|
|
Post by whereswallace on Feb 17, 2014 9:27:45 GMT -5
Like I said in the introductions thread, I just moved here in November. While I grew up here, the Triangle's completely changed over the past decade, and I've got a lot of questions for the natives:
1. What are the good movie theaters? In particular, who does arthouse/foreign/indie stuff? It looks like the Studio theater on Hillsborough St. is gone and they were part of the Rialto/Colony family. But Studio was where they did the really weird stuff. Are there any film clubs for genre stuff? Maybe on the college campuses? Basically, I'm asking where I can see The Raid 2 when it comes out next month.
2. All the dumb foodies made eating out a thing. What are the good restaurants? Bars?
3. I'm amazed at record shopping here, and used to go to Mr. Freeze Records on Wilmington St. for rap. He's not there anymore, and I'm wondering if he's still around, or if there's anything else that filled that void.
4. Tell me where you take the out-of-towners.
|
|
|
|
Post by sorrystate on Feb 17, 2014 13:31:40 GMT -5
I was thinking of starting a thread like this... good job! Here are some contributions. Would love it if people added to the list.
EATS
Fiction Kitchen: all veggie, maybe all-vegan? Not sure but every single bite I've had at this place is seriously foodgasm-inducing. Kind of fine dining prices, though... I can never resist getting appetizers, desserts, etc., so 2 people always ends up being like $80 with tip
Dalat: grilled tofu bahn mi... oh yeah
Beansprout: general tso's tofu... so shittily perfect... super cheap and huge portions
Guasaca: my favorite new place. This is on Lake Boone Trail and they serve Venezuelan (I think?) food with an emphasis on arepas, which are like thick corn tortillas that are more like southern-fried cornbread. They have this sweet mustard sauce that is incredible... I know they put it on the pork arepas so that's what I'd recommend.
I'm not really sure of anyone in the area who carries much in the way of rap vinyl. Maybe All Day or CD Alley in Chapel Hill / Carrboro would be your best bet, but those are just guesses.
I live in Carrboro so I don't often go to movies in Raleigh, but if you're out this way the Chelsea and Carolina Theatre are the kind of artsy places, though a lot of times UNC-affiliated film groups will do cool stuff at the Varsity on Franklin St.
|
|
No.
New Jack
Posts: 26 
|
Post by No. on Feb 17, 2014 15:25:11 GMT -5
Yes to everything Daniel said. Carolina theater played a bunch of Kurosawa and studio Ghibli, and I saw the punk singer, so that's probably your best bet.
As for eats, Dalat is my jam. There's also Garland which just opened not too long ago, it's right next to Kings. It's alot of indian inspired dishes and I think they use alot of local ingredients. Really good qality for not much money. Raleigh Times has really good food too, sandwiches, salads and bar food (best nachos ever), but they're usually pretty busy. They're also a bar and they have a ton of good beer and cider, but if I want to drink I usually go to Slims. They have cheap drink and awesome bartenders.
|
|
No.
New Jack
Posts: 26
|
Post by No. on Feb 17, 2014 15:26:14 GMT -5
Also sorry for any typos or run on sentences. I'm using my phone at work.
|
|
|
|
Post by whereswallace on Feb 18, 2014 1:26:35 GMT -5
Thanks, all. We can definitely consider places in Chapel HIll/Carrboro and Durham. That's something the wife and I vowed not to do: get stuck to the city boundaries that our friends seem to adhere to.
I've been really impressed with the new ownership at Nice Price in Raleigh. Great new vinyl selection and just... more of it. I remember CD Alley back in the day and have to check out All Day, I guess. Scott Williams was giving me the lowdown of used places in Raleigh, but I can't remember them off the top of my head.
So far, the best coffee I've had is at Morning TImes. Is Joule any good?
We've had Fiction Kitchen and totally agree that everything was awesome. Places I've liked so far: Pho Far East on Capital Blvd is better Vietnamese food than I've ever had in Chicago. I've developed a small obsession with Randy's Pizza, but I haven't had a good NY slice in years. Dames Chicken & Waffles in Durham was really good. Remedy Diner is solid. I missed the shit out of Waffle House and Cookout.
I'm definitely going to check out some of the films at the Nevermore Film Festival that started this week at Carolina Theatre. I went to their Patrick Swayze double header last weekend and it was great.
|
|
No.
New Jack
Posts: 26
|
Post by No. on Feb 18, 2014 8:40:26 GMT -5
Yo Randy's pizza is amazing. I work right next door to the one on lake boone trail and Randy gives us free slices all the time.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave on Feb 18, 2014 13:09:44 GMT -5
More awesome food places:
Chubby's Tacos -- there are a couple locations in Durham and at least one in Raleigh. The one everyone seems to go to in Raleigh is on Wycliffe, which is right off of Lake Boone Trail. They have some seriously good corn-tortilla tacos and a variety of bangin' sauces. The food is pretty cheap, too.
Dalat -- seriously, go there. It rules!
I used to live in Raleigh but have lived in Durham for the last couple years. Motorco, a venue in downtown Durham, just opened up an awesome restaurant in the same building called Parts & Labor. The food is amazing. They serve a variety of unrelated cuisine in "half-size" portions for about $4-5 each, which works out great because if you're just in the mood for a snack, you can get one thing, but if you want to a filling meal, you can get 2 portions for around $8-10. They have a lot of vegan/vegetarian options, but also good non-vegetarian stuff. They have super good banh mi that I would say is comparable to Dalat's banh mi subs, only not on a sub. Really amazing latkes and russet potato fries. Last night I had a vegan "pork & beans" dish that was spicy as fuck and really good. Definitely worth checking out if you're ever in Durham. Plus Motorco always has a great selection of beers/ciders, and it's right across the street from Fullsteam Brewery, which is a Triangle must-visit if you like good beer.
Shiki Sushi -- my current favorite sushi restaurant in Durham. They do "half-price sushi" anytime you eat in, but their sushi prices are pretty high (as is typical for most sushi restaurants), so it might be more accurate to say that they do "expensive sushi" anytime you don't eat in.
Speaking of Sushi, I like Sushi Blues in Raleigh a lot. They have a good variety of stuff and are kind of eccentric as far as sushi places go.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave on Feb 18, 2014 13:12:34 GMT -5
Oh, and Lilly's Pizza has great vegan and non-vegan pizza! They also have surprisingly good salads with tofu that are filling and delicious. There's an older location in Raleigh where basically everybody in the Raleigh punk scene has worked at some point in the last 10 years, and a more recently opened location in Durham that I prefer. Nothing against Raleigh Lilly's, but it's always crowded and extremely loud to the point that being inside it makes me want to punch babies. Durham Lilly's has a much better atmosphere, and what seems to be exactly the same quality pizza.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave on Feb 18, 2014 13:15:13 GMT -5
Sorry for all the posts, but if you're in Chapel Hill and you love a good burger, check out Buns. They have hands down the best veggie burger I've ever ingested. And their fries and dipping sauces are dayum-worthy.
On that token, Mojoes in Raleigh is a great place to eat if you're into burgers & fries. It's right near the practice space where most of the bands in Raleigh practice, so it's kind of a Raleigh punk mainstay.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave on Feb 18, 2014 13:16:57 GMT -5
One more post and then I swear I'm done.
Cosmic Cantina is a super good Mexican restaurant with locations in Durham and Chapel Hill, both equally good. Both locations are open until the early hours of the morning, and are pretty much the only place to go if you're hungry at 2 AM after a show in Durham or Chapel Hill. Their deluxe vegetarian chimichanga is absolutely unfuckwithable.
|
|
|
|
Post by Fastcore on Feb 18, 2014 16:57:20 GMT -5
Oh, and Lilly's Pizza has great vegan and non-vegan pizza! They also have surprisingly good salads with tofu that are filling and delicious. There's an older location in Raleigh where basically everybody in the Raleigh punk scene has worked at some point in the last 10 years, and a more recently opened location in Durham that I prefer. Nothing against Raleigh Lilly's, but it's always crowded and extremely loud to the point that being inside it makes me want to punch babies. Durham Lilly's has a much better atmosphere, and what seems to be exactly the same quality pizza. Honey in the dough, not really vegan but vegan-ish. |
|
|
|
Post by Fastcore on Feb 18, 2014 16:58:32 GMT -5
1. What are the good movie theaters? For indie theaters you're pretty much stuck with Rialto and the Colony in Raleigh. |
|
|
|
Post by Dave on Feb 18, 2014 19:42:43 GMT -5
Oh, and Lilly's Pizza has great vegan and non-vegan pizza! They also have surprisingly good salads with tofu that are filling and delicious. There's an older location in Raleigh where basically everybody in the Raleigh punk scene has worked at some point in the last 10 years, and a more recently opened location in Durham that I prefer. Nothing against Raleigh Lilly's, but it's always crowded and extremely loud to the point that being inside it makes me want to punch babies. Durham Lilly's has a much better atmosphere, and what seems to be exactly the same quality pizza. Honey in the dough, not really vegan but vegan-ish. Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Well, it's vegan if you hate bees! |
|
|
|
Post by whereswallace on Feb 19, 2014 0:04:55 GMT -5
Oh, and Lilly's Pizza has great vegan and non-vegan pizza! Heh, I remember when Lilly's opened—the first owner sang for COC early on. Benji's got a new taco place on Person St. called Gringo-A-Go-Go, which is pretty solid. Keep 'em coming. Good stuff in here. I ate at Backyard BBQ in Durham tonight. It was delicious. |
|
catdad
New Jack
come and see just how strange I can be
Posts: 7 
|
Post by catdad on Mar 19, 2014 16:09:02 GMT -5
Lily's pizza is rad, and Mondays they have $2 pints. As far as bars go...
Slims Downtown- Cheap dive bar where all of your future friends hang out
Raleigh Times- Good food and amazing beer selection. Go during the week, this is firm bro-territory during the weekends
Big Boss Brewing- Not downtown, but worth the trip. Decently priced (mostly high gravity) beers along with free pool, ping pong, and darts.
The Maywood- Used to be Volume 11. They do a ton of shows now and have some decent drafts.
C Grace- If you wanna fancy it up (or go on a date) this is a good spot. Cocktails are pricey but awesome, live jazz during the week.
Hope this helps!
|
|
