North Raleigh Food
Hungry? Find great food to eat tonight in North Raleigh!

On Friday night we braved the cold and snow to head out to Savoy for a nice, romantic dinner. We’d been once before just for dessert and enjoyed the atmosphere, so this time we wanted the whole dining experience.

Savoy is a smaller restaurant tucked into a shopping center, but it’s super convenient to get to and there’s lots of parking. For the warmer months, patrons can dine outside in a quaint little dining area. Inside, Savoy is warm and inviting. A blue-lighted fish tank gives a soft glow when you first come in; modern light fixtures and contemporary art give the restaurant a swanky and classy feel. First-class service awaits you from the moment you sit down, whether at a booth, table or the bar.

We were seated and quickly greeted by our server. He gave us the wine list and mentioned a few specials but didn’t go into an over-driven sales pitch that left me with my eyes glazed-over. We perused the menu, debating on what to try. The neat thing about Savoy is you can order your meal by selected course menus, or you can order those same selections a’ la carte.

After getting some information [that is, definitions!!!] we settled on ordering a’ la carte. For the first course, we chose duck confit with truffled honey and apple cardamom chutney. Wow, was it ever amazingly delicious. The duck did indeed taste a little like chicken, and the topping was so sweet with the cardamom adding a bit of ginger-like flavor to each bite.

Next up was Savoy’s French onion soup, which in my opinion should be an award-winning French onion soup. Served piping hot in a bowl shortly after we ate our duck, the soup has “caramelized onion, red wine fortified beef broth, and a baked Gruyere crouton” on top. It was absolutely delicious. The serving size was a perfect mete – enough to satisfy you without filling you up.

Our last course was the Crimini stuffed chicken. The chicken was sliced and stuffed with the mushroom mixture, then served atop wonderful mashed potatoes, and asparagus on the side. I’m not a huge fan of asparagus, but even I couldn’t resist how good they tasted.

Savoy’s bar was well-stocked and ready for any manner of mixed drink. I’m not sure what beers, if any, there may be (we didn’t order beer) but their wine list is pretty extensive.

Not only did we enjoy great service and amazing food, but we were REALLY IMPRESSED with Savoy’s incredibly affordable prices. Our first-class dining experience was definitely affordable.

After we finished up our meal, we were given a little treat to take home: two apple muffins with a sugary topping. A delicious way to end our evening!

Savoy would be a great place for dinner to celebrate any special occasion (they take reservations, too) or just for a nice night out. Several businesses meet monthly at Savoy and enjoy an equally delicious and affordable lunch menu. While we dressed up a little for our special occasion, other diners were dressed casually. There weren’t any children at the restaurant during our visit, and I didn’t see any “kid” sections on the menu, but I’d guess that a well-behaved child would be enchanted with the atmosphere and would enjoy some of the menu items.

You can find coupons, specials and other information at Savoy’s website here. They are also on Twitter: @restaurantsavoy

So we were sitting around a few nights ago, wondering what to do for the evening. We didn’t feel like watching another movie and definitely didn’t feel like hitting up the mall. We decided to meet up with some friends downtown and the unanimous vote was for the Busy Bee Cafe. I’d never been before but everyone else frequents this neat little spot in Raleigh. It didn’t take long to drive there and we found a parking deck less than a block away. It was a fun little walk to the cafe which has a bit of a tucked-out-of-the-way feel to it when you’re walking down the street.

We got inside and sat at the bar for a minute waiting for our friends. We were immediately greeted by a super friendly bartender who explained the beer selections. I’m more of a mixed drink kinda gal and let my eyes wander over the many liquors stocked on the bar shelves. (Busy Bee also has their own specialty mixed drinks for the more adventurous.)

Our friends arrived and we moved to a cozy table. Two of us settled on mixed drinks for the evening while everyone else picked from the special beer menu.

Although we’d already eaten, we had the munchies. This is when we discovered that Busy Bee has the world’s best Tater Tots. Well, maybe not the world’s best since we can’t compare, but they were awful good. Maybe Raleigh’s best.

Our server was incredibly friendly and personable. We all chatted like friends for a minute about some trending topic from the day’s news and were happy to note that he kept our glasses full.

It was a fairly easy-going crowd the night we went: one gal worked on her computer, another fellow read through the newspaper. A few friends chatted it up here and there and the upstairs seemed to hum with activity.

We had a great time hanging out and I can see how this would easily become a favorite gathering spot for friends to grab a drink and unwind in a great environment. I can imagine the servers knowing repeat patrons on a first-name basis, maybe even knowing their favorite drink or dining fare.

We didn’t have a meal from the menu, but the choices look delicious and are very reasonably priced.

I can’t wait to get back to the Busy Bee for a little relaxing of my own. By “relaxing” I really mean “having a drink with great friends in a great spot while eating great Tater Tots.”

=)

Check out the Busy Bee Cafe’s website here.

We all know the traditional scene for Christmas-dinner. It goes something like this:

Norman Rockwell-type family, sitting around a table with ham, turkey (or both!) and stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, pies, you name it… and everyone looks like they’re about to devour everything on that table while a cheery fire crackles in the background.

For some of us, however, Christmas is just another day to not eat more than our bodies were designed to eat in one sitting. Others just try to avoid “that side of the family” and make other plans to avoid the in-laws. Whatever your traditions or plans, face it: you gotta eat on Christmas day.

So if you aren’t eating in but prefer to eat out, do you drive around town looking for lit-up “OPEN” signs? Do you have a favorite place you hit up every year?

We want to know! Tell us where you plan on eating out this Christmas in North Raleigh, or places you’ve found to be open on Christmas day.

On Saturday night, we wanted some calzones!!! We decided to hit up Stromboli’s on Spring Forest Road, where we’ve eaten a few times before and found their food to be pretty good.

When it comes to hit-or-miss food experiences, Saturday night was a miss! We called ahead and ordered a calzone with pepperoni and sausage. The wait time was about 25 minutes so we hung out at the house for a bit before meandering over to the restaurant.

Stromboli’s was hopping with customers, both dine-in and carry-out. We had to wait an extra 15 minutes to get our food, but we didn’t get bent out of shape since there was a large group eating-in that night. We figured our food would be fresh and hot when we got home either way.

When we got home, we served up the calzone. We were disappointed because our food wasn’t very hot at all but barely warm. When we cut the calzone in two, we were again disappointed to see the layers of cheese, pepperoni and sausage were all in one spot of the calzone, leaving about 3/4 of it nothing but the dough.  We tried to cut open the calzone to make more of a pocket so we could redistribute the meat, but it didn’t work too well.

While the food tasted okay, it wasn’t the best dining experience we’ve ever had. You want your food to be hot and ready to eat, not warm and still needing assembly.

This trip wasn’t the best, but we’ll still give Stromboli’s another shot since we have had better times in the past.

Mmm, want a slice of hot, gooey cheesy pizza? Yes please!

We love to eat pizza in my family. It’s a great quick meal on those busy nights when you don’t have time to cook or if you’ve had  a long week and just want to relax during the evening and not have to cook and clean up.

The other night we decided we wanted pizza for dinner and decided to try Rudino’s. I’ve been to Rudino’s before: they have a fun rooftop bar, but I hadn’t had their pizza before. I called ahead to have the pizza ready for pick-up. By the time I got there, my extra cheese and pepperoni pizza was piping hot and ready.

I was surprised at the cost: a large 16″ pizza with two toppings cost about$5 less than I’ve paid at other similar pizza restaurants. Rudino’s pizza crust -which their website says is made fresh daily- is delicious. There’s plenty to go around for two adults and two kids, with leftovers to boot.

As of right now, I think it’s my favorite pizza in town!

Check out their website to check out their menu or to find a location near you.

Mmmm! What to do after a yummy home cooked meal when you’ve got the munchies for something sweet? You hit the town and get some dessert, that’s what!

We decided to go back to Toreros for some fried ice-cream. We hit the restaurant at about 7:30 or so. There were a few people there so we were seated quickly again! We ordered a fried ice-cream covered in chocolate, honey and whipped cream (topped with a cherry of course). I also ordered one of their homemade Sangrias which was delicious! We paid less than $8.00 for a large alcoholic beverage and a dessert big enough for two people.

The fried ice-cream was only okay; I”ve had better, but it was still a yummy treat at the end of the day.

On Friday night my man and I decided on Applebee’s for dinner. It’s in a real convenient location for us: right at Triangle Town Center off of Old Wake Forest Road and Capital Blvd. (map)

It was pretty early when we arrived – just after 5 or so. It had already gotten dark and chilly out so walking into the warm restaurant with inside house lights low but softly lit up with twinkling string lights was a pleasant experience. Cheery holiday music played quietly in the background and the inside atmosphere was friendly and comfortable.

It wasn’t crowded and we were seated right away. Our server was quick to greet us and take our order. We decided on the 2 for $20 deal. There’s 10 entrees listed to pick from as well as 4 different appetizers. We settled on a chicken fingers basket (with fries) and a riblet basket (with fries) and mozzarella sticks for our appetizer.

I was worried that a meat and fry basket wouldn’t be enough to fill us up, but once we finished our appetizer and dug into our meal, we filled up quickly and had leftovers to take home!

We each got a drink from the bar: he got a Brewtus beer drink and I got a large Southern Punch cocktail (delicious!!!). This definitely added quite a bit more onto our tab, but the prices for a drink are comparable to other bar and grille type restaurants.

While we loved the drinks, service and atmosphere, we’d probably rate the food as good. Not stellar, but still the yummy flavors that you expect to find at Applebee’s.

The main reason to return for us will definitely be to  take advantage of the great 2 for $20 menu again!

It’s one of those days: I’m not sure what I want to eat!! Irony maybe?!

It is really such beautiful day out, I’m not sure if I want something hot or cold. Filling or light?  Soup? Sandwich? Pasta? Burger? Oh what to do?

I need your help! Send us some suggestions of YOUR favorite North Raleigh restaurants!!!