What To Have

Many people have asked why I haven’t posted about The Duck and Dumpling yet. Well, here we go…

The duck is one of my top restaurants in Raleigh. I’ve been known to go there more the once a week at times. It’s one of those places I’d consider “my place”. I know the bartenders, most of the wait staff and the cooks. They always treat me exceptionally well, and I always recommend the food.

I’ve had everything on the menu, and virtually all the specials they’ve ever done. David Mao (head chef) takes great pride in the food they prepare. You can often seem him walking the restaurant checking on patrons. He makes the dumplings by hand (hence Dumpling in the name) and I’d put them up against any dumpling I’ve ever had.

The meal in this review is one of my favorites of all time anywhere. Other reviews will have other great dishes, but I figured I’d start with what i like the most.

To start i had the hot and sour soup. I like this soup because it’s thick and by no way watered down. It’s got a taste of spice as well. The soup contains the traditional sliced bean kurd and mushrooms you might find in other h/s soups. It also has lemon grass sprouts which add some of that heat I mentioned before. An excellent starter that holds it’s own.

My main course was a special they have on most night. shaken beef. This is the same filet featured in their menu item filet mignon chinois but instead of a sweet sauce, the meat is marinated overnight with lemon grass. This gives it a spicy flavor. It’s then quick wok’d to medium rare with marinated ginger and served over a bed of mixed greens. This dish has been a staple for me since I first tried it. The outside of the meat is seared and the inside is warm and juicy. Don’t forget to eat a little of the ginger with each bite, it adds flavor and brings the whole thing together.

I would and have recommended these two dishes to many friends.

In the future expect reviews of some of their other tasty masterpieces including sui mai, edamame hummus. ginger lamb, seared tuna and poached asian pear.

–Matt

The Triangle Wine Experience is a local event that benefits the Frankie Lemmon School and Development Center. It’s an annual event in Raleigh that matches great restaurants in the area with wine makers from around the world. Throughout the week during the experience, restaurants sell seats to a special meal that lets the establishment’s chef cook whatever they choose to pair with wines from the selected maker. This year over 25 restaurants participated. Seats are generally around $100 per person and includes a multiple course meal and paired wines. Proceeds go to the Frankie Lemmon School.

I would suggest participating in a TWE dinner If you like wine, want to help the kids and are interested in great food. The rest of the weekend includes events based around wine. There is usually a wine tasting, a wine and gift auction and a grand gala. These events can expose you to wines from around the world that you would usually never have the opportunity to sample.

This year I went to the TWE dinner at Second Empire. It was a treat, I’d never dined in the main dining room and I’ve heard many good things about the paired winery Robert Foley Vineyards

The meal, the wines and the experience was exceptional.

The wines: We were able to try the three current offering from Robert Foley, the Claret, the Charbono and the Petite Sirah. I actually purchased the charbono later on.

The meal: Given the ability to stretch their legs, chef’s in this position often come up with out of the ordinary dishes they wish to test out. I thought that although the dishes were uncommon, they was no sense of being rushed or having something thrown out. The dishes paired the wines extremely well. The starting dish included grilled mushrooms with truffle oil and balsamic vinegar. My two favorites were the meat dishes, a seared venison tenderloin and then braised pork wrapped in a pastry shell. The meal was finished with hand made chocolate truffles.

Items from this meal aren’t available on the regular menu, so next year, when the TWE is going on, I’d suggest signing up and trying out one of the local participants. I’ve never been disappointed.

–Matt

Hard Times is one of the best, easiest going places to get a quick but good bite to eat downtown. Their focus is chili, and they offer 4 varieties of chili. When you sit down they give you a taster with the four verities (Cincinnati, Terlingua, Texas and Vegetarian) Cincinnati and vegetarian are my favorites.

I Like hard times because there is always something different you can have. Along with chili, they have a grill (metal slats over fire) that they cook burgers, chicken etc.. on. This is different from a glorified hot frying pan many places use.

For lunch today, I have one of my favorites, the chilichanga. It’s basically my choice of chili wrapped in a tortilla and covered with shredded cheese, lettuce and tomato. It comes with a side of sour cream, and salsa. I like getting some jalapenos as well to spice it up.

This is very satisfying meal. It’s served quickly and is inexpensive. I’ll alternate this meal with the chili-salad. Which like it sounds is a salad with chili on top. Again, I’m always amazed at the number of dishes you can make with salad.

About half of their menu is chili and chili related items. Some other items I’d recommend are the Bacon/Blue burger (with a heaping pile of crumbled blue cheese), the chicken wings, chicken nachos (absolutely huge) or their quesadillas. They also have excellent french fries if you’re a fan of fries.

As I said before, I’ve eaten here many times and will continue to go back. Look for some changes in the near future. Mark (the owner) is trying out staying open later and having some local music. One of the biggest things they’ve got going for them is their enormous outside seating area. It’s covered with fans right on Glenwood Ave. I’ve spent many hot North Carolina afternoons sitting on the porch drinking a cold beer.

–Matt

I get a lot of people that ask where to park downtown. So I thought I’d clear up a few misconceptions.:

First: My general rule is it’s best to park on the street. Raleigh does not enforce parking meters (that I’ve seen) on the weekends. So there is tons of free parking. I’ve never seen someone park at a meter on the weekend and get a ticket.

Second: Make use of the parking garages. There is a map from this page downtownraleigh maps with all the parking garages available. Some are free, some charge a few dollars for the evening. Raleigh’s trying to grow up, so I don’t think paying $6 to park for dinner etc… is too much to ask.

Third: Use the valet. Many restaurants are offering valet now, generally it’s very cheap for a useful service. Bogart’s, Amra’s, Nana’s, Sullivan’s and 518 are a few of the places that offer valet service.

The main rule to follow is do not park in a private lot that does not offer a pay for parking booth. There are many private lots that have kiosks with numbered parking spaces. You insert your money into the slot for your parking space and you’re golden.

I would not park in a lot without a parking booth/stand/kiosk place. The city of Raleigh does not generally tow, the people you see being towed away are usually people that parked illegally in a private lot.

Parking illegally on the street is fined two ways by the city. If you happen to park in a spot where the meters are still active and the time runs out, there is a $6 ticket. If you park illegally, like in a no parking zone, or park where only half your car is in a parking zone, there is a heftier ~$35 ticket. The only reason the city tows is if your vehicle is in the way, blocking a driveway, parked across train tracks or in the middle of the street.

Follow these easy steps it should be easy to find somewhere to park without having to worry about your car or getting towed.

–Matt

So last night I got home from work late and didn’t feel like cooking. I needed to pack for an upcoming trip, so I wanted to get something fast. Luckily enough, I live close to Raleigh’s best burger joint - Char-Grill. This place is a Raleigh classic.

These guys have argueably the best burgers in Raleigh. I usually get the Hamburger Steak Jr with mayo, lettuce, pickels, onions, and cheese. This come with fries. Most times I get a sweet tea to go with that, or a milkshake.

Their shakes are phenominal. It’s the kind of shake that comes with a spoon and a straw, so if you are in a hurry and want to drink it fast, I suggest sitting it in the sun or putting it in front of a heating vent, cause these suckers are thick. They have chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

If you are stopping at Char-Grill and aren’t feeing like a burger, their grilled chicken sandwiches are great as well. Their hot dogs are awesome as well ( I believe they are better than Snoopy’s, but that’s me).

–Sean