$25 Raleigh Barbecue Restaurant Print Out Gift Certificate For $2!  Read on…

Have you been to Capital City Chop House by the Raleigh-Durham Airport? They’re known for their steaks, seafood and none other then…their chops. It’s a great casual place to go even though they call themselves fine dining. That’s a good thing in my opinion. I like to go when I’m ready for a full meal, and want to eat somewhere with a slower pace. The atmosphere inside is dark and there are booths everywhere so you can have an intimate dinner party. Like Sullivan’s is more a social restaurant with people buzzing around. The Chop House reminds me of an upscale Steak & Ale type of place…btw, I was sad for a brief moment when that restaurant closed by Crabtree.

Where’s the best breakfast in all of Raleigh? Well…that’s still up for debate with me BUT I can tell you the best biscuits in Raleigh… handsdown are at Biscuitville. That’s the restaurant name (it’s not a town). Although that’s pretty catchy. I think I might start calling that area of Raleigh …Biscuitville.Down in our neck of the woods here, biscuits are very common. Up north you’ll find more the croissants, bagels and scones. Not down here in the south. But if you’re jone-sing for THE best biscuit…drive on down to the Biscuitville drive thru. They have a sit down area inside too. Biscuitville has a very tasty menu and it’s almost like custom ordering. Like you can get fried egg or scrambled egg. The menu is kinda in between fast food and a diner. This morning I ordered a ham and egg biscuit for breakfast off the Square Meal Deals menu. It was really good and probably the best breakfast sandwich I can remember ever having. But it was a little salty naturally as they use the real good sliced Country ham and not the package deli meat stuff you find in the grocery store…

Jumpin Jonny’s

Have you been to Raleigh’s Jumpin’ Jonny’s Steaks and Subs in Brier Creek (Super Walmart side)?  They just expanded their previously small sub shop and have a bigger sitting area with over 50 seats.

If you’re into fresh Philly Cheese Steaks or looking for some new lunch ideas, J.J.’s is a  place to try out…and you can get a whole meal for 3 bucks…(see below by clicking the ‘read more’ button in this post).   They bake their own breads every day and get their ribeye meat from Philly, so it’s the real deal!  They even slice it to order in front of you… 

One of my favorite Mexican fast food joints in Raleigh is Moe’s Southwest Grill. There’s a few of ‘em in Raleigh. There’s also Chipotle and Qdoba that I like too. They’re all pretty much the same but they’re slightly differently and usually you end up liking one better than the other. It’s like, are you a Coke or Pepsi person (or neither)?  That’s rhetorical.  Btw, I’ve always been a Diet Coke gal but these days no soda in my diet. Little tip: when you can the soda fix, it’s that much better when you get to have one!

Last night we were at Raleigh’s McCormick and Schmick’s. You’ve probably seen the new addition of the outdoor restaurants at Crabtree Valley Mall. It’s a bit confusing to drive around the parking lot and know where to park, but I gave my husband some womanly mall direction advice. Basically it went something like this…if confused at the mall, don’t follow a man in or out of the mall, he’s probably equally as confused.

Want another Raleigh cafe option to Starbucks?  …Hereghty Patisserie and Café has been in Raleigh for 4 years.   Over the weekend,  I compared Starbucks coffee to McCafe coffee. Well…today I’m comparing Starbucks to Glenwood Village’s Hereghty Heavnely Delicious Patisserie and Café (that’s a mouth full) . The place is owned by two Suisse brothers. I met co-owner Brian pictured here.

French Patisserie in Raleigh

At Mickey D’s as I grew up calling it, coffee is about half the price of Starbucks’ specialty coffee or any coffee joint in Raleigh, plus you don’t have to go inside if you’re feeling lazy (it’s usually quicker just to go in).  But Starbucks does have a promotional deal through June for a Grande iced brewed coffee for around $2.  I’m pretty sure this will not be their only promotion or “value menu” item in the upcoming months ahead…

It’s a tough year for Mexico with the swine flu going on. But nonetheless any Mexican Cantina or restaurant today in Raleigh and around the US is celebrating Cinco de Mayo! My Veracruz friends photographed below tell me that the real celebration is Sept. 16. But today is the official independence day for one of the Mexican states, Puebla. And many people from Puebla have made the US their home so that’s how Cinco de Mayo got celebrated on this day in case you wanted to know.

Something I really miss from living in Virginia is a diner like Silver Diner. They have the retro 50s juke box and the mini ones at each table. And they’ve got the red shiny vinyl seats. If you’ve never been, it’s your classic American diner chain serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.Remember the sitcom”Alice” from the 70s and 80s? It was about 3 diner waitresses named Alice, Vera and Flo who worked for Mel’s Diner. Mel was the mean boss who Flo used to respond to cynically in her Texan accent, “Youuu can kee-ss ma greets!” or “Whan don-kay’s flah!”