News & Observer | newsobserver.com | 2008 NCAA Men's Bracket

newsobserver.com blogs

Epicurean

News & Observer restaurant critic Greg Cox dishes out the latest on the local dining scene. Pull up a chair and chew the fat with Greg about everything from the hottest new spot on Glenwood South to that great little out of the way taqueria you discovered in Durham. Email Greg at ggcox@bellsouth.net.

Father's Day specials at area restaurants

Looking to treat Dad to a special meal for Father’s Day? Check out these deals.

Acme Food & Beverage Co.

110 E. Main St., Carrboro

929-2263

www.acmecarrboro.com 

Dads eat free, brunch or dinner.

An

2800 Renaissance Park Place, Cary

677-9229

www.ancuisines.com 

Three course Father’s Day tasting menu, $39.99

Angus Barn

9401 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh

787-3505

www.angusbarn.com

Special Father’s Day lunch menu, noon to 3pm; learn to grill from Iron Chef Walter Royal (call for details)

Chamas

905 W. Main St., in Brightleaf Square, Durham

682-1309

www.chamas.us

Fathers eat free with purchase of another dinner (limit two dads per table); coupon required for special, available signing up for mailing list here: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001RpCZPV7rN6QvELVKR2h6gA%3D%3D 

Fairview

3001 Cameron Blvd., in the Washington Duke Inn, Durham

490-0999

www.washingtondukeinn.com

Father’s Day brunch and golf clinic, 10:30am-2pm

Michael Dean’s Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar

6004 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh

790-9992

www.michaeldeans.com

Three course dinner, $19.99, served 5-9pm

Peak City Grill

126 N. Salem St., Apex

303-8001

www.thepeakcitygrill.com 

Father’s Day brunch buffet, 10:30am-2:30pm

Savoy

7713-39 Lead Mine Road, in Greystone Village, Raleigh

848-3535

www.restaurantsavoy.com 

Father’s Day brunch, 10am-2pm

Twisted Fork

3751-170 Sumner Blvd., in Triangle Town Center, Raleigh

792-2535

www.thetwistedfork.com 

Three course dinner, $19.99, served 5-9pm

Xios

800 W. Williams St., in Peakway Market Square, Apex

363-5288

www.xioscafe.com

Free dessert for Dad

Watts Grocery

1116 Broad St., Durham

416-5040

www.wattsgrocery.com

“Special item” in addition to regular brunch menu

Throwdown between Ed Mitchell and Bobby Flay tonight!

Tags: Epicurean

Ed Mitchell, noted barbecue pitmaster and owner of The Pit (www.thepit-raleigh.com) in Raleigh, is the featured opponent tonight at 8:30pm on the Food Network's Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. Mitchell and Flay will battle it out for bragging rights in the barbecued ribs category.

If you miss tonight's airing, you can catch the repeat on May 28 at 3:30am (you may want to Tivo that one if you're not a night owl) and again on June 6 at 4:30pm.

Bargain Bytes: Lucky 32 turns 20

Lucky 32 restaurant (www.lucky32.com) is celebrating its 20th anniversary* on May 20-June 20 with a special anniversary menu that includes 3-courses-for-$20 options and daily prizes. They're also offering half price wine each Wednesday, with 70 wines by the glass. 

*What's that, you say, how can Lucky 32 be celebrating its 20th anniversary when the Cary restaurant opened in 2001? Actually, the celebration is in honor of the 1989 opening of the original Lucky 32 in Greensboro. But, as is often the case, little brother gets to crash the party. 

 

Barbecue Boot Camp!

Calling all aspiring pit masters! The North Carolina Barbecue Society will be hosting the first BBQ Boot Camp for Teens & Adults on May 22-24 at the YMCA Camp in Hanes-Stokes County, NC. From Friday night through Sunday morning campers will participate in hands-on BBQ cooking classes with four of the country’s top pit masters. For more information go to http://www.ncbbqsociety.com/ and click on the Upcoming Classes link or call 336 765-NCBS (6227).

Sisters’ Catering Company offers special thank you to area volunteers

If you’ve attended a wedding reception or other catered event in Raleigh, there’s a good chance it was catered by Sisters’ Garden & Catering Co. (2400 E. Millbrook Road; 872-2100; www.sisterscatering.com), which has been in the business since 1976.  

And if you’ve done volunteer work for a school, nonprofit or religious organization, you might like to know that Sisters’ Garden is hosting a Coffee Club as a way of saying “thank you” to all community volunteers. Throughout the months of May and June, coffee, pastries and savory breads will be served each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30-11am.

The price of admission is normally $5. But if you tell them “Greg sent me,” it’s free. 

Mother's Day dining options

Area universities traditionally schedule graduation weekend to coincide with Mother’s Day, so many of these restaurants fill up fast. If you haven't already booked reservations, better get a move on. 

1250 Heritage

1250 Heritage Club Ave., Wake Forest

453-2020

An

2800 Renaissance Park Place, Cary

677-9229

www.ancuisines.com 

Azure Grille

407 Meadowmont Village Circle, in Meadowmont Village, Chapel Hill

960-0707

www.azuregrille.com

Bistro 64

103 Edinburgh South Drive, in MacGregor Village, Cary

380-1322

www.bistro64.com

 

Elaine’s on Franklin

454 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill

960-2770

www.elainesonfranklin.com

 

Fairview Dining Room

3001 Cameron Blvd., in the Washington Duke Inn, Durham

490-0999

www.washingtondukeinn.com

 

Fins

110 E. Davie St., Raleigh

834-6963

www.myspace.com/finsrestaurant

  

Four Square

2701 Chapel Hill Road, Durham

401-9877

www.foursquarerestaurant.com

Genki

3420-314 Ten Ten Road, Cary

363-6636

www.genkicary.com 

Hilton North Raleigh

3415 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh

872-2323

 

Il Palio

1505 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill

918-2545

www.ilpalio.com

 

The Irregardless Cafe

901 W. Morgan St., Raleigh

833-8898

www.irregardless.com

La Résidence

202 W. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill

967-2506

www.laresidencedining.com

Margaux’s

8111 Creedmoor Road, in Brennan Station, Raleigh

846-9846

www.margauxsrestaurant.com

 

The Mint

219 Fayetteville St., Raleigh

821-0011

www.themintrestaurant.com

  

Panciuto

110 S. Churton St., Hillsborough

732-6261

www.panciuto.com

(dinner only)

Peking Garden

126 Millbrook Road, in Colony Shopping Center, Raleigh

848-3023

www.pekinggardenraleigh.com

 

Provence

203 W. Weaver St., Carrboro

967-5008

www.provenceofcarrboro.com

(dinner only)

 

Rey’s

1130 Buck Jones Road, Raleigh

380-0122

www.reysrestaurant.com 

Saffron

4121 Davis Drive, in McCrimmon Corners, Morrisville

469-5774

www.saffronnc.com

 

Savoy

7713-39 Lead Mine Road, in Greystone Village, Raleigh

848-3535

www.restaurantsavoy.com

 

Simpson’s

5625 Creedmoor Road, in Creedmoor Crossing, Raleigh

783-8818

www.simpsonsrestaurant.com 

(dinner only) 

Skylines Cafe

8878-100 Hwy. 70 West, Clayton

550-7619

www.skylinescafe.com

Sunset Grille

231 Grande Heights Drive, Cary

380-1991

www.sunsetgrillecary.com

(Cary location only)

Taverna Agora

6101 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh

881-8333

www.tavernaagora.com

Tavola Rossa

5300 Homewood Banks Drive, Raleigh

532-7100

www.tavolarossa.com

 

Xios

800 W. Williams St., in Peakway Market Square, Apex

363-5288

www.xioscafe.com

 

Zest Café

8831 Six Forks Road, Six Forks Station, Raleigh

848-4792

www.zestcafehomeart.com 

Greek Easter celebrations at area restaurants

Two area restaurants have announced plans for a traditional Greek Easter celebration this Sunday, April 19.

 

Taverna Nikos

905 W. Main St., in Brightleaf Square, Durham

682-0043

http://nikosdurham.com

Spit-roasted lamb in addition to the regular menu, DJ and belly dancers, starting at 12 noon. 

Xios

800 W. Williams St., in Peakway Market Square, Apex

363-5288

www.xioscafe.com

Traditional Orthodox Greek Easter brunch including spit-roasted lamb, tsoureki Easter bread and more. Festivities from 1:30-6pm.

 

Bargain Bytes: Spirits Pub & Grub

Spirits Pub & Grub (701 E. Chatham St., Cary; 462-7001), a brand new eatery brought to you by the same folks who own Daniel's, is wooing new customers with these food and drink specials:

Sunday - $4 well Bloody Marys, $7 shrimp po' boys with wedgies

Monday - $4 well drinks, $1.50 chips and salsa

Tuesday - $2 domestic bottled beer (bottles that are priced at $3), $8 Hofman hot dog night  (2 Hofman hot dogs, slaw, and wedgies)

Wednesday -$4 well Cosmos, $6 coconut shrimp 

Thursday - $3 North Carolina drafts (currently Big Boss Bad Penny, Carolina Brewing Company Spring Boch and Pale Ale, Highland Gaelic Ale and Oatmeal Porter), $3 pickle chips

Spirits is also offering $5 Hurricanes on Carolina Hurricanes hockey playoff game days home and away.

Great Harvest in Cary baking Honey Bunnies for Easter

 

Great Harvest Bread Co. in Cary (1220 NW Maynard Road; 460-8158; www.greatharvestcary.com) is baking up a batch of their popular honey whole wheat bread in the shape of bunnies for Easter. They’re selling them for $12.95, with $2 going to the new Western Wake Farmers’ Market (http://westernwakefarmersmarket.org), which is slated to open on May 2.

Owners Paige and Tom Williams describe the Honey Bunnies as “adorable” and say they’re “perfect for dining table centerpieces, for hostess gifts and nestled into children’s Easter baskets.” It had better be a large basket, though, because the Honey Bunnies weigh in at a substantial two pounds, 5 ounces. Personally, I don’t care how cute they are. I’d eat ‘em.

 

Easter dining options

You say the only thing you want to do in the kitchen on Easter weekend is dye eggs? Here’s a selection of restaurants that will gladly do the cooking for you. As always, reservations are a good idea. I’ll add to the list as I learn of others. Feel free to add your own.

 

 

Bogart’s

510 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh

832-1122

www.bogartsamericangrill.com

Easter brunch with jazz, 9:30am-2:30pm, $19.99 (children under 10 $7.99)

Carolina Crossroads

211 Pittsboro St., in the Carolina Inn, Chapel Hill

918-2777

www.carolinainn.com

Brunch buffet including carving station and separate kids’ buffet station

Fairview Dining Room

3001 Cameron Blvd., in the Washington Duke Inn, Durham

490-0999

www.washingtondukeinn.com

Brunch buffet, seatings at noon and 3pm, $45 (children under 12 half price, under 6 free)

Fearrington House

2000 Fearrington Village Center (8 miles south of Chapel Hill on Hwy. 15-501), Pittsboro

542-2121

 www.fearringtonhouse.com 

Four course prix fixe lunch, $65.

Hilton North Raleigh

3415 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh

872-2323

http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/RDUNHHF/index.do

Brunch served 11am-2pm.

Il Palio

1505 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill

918-2545

www.ilpalio.com

Three course prix fixe lunch, 11am-3:30pm, $45; four course prix fixe dinner, 4-7pm, $55.

J. Betski’s

10-120 West Franklin St., Raleigh

833-7999

www.jbetskis.com

Homemade pierogis ($9 per dozen) and fresh kielbasa ($10 per pound), available for takeout.

La Résidence

202 W. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill

967-2506

www.laresidencedining.com

Brunch buffet, seating inside and on the patio, 11:30am-2:30pm, $28 (children 4-10 $15, students with ID $22)

Margaux’s

8111-111 Creedmoor Road, in Brennan Station, Raleigh

846-9846

www.margauxsrestaurant.com

Four course prix fixe brunch, 11am-3:30pm, $34.95 (kid’s menu available)

Michael Dean’s

6004 Falls of Neuse Rd., Raleigh

790-9992

www.michaeldeans.com

Serving 9am-3pm, $19.99 (children under 10 $7.99)

The Old Granary

2000 Fearrington Center, in Fearrington Village, Pittsboro

542-2121

www.fearrington.com/village/granary.asp 

Brunch served à la carte. 

Parizade

2200 W. Main St., Durham

286-9712

http://www.ghgrestaurants.com/parizade/parizademaster.html 

Brunch buffet, 11am-2:30pm.

Posta Tuscan Grille

500 Fayetteville St., in the Marriott City Center, Raleigh

227-3370

www.postatuscangrille.com 

Brunch buffet, 11am-3pm, $29.95 (seniors $26.95, children 5-12 $13.50, 4 and under free)

Revolution

107 W. Main St., Durham

956-9999

www.revolutionrestaurant.com

Brunch served 11:30am-3:30pm, $39.99 (children under 10 $19.99)

Savoy

7713-39 Lead Mine Road, in Greystone Village, Raleigh

848-3535

www.restaurantsavoy.com

Three course prix fixe brunch, 10am-2pm, $29 (children under 12 $12)

Twisted Fork

3751 Sumner Blvd., in Triangle Town Center, Raleigh

792-2535

www.thetwistedfork.com

Restaurant open 11am-9pm, brunch served 11am-2pm , kids eat free with a paying adult

Watts Grocery

1116 Broad St., Durham

416-5040

www.wattsgrocery.com

Sunday dinner specials added to the brunch menu for Easter Sunday.

Xios

800 W. Williams St., in Peakway Market Square, Apex

363-5288

www.xioscafe.com

Traditional Orthodox Greek Easter brunch including spit-roasted lamb, tsoureki Easter bread and more. NOTE: This meal will be not be served on April 12 but a week later on Orthodox Easter Sunday, April 19.


 

Advertisements

A subsidiary of The McClatchy Company