If you’ve spent anytime at the Durham Farmer’s Market, you’ve probably seen the long lines that form at Phoebe Lawless’ Scratch stand (CD wrote about her Pie CSA almost a year ago).
And more than likely, you’ve probably fallen victim to the temptation of one of her doughnut muffins. Something about that big bowl of sugar-coated muffins amid rows and rows of fresh veggies is really hard to resist on a Saturday morning.

And, as probably most of you already know, that same big bowl of doughnut muffins has found a permanent …

The Vin Rouge brunch is one my favorite meals in Durham. Actually, more specifically, the Eggs Mediterranean at the Vin Rouge brunch is one of my favorite meals in Durham. Before I tell you how it is perfect in every way, an introduction:
Vin Rouge is not new and certainly not a secret. Part of the Bakatsias restaurant empire, Vin Rouge sits on the corner of 9th and Hillsborough, between the excellent Blu Seafood, and reliable standby, Elmo’s Diner. It is frequently cited for a variety of …

*UPDATED with more pictures from TUF*
Pollos La Carbonera is that bright orange and yellow building you pass right near the Fayetteville exit of I-147. Bull City Wings was its last incarnation, but now it’s a Mexican stand with a drive-through window around the side and another window up front to order from on foot. There are a few picnic tables to sit at that provide a nice view of downtown and a breeze. Carpe Durham had some good comments on the food soon after they opened.
You can only get there …

Several years after closing down, King’s Sandwich Shop by the old ballpark officially opened for business on Tuesday 8/3. The story of its resurrection has been well covered by Bull City Rising here and here, and multiple Carpe Durham contributors were excited enough to stop by on opening day.

At lunchtime, it is safe to say that King’s was slammed. An eclectic mix of hungry Durhamites braved the heat and opening day long lines to sample the new menu, featuring burgers, dogs, veggie options, pulled pork, and shakes. …

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 …

In what used to be a panderia across from Compare Food off Roxboro Rd. there is now a paleteria called La Monarcha. A colorful window advertises paletas, ice cream, aguas frescas, frozen bananas and more.
Inside we were greeted by freezer after freezer of frozen treats. From a quick count and estimate, La Monarcha has over 30 flavors of popsicles and 25 flavors of ice cream – maybe more. You pick out your own popsicles and they are $2 a piece. The cases were full with every color in the rainbow. …

Ok, so truth be told, I totally walked into this place with low expectations. We were meeting friends for dinner in the Southpoint part of Durham and stumbled upon Bocci in Sutton Station. It has an incredibly large menu and feels kind of like a chain restaurant.
Then the waitress came to the table and won us over with two simple phrases, “we have bocci sets if you’d like to play in courtyard” and “beer is on special tonight” ($1.50 domestics, $2.75 imports). Sipping on Peronis, we placed our orders with …

Café Meridian comes just before the Highway 55 and 54 crossroads, across the road from Sansui Sushi. Months (years?) ago I saw that they were opening up for lunch soon, then promptly forgot until I passed it last week and saw their big banners advertising that they were open. Inside, you order at the counter,

which is loaded with portions of their hearty entrée options like the big burrito that comes stuffed to bursting and slathered with a red sauce (customers in lined chattered about how good it is), salmon …

To place this in its proper perspective, I was a big fan of Sal’s in Loehmann’s Plaza before it closed several years ago. Satisfying red sauce Italian, sizable portions, great homemade bread, etc. Since Sal’s closed, I’ve been looking for other options to fill this hole in my life, and finally landed on Pulcinella’s. I’m not sure what took me so long – they’ve been around for awhile, and are easy to get to from just about anywhere in Durham.
We stopped by Pulcinella’s for lunch, arriving …

We all go there, we all love it – but for some reason there’s never been a Carpe Durham review of the Federal, aka the Fed. I’m not going to wax poetic about the beauty of the Fed. It’s a bar with incredible food at a great price. According to one of the owners, the chef doesn’t want to be known – he comes in, creates the specials and leaves.
I wanted to do a post about the Federal on the off chance that someone lives in Durham or has recently …