Raleigh Recon Request

[Mike Corey]

I have a friend interviewing for a job in Raleigh this weekend, and I'd like to be able to suggest some places for her to eat/drink/see, and also some neighborhoods and/or apartment complexes for her to consider, as well.

Any tips anyone might be able to provide? Thanks!

[devil84]

Happy to help! Can you give a bit of a demographic help? A young, single person likely would like a different neighborhood than a newlywed, someone with young children, or empty-nesters. Does she like fine dining or really good, cheap eats that are either local or great ethnic cuisines? Is she a museum type, outdoorsy type or would she prefer shopping?

What part of Raleigh is the company located? That would be helpful to determine where to live, particularly since they're going to start tearing up some major highways in the area for the next several years. We wouldn't want to inadvertently create a horrendous commute for her! Does she prefer urban, suburban, small town, or college town?

There's a lot here...just need a little direction.

[Mike Corey]

Thanks in advance for your willingness to help.

She's a young woman, unmarried, who likes museums, shopping, and beer. She is generally outdoorsy, but I suspect not for this trip. For now, she's trying to get as good of a sense of the area as she can. I have already insisted she make a detour to Durham to visit the Gardens, of course.

Her would-be company is in the North Hills area.

In terms of food, she's a healthy eater but "nothing crazy" as she says. She likes fine dining at a reasonable cost, and she likes any kind of food that fits that description. She'll be stopping at Foster's on her trek to Durham, but anything you'd suggest in Raleigh would be appreciated.

[fuse]

Thanks in advance for your willingness to help.

She's a young woman, unmarried, who likes museums, shopping, and beer. She is generally outdoorsy, but I suspect not for this trip. For now, she's trying to get as good of a sense of the area as she can. I have already insisted she make a detour to Durham to visit the Gardens, of course.

Her would-be company is in the North Hills area.

In terms of food, she's a healthy eater but "nothing crazy" as she says. She likes fine dining at a reasonable cost, and she likes any kind of food that fits that description. She'll be stopping at Foster's on her trek to Durham, but anything you'd suggest in Raleigh would be appreciated.

Hmmm, beer- Busy Bee in downtown Raleigh, Lonerider, Big Boss, Natty Greene's. If she is willing to make a trek outside Raleigh, Fullsteam, Triangle and Bull City Brewing as well as Tyler's Taproom in Durham is not to be missed. There is a Tyler's Taproom in Raleigh but I have not been since the one in Apex is a mile from my home.

Restaurants- The Pit for North Carolina Barbeque, Second Empire for a crazy splurge, Zely & Ritz for excellent tapas and somewhat eclectic dining. Downtown Raleigh and the Triangle in general does not lack in excellent variety of fine dining at quite a range of price points. Ice cream connoissuer? Check out Goodberry's frozen custard and get a "concrete"- there is one off Leesville Road in the North Raleigh area.

Downtown Raleigh has some pretty sweet museums- Art, Natural Science.
North Hills Mall may not be the best in the area, but Triangle Town Center is not too far from North Hills.

Hope this helps.

[devildeac]

Thanks in advance for your willingness to help.

She's a young woman, unmarried, who likes museums, shopping, and beer. She is generally outdoorsy, but I suspect not for this trip. For now, she's trying to get as good of a sense of the area as she can. I have already insisted she make a detour to Durham to visit the Gardens, of course.

Her would-be company is in the North Hills area.

In terms of food, she's a healthy eater but "nothing crazy" as she says. She likes fine dining at a reasonable cost, and she likes any kind of food that fits that description. She'll be stopping at Foster's on her trek to Durham, but anything you'd suggest in Raleigh would be appreciated.

We live about 5 miles from the North Hills area. She could park at North Hills "Mall" and have a burger at 5 Guys, decent BBQ at the Q Shack, a nice casual dinner at the Fox and Hound pub, a fine/expensive steak at Ruths Chris, a nice continental meal at Firebirds (I think they are still open), a fine French meal at Coquette, a very nice Italian meal at Mia Francesca at the Renaissance Hotel, seafood at Bonefish Grill across the street, or go to the World of Beer on the other other side of Six Forks Road and make a selection from their large number of drafts/bottles but no food, or go right next door and choose from 140 drafts and who knows how many bottles at The Yardhouse AND eat there, too. On the "Bonefish" side of the street there is a Total Wine if she didn't find any beers/wines she liked at the aforementioned establishments. And, on the World of Beer side, Henry's Gelato is excellent and is right next to Zoe's Kitchen where they have casual Greek foods. Right next to that, there is an upscale Harris Teeter grocery store when she can buy some antacids after all those fine comestibles and libations. There are likely a few other joints I can't recall at this time, too, including Chik-Fil-A, Ben and Jerry's and Panera.

She probably should go to the NC Museum of Art first then on Blue Ridge Road, between Hillsborough Street and Lake Boone Trail because I doubt she'll find her way after grazing and sipping her way around the North Hills area.

Hope that helps.

[devildeac]

Plus, my sister-in-law just emailed me that the Q Shack at North Hills is owned by a '91 Duke grad, so all the more reason for your friend to partake of the fine comestibles offered there. I think they usually have a couple local brews on draft to pair with your 'cue.

[devil84]

If she's into a more local shopping scene and casual dining, I'd recommend Cameron Village. The Flying Biscuit Cafe is a personal favorite for eating, as is the Cafe Carolina (minus their signature light blue cupcakes, of course) and the Village Deli and Grill. Accipiter is a unique shop with lots of unusual gifty items and ladies enjoy Light Years -- as well as the many, many women's clothing stores that typically aren't found in malls. There are also unusual places like Penzy's Spices and Tin Roof Teas. Fitness/outdoorsy types would find Capital RunWalk a good resource for finding local running events and a Great Outdoor Provision Company that can tell her about the opportunities for outdoor adventure in the area.

Another shopping venue to check out is Crabtree Valley Mall. While it does have some unique stores and nice (chain) eateries, it's still "yet another mall" with the same stores as most every other mall. Cameron Village is much more interesting with a much more local feel.

As far as locations to look for housing, she should avoid the southwest corner of Wake county (Cary, Apex, Morrisville, etc). They are going to rip up I-40 on the southern side of Raleigh, as well as adding a lane to I-440 from Cary along the western side of Raleigh (the two projects combine to rip up about a third of what was originally called "the Beltline.") That's going to snarl traffic for a few years, so staying to the north of town is prudent if she'll work on the north side of town. I live in the Cary area and love it, but unless she has good telecommuting and flex time options, she would hate the daily commute as soon as they start construction this year.

She needs to be aware of the local chains: Bojangle's, Char-Grill, Cook-out (open very late with the best shakes EVER), and Snoopy's Hot Dogs (at least two locations downtown). No, she doesn't have to eat there on this trip as there are better options for "slightly" more upscale dining (not to mention healthier), but she can understand some of the local landmarks.

[jimsumner]

Mike,

If she's outdoorsy, she needs to make sure that her relator is familiar with Raleigh's greenway system. It's pretty good. Maybe better than pretty good. The Crabtree Creek portion goes right by the rear entrance of Crabtree Valley Mall and has several access points around North Hills. If she's inclined towards biking/running/walking, she can get a place where she can practically roll out her front door onto a greenway.

[moonpie23]

Humble Pie shrimp n' grits...

shames Crooks

[sue71, esq]

I'm not there, but why has no one mentioned the Angus Barn?

[moonpie23]

I'm not there, but why has no one mentioned the Angus Barn?

angus Barn is ok, but i would recommend Sullivan's or Ruth Chris over Angus Barn....

[94duke]

angus Barn is ok, but i would recommend Sullivan's or Ruth Chris over Angus Barn....

or Jimmy V's

[devil84]

Personally, I'd pick Angus Barn over the other steak houses (you can get Ruth's Chris in a lot of cities), but I may be biased since it's a place we've celebrated a number of occasions, from prom dates to graduations to other life events. It's more fun to do a restaurant like that with people you know than if you're by yourself on an interview. Now, if the company is taking you and footing the bill...by all means, head out to the Angus Barn to round out the interview!

On a recon trip, I think I'd steer people to the mid-range places that are part of the local flavor, places that they might dine at regularly (and can be done less awkwardly if one is by themselves). Since she's young, she might prefer microbreweries, clubs, or other establishments frequented by young adults, which isn't really the demographic at top steak houses. Additionally, that's a dinner one's likely to linger over, taking time away from seeing apartments, museums, shopping, or other ways of scoping out the area, which is why I didn't recommend some of the finer dining in the area.

I haven't seen sushi recommended yet, so in the interest of completeness, I'd recommend Waraji (Glenwood & Duraleigh) or Yuri in Cary. Both are a little out of the way from the North Hills area, though. Another local place I thought of is Mayflower Seafood, to introduce her to Calabash-style seafood (some of the healthier-minded folk cringe at a large plate of fried seafood, they do have healthier fare, too).

Jim Sumner's recommendation of the greenways is spot on (when is he wrong?!). The greenways around here are safe and a wonderful way to get exercise, particularly for running and walking (on nice days they can be awfully crowded to get a good speed workout on a road bike, and many have a 12.5 mph speed limit -- if you can get that fast because of the obstacles presented by leashed dogs and marginally supervised children -- I've used them as connectors to avoid highly trafficked main roads).

And, thanks to Moonpie, I'm now looking up Humble Pie...

[Mike Corey]

Jim Sumner's recommendation of the greenways is spot on (when is he wrong?!)

Legend has it that he once misspelled "onomatopoeic" in a third grade spelling contest. When he was two.

~

Thanks to all of you for your excellent help. My friend is in Raleigh now and speaking with her would-be employer. I'll let you know how her travails go otherwise. She is extremely grateful for all your shared wisdom about Raleigh.

[hurleyfor3]

...a very nice Italian meal at Mia Francesca at the Renaissance Hotel...

Wow, they're a chain now? (The Internet says yes.) The original Mia Francesca, on 3311 North Clark in Chicago, is where you take a date when you want to get laid spend the rest of your life with her. Just sayin'.

[sue71, esq]

Legend has it that he once misspelled "onomatopoeic" in a third grade spelling contest. When he was two.

Bahahahahahahah! +1

[jimsumner]

If your friend is inclined towards Japanese steakhouses, my wife and I are fond of Kanki's. There's one at Crabtree Valley Mall. CVM also has a Cheesecake Factory and a P.F. Chang. But others are right, Cameron Village has more distinctive dining options and fewer chains. Another vote for Cafe Carolina, for light lunch items. The Supreme Brownie is to die for.

But Cameron Village does have some chains, including NC's only two-story Chick-fil-A. Seriously.

And kindergarten is the word that knocked me out of the spelling bee.

[Indoor66]

If your friend is inclined towards Japanese steakhouses, my wife and I are fond of Kanki's. There's one at Crabtree Valley Mall. CVM also has a Cheesecake Factory and a P.F. Chang. But others are right, Cameron Village has more distinctive dining options and fewer chains. Another vote for Cafe Carolina, for light lunch items. The Supreme Brownie is to die for.

But Cameron Village does have some chains, including NC's only two-story Chick-fil-A. Seriously.

And kindergarten is the word that knocked me out of the spelling bee.

Hey Jim, remember when Bill Foster did ads for Kanki?

[devildeac]

Wow, they're a chain now? (The Internet says yes.) The original Mia Francesca, on 3311 North Clark in Chicago, is where you take a date when you want to get laid spend the rest of your life with her. Just sayin'.

We ran into the GM of the one in Raleigh while making a flight connection in January and he said they were a small chain but can't recall the number of locations he told us but it was a fairly limited amount, IIRC. I'll mention/show your post to my wife when my son and I get back to Raleigh tomorrow night after three days skiing/riding in Park City.

[hurleyfor3]

The original Francesca's is also Roger Ebert's favorite restaurant, for reasons that may or may not have to do with what I wrote above.