The Gourmez

Spartacus 4139 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd. South Square, Durham Entrees: $12–$18 Sandwiches: $9 Website Spartacus has been operating in Durham since 1993, which is a very impressive run for a restaurant. Greek food is their specialty, but they offer pasta, burgers, grilled steaks, and seafood as well. It’s definitely the sort of restaurant you can bring [...]

Hiko’s Premium Ka No Izumi Junmai Daigingo Koga Shiga, Japan   This is a fantastic sake. I lost my tasting notes on it right after I tried it, so this is a loose, loose remembrance of the flavors. Normally, I wouldn’t bother writing up a post when that happens, but I wanted to make sure [...]

Beasley’s Chicken + Honey 237 S. Wilmington Street Downtown Raleigh We tried Beasley’s with a bunch of fellow foodies, two of whom are huge fans of the spot. It’s a concept restaurant by Ashley Christiansen, a two-times James Beard nominee, which is a huge honor. The space sells only fried chicken and sides. You can [...]

I’m joining in with Six Sentence Sunday this week, giving my fiction fans six sentences from one of my works to see if it entices you. Six Sentence Sunday is mainly perused by romance authors and readers, so when I participate, I try to include something a bit similar to that genre. This six comes [...]

Pinot Evil Pinot Noir Dry Sparkling Rosé France [insert photo lost during last week’s hard drive failure. Le sigh] For a dry rosé, this is pretty darn sweet, or rather, it’s a nice blend of sweet and dry.  The flavor is strawberry galore and mostly makes me think of strawberry frozen yogurt. In fact, its [...]

Cinco Joses Old Vines Grenache 2008 Campo de Borga, Spain [insert picture that I lost in my hard drive failure here. Le sigh.] Do yourself a favor and do NOT read the horrible explanation of who each Joe is on the label. It’s ten seconds I really need back in my life, including an extra [...]

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a round-up of upcoming foodie events and news for us Triangulars (yes, I have decided I like Triangulars best out of the options of what to call us residents of the NC Triangle). I’ve got a backlog of emails on tasty, delicious possibilities in the next few weeks, [...]

La Volta 411 Fayetteville Street Downtown Raleigh Website Entrees: $13–$20 La Volta is an Italian restaurant on Fayetteville Street, right off the pretty City Plaza stretch of downtown Raleigh, which means it’s a prime location for people watching, especially if there’s a costume convention in town. There are plenty of outdoor tables, but I found [...]

Pernod Anise French anise-based liqueur Oh, licorice, how I love you in your many forms! Hang around me for long and you will learn a little secret: Sambuca is my undoing. Absinthe is a close second. However, my opinion of Galliano is much, much lower, so I was unsure whether or not Pernod would match [...]

The Republic 353 W. Main Street Five Points, Durham Website   The Republic is a bar and lounge that always intrigued me when I walked by, but for some reason, I never stepped inside until recently. I think it might be because the space looks really, really dark from the outside, which doesn’t come across [...]