Tobacco Road Sports Cafe

I'll admit when I first saw that there was going to be yet another sports bar opening in Glenwood South I was a bit disappointed. I felt that the construction of the new 222 Glenwood complex would open up a great opportunity to add something fun and exciting that downtown Raleigh hasn't seen before. Maybe a nice little bookstore or a really ethnic restaurant. But as disappointed as I was, reading the Tobacco Road's blog did give me some hope for the place. They appeared to have a real focus on the food they were putting out, providing excellent service, and making sure it had a local flair. Suddenly my pessimism turned into excitement.

A couple of nights ago me and Sara were hoping to pick up a pizza from Lilly's but unfortunately they never picked up their phone. So I took the welcomed opportunity to give the place a try. First thing I would like to mention is that my favorite part of the menu was that they have seasonal brews from Big Boss and Triangle Brewing on tap.

Without even realizing it, we had a completely vegetarian meal. Which is always a plus for those vegetarians that have a lack of choices around the Triangle. We started the meal with their Guacamole. I am not a huge guac eater, I really have nothing against it but I never found it necessary to be charge the extra .25 cent or so restaurants typically charge to add it to a dish. Out of the limited amount of guacamole I have had this was top quality. Freshly made with big chucks of avocados, it was quite a treat. The chips weren't anything super special but tasty nonetheless.


Now I don't get the idea about a tomato sandwich. Bread, slices of tomatoes, mayo, pepper..... don't find the appeal at all, but I imagine if I ever had a craving for one, Tobacco Road's would be the one I want. Local NC Tomatoes were a nice touch and the bread was really good. The sweet potato fries however left much more to be desired. They tasted a bit charred and they didn't have any really crispiness. Definitely a second rate fry compared to the ones I can get at NoFo.

The most impressive thing I had there was my entree. The jumbo black eyed peas cakes were a complete surprise. The green salad was tasty enough, very tart due to the citrus that they dress it with but the black eyed pea cakes were one of the best vegetarian dishes I've had in a while. They were full of flavor and actually pretty..... meaty, I guess you would say. It was a very impressive dish.

The place has tons of potential and I only hope that the Glenwood crowd embraces its new addition.

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Tobacco Road Sports Cafe

http://www.tobaccoroadsportscafe.com/

222 Glenwood Avenue

Raleigh, NC 27603

919-832-3688

Cooper's BBQ

When I first moved up to North Carolina from Florida, I did not have any idea what Eastern Carolina barbecue was. Cast away in Florida's abundance of mass produced chain restaurant food, the only barbecue I knew was Sonny's all-you-can-eat sliced pork. I remember the first encounter I had with true Eastern Carolina BBQ was at Campbell's new student orientation 6 years ago. After piling on the pork, I reached for the sauce only to find an awkward liquid substance inside the bottle. I was searching for the familiar thick ketchup based sauce, you know KC Masterpiece or Bullseye. Reluctantly I poured the vinger base sauce on my pork, thus starting my journey into what true barbecue was.

Fast forward to the present and I am always on the constant search for high quality Eastern NC BBQ. I've heard the local legend of Cooper's for a while now. The fact that I never seem to have cash on me has always detoured me from giving the place a try. But finally in a post holiday eating spree, I made my way over to Cooper's.

The chopped BBQ was pretty good. But in just a meat comparison I must say it doesn't stack up against what I've had at The Pit. I really enjoyed the collar greens I had and along with hushpuppies they served pork rinds, and what self respecting Filipino doesn't enjoy a great pork rind!

I guess Cooper's was hyped way to much because in the end of the day it was just really decent barbecue. Nothing overall spectacular but it was a welcomed trip to my BBQ journeys.



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Cooper's BBQ & Catering

www.clydecooperbbq.com

109 E Davie St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 832-7614

The Roast Grill

Let me quite simply start this entry off with the fact that I know a good hot dog. I've been around the country and tried dogs all over. The original Nathan in Coney Island, Chicago dogs, LA dogs, New York City street vendor dogs, and even here locally in the Triangle I've had dogs from the State Fair, Cloo's Coney Island, Snoopy's, Cook Out, etc.... all tasty hot dogs in their own right, but in the end of the day, the Roast Grill is my favorite hot dog.

Its easy to look right past Roast Grill. Its better know for their "Hot Weiners" sign that is conveniently located across the gay bar Flex. The place is extremely tiny, only enough space to fit about 12 people. Roast Grill only serves one thing but serves it right. Their are so confident in the taste of their dog that the only condiments that one is allow to order is homemade chili, yellow mustard, onions, and homemade slaw. That's it, they offer no ketchup or fries or chips. Just dogs and glass bottles of Coke. And honestly, there is not need for anything else.



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Roast Grill
www.roastgrill.com
7 S West St
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 832-8292