A weekend in Wilmington

April 26, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Wilmington, North Carolina

With summer officially here in Carolina and temperatures topping 90 degrees, we took the opportunity to beeline to the shore for an inaugural beach weekend in Wilmington. Perhaps best known as the location of Dawson’s Creek, Wilmington is a port town on the Cape Fear Coast, about a two-hour drive from Chapel Hill.

We left yesterday morning and after lunch, settled into the sand of Wrightsville Beach. It was surprisingly uncrowded and the weather perfect. A few brave souls even ventured into the Atlantic.

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With some good sun behind us, we drove to the Taylor House Inn, a small bed & breakfast in the historic district. It was a cozy little place, with lots of charm and a friendly owner who met us with glasses of sweet tea. Our room, “Serenity,” was on the second floor at the back of the house.

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Showered and changed, we made our way into town for some pre-dinner drinks at Level 5, said to be the best rooftop bar in Wilmington. As the sun set, it offered sweeping views of the river and delicious Stella drafts.

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We crossed the street for dinner at Circa 1922, a tapas restaurant that is all the recent rage here. The Firefly Sweet Tea cocktails were a great start; our favorite small plates included a “Trio of Tuna” (spicy tuna roll, miso seared sashimi & tuna tartare) and Curry Mussels (in a green curry and coconut milk broth, with tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, ginger & garlic).

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We finished up with one of Circa’s legendary desserts: the Key Lime pie. And, after a nightcap at Front Street Brewery, we headed back to the inn and into our freshly ironed sheets.

This morning, we had a formal candlelit, sit-down breakfast with the other guests. Scott baked up some muffins and then treated us to homemade french toast, fresh fruit and sausage links. Afterward, we strolled the quiet Riverwalk, which was slowly waking from a late night.

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With the temperature rising, we didn’t last long and instead drove to Carolina Beach, where we lounged away the afternoon, before hopping back in the car for the return to Chapel Hill.

What a solid start to the summer.

Filed Under: north carolina

Sundaes at S & T Soda Shoppe

April 16, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

My culinary adventure to taste the best of the best continues. I’ve been wanting to visit S & T Soda Shoppe since reading about it last year — located in Pittsboro, a quaint town about 20 minutes from here, S & T is said to have the area’s best ice cream sundaes.

When my good buddy Mike drove up from Charlotte today, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give the place a shot. S & T is housed in an old pharmacy that dates back to the early 20th century. The joint reopened about 15 years ago yet manages to maintain an authentic feeling of 1950s Americana. There’s an antique jukebox in the front, old classic memorabilia lines the walls and its wood tables and booths have been rescued from a legit soda fountain.

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We were seated quickly and only a couple of minutes later, were served up heaping sundaes. There are over 30 homemade flavors to choose from — birthday cake and peanut butter cup sounded good to me — and it came topped with whipped cream, hot chocolate syrup, rainbow sprinkles and a cherry. The whole shebang.

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Mike went with the birthday cake and moose track, which we learned is essentially vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups and fudge. It was so good that he finished the whole dang thing!

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And at just about $4 a pop, these sundaes weren’t just delicious — they were a steal.

I’ve got a feeling I’ll be back.

Filed Under: chapel hill, grub, north carolina

Vote to send me to Hawaii! (Please)

April 15, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Richie Goldman, a former executive at Men’s Wearhouse and the marketing guru behind the “You’ll love the way you look – I guarantee it” tag line has recently published Luck by Design. The book talks about the balance between external ambition and internal fulfillment.

As part of the promotion, Goldman has launched the “Blue Skies” contest — which seeks to identify the best user photo showing a meditative and peaceful spot. I’ve submitted a shot from my recent trip to Patagonia; it was taken at Laguna Azul in Torres Del Paine National Park, a desolate and quiet place that practically begs for contemplative thought.

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The individual whose photo receives the most comments will win an all-expense paid trip anywhere in the U.S. Which means that I’d be off to Hawaii!

Please leave a comment for me on Richie’s blog before May 1. (The comment won’t show up immediately but rest assured, it has been received and will be online soon.)

Mahalo!

Filed Under: travel

A Rochester delicacy: “Garbage Plates”

April 12, 2009 by 2 Comments

Rochester, New York

No trip to the Rock is complete without an obligatory stop for a “garbage plate” at Nick Tahou Hots, a landmark restaurant famous for its extreme American cuisine. The earliest version of this dish dates back to 1918, when it was called “Hots and Potatoes.” This evolved to “Hots and Po-tots” and eventually to the “Garbage Plate.” So, why “garbage plate”?

Well, all it takes is one look.

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The dish starts with a base of home fries. Simple enough. From that, macaroni salad, baked beans, two cheeseburgers, onions, mustard, chili and hot sauce are piled on top. Apparently, years ago, customers at Nick’s started asking for “one of those plates with all the garbage on it.” And thus, the garbage plate was born.

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As unappetizing as it looks, the garbage plates are surprisingly delicious. We expected to be grossed out — but the burgers were cooked well and single forkfuls of meat, onion, chili and potato just the right mix. “This is actually really good,” Alex said. Still, the heaping portions were obscene and we barely put a dent in the three pound plate of food.

“Just one? For the twoaya?” the guy at the counter had asked incredulously when we placed our order. Yes, just one, we shamefully replied.

Give us a break here.

Filed Under: grub, travel

Poor Niagara?

April 11, 2009 by 1 Comment

Rochester, New York

I’m a big fan of waterfalls.

I’ve visited the spectacular Iguazu Falls in Argentina, which span over two miles and are comprised of nearly 300 individual falls. Next month, on my trip to Africa, I’ll spend several days at Victoria Falls, the largest single waterfall in the world. This afternoon, we made the 80 mile drive to Niagara Falls, the most “powerful” falls — every minute, 35 million gallons of water rush over the edge — and an impressive sight right here in North America.

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It is rumored that upon seeing Iguazu, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt declared: “Poor Niagara!” But while Iguazu is undoubtedly amazing, Niagara isn’t anything to scoff at.

We meandered around the park, taking in the view from the observation deck and then crossing a short bridge to Goat Island. Watching the sheer volume of water was spectacular, although we both felt that the towering and ugly buildings on the Canadian side detracted from the quintessential natural waterfall setting.

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Poor Niagara? Perhaps not.

Filed Under: travel

The barbecue of upstate New York

April 10, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Rochester, New York

Much debate has been made over the barbecue of Eastern and Western Carolina.

But what of the question of North versus South?

I’m visiting my brother in upstate New York this weekend and as it so turns out, they take barbecue pretty serious up here too. Last night, we had dinner at Dinosaur Bar B Que, a roadhouse in the heart of downtown Rochester that is said to be the best. It sits in the former Lehigh Valley Train Station, overlooking the Genesee River. We called ahead to put our name on the list — a smart move, judging by the 90 minute wait and line out the door upon our arrival.

Our tattooed waitress came over and yelled some specials. Not that it mattered. We were focused and already had our minds set. First up, a full rack of ribs. They are marinated with an “action spice” dry rub and then slowly pit smoked for 24-hours. Before serving, the rack is lightly slathered with Dinosaur’s original sauce.

The ribs were huge, with hunks of meat literally falling off of the bone, and had great flavor. And they weren’t too saucy, so fingers were kept relatively clean. For our two sides, we opted for the baked beans and mac & cheese, both of which were hearty and delicious.

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Next, we dug into a Texas brisket plate, which is pit smoked for 14-hours and served with house-cured pickled jalapeños. The inner meat was tender and well-seasoned while the outside had a great crisp texture to it. It was sliced thinly and served with a tangy sauce. Our sides were quintessential barbecue fare: fries, slaw and a hunk of sweet cornbread, balancing the spice.

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It’s somewhat unexpected but upstate New York is certainly onto something with its ‘cue. It might not be Carolina but it’s pretty darn close.

Filed Under: grub

Tarheels take the title

April 7, 2009 by 2 Comments

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

You can be sure that my undergrad experience at Cornell never saw something like last night.

We headed up to the Library on Franklin Street at around 6 p.m. With a solid three hours to burn before tip-off, we played some iPhone battleship and drank Bud Lights. The bar exploded when the Heels took to the court and then remained in a general state of euphoria as Carolina opened up a 20 point lead and proceeded to steamroll Michigan State.

As the clock wound down and the buzzer sounded, an estimated 30,000 fans streamed onto Franklin Street from all directions. With helicopters roaring overhead, jubilant (and stupid) students climbed telephone poles, trees, and buildings. There were dozens of bonfires — which we later learned that the fire department had attempted to preempt by dousing the streets with water. Fireworks exploded, chants of “TAR HEELS” filled the air and plumes of smoke rose to the sky as we celebrated our school’s fifth national title.

If one moment ends up defining my experience at UNC, this might very well be it.

Filed Under: chapel hill, unc