When we arrived there were a few customers enjoying their purchases at the small tables at the store. There were a good variety of options to choose from. To be honest I expected more options and variations but was able to find exactly what I wanted.

When looking for a place to sit we noticed a few of the small tables where others were sitting when we arrived were empty but all the dishes, napkins and cupcak

e crumbs were left behind. The young lady behind the counter saw our confusion and let us know that your suposed to clear your own table but did not come around to clear. We had to clear a table ourselves to sit down at. A little bit later the young lady did come around and take care of the other tables. We made sure to get our own table cleaned up when we left.

The cupcakes hit the spot and were a great treat for my cheat day. I look forward to visiting again but will get them to go for sure!

You can choose a tabletop inside or a table outside if the weather is nice enough. I did feel a little cramped and it was awkward that there was a soda machine close-by but was only for servers to use; I felt like my table was near the server prep station, not in my own part of the restaurant.  The service is just okay here, not as good as it used to be. We’ve eaten here before and wonder if the restaurant is under new management.

For our meals, we each selected the Pollo Cardinale sandwich. It had sundried tomatoes and chicken on it so it was my obvious choice. I wasn’t sure how it was going to taste since it also had eggplant, hummus, ranch and pesto. I was pleasantly surprised that this cacophony of ingredients blended well and was rather tasty!

We ate up our sandwiches and chips and sodas and then left. While the sandwich I had was tasty, I don’t know that I would eat here often as our entire meal cost about $25 after chips, sodas and a tip for our “one-stop” server. It was a little pricey for me considering it’s just lunch.

We ordered the Tomato and Goat cheese Bruschetta (I love bruschetta!) as an appetizer and two fountain sodas to start. The bruschetta came out and it looked good but unfortunately it missed the mark a bit. The balsamic dressing was actually a balsamic syrup which was a little too thick. This was not the best bruschetta I’ve ever eaten. Moving on to dinner!

My boyfriend ordered the prime rib and I ordered the baby back bbq ribs. While we waited for our meal, I noticed that while the restaurant has an upscale, classy look to it, many little corners and areas of the dining area have dust and dirt in them. There is also a slight mildew smell in the restaurant which was a little off-putting when mixed in with the smell of the food. We were served a portion of bread or rolls while we waited.

Our server was nice but was really busy with a bigger table next to us. While we were able to get our appetizer, drinks and pre-dinner bread in a fairly timely manner, it could have come a little faster.

Our food came out and we dug in. My baby back ribs were crusty on top which for me is a sign of burnt. I picked off most of the charred fat/skin/meat and didn’t have much left to eat. The bbq sauce wasn’t what I was expecting, it was more like a bbq-like sauce. I didn’t like the cole-slaw and so I munched on my fries which were probably the best part of my meal. Hello $25 french fries.

The prime rib looked good and tasted alright but was a little on the fatty side. We’ve definitely had better prime rib than the one we had here at Winston’s.

Once the plates were cleared it was time to order dessert: the awe-inspiring, amazing, wonderful, must-have Bananas Foster. I’m not a huge fan of bananas anything but I was willing to give it a shot. Out came a huge glump of banana-y deliciousness. I’m not sure what went into it but imagine a sweet puff pastry of sorts with bananas and drizzled in caramel with a lump of vanilla ice cream. Or maybe it was whipped cream. Not sure. Probably both.

Dessert was indeed good. For $8, it better have been good!

In all we spent $75.43 before tip. If the food had been delicious and we’d eaten all of it, it would have been worth it. Unfortunately, Winston’s just seemed to be a whole lot of pretentiousness that left me wanting more: if not for dessert I would have left hungry.

Anyway, I made my boyfriend take me we finally decided to go the other day. It was hot outside so we weren’t able to sit out on the small patio area available. There were a few umbrellas but they were already in use. I sat down for a few minutes but the glaring sun was too hot so we went inside.

Lilly’s is a funky and retro cafe. I liked that they had posters up for local concerts and seem supportive of local starving artists (musically and otherwise).

Price wise, Lilly’s is up there with most non-chain pizza pie restaurants. A two-topping large (cheese plus your fave) will set you back about $15 while a large specialty pizza will cost a bit more, ranging from $19-23 depending. Lilly’s also offers a gluten-free alternative and several vegetarian options.

We each ordered a medium create-your-own. I was tempted with a variety of toppings (they have a LOT of toppings!) but realized once I created my Pièce de résistance with about 5 unique toppings I would have had to chuck out about $20 for a small pizza. I settled on extra cheese.

It didn’t take too long to make the pizza, but the wait for me was quite painful. The smoky atmosphere from the kitchen burned my eyes and my nose. If I didn’t know the smoke was from the food cooking I may have got on all fours to crawl out. By the time we left the restaurant, my hair and clothes smelled of burnt something.

The pizza was okay: it had a thicker crust than I was expecting. I had spent two years listening to two of my friends rave about how amazing Lilly’s pizza was and I have to tell you: it was a big let-down for me.  The top portion of the dough was pretty doughy tasting and appeared much more undercooked than my boyfriend’s was. The sauce was unremarkable and so was the cheese.

In all, I wouldn’t make the trip here for mediocre pizza. I have to tell you that I would be willing to give Lilly’s another try just in case it was an off day in the kitchen. However, I really didn’t care for the crust style, and I definitely didn’t enjoy the way-too-smoky atmosphere. I may have a more sensitive nose than others but the smoky atmosphere alone keeps me from returning. The restaurant would do well to invest in some sort of ventilation system!

Otherwise, everything here was organic or homemade, a welcome change to the prepackaged, ready-made or frozen ingredients other pizza joints might use. For me, the time and effort and cost wasn’t worth the trip or the food.

Our only other complaint was that there was no soap by the sink. The sink that is located outside the restrooms for everyone to use. That was quite a put-off when you start wondering how staff and other patrons wash their hands… Ew.

Sawmill had a steak special (t-bone) that my boyfriend decided to give a shot. Steak is a tricky dish and our experience has been that the non-steak specialty restaurants usually serve an overcooked steak.  I passed on the steak and ordered the California Burger (subbed bbq sauce for the guacamole) medium-well.

As usual, our server was friendly (not over-the-top I’m your new best friend, not too distant, either) and our food didn’t take too long to prepare. I had special ordered my burger which I usually do when I’m out and I’ve never had a problem with any sort of special order at Sawmill.

The steak was actually pretty good! It came out cooked just right (well-done), not burnt or leathery. It wasn’t the juciest of steaks but for the price and the cut, we got what we paid for. (Well, he did!).

My burger was cooked to perfection. It was a juicy, bbq-cheddar-bacon-burger that hit the spot.

We had a few mixed beverages from the bar and a beer. Our total for dinner and drinks was about $33 plus tip. Not too bad for steak, burgers and beer in a friendly close-to-home restaurant.

If you’re going to eat here on a busy weekend night, be sure to get in a little early as parking can be tricky (though not impossible) on the weekends.

We’d already had dinner earlier in the evening (518 on Glenwood) and then we were off to see Mumford and Sons (my favorite band in the whole world but that’s beside the point). After braving the heat before, during and after the concert, we’d both sweat off the calories from dinner and were in need of some grub.

He suggested Tobacco Road which seemed an odd name for this non-Carolina girl but I was game. We weren’t too far and were able to find a decent parking spot at 222 Glenwood Avenue, in a nice little part of town with a few restaurants and specialty shops.

Tobacco Road is a true sports bar with numerous television sets and a little area that even includes several recliners. I wasn’t here to watch any ESPN, however, so we sat down and browsed through the menu.

It was almost 11 at night so we didn’t want to eat too much food, but we were considerably hungry and an appetizer just wouldn’t do. We settled on the fresh pico de gallo with chips. It was absolutely delicious except we didn’t realize there were decent sized chunks of jalapeno in there (with seeds) so we each got a little more burn than we’re used to. (If you like the burn, you’ll probably love this appetizer).

We each ordered a soda, and then one beer and a mixed beverage (or two).

We also decided we’d share a burger instead of each having a full meal. We ordered the Durham Bull burger (medium well) which has bacon and bbq sauce. We also added cheddar cheese.

The burger was delicious. DELICIOUS.

Tobacco Road had a great atmosphere. There were couples together, a few groups of friends hanging out at the bar or at a table. Some folks watched the TV while others just chatted quietly. There was a family that came in with their kids and they seemed to have fun too. One of the servers put on a children’s channel on the tv closest to their table which I thought was really nice of her to do. (Although why someone had their kids out and about at midnight to eat I’m not sure. Just sayin’…)

Our tab was just under $30 after tip, which wasn’t too bad for the food we got as well as a few bar drinks. We’ve been back several times because we enjoyed the atmosphere and food so much. Definitely a neat date place or if you want to watch the game and chow down on some really good food.

What are some of your tried-and-true methods for making the best barbecue ever?  Do you oven cook or boil ribs before grilling? Do you wrap in tin foil or toss on the grill? Baste with BBQ sauce before, during or after cooking? What are some favorite recipes or sides for your best barbecues?

We want to know! Leave a comment below!

We arrived around 7:15 and the place was busier than I thought they would be. We have driven past the plaza a few times and it usually seems pretty empty, but that night we had to drive around a few times to find a parking spot.

Lafayette Village is really a unique place with several shops and restaurants. There’s a fountain in one of the courtyard areas and the way the building is designed, you really feel like you are in a European village.

We walked over to Paparazzi and were greeted by two hostesses. You could smell the woodfire grill cooking up something delicious and I couldn’t wait to see the menu. We didn’t have a reservation but were seated in less than five minutes (which is a bit of a miracle for a Friday night).

Our server arrived and launched into his welcome, handing us the menu and detailing the specials. I had to ask him a few times to repeat a few items he mentioned since he said the dish names with a bit of an accent and I had no clue what he was talking about.

He asked if we’d like a drink and I deferred to my date: “Hmmm, I don’t know. Are you going to get something?” He said he was fine and would start off with water and looked back to me for what my final choice was but the server muttered a “very well” and went off. I supposed I’d be getting a water as well, unless he could read my mind and was going to bring me the amaretto and cola drink I was craving (he didn’t).

I tried to find something familiar on the menu but didn’t have much luck. A lot of the items sounded good but had ingredients that I were unsure of. I hate to eat something if I don’t know that I’ll enjoy it, especially at a restaurant where I have to pay for something I end up not liking. I didn’t want seafood, pizza or steak and was hoping for a cheese-stuffed pasta. Fortunately one of the specials of the day was a 4 or 5 cheese ravioli so I decided on that and my date picked a chicken Parmesan dish.

Our server returned to take our order. I thought it was weird that he asked my date what he wanted first (I’ve almost ALWAYS been asked first what I want, and when I worked as a server, I also asked the female first out of courtesy.) and that he didn’t have eye contact with me when I placed my order. Whatever, I figure he’s just busy. Unfortunately he came off as pretentious.

We were so hungry and were hoping for some bread (other tables had a tin of what appeared to be bread, but it was a few minutes til we got one. It contained 3 slices of cold Italian style sliced bread, no butter). We also hoped there would be a salad with our meal but there wasn’t.

We devoured our bread and weren’t given a refill which was disappointing. Maybe they wanted to keep us waiting for our meals so we’d eat everything? Our meals finally did arrive and looked delicious. My sauce was wonderful – I think it was a vodka sauce. The ravioli were a little too al dente for my taste; had they been any more so I would not have been able to eat them. The cheese inside was heavenly though!

My date enjoyed his chicken and pasta. I took a taste but didn’t care for the sauce that was used. It was a red sauce with red pepper which isn’t something I was used to. If you enjoy that sort of sauce, you’d really enjoy this dish.

In all, eating at Paparazzi was a bit of a fizzle for us. Their slogan is “Where every guest is treated like a star.” Unfortunately, I felt more like the hired help. We had to wait for refills on our water, never got more bread and didn’t hear from our server sans order taking and delivery.

The atmosphere is really neat when you walk in, but the two-top tables are so large, you can’t hold an intimate conversation since you are so far away from each other. You have to speak loudly over the noise of other diners and it is likely those seated next to you would be privy to your conversation.

Another thing we did not like is the server and management staff standing against the wall behind our table. One set of managers (shirts, ties) appeared to be discussing business while the server just chilled out and kept an eye on the dining room. I felt like we had to hurry and eat so we’d be out of their way. I didn’t feel like I could relax at all. One server was filling the water glass at the table next to us and went too close to the top of the glass with the water level. Our server stood behind the patron making the “stop” motion (she didn’t see him because she was looking at the glass). The water didn’t spill but he took the glass away and brought a new one out filled within about a half-inch of the top.

This restaurant is a bit of a paradox to me: you’re supposed to be treated like a star and waited on hand and foot, but you gotta wait for a refill of water and don’t get seconds on bread – if you do I’m wondering if I have to ask for them? If not, please take away the empty bread dish. I’d really have liked a salad, too. If your management and staff are going to hang out in a casual manner and discuss business so close to your patrons, then make your restaurant more casual, not a presumptuous/stuffy/high class/laid back sort of place. I felt really confused by the whole experience.

Having said all that, I’d say the place warrants another trip in the future. This time I’ll bring my own bread to snack on while we wait, though.

I was in the mood for seafood. Big Time. I had the option of buying some from Fresh Market (also in Sutton Square), or checking out Captain Stanley’s. Since I am a 20 something bachelor I went for having someone else do the cooking today. I checked in for an early dinner right before 5pm on Saturday. It was pretty quiet but I could tell that they were getting ready for Dinner time peak. They had two hostesses and a server at the reception area to greet me. One of the hosts took me right back to my own booth.

My server was prompt in getting to the table and taking my drink order and getting me some really good hush puppies right away. Good thing too, I was starving. Also to note, they serve Pepsi Products. Which I am totally cool with.

Going in, I knew what I was looking for: Tuna Steak & Pop Corn Shrimp. They had both items on the menu however not as a combo, or available for individual order. So when my server Steven got back around I told him what I wanted “Tuna Steak and Large size popcorn shrimp” and to kindly figure out how to put it in the system.

One thing to note – The way their menu is set up they have combos for Fried seafood, and combos for broiled seafood. Apparently you cant substitute. On the broiled side the Tuna Steak with Shrimp was like $12.99.

Steven came back after talking to the manager and said my order would be $16.99. I didn’t argue. I was hungry, its what I wanted and the price was what I was willing to pay in my state of hunger and craving.

The meal then showed up with a very well prepared Tuna Steak (I like mine cooked all the way thru, not raw in the middle like some) and an oval plate of popcorn shrimp one layer thick (meaning there was no shrimp laying on top of the other on the whole plate), the two sides I ordered – Brunswick stew & baked potato. The Brunswick stew was very good, it did however have a Giant piece of tomato in it that I wasn’t interested in eating. The baked potato was not huge but made a great side serving.

I was just very puzzled at the small serving of shrimp considering I ordered a large popcorn shrimp (I’m a bachelor, I like leftovers for later). Now I was having issues that I paid $4.00 more and got such a small serving of popcorn shrimp. So I waited to dig in to those just in case Steven the server didn’t hear me right when I ordered a Large Serving. I waited for a while, Steven did not follow up after delivering my food to see if I needed anything. I dug into the tuna steak and it was great. However, I did want some lemon slices so I even had to wait to continue on the tuna steak. The Brunswick stew and baked potato tided me over till the server came back. I said “is this a large?” while pointing at the oval plate with popcorn shrimp. Steven said “it’s a regular serving that comes with the Rib Eye and popcorn shrimp…that’s how we had to input your order to the system”. “OOOOOoooo” I said, and Left it at that.

Over all the food was great, service was good. I will definitely be back for more seafood at Captain Stanley’s in North Raleigh. Maybe I was just thinking too much about my experience at Mayflower Seafood restaurant and their Heaping regular serving of popcorn shrimp. Or maybe I should have asked to specifically substitute popcorn shrimp for broiled shrimp @ $12.99. I definitely know having the server and manager figure it out will not result in the best Price/Value to the customer.

This location has an outdoor patio that is fairly nice, and the inside of the restaurant is also nice with plenty of seating unless you arrive smack in the middle of lunch! There’s a fairly steady flow of movement in the restaurant, so there is usually a place to sit by the time you get your food, if not then it’s only a short wait on a busy day.

The menu is posted above the registers and it is a little hard to take in since there are so many choices to pick from; grabbing a paper menu near the front door seems to be an easier way to pick what you want while you are waiting in line. Orders are placed fairly quickly so be ready to go to the next available register so they don’t have to wave you over.

We decided to get panini sandwiches (flattened and grilled bread): I got the smokehouse turkey hot panini sandwich, and my friend got the chipotle chicken hot panini sandwich. I ordered chips for my side and he had an apple. We both had fountain drinks.

The sandwiches made it out pretty quickly considering Panera was pretty busy. My smokehouse turkey was nice and hot, but the chipotle chicken was lukewarm and the bread not grilled very much at all. We didn’t feel like taking the sandwich back and so decided to go ahead and eat.

My smokehouse turkey panini was pretty good: apparently it was on three-cheese bread (it tasted like regular to me) with smoked turkey, applewood-smoked bacon, smoked cheddar cheese and “sun-dried tomato ale mustard.”  I love sundried tomatoes so this sandwich sounded perfect for me. Unfortunately, the flavor was nothing to write home about. It tasted like smoked turkey, cheese and mustard on bread. I was hoping the sandwich would have a more unique flavor to it but it really didn’t.

The chipotle chicken was on toasted french bread – although we’d use the term “toasted” lightly here! Literally! The cubed chicken was paired with applewood-smoked bacon, smoked cheddar, tomatoes and ancho chipotle spread. As mentioned, the chicken wasn’t that warm so our cheese wasn’t very melted or gooey, and the tomato slice was a little under-ripe so we took it off the sandwich. The flavor of the ancho chipotle spread was pretty good, however, and gave a nice flavor to the sandwich.

In all, these weren’t sandwiches that earned their $7.19 price tag. Our lunch definitely wasn’t worth the $20 we forked out for mediocre sandwiches. We did, however, add on a $3.00 pastry for .99 because we bought lunch. It was a cheese danish and it was delicious: it reminded me of a cheese danish I used to buy when I lived in Germany a long time ago!

We’ll probably give this Panera another shot, but considering the prices, the potential for a long wait, and the difficulty to get in and out of the parking lot, it won’t be our first choice any time soon.