Close to a year ago now, the Pinhook, a downtown Durham rock venue, started hosting vegan brunches on the first Sundays of the month. Chef Shirle was the cook for these relaxed dining events back then, but the cooking was transferred over to the Fiction Kitchen a few months ago. I’d been hearing about the brunches since they first started, and being someone who never minds when meat goes missing from a meal, I wanted to check them out. The stars finally aligned this past weekend. The first thing I …

Open just two weeks, The Blue Note Grill on 15-501 is already doing most everything right. We were seated by the owner’s daughter, who proudly told us that “everything but the fries” are made in house, with the recipes that she had grown up with. Later, her mom came out to welcome us as well, saying they are still working to tweak the menu – 5 changes in the past two weeks, mostly based on customer feedback. This included the addition of several vegetarian items to round …

So first off, Bralie’s doesn’t have food. Though each of the two times I’ve been there, I’ve been offered a slice of Domino’s pizza.
Yep, that’s the type of place this is. It’s a bar with a neighborhood feel and friendly service. It’s the type of bar where you can get pizza delivered, share it with your fellow patrons and no one bats an eye.
Bralie’s has cheap beer and lots of daily specials. It’s not fancy and it’s not trying to be. You can order beer by the bucket, play darts …

Beyu Caffe at 335 W. Main Street opened in downtown Durham on January 16th. The manager, Dorian “DJ” Bolden left his job in finance to start his own business, taking various positions as barista, bartender, line cook, etc. to gain experience. In encouraging him, his friends would say “just be you bro,” which morphed into the cafe’s name, pronounced “be you.” It’s wonderfully decorated with a large dining room cleverly broken in two by a lounging couch area. They’re open for all three meals, and closed Sundays. Jazz is the …

Near the 54/Hope Valley Rd. amid the ever growing strip malls, grocery stores and fast food joints, lies a not-so-hidden treasure, City Beverage.

I used to think of City Beverage as a small bar with a funky vibe and fun cocktails, but recently rediscovered it thanks to a friend’s recommendation that we meet there for dinner.
First off, the newish (I think the Lava Lounge/City Beverage expansion was over two years ago) expanded room is bright and welcoming with a kitschy lounge atmosphere. Second off, the menu was a surprisingly, eclectic mix. …

West End Wine Bar opened up a Durham location a few months ago. Being a fan of the Chapel Hill flagship bar, I was excited to check it out. This one is around the corner from the Amtrak station and, unfortunately, in the middle of the Main Street construction for the present. But you can still make your way into their plentiful parking lot and join the other West End Wine bar goers who have done the same. There were a healthy number of patrons for early …

I just came home from Whiskey.

That sentence just feels good to type.

Ok, so I know this blog is not called Carpe Raleigh or Carpe Triangle but sometimes a trip outside of Durham is warranted when we don’t have anything that comes close to a food offering that is located in a nearby city.
Personally, I have always dreamed of opening my own veggie diner. It would seem that the Remedy Diner has already beaten me to it in Raleigh (that’s of course, not to say we still couldn’t use such a place in Durham). The Remedy sits on the corner of Hargett …

Although folks in northern Durham County (Bahama) still need to drive 15+ minutes to get bread or Windex, at least they can now get a cheap ice-cold Bud right down the street.  We’ve done some checking, and as of its opening two months ago, Moe’s Tavern (12911 Roxboro Road) in Rougemont holds the county’s northernmost beer license.

Looking for a quiet place to do some afternoon drinking because we are out of school study for the bar exam, we drove by Moe’s and stopped in for a couple of beers.  It’s …

I am a good friend of most any bar food; I often get excited at the mention of a fryer.  But last night I met my match.
After a few beers at the Federal, some friends and I walked along Main St. looking for an open kitchen.  We only wanted a little something to pick at to finish off the evening, or so I thought.  After ordering a cheap pitcher at the Down Under Pub (802 W. Main St), I told my buddy to order whatever and stepped outside to make a call.  When …