The Fearrington House in Pittsboro is offering a rare dining experience: a chance to meet and dine with renowned chef Thomas Keller.

Keller, whose flagship restaurant is the French Laundry in Yountville, Ca., is participating in McIntyre's Books' cooks and books series. The $250 dinner will be 6 p.m. May 17. It will include wine pairings and five courses based on recipes in Keller's books, including "Bouchon Bakery," which was recently a finalist for a James Beard cookbook award. Dinner guests will receive an autographed copy of the book.

Seats will go quickly for this event so call 919-542-3030.

Information: fearrington.com/event/cooks-books-thomas-keller/

Other upcoming cooks and books' events include:

• 6 p.m. April 11, Chapel Hill cookbook author Nancie McDermott will lead diners through a five-course Thai New Year's dinner based on the recipes in her book, "Real Thai: The Best of Thailand's Regional Cooking." It will cost $100 and diners receive a copy of McDermott's book.
• 6 p.m. April 24, Amy Stewart, author of "The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks," will be the guest of honor at a cocktail party. Diners will enjoy the cocktails and heavy appetizers and receive an autographed copy of the book. The event costs $145.

Information: fearrington.com/village-shops/mcintyres-books/cooks-books/

I had a puzzling phone conversation with a reader today. He and his wife had done some drive-bys to see the exact locations of some well-regarded Raleigh restaurants. What he saw surprised him and during our conversation I was struck by how worlds apart I was from this man in terms of our evaluation of restaurants.

He specifically mentioned Poole's and Bida Manda. Where I see the charm in Poole's modern update of this former diner, he saw a "dump" and wondered why a James Beard finalist didn't pick a better restaurant location. Where I see the sleek Asian design of Bida Manda, he again failed to see any beauty.

As we were talking, he mentioned Bruno, a steakhouse near Wake Forest, as a restaurant aesthetic that he liked. He called it "charming." I've never eaten at Bruno so I don't know what it looks like. But Greg Cox gave it four stars so I know it is a worthy dining destination. (Go HERE to read Greg's review.)

I urged the gentleman to look beyond whether he likes the look of the place and taste the food. But I'm still scratching my head about this phone call.

Is this a generational divide among diners? He seemed older than my 38 years, maybe close to 60. Is it based on a person's prior dining experience? He said he and his wife moved here from Boston. Are big city restaurants really that much different than what's here in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill? Or maybe some folks have very different ideas about what a restaurant experience should be? I'm as happy to eat off a food truck as dine at Lantern in Chapel Hill. Maybe others don't see dining that way. How can two people be so far apart on the beauty of a place?

What do you think?

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

Hotpoint Deli (1718 Walnut St.; 919-460-6299; hotpointdeli.com), the Cary restaurant that rose from the post-kitchen-fire ashes of the original Maximillians on Buck Jones Road nearly 14 years ago, has pulled up stakes. Owner/chef Anthony Scazzero cites a more visible location and improved facilities as reasons for moving around the corner to the former Waffle House building on Walnut Street.

Returning fans will be happy to know that the restaurant's quirky chalkboard menu of pizzas, sandwiches, salads and light entrees has survived the move, and still includes longtime favorites such as Felix the Cat (tortilla-crusted catfish sandwich) and Cry Baby (a grilled chicken calzone that lives up to its name with a fiery "Green Demon" pesto).

Meanwhile in Raleigh, Steve Jones and Sharon Rhue have opened Black Cat Café (4209 Lassiter Mill Road; 919-788-8240; blackcatcafenh.com) in the former Hot Point Café space at North Hills.

Actually, Jones and Rhue bought Hot Point Café - which was once an outpost of Hotpoint Deli, though the two restaurants have long since gone their separate ways under different ownership - last October. But the husband-and-wife team retained the old name for several months as they gradually began to transition to a menu more in keeping with their culinary style.

That style, according to Jones, features "Southern comfort food and Southwestern flavors," with an emphasis on local produce. While the menu retains the Hot Point underpinnings of pizzas, sandwiches, salads and eclectic entrees, an expanded selection of meatless options reflects the fact that both the owners are vegetarians.

The couple plan to increase the number of gluten-free options as the menu continues to evolve. And they're in the process of scheduling a calendar of live music, especially for Sunday brunch.

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.

Raleigh chef Ashley Christensen is one of five finalists for a James Beard award: Best Chef in the Southeast. Go HERE to read the entire list.

Christensen is the only North Carolina chef to be a finalist. More than a dozen chefs, restaurants and beverage professionals with N.C. ties were among the semifinalists. Go HERE to see my earlier post.

Christensen is traveling today and so far has been unavailable for a reaction. Although she tweeted: "Pretty much in tears right now. Wow."

The other finalists include Edward Lee, Joseph Lenn, Steven Satterfield and Tandy Wilson.

Christensen owns Poole's Diner, Beasley's Chicken + Honey, Chucks and Fox Liquor Bar. She also recently took over the closed Wilmoore Cafe and has another restaurant project in the works. For information about her restaurants, go to ac-restaurants.com.

The James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit that recognizes excellence among chefs, restaurants, food journalism and cookbook authors. James Beard was a cookbook author and champion of regional American food. The foundation was created after his death and now hands out what are considered the "Oscars" of the food world.

There's a change of ownership likely coming to Durham's Rue Cler.

Rue Cler was started and operated by longtime friends and Durham restaurateurs Chris Stinnett and John Vandergrift, trained chefs who also operated Pop's in Durham and started Pop's Back Door.

Vandergrift will be moving to Texas to be closer to his family and so a change was needed, Stinnett explained.

Stinnett will keep Pop's and the men are planning to sell Rue Cler to Vandergrift's older brother, Nathan Vandergrift, and Wes Rountree, partners in Cave Taureau, a wine store in downtown Durham.

In an email explaining the upcoming sale, Stinnett said, "Rue Cler will get a big boost on the wine side of things with these guys. We have had a blast doing everything we have done together and I look forward to concentrating on Pop's and making it the best it can be."

In a phone call Friday afternoon, Nathan Vandergrift said the deal is not completely finished but is most likely going to happen. He wants the public to know that his brother, John, will be staying on as a consultant at Rue Cler for several months as they transition to the new management and ownership.

Stinnett and Vandergrift had previously sold Pop's Backdoor to another operator.

Go HERE to read the review.

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

Lindsay Moriarty and Rob Gillespie, whose scratch-made donuts have won a devoted following at the Durham Farmers' Market and food truck rodeos, have opened a brick-and-mortar location. And they're taking full advantage of the roomier digs at Monuts (110 E. Parrish St.; 797-2634; monutsdonuts.com).

An expanded selection of yeast-raised and cake donuts now includes five popular standards (among them apple cider and "something glazed") as well as daily features such as grapefruit-bourbon with candied ginger and peach jelly-filled with a Sriracha-peanut glaze.

Monuts also offers a modest selection of homemade bagels (which can be transformed into breakfast sandwiches with cooked-to-order eggs and other fillings), as well as muffins and occasional specials such as bread pudding. The shop serves beer, wine and Counter Culture coffee.

Monuts is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day but Tuesday, though hours are "still getting worked out," according to Moriarty. The husband-and-wife team have parked their tricycle cart for now (except for special events), but they hope to get it rolling again once the shop is running smoothly.

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.

With St. Patrick's Day approaching, let me make a plea: don't drink green beer, drink good beer instead.

Dave Paulson, "the general manager of hoppiness" at Bottle Mixx, a craft beer shop in North Raleigh, sent along a few recommendations. None of these beers are green-dye ready and all still showcase a long Irish brewing tradition. To strech beyond even Guiness or Harp, here are Paulson's picks for American beers that closely emulate the ones from across the pond:

Irish Red Ale: Brownish red hue when poured with a mild hop flavor and a nice caramel balance.
• Moylan's Danny's Irish Red Ale: Novato, Calif.
• Epic Brewing Imperial Red Ale: Salt Lake City, Utah
• Harpoon Celtic Red: Boston, Mass.
Irish Ale: Rich Amber Color with a slight roasty malty sweet balance.
• Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale: Cleveland, OH
Irish Style Lager: An almost Vienna style lager with a malty aroma balanced body with a clean crisp finish.
• Rogue Irish Style Lager: Oregon
Oyster Stout: Bold and silky with a slight briny finish that is honestly intriguing and flavorful.
• 21st Amendment Marooned on Hog Island, San Francisco, Calif.
Irish Stouts: Notes of roasted coffee and pours obsidian black with a nice tan tight foam head.
• Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout: Brooklyn Brewery Utica, N.Y.

From the Charlotte Observer's Kathleen Purvis: A lot of guys like to say they majored in beer in college. Daniel Hartis actually did something with it: He wrote a book, “Charlotte Beer: A History of Brewing in the Queen City.”

Hartis, 30, is a Waxhaw native who now lives in Monroe with his wife and two kids. And he swears that when he went to UNC-Asheville to finish college in 2005, he didn’t know a thing about beer. But since he was older than 21 and knew how to write, the school paper sent him to visit breweries and write about Asheville’s craft beer movement.

“I’m ashamed to say I was drinking Busch Light. Craft beer wasn’t a thing for me.” But within a few sips of Highland Oatmeal Porter and Asheville Brewing Ninja Porter, Hartis was a beer man. Read the full story here.

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

Giorgios Bakatsias, prolific restaurateur whose eclectic portfolio currently includes nearly a dozen establishments ranging from steakhouse (Bin 54) to French bistro (Vin Rouge), is at it again. This time, he's returning to his Greek roots.

And it looks like he's pulling out all the stops for Kipos (431 W. Franklin St.; 919-425-0760; kiposgreektaverna.com), which opened over the weekend in the erstwhile home of local landmark Pyewacket (and more recently, the Malaysian restaurant Penang). The location in The Courtyard comes with a bonus of three al fresco dining spaces that more than live up to the restaurant's name, which is Greek for "garden."

An extensive main menu of hot and cold meze, house-made phyllo pies, and entrees ranging from whole roasted fish to pastitsio and moussaka to rotisserie-roasted lamb is just part of the attraction.

Daily features include temptations such as Wednesday's braised pork shank, Thursday's lamb meatballs in Smyrna tomato sauce, and Saturday's eight-hour braised wild rabbit with pearl onions and fresh bay leaves.

You could make a vegetarian feast from the likes of gigante beans in tomato sauce with fresh herbs, simmered wild greens with lemon oil and sea salt, and a salad of local roasted beets, Greek skordalia and baby arugula in a dill lemon vinaigrette.

The restaurant and in-house bakery (which turns out an international assortment of breads and pastries) are open Tuesday-Thursday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday-Saturday from 8 a. m. to midnight, and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 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.