Double Black Diamond Martini Firebirds Southpoint, Durham $10 This martini doesn’t have a long list of ingredients, but classic martinis never do, subsisting on quality liquor with a personalized touch of what gets the drinker’s juices flowing whether vermouth, blue-cheese-stuffed olives, or cocktail onions. The Double Black Diamond martini is even simpler than that, just
Read more

Maximillian’s Grill 8314 Chapel Hill Road Cary Website $19-$35 Maximillian’s Grill, not to be confused with Maximillian’s Pizza Kitchen next door though I’m going out on a limb and saying they’re related, appeared this year on Greg Cox’s annual list of top 20 Triangle restaurants. It always flies under my radar; I keep forgetting people
Read more

Bean & Barrel 50100 Governor’s Drive Governor’s Village, Chapel Hill Website Bean & Barrel is a coffee shop, bar, and grill. Have I mentioned how much I love that NC restaurants serve both coffee and alcohol? Having a cappuccino followed by a glass of wine is just way too much fun to pass up. During
Read more