A tour of the Durham food blog scene

If you’re looking for some restaurants to try out, your best bet might be to explore the Durham food blog scene. Every time I catch up on these in my reader, I’m always left hungry and eager to head over to the Bull City for a meal.

On the Carpe Durham blog, you can see mouth-watering inspiring photos of the scallion pancake, beef congee and the spicy dry bean curd with shredded pork ordered off the “secret menu” at China Palace, aka Magic Palace.

On Delicious Durham, you can find out whether the famous Nana’s really lives up to its reputation. You can also find out how to put local peaches to tasty use by following Kelly’s peach crisp recipe or find out how you can blend your own peanut sauce to pour over stewed collards or as a standard satay sauce.

Over at Eat at Joe’s! you can vote on the best place to grab a burger in Durham. Or save the Google map he created highlighting the “Ethnic Grocery Trail.”

But wait, there’s more.

The Newlyfeds, a Durham couple with a passion for cooking who explore Durham’s dining scene, explain why you just have to go to Chubby’s Tacos on Ninth Street.

Another Durham couple reviews two downtown establishments, the newly-opened Five Points Cafe and Rue Cler on their blog: CookingEatingDurham.

And you must check out Lenore’s blog called Eclectic Glob of Tangential Verbosity. It’s not a straight food blog, but as an epicurean, you can always count on Lenore to post beautiful pictures and descriptions of her frequent dinners out (all these photos are courtesy of Lenore’s Flickr). Here’s a sample from her latest post on Serena Restaurant and Bar:

I ordered the gnocci, which I’d been looking forward to after examining their menu on-line about a week ago. It had applewood smoked bacon, dried cherries, loads of garlic, spinach, a thin slice of parmesan and potato gnocci pasta. It came with a piece of garlic bread. It sounds perfect, right?

Find out if the gnocci was a delicious as it sounds.

I’m sure there are several other Durham & Triangle-area food blogs, if you know of some that I’ve left out, please clue me in.

Raleigh is the No. 2 place to get your life on

Raleigh will be named the second best city in America to live, work and play in the July issue of Kiplinger (a personal finance magazine that has a whole section on its website dedicated to the best of just about everything a Kiplinger reader might be interested in). The issue hits newsstands June 10, but you can read the article online now.

It’s always awesome when some place in the Triangle is highlighted as a top place to be. But there are a few things about Kiplinger’s latest declaration that really irk me.

If you read the article closely, you’ll see that technically Raleigh and the “larger surrounding areas” are ranked No. 2 on the list. It’s a fact that becomes obvious only if you notice that the article posts population as 995,662 (U.S. Census estimates for 2006 put Raleigh’s population at 356,321). But really, the whole article focuses on how rad Raleigh is. It doesn’t talk about the merits of Durham, which also boasts a large creative class population (a key criteria the authors said they used to develop their rankings) or make mention of the charms of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Instead, the only other Triangle spot that gets a shout out is Cary.

It goes on to call Raleigh Times the “unofficial cultural epicenter of the new Raleigh” (wonder what the gentlemen running the New Raleigh blog think of that). The article goes on to say:

… (Raleigh Times) sits on a corner of Fayetteville Street, which is the keystone of Raleigh’s Livable Streets project, a plan to bring urban living to a city that languished as its suburbs and exurbs flourished. The bar, which offers 50 Belgian beers, attracts the young and old, hipsters and preppies, plus folks from the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University and Duke University.

First of all, Raleigh Times is not on the corner of Fayetteville Street. It is firmly planted mid block on Hargett Street. I take issue with this only because the Christian Science Reading Room is on that street corner and there is a clearly a huge difference between what’s serve at the Times versus what’s preached at the reading room. Don’t get me wrong, as a former newspaper reporter and beer lover, I love me some Raleigh Times, I just wish the article didn’t use the Times as a crutch for making a greater point about Fayetteville Street.

It’s easy to find flaws when news organizations start making lists of top places. Just look at the scathing comments people posted after CNN Money declared Durham No. 12 on a list of 100 best places to “live and launch” (because you know the Bull City is just a gang-ridden place where you’ll get mugged on the street corner *insert HUGE does of sarcasm here*). And I can empathize with the challenges a reporter faces in trying to capture the feel of an entire community based on a brief visit. I’ve been trying to do that for the community section of the various MyNC.com sites, and it’s not easy.

Do you think it makes sense for the article to declare Raleigh No. 2 without giving additional props to the Triangle? And if you’ve been to Raleigh Times, would you go so far as calling it the “cultural epicenter” of downtown Raleigh?

Three reasons I love the Triangle (in pictures)

1. Because it’s entirely possible to go to a fashion show based on the theme of using plastic bags. This show was at the Whole Foods in Raleigh on Earth Day.

2. Because Durham residents are so passionate about local politics that they will go to great lengths to display their support.

3. Because you can go to a wine fest one weekend (this pic was taken at the Great Grapes! fest in Cary last Saturday), then go to the World Beer Festival the following weekend (I’ll be at the Raleigh event from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday).

What are three reasons why you love the Triangle (or greater Triangle area)?

Welcome to McDonald’s, would you like to try a latte?

As of today, nearly every McDonald’s in the Triangle and Fayetteville areas now serves “specialty coffees” for its customers, according to local spokespeople for the restaurant who sent out this press release today:

McDonald’s has taken strides to increase coffee and beverage options since the launch of its Premium Roast Coffee in 2006, and has continued their focus on providing customers’ the variety they want, with the introduction of the McCafe Specialty Coffees. … New coffees include: Lattes, Mochas and Cappuccinos in a variety of options and flavors, including Iced, Caramel and Vanilla, and Hot Chocolate. Most are available in three sizes - small (12 ounces), medium (18 ounces) and large (20 ounces). McDonald’s gives the customers a choice of whole, two percent, or non-fat milk. The new McCafe Specialty Coffees area available in approximately 95 percent of participating McDonald’s restaurants in the Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville area.

Since I love a good cup of coffee, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try a McDonald’s latte.

Have you tried any a latte or a mocha from McDonald’s yet? Are you any more inclined to go to McDonald’s now that they offer these specialty coffees?

The best sushi in the Triangle

It’s Friday night, and I’m still sick. So instead of doing the usual dining out with friends, I’m at home trying to get better. If I could make it out tonight, I’d definitely be searching for some sushi. And that got me thinking: Where’s the best place to get sushi in the Triangle?

In Raleigh, I’ve tried Sushi Blues, Shaba Shabu, Sushi-Thai and Carolina Sushi and Roll. But I’m ready to branch out, so tell me where I should go (or avoid) when I get better.

Donating Blood Can Get You Drunk

I donated blood on MLK Jr. Day. You should too. It doesn’t hurt. If you don’t like needles, just look away and take a deep breath, and you’ll do fine. The American Red Cross really needs your blood. To find the closest place to donate go the the Red Cross Web site and type in your zip code.

The Triangle chapter is incredibly low on type O negative, B negative and A negative blood. And if that’s not a good enough reason, then look at it as a good way to save money. Because everybody knows if you donate blood and go out drinking afterward you get tipsy a lot faster, thus spending less on beer. The Red Cross does not endorse this behavior, as the Minnesota Daily recently reported:

Dr. Gary Bachowski of the Red Cross said donating and drinking doesn’t fit with the philosophy of giving blood to those in need. “It’s our policy to collect blood from donors who really don’t have any other reason to give other than that it’s a good thing to do,” he said. … Donating and then drinking can also be dangerous, Bachowski said. When a person donates blood, a tenth of his or her blood volume is removed, he said. In an average man, that equals about a pint of blood.

When was the last time you donated blood?

Slick Roads are Causing Crashes

Things are intense on the assignment desk right now. The scanners are abuzz with word of multiple wrecks around the triangle. Supposedly a several car pile up just occurred somewhere near 540 and I-40, and even more crashes are being reported. It seems most of the crashes are occurring on overpasses, particularly in the Durham area.

I hope if you’re reading this post it finds you safe. And if you must head out this morning, please be extra careful.

Did you see any of these crashes today or experience any close calls?

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it BLOG … errr, I Mean Snow.

You must know by now that it briefly snowed in the Triangle yesterday. I admit I rushed out the building for lunch when I heard it was flurrying because I wanted to spy the snow. Seems fellow area bloggers couldn’t let the flurries fly by without a mention.

Check out this snowy roundup:

Barry at Dependable Erection reminded us of the January 2005 snowfall that brought the Triangle to a halt by linking to RaleighSkyline.com, which had some archived footage of that infamous snow day.

There was an oh so brief newsflash on Fallout Shelter about the flakes.

A photo of a Calvin and the Hobbes-esque snowman was posted by the law student behind Observations from the Shortbus.

We were reminded how much excitement a 10-minute snow can be for the kiddies by Valerie at We Loved Durham.

And absent.canadian has been reminding us all week of what real snow looks like. The Raleigh resident has returned to his roots for the holiday season, spending the past week or so in blustery Canada. A few days ago, he showed us what a real snow looks like. Yesterday he reminded us Triangle residents that we don’t know what cold really is. Today he shows us that it can always be worse because it’s minus 8-degrees at his folks’ house.

Elsewhere in the state (not exactly sure where) we got this 7-second video of a lot more snow, courtesy of 1000 Black Lines.

Let me know if I missed any other local snow references in the blogosphere. And tell me why you suppose us bloggers were so jazzed about the flurries?

Hike Off Your Hangover

It’s pretty easy to guess where I’ll be on New Year’s Day — on the couch recovering from the night before. And while I expect many other Triangle residents will be doing something similar, apparently some will be doing something a little more productive — running five miles while playing trivia.

That’s right, a little brain exercise to go along with the run. The Carolina Godiva Track Club is sponsoring the run through Duke Forest, which will feature trivia questions hollered out by host Owen Astrachan. The runner who gets the most right answers will win something, the News and Observer reports today.

And if thinking while running is more than you had in mind for your New Year’s Day, the N&O highlights some of the other active events going on in the Triangle:

• The 5K annual Resolution Run through N.C. State’s Centennial Campus sponsored by the N.C. Roadrunners Club
• The 38-mile bike ride around Jordan Lake sponsored by The Spin Cycle
• A hike around the Eno River State Park, an annual event put on by the Eno River Association

Do you have any New Year’s Day traditions? Or are you like me and usually spend it relaxing on the couch?

All Aboard. Next Stop: Tax Increases for Transportation

A majority of Triangle residents say they’re willing to pay more taxes or fees if it will help improve traffic congestion. That’s according to poll results released this afternoon by Raleigh-based Public Policy Polling.

Sixty-three percent of surveyed residents say they would support some type of increase (such as sales tax or vehicle registration fees) to either widen roads, improve mass transit or fund other potential solutions. The phone survey of 505 likely voters living in Wake, Durham and Chatham counties also found that 29 percent would not support any fee increases.

This is the same poll that included questions on ACC sports fans and their political affiliations. I had the pleasure of riding on Charlotte’s new light rail, called LYNX, when I was down there last week for computer training. The $4 day pass was well worth leaving my car at a park and ride lot near my hotel and riding downtown. According to the LYNX Web site: “Running at 80% capacity, the line will move twice as many people as one accident-free lane on I-77.”

Just imagine what effect a system like that could have on I-40 and 440! I know the folks at the Triangle Transit Authority have been working with partners to bring a light rail to the area. Maybe someday we’ll all be able to climb aboard.