321 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701
Pricing - $$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Southern, BBQ
https://thepit-durham.com

Hello North Carolina. Hello BBQ! I have been liking the restaurants that have cropped up in Durham since I left the area after graduation, especially due to the more pronounced attention they have given to NC agriculture. There have also been expansions from surrounding cities' restaurants that seem to be much welcomed. One result of that was The Pit which has a location in Raleigh as well. We had heard about The Pit from several other people and when you throw the phrases whole-hog and pit-cooked around, we are there. Add in the bonus of hogs raised free-range and locally with attention to animal welfare, and you've got yourself a fine place to find yourself sitting, chowing down on some southern BBQ (they do it Eastern North Carolina style here).

8200 Renaissance Parkway, Ste 1003, Durham, NC 27713
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - Southern, Breakfast
http://risebiscuitsdonuts.com/


Settled. Our Durham-residing friends urged us to get ourselves over to Rise for mouthwatering biscuits and to satisfy any sweet tooth cravings for unique donuts. Good biscuits are so crucial to an excellent North Carolina stay so a visit was in order. Giving them a quick look-over online, I was pleased to see that they make as much as possible from scratch and that their popularity determines supply. Score - time to make an early plan to be one of the lucky early birds who gets a bite! Now...to decide whether to do donuts or biscuits first...

5122 NC Hwy 55, Durham, NC 27713
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - Southern
www.sweetribs.com

You can't go to North Carolina without getting some good ol' southern BBQ, specifically Carolina pulled pork. It would be a tragedy really. When we visited Durham back in October, I knew that Duc had to be exposed to Carolina pulled pork so one day while we were driving around neighborhoods, we looked up nearby places that did it well. Backyard BBQ Pit came up, and we were really drawn to its old school cafeteria-like arrangement. Sometimes those holes-in-the-wall are the best places to find the best foods! The verdict? Fantastic.

We love farmers' markets. It's a guaranteed destination for any traveling that we do and originally started off as just research for an ongoing "Finding Farmers' Markets" series for Orange County. These markets have seen a revival due to the increased interest people have in where their food comes from and finding the freshest they can get. Where better than from the source? When we traveled to Durham recently, we just had to schedule time for one and despite the on-and-off rain, the Durham Farmers' Market on Saturday morning was still open. Though small, the essentials were present and the people mightily friendly!

2001 Campus Dr, Durham, NC 27708
Pricing - $$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - American
http://nasher.duke.edu/cafe/

Ah the Nasher Museum, what a destination spot for those visiting Duke University or even just Durham itself. The museum has several exhibits throughout the year that draw many visitors but what it also has that should get people's attentions is a wonderful cafe that focuses on sourcing from local farmers. The Nasher Museum Cafe was one of the places I enjoyed frequenting as a Duke student (previous write-up here), and on our visit back to the area during Homecoming, I made sure we would stop in to see how their delicious menu had progressed. The great thing was, it was just as fantastic as I remember it being.

112 S Duke St, Durham, NC 27701
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - American, Sandwiches
http://www.parkerandotis.com/

Ah, Durham. The old haunt. In all the years since I graduated from Duke, I hadn't traveled back to the area despite all the news I heard about the changes happening to both the culinary scene and city overall there. I had been meaning to return with Duc in tow since he had never been there so when our schedules opened up for an opportunity (and opportunely, it was Homecoming Weekend), we decided to go! Though there were new spots in town that had opened up, I wanted to make sure we visited Parker & Otis because I had enjoyed it so much (old review here). It's the perfect lunch spot and with so many sections of gifts and products at their location, it's just a fun place to browse. The restaurant still stood and was just as busy as ever; we plopped down for lunch one afternoon, and I still really enjoyed what they had to offer.

5410-Y Hwy 55, Durham, NC 27713
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Cajun, Creole
www.papamojosroadhouse.com

I like to do second reviews whenever I get the chance and this time around, I went to Papa Mojo's for lunch instead of dinner. The food is considerably cheaper during lunchtime! In fact, I had to get several food items and an actual drink in order to hit my LivingSocial voucher for $30 but the food was just as great as it was when I went before.


We started off with a basket of fried okra as a side dish but there was enough of it to share between my friend and me. It was fried well. I liked the batter that was used because it wasn't breaded but just a thin crispy shell. The okra maintained its succulent sliminess and was not overly salted.


My main dish was the shrimp and crab Creole. Because I'm pretty weak when it comes to spicy foods, I took a while finishing as much of this as I could - the sweet tea helped. The spices were quite good and the shrimp divine. I felt that the crab seemed to have been old or frozen before to me but I can't verify that completely. The sauce was tomato-y but not overwhelmingly so; the vegetables were soft but not devoid of natural juices. It was a great dish.


To-go, I snagged a whole shrimp poboy that had perhaps a tad bit too much mayo but the shrimp was fried well and the vegetables plentiful. They definitely use big bread for their sandwiches!

200 N Mangum St, Durham, NC 27701
Pricing - $$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Mexican | Reservations - Available
www.dosperrosrestaurant.com/ 


The starter was a bowl of jalapeno salsa with house-made chips (I believe they were house-made). I'm weak when it comes to spicy stuff so I just dipped the corners of my chips in to get the flavor of the salsa without much kick. The sore in my mouth made it hard to eat very much of this considering how sharp tortilla chip pieces are. It was good though.


Their drink menu was impressive but we figured that we ought to try some new things. I originally ordered their Watermelon Sangria but they were out of something some I went with the Dos Perros Royale, a delicious blend of Hornitos Plata tequila, house-made hibiscus syrup, and sparkling wine (their tequila menu was HUGE!). It was like a stronger champagne - I liked it a lot! 



The appetizers all came out pretty quickly after we ordered them. They were all good in their own right. The first were the sweet cheese and jalapeno-stuffed plantain fritters with Oaxacan cream and salsa. The plantains were the real show and ripe to the right point. They made it impossible to think that the jalapenos were spicy and the crispy shell was spot on. The cream and salsa made a nice refreshing touch to an otherwise possibly heavy appetizer. Second to be tried was the marinated cactus salad with tomato, avocado, and house-made chicharones. I avoided the avocado in general but everything else was delicious. The cactus was crunchy but slimy on the inside (a little hard to chew) and the chicharones were small and crisp. I liked the tangy, sour dressing that was on the salad! Last of the appetizers were the sweet potato empanadas with chipotle, fig sauce. They were awesome; the pastry shell was crunchy in all the right places and the slices of sweet potato appropriate. It tasted like there were also onions inside. We both really enjoyed the slightly spicy fig sauce as it complemented the sweet potato well without being overbearing.


My entree was a taco of chicken with cilantro and lime and a taco of chorizo, nopales (prickly pear cactus), and onion. The chicken was pretty good but not mindblowing. The chorizo was different from what I've seen before, and it was grilled to a good texture. I enjoyed the meat itself too but wasn't sure how well it fit with the cactus since that one was slimy. The onion made the taco fresh-tasting as well and the additional tomato and slaw on the side helped with it all.

Parker & Otis - 112 S. Duke St., Durham, NC 27701
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - American
www.parkerandotis.com

I said I wanted to go back in my previous post so I did! I decided that it'd be a yummy place to go to for my graduation meal so off we went. It was just as quaint as I had remembered it with the addition of other families there for graduation. I picked the dishes for my parents because they preferred not to have to deal with ordering.


My mom got a bowl of the soup of the day which was Hungarian mushroom. I thought it was quite delicious actually and had plenty of mushrooms. I also got her a cup of their cheesy grits because the family's never had grits before. The restaurant made them quite well and everyone liked it!


My dad got one of the sandwiches of the week which had roast beef, Muenster cheese, tomato, lettuce, red onion, and horseradish mayo on wheat. The side was their house slaw which I hadn't liked before; apparently no one else in the family did either! The sandwich was packed with meat and good though quite ordinary in my opinion.


My little brother got their buffalo chicken with green herb dip, sprouts, red onion, and Muenster cheese on sourdough. He also got their pesto salad as a side. I liked the sandwich that I got to try because the sprouts gave it a "fresh" taste. The buffalo chicken was definitely not the doused-in-sauce type that I expected (or he for that matter) but was still good. The pesto salad was great.


I ordered one of their sandwiches of the week which was turkey with Stonewall Kitchen red pepper jelly, white cheddar, green herb dip, and red onion on wheat. The pepper jelly made the whole sandwich quite sweet. What tempered it was the herb dip but overall, it was on the sweeter side. I liked it a lot actually because it wasn't overbearing in its sweetness. The white cheddar worked well in the sandwich and naturally, I got deviled eggs for the side because they make them so well here!

2001 Campus Dr, Durham, NC 27705
Pricing - $$/$$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - American
www.nasher.duke.edu/museum_cafe.php

A delicious place to eat, particularly for a Duke student who is looking to get rid of FoodPoints! My parents and younger brother came to Duke for graduation weekend, and I took them here to snag a nice relaxed lunch. The facility is great because it is set inside the Nasher Museum with plenty of skylights and tall windows to give ample natural lighting. The establishment is chic and the service friendly. We decided to splurge on an appetizer and individual drinks on top of our entrees. It was a fabulous meal.


The appetizer was the smoked salmon with red onion, egg, capers, dill cream, and cucumber on flatbread crackers. Talk about presentation. Leave it to a museum cafe to have artsy tableware. The salmon was indeed quite smoky and thinly sliced. It was great on top of the crackers. The capers were a nice touch of bursting sourness, and the dill cream complemented the whole appetizer well. I'm not sure how I felt about the eggs - I could've taken them or left them. Everyone enjoyed it though.


My mom and brother ordered the Italian cream soda for their drinks. Their pleasant surprise was that the soda actually had cream on top that had to be mixed in. It was a great vanilla flavor. My dad got a large cup of Joe Van Gogh drip coffee with cream and raw sugar crystals on the side to add in. He liked it too.


As for the entrees, my brother got the classic club sandwich composed of hand sliced chicken breast, bacon, sharp cheddar, tomato, Romaine lettuce, and mayonnaise on sourdough. His side was a potato salad that none of us particularly liked because of the abundance of mustard seed. My mom got the Asian chicken salad which was mixed greens, red cabbage, carrots, oranges, cashews, and shredded chicken dressed with a ginger miso vinaigrette. It was tastefully tangy. My dad got the Nasher burger which was a large beef patty, sharp cheddar, fried onion threads, tomato, and roasted garlic aioli on a Brioche bun. He really liked the beef used and we all did too!


My lunch was their red, white, & green panini which had smoked mozzarella, garlic pesto aioli, oven-roasted tomato, and baby spinach on rustic house bread. It was a bit too buttery on the bread but was overall quite tasty. Definitely better hot than cold/warm (I had leftovers). I added chicken breast to mine and realized that it could've been had without because the other ingredients were quite hearty and heavy. My side was quinoa with a tangy, citrus sauce - I enjoyed it immensely. What a delicious lunch. Nasher never disappoints me.

2706 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, Ste 1, Durham, NC 27707
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - Bakery, Coffee & Tea, American | Reservations - Accepted
http://www.guglhupf.com/

A place I've been wanting to go for a while from all the hype I've heard about it! My friend and I were planning on dropping by for dinner but after perusing their dinner menu online, we found nothing that we were craving that night nor a price our wallets would be happy giving up. So instead, we opted for lunch another day, and it was a great choice! The establishment was quite cute and quaint with its decor both inside and outside. When we walked in, the baked goods in the displays were oh-so-tempting but I knew we'd hit up the bakery afterward so resisted from ordering something to go with lunch.


I ended up choosing the Reuben Panini which was "slow-cooked corned beef with house-braised
sauerkraut, emmenthaler cheese and russian dressing on jewish rye" and came with a cup of soup. I opted for the asparagus bisque and my oh my was it an excellent choice. At first glance, the soup just looks a sickly green but that's just the vegetable's shade. It was rich and soothing on the just-rained-on day and had a pleasant texture to it. It wasn't too runny or thick but a smooth creamy. My Reuben was delightful - the sauerkraut really brought out the meat's flavor. I ate this sandwich so slowly because it was both delicious and packed with a lot of corned beef! The meal was wonderful. Guglhupf was definitely very packed when we went during lunch hour but it gave a nice vibe to the place.


After lunch, we couldn't help ourselves and had to head over the bakery. Everything looked fantastic. The breads were tempting. The desserts were tempting. The breakfast baked goods were tempting. I decided that I needed to get some treats for my family when they came by for graduation weekend so I opted to snag a fruit tart for them and both the panna cotta and cream puff for me. Yay for indulgences.


I tried the cream puff first when I got back to my place, and it was divine. Though small, it packed a satisfying punch. The cream was the right amount of lightness - not too heavy or fluffy. I thoroughly enjoyed the flaky pastry because its texture was just perfect.


Later that evening, I had the panna cotta as a late-night snack. The last time I had had panna cotta was when I was in Italy. I must say that this one was a bit of a miss for me because it ended up tasting like a yogurt parfait rather than panna cotta. The strawberries were good but the actual cream was quite tart. Oh well.


What I saved for my family was the fruit tart, and it was spectacular. When I first saw the fruit tart, I wondered how they got their glaze to be so shiny. The berries were abundant and the glaze was actually not overly sweet. Whatever cream was used to fill the pastry crust was light but flavorful - I think it was strawberry flavored. It was a great treat. I wish I could go to Guglhupf more often!

107 E Parrish St, Durham, NC 27701
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - American, Brewery
http://www.bullcityburgerandbrewery.com


After having met the owner during the Alternative Spring Break trip of Bull City Burger and Brewery, I was excited to try and make some time to go there. Though I was about a month and a half late from their grand opening, I still made it by to have one of the burgers that had sounded delicious when first described. The atmosphere on a Saturday evening seemed pretty relaxed and fun though loud. I opted for a burger and a side; the beers were tempting but I've been conscious about my money later so didn't go for a glass.


My side was their Deep Fried Pickle Chips with "Hybrid Powered" Pretzel Crust along with their BCBB dipping sauce. I was curious as to what they were when I saw them on the menu. What I got were thin slices of sour pickle in a nice crispy batter with a ranch-like sauce. I actually couldn't have more than two of these before needing water after every picking of each. They were quite sour and an odd taste I suppose I'll have to become accustomed to.


As for the burger, I got one with the add-ons of Gruyere cheese and mushrooms. I've got to say that it was one of the greasiest burgers I've ever had - I blame the mushrooms! The beef was quite good and the butter lettuce was delicious. I didn't think the buns were all too special though. They boast everything being made by them so perhaps bread isn't their thing. If the burger wasn't so greasy, I would give it more rave reviewing but I was quite concerned when I went through two soaked napkins that were made so by the oil on my fingers. Ah well. Next time I'm around, I'll check out the beers. Props on having Boylan Soda on tap though - I never knew it even existed! That's the good stuff for sure.