Biryani House 744-A East Chatham Street Chatham Square, Downtown Cary Website Entrees: $8 to $13 I’m always looking for Indian food that blows me away in the Triangle, and Biryani House made a pretty good attempt at that. Only Saffron has done better, and because it’s on the pricier side, my quest for more affordable,
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Pauly Dogs Bryan Center Plaza Duke Campus $3.75—$4.50 per dog Cash or Duke meal points only Pauly Dogs is a cart that permanently resides on the pedestrian bridge at the Bryan Center Plaza on Duke’s campus. Being a fan of hot dogs with crazy toppings—-it’s more about the toppings than the meat for me—-I decided
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Scratch 111 Orange Street Downtown Durham Website Scratch is a cute shop tucked into Orange Street in downtown Durham, a walkway that often doubles as a skateboard thoroughfare and an art gallery in the form of metallic sculptures in planters.  A few outdoor tables are very appealing on warm days. Inside, pastel egg-shell colors dominate.
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Boxcarr Farms Food Truck Touring Durham and Chapel Hill Website Dinner Tapas: $6 per item The Boxcarr Farms food truck can be found at Fullsteam most Thursday nights, which is where we found it a few weeks ago. They offer food made from Boxcarr Farms wares and those from other local farms, and let me
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Vit Goal Tofu 2107 Allendown Drive Hwys. 54 and 55 Crossroads, Durham Lunch: $8–$12 Dinner: $12–$20 Vit Goal Tofu is a Korean restaurant hidden away from street view off Highway 55. I enjoyed the dark woods of their interior, placing it perhaps a notch up from many other Asian joints for ambience. Don’t expect much
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I posted this review over at Carpe Durham earlier today. It’s of a practically secret restaurant—amp up your excitement levels! Okay, not too high, though. The District 410 Blackwell Street The American Tobacco District $6–$11 Head inside the glass doors by the waterfall at the bottom floor of the Fowler Building in the Tobacco District,
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L’Uva Enoteca 406 Blackwell Street Tobacco District, Durham Website Lunch: $9–$15 L’Uva opened in the American Tobacco District last year, replacing a sushi restaurant that didn’t seem able to adapt to the crowds from the Durham Performing Arts Center. In its place is an upscale spot that focuses on using local ingredients to bring together
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PieBird 618 N. Person Street Downtown Raleigh Website Lunch: $4 to $10 Dinner: $10 to $14 PieBird is a cute little restaurant situated in the northern end of downtown Raleigh, almost at the Mordecai neighborhood. As one might guess from the name, its primary focus is on pies, both sweet and savory. For lunch, salads
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Chuck’s 426 S. McDowell Street Downtown Raleigh $6.75–$9.00 Chuck’s is another of Ashley Christiansen’s new ventures in downtown Raleigh. And like her Beasley’s next door, it’s a concept restaurant, focusing solely on burgers topped with creative ingredients to give a unique hamburger experiences that you won’t get elsewhere. That’s why they get such fun names
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Geer Street Garden 644 Foster Street Central Park District, Durham Website Sandwiches/Entrees: $8–$17 Geer Street Garden opened last spring, and it’s been a welcome addition to this fast-expanding area of town. Located in an old gas station, it’s a pub with a great beer list featuring plenty of local brews and a menu full of
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