Four Square Restaurant 2701 Chapel Hill Road Durham, NC www.foursquarerestaurant.com Entrees $20–35 We went to Four Square to try out their Thanksgiving Prix Fixe menu. It is housed in a historic Victorian in Durham, with an inviting porch and warm lighting glinting from the windows. We started out in the bar, where I had an
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Lantern’s Lounge Franklin Street 423 W. Franklin Street Chapel Hill, NC www.lanternrestaurant.com Entrees $15–30 I’ve been in the dining room of Lantern before with its cheerful yellow walls but this was my first trip to the lounge at the back. It’s much more my style with 70s music playing, lanterns hung all over, dim lighting,
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Spanky’s Bar and Restaurant Franklin Street 101 E. Franklin Street Chapel Hill, NC www.spankysrestaurant.com Entrees $8–11 Spanky’s has a cozy pub feel; it’s a place to chill with your friends at the end of the night. However, it’s likely transformed by that time into a swirling mass of Greeks from UNC Chapel Hill, so you’d
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The Big Easy Downtown Raleigh 222 Fayetteville Street Raleigh, NC www.thebigeasy.4t.com Entrees $12–$20 I’d been wanting to check out the Big Easy for a long time and apparently, so did a bunch of my compadres, so we went last Saturday night as a group. They did a great job with the atmosphere for this restaurant—I
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George’s Garage *CLOSED* 9th Street 737 9th Street Durham, NC www.ghgrestaurants.com/garage/garage.html Entrees $15–$28 George’s Garage is one of the many Giorgio’s Hospitality Group restaurants. This one is similar to Spice Street in that it’s a mix of sushi bar, lounge area, and main dining room. The lounge looked cozy, with warm, dim lighting, and I
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Bolero’s Cafe *CLOSED* 1404 East Franklin Street Chapel Hill, NC Entrees $10–$15 Bolero’s opened about six months ago, adding a Latin American option to Chapel Hill’s food scene. It is beach-themed in decor, which is cozy for this Californian. There are a great many options on the menu but it is rather heavy on the
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Nelsons *CLOSED* Cameron Village 521 Daniels Street Raleigh, NC www.nelsonsrestaurant.com Entrees $15–$22 Nelsons is a concept restaurant, offering dining areas, a raw bar, and a sky bar. It’s dressed in neutral tones that combine with the music and wall of water to make for a very relaxing meal. Presently, they are offering their raw bar
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Enoteca Vin *CLOSED* Glenwood South 410 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 350 Raleigh, NC www.enotecavin.com Entrees $14–20 Being as I’d looked forward to trying out this restaurant for some time, my expectations were high and ended up unmet. If you decide to come here, beware that the sign on the door just says “Vin.” I had to
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Bakehouse Bistro *CLOSED* Southpoint 6905-104 Fayetteville Road Durham, NC www.bakehousebistro.com Entrees $12–$20 Bakehouse Bistro is a new concept in dining, offering a walk-up counter, baked goods, coffee drinks, and a dining room. Like me, they are still working out the kinks of gourmet stardom, which probably endears me to the place more than I should
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Bocci Trattoria 5850 Fayetteville Road Sutton Station Durham, NC www.bocciitalian.com Entrees $10–$21 Bocci is a popular restaurant in the Woodcroft area of Durham and I must admit, I’ve already been back twice since this meal. I think that’s a good sign. Inside, you are greeted by a deli case of Italian meats, put there solely
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