the cooking contests, the creation that caught my eye above all else was an awesome Steampunk-inspired cake. With copper gears and a timepiece in the middle, it was either a cake or a time machine. My top hat and monocle off to that baker!

It must have been a dream. I remember searching throughout the fairgrounds for a QR code, all a part of the Tweet-up’s scavenger hunt, but the place itself must have been a mirage. Really? Crepes? At the Fair? Indeed, I watched a guy inside the booth smooth the batter over the hot plate and I was in awe. There’s the standard crepes and a few non-traditional Belgian dishes (Pizza waffles?) Unfortunately, when we went back on Monday, the stand was gone. If you find Brussels Crepes, jump on it and get something with nutella.

Only at the Fair:

Toys: The most common sight all day was the Unlicensed Video Game Character. It was truly the unsung hero of the Fairway, every one from Sonic T. Hedgehog, the Mario Brothers, and even Ms. Lara Croft made an appearance. But the new kids on the block, soon to be crashed into to squash some piggies, were the Angry birds. You couldn’t turn around without seeing their furious faces. Sorry game consoles, cell phones are deciding the cheap toy line-up next year. I’m hoping for some cuddly Words with Friends toy to snuggle up to.

Animals:

There’s always livestock to find at the fair. Cows, racing pigs, even the lone zebra at the petting zoo. My favorite animals though are to be found at the various Oddities tents around the fairway. The World’s Smallest Horse, El Chupacabra, and even a spider woman can be found.

Even more disturbing through than Pandora the spider woman was the Bunny Shed. A local high school farming club hosted a Rabbit judging contest and I found myself gasping and cooing at every single one. A small white dwarf bunny stole my heart. I turned away content, and saw the following sign “Rabbits are for food, fur, and fun!” Wow, way to bring down the room.

As the night draws to a close and the LCDs light up on the Ferris wheels, it’s hard not to feel like a kid again. Every year has something to look forward to, yet I find myself wondering what will happen next year. I know I’ll saw you all there, only three hundred-some days to go….

~Becca

Make Us the Deep Fried Ambassadors – My Fair Ladies: Kamikaze Edition

If one Deep Fried Ambassador is good, imagine how tasty 3 would be! Introducing the blogging trio “My Fair Ladies”.

Giving you three unique perspectives on the 2011 NC State Fair, we three fabulous ladies will cover the full gamut of food, rides, entertainment, competitions, exhibits and fun “only at the Fair” odd bits. Telling the story through photos, videos and, of course, wildly entertaining words, this gaggle of gals is sure to make everyone want to come out to the Fair.

• Kamikaze – aka Becca – “Julia” of RDUGonnaEatthat - Nothing stops this Fair enthusiast. No food will be left uneaten, no ride unridden. Put a plate before her and she will devour it. Beat: Food & Rides
• Fairly Odd – aka Dawn A Crawford- Fun just got a little funky at the State Fair. Get a backstage look at the music, the best of our state’s produce and livestock and side-shows. Exploring the entertaining, wacky and downright odd parts of the Fair. Beat: Competitions & Entertainment
• The Wrangler – aka Valentina Garcia-Gerdes - Armed with sunscreen, family meet-up points and a purse of non-sugary snacks, this mom knows how to make the Fair fun for all ages. Beat: Family Activities & Exhibits

And here is my story of why I want to be a Deep Fried Ambassador:

It’s that time of year; I’ve been spinning in my desk chair for hours to prepare for the Gravitron, pouring powdered sugar on everything I eat, and studying about the differences between a Charolais and a Red Angus. It must be State Fair time.

The State Fair is like the leaves changing color, when I see the ads for it, I know that Fall is here. It’s a great way to start the season; walking in the crisp air, seeing the sights, snacking on an oversized turkey leg….or two. Ever since I moved to North Carolina, the State Fair has been one of the things I look forward to the most out of the year. It’s been great to see a whole community come out and experience something together.

What grabbed my attention the most when I started going to the Fair was of course, the food. I am a sucker for anything deep-fried, sugary, meaty, and bacony. Really, only at the Fair would I be able to find something to snack on that incorporates all of that (Krispe Kreme burgers and chocolate covered bacon, anyone?) Even when the crazy experiments don’t work out (*cough*redKool-Aidpickles) I know there’s something awesome around the next corner.

What goes better with a stomach full of snacks than a few roller coasters? I’ve always been a bit of a ride-freak and the State Fair is my favorite time to let loose. The faster, the higher, the dizzier, the better.  I try to hit everything, from the fun houses to the classic Ferris Wheel. That scream you hear from the top of every ride? It’s probably me.

Even better than the food and the rides though is the time I get to spend with my friends and family there. One of the highlights of the Fair one year for me was simply playing ping-pong bingo with my parents until we ran out of quarters. There always something to talk or laugh about and going over my pictures of years past brings back a ton of happy memories. Going through my pictures and seeing the sometimes crazy sights again is already getting me revved up for this year.

As the “Kamikaze” member of my trio of adventuring ladies, I pledge to leave no Ferris Wheel un-ridden, no Oreo un-fried, no Ghost House un-screamed! I embrace the State Fair experience and can’t wait to see everyone there.

Isaac Hunter’s Tavern, probably Raleigh’s most historical tavern, has decided to branch out, focusing on food this time. I love a good pub, anything combining good food and local beer has my seal of approval, so I was excited when we found that Joel Lane’s was having a pre-opening tasting. The question before this place is of course, can it meet Isaac Hunter’s reputation?Joel Lane’s (410 Glenwood Ave, Ste 350, Raleigh, NC 27603), named after the “Father of Raleigh”, is set among the bars and tapas joints along downtown Glenwood ave, so it’s definitely a refreshing change of pace. Its focus seems to be pub food and sandwiches done well, with a good local brew to round out the meal. The menu for the night was casual, mostly sandwiches, with the odd plate of spaghetti featuring the specialty of the house, homemade meatballs. To start things off, we tried their fried mushrooms and loaded tots. We’re blessed in Raleigh to have numerous places offering loaded tots, so I’ve become a tot snob, if there is such a thing. The idea of the loaded tots sounded good; pepper jack cheese, sour cream, and green onions, but with the creamy pepper jack sauce on the bottom and creamy sour cream on top rendered the tots soggy within minutes. The taste was good, but the texture soon become mush. What was more successful was the fried mushrooms and “zesty sauce.” The mushrooms weren’t greasy and were seasoned perfectly and we spent a good 10 minutes figuring out what made the zesty sauce so good (Cayenne? Paprika?)

After some salads (which weren’t great, but not terrible), it was time for the main courses. The meatball sandwich was a must, and after weeks of eating light, only a club sandwich would do. Unfortunately, once again, while the taste was there, the execution was lacking. With a club sandwich, you need either thick, solid bread or you need to toast it. Joel Lane’s club sandwich used soft pumpernickel, which wasn’t toasted,  so the sandwich collapsed when I picked it up. You shouldn’t have to use a fork and knife for a sandwich, which is what I was forced to  do. Luckily, it was tasty; the turkey and roast beef was tender, the tomatoes were bright and ripe, and there was a slathering of shallot mayo on the sandwich which brought it all together.

The meatball sandwich won in the battle of the mains. It was seasoned well, the sauce was tasty, and there was plenty of melty cheese on top. You couldn’t ask for more, except it was advertised as being a jalapeno meatball, and the spiciness was not there. I tasted other seasonings, but no heat at all. If it hadn’t been sold to us as having jalapeno, it would have been a true success.

Finally, desserts! We had a choice of raspberry brulee cheesecake and fried poundcake. Matt went for the poundcake, and because I’m a sucker for all things brulee, I went for the cheesecake. Again, it was an issue of advertising; just as a raspberry cheesecake, it was great. But when I hear “brulee,” I want brunt, crisp sugar, which my cheesecake did not have. Matt picked the true winner; the fried poundcake was like being at the state fair, without the greasiness. The fried coating was nice and crisp, the inside was surprisingly light and airy, and the cherry bounce drizzle was the quote on quote “icing on the cake.”

Overall, I think it’s a good start. There’s little things that could stand some reworking, but Joel Lane’s shows a lot of promise. I can see myself spending many a Saturday afternoon drinking a pint of Big Boss’ Monkey Bizness and a fried poundcake. I see many a week of healthy eating blown here.

~Becca “formerly Julia”

As newcomers to the Triangle in 2007, one of the first areas we visited was the always awesome city of Chapel Hill.  It was then that we first stumbled on Time Out Chicken, but at the time we fairly clueless about the area and did not even get a second look.  It took a long time and a Man Vs Food feature to realize that Time Out was a something of big deal to college students and Chapel Hill locals alike.  We had since been meaning to try it, and we finally got the opportunity when we ended up in Chapel Hill way too early for the Southern Season yearly sale.

Time out is country cooking style restaurant that is famous for its chicken cheddar biscuit sandwich and this was exactly what we were craving the day we were looking for a snack.  There were also variety of other sides such as Mac and Cheese, fried okra,or mashed potatoes that would probably be great for a post-drinks snack, but did not seem like a great choice for breakfast.  We went with the simple Four-corner cheddar cheese chicken sammy, and we were not disappointed.  The biscuit was huge and fluffy with a perfect balance of baking soda and sweetness.  The chicken is quite possibly the best non-chain fried chicken I’ve had in Raleigh.  It was a great piece of chicken with just the right amount of saltiness and light crispness that made it perfectly matched to the oozing piece of cheddar that was on top of it.  I will say though, that was a big sandwich and I was stuffed for hours after that.  I really feel like to truly appreciate the Time Out chicken n cheddar (and their lovely country-style sides), you must have a few drinks.  I am thinking of making a boozy pilgrimage to the newly opened NCSU location to test out this theory.

I was more than happy to find that Time Out’s chicken sandwich turned out to be worthy of the praise that it has received from UNC students and Man V Food alike.  It will forever be a staple in Chapel Hill for drunk Co-eds and us old folks as well.

We love going to the Triangle Tweet-ups, it’s always a great way to meet new people, see friends, and have some great food. However, I’ve been hoping for more Tweet-ups in Raleigh. I feel like we have some great local places and so many of the tweet-ups have been outside of Raleigh. . I thought May’s partnership with Taste Carolina Food Tours was a great idea. We would walk and take the bus to several locations around downtown Raleigh to try different foods around the area. Don’t get me wrong, I have loved every single tweet-up, but I wanted Raleigh to get a chance to shine.

We started the tour at my new favorite haunt, which is Busy Bee Cafe. We were able to try several local brews from the Triangle including my beloved Basil Farmhouse Ale from FullSteam and Shotgun Betty Hefeweizen from Lonerider Brewery. There wasn’t much food there to speak of, outside of their tater tots, which was disappointing, but I guess you don’t want to start a walk on a early Summer day with a belly full of heavy food.

After Busy Bee, we were supposed to head to 18 Seaboard. Making our way from Wilmington Street  to Peace street would have been too much of a trek, so we hopped on the R-Line bus, which is the free busline for the downtown circuit. Once we got to 18 Seaboard, I was impressed by the atmosphere of the place. It’s definitely more upscale, but it was a beautiful open space.  Chef Jason Smith was there to introduce the restaurant and explain about his personal cooking philosophies. I love finding new places that focus on local farming and resources and I could tell that keeping his food and menu local was important to Chef Jason. For our sample, we were presented with a seared scallop with sauteed ramps and morels. I had never had morels before and I loved the earthy taste it had combined with the sweetness of the scallop.  I was pretty happy with our short time at 18 Seaboard and walking away, I couldn’t believe I had never been there before. I will definitely be back to experience a full dinner.

We then made our way to Market. After their Anti-Valentine’s Day dinner, I can’t sing their praises enough. Chef Chad McIntyre was there to introduce our bites and talk about the restaurant. Again, local and organic was a common theme of our tour, as Market focuses on seasonal and local specialities. We started with one of their fabulous cocktails, which was called a ginger slap. I’m not a bourbon fan, but mixed with fresh ginger syrup and soda water, the Ginger Slap was refreshing, spicy, and a welcome way to sit and relax after the walk from 18 Seaboard. An accompanying bowl of beignets with powdered sugar and locally gathered honey was a nice way to start the meal.  The dishes we were given there were  a nice mix of Southern classics with modern and world cooking. The Korean BBQ with pickled onions was a nice play on the traditional NC BBQ. Meanwhile, the cheesy grits were surprisingly light without the gut-busting heaviness I hate about grits. As much as I love duck, I almost felt like the duck served with the grits was an afterthought. While it was cooked nicely, I think the grits and BBQ blew it out of the water. I could have stayed all day and had more Ginger Slaps, but there was chocolate to be had!

Escazu Artisan Chocolates (936 N. Blount St. Raleigh, NC) was previously located on Glenwood, but I’m glad they moved, because they really deserve a place where they can showcase their spectacular chocolate. We were given a tour of their place and got a brief introduction of the chocolate-making process, with a few tastings of their Costa Rican and Venezualan bars. It was pretty impressive with what they could do in such a small space and the taste will make you swear off mass-produced chocolate. We picked up a couple of their truffles and I was instantly hooked. I’m not a sweets person, but I could go for a box of these any time.

Our last stop was at my favorite bar in Raleigh, Foundation (213 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh, NC). I adore the underground feel of the place and I like how they try to focus on regional liquor, beer, and wine (or as regional as possible when it comes to rum) and house-made sodas. After the lovely Ginger Slap at Market, I was still craving some ginger ale, which is made on premises at Foundation. I am hooked on real ginger ale, the stuff you buy at stores doesn’t have that fresh bite of the spice to it. We were so happy to be at Foundation because Crumb was there as well to offer up a sample of their sweets. Crumb doesn’t have a physical location to pick up their desserts yet, so any time they make an appearance as a Triangle gathering is an event. At Foundation, they were serving their lemon meringue tartlets, which I could have eaten a dozen of (and almost did). Since I don’t have a sweet tooth, it takes a lot for me to eat dessert, but the cirtusy bite of the tartlets was addictive.

It was a fun time doing the walking tour with everyone and I honestly would love to do this again through Taste Carolina in a different city. All of that walking just means I can eat more, right?

~Rebecca

Growing up, we would beg my Mom to bring home a gallon jar of Mt. Olive Kosher Dill pickles every time she went grocery shopping.  I don’t know what it is about pickles, but I have always been a fan of everything salty, sour, or tart. When we moved to North Carolina, I knew that Mt. Olive wasn’t too far away, but never went to Pickle Valhalla until the recent Mt. Olive Pickle Festival.  There were some surprises along the way, some less pleasant than others (Pickle-flavored shaved ice, anyone?)

On the way there, we passed a sign simply stating “We have Frog Legs.” Obviously, we had to make a quick detour to experience Fried Frog Legs at the Sof-T-Shop (302 East Weeks Circle, Newton Grove, NC). The Sof-T-Shop looks like your typical Southern road diner; hand-written menus with your standard burgers, chicken, and hush puppies, old plastic signs from the 50s. It’d be easy to pass it up, but definitely make the stop, because their frog legs are tasty. I’ll admit, I was a little uneasy about ripping a pair of frog’s legs in two, but once you get past the initial “ew” factor, I was surprised by how light and moist they were. “It tastes like chicken” is such a cliche, but it’s definitely reminiscent of a chicken drumstick. It hs the same sweet meatiness just in a daintier size. I could have eaten an entire KFC bucket full of those, but I had to save room for picklely treats.

When we got to Mt. Olive, it felt like everyone in NC had traveled there. It was wall-to-wall people, all there to watch “Little Miss Sunshine” wannabes, antique cars, and face painters. I was worried that there wouldn’t much focus on pickles. Luckily, some intrepid food stands decided to focus on the famous Mt. Olive pickle rather than offering standard fair food. The Mt. Olive sponsored booth of course offered pickles in their familiar form; kosher dill, sweet, and bread-and-butter style. I was happy with just a good pickle, but I kept my hopes up for something a little more dangerous.

The first stand we saw that was a little more imaginative offered up a pickle-laced lemonade. The lemonade was fresh-squeezed, then shaken with pickle slices. Those who were expecting something more picklefied probably would have been disappointed, it wasn’t bursting with pickle flavor. You got a hint of it at the end of a sip but only a pleasant tangy hint. To me, with the heat and sun beaming down on us, you couldn’t have asked for a better refreshment.

We had heard a rumor from a fellow pickle fan on Twitter that there was pickle ice cream floating around (hello pregnant ladies!), but unfortunately we couldn’t find it. We did however find a shaved ice stand offering dill pickle shaved ice. If you did want the classic pickle and ice cream combo (well, classic if you like weird combinations), you could have a scoop of ice cream on the bottom.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t as enamored of my shaved ice, it was a little too sweet and cloying for my taste and didn’t have that nice sour punch. Still, I have to give them credit for taking a leap and based on the amount of people walking around with bright green ice, I’d say their risk paid off.

North Carolina is making huge strides in its food scene, but it’s still nice to live in an area that can have both James Beard award winners and festivals dedicated to briny cucumbers. It’s always great heading out on a Saturday, heading out somewhere new and not knowing what to expect. Between the frogs legs and pickle lemonade, it’s nice to find tasty surprises along the way.

~Julia

After having a very Norwegian Christmas last year, I came home to North Carolina psyched up about the possibility of cooking some of my family’s native cuisine.   Well, let’s just say I have been eager to try some things, but my motivation level was a lot lower than I thought.  It took all of about 4 months, but I have finally gotten it together enough to try my first Norwegian creation. 

Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned growing up with a Norwegian relatives, it’s that they love to drink.   Aquavit is pretty much the national drink of Norway and most of its neighboring countries.  It is a hard liquor that can be found in almost any flavor in Norway but which is limited in its availability in the U.S.  Before I had visited Illinois last December, my parents had tested some authentic Norwegian aquavit.  Unfortunately it was so heavily seasoned with carroway that it turned out to be harsh and almost undrinkable.  Luckily my parents were able to find a recipe to make aquavit out of vodka by adding spices and letting it steep for a couple of weeks and of course leaving out the carroway seeds.  What resulted was a spicy licorce-y liquor that I knew I had to try to brew myself. 

I finally got around to gathering the spices for the recipe, but after trips to 5 or 6 area grocery stores I finally had all the ingredients.  Like my parents, I used a recipe that called for carroway seeds, but I left them out because it is such an overpowering and in my opinion unpleasant tasting spice.  So, I drained my fancy bottle of Bennett’s vodka into a new bottle and added the spices spoonful after spoonful.  Once the spices were added, I let the concoction steep for a couple of weeks, testing it every few days to be sure the taste was maturing. 

After the two weeks were up, I used a funnel strainer to pour the finished product into a new bottle and got ready to try my newly brewed  drink.  It was a great complex combination, with spices that made for a somewhat sweet and bitter flavor.  I think that the licorice from the star anise really overpowered this batch and if I were to do it again I might use only one star anise instead of the two.  Other than that though, it made for a delicious drink on the rocks that had a taste that I would say almost resembled a much less potent Uzo. 

This will definitely be one of many batches of aquavit as I will continue to experiment with different spices.  Anybody who is interested in Norwegian cuisine or alcohol should give the recipe below a try as you will not be disappointed.

http://www.food.com/recipe/andreas-viestads-mock-aquavit-117582

Tony and I love venturing out to Durham. I feel like every time I head there, I find a place that I just fall in love with instantly. It’s nice to be pleasantly surprised and eating at the Federal (914 West Main Street, Durham, NC 27701) was no different. When I walked in, I almost walked back out. It looked like a nice bar to hang out at,and I loved the retro beer signs, but I thought it was just a normal bar and grill type setting. ”Sorry Tony, it’s just a bar…” but I trailed off when something on the special board caught my eye. Osso Bucco? Sautéed root veggie?  What had we stumbled upon?

The Federal’s initial appearance hides a really sophisticated and eclectic menu. You have standard pub fare like nachos and burgers (the meat is ground fresh on premises), but you’ll also find carnitas and chicken liver pate for starters. Tony is a liver fiend, so we couldn’t pass that up. I’m less enthusiastic about pate, texture is really big with me and while I love seared liver, anything in a paste hits my gag reflex.  However, I am very happy to report that I enjoyed Federal’s pate, and I was surprised at the amount we received. Plan on splitting this with 4 people, it was a bit too much for the both of us and we could have used more toast points, but the pate was flavorful and a little spicy. I’m still not a huge fan, but making pate an enjoyable experience for me is a magic feat that the Federal was able to pull off. On the same plate were homemade bread and butter pickles, which are not typically a favorite of mine, but these were crunchy, tart, and not overpoweringly sweet.  The Federal was able to change my mind on two formerly hated items, so I have to tip my hat to them there.

For dinner, we had to try two of the day’s specials; Mussels with Duck chorizo and a dish of Saffron Risotto with leeks and broccoli rabe. Tony’s mussels were an immediate hit, I love the mix of the steamed mussels, the spicy chorizo and the broth of white wine and garlic. Plus, the  mussels were steamed perfectly, so they weren’t rubbery or tough, just perfect little seafood morsels of goodness. Combined with a pint of a good local brew, which the Federal has in spades, and the ACC tournament playing, I could see myself being here every day eating this and being very happy.

The Saffron Risotto was good, but not nearly as crowd-pleasing as the mussels. The risotto’s texture was perfect, it has the great balance of creamy smoothness without being a pile of mush. I love leeks in everything and these just melted in my mouth. The broccoli rabe wasn’t overpowering like I was afraid it would be and added a nice bite to the creaminess of the risotto. My one complaint was that the risotto itself was underseasoned, I couldn’t get much of the saffron flavor. I had to do the cardinal sin of using the salt shaker to season it more. I was still happy overall though, but man, I could have gone with a second plate of those mussels.

As the weather gets warmer, I know the Federal is going to be a hot spot for everyone to hang out, as they have an awesome little porch area up front. If it looks crowded, just grab a beer and wait it out, as this place has some of the best gastropub food around. Lesson learned by me, don’t judge a book by its cover, I’ll be looking for ironic Blatz signs any time I want some good food.

~Julia