Gypsy's Shiny Diner

Despite the constant clamor for more late night restaurant options, the Triangle just doesn't seem to get the culinary phenomenon of the diner-- those glistening buildings of chrome, grease and late nights made famous in New York and New Jersey. Most attempts of such an establishment have ended in less than stellar results.

Yet among the floundering results of the others diners, Gypsy's Shiny Diner has been able to survive and thrive for over a decade. The success of the Shiny Diner, however, didn't come without its own set of adversities.

Gypsy's Crown Jewel- Home fries, toasts, eggs, bacon, sausage

Gypsy's Shiny Diner is a straight-foward greasy spoon. No frills, nothing avant-garde, no James Beard Awards will be awarded here. For Gypsy's, that's a good thing. Simplicity is at the heart of a classic diner, whether it be served to the glutton or the drunk.

Pancakes

In need for a hearty breakfast, I went with the Gypsy's Crown Jewel. Everything was fresh and cooked to order. The pancakes were lacking a buttery crust but were fluffy. 

The eggs had a wonderful runny yolk that was soaked up by the crispy home fries. The bacon lacked my desired crispiness but still provided great saltiness to the dish. Everything on the plate was tasty and satisfactory.

Simplistic and satisfying, what great Diner food needs to be.

Empty Bowls 6 Giveaway!

For the past six years the Urban Ministries of Durham has hosted the Empty Bowls event, where 11 local restaurants debut a special soup served in handmade bowls from local potters to be judged by a panel of local celebrity judges. Empty Bowls supports the tireless work of the Urban Ministries of Durham.

video/picture by McKinney

The participating restaurants are:

Guglhupf
Revolution
L'Uva 
Papa Mojo's Roadhouse
Thrills from the Grill
Watts Grocery
Blu Seafood
Whole Foods
Toast
Saladelia Cafe
Mad Hatter Cafe and Bakeshop

Tickets for the event are $30 dollars for purchasing a bowl and the soup or $15 dollars for just the soup. 

New to this year's event is the free after-party hosted by Fullsteam Brewery and Motroco Music Hall. Seven food trucks will be serving special bowl-filling dishes and donating 10% of their proceeds to Urban Ministries of Durham.

The participating food trucks are:

Pie Pushers
Will & Pops
The Parlour
Chirba Chirba
Klausie’s Pizza
Only Burger
Farmhand Foods Sausage Wagon

I am lucky enough to be able to give away one pair of tickets to Empty Bowls 2012.

To enter to win the pair of tickets to Empty Bowl 2012:

Like my Facebook page and share the following post:

you must use the Share button at the bottom of the post so Facebook will record that you've shared the post.

I will then select a winner by Random.org 

The entry deadline is March 2. Winner will be announced March 4. Good luck!

Empty Bowls 2012

March 8, 5:30 - 8:00

The Armory | 220 Foster Steet Durham, NC

http://umdurham.org/news-and-events/events/empty-bowls-2012.html

Purchase tickets

Urban Ministries of Durham

http://www.umdurham.org/

Videri Chocolate Factory

I felt that Raleigh reached culinary hipster status when we became host to the "bean-to-bar" chocolatiers at Escazu Chocolates. But with the new addition of Videri Chocolate Factory in the Warehouse District, it seems that Raleigh's chocolate status has now reached Bon Iver status.

Videri occupies the long-time location of Ess Lounge. Walking inside to its open space, exposed brick, and comfy chairs, it's hard to imagine that booty dancing once took place in the building.

One of the patrons at the cashier asked, "So do you guys offer anything more than bars?" to which the employee at the front responded, "We do plan to expand but currently we are focus of making delicious chocolate bars." The patron absorbed this information for a moment and repeat the same question framed differently, "So are there any other chocolates you guys offer?" The Videri employee smiled and gave him the same response. He did mention that they soon planned on making a sipping chocolate, which would be great because their seating area is magnificent but at the moment Videri doesn't give people a reason to use it.

Sea Salt Chocolate Bar

I tried samples of the sea salt chocolate and the pink peppercorn chocolate bars. The combination of pepper and chocolate is one I had yet to try. I found the pop and harshness of the pepper pleasantly mellowed by the smooth chocolate.

Though the surprisingly satisfying flavor of the pink peppercorn bar, in the end I went with a good ol' favorite: the sea salt chocolate bar. I love the contrast of salt and sweet and after a sample of the sea salt chocolate bar it was too good to resist. The depth of Videri's chocolate melts nicely on your palate as you reach sprinkles of sea salts that enhance the experience. Dare I say that I enjoyed this bar just as much as I've enjoyed Escazu's.

Still, Videri Chocolate Factory as a whole has some work to do. There is a desperate need to add more chocolate creations to their catalog. But their flagship chocolate bar is good enough to win a cocoa Grammy.

Luchadoras 2

When I started this blog I never imagined that I'd type an entry about an event in Durham. Not that I dislike Durham, though I do enjoy a fun rivalry with my Durhamite friends, yet its the fact that there's a surplus of quality blogs about Durham County (ie Carpe Durham). Notwithstanding, when I saw the poster for Luchadoras 2, I knew that I had to make my own account of the event.

Luchadoras champion, Crazy Legs, dancing with the kids

Lucha Libre translates to "free wrestling" in Spanish, otherwise known in the US as professional wrestling. Wrestlers in Mexico are called Luchadores and many of the wrestlers wear masks, a practice that has been in existence since the Aztecs. Female wrestlers are called Luchadoras, thus the name of the event. Professional Wrestling was my passion as a kid. I grew up during the end of the Hulkamania era and the beginning of the WWFE Attitude era, which introduced me to dreams of becoming a professional wrestler. Those dreams were later dashed by my short statue and horror stories of short careers with hectic road schedules.

Fanatic Mask van

The Luchadoras 2 event was held at Motorco Music Hall benefiting the NC Dream Team. Motorco created for an intimate setting as the crowd were inches away from the action. Motorco had an extensive list of brews, many of them local, such as the Foothills Total Eclipse Stout which had a deep coffee taste.

Bar menu at Motorco

While the Luchadoras were the main event of the afternoon Captain Poncho's Tacos also entertained the crowd with their offerings of authentic tacos.

Captain Poncho's Taco

I've always found it difficult to pin down taco trucks in this area. Most of them do not use twitter and in my experiences are phantoms of the night, parking at one location and never appearing there again. When I finally do get to track one down, I fill with the anticipation of a kid at Christmas time.

Al Pastor, Chicarrones, Lengua

The tacos were simple but tasty. In my experiences, al pastor features marinated pineapple pork but Captain Poncho's version used beef instead.  It was still sweet and savory but I think it does lose something in the absent of the pork. The chicharron taco had good heat that added to the flavor but didn't kill you with spice. My friend, George, was more daring than most as he ordered a taco de lengua. But cow tongue isn't foreign to him as he grew up with such culinary delights his whole life, and he said that Captain Poncho's version of beef tongue was up to par.

George & Luchadoras Tag Team Champions Las Tecnicas

Luchadoras 3 has already been schedule for February 25th. It's an incredible time, regardless if your interest level in professional wrestling.

Luchadoras 3
February 25th, 2012
Motorco Music Hall - 12pm
http://luchadoras.tumblr.com/

Motorco Music Hall

723 Rigsbee Avenue Durham, NC 27701
(919) 901-0875
http://motorcomusic.com/

Captain Poncho's Tacos
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Captain-Ponchos-Tacos/139473779418250