The Gourmez

L’Uva Enoteca
406 Blackwell Street
Tobacco District, Durham
Website
Lunch: $9–$15

L’Uva opened in the American Tobacco District last year, replacing a sushi restaurant that didn’t seem able to adapt to the crowds from the Durham Performing Arts Center. In its place is an upscale spot that focuses on using local ingredients to bring together Italian dishes that stray from your standard meatballs and marinara.

I’m sure the large patio area is a draw when the weather is warmer, but I was surprised by the late lunch crowd during the day. We arrived about 12:45, and the space was mostly empty, but many tables were full by the time we left close to 2. The picture doesn’t capture it well, but I’d describe the interior as full of light with modest touches of minimalist décor and attractive, red-cedar-colored wood.

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Would you like to know how good of a year 2012 has been so far? This is the second time I’ve had to replace one of my planned bragging posts with a just published one instead!  Let’s hope this is a trend that continues.

This week, I’m directing you to an essay I wrote for our local independent newspaper, sensibly named the Independent Weekly, or the Indy if you’re a local. The Front Porch column is open to readers to send in 500-word essays on any topic, and it’s often a great place to get a sense of what others in the community are thinking about or just taste a little slice of someone’s life. This week, it’s my life you can dig into, or at least my opinions on the running craze and the constant fundraisers around us. Here is your teaser:

On Facebook, I complete the circle of life every day by reading the status updates of friends and acquaintances. Births, weddings, deaths, more births: They’re all there on display. Lately, it seems, there’s a new element of living that I’d previously neglected. I’m talking about races, the running kind—anything that ends in “-athlon,” “-K” or red-faced racers clutching their stomachs as they breathlessly pass a finish line.

Ostensibly, it’s both the method of choice to raise money for every known charity and the trendiest way to announce a transition from out-of-shape blob to exercise hound. Watching from the sidelines, it’s a little bewildering . . .

For the rest of the Front Porch, either pick up a free copy of the Indy at pretty much any coffee shop and many local businesses or head over to the web version. Thanks for reading!

Southern Hot Toddy
Alivia’s Durham Bistro/My Review
Brightleaf, Durham

It’s been over a month since I tried the Southern Hot Toddy at Alivia’s Durham Bistro, so don’t be surprised if it was just a passing winter’s fancy on their drink list. It was made with Jim Beam Bourbon, orange wedges, sugar, and hot herbal tea.

Well, it was supposed to be made with those ingredients but the one I had definitely was not herbal tea—I think it was a Lipton black tea bag, if I remember correctly. That’s fine—I like black tea just fine—but it did make a difference in terms of expectations and quality. The flavors were nicely proportioned, however. The orange wedges were key to blending the bourbon taste in with the tea. Make sure you don’t let the tea steep too long, or those proportions will be thrown out of whack.

The Southern Hot Toddy wasn’t revelatory, but it was an interesting change and hit the spot that evening. If a better tea were used, I’d think of it much more highly.

Reviewed 17 Dec 11.

Nanotaco
2512 University Drive
Rockwood, Durham
Website
Meals: $5–$8

Nanotaco has been reviewed by multitudes of other bloggers—I’m always behind the curve in trying out new places. However, this sometimes gives me the chance to weigh in on differences of opinions on a newer spot, and the quality of Nanotaco’s margaritas is one of those local debates, especially in Carpe Durham’s comments. Some people think they are from a mix, some think they are too sour, some think they aren’t sour enough, and some think they are the perfect ratio of sour to sweet. So forming my own thoughts on the Nanotaco house margarita was high on my priority list for my first trip. Also high on that list was trying their torta, because I’ve been on a search for the perfect once ever since I arrived in Durham. That’s one quest that may now be over.

I love the iguana beckoning you into Nanotaco, and the red exterior is inviting to me. Inside, it’s mainly yellow with the chalkboard menu dominating the wall. Some people have mentioned difficulties with the menu set up, but I liked it and didn’t have any problems figuring out what to order.

Ingredients are locally sourced as much as possible, and the biggest draw is probably the types of meats they offer for fillings. It’s not just chicken or beef like Mex-Am fare, but it doesn’t stick with only more traditional meats like barbacoa, al pastor, and lengua, either. For an extra $2, you can opt for fillings that play more with Southern themes like crispy pork belly or braised hog jowls, and they are called the dirty meats on the menu. They also have a salsa bar with red, green, and pico de gallo options as well as pickled jalapenos and onions, limes, radishes, and a coleslaw option. Of the salsas, the red option was pretty tasty and packed with dried, roasted pepper flavor. I’d have like more peppers in the pico de gallo. You get a handful of chips with any order, and they were good, but not outstanding in comparison to other options we have in Durham—La Salamandra is still winning in that department.

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PieBird
618 N. Person Street
Downtown Raleigh
Website
Lunch: $4 to $10
Dinner: $10 to $14

PieBird is a cute little restaurant situated in the northern end of downtown Raleigh, almost at the Mordecai neighborhood. As one might guess from the name, its primary focus is on pies, both sweet and savory. For lunch, salads and hand pies are available until they are gone, and dinner has a focus on pot pies and shepherd’s pies, though there are daily specials as well. Dessert pies, however, are where they are making the most waves in the Triangle food scene, and I think that’s an earned acclaim.

The setup is one long brick wall of seating with bar seating across the way.

I especially liked the pastel blue napkins and the bird salt and pepper shakers that my friends insisted on posing for me.

We went at dinner time, and most of the entrees come with a choice of changing sides. I decided on the panzanella salad for my side.

I was very pleased with it. The last time I ordered a panzanella, mysteriously, there was very little bread. Not so at PieBird! It had plenty of croutons about halfway between crunchy and soggy, the right texture I think of when I picture panzanella.

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Yellowtail Shiraz Grenache 2010
Southeastern Australia

Blueberry flavors come first with this wine, but they melt away into something that reminds me of the fig butter I just picked up from Trader Joe’s. But this wine is bitterer than the fig butter and pretty dry. There’s a heat to it, and I’d call it medium bodied.

None of that combines especially well. It’s not horrible, but it’s not far off, either.

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As you may have heard, we rang in 2012 two weeks ago. Crazy, right? Crazier is that I unexpectedly ended up hosting some friends at our place to celebrate and was reminded by one of them that there was a challenge on the table.

You see, two friends, Steve and Chris, have this habit of facing off over cocktails. They each have their specialty drinks, usually ones that’ll please the ladies. For Chris, that’s the Girl Scout Cookie, and for Steve, that’s the Caramel Apple. Those have both made appearances in their past competitions, along with a variety of other crowd-pleasing drinks—I remember a 4th of July competition that ended up in red, white, and blue concoctions all over the place. Both men have been evenly ranked in those competitions, but you see, I throw a bit of a wrench in their standard operating procedure. I’m most assuredly a lady—okay, I honestly prefer chick—but I’m much more inclined to stronger, more classic cocktails than the sweeter ones typically associated with the female taste. And I have a thing for absinthe. I won’t even pretend it isn’t related to imaging myself as an American ex-pat writer in 1920s Paris.

Needless to say, I’ve talked up the need for Chris and Steve to compete in an absinthe mixology challenge for months, and this New Year’s Eve just happened to provide the perfect opportunity. With only a day’s notice, both Steve and Chris accepted, and the competition was on.

The competitors, back to back in my kitchen.

NV Absinthe Verte was the absinthe chosen for the competition, because, well, I had it on hand. It’s not my favorite absinthe, but we don’t have many choices here in NC, and the Pernod Absinthe, which I do prefer, is around twice as expensive. Steve and Chris mostly used ingredients in our alcohol cabinet, which is really more of an alcohol stand—yes, I’m proud of my collection and display it. Some shaking and stirring later and the first two competing drinks were ready.

Round 1

Steve inspecting his handiwork.

Steve’s handiwork, the Absinthe Minded.

This was my absolute favorite drink of the evening, which is especially noteworthy because I’m not a big gin drinker, and gin was the base liquor. Yes, I’m a sucker for presentation, and the lemon peel just looked lovely in that glass. But the taste was perfect for me: strong, but without an overpowering absinthe presence. My other two judges disagreed, finding it pretty unappealing. For the record, they were both men, and they both preferred the sweeter drinks this evening. That means I’m badass, right?
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Espresso Martini
Watts Grocery
Review/Website
Watts Hillandale, Durham
$7

The espresso martini is hiding on Watt’s dessert menu. Combine a shot of Joe Van Gogh’s espresso, Stoli Vanil vodka, Chambord liqueur, and a splash of Bailey’s Irish crème liqueur, and you have a unique coffee cocktail that still manages to hit all the elements I expect from one. First of all, the aroma of this drink was wonderful, and the frothy presentation with three little beans was quite appealing. The taste of the espresso comes though nicely without bitterness and imparts a welcome nutty note. The raspberry flavor is light and rather soothing in combination with the Irish crème. None of these ingredients overwhelm each other. They simply work well together to make a delicious drink.

Reviewed 3 Dec 11.  

Two weeks ago, I posted the first in my series of self-promotional blogs on Thursdays, titled the Bragging series, because I always feel less self-conscious about anything if I just embrace it fully. This week, I’m pointing you toward the interview I did with WOW! Women on Writing as part of placing third with the story I shared two weeks ago, Last Complaint. Here’s a little snippet from the interview where I describe what some of my thoughts were in forming the main character:

WOW: That’s so true. Creating a hook that keeps readers invested is the goal. Your creation of the main character is brilliant. She’s self-centered, lonely, demanding, and vulnerable. That’s a powerful combination. What does her attitude say about the state of humanity?

Rebecca: Since she spent her life not taking other people’s feelings into consideration, she essentially removed herself from humanity and they no longer wish to consider her feelings, either. Through rejecting the simple human connection that comes from things as basic as treating the people around you with respect, she has essentially lost the right to that same treatment herself. Not that I want people to read about a murder and cheer on her death, per se, but I do like that it’s a bit of a comeuppance for her and the way she’s lived her life.

Last Thursday, my first post for WRAL’s Out and About–their blog on the Triangle’s entertainment, food, and nightlife–went live, and I didn’t even realize it! If I had, you can bet I’d have let you all know about it then. I’ll be contributing a couple more pieces for WRAL during the course of the year, and I look forward to it! This first one is on 604 West Morgan, a fancy and delicious Italian restaurant hidden in downtown Durham’s warehouse district. Here is your teaser:

I have a compulsion when dining out in the Triangle – I must try a new place every time! We are spoiled with amazing options, and I’m lucky enough to have friends just as excited to try them all as I am.

My dining companions on this particular evening all work in the American Tobacco District in downtown Durham, so we wanted somewhere nearby. The usual suspects like Revolution, Rue Cler and Dos Perros were quickly eliminated – we’d all been to them before!

Where we hadn’t been is an Italian restaurant just half a mile away in the redeveloped West Village warehouses. Unless you happened to glance into the courtyard between the Flowers Warehouse and Cooper Shop buildings as you walked down Fernway or Morgan streets, you wouldn’t know 604 West Morgan was tucked away inside.

For the rest of the review, and pictures, head to the post!