oh sweet carolina

I drove through North Carolina in 2005 during my cross country move to New York, stopping in Asheville for a couple days to visit a friend and his new record shop, Harvest. I found Asheville to be a beautiful town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains and rather progressive, hosting a slew of vegetarian & organic restaurants, great cafes, book stores and tea shops. I left Asheville happy I had visited but not sure whether I'd ever make it back to North Carolina; thankfully, I did.

My job provided another opportunity to visit the beautiful state. I spent the last 2 1/2 days in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill meeting our new friends at Counter Culture Coffee. Brief and busy as the weekend may have been, I was able to get a good feel for the "triangle" by tasting my way through it. 

Poole's Diner (Raleigh)
Poole's began as a pie shop in the 1940s, transformed into a hot lunch spot in the '50s and was recently reinvented as a classy but simple restaurant under the vision of Chef Ashley Christensen. Poole's easily made it to my list of all-time favorite food places.  Though the wait may have been more than an hour and a half, the eating experience was well worth it. Poole's keeps it classic with a few great cocktails, slow and hearty cookin and an atmosphere that makes you feel like you hopped a time machine back to a great party in the 50s. 

Bull McCabe's (Durham) 
I'm not usually one for Irish pubs but this place had me with the picnic tables out front, the church pews indoors and the endless stream of rock n' roll that spewed out the speakers.    

Parker & Otis (Durham)
Dream up the most beautiful specialty food shop/deli/bakery/cafe/bookstore/candy shop and I'm pretty sure this place still beats it. The sandwiches were delicious (oh my god, the Pimiento Cheese), the ginger ale was the best I've had and their selection of nostalgic candy had me skipping my Army Guy and Oozer gummies to the checkout.

Lantern  (Chapel Hill)
The great thing about traveling with your boss is that he orders everything on the menu and you never have to feel bad for spending too much. Though the dishes weren't too pricey, we may have been just shy of ordering everything. And every bit of food or beverage that graced my lips was perfect, particularly, the rib appetizer special. My two-year long craving for delicious ribs was finally satiated.

Also recommended: 3Cups and Scratch. Though we didn't have time to grab coffee at 3Cups or treats from Scratch they both came highly recommended from the great people at Counter Culture.

A weekend in the Triangle was surely not enough. Good thing perfect weather, beautiful scenery, great coffee and delicious food are always at the top of my vacation list.

For more on the amazing food revolution in North Carolina, read Bon Appetit's "America's Foodiest Small Town."