Food, Indy Week

At Bad Daddy's Burger Bar, nothing succeeds like excess

Curt Fields — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

A cornucopia for carnivores, Bad Daddy's at Raleigh's Seaboard Station doesn't sweat the small stuff. by Curt Fields Bad Daddy's Burger Bar at Raleigh's Seaboard Station is a cornucopia for carnivores. The multitude of choices on the menu includes the likes of a Bacon Cheeseburger on Steroids and the restaurant's signature Bad Daddy's Bad Ass Burger.…

Foodopoly lifts the veil on our food system

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Wenonah Hauter's book examines the history and political machine behind agribusiness consolidation, the pharmaceutical industry, factory farming, food safety and even the co-opting of "organic." by Lisa Sorg Wenonah Hauter is the executive director of the watchdog group Food & Water Watch, based in Washington, D.C. Her book, Foodopoly, examines the history and political machine behind agribusiness consolidation, the pharmaceutical industry, factory farming, food safety—even the co-opting of the term "organic"—which have contributed to the demise of small farms. We spoke by phone about what we, the consumers, can do to fix our broken food system.…

At Kipos Greek Taverna, a taste of the homeland

Victoria Bouloubasis — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

After 13 years in the Triangle, I've found a local Greek spot that comes closer to my yiayias' cooking. by Victoria Bouloubasis I had the pleasure of knowing both of my grandmothers, who hailed from different regions of Greece. Yiayia Koula lived her entire life in a tiny, land-locked village high in the central mountains, while Yiayia Eleni grew up on a windy, arid island in the Aegean Sea.…

Raise a toast to Champagne's sparkling personality

Adam Sobsey — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The best thing about Champagne? It can be drunk morning, noon and night, and in all four seasons. by Adam Sobsey It's that time. Days of commencement and mothers.…

Radius Pizzeria: An exciting menu that falls short on execution

Elizabeth Shestak — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

I felt like we were in a neighborhood pub, and there's a lot to be said for that. by Elizabeth Shestak I have to admit, I had high hopes. The menu at Radius Pizzeria & Pub spoke of a truffle marinara sauce, a pie topped with rosemary potatoes and the clever, robust flavor profiles I appreciate in otherwise simple fare.…

Sustenance and survival: the story of Yamazushi

Victoria Bouloubasis — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

No comparison, no competitor: Serving a grandiose eight-course Japanese tasting menu and seating only 10 diners per night, a meal at Yamazushi is unrivaled by any other restaurant in the area. by Victoria Bouloubasis Printed at the top of the menu at Yamazushi are the words: "Ichigo ichie. Treasure every encounter for it may never recur."…

Monuts Donuts: Show up early and often

David A. Ross — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The daily menu features four cake and four yeasted doughnuts, a thought-provoking bagel, and a rotating array of inventive sandwiches and bread puddings. by David A. Ross Home to Bull City Burger and Brewery, Dame's Chicken & Waffles, Dos Perros, Loaf, Pizzeria Toro, Scratch Bakery, Rue Cler and Toast, Durham's downtown offers what might be the Triangle's densest concentration of good eats. "Good" in this instance not only means "tasty" but also right-thinking, earnest, true.…

Plants meet liquor in Amy Stewart's The Drunken Botanist

Jill Warren Lucas — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

In a region hailed for its pristine produce, there's just no reason get sloshed on chemical-infused cocktails. by Jill Warren Lucas Teetotalers of the Triangle, your moment has arrived. This is your chance to be a hero to friends who enjoy the occasional tipple.…

Local ingredients, Korean cuisine at Kimbap in Raleigh

Curt Fields — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Halfway through the pork and ginger mandu (dumplings), I started contemplating when I could return and order them again. by Curt Fields A Korean restaurant is the last place I expected to be reminded of my Alabama-born-and-raised ex-mother-in-law, yet Kimbap did. Kimbap, which recently opened in Raleigh's Seaboard Marketplace, is a tiny space.…

Locals lose control over GMOs in new ag bill

Jane Porter — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The bill would grant the N.C. Department of Agriculture total authority over the regulation of plants and crops; local governments and other regulatory bodies would have no say in decisions. by Jane Porter What does Frankenstein have in common with your food? Potentially, a lot, if House Bill 379, an Act to Clarify the Authority of the Board of Agriculture Over Plants, becomes state law.…

Alton Brown, former Pop's line cook, finds TV fame

Danny Hooley — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

"I typically find that it's not really much use to cook a vegan. They don't have that much meat on them, so, you know, it takes a lot of braising." by Danny Hooley When Alton Brown's awesome cooking show Good Eats premiered on Food Network in July 1999, a lot of viewers in Durham probably had the same initial reaction: "Hey, didn't that guy used to cook at Pop's?" Why yes, dear viewers, he did.…

Italy meets the South in Panciuto's chestnut tagliatelle

David A. Ross — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Aaron Vandemark's chestnut tagliatelle with egg and butter sauce, spring asparagus and prosciutto is an emblematic dish, a rich and rustic carbonara whose spirit is Piedmontese in both senses of the word. by David A. Ross Italian-American cuisine is famously specific to the Philly-Boston corridor, proving that demography (lots of Italians) trumps topography (a not particularly Mediterranean combination of concrete and snow). Recently, however, Triangle restaurants such as Oakleaf, Pizzeria Toro and Panciuto have demonstrated the viability—indeed the deep logic—of a Southern school of Italian-American cuisine.…

What to pair with Rieslings

Adam Sobsey — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Kabinett? Spätlese? Ah, those confusing German wine labels. It's not as complicated as it seems, but if you're daunted by the nomenclature—and by sweet wines, generally—start out simple. by Adam Sobsey America is the world's largest consumer of sugar and sweeteners, according to federal statistics. A fair amount of that sweetness is concealed in saltier foods such as ranch dressing, but that only confirms that we like even our savory foods a little sweet.…

Sipping chocolate at Cocoa Cinnamon

Elizabeth Shestak — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

One of Cocoa Cinnamon's first signature drinks (there will be dozens) is Dr. Durham, a cappuccino with housemade vanilla, ginger and maca, finished with black lava salt. by Elizabeth Shestak Sipping chocolate has made its way to Durham, thanks to the couple behind Cocoa Cinnamon. Areli Barrera de Grodski and her husband, Leon Grodski de Barrera, who hail from Asheville, have brought not only exotic, sustainably sourced coffee, chocolate and treats to the Bull City, but also a new level of customer service.…

Salt 'n' pepper: Shake it from a pea, or a turkey

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

"Don't buy the salt if you have not licked it yet." —Congolese proverb by Lisa Sorg • Peppercorns—green, red, black and white—grow on climbing vines in hot, humid climates, such as those in Indonesia, India, Brazil, Malaysia, Ecuador, Cameroon and Vietnam. Their color and flavor depend on when they're harvested and the processing methods.…

Sherry blossoms: At Mateo, a dessert wine's revival

Emily Wallace — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

A common ingredient in many traditional cocktails, sherry has found new life in recent years among mixologists. by Emily Wallace At Mateo Bar de Tapas, the book-your-reservation-a-week-ahead spot in downtown Durham, you can find sherry in an unusual place: prominently listed before the cocktails on page 2 of the lengthy beverage menu. Sherry offerings are also sprawled across an oversize mirror behind Mateo's bar (the only beverage to hold such light there).…

Via Google+, Jenni Field teaches you to cook

Jill Warren Lucas — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Garner's @PastryChfOnline was the first in an international group of culinary bloggers recruited by Google+ to produce DIY cooking shows through their Hangouts on Air service. by Jill Warren Lucas Jenni Field is preparing to teach a cooking class, just as she has done many times before. Known to thousands of social media fans as @PastryChfOnline, the Garner blogger has checked her notes and made sure her mise en place is in place.…

Johnson Family Barbecue is some of the best around—if you can get it

Elizabeth Shestak — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Be prepared to find some menu items gone when you arrive. That said, the food that is present just might blow your mind, for they nailed most of what I tasted—which was the entire lunch and dinner menus. by Elizabeth Shestak If you are thinking about heading to Johnson Family Barbecue, be prepared to find some menu items will be gone when you arrive. That said, the food that is present just might blow your mind, for they nailed most of what I tasted, which was the entire lunch and dinner menus.…

Elsewhere Collaborative debuts new cooking show at The Scrap Exchange

Emily Wallace — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

A-LIVE in the Kitchen will be a cross between Sesame Street (think puppets) and the Rachael Ray Show (thinking cooking). by Emily Wallace Mooshi—a plush, burlap mushroom with two buttons for eyes—leans over a bowl of tom yum soup at a corner booth in Greensboro's Pho Hien Vuong restaurant. Real fungi bob in the dish below him, blending the real and imagined.…

For variety, the Loire region of France has nearly everything covered

Adam Sobsey — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Loire offers wine for almost all palates, in all price ranges and of many types. by Adam Sobsey In my last column, I suggested that the best wine to drink is usually a light red, and I praised Sancerre Rouge. But we have our own tastes, and we crave variety, too.…

A Place at the Table examines the politics behind America's food and health crisis

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Because of America's failed federal food policy, our amber waves of subsidized grain are used to make cheap processed foods. Meanwhile, pears, broccoli and leafy greens from the fruited plain are beyond the financial reach of the poor. by Lisa Sorg In A Place at the Table, a doctor in a mobile clinic in Mississippi asks Tremonica, in the second grade and already obese, what she ate for breakfast that morning. "Nothing," Tremonica replies.…

Unleashing culinary and medicinal powers hidden in the weeds

Victoria Bouloubasis — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

"It's about eating and coming at it from an angle you have maybe never considered. Wildness is so enigmatic and unexplored, and this is an opportunity to find it." — Jenny Schnaak by Victoria Bouloubasis An occasional bird darts through the gray, late winter sky. Sparse branches offer nothing to nibble on, so the birds move on.…

Pizzeria Toro's subtle and graceful cannoli

David A. Ross — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

"We wanted to create a dessert that would excite kids but also please parents. These cannoli are the ideal approach." — Pizzeria Toro chef-owner Gray Brooks by David A. Ross Pizzeria Toro serves flawless pizza crust. This is to say that it has solved the chief human problem and become an incarnation of the Buddha.…

Pop-up Ramen Shop celebrated the noodle

Victoria Bouloubasis — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

For one night only, chef Matt Props and baker Ari Berenbaum served 85 bowls of vegan ramen at Ninth Street Bakery. by Victoria Bouloubasis Just past dusk on Feb. 23, the kitchen at Ninth Street Bakery is dim but bustling. Captivated diners settle onto high stools at the bar top, catching glimpses of chef Matt Props working at a single stove.…

The whole nine yards at Yard House

Curt Fields — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

When you walk into Yard House, you may assume you've entered a sports bar. The thud signaling its heavy tome of a menu landing on your table will begin changing your perception. by Curt Fields When you walk into Yard House in Raleigh's North Hills shopping center, you may assume you've entered a sports bar. Everywhere you look multiple TV screens stand in your line of sight (there are even several in the outside dining area) and a large bar dominates the center of the space.…