Herons

Holy. Crap.

On my trip to Chicago I was looking for goats.

I’ve been lucky enough to travel to places like New York, Chicago, L.A., D.C., Seattle, San Francisco, and Hong Kong, but I never had a meal at a Forbes Five Star and a AAA Five Star establishment until I dined at Herons, located a few minutes away inside Cary’s highly acclaimed Umstead Hotel and Spa .

It was a celebratory day in the eatRaleigh household as I became another year older, and the day I had been anticipating for weeks (years, really) had finally arrived: the day we eat at Herons. The promise of culinary excellence was my coping mechanism while dealing with the Canes’ abysmal season.

Amuse-bouche

The Triangle isn’t a hot bed for fine dining establishments, and as one former Raleigh city counselor put it, “We’re not really a white tablecloth kind of town.” But where other restaurants have failed, Herons has thrived. "There really isn't any other choice than the chef's tasting menu," one of the servers mentioned during our meal, and he was right. The chef treated us to an excellent amuse-bouche that immediately woke up our palates. The fresness and bright citrus left us anxious for our first course.

Pretzel bread and Herons signature roll

Many people feel that a bread course at a fine dining restaurant is filler, and that it adds no culinary intrigue to the meal. Those people should be slapped. A gorgeous spread of scones, pretzel bread, and Herons signature dinner rolls came to the table. All three of the bread selections were divine. The pretzel bread was uncannily similar to its high quality, twisted counterpart. The roll was top notch as well. But the scone hit the highest marks with its flaky deliciousness.

Garden Pea Custard

Our complimentary courses and wine pairings more than adequately prepared us for the first course, and the meal could have ended there because it was just that amazing. On paper garden pea custard might not sound like the most exciting thing in the world, but the execution of the dish was one of my favorites of the night. In a spectacular way the pea custard was strongly concentrated with savory, salty, and pea flavors. The steelhead roe were little firecrackers of flavor, adding to the symphony of the dish.

Golden Tilefish

While still beaming from our first course, a plate of golden tilefish came next. Our server carefully poured spoonfuls of hot pepper vinegar over the dish, table side. The delicate fish bounced off the intense flavors of the vinegar and wheat. The octopus was tender and had no bubblegum-like chew.

Seared Foie Gras

Over the course of my culinary adventures, some of the most beloved gastronomical ingredients have alluded me, one of them being foie gras. While visiting San Francisco, Sara attended my cousin’s bachelorette party and unknowingly dined on foie gras. I’ve been jealous of her ever since. But finally, no more waiting. And while the foie gras was charred to perfection but silky in texture, it wasn’t quite on the level of the other courses we had that night. The dish was the Chris Bosh of the meal.

Roasted Rabbit

I have fond memories eating rabbit. As a chubby faced kid in Massachusetts, my mother breaded and deep fried rabbit a couple times for the family. Having a clear grasp of irony at even a young age, I requested rabbit for a childhood Easter dinner.

Seeing the beautiful medallions of rabbit stirred up those childhood memories. Yet, while I’ll always love my mom’s cooking, hers wasn't a five star rabbit dish. Tender, juicy, and succulent, it was one of those dishes that I didn't want to end.

Dessert Amuse-bouche

Sitting happily, satisfied, and awaiting our final course, we were served a dessert amuse-bouche, complete with another glass of wine. I had never even heard of serving a dessert amuse-bouche! Another excellent tantalizing addition to our grand finale.

Jasmine Cake

More like a piece of abstract art, the dessert course at Herons was stunning. Laying like a row of Swarovski crystals was the most mysterious part of the dessert. Thinking perhaps it was rock candy, we split the crystals in half to find out it was delicious sorbet. The dense jasmine cake played a perfect partner to the sorbet. The raw honeycomb was too sweet for Sara to enjoy but I loved munching down on the treat, even as it stuck to my teeth.

For a special present for my birthday Herons gave us an extra round of desserts, and Sara didn’t put them up to it either. Herons was able to take one of my tweets to staff and they matched it with my reservation. That's attention to detail. Of course I paid the most attention to the french macaroon.

As an extra birthday present they sent us home with hand-made chocolate candies and personalized menus of our meals, all of which made the experience feel extra special.

Maybe it's true that Wake County is not a "white tablecloth" kind of town. Who the heck cares.

 

Cinco De Chubby's - Chubby's Tacos

There are a lot fans out there of Chubby's Tacos, a name born delightfully from a drunken porn name debate. Maybe you know the the store front in the heart of Ninth St. or the lunch time at the Lake Boone location. Either way, we all picture the massive burritos stuffed to capacity.

But not many people know Jody, the Durham native who was sick of the daily grind of electrical engineering so he decided to open a Mexican restaurant similar to the taquerías he frequented during his time in Texas. Or Juan, who when Jody asked him to cook, told him not to cook for the gringos but rather to cook like it was for his family. Honestly, I didn't know them either until they invited us to a sneak peek of Chubby's Cinco de Mayo celebration, dubbed Cinco De Chubby's.

Giving my friend Ryan a gift wrapped Nicole, 

Cinco de Mayo 2007

Cinco de Mayo in Raleigh is typically a festival of NC State kids getting wasted on Hillsborough while shotgunning discounted Dos Equis and Jose Cuervo... not that I was any better when I was their age. Cinco de Mayo is not only a beloved Mexican American celebration but it also the date of Chubby’s Tacos fifth birthday, and just like any good birthday party, Chubby’s plans to celebrate with one-pound tacos, eating contests, cheap booze, and doing it all weekend long. 

Margaritas

Jody was sure to tell me how proud he was of the quality of his food. Certified Angus beef, homemade tortilla chips, and no bottom shelf tequila for the margaritas. And certainly after Sara had two margaritas, she felt the impact of the quality tequila. Spiked with a vial of kool-aid tasting alcohol named Kinky, Sara was borracho happy.

One Pound Taco

We were drinking our margaritas and listening to Jody share his stories of becoming a disgruntled engineer when Juan appeared from the back with two dishes. Our jaws dropped as Juan placed the Chubby one-pound taco in front of us. 

Pictures do not do justice to the size of the taco. It was a Frisbee folded in half and deep fried. But this taco isn't all size and no taste. The taco is spilling out of the shell with tasty chunks of ground Angus beef, fresh lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes. The strong crunch of the shell contrasts nicely with its soft, warm filling.

Tostada

Chubby's is also serving up a $5 dollar tostada plate. Juan brought out for us a tostada topped with spicy tinga. Not the kind of heat that tortures and takes years of off a diner's life, but just enough to entice the taste buds. 

The tortilla on the bottom retained its crunchiness even as I took my last bite. Jody beamed with pride when he told us that rice and beans were flavored without MSG. 

Margarita Cookie

"No one gets to the desserts," Jody said, in an almost exasperated way. As with the rest of his food, Jody was proud of the quality of Chubby's sweet treats. First he brought out a margarita cookie, baked in house. And while Mexican restaurants aren't typically known for producing great baked goods, Chubby's margarita cookie wasn't too bad. The strong bit of lime contrasted with the sweet and creamy white chocolate. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie

For the more traditional sweet tooth, Chubby's also offers a chocolate chip cookie. While both of the cookies were more crumbly than I prefer, I wouldn't kick either out of the cookie jar. 

Sopapilla

I've had some pretty bad sopapilla experiences. But Chubby's redeemed the dessert with their rendition: flaky, sweet, and steaming fried goodness in little triangles. 

Plantains 

Condensed milk is an underutilized dessert sweetener around here. But Chubby's has done what Vietnamese and Thai places have done for years-- used the sweet can of cow's milk as a sauce. Paired with plantains that were light on the sweetness, dessert turned out to be my favorite. 

Chubby's will celebrate its fifth birthday and Cinco de Mayo all weekend long. Eating contests are scheduled throughout the weekend and there'll be music by Ramon Iglesias (no relation to this guy). And in the midst of all the partying and typical Cinco de Mayo craziness will still be an fed up ex-electric engineer named Jody, and Juan cooking like he is cooking for his family, keeping Chubby's a Triangle favorite. 

Mia Francesca Trattoria

In an inbox full of press releases and bad PR was an email from Justin Harkey, new in town upon becoming the general manager of Mia Francesa's in North Hills. In his message I learned that he enjoyed reading the blog and wanted to chat about the culinary scene in the city.

Despite having no formal qualifications to provide any insight, I scheduled to meet Justin at Mia Francesca. We discussed how Mia Francesca is apparently a really big deal in Chicago, with over 20 locations in Illinois. The Italian restaurant decided to expand their empire to the corner of North Hill's Renaissance hotel. And while they enjoyed some success, Justin believed the restaurant still had the potential to be more. Searching for ideas, Justin turned to me and offered a penny, or a couple meals, for my thoughts.

Italian places that don't offer some kind of complimentary bread make me angry. All that sauce and nothing to soak it with? Actually, any nicer restaurant that doesn't offer some kind of complimentary bite upsets me. Fortunately, Mia Francesca serves up a warm crusty loaf of bread with olive oil mixed with herbs and spices.

Beef carpaccio is the kind of dishes that Mia Francesca prides itself on as authentic, rustic Italian. The slices of beef were smashed down to paper thin and topped with great citrus greens. I did find it weird that the beef stuck badly to the cold plate, forcing us to scrape the meat off the chilled dish.

Cutting Board

Charcuterie is the new bacon. Everyone wants to make artisan cured meats, slice them thinly, and serve them alongside fancy cheese.

Named after the surface it's served on, the cutting board's best feature has nothing to do with meat or cheese. The fig jam is actually the star of the cutting board.

Pollo Arrosto alla Romano

I audibly awed the first time an entrée from Mia Francesca graced my side of the table. Mia Francesca does not skimp on the food. Nearly every dinner there means a plate (and stomach) overflowing with food.

While much of the menu constantly rotates at Mia Francesca, one of the mainstays is the pollo arrosto alla romano, otherwise known as roasted chicken. Although the skin of the chicken doesn't crunch, the meat does stay moist and juicy. The gravy gets heavy and oily when trying to finish the whole plate in one sitting, so it's best to take some home.

Gnocchi 

I don't think I've encountered a gnocchi that I didn't like. And while these pillows of potato goodness aren't the magic that I've had at a place like Frazier's, they still delighted both the palate and the stomach. Served with a tomato sauce, I'd make sure to save some table bread for ample sauce soaking.

Shrimp Risotto


Piled as high as a mountain and the pinnacle of creaminess, the shrimp risotto reinforces Mia Francesca mission of stuffing diners' faces with rich food. Sara loved her dish, but as much as she did enjoy the large shrimp, she was hoping for more of them.

Cozze Vino Blanco w/ Quinoa Pasta

Italian places represented a kind of hell for our dear friend Maggie. Suffering from gluten sensitivity, she avoids places that pride themselves on pasta and sauces. But alas, Mia Francesca justifiably boasts one of the better gluten-free Italian menus, as the quinoa pasta has the texture and flavor of traditional wheat-based pasta.

Cappuccino 

Recently Mia Francesca picked up illy coffee, which is apparently the Elvis of coffee. Not being a hardcore coffee drinker I didn't taste the hype, but it was a good cup of coffee.

Profiteroles

Maybe it was our expanded stomachs, but one of the more disappointing dishes of the night went to the profiteroles, cream puffs filled with pistachio gelato and covered in chocolate sauce. Sounds like a winner, right? Well, when the gelato doesn't taste like anything, and the pastry tastes a bit stale, a dessert doesn't hit its mark.

Banana Fosters Bread Pudding

A much better dessert was the banana fosters bread pudding. The pudding comes out warm, crevices oozing with the white chocolate gelato.

Chocolate Mouse Bombe

A dessert that didn't quite fit the description on the menu was the chocolate mouse bombe. Imagining the dessert would come out much different, Sara and Maggie were surprised to see two domed desserts placed in front of them. And while the flavors were okay, it still wasn't the dish they were expecting.

After dining a few times at his restaurant, I emailed Justin with my observations. A lot of praise, especially towards the service and food. I offered some criticisms, like the Canes game not being shown at the bar, and the awkward menu layout. And while he took some of my suggestions to heart, I think he has realized that I'm just a chubby guy with a camera.