Entry tags:
Weekend wrap-up
So yesterday, Ben's mom came in from St Louis. Despite a persistent Oregon-like rain, we walked from Med Deli up to the comic shop, then down to Weaver Street and back to Med Deli, where we'd left the car.
If you haven't been to Med Deli recently, they added an in-house bakery and make their own pita, as well as better fatayer. Ben got the sucuk (Turkish spicy sausage, spelled "soujouk" on the menu board) fatayer, and he liked it. I'd really been in the mood for muhammara, but they didn't have any. Sad. But yeah, I'm really liking the expansions and improvements there, and I wish them continued success! (Now, if they'd just add İmam bayıldı to the menu...)
After that, Ben's mom had some stuff to do, relating to the reason she's here. One of her former students, who's a prof at Duke now, brought her out to give a seminar. So we dropped her off at the hotel and lazed around a bit until it was time to go to dinner.
Since Ben's birthday just passed, his mom took us out for a nice dinner. We went to Panciuto. It's really good, and really expensive. Including drinks & dessert, you're looking at $50-60/person. But it's very much worth it, because the owner-chef uses as many ingredients as possible from local farmers, including several we talk to every week at the farmers' market and buy stuff from. And it tastes so good. We went there once, several years ago, for our anniversary and enjoyed it then.
They start you off with a complimentary tiny glass of champagne, then you can choose from 3-4 first courses and 3-6 main courses, one of which is vegetarian. They have a decent wine list I guess, and the only beer is from Carolina Brewery, so I went with tea from the tea shop around the corner (Hillsborough blend, which is orange spice. Yum.) Ben got a different tea, and his mom got wine.
We split 2 first courses: a sampler plate and a bruschetta. I got butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sauce and roasted shelled pumpkin seeds and a hard cheese (pecorino, iirc), Ben got pork bolognese, and his mom got black spaghetti with shrimp and swordfish. For dessert, we split 2 items: vanilla ice cream with crumbled cookies & butterscotch sauce, and a slice of chocolate chess pie. Everything I tried was damn good, and I'm assured the things I didn't try were also tasty.
Regardless: if you're in central NC and want a good special occasion restaurant, Panciuto is excellent. Expensive, but worth it, and worth the drive.
I need to learn how to make chess pie. Theirs had a hint of espresso to the chocolate, and it was so good. Chess pie is very Southern, and it has nothing to do with the game. Hmm, I wonder if I wrote to Bon Apppetit's RSVP section and asked, they could get it.
Today was a little more laid back. We picked up Ben's mom at her hotel then went up to Weaver Street for brunch. The cheese grits were kinda dry, but the challah french toast was awesome. The plan was to go to Ayr Mount and Poet's Walk, but we still had a lot of time to kill before the house tour at 2. So we walked along the Eno a little, then went back to the house so I could change, because the sun came out and it got hot. We walked the mile-long Poet's Walk, then took the tour. It's kinda cool to see restored and modernized homes from the mid 1800s. Then we picnicked on the grounds.
The whole site, including the Speedway, is in danger of appropriation under eminent domain to become a bypass from 86 at Elizabeth Brady Rd to US 70. Aside from the obvious problem with that, that section is planned as part of the Mountains to Sea Trail (section 25). Not very scenic with a 4-lane highway running through it.
After that, Ben dropped his mom off at the Washington Duke Inn, where her host was putting her up. The end.
If you haven't been to Med Deli recently, they added an in-house bakery and make their own pita, as well as better fatayer. Ben got the sucuk (Turkish spicy sausage, spelled "soujouk" on the menu board) fatayer, and he liked it. I'd really been in the mood for muhammara, but they didn't have any. Sad. But yeah, I'm really liking the expansions and improvements there, and I wish them continued success! (Now, if they'd just add İmam bayıldı to the menu...)
After that, Ben's mom had some stuff to do, relating to the reason she's here. One of her former students, who's a prof at Duke now, brought her out to give a seminar. So we dropped her off at the hotel and lazed around a bit until it was time to go to dinner.
Since Ben's birthday just passed, his mom took us out for a nice dinner. We went to Panciuto. It's really good, and really expensive. Including drinks & dessert, you're looking at $50-60/person. But it's very much worth it, because the owner-chef uses as many ingredients as possible from local farmers, including several we talk to every week at the farmers' market and buy stuff from. And it tastes so good. We went there once, several years ago, for our anniversary and enjoyed it then.
They start you off with a complimentary tiny glass of champagne, then you can choose from 3-4 first courses and 3-6 main courses, one of which is vegetarian. They have a decent wine list I guess, and the only beer is from Carolina Brewery, so I went with tea from the tea shop around the corner (Hillsborough blend, which is orange spice. Yum.) Ben got a different tea, and his mom got wine.
We split 2 first courses: a sampler plate and a bruschetta. I got butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sauce and roasted shelled pumpkin seeds and a hard cheese (pecorino, iirc), Ben got pork bolognese, and his mom got black spaghetti with shrimp and swordfish. For dessert, we split 2 items: vanilla ice cream with crumbled cookies & butterscotch sauce, and a slice of chocolate chess pie. Everything I tried was damn good, and I'm assured the things I didn't try were also tasty.
Regardless: if you're in central NC and want a good special occasion restaurant, Panciuto is excellent. Expensive, but worth it, and worth the drive.
I need to learn how to make chess pie. Theirs had a hint of espresso to the chocolate, and it was so good. Chess pie is very Southern, and it has nothing to do with the game. Hmm, I wonder if I wrote to Bon Apppetit's RSVP section and asked, they could get it.
Today was a little more laid back. We picked up Ben's mom at her hotel then went up to Weaver Street for brunch. The cheese grits were kinda dry, but the challah french toast was awesome. The plan was to go to Ayr Mount and Poet's Walk, but we still had a lot of time to kill before the house tour at 2. So we walked along the Eno a little, then went back to the house so I could change, because the sun came out and it got hot. We walked the mile-long Poet's Walk, then took the tour. It's kinda cool to see restored and modernized homes from the mid 1800s. Then we picnicked on the grounds.
The whole site, including the Speedway, is in danger of appropriation under eminent domain to become a bypass from 86 at Elizabeth Brady Rd to US 70. Aside from the obvious problem with that, that section is planned as part of the Mountains to Sea Trail (section 25). Not very scenic with a 4-lane highway running through it.
After that, Ben dropped his mom off at the Washington Duke Inn, where her host was putting her up. The end.