Meg 

I hit up Reuben’s NY Deli for lunch, the new place that recently opened up downtown. It’s next to Oak City Meatball Shoppe, and across the street from Sir Walter Coffee. 

I get giddy when anything New York-ish pops up around here. Makes me a tad homesick, but at the same time, content & excited that some NY flavahhh has landed here in NC. 

Really enjoyed this sandwich (called Big Shot), that meat was excellent! And sooooo much of it! The bread was nicely toasted but too much butter for my liking a...

Recently I sat down to chat with the co-founders of the Raleigh Night Market, Lauryn Stroud, and Sara Buxton. In partnership with City Market, they host a fabulous community event in downtown Raleigh.

Raleigh Night Market is a monthly event (March-November, 2019), which brings tons of incredible local artisans to one space. (City Market). Yes, local, local, local! Pottery, jewelry, clothes, food, drinks, and so much more. There is also live local music playing throughout, as well as entertainment. Cirque de Vol (circus arts) provided...

Ahhh, springtime in Durham. March & April are the months when I start getting excited about venturing to Duke Gardens to see the spring flowers.  

If you’ve never been to Duke Gardens in Durham then you’re missing out. Particularly in the springtime. That’s when the grounds are filled with the prettiest, most vibrant colors of spring flowers. You’ll see tons of popular blooms such as tulips, daffodils, redbuds, and cherry blossom trees.  But there is so much more. Take an hour or several, to walk the grounds and apprecia...

I made soup. A basic brothy potato soup but felt like it needed more, so I sautéed mushrooms & onions to add. It was tasty but I still thought it needed something more. 

Finally, it occurred to me to combine this dip that I got at Trader Joe’s recently. This was the first time I bought it and actually didn’t like it a whole lot, but it was just what the soup needed. It gave it some tangy creaminess, plus the vegetables! It actually was a great result.

I’m glad the dip didn’t go to waste, because I really didn’t foresee myself finis...

One of my favorite places for Vietnamese food in the Triangle is Mekong, in Morrisville, NC. They specialize in authentic Southern Vietnamese cuisine. It is a casual & inexpensive restaurant with great food and service. On this occasion, I opted for the pho, (noodle soup), as it has been quite cold lately here in the Triangle. What else are you gonna eat? Hot soup is perfect on days like these.  

I got the “Combination” pho, which contains several meats: well done beef, rare beef, meatball, & tendon. The d...

Vita Vite is an art gallery and a wine bar. But it is an experience too. The 2nd Vita Vite location opens today, 1pm. Hopefully you’ve caught my Insta Stories or posts on Instagram & Twitter about this a few weeks ago when I attended the preview. The actual opening date was up in the air back then and just announced very recently, but alas, the day has arrived! 

 View of downstairs bar from the upstairs bar.

I highly recommend a visit if you like great wine, delicious small plates, beautiful art, and an elegant setting. The pe...

A couple of weeks ago I trekked out to Siler City, NC for the day. It’s hardly a long drive, about an hour, (40 miles). Most of my trekking was on foot once I arrived. That was the goal, to explore downtown Siler City bit by bit, and of course capture some photos along the way.

What better way to start my exploring than by checking out an eatery. I arrived at Artisan Hub for lunch. I opted for the hot Cubano sandwich with a delicious sauce (salsa verde), and side of smash-fried plantains (tostones). Oh, and I also went with an extra si...

I really like Sola Coffee Cafe. It’s a cute neighborhood spot in the Greystone Village Shopping Center in a Raleigh. It’s always busy in there. I still haven’t found a slow time to go so maybe there isn't a slow time. Ha! Today was busy as ever. I typically see a lot of people in there who are camped out on their laptops, but I can usually find a spot to sit. Today there were no spots inside so I sat on the patio. Not my preference as it was really hot out, but I figured I wasn’t there to hang out and would just eat quickly & go.

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Last weekend I headed to brunch at the newest Happy + Hale location, in North Hills, Raleigh. Brunch at a healthy eats place? What? Yup, no typical Southern style greasy eats here.

Firstly, this place is so beautiful. It's a fast-casual healthy eats place but it feels fancy. If you haven't been yet, I think you'll think the same after your first visit.  

The space is all mostly white & minimalist in decor, with lots of tall windows allowing plenty of natural light in and giving it a maximized Zen look & feel. Coincidentally, o...

Last week I tried out downtown Raleigh’s Tonbo Ramen restaurant. Dang that was a great experience. Yeah, Ramen places are kinda trendy as of late, however, this place knocked it out of the park. 

That's a good thing because the Raleigh food scene is discerning. In the past decade I've seen a ton of places come and go. And also at the same time, the quality of places coming here have gotten better and more in line with what the locals crave. 

A couple of month ago, at the inaugural food and beverage festival, Thrive N...