Category Archives: NRT

Pop’s Backdoor South, Durham

by

For our NRT outing in February we opted for something more casual.  This time we tried Pop’s Backdoor Pizza South in Durham.  This is a new outlet of the popular Pop’s Backdoor in Downtown but since that only has a few seats it isn’t an option for our big group.  The new location is in the newly developing Hope Valley Plaza next to the post office.  The space is quite causal, typical of any pizza-sub shop.  The menu is posted on the wall and you place your order at the counter.  Several of the specialty pies looked delicious so we were happy to hear that they will do half/half pies.

Continue reading →

Coquette Brasserie, Raleigh

by

For our NRT outing in January we selected Coquette Brasserie in North Hills.  It is a quintessential French Bistro with black and white tiled floors, wooden chairs and marble top tables and a bread and water station in the middle of the room.  It is a causal yet elegant atmosphere.   

We shifted NRT back a week so it would coincide with Triangle Restaurant Week.  When we arrived at Coquette we found that the restaurant week prix fixe menu included items which were on the regular menu.  Also, the regular prices are not so high that the $30 prix fixe price was a ‘deal’.  Therefore, we opted to go ahead an order off of the regular menu.  In my opinion, restaurant week is a chance for a restaurant to shine, offer new dishes, and attract new customers so it was a bit disappointing to see little effort put into it at Coquette.  There was an excellent discussion on the purpose of restaurant week on VarmintBites blog with a great discussion and comments from the owner of Dos Perros and Jujube with an industry perspective which resulted in an updated post by VarmintBites.

Continue reading →

Inchin’s Bamboo Garden, Morrisville

by

Our NRT outing for December was to Inchin’s Bamboo Garden in Morrisville.  It is in a typical strip mall with a pizza place and a hardware store.  The space itself is pleasant with dark wood tones and simple furniture.  We were a large group this time so we had a few tables put together.  Half of our group arrived at 7pm and the other half at 7:30pm.  The menu is Indo-Chinese dishes which is rare but a fun variation on Indian restaurants.  So, what is Indo-Chinese you ask?  In the U.S. we have Americanized Chinese food such as General Tao’s Chicken and Lo Mein Noodles.  Well, Indo-Chinese is an Indian take on Chinese food with specific dishes such as Chicken 65 and Vegetable Manchurian.  So, the menu at Inchin’s Bamboo Garden focuses on these dishes.

Continue reading →

The Palace International, Durham

by

Our NRT event for November was at Palace International in Durham.  It is an African restaurant focusing on East African dishes as it is co-owned by two Kenyans.  The space is simple but nicely spruced up with the textured olive green walls with bright orange contrasts on the ceiling and the decor has African theme with paintings of giraffes and fronds.  The tables and chairs reminded me of furniture that you would expect to see in your grandmothers dining room.  The menu is interesting as it also includes a few dishes which are inspired by the East Indian population in this part of Africa.  Our waitress was very helpful, explaining each of the dishes.

Continue reading →

Jujube, Chapel Hill

by

Our NRT gathering for October was at Jujube in Chapel Hill.  The room is fairly simple with clean lines and bright walls.  It is a Asian fusion restaurant which is, according to the website, inspired by Chinese and Vietnamese cuisines.

I started with a Trust Tree, a cocktail of Lychee infused vodka, cucumber-lemongrass soda & lychee tea.  It was nice, light, sweet and refreshing! They have several specialty cocktails which incorporate Asian flavors which would be fun to try.

Continue reading →

Dos Taquitos, Raleigh

by

Our NRT outing for September was Dos Taquitos in Raleigh.  It is in one of the many ubiquitous strip malls around here.  But, as soon as you enter you forget the strip mall and are transported to another place.  The space is fun with loud music, kistchy decorations and dim lighting.  The semi-enclosed patio also has the same feel.  We arrived and the place was packed.  Having heard that this would be the case I called ahead and made a reservation (they are only accepted for weeknights).  When I told the hostess we were here she said it would be a few minutes.  So we went outside to get out of the way of the stream of traffic.  We waited about 15 minutes and realized that others were being seated while we continued to wait.  One of our group members went to check on the situation and the hostess said there was still a wait.  Again we waited another 15 minutes and went back to check.  Apparently, everyone was being seated inside and we had asked for a patio table which was not available.  It seemed obvious to all of us that if a group, who made a reservation, is waiting for over 30 minutes shouldn’t you offer the option of an indoor table?  Finally, we spoke to the manager and were seated immediately, on the patio none the less!  The manager was quite nice and offered us drinks on the house.

Continue reading →

Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen, Cary

by
I am back, in case you missed me!  No real excuse other than enjoying the summer and not wanting to be at a computer when I didn’t need to be!
Our NRT outing for July was at Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen in Cary.  The interior is pleasant and nicely decorated but in the manner of a nicer chain (think Magianno’s without the Italian-American influences).  The room itself is quite large and divided into a few different seating areas.  The menu is extensive with a variety of southern classics and southern influenced options.  The menu tries to focus on local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients however, only the center section of the menu changes seasonally so it is not clear which ingredients are sourced locally.