What To Have

One of downtown’s newest offerings in the Seaboard area, J. Betski’s doesnt disappoint. Offerings pay tribute to the owner/chef’s German and Polish heritage. Standout dishes include their house made keilbasa, traditional schnitzel and gingerbread as well as other traditional offerings.

What I had this time was a mix of favorites and a new special dish. I started with the Keilbasa. Served with a couple spicy mustards and their house made sauerkraut. This dish is easily shared by two as an appetizer and is rich in flavor.

Dinner was a special dish. I’m unsure of the name, but it included an assortment of roasted meats including seared duck and beef kielbasa atop a bead of white navy beans. An excellent dish i would definitely recommend to anyone venturing in.

Dessert was another special. Instead of their traditional apple sturdel, they were offering a nut strudel. At around an inch think it reminded me of a greek bakalava with less pastry and more nuts. An excellent choice as well.

It appears that the resturant is getting a following. There were no available seats around the time we were there. I would definitely suggest getting a reservation on any of the traditional nights to go out.

–Matt

Tucked upstairs on the 300 block of Glenwood is the Rockford (320 1/2 Glenwood Ave.). a small bar and eatery that offers a big menu. It’s been a while since i visited, I’m glad i went back.

Most of their meals come with a side, I’ve always been partial to the garlic mashed-potatoes. Today though they were offering grilled mushrooms or green bean casserole as well.

It was cold outside today so i started with their soup. Today’s soup was tomato artichoke bisque. It was defilntely worth a try. Very rich with pieces of tomoato and artichoke, not a puree’d liquidy soup.

I went with the mushrooms. I thought that would match well with my heated hot roast beef sandwich. I was definitely impressed, a very tasty sandwich.

I’m going to put The Rockford back into my lunch rotation. I love their mission style burrito. (a veggie burrito with black beans and fresh herbs)

–Matt

Had lunch at moonlight pizza (their site on downtownraleigh.com). I go here at least once a week because the food is very good and it’ss literally behind my office. I also find their prices are very reasonable with lunch i get averaging around $7-$9 including tip.

My suggestions here would be to try their lunch special. A small salad and a slice of pizza. Their salads are some of the best around, all the ingredients are exceptionally fresh and their dressings are made in house. My favorite right is the greek salad with blue cheese dressing. It’s lettuce, purple onions, feta cheese, red peppers and pepperocini. I also enjoy the spinach salad with crumbled bacon, egg and a few other ingredients. You really can’t go wrong with any of their saladas.

The second part of this combo is a single slice of pizza. One of my favorite things they offer is the wide variety of toppings. I enjoy pepperoni, jalepenos, roasted garlic and spinach. They offer about 40 toppings on any of their slices/pizzas and they range from classic meats (pepperoni and italian sausage, to not so traditional spinach, pine nuts and squash) This special (small salad/1 slice) includes 1 topping on the slice and is about $6. Additional toppings are .25 so it’s easy to get exactly what you want for a very reasonable price.

–Matt

Nana’s Chophouse is an often overlooked source for an excellent steak and wine dinner. When most people think about a steak dinner in downtown they think about Sullivan’s or Second Empire. Personally i think Nana’s Chophouse is much better. They keep their offerings fresh and the chef constantly adjusts the items with freshest local sides. Here’s what i had:

I started with the arugula salad. It’s fresh arugula topped with carmelized pine nuts, sliced pears and fresh chevre. The whole thing is sprinkled with a delicate balsamic vinaigrette. If you like a pear/gorgonzola salad, you’ll defintely enjoy this one.

Another salad i highly recommend is the grilled ceasar. They take whole romaine leaves and slightly char them on their grill. Giving the salad an almost smokey flavor. It’s an experience if you’ve never had this dish. As with everything else, the remainder of the ingredients are above par and freshly made.

My entree was one of the house specialities. the grilled ribeye This dish has morphed into what i would consider one of the best steaks around. It’s a large ribeye (prepared how you’d like, they recommend medium-rare or medium) It sits atop a serving of risotto. They’ve flavored this differently in the past sometimes with sweet pea this time i believe it was a 3 cheese blend. Either way, and excellent substitue for the standard baked potato. The side this night was a serving of local wilted greens. An excellent choice, I love greens. The dish was topped with a red wine reduction that was almost sweet. It made a very nice compliment to the steak.

The chophouse part in nana’s name is important. Ask your server the braised selection. They’ll typically have something fresh with that you’ve probably never had before. I’ve enjoyed the mustard crusted porkchop (a dish that’s standard on the menu now), braised pork ravioli, and gingered short-ribs. These dishes are worthy of their own article, so i’ll address them later.

Nana’s takes the time to make sure everything they offer works, so if you hear something that piques your interested, give it a shot. They can definitely cure your steak craving.

 –Matt

I went to Riveria for dinner last night. I have to say it’s some of the best food around. They adjust their menu ever few weeks. Here’s some brief info on their downtownraleigh.com member page.

I’ve been there a few times, dinner this time was exceptional. I didn’t have the pomme frittes this time, but I’ll make this statement…The best french fries I’ve ever had….yeah, bold statement, but I mean it.

Last night I started with the onion soup. It’s a little different from the traditional beef broth/mozzarella/bread soup you’ll find elsewhere. There’s a hint of something I couldn’t quite identify, perhaps all spice or dill, either way it was great. Thinly sliced almost noodle like onions in a rich broth with crusty bread floating inside.

The main course was and exceptional take on a common dish. Crab Cakes This is a new menu item that appeared when they refreshed the menu a few weeks ago. Instead of a traditional remoulade sauce, the crabcakes are placed in fresh avocado. Roasted tomatoes are served on the side. Chopped red pepper serves as a garnish. The entire dish it topped with a lettuce like mix drizzled with balsamic vinegar. I really enjoyed the dish. The mashed avocado served as an excellent substitute for a creamy remoulade. I believe I actually prefer it, but avocado and guacamole type things are one of my favorites. The crab cakes themselves were made with just enough breading to hold them together, so you were able to taste the crab instead of some cakes that are mainly breading.

I matched the whole meal with a nice wine that the bartender suggested. I’d definitely eat this again.

–Matt