July 4, 2010
I really like to eat at locally-owned restaurants more than the larger chain restaurants, but sometimes you want something in particular from a chain, or it just happens to be the closest spot and you’re hungry *now*. Such was the case last weekend – we were out at Triangle Town Center shopping when we realized how hungry we were. We didn’t feel like food-court fare so we walked over to Champs. We were greeted and seated quickly and began searching the menu for the perfect lunch.
The atmosphere at Champs is always energetic, and this day was no exception. The FIFA World Cup was playing on several tvs, and the ceiling hosted flags from the nations represented at the games. Our server was fast and friendly but not overbearing. We ordered chips and salsa for our appetizer as seems to be our trend. I tried out their berry-lemonade (pricier than a soda with one free refill) which was very good and not too tart or acidic at all.
My super-cute date ordered a bacon cheeseburger and I settled on the Cuban grill. It wasn’t a traditional Cuban – which I’ve been craving lately – a pressed Cuban bread sandwich with ham and (usually) pork but sometimes turkey. Slap on some mustard, cheese and a sliced pickle and voila.
Champ’s Cuban grille takes a little different approach – their ham is paired with a sort of pork-bbq with chopped pickles mixed into the sauce. It certainly didn’t sound like what I wanted, but I was so hungry I figured it would do.
The sandwich didn’t just “do” – it was amazing and delicious. The pickle-bbq-whatever-else-is-in-it sauce was the perfect addition to the ham and the bread. It wasn’t your traditional Cuban obviously, but it sated my longing for one and I’ve been craving another ever since. The chips and salsa were equally delicious, and my date’s burger was also tasty.
The biggest complaint about Champs would probably be that it’s a little on the pricey side for lunch. We paid about $35-40 (after tip) for the burger, sandwich, chips and drinks, what I would have expected to pay for dinner of the same value.
It’s June and love is in the air. Well, at Rudino’s last Monday night there was! A friend of ours got engaged and the groom-to-be surprised his new fiancee by throwing a surprise engagement party following the proposal. A bunch of friends met up at Rudino’s Rooftop Bar to congratulate the happy couple. What seemed like an unlikely meet-up location for such an event turned into a convenient – and fun – spot to celebrate.
The bar staff was quick to keep drinks coming to all the patrons of the evening – including mixed drinks and cocktails as well as pitchers of beer (don’t forget the congratulatory shots!) and the full menu was available for those of us who were hungry for more than the cake provided at the party.
The bartender was great and served up specialty drinks quickly. One round of drinks was one some of us never heard of (an Aunt Jemima – it smelled like blueberry syrup) and he took the time to explain the ingredients and made several drinks for the curious who wanted a taste.
The food was served up fast and hot and delicious as usual. We tried out one of their grinders and wow was it delicious, not to mention HUGE.
Rudino’s Rooftop Bar is a great place to hang out with friends or a date. You can dine/drink inside or out. Watch a game on one of the televisions or catch some live music depending on their schedule of events. Oh, and if you had your first date at Rudino’s and find yourself proposing two years later, an impromptu surprise with all your friends and family at the same spot is the perfect way to end your special and unforgettable day!
May 27, 2010
Wow are we stuffed! We just ate lunch at the Sawmill Tap Room, located on Lead Mine Road at Sawmill Road. We hadn’t previously been here for lunch and thought we’d check it out since we were looking for some good burgers and sandwiches that went beyond both fast food or chain restaurant styles.
It’s a beautiful and warm day out, just right for sitting outside. Sawmill has a great outdoor eating deck but we opted to dine in. The restaurant was steady but not crowded and not too busy for quick seating and service. The menu has a lot to offer with a nice variety of items on the appetizer list as well as the regular menu. We settled on the fried pickles for our appetizer. They were served at just the right time – not too soon but not too long in the wait time either. That says to me they were cooked up fresh and sure enough, our huge serving (which was the ’smaller’ serving size) was brought out steaming hot with a side of ranch dressing.
For lunch I ordered the portobella sandwich, served on a kaiser roll topped with provelone cheese, a tomato, and a parmesean crumbled topping. My partner-in-crime ordered the club which was packed with quite a hefty amount of ham, turkey and applewood smoked bacon with cheese served on sourdough bread. Both orders came with a side of fries. Everything was good and neither of us were able to finish our meals.
I would have preferred the portobella be marinated or maybe served with a garlic spread, but the crumbled parmesean topping helped make up for some flavor. If you really enjoy the natural full flavor of a portobella then you will definitely enjoy this sandwich.
The club may have been a little too heavy on the meat and since it was served warm, it was close to being a little too greasy. Otherwise, it was really good.
The service was good and very laid back. We never felt rushed to leave or that our server was overwhelmed with too many tables. Our drinks were kept full and we had a nice, relaxing lunch.
Our meal total was around $24, a tiny bit on the ‘high’ end for lunch, but the portions were worth it and the food really was pretty good.
Sawmill also has quite a few brews on tap and has a full-service bar. It offers a great neighborhood bar and grill without being trendy or pretentious. There are several locations in the Raleigh area.
December 18, 2009
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.
December 7, 2009
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!