Love barbecue?…don’t miss Raleigh’s Red, Hot, and Blue!

We went to Raleigh’s Red, Hot, and Blue Restaurant…one of our favorite barbecue places in Raleigh. Even though it’s a chain, they serve darn great food with good value! Their BBQ platters are really filling. I can usually make two meals out of them. And it’s just like mom’s home cooking. I love their red skin potato salad! It’s not too heavily or lightly dressed. They also have the best pulled chicken that’s SUPER moist. …And they don’t hold back! They give you a very generous portion that fills up half your plate. For around $9…now that’s restaurant eating value!

Pulled Chicken Platter

Where do the women go for lunch? It’s a secret hideaway off Six Forks and Strickland. But it’s far, far away from where men go ‘cause in order to get back to the small restaurant you have to go through a retail novelty shop that’s filled every square inch with gifts, candles, notecards, platters, stuffed animals, baby gifts, silver, food gifts, partyware, …you know, the kinda place that women get lost in.

I enjoy my days that start out with a cup of tea in front of the computer. I went to go check on my tail wagging mutt dog, and he’s happily staring at the warm fire in the fireplace. I get a kick out of that glimpse and thinking that a fireplace can make a great dog sitter on a cold day. If you’ve got an attention craving dog like I do, you might wanna give turning on the fireplace a try.

So, I have to confess about last night.  I didn’t really want to go out to dinner.  I could’ve just stayed in, cooked up Ramen noodles and watched a movie.  But, in the spirit of ‘date night’ and celebrating my husband just making it home from a business trip in minus degree Minnesota weather, I thought it would be good for us to get out.

I made some reservations at Raleigh’s Shaba Shabu…I love saying those two words over and over again.  It just sounds so suave. And go figure it actually means something too.  Shaba means hibiscus in Thai.  Shabu means swish in Japanese.  So the name is a great way to marry the two cuisines that the restaurant serves…Thai and Japanese.

Where can you get good wings in Raleigh? At the wild, Wild Wing Cafe …well not real wild, but very happenin’ on a Saturday afternoon.  I’d driven by the Wild Wing Café on Brier Creek Parkway many times since they opened last year. But this was my first time stoppin’ in.  Being a big sports day we went to watch the Tennessee and Baltimore football game.   The bar with the megatron TV screen was packed with sports fans with beer in hand and eyes glued to the screen.  I had a feeling the same crowd would be there for the Panthers and Arizona Cardinals game later that night…