Artsplosure

Artsplosure has been setting up in downtown Raleigh for more than three decades. Designed to showcase artistic expression, it's a great opportunity for locals to see what the community has to offer in the areas of music, pottery, paintings, and naturally... all things fried. Despite the heat of the day we trekked downtown with Norton to test out the food.

Deep fried mashed potatoes.

I think it goes without saying that these treasures were amazing, and they completed our culinary adventures of the afternoon. A delicate but crunchy crust enveloped the velvety potato goodness inside. The dipping sauce was a nacho-like cheese, but more adult with a kick that complemented the potato balls perfectly. We could have eaten several more!

These hefty crab cake sandwiches were worth every dollar. Almost too big for me to hold with two hands, the tender crab was full of flavor and the bun only enhanced the flavor and made it more like a meal than a street snack. The simple recipe seared perfectly, sealing in the classic Old Bay flavor.

Ice cream is everyone's summer (or maybe year round!) favorite. Smitty's Ice Cream did it right for Artsplosure visitors. While in line Smitty's ran out of our first choice, cappuccino crunch, so we knew that meant many others knew the quality was good. Cookies 'n' cream certainly didn't disappoint. The texture was super creamy and bits of cookie popped up constantly. The summer heat quickly overtook the huge scoop, but of course our eager taste buds were faster.

Norton enjoying the last of the Smitty's cone.

Street festivals are a great way to experience an area's culture. Artsplosure lived up to its name with creative options, and also kept traditionalists happy with the classic fried options and, of course, ice cream. We look forward to Artsplosure every year not only for the food, but for a chance to appreciate the arts and the talents of our neighbors.

Artsplosure
http://www.artsplosure.org/

Sherri's Crab Cakes
http://www.sherriscrabcakes.com/

Smitty's Homemade Ice Cream
2306-A South Church St.
Burlington, NC 27244
http://www.smittyshomemadeicecream.com

We didn't get the information from the vendor who sold the deep fried mashed potatoes. If you are the vendor feel free to leave the information in the comment section!

Market Restaurant - Love Wins Ministries fundraiser

I've had Market Restaurant's food before so I didn't need extra incentive to dine there. From the first visit I found the concept, menu, and food interesting and excellent. Local and fresh is the moniker of a lot of restaurants but Market actually delivers on that promise. So when Sara and I learned that they had teamed up with Love Wins Ministries to help with fundraising efforts for the ministry, we were excited to be able to have excellent food for a good cause.

Sara was the first person to introduce me to Hugh Hollowell, the leader of Love Wins. She had been able to meet him through her work and built a friendship with him. We are both admirers of his work with social justice and the homeless. Hugh walked through the crowd at the Market that night, talking, laughing, thanking every person that decided to dine and help out the ministry. With his big personality and big heart he enhanced an already pleasant dining experience.

Crack Fries

Enthusiastically we ordered the crack fries, hand tossed in truffle oil with fresh herbs, asiago cheese and served with homemade ketchup. Fries were, well, fried to a perfect crisp. The flavors married together nicely. I am not a huge fan of condiments and even less of a fan of plain ketchup. But the housemade ketchup had a great tang to it. They're possibility my favorite fries in Raleigh.

Goat cheese and mushroom tamales

The first time Sara tried a tamale, after looking at it strangely, she began trying to eat the new food discovery with the banana leaf still enveloping the filling. I didn't share the same difficulties with the Market's goat cheese and mushroom tamales, especially since the banana leaf was already removed. The smooth and tangy goat cheese was a great complement to the grain of the tamale's maize. The corn salsa refreshed the palate so that the goat cheese was not overwhelming.

Asiago-crusted Chicken Breast

Surprisingly, the most simple dish turned out to be our favorite. From the dish's appearance it's your typical chicken dish: no frills and nothing exciting. But the fresh oven pasta does not belong in the category of typical. The pasta was tender, fresh and soaked up all of the wonderful mushroom sauce.

Beyond the food, the pasta, and the fries was the fact we were able to contribute, even in the smallest of ways, to a tremendously important organization.

The Market Restaurant

938 North Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27604(919) 754-0900 ‎eatatmarket.com

Remedy Diner

So hip, they need hip sugar.

While browsing the news on the Raleigh blogsphere, I heard about the construction of Remedy Diner. I was ecstatic as I thought Raleigh was going to be treated to a traditional greasy spoon diner, serving late night breakfast to drunken Landmark Tavern occupants. When the mock menus came out, I was a bit disappointed.

Remedy Diner was not the greasy spoon I was expecting. Not to say they don't make diner-like food, but it does not smell of fried bacon and the decor doesn't make you think dingy. Remedy Diner turned out to be a hip little space with a bit of punk flair and a leading restaurant for vegan/vegetarian options. For my die hard Durhamite vegetarian friend, Remedy Diner is the only restaurant from Raleigh that she "liked" on Facebook.

Tempeh Tantrum

We swung by for lunch after Sara got her mother's day pedicure from Alter Ego, a convenient walk for her newly painted toes. As I was browsing the menu, I whispered over to my wife, "What the hell is Tempeh?" After debating the possibilities, we went to the Blackberry to assist. We discovered that tempeh was a traditional soy product from Indonesia, at least according to Wikipedia. All this was to see if I wanted to order the Tempeh Tantrum or the Goat Cheese salad, and I decided that I need to get something I've never had before.

The sandwich came loaded with tempeh, vegan bacon, vegan pesto, avocado, and lettuce. The first thing that came to mind was that nothing... nothing... nothing compares to real pork bacon. Not turkey, not vegan, nothing. The vegan bacon certainly was salty but did not have any crunch. The tempeh had a surprising sweetness and definitely had its own distinct flavor, unlike its cousin tofu. At the end of the sandwich I ended up missing a protein in the sandwich but I appreciated Remedy for serving something that was new to me.

I think that too often with vegan/vegetarian food, places attempt to emulate the experience of eating meat rather than bringing out the charateristics of the ingredients on hand and making an excellent dish. Even some dishes on Remedy's menu illustrate that idea by having dishes like "Philly Fake Steak" or the vegan "Meatball" sub on the menu.

Turkey Pesto

Sara went with the Turkey Pesto sandwich. The turkey, by Boar's Head, was excellent. The bacon had a great crunch and saltiness. Combined with the creaminess of the avocado, a great textural contrast, it was a simple sandwich done right.

It's easy to look at the decor of the Remedy Diner, its patrons and staff, and think of it as a dwelling place for urban hipsters and pseudo postmodern intellectuals. Well to tell you the truth, you would actually be right. But it all contributes to a very interesting dining experience.

The Remedy Diner
137 East Hargett Street, Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 835-3553 ‎
theremedydiner.com