Well I don’t know about you but I’ve been waiting for Raleigh Trader Joe’s to come to town for a long time. Long before it was in the news. The one in Cary is just too far of a hike for me.

I discovered Trader Joe’s in Northern Virginia back in 2000 and thought it was just some small gourmet store. There weren’t many people shopping there then and slowly over time I noticed more and more shoppers in the thin aisles with the small carts. People aren’t dumb. They know a good thing when they see it. The concept is great. Healthy foods with great prices. That’s what cutting out the middle man does. That’s how Walmart became a success.

Some things I remember about my first experiences with Trader Joe’s is that it’s where I bought my nuts and trail mixes. And where I bought my first Clif Bars. You know the healthy bars you eat to crave your hunger or when you’re working out. It’s better than junk food on the road.

One of my annual Raleigh traditions in October, is going to the Junior League “Shopping Spree” event at the Raleigh Convention Center. It’s a female dominated show where men are seen few and far between. There are hundreds of vendors that come out from all over the country. Last year I remember a lot of monogrammed stuff. This year the big thing was food, jewelry and one of a kind clothing.

I taste tested some coffees and tried a few dips. And I tried a red velvet or red devil cupcake and a muffin sample.

I also found a Michael Stars vendor who sold Michael Stars shirts for $25. Woo-hoo!

Trying fried Mac-n-cheese

When I think of the NC State Fair, what comes to mind is lotsa rides and games, crowds of people and fried fun foods everywhere. Nothing is more a tradition to NC, then the good ‘ol fair. Takes me back to the small baseball carnivals and events in my hometown. I remember Debbie Gibson came out to my town. Remember her? She was the craze.

NC State Fair is all about the food. I like those big turkey legs. They’re big enough to feed a small village. It’s one of the few healthier food items on the menu. Oh, and the corn on the cob is really good. But on the not so healthy side…where else can you get barbecue sundaes, chocolate covered bacon, deep fried ho-ho’s, oreos, pecan pie, and Reese’s peanut butter cups? This time I got a ‘lil adventurous with the deep fried mac-n-cheese…which is the newest item on the menu. It’s okay to live a little!

While they said there was a low turnout of 37,000 on day one, it sure looked like this year did good as in previous years.

The highlight for me besides the food…was going in the Crafts and Hobby barn. There you could see the Lego contest. Great work!

Then a little further along you see all kinds of trinkets, and scrapbook items with awarded ribbons. Not to razz on the fine artistry of the contestants, but I think I could’ve entered and won first prize. Like many of the others. Every entry seem to have won a ribbon.

…Then you’ll find Jerry Span at the end of the building giving a demonstration. He’s Vince Shlomi’s job replacement for Sham-Wow from “As Seen on TV”. He’s a professional. Gotta love hearing the …”but wait, there’s more…” So I came back with 3 of these Sham-Wows. I think I’ll use one in my shower.

I wanted to ride the ferris wheel but the line seemed e a mile long. And I didn’t have the patience to wait for the pig race. Inside the Dorton Arena, there are live performances. Like Kellie Pickler who is a regular. And then there was Julianne Hough on the events list. Not sure what she would be doing for $5 a ticket. I know she was a dancer on “Dancing with the Stars” but what kind of performance would she give? There’s also Anoop Desai. The star from “Slumdog Millionaire”. Another one I’m curious as to what he would do. But I guess I wasn’t curious enough to check it out. Anyone?

Take yourself back in time circa the 60’s. In Raleigh style, you can celebrate at Cameron Village during their Groove Fest this week. All in the spirit of celebrating Cameron Village’s 60 years. You’ve probably seen animated advertisements around Raleigh. It’s a perfect time of year to get out and about. This weekend they will have a Beatles tribute band and I imagine some groovy people dressed up maybe in Austin Power-esque inspired outfits.

Fall is officially here. There are lots of Raleigh events and activities coming up. The North Carolina State Fair around the corner, Parade of Homes, expos, concerts (like U2 which caught a big buzz), and you name it sporting events. And of course pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere.  I was making a delicious pumpkin bread from a friend’s recipe.

And don’t forget to check out the Broadway South Series. They have a Pink Floyd Experience. It’s a 200,000 watt light spectacle with quadraphonic sound… I don’t know exactly what that means but it sounds impressive! I’m actually not a Pink Floyd fan but years ago, I had a surreal Pink Floyd experience of having to listen to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” tape for 17 hours straight in a car! That was a torturous road trip.  Can you imagine? (Pink Floyd die hard fans probably could).  Well…I felt like my brain had gone numb.  But I’ve gotten over it and wouldn’t mind seeing the show now.

Outside the Fresh Market

Love this time of year! Get ready for a great fall.

Lynnwood Grill is a local Raleigh restaurant/bar. The bar reminds me of the Cheers bar kinda. When we went it was pretty crowded. They have indoor and outdoor seating.

I was pretty hungry after running some household errands. It’s a casual place but a lot people were dressed nicely…well better than casual. But no suits or anything like that. After we got sat we took a look at the drinks. I discovered a drink called Granny Smith Woodchuck Draft Cider that I wanted to try and really liked. It’s very refreshing and not too sweet. Even for me. Kinda like an apple Jolly Rancher but without all the sugar and sugary taste. Actually I prefer it that way. They apparently sell other Woodchuck Draft Cider flavors at specialty stores I’d imagine. Flavors like Pear and Raspberry. I’ll have to look around.

I checked out the appetizers too. They have a full page of 50 or more appetizers on the menu. That’s a lot of appetizers!

What did you do over the Raleigh tax free weekend?  I stopped in Revolver Consignment Store in the Glenwood South area of downtown Raleigh. Revolver is a neat women’s consignment clothing store. When I was growing up, they didn’t have designer-like clothing consignment places. Revolver carries new to slightly worn designer clothing. People make appointments to have pieces of clothing considered. I think I was told that people who bring in new clothing with tags that they accept get 50% of what they paid.  But many pieces of clothing aren’t approved, which is understandable. I imagine they only want stuff others want, in good condition, and the style of clothing they want…like designer clothing mostly.

Raleigh’s Peche de Chocolat has one of the best, fun gourmet experiences I’ve had in the Triangle. They offer a wine and chocolate tasting or pairing for just $10. And it’s not something that takes a lot of your time but you can stay as long as you like. It’s on the first Friday evening of each month. I went pretty early in the evening. I told them I didn’t mind having their wine and chocolate then ‘cause it was sooo good even though that’s normally dinner time for me when I stopped in for the tasting.  Here’s Alec and Laura from the store.

There are a few thai and sushi food restaurants in Raleigh. One that we have visited several times is Champa at Brier Creek. It’s small inside and usually packed with people.  The seating area is very open. You can pretty much see everything when you walk in the front door.  There’s a bar in the back.

We were really in the mood for sashimi and sushi. It’s lighter than most Thai food. So, we ordered the Sushi Sample Boat. It actually came on a boat. We weren’t that hungry so we didn’t order the big one.