What To Have

Last time I described Hard Times I talked about a few of their dishes and their chili. This time I wanted to describe their steak and cheese. I really like this dish. There are not many places to get a steak and cheese in downtown Raleigh. The Brass Grille has or had an excellent one years ago, but I haven’t been there in a while (guess I need to go back and see what’s going on there). Otherwise, you’re kind of outta luck for a steak and cheese in downtown. That doesn’t make Hard Times slack off though. They start with fresh steak that’s pre-cut, but not pre cooked. I think this is key, none of that steak-and-cheese-strip stuff. I like mine with grilled peppers and onions. Finish it off with cheese on a grilled hoagie roll, a side of fries and you’ve got a steak and cheese that is not just satisfactory, but tasty, quick and convenient.

–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

The Raleigh Times is one of downtown’s new and trendiest additions. They offer first tier “bar food” but really, it’s not what I’d consider bar food. They don’t fry everything and each dish doesn’t come with French fries. Usually the sandwiches come with a small portion of whatever the chef felt like making. Previous choices have included fresh pasta salad and fresh potato salad. French fries are available for those looking for something more traditional to American bar food.

For lunch I had one of my favorite comfort foods. Their BLT. I think I’ve said before on here that I am a fan of BLT’s, this one ranks close to the top. I’ve called this sandwich the “almost too much bacon” BLT in the past. The “almost” is there because can you ever have too much bacon? I don’t think so!

This is a basic sandwich made with fresh ingredients. The bread is a fluffy wheatberry, the lettuce and tomato fresh, the mayo made in-house and we’ve already discussed the bacon. In my opinion this is a perfect choice for a meal.

Raleigh Times is also a great place for dinner, they go far beyond what I’d expect for a restaurant with such a casual atmosphere. Look for other reviews later but just know, they corn their own beef for rueben sandwiches, they freshly prepare their guacamole and the burgers are one of the only places you can get below well done because they grind their own hamburger.

I’ve had virtually everything on the menu, and future reviews will include more of my suggestions.

–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