Buku: Modern Interpretation of a Global Inspiration

     Buku called to me some time ago with the allure of global street food. Buku delivers on delicious globally inspired cuisine, but with a modern upscale twist that can hardly be considered street food. The first time I went to Buku was on a date with a previous boyfriend who was willing to pick up the check without a second thought.  Buku has a sleek upscale atmosphere that makes it the perfect place to impress a date.     I was still dreaming of the perogies from my first visit, but I hadn't been since because of the prices, until a recent date with the exotic food aficionado (as mentioned on my Bida Manda Blog) suggested going to one of my favorite places.  My first experience at Buku definitely had rocketed it toward the top, so I'd been dying for the opportunity to get back there with someone who would equally appreciate it.  Triangle Restaurant Week provided the perfect impetus to go sample Buku's thirty dollar pre-fixe menu.  We started with some of Buku's amazing cocktails, adorned with orchids they were as beautiful as they were delicious.  Off the special restaurant week menu, I selected the Baja Crab Flautas.  Kind of a Hispanic rendition of a crab rangoon, made with corn tortillas and filled with jumbo lump crab and cream cheese, then fried and topped with cilantro, pineapple, pickled chilies, and spicy guava-lime sauce. I was expecting them to be better than they were, I would have liked to have tasted more crab, but mostly they just tasted fried... nothing spectacular or particularly memorable.  My date decided to order Malaysian Roti, with one of the many global breads on the menu with a Malaysian style curry dip on the side.  The roti wasn't very traditional and the Malaysian curry sauce was considerably more sweet than savory with strong notes of cinnamon.  As a dip it had a nice flavor, but I doubt I would enjoy an entire dish with a curry that sweet.

       For my entree I selected the highly recommended duo of duck with a crispy duck leg and pan-seared duck breast with an Asian inspired savory sweet ginger soy glaze. The moist flavorful leg was considerably more succulent than the breast.  I generally prefer the breast, so this was somewhat surprising. The duck was served atop a perfectly cooked "forbidden" rice, a short grain rice of a purplish black hue that I had seen before in Korea, and accompanied by a pickled radish, cucumber and honeydew salad.  My date elected to forgo the restaurant week menu and order off of the regular menu.  He ordered the Steak Frites at a hefty $30 for the entree alone. Although I have had better cuts of meet elsewhere, the wine and mushroom sauce made the dish. The pommes frites served up with the steak were fried up crispy in duck fat, and were outrageously delicious when dipped in the sauce topping the steak.  If they bottled that sauce I would buy it to put on EVERYTHING.  My date was nice enough to give me a couple bites of his meal, and I'll admit I preferred it to my duck.  If the steak had been slightly less fatty and more tender I would have swooned.  Probably a good thing or I would have stolen his plate..and that wouldn't have made a very good impression, now would it?

Duo of Duck

Steak Frites

       As for dessert, I ordered the Argentine alfajores. I had no idea what that was either for the record, but apparently is was small soft baked shortbread cookies sandwiched together with, dulce de leche, toasted coconut, grapefruit-vanilla bean reduction, and served with a tiny scoop of house-made white chocolate-quince ice cream.  My date ordered a yummy little apple tart with an  almond crust and served a la mode with cinnamon ice cream. My dinner and dessert was certainly more exotic, but sometimes you can't beat the classics.

Apple Tart

     I went back to Buku recently for my friend's bachelorette party and was considerably less impressed with my selections. I ordered the Indian Aloo Chana Chaat, a small plate of a spicy potato cake, chickpea, cashew, cucumber, cabbage, raita, tamarind, and cilantro chutney.  It had lots of layers of flavor, but was a little too spicy to appreciate them all.  For an entree I ordered the shrimp pad thai.  The pad thai had a delicious tamarind sauce and probably the best fried tofu I've ever tasted, however the pad thai suffered a severe shortage of everything but the homemade rice noodles.  It would have benefited greatly from more of everything else, more tofu, more eggplant, more shrimp and more veggies, for $22 I would expect it.  I didn't find my meal to be worth the fifty dollars I shelled out.  However, the bride-to-be ordered better than I did.  Her Vietnamese crepe was an excellent "small plate" a crispy crepe filled with shrimp, sausage, and overflowing with fresh herbs. And she was ecstatic about her plantain crusted Chilean Sea Bass. You can love Buku one visit and dislike it the next as some selections are perfection that will make you forget your budget, while others are a wallet breaking disappointment. The perogies and Vietnamese crepes are great choices. Skip the sushi. I was trying to order on the cheap, but since that really isn't possible at Buku (underfinanced foodies beware,) you might as well go all out.

Argentine Alfajores

Cowfish's Quirky New Take on Asian American Fusion

When my sister visited Raleigh for my post birthday celebration, she had the fantastic idea of going to the hot new restaurant Cowfish.  Cowfish takes Asian-American fusion cuisine to the next level by dual featuring burgers, sushi, and some very unique combinations of the two. 

I was immediately won over by the quirky cool of Cowfish's atmosphere.  Custom graphic artwork mixing east and west, a meditating Elvis, and a giant fish tank creation by the underwater engineers on the t.v. show Tanked, hit home the quirky vibe.  I especially love the learn to speak English and Japanese audio guide playing in the bathrooms that translates American "country" colloquialisms into "proper" English and Japanese.  Hilarious!

The menu proved to be equally unique, featuring both a gourmet burger menu, a creative sushi menu, and...wait for it...burgerushi.  Yes, burgerushi, Cowfish's own remix of sushi rolls made with burger ingredients like ground beef and tomatoes. In a similarly innovative fashion Cowfish offers sandwich ingredients that have been packed between "buns" made of deep fried spring rolls. Clearly this is menu with entrees you're unlikely to find anywhere else.

Riggs R&R Crabcake Roll

We started our meal with some sake bombs, sake shots tenuously hovering on a pair of chopsticks over glasses of Kirin.  You've got to have birthday shots after all!  We encountered what must obviously be a frequent conundrum, burgers or sushi?  My sister and I each ordered a roll and split a burger to get the best of both worlds.  I tried the Riggs R&R crabcake roll, which sold me with the aforementioned crabcake mix on top. The R&R roll is filled with fresh tuna, avocado and cream cheese roll, topped with lump crabcake mix and baked. The roll was finished with masago, sesame seeds and a drizzle of spicy cream sauce.  It was very rich and unique tasting...in a good way.  My only criticism would be that I would have liked the crab cake mix to have been baked slightly longer.  My sister decided to try the burgerushi, opting for the "Taste Explosion Roll" filled with seasoned natural Angus ground beef, applewood bacon, fresh jalapenos and spicy cream sauce all stuffed inside of a sushi roll and coated with tempura flakes before being topped off with marinated Roma tomato slices and pepper jack cheese.  The rolls are then baked and finished with a cashew cilantro pesto drizzle. Presentation wise the rolls come out looking like immaculately constructed sushi, but the taste is all American. It was immensely clever for Cowfish to Americanize sushi in a way that makes it approachable to even the most Americana-centric eater.  Burgerushi integrates the sushi concept with American cuisine the way that kimbap does with Korean.

Close up of "Taste Explosion" Burgerushi Roll

As for the burger side of the menu, I twisted my sister's arm and we split the black truffle burger. The half pound antibiotic and hormone free beef burger was served up a brioche bun and topped with black truffle cheese, roasted shallots and truffle-infused sauteed mushrooms, lettuce and roasted garlic aioli. The burger came out cooked perfectly, juicy and well seasoned with earthy mushroom flavors.


For those who can't decide what to order, an undoubtedly common problem, Cowfish has got you covered with a compartmentalized bento box featuring a mini version of the week's featured burger, fries, four pieces of sushi, and edamame.

I was excited to go back for a second visit with one of my meat and potatoes loving guy friends who practically breaks out into hives at the thought of raw fish.  He humored me enough to tolerate the hour and 15 minute wait (on a Tuesday!) but he didn't take me up on the burgerushi.  Instead he opted for the giant Sreamin' Korean spicy chicken sandwich crusted in sesame seeds, fried up and topped with kimchi and sriracha sauce. It was giant, but the spicy chicken breading, sriracha, and kimchi made for a flaming hot combo indeed.  I ordered the Firecracker roll filled with shrimp tempura and kani, coated with tempura flakes, topped with fresh yellowtail and salmon and  finished with spicy cream sauce, tobiko and scallions. I never order just one roll of sushi as an entree, but at $15 bucks, I didn't have the option of ordering two.  Thankfully the specialty rolls are not only delicious but also pretty gargantuan.  It helped that we ordered the Togarashi Shrimp shrimp as an appetizer. I like that is came on a bed of spicy gingery dressed cabbage and greens that functioned as a yummy coleslaw.  Mr. Meat and Potatoes still prefers Bone Fish Grill's Bang Bang Shrimp to the spicier sriracha laden Cowfish version.

My favorite elements of cowfish are undoubtedly the atmosphere and unique menu offerings.  The food is delicious, but very pricey.  If they had BOGO sushi I'd be there every other week, but unfortunately at around $20 for one roll and half an appetizer this is a special outing kind of place.

Loving Laotion at Bida Manda

There was a time when I wasn't sure they ate in Laos.  Strange comment to make I know,  but after a several hour layover at a Laotian airport without any food or snacks available, (bad timing I presume, nothing was open) I had lingering questions as a the nature of Laotian cuisine.  When Bida Manda opened downtown in former location of the Duck and the Dumpling Restaurant in downtown Raleigh I was thrilled to finally have my my opportunity to try Laotian food.  Strange that the chance should arise not in Laos, but right here in North Carolina.  The Laotian food at Bida Manda is reminiscent of the cuisines of neighboring Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, some of which are integrated into the menu.

My opportunity to try Bida Manda arose on a date with another ethnic food aficionado who was happy go with me to try something new.  We were both greatly pleased with my restaurant selection.  The restaurant space is elegant while in keeping with the Laotian influences and the integration of local materials.  The walls are crafted from woven sticks and feature beautiful photography of brightly robed monks.  Tables are fashioned from reclaimed wood and festooned with fresh flowers. Overall the atmosphere transports the diner to romantic locale, making it an ideal date restaurant.

I like to loosen up on a first date with a drink to take off the edge off.  Bida Manda offers a fantastic (although quite pricey) selection of innovative cocktails.  I ordered the pineapple Caipirinha and my date ordered the El Picaflor with Tequila, fresh grapefruit and lime juices, peppercorn infused honey, Angostura bitters and soda water, which we both loved.

Totally addictive crispy lettuce wraps

A co-worker of mine had recommended the crispy rice lettuce wraps and the saffron crepes with shrimp and bacon. My date and I took the suggestion to try the lettuce wraps as our appetizer. Deceptively simple, the crispy rice is well seasoned with the fresh flavors of lime, herbs like chives and cilantro, and chopped nuts.  When wrapped in the lettuce leaves and seasoned with the sweet chili fish sauce, the combinations of textures and flavors are mind blowing.

Green Papaya Salad with Crispy Trout

For my entree I ordered the Green Papaya salad with trout.  The Green Papaya Salad was a spicy and tangy shredded salad studded with peanuts and a fantastically well prepared trout.  The dish was topped off with sticky rice eaten by hand (as instructed) from a bamboo container.  I will say that the sticky rice was quite a bit drier than I find preferable. Possibly since it was intended to be eaten by hand.  My date decided to try something he'd never had before, and ordered a classic Laotian beef larb, complete with beef tripe (cows stomach.)  I've had tripe before and didn't like the texture, but I gave in to his request that I try it again. The beef larb could almost be compared to a Laotian take on a spicy lime cooked cerviche.  The flavors were great, but I still haven't been sold on tripe. 

I was, however, impressed by my date's adventurous eating.

Traditional Beef Larb.  It's not weird to take pictures of your
dining companion's meal on a first date..right?

The icing on the top of the cake was,  of course, dessert.  We ordered the the triple dessert sampler with a mini apricot cobbler, mango sorbet and a coconut custard in a crispy rice paper shell.  Each one seemed to be better than the last, and I appreciated my date's insistence that we order dessert regardless of how full we were.  My favorite was the rich and creamy coconut custard, his was the warm apricot cobbler. 

Our meal was than topped off by a complimentary shots of fresh squeezed citrus juice, the perfect top off to a great first date and an excellent meal. 

DELICIOUS Dessert Trio

I went back a few weeks later with two of my closest friends visiting town for the more limited, but less expensive lunch menu.  I had the vermacelli noodle herb salad "Manda's Herb Salad" with grilled shrimp and crispy portobello spring rolls, essentially the same as a Vietnamese Bun with the addition of tofu and tempura eggplant. The cool herb salad was the perfect fresh summer entree.  My friends tried the Pad Thai (very good) and the Kang Som Pa a Lemongrass Tamarind and Catfish soup.  Unfortunately even at the lower lunch prices, my meal consisting of another lettuce wrap appetizer, the herb salad, and a Thai ice tea cost me whopping $30 with tip!  For lunch!  Yikes!  My friends who just got entrees and
water fared much better coming out around $15.
When I go back I suppose I'll have to skip on the
appetizer...or maybe just get the appetizer.

Affordable Arepas at Guasaca

I first tried arepas at the last international festival in downtown Raleigh and became a fan at first bite.  These Colombian and Venezuelan corn cakes are pan fried and or baked and served stuffed with any manner of filling.  My first was served with marinated shredded beef and cheese.  I was excited to see an "areperia" open up in right here in Raleigh with these delectable corn sandwiches and was even more excited to see that around four bucks a pop the prices were well suited to my budget.  You can pick a one of Guasaca's signature combinations of fillings or design your own with choices like shredded beef, steak, braised pork, chicken, tilapia, or black beans.  Add toppings ranging from pinto beans or plantains to coleslaw and caramelized onions for a satisfying and reasonably healthy meal.  Creamy cilantro, mustard, or wine vinegar are the icing on the cake.  The best pick has to be the pricier, but worth it, signature sauce guasaco sauce reminiscent of a chunky guacamole.  My main criticism would be the saltiness of the dishes, most notable in the guasaco sauce.  The atmosphere is super casual and the food is served up fast in a Moe's burrito assembly line type fashion.  Two of my other income deficient friends likewise gave Guasaco positive reviews for cheap, healthy and unique options.



 



                              

Spring Break Edition: Asheville Nice Town, Weird Folk, Good Eats

I know Spring Break is supposed to be all about the beach, but I'm more of a mountain girl, and any chance to visit my best buddies in Asheville, is one I'm going to nab.

Asheville is one of my favorite places to visit. It's a "nice town, weird folk" as the saying goes, but good eats should just as well be tacked on to the end. After living there for six years (the longest I've lived anywhere thanks to college and grad school,) I have quite a few favorite places where I always like to make my rounds when I visit. I'll share a few old favorites and some new places I tried on this most recent jaunt.

Asheville Top Picks

Doc Chey's Noodle House -  My perennial favorite. Cheap, fresh, and delicious. I almost don't want to spread this around, because the wait for a table in this tiny place is already insanely long.  My favorite pick is the Szechuan stirfry.  The sauce is incredible, the vegetables varied and crisp.  I could live on this (and in fact I was eating here once a week for quite awhile.) If they took reservations it would be a no brainer, but years later the word's gotten out and you better be prepared to wait an hour.

Marco's Pizza - The best Pizza in Asheville bar none.  It took awhile to find good floppy thin crust New York style Pizza in Asheville, but thank god I did.  This place has the goods.  I like mine straight up cheese (I'm a total purist when it comes to good pizza.)  The Greek salads and particularly the homemade greek dressing is the stuff Mediterranean dreams are made of.
12 Bones - A pork lovers fantasy land.  Pork smoked out back with an array of gourmet sauces (blueberry chipotle ribs anyone?) homemade sides, and local beer all at a reasonable price.  This is western Carolina style barbeque country, so stick with the tomato based sauces and let the vinegar based ones stay back East. My male friends are obsessed with the hogzilla (a monster of a sandwich towering with pulled pork, bacon, a homemade sausage and cheese) to the point where it has become a much loved right of passage.  I'm partial to the equally caloric, but slightly less guilt inducing pork plate with jalepeno cheese grits, cornbread and bacon cooked collards.  The freshly smoked turkey, bacon, and brie sandwich with pesto mayo is similarly a taste sensation.  Even the salads here are amazing (I would eat the spicy ranch dressing on literally anything) and have to the option of being pork laden.  If your avoiding meat, as I was this summer, don't let yourself within a five mile radius of this place (you can smell the pork smoking from about that far out) it can make even an ironclad veggie's will crumble.  Am I gushing?



Smoked Turkey Bacon Brie Sandwich

  

Pulled Pork Plate with Collards and Jalepeno Cheese Grits

Early Girl Eatery - There are a mindblowing assortment of good places for brunch in Asheville, but Early Girl has always been my top pick.  They use farm fresh produce, cheeses, eggs, and meats.  The food is consistently amazing, but you have to be a pretty early girl indeed to get a table.  This place fills up fast!

My favorite pick is the Sausage and sweet potato scramble with a biscuit and local Berry Best jam.

This Trip

Sunny Point- An excellent place for breakfast or brunch if you are willing to wait.  They use local hormone antiobiotic free meats which is music to my ears.  Some great picks are the breakfast croissant, the amazing stuffed French toast available in savory (with cream cheese, cheddar, and crumbled local sausage) or sweet versions, and the award winning huevos rancheros with blean bean cakes, eggs,chorizo, salsa verde, roasted potatoes, tortilla slivers, and cilantro crema.  I've been trying to replicate this dish at home ever since I first had it.  This time around I tried a special dish about to be entered in a food competition.  The Tomato Napoleon, with layers of local heirloom tomatoes, homemade pimento cheese, fresh basil, and a flaky parmesaen pepper biscuit.

Tomato Napoleon

White Duck Taco - A new hotspot for underfinanced foodies in Asheville located over in the River Arts District.  Homemade soft tacos in unique combinations like Lamb Gyro, Banh Mi Tofu, Duck Mole or Jerk Chicken, run around $3.50 or so each. Surprisingly, I was advised against ordering the duck taco, strange considering the name.  Popular opinion convinced me to try the Bangkok shrimp tacos which were loaded with crunchy shrimp, fresh lightly pickeled cumcumber slices and a creamy sweet, spicy thai sauce.  The margaritas were made with fresh juice and super yummy, but could have benefited from some additional tequila. 

Steak and Cheese Taco on Left, Bangkok Shrimp Taco on Right.

Yo Lo Local Frozen Yogart- Going out for fro yo is a tradition with my best friends in Asheville.  While we used to hit up TCBY, the addition of a local frozen yogart place called Fro Lo convinced us to mix it up.  I LOVED the new springtime additions of Key lime and Creamy Coconut.  Yum!  My friends went to town on the toppings bar favoring the Girl Scout Thin Mint peices.

Dumplings! and Noodles! and....Chocolate?

Open Top Pork and Shrimp Sui Mai

I used to be a fan of the Duck and the Dumpling Asian restaurant, and was disappointed when it closed. So I was thrilled to hear The Duck and the Dumpling's chef David opened his own, chef owned and operated, establishment David's Noodle and Dumpling.  David's newest foodie enterprise is located on Hillsborough St. in Raleigh across the street from NC State University.  He always seems to be there (does the man ever take a day off?), and frequently greets each table himself, usually with a amuse bouche of delicious carrot ginger soup. The food is dished up in a classy modern atmosphere. But lets get down to the main event!  The entrees I've tried (which are several...) have all been good to varying degrees, but as the name implies the noodles and dumplings are truly the stars of the show.  Strangely, the number of dumplings on the menu are fairly limited, but they are all well done.  Dumplings include David's signature half fried dumplings, with a juicy meatball like interior (good, but I'd like to have some veg in here too), well seasoned fried mushroom edamame dumplings that are short on meat but not flavor, and the steamed pork and shrimp open top shui mai, which are probably my favorite of the bunch.  The noodles are sure to please, and with the notable exception of the lo mein (good, but a bit oily), they generally come in soup form.  David is Vietnamese and despite working in a Chinese restaurant in Vietnam, you can taste his Vietnamese roots in the pho.  An ex boyfriend and close friend of mine got me hooked on his favorite noodle soup years ago (we still go out for pho when we meet up), and my taste for the fresh taste of basil laden pho was intensified on a trip to Vietnam. David's version is different then my favorite local Vietnamese hole in the wall, it may be slightly less authentic (no mystery meats or aweful here) but he stays true to the favor profile in a clean, contemporary version of the iconic Vietnamese soup. I've been here several times for soup when I was feeling under the weather.  Pho is the ultimate cure-all. Never-the-less my favorite noodle dish here is definitely the Malaysian Curry Noodle Soup.  I prefer the more toothsome egg noodles to the rice noodles of the pho. The soup has a heavenly everything but the kitchen sink combination of noodles, dumplings, chicken, basil, and a perfectly balanced rich curry broth.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Malaysian Curry Noodle Soup



Fried Mushroom Edamame dumplings



Lo Mein

                                                  

                                                 Kung Po Chicken

Spring Rolls



 What to pass up on?  The spring rolls.  Usually the Vietnamese get these spot on, however crispy the exterior, the interior of these miss the mark.  The vegetables are in a moo goo gai pan type sauce that is tasteless and turns the interior into mush.  I probably don't even need to say this, but also skip the chocolate cake.  Chef David is very talented, but he is a chef, not a baker.  His kitchen doesn't seem to measure out the ingredients, which though fine when cooking, doesn't work out so well with baking.  The flourless chocolate cake has the consistency and taste of a flourless chocolate sponge served in a ramekin and topped with quickly melting whipped cream (fortunately there is a sponge there to soak up the mess.)  Chocolate sponge and goopy spring roll not withstanding, most items on the menu are very well executed.  I love the combination of authentically flavored dishes (like Chinese greens and dumpling soup or pork, pickled turnip and ginger soup below) executed in more American friendly style (think white meat chicken) and dishes that even your finicky "I only eat sesame chicken" sort of friends will be happy with. The prices here are excellent for the quality of food and atmosphere that you are getting, making this a definite underfinanced foodie fav and a go-to restaurant for me.



Ginger Lamb



Pork, Pickled Turnip and Ginger Soup







The Federal...All About the Sides

I've noted the hype about the Federal gastropub off Main street in the heart of downtown Durham, and perhaps I went in with overly high expectations.  Some friends and I hit up the restaurant before a film festival over at Carolina Theatre. We were ushered into the backroom, where the first thing we noticed was how dark in was. As in too dark to read your menu kind of dark.  Whatever though, it irritated my dining companions more than myself.  The noise level back there was considerably more bothersome.  No doubt the small size of the room greatly amplified the sound of the large party sitting near us.  Once again, if the food is good enough, not a deal breaker for me.  I was advised by the waitress to order one of the daily changing specials.  I picked out the half rack of barbecue ribs, collard greens and fries.  My burgerphile friend ordered the burger au poivre reputed to be better than the Bullcity burgers he loves, and my other friend ordered a chicken panini with fontina, bacon and basil aioli on grilled sourdough. 

The chicken panini seemed to be the best pick of the three, no complaints. (My ever patient friends must get so tired of me insisting on trying their food...)

I love steak au poivre, so I had high hopes for my friend's order (I had been torn on the idea of ordering it myself.) The burger au poivre was well seasoned, but so heavily blackened and overcooked (not nearly the requested medium) that it reached a hockey puck like consistency. The kaiser roll it was served on and accompanying accoutrement would have helped to build a great burger had it not been drastically overcooked. The garlic "Fed fries" were exceptional.  They were hand cut and double fried for the perfect crisp, and perfectly garlicky.

The ribs were a let down.  They were tender enough, but the copious amounts of the Fed's homemade take on barbecue sauce was overwhelming in a not entirely pleasant way.  They were actually very reminiscent of when my college cafeteria used to attempt to make barbecue ribs, and that is certainly not a complement.   Fortunately, the unfortunate entree was accompanied by some lipsmackingly fantastic collard greens complimented with bacon, brown sugar and vinegar.  I also enjoyed my own side of the fabulous Fed fries.

Ultimately, the Fed isn't a total pass, there are some great things there (read: garlic fries and collard greens), but definitely some misses as well. The prices range from $8 to $18 with plenty of options under $10 to suit the needs of an underfinanced foodie and is generally better than your average bar food.

Burger Au Poivre and Fed Fries

Barbecue ribs, collard greens and Fed Fries

Chicken Panini and Side Salad

Searching for a Grade A Burger

Everyday a new burger place seems to pop up.  For better or worse it is a quintessentially American comfort food.  Bad Daddy's Burger Bar, one of my favorite burger joints from Charlotte has recently expanded outside the Queen City to open up a Raleigh location.  After sampling so many fantastic burgers at great triangle establishments like Bun, Bull City Burgers, Draft, Mo Joe's, Chow, and most recently Ashley Christensen's gourmet Chuck's, I had to see how these burgers, and of course their French fried sidekicks, stacked up.  Since I'm rating the meat, I thought I'd see who truly deserves to have their burger called "Grade A."

Bun - Downtown Chapel Hill, great fries, and assortment of burger topping combos and a great homemade vegan veggie burger than hardly made me miss the meat.  Good fresh fries regular or sweet potato served with your choice of unique dipping sauces like curry mustard, thai sesame, or wasabi mayo. Grade B

Bull City Burgers - Downtown Durham.  The most exceptional part of this burger joint is the locally raised beef, homemade condiments, and local produce.  Not to mention the beers from the in-house brewery!  Great choice of burger toppings like caramelized onions and gruyere.  Family style picnic table seating promotes a communal vibe with other diners. Just hope you can find a spot to sit before your food emerges. This tongue in cheek decor makes proclamations on how many vegetarians they have converted. This is a great place to bring a guy on a date, I have to rave reviews.  My criticism is that they consistently overcook their burgers for my taste.  I ask for medium, and always seem to get medium-well to well done.
Grade B+

Mo Joe's -  Downtown Raleigh.  Despite burgers being the specialty at this burger spot, neither myself or my burger loving accomplice were impressed.  Burgers didn't strike me as fresh ground. I'm not a fan of crinkle cut fries, I like them fresh cut, I might have been better off ordering the house chips instead. Not terrible, but not remarkable either. I doubt I'll be back. Grade C

Chow -  North Raleigh off of Creedmore.  While I generally get the nachos here, the burgers are a highlight as well.  Just stick to the meat and avoid the black bean burger...it's just not the same and doesn't stick together particularly well. The turkey avocado burger is great, and they are willing to cook your burger on the rare side. The regular fries are decent, but the sweet potato fries here are where it's at, they're actually crispy...probably due to a double trip to the fryer. Grade B-

Draft - DELICIOUS burger. I had a double pattie with cheese and peppered bacon.  A group of my favorite burger obsessed guys raved about this place saying it was one of the best burgers they'd had ever had.  Great flavor combinations.  They do not make fresh fries here though...so I would recommend the homemade chips instead. I'm very sorry to say....I was devastated to hear that they closed their doors on New Years Day.  WHY???  Grade A

Bad Daddy's Burgers - Downtown Raleigh at Seaboard Station and Charlotte locations.  Great burgers for every taste with a wide range of  fabulous homemade sauces to choose from.  My favorite is the signature "Bad Daddy's Sauce" a creamy sweet and smoky sauce. Burgers from the fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil burger to my guy friend's burger of legend "the baconator" with six strips of two kinds of bacon, bacon salt, cheese, and bacon mayonaise.  It's a heart attack on a plate no doubt, but they will probably continue to order it until the day they keel over. Another treat for the bacon lover, Bad Daddy's has on offering a burger patty made out of a combination of ground beef and bacon for a smoky bacon-y flavor throughout every bite.  My recent burger at Bad Daddy's was yummy, but with a very soggy bottom bun.  It was probably the messiest burger I've ever had, it totally fell apart on me, but the flavors were good. The homemade fries are fantastic with the dipping sauces. Grade B+

Chuck's - James Beard award nominated local chef Ashley Christensen's contribution to the local burger scene.  Hand cut Belgian fries and a "comeback" sauce that has been most effective in luring my roommate to comeback rather frequently.  I wasn't super impressed with the sauces I had, just because they tend to be mayonnaise based, which is very European of them...but I'm not European and I'm not a fan. Chuck's boasts innovative and non-traditional toppings like beats or bacon onion jam. Diners can choose from a 8 ounce burger or smaller 5 ounce freshly ground 100% chuck patty seared on a flat top grill and served on a potato bun.  Even 5 ounce burgers are very thick. I hated getting bites of bun and condiments with no meat, but then I guess I should have ordered the 8 ounce. The milkshakes are worth a try, I don't LOVE the tiny little bits of ice in them, but the flavor is fantastic.  I had the Madagascar (Vanilla) malt milkshake and I couldn't stop grinning, it tasted like my childhood. Grade A

Ultimately, if Draft was still around it would get my vote hands down...but it's not and I'm trying not to dwell on it.  That being said, that makes Chucks the best burger I've had around. The great quality juicy beef patty with the perfect seasoning and sear stole the show.  My runner up would be Bad Daddy's, I can't get enough of their dipping sauces and great fries. The burger is delicious, and might have come out on top had it not been for the soggy bottom bun.  From an underfinced foodie perspective these burgers are pricy.  A burger at Chucks runs you $9 and didn't include fries. Ordering the smaller 5 ounce burger allowed me to eat a gourmet burger without the wallet guilt.  A signature burger at Bad Daddy's can run around $11 but comes with fries.  I do the build your own, which depending on what toppings you get, can offer a better value.

Burger and Fries from Big Daddy's Burger Bar

 5 ounce burger from Chuck's.



Belgian Fries From Chucks

Guglhupf Bakery and Brunch

A friend of mine made the drastic claim that Guglhupf Bakery and Cafe in Durham offers an even better brunch than La Farm Bakery in Cary.  Hmph...I found that difficult believe, but made a point to get over there and see how it lived up to the ringing endorsement.  My first impression did leave me admittedly impressed.  The decor and atmosphere of the two floor cafe with the beautiful outdoor patio section was considerably more appealing for guests dining in than La Farm's cramped little dining room.  I also appreciated that my food was served on legitimate plates with legit silverware (one of my few qualms with La Farm.)  The presentation was appealing and the service was good. But ultimately, it all comes down to the food.  Since Guglhupf is a German bakery, it seemed prudent to order one of the German specialties.  I ordered the Alsatian layered potato and cheese tart, which was quite good, but not as warm as I would have liked, and a little heavy on the pepper.  To provide a more evenhanded perspective I needed to test out the baked goods (that's my excuse anyway...) I bought a loaf of the Guglhupf signature house bread to go, a bag of the Guglhupf granola with almonds, and an almond croissant that never made it home.  The bread was very good, really a toss up with La Farm's bread. Despite my love of all things almond, the granola didn't win me over.  Strangely it's a little TOO sweet and salty, especially if used as a topping for fruit yogurt.  I'm highly partial to the honey sesame flavor of the La Farm granola.  As for the croissant, you can't beat the French there.  The croissant was good, but had a slight hint of rye flavor that I found didn't quite belong.  So the consenus?  If your going out with friends, Guglhupf provides a considerably nicer dining atmosphere, especially on a nice day.  However, my heart (and stomach) still ultimately belong to La Farm.  Vive la France!