Raleigh Recently

Raleigh Restaurant Week

2011-08-24T13:47:00.000-04:00

Attention all foodies, it’s Raleigh Restaurant Week! Just about any restaurant that is worth eating at downtown particpates in this event, with custom prix- fixe menus featuring their best items. You can visit for $20 or $30 and it is a great excuse to try some new places, or try new things at your favorite place. I hope to get over to Jibarra or Sitti at some point this week.

Also, For the first time ever, select venues will also offer three-course beer or wine pairings for an additional $10. More information about the pairings can be found here.

This year, Restaurant Week will also coincide with "A Taste of Restaurant Week" at the Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market on Wednesday, August 24 from 10 am-2 pm.

I headed over to this event during my lunch break today and was blown away by the samples of food available. Some of the best included sweet potato gnocchi, lamb kahbobs with peaches, and a strawberry and blue cheese salad. There was also live music playing and chef demonstations. All in all it was a great way to get outside during lunch and have some free food that was much better than your average free samples.

Let me know if you are able to stop by and check it out and what your favorite tastings were!

Funday Monday

2011-08-23T15:01:00.001-04:00

Monday nights are reserved specially for The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, or the current edition of The Bachelor Pad. Usually I am joined by J (and a bottle of wine), but last night it was just me (okay and maybe a glass of wine too).

I wasn't able to make my usual appearance in front of the TV because I had a Jr. League social to go to first. We were creating several recipes out of our cook book "You're Invited Back" and then doing a sampling before voting on our favorite to feature in our magazine. Basically it was an excuse to get together, have a drink and some fun food. Treats included Kahlua Dip, Blue Cheese Artichoke Dip, Champagne Punch, Pimento Cheese, Cheese Puffs, and Strawberry Shortcake Bites. Are you hungry yet??

The winner was the Kahlua Dip, because it is so unique and perfect for the holidays. If you are looking for a gift for you mom, sister, or favorite cook I definitely recommend "You're Invited Back." It is perfect for those people (like me) who really only break out the cooking for special occasions, cocktail parties, etc and want a dish that will wow people and look really great on display.

Weekend Wrapup

2011-08-22T21:53:00.001-04:00

On Saturday I wanted to check out the new Mexican restaurant downtown, Cantina South. I saw that they had $4 Sangrias on Saturday, so I figured it was sign that we were meant to be there! Of course J and I had checked in out during their opening evening (where we planted ourselves near the kitchen so we could sample all of the appetizers coming out—hmm, and we wonder why no guys asked for our number that night…) Anyways, it was definitely worth coming back to. The guacamole, which they make at your table, was awesome and the quesadillas with goat cheese were some of the best I have ever had at a mexi place. I will definitely be back to try the rest of their menu sometime soon.

We stuck to the sangria, I had the White and J had the Red and they were both really yummy and big for $4! Our second order of drinks were messed up and I accidently got stuck with what I think was a pomegranate margarita. No complaints on my part about that, especially because our waiter brought us out a free drink for screwing the order up. On Thursday nights they have $4 skinny girl margaritas and half price ceviche, so I will definitely be back for that. I would recommend this as a great place to come for a drink at the bar, a date night, or a full blown meal with friends.

We had big plans to take the R-line down to Fayetville Street afterwards (thinking the free shuttle would cancel out the money spent on the second found of drinks), but ended up running into friends and hoping in a cab with them. With the students back in down, downtown was kind of a mess, but we listened to some music at The Big Easy and The Oxford before calling it a night. Considering the fact that Snoopys was not stopped at on the way home I think more than makes up for paying for a cab ride home :)

Friday Flick

2011-08-22T21:51:00.000-04:00

I rarely venture outside of the downtown bubble, but Friday night I met my friend K at Brier Creek for some dinner and a movie because it was in the middle of our respective locations. If I’m being honest it was also one of the only theaters showing Glee 3D which was our main agenda for the evening. Even though the massive overgrowth of suburbia of this area makes me a little ill, I had forgotten just how many great shops and restaurants are located here and how convenient it is to have everything in one place.

We ate at Brixx, a chain pizza restaurant, which has always been one of my faves, but since this is the closest one to me I only get here about once a year. It was great as usual and being able to walk 50 feet over to the theater afterward was great too.

For all you Gleeks out there, Glee 3D is a must see movie. For those of you who couldn’t care less about Glee, this is probably one to skip unless you happen to love cheesy stories of high school underdogs played out to a background of Journey songs sung by redbull fueled actors. However, I loved every minute of seeing my favorite glee kids sing the best of their songs, in 3D no less. The rest of the people in the theater were clearly into it as well, singing along to some parts and clapping at the end of each song. I could *almost* pretend we were at the actual show, for way cheaper than the price of a concert ticket. And in case you were wondering, yes I would have gone to the concert if they were touring close to Raleigh.

Note to all you freebie lovers. If you go to yahoo movies on facebook you can register for a free bag of popcorn at Regal cinemas. I did this right before heading to the movie and getting a $6 bag of popcorn was super easy. Plus, I love how free food seems to taste even better :)

Frugal and Fabulous....movie edition

2011-08-18T21:01:00.000-04:00

Love seeing classic movies, but wish you could see them on the big screen? One of my favorite places to catch old movies in the theater is The Colony Theater in Raleigh. Check them out to see classics such as Rushmore, The Princess Bride, and the entire James Bond Originals. Plus admission is only $5.50 AND they serve beer and wine for cheaper then your local bar! Just try not to make too much fun of the old school black vests and bow-ties the concession workers are wearing…I used to work for this same company and probably still have mine hanging in the back of my closet somewhere.

Additionally during the summer you can catch second run movies on a outside screen at The Lumina in Chapel Hill and the NC Art Museum. Bring a blanket, chair, and your own picnic for a cheap date night. Most shows are less than $5!

Week in Review

2011-08-17T21:32:00.000-04:00

As summer is winding down to a close, I can't help but feel like it went by way too fast! The students are back in town and my commute to work is now twice as long because of their need to cross the road in front of traffic with complete disregard to the traffic signals! At least the weather has become a manageable high of 80s and I've eaten lunch outside every day.

What I’m reading: “There’s No Place Like Here,” by Cecelia Ahern. I'm halfway through this book, written by the same author of the much loved "P.S. I Love You." It is a great quirky book about a women who is obsessed with where things go when they become missing. She stumbles upon a place where all the missing people and things go and the adventures start from there.

What I’m watching: Last week I was able to see 3 movies in the theater, which if you know me, made it a very good week. I had been wanting to see Cowboys and Aliens for awhile , but I have to admit I was disappointed! Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford were great as expected, but the story line was severely lacking. It nothing to do with the fact that we were mixing Cowboys with Aliens as I am a big fan of both, but more so that we were then thrown in Indians, ghosts, and other extraterrestrial spirits. Plus Olivia Wilde was wasted as the mysterious girl without much story line to work with.

I then was able to talk my best friend B into watching Crazy, Stupid, Love with Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, and Steve Carrel. This was a solid chick flick with enough comedy, and interesting plot line to hold my interest the whole time. Seeing Ryan without his shirt on in numerous scenes was worth the ticket price alone, but the story was surprising sweet and touching with some cool twists. I would definitely recommend seeing this one with your girlfriends!

I wrapped the weekend up with Rise of the Planet of the Apes which ended up being my favorite out of the three. I love action movies that really take their time to build up so when the main action hits you are at the edge of your seat. Plus, given that this is a prequel you already have an idea of the disastrous results that are going to eventually happen. Think Titanic. The CGI effects were amazing to watch in and of themselves, but the whole story was gripping, and surprisingly relateble.

Where I’m eating: Café Caturra in Cameron Village has quickly become my new favorite place to grab a quick bite, or share a leisurely bottle of wine. This is a great place to take out of town guests and is perfect for a girl’s night. I went here on Monday and was pleasantly surprised once again with the food, service, and overall atmosphere. They have a wine bar you can sample from and the bartenders are extremely knowledgeable about their wines. There are also a variety of spreads and dips to sample at the bar as well. I ended up getting the curry chicken wrap with a raspberry walnut salad on the side and it was great as usual. A tip to locals, the Tuesday night ½ price bottles of wine special is the best time to visit. Don’t worry, if you can’t finish the bottle, they let you take it home!