This is a post by N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox:

Kimbap (111 Seaboard Ave.; 919-900-8053; kimbapcafe.com) rolled into Seaboard Station last Friday with a cargo of local produce, translated into a contemporary Korean-inspired menu.

The restaurant is named for kimbap (sometimes spelled gimbap), Korean seaweed-wrapped rice rolls that resemble Japanese nori rolls in appearance only. The rice in kimbap is seasoned with sesame seed and sesame oil, and the filling is not raw fish. Nor is wasabi part of the deal. Think instead along the lines of braised brisket and basil, or spicy quick-pickled vegetables, two options on Kimbap's inaugural menu.

The offering goes beyond the restaurant's namesake specialty to include a brief but varied assortment of Korean dumplings, noodles and rice paper-wrapped fresh rolls with fillings ranging from NC shrimp to braised pork belly. A sweet potato curry with speckled trout earned high marks from the opening weekend crowd.

Kimbap is the first restaurant venture for Kim Hunter, whose previous position as manager of the Western Wake Farmers' Market is evident in the menu's emphasis on fresh local ingredients. Hunter plans to supplement the core menu with seasonally evolving offerings to showcase the local harvest.

If that sweet potato curry sounds tempting, for instance, be advised that the fish could change frequently depending on the catch. But you've still got several weeks before the local corn harvest, when the entire dish will give way to a sweet corn curry.

A compact 25-seat restaurant with a small bar, Kimbap serves a modest selection of beer (including a rotating selection of local brews), wine and sake. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner every day but Sunday.

Send restaurant news to Greg at ggcox@bellsouth.net. Be sure to tune in to Greg's radio show at 11 a.m. Saturdays on WPTF.

Go HERE to read Greg's roundup of Cheap Eats across the Triangle.

This is a post by N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox:

Dos Taquitos, longtime favorite Mexican restaurant and watering hole in North Raleigh, opened its much-anticipated second location on Glenwood South last Friday. Dos Taquitos Xoco (410 Glenwood Ave.; 919-835-9010; dostaquitosnc.com) is a joint venture of Dos Taquitos owner Carlos Salamanca and Niall Hanley, whose Hibernian pub across the street should reopen soon after being closed by a fire in December.

"Xoco" is derived from an Aztec term for "little sister," and this newcomer is every bit as brash and playful as her older sibling. Rainbow-hued serapes, piñatas, bar lighting fashioned from glowing green skulls wearing re-purposed sombreros, and ceilings strung with constellations of colorful fairy lights are just a few highlights of a festive decor that has become a Dos Taquitos trademark.

A vintage VW bus is slated to become a private dining room, available by reservation only. The patio - already the most colorful on Glenwood South - should really start hopping as soon as the heaters arrive.

Xoco has faithfully copied her big sister's menu of Tex-Mex and regional Mexican specialties, too, right down to the tricolor enchiladas de Puebla and signature "Carrrrne Assssada!" (It tastes better if you say it that way.) It's a good bet she'll be mixing plenty of margaritas, too.

Dos Taquitos Xoco serves lunch and dinner daily. The bar stays open Thursday-Saturday nights until 2 a.m.

Send restaurant news to Greg at ggcox@bellsouth.net. Be sure to tune in to Greg's radio show at 11 a.m. Saturdays on WPTF.

This is a post by N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox:

The original Café 121 in Sanford has been a popular dining destination for locals since 2008. So popular, in fact, that owner/chef Gregg Hamm is taking his show on the road. The Johnson & Wales-trained chef opened a second Café 121 (140 E. Chatham St.; 919-468-9884; chefhamm.com) in downtown Cary on Valentine's Day.

"We tried to keep the opening quiet," says Hamm. "We're still hanging pictures on the walls, and the exterior renovations to the building aren't finished." Even so, those who remember the last incarnation of the space as EJ's Soul Food will be astonished at its transformation into an inviting, casually romantic spot with fresh flowers and white linens on the tables.

Café 121 serves lunch Tuesday-Friday, brunch Saturday and Sunday, and - at least for now - dinner Friday and Saturday nights only.

The chef's signature Jala-Ribeye (grilled to order and topped with jalapeño-spiked pimento cheese) highlights a mostly traditional offering of steaks, seafood and pasta dishes. An extensive selection of sandwiches, wraps, salads and homemade soups should attract a lunchtime following in short order.

And with eggs Benedict, jumbo pancakes, and Southern fried chicken with gravy and eggs your way among the brunch options on weekends from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Café 121 just might succeed in bringing people into downtown Cary on weekends.

Send restaurant news to Greg at ggcox@bellsouth.net. Be sure to tune in to Greg's radio show at 11 a.m. Saturdays on WPTF.

This is a post by N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox:

Rock Harbor Grill (121 N. Salem St.; 919-267-6452; therockharborgrill.info) is the latest in a long line of eateries to open at this address since the circa 1906 building was renovated a little over a decade ago. Like its immediate predecessor, The Hideaway, the new establishment bills itself as a seafood restaurant.

But that's about all the two have in common. New owners David and Chandra Vance have given the place a makeover, trading in the old the beach-rustic vibe for a more upscale - but still casual - feel with framed photos of classic rock musicians on the walls and white table linens in the upstairs dining room.

Chef James Lee's menu is decidedly more ambitious, too. Lured to the Triangle from 1587 Restaurant on the Outer Banks, Lee is currently offering nearly a dozen seafood entrees, among them seared rockfish over white bean cassoulet, lemon-crusted North Carolina mountain trout and a pot au feu of mussels, clams, shrimp and whitefish in a saffron-tomato broth.

Landlubber options are more limited but hardly an afterthought, with choices ranging from braised boneless beef short rib to a crispy duck breast over gouda-mashed potatoes that's been winning a lot of early fans.

Butternut squash soup, mushroom duxelles and goat cheese crêpes, and a "Rock Harbor skillet" of oven-dried tomatoes, fried eggplant, roasted garlic and house-made mozzarella are among the dishes that are making vegetarians thankful that Chandra Vance counts herself among their number.

Rock Harbor Grill has a full bar and welcomes seafood lovers, landlubbers and vegetarians alike, Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Send restaurant news to Greg at ggcox@bellsouth.net. Be sure to tune in to Greg's radio show at 11 a.m. Saturdays on WPTF.

Go HERE to read Greg's review of this downtown Durham pizzeria.

This is a post by N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox:

DeMarco's (3607 Falls River Ave.; 919-720-4482; demarcosnc.com) opened last week in the Shoppes at Bedford, in the space recently vacated by Anthony's Touch of Italy.

The new owners, a trio of young partners from Greensboro, have given the space a makeover with a more casual feel primarily aimed at families in the surrounding Bedford community.

"Anthony's food was good," says Clay Adams, one of the partners. "But it was the sort of place where people ate once a month. We want to make it into a neighborhood gathering place, where they can come in once a week or more."

To that end, the owners removed the white tablecloths and added a 120-inch projection screen TV. They're offering an affordable menu to match, with most entrees and pasta dishes in the $10-15 range.

Additional enticements will include everything from regularly scheduled food and entertainment specials (including Pizza Night, Eighties Night, and a Kids-Eat-Free Night featuring a cotton candy machine) to a dog-friendly patio.

DeMarco's is currently serving dinner only, Tuesday-Sunday. Plans are in the works to expand hours to include Mondays ("that big screen is crying out for Monday Night Football," according to Adams) and weekend lunch.

Send restaurant news to Greg at ggcox@bellsouth.net. Be sure to tune in to Greg's radio show at 11 a.m. Saturdays on WPTF.

This is a post by N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox:

The folks behind bikeCOFFEE, the popular mobile coffee vendor in Durham, opened their brick-and-mortar location in late January. Sort of.

"We're doing a beta rollout," says Leon Grodski de Barrera, who owns Cocoa Cinnamon with his wife, Areli Barrera de Grodski. "We're about halfway there." He's referring to the gradual phase-in of the coffeehouse menu over the course of the first few weeks.

They're already serving the ground-to-order coffees that are bikeCOFFEE's claim to fame, as well as espresso drinks, single origin loose leaf teas, sipping chocolates (which are to American hot chocolate as foie gras is to chopped liver) and a modest selection wines by the glass. Look for the offering to broaden over the coming weeks.

The furnishings are likewise a work in progress, but with comfortable seating, colorful tile floors by local artist Heather Gordon, and lots of natural lighting, Cocoa Cinnamon is already a warmly inviting space. Not to mention a welcome newcomer to the Durham Athletic Park area, where it joins Motorco, Fullsteam Brewery, Geer Street Garden and King's Sandwich Shop at what has become one of the area's premier dining and entertainment destinations.

Send restaurant news to Greg at ggcox@bellsouth.net. Be sure to tune in to Greg's radio show at 11 a.m. Saturdays on WPTF.

Go HERE to read Greg's review.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/02/15/2677183/go-for-the-pho-not-for-the-japanese.html

This is a post by N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox:

Gianni Cinelli, one of the Cinelli brothers of local pizzeria fame, is back in action. And this time he's aiming higher.

Cinelli, whose latest venture (Gianni's in Wake Forest) has closed, has turned his attention to Vivo! (no website yet, but you can find it on Facebook), which he opened in late January in North Raleigh's Peachtree Market shopping center.

An emphasis on scratch preparation is reflected in everything from meatballs to lasagna noodles to fresh mozzarella, made daily. Pastas not made in house are imported from Italy, as are San Marzano tomatoes and cheeses bought by the wheel.

The menu focuses on regional Italian fare, from linguine Amatriciana (authentically prepared with guanciale) to gnocchi bianco in sage-butter-cream sauce to slow-roasted porchetta served with baby red potatoes.

"This time, I want to cook the foods I ate in Italy, before I came to America," Cinelli says. As a nod to market realities, he's also making a few Italian-American favorites - "chicken parm and such, the food a lot of people expect when they go to an Italian restaurant."

Naturally, being a Cinelli, he can't resist offering pizza, too.

Vivo! (7400 Six Forks Road, Raleigh; 919-845-6700) is open for lunch and dinner daily. To see their Facebook page, go HERE.

Send restaurant news to Greg at ggcox@bellsouth.net. Be sure to tune in to Greg's radio show at 11 a.m. Saturdays on WPTF.