The Gourmez

All is Fair Revolution, Downtown Durham Website Now this cocktail isn’t one you are going to see again. Of course, it’s pretty to look at, and it sounds great: Jim Beam bourbon, lemon bitters, muddled strawberries, and basil are shaken together and poured over ice.  I liked the foam on top when it was served [...]

Alfredo’s Pizza Villa 1125 West NC Highway 54, Suite 301 Hope Valley Commons, Durham Website Pizzas: $9.95–$22.95 Pastas, Calzones, Subs: $5.50–$7.50 By the Slice: $2.25–$2.75 Alfredo’s Pizza Villa is a Chapel Hill pizzeria that recently opened a new location in Southwest Durham.  Inside, you can get whole pizzas, slices, calzones, subs, and pasta. There’s plenty [...]

Alexander & Fitch 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley, CA This red was really dense on first sip, with lots of chocolate, spice, and fruit. Those are all things that are good. The nose had the same qualities, except there was a light element of menthol as well. It was tart but in that great, jam-like [...]

Pink Salt and Pepper Martini Revolution, Downtown Durham Restaurant Review Website $11 This attractive gin martini was made with pink peppercorn-infused gin, sake, cucumbers, and volcanic salt on the rim. I’m pretty sure there was a lemon rind down at the bottom also. For a gin drinker, this might just be heaven. Gin’s growing on [...]

Chubby’s Tacos 4711 Hope Valley Road Woodcroft, Durham Website $2–$8 per item Chubby’s is a local taqueria chain that opened up this location in the Woodcroft shopping center around the beginning of the year. At first, I was worried that it would take away business from Bandido’s just across the way, but I learned that [...]

Vida Organica Torrontes 2008 Mendoza, Argentina This organic, white wine smells floral, with a hint of lime and vanilla. The taste is also very floral, which I enjoy in a white wine a lot. A fleeting sweetness greats you along with that strong, floral scent, and lime and grapefruit always chime in. The sweetness quickly [...]

I just posted my dinner review of Revolution last Friday, so this is but an  addendum to that one, since we checked out their Easter brunch in the meantime! It was three courses for $35 a person, including biscuits and cornbread (both just all right) and coffee, tea, or juice. We were a little too [...]

Revolution 107 West Main Street Downtown Durham Website Entrees: $16–$32 Smaller Plates/Apps: $8–$16 Tasting Menus from 3 to 7 courses: $40–$95 Revolution is a downtown Durham restaurant with a lot of buzz. It’s quite popular, even midweek, and can get a bit loud when full. It’s got a sleek interior with a heavy emphasis on [...]

La Granja 360 Tempranillo 2008 Carinena, Spain My first impression on drinking: This is not a great wine. Both the nose and first sip were of wet cigarettes. But other flavors worked their way in slowly, some tart raspberry, earth, leaves, and then clove, lots of clove. By the end, a layer of dark chocolate [...]