Piquant

New Bull City craft beer and burger joint slated for 2011

Seth Gross, co-founder of Wine Authorities retail wine shop, announced he will open a family-style restaurant in downtown Durham, NC. It will feature house-made hamburgers and hot dogs from North Carolina grass fed beef. It will also feature a full-scale brewery on site. (via All About Beer Magazine)

Desperately seeking food trucks

 One of the things I so desperately miss about living in Brooklyn are food trucks. Simple, fresh food trucks.

Sure, I love the gourmet wagons.  What's not to love about Van Leeuwen's artisanal ice cream or Wafels& Dinges - except the cost? 

But what I really miss are the ladies who roll their carts loaded with hot homemade tamales. And the taco trucks.
Since Durham's Latino population is larger than the state percentage by double, you wouldn't think I'd have trouble finding my comida.

Okay, I'm slow. I like to take my time about stuff - at least some stuff.

So, after driving past Super Taqueria (2842 N Roxboro St, Durham, NC 27704) about a bazillion times this past year, I finally stopped in. Good things are definitely worth the wait.

One word: fresh. Make that two words: flavorful. Did I mention cheap eats?

Get the tacos de pastor and have fun with the salsa bar (although it reminds me of oddly enough of a 70s salad bar - not its offerings, just the set-up).

For those who enjoy a venture into the brave unknown, there are tacos stuffed with variety meats - lengua (tongue) and tripa (tripe).

Farm to Fork local NC fundraiser set May 23

Join a remarkable group of NC Piedmont and cooks for an evening of food, live music, and fun!

W.C. Breeze Family Farm
Extension and Research Center
4909 Walnut Grove Church Road
Hurdle Mills, Orange County
(A few miles north of Hillsborough)

Organized by Slow Food Triangle, Center for Environmental Farming Systems, and Orange County.

www.slowfoodtriangle.org

www.cefs.ncsu.edu

orange.ces.ncsu.edu

Proceeds will benefit the PLANT at Breeze Farm Enterprise Incubator, an innovative and important sustainable agriculture program in Orange County, and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems.

Last year,  more than $10,000  was raised.

Tickets are available now and must be purchased in advance at www.farmtoforknc.com.

$50 for members of Slow Food, CEFS, and Friends of Breeze Farm.

$60 for non-members.

Durham baker brings sweet and savory pies to market

A cake stand held the remains of the day - two rustic pies, one sweet and the other savory - and it wasn't yet 10:30 a.m.

There was roughly an hour and a half left for shoppers at the Durham Farmers' Market and an unlucky few likely had already gone home empty-handed, without the hybrid sugar-frosted "donutmuffins" or savory pies crafted by baker Phoebe Lawless.

Lawless bagged up two of her baked goodies, one buttermilk, the other chocolate, then called out an order for a cappuccino. Freshly brewed espresso permeated the air with a thick earthy aroma and frothy whoosh.

On an unseasonably warm winter morning, a line formed in front of the tented booth for Scratch Seasonal Artisan Baking, where customers patiently waited for some of the best baked goods in the county.

"Everybody loves the donutmuffins," said market manager Erin Kauffman. "I love the red beet pie. It's salted red beets with cheese. It's really good. It's sweet and savory."

Prepared foods and baked goods make up the 25 percent of the market not allocated to farmers.

"Phoebe had a unique product that we didn't have," Kauffman said. "Everything she uses, she sources locally as much as possible. We look very favorably on products using locally sourced ingredients."

Fall and winter menu items rely heavily on root vegetables and greens, featuring such pie fillings as chorizo-sweet potato or garlicky greens with Asiago cheese. When warmer weather prevails, there may be classic pies like local asparagus, bacon and egg, or Shaker lemon pie made with Meyer lemons from L'Hoste Citrus in Louisiana.

Almost entirely locally sourced, her ingredients come from Chapel Hill Creamery, Lindley Mills, Maple View Dairy, Fickle Creek Farm, and Capriotopia Farm, among others.

Lawless, former head pastry chef at Magnolia Grill, didn't invent the donutmuffins, nor does she consider herself a trend setter.

But her pies - and her Community Supported Pies subscription - have created a bit of a cult following. Local foodies began buying them at the Moore Square market in Raleigh where Lawless first started selling. Then on a customer's suggestion, she started a pie subscription - $65 for four weeks. Customers specify sweet or savory, either three small pies or one large, and pick up their orders at the market.

Hot off the shelves

In fact, her subscription was so hot, the demand outpaced her ability to produce pies for pick ups in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Pie subscriptions now are available only for pick up in Durham.

But soon there will be pie for everyone.

Lawless's baked goods are so well-received, the young entrepreneur plans a spring opening of a Scratch outlet at 111 Orange St. in downtown Durham.

The new retail space will serve an expanded savory menu of her empanadas and hearty pies as well as traditional Italian filled pastries like Stromboli and Tuscan topped flatbreads like schiacciata, which is similar to focacccia.

Lawless didn't pick up a rolling pin as a kid, determined to be a baker.

Originally, she intended to work as a savory cook and attend culinary school. Her boyfriend at the time was Greek and cooked everything on a grill with the bright, joyous flavors of the Mediterranean.

"He really pushed me into food," Lawless said. "He cooked in a way I was never exposed to. It really opened my eyes, really got me curious."

While looking for a position in a local kitchen, she applied for an opening as assistant baker at Magnolia Grill, working with former head baker Wynn Clark. Lawless said Karen and Ben Barker, chef-owners of the new American neighborhood restaurant, encouraged her development as a baker.

Elbow deep in pastry, she discovered her new passion in the tactile nature of baking. She also found pleasure in the science of her craft, solving problems and understanding ratios as well as the balance of flavors.

"It was just my hands and the dough," she said. "There wasn't even a knife separating me from the food."

Karen Barker says Lawless's palate is excellent. Usually savory chefs don't understand pastry, and pastry chefs don't understand savory, she said.

"She is probably one of the more talented bakers to come out of this kitchen," Barker added. "Even if you want to be a savory cook, you need to have baking skills, and a lot of savory cooks don't."

Sweet deals and sparkly finds at Magpie Boutique grand opening

Let Your Luck Decide Your Discount!

MAGPIE BOUTIQUE’S 1ST annual Draw Your Own Discount Sale and Grand Opening Party is FEBRUARY 6TH.

The fates will decide when you draw for a 25-50% discount on all Fall/Winter clothing and shoes.  

Bring a friend and bring home a find from top designers like BCBG, Corey Lynn Calter, Eva Franco, Gold Hawk, James Jeans, Lauren Vidal, Pur Premium Denim, Red Engine, Cavage, Corso Como, Remix, and many more.

Desserts by Pastry Chef Christa Evans and Sparkling Drinks Served at 4 pm.

Details:

Magpie Boutique

601 W. Main Street, Suite D

Durham, NC 27701

(919) 683-1981

www.magpienc.com

Beyú Caffé: Coffee, Cocktails and Culture in Downtown Durham

I heart Brooklyn. 

Up until August 2009, I was happily immersed in the rat race, scurrying underground everyday for the commute to my son's elementary school, then off to my teaching job.  At least once daily, often more than once, I'd pop into one of my favorite cafes for a coffee or later in the evening for a glass of wine.

The cafe bistro was my living room on the go, a place to do a little work, read a book or magazine, or meet up with friends.
  
When I injured my back, so badly I couldn't walk,  much less think about popping down to the cafe, I made a very difficult decision to relocate closer to my family who could help me with my recovery and with my school age son.

For a while I was pretty miserable.

But one day, I was walking better and my pain was almost gone and the next day I could see the most amazing opportunities begin to open up for me.  I discovered what a big little foodie city Durham, NC is and I nearly wept with joy.

Suddenly my grey cloud had a shiny silver lining.

 But really, the happiest I have been in six months was the day I walked into BeYú Caffé (335 W. Main St., Durham, NC 27701, 919-683-1058). The cafe bistro, only open about two months, is like a delicious slice of my former urban life served up with a huge dollop of fresh whipped cream.  

Owner Dorian (DJ) Brown has transformed the space in the historic Snow Building into a cozy, ambient place to chill - morning, noon and night. The decor is decidedly inviting with colors that are warm and inviting - walls of deep turquoise, rich burgundy and sunflower yellow - and interesting, carefully curated art.  The staff is wonderfully warm - there is nothing like a Southern welcome - and the coffee is brilliant. I can't wait to try the food, particularly my favorite - Red Velvet Cake. It goes without saying, I'm cheerful about a well-stocked wine bar.

Brown, a former big city finance guy, graduated from Duke University and left to chase money.  He found himself dissatisfied and began thinking about what to do with his life. He researched and he worked a part-time job as a barrista before leaving his suit behind. This is the sweetened condensed version, but the end result was BeYú Caffé.
 
I, for one, am exceedingly glad he followed his dream.
  
I heart BeYú Caffé.