Raleigh VIP Club » restaurant

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

Brandy — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:59:31 +0000

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

Of course, it goes well with a beer. My choice was Amstel Light.

Notice, you can barely see any barbecue sauce. …Just the way I like it! That way you can add what you want and how much you want. Personally I prefer vinegar base barbecue. They automatically give you that sauce on the side so you can choose. But I did try the Big Man Mustard which was kinda like a honey mustard without so much tang. I liked it. And I also tried the Sufferin’ Sweet sauce that was interesting. There’s also the Hoochie Coochie hot sauce and Mojo Mild barbecue sauces.

Red, Hot, and Blue Sauces

But really the chicken is so moist, you can eat it just plain. I think they slow cook it in chicken stock to give it some extra flavor. I wish my chicken that I cooked at home would turn out that way. You can substitute the default baked beans and creamy cole slaw. So, I ordered collard greens on the side along with the potato salad. Theirs is perfect. It’s not drenched in butter or other seasonings other than salt. The flavor is so perfect and yummy. It’s just another example of fine home taste cooking. …Oh, and I love their ‘lil corn bread bites. It’s a great sweet compliment to the meal. …and a great dessert!

I heard they have great beans too but I stay away from them. Black beans are okay. But most beans have just way too much fiber for me. I’ll spare you the details so you don’t go comment to me …”OK, stop — TMI (too much information)!”

My husband loves Red, Hot, and Blue’s Award Winning Chili Cup (or bowl).

Award Winning Chili

Again, I’m not a beans fan so no thanks. But I’m sure it’s great if you love chili like he does! They’ve also got Award Winning Ribs. And burgers, catfish dishes, meatloaf and southern salads…so something for everyone!

Our waiter, Greg, was also very courteous and always had a smile. He was also very reassuring that we made the right menu choices (..not that I can imagine anything there wouldn’t be good). We’d been there many times and ordered the same things, but we thought that was nice of him to give us that confidence. I almost felt like we were getting the southern hospitality there that everyone talks about.

I went to college up in Fairfax, VA. Red, Hot, and Blue is the only restaurant that has stayed constant in this one prime spot near the main campus. I remembered that the owners and restaurant names changed hands over and over again with forgettable restaurants. That’s a good sign for Red, Hot, and Blue! Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!

One Stop Lunch and Shop for Raleigh Women

Brandy — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:31:10 +0000

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.

Have you ever been to Raleigh’s Junior League’s ‘Shopping Spree’? If not, you’re not a shopaholic. No, I’m just kidding. It’s on a weekend every October if you’re not aware. I like to just walk around and look…yeah right. But anyway this store in Zest Café and Home Art has the same type of stuff that is sold at the ‘Shopping Spree’ event. But year round. You know, a lot of the cute monogrammed pink and green stuff.The Zest Café’s food is tasty and very Bridal or Baby Shower-esque. Lotsa homemade wraps, salads, and pastas. I’ve had the salmon salad and chicken wrap with feta cheese. Both, excellent. And a good value. It’s a good size portion.

The tables in the cafe are simple with chairs that take up very little space. So leave your big handbag and coats in the car. You’ll see a lot of women Realtors there.

There’s usually a wait but no beepers needed.

Remember the ‘Shopping Spree’ shop? Women don’t wander far. And the host, which ironically is a man… most days… well, he’ll come find you.

Raleigh's Zest Cafe Shop

If you haven’t been to Raleigh’s Zest Café, you should definitely go for lunch on the weekday. Okay, men are allowed. Just be sure you’re with a woman friend or you’ll feel outta place if I haven’t already drilled that one home.

When you pay your tab at the check out in the store…good way to get lost again…well, you’ll have the opportunity to take home or back to work a slice of cake or pie, or a wrap sandwich. They have a glass case displaying these food items you could buy.

Outdoor Zest Cafe Seating

Raleigh Thai and Sushi Restaurant Experience

Brandy — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:12:21 +0000

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.

It’s been awhile since we’ve been there. It’s located in The Melting Pot Restaurant shopping center that is getting a whole new facelift off Wake Forest Road. The signs on the stores haven’t even gone up yet.

When we got there around 7 pm, the place was filling up quickly. But they seat you quickly and make you feel special with a “Reserved” sign on your table. I guess that’s for people who bother to call ahead and make reservations.

Shaba Shabu inside got a new look. The room on the right side where we were dining has tempered glass tables with an Asian dark red rectangle border against black ceilings and other black details. The floors are no longer carpeted which our waiter pointed out as ‘hard on his feet’. The flooring has now a hard surface, with a bamboo grass look.

I think they did a great job decorating. The bar in the middle of the entire restaurant, has a real clean contemporary feel. You kinda feel like you’ve been transported beyond Raleigh into some cosmopolitan city.

The waiter gave us the drink menus. I wasn’t quite sure what kinda drink I was in the mood for. I like beer and wine, but not together though. With Asian food – beer for sure. I like Kirin Light. It’s basically like Bud Light with an Asian name. Sapporo is a little stronger. It’s worth a try but not something I like to drink often. They have a martini menu too. I prefer martinis with American cuisines. Remember HBO’s ‘Sex in the City’…Cosmo martinis were reborn from that show. But I’ve been experimenting a little on my own with martini concoctions for special occasions. Just fyi…in case you try this at home… it’s really hard to screw up making a martini. Especially if you use vodka which is virtually tasteless and one of a thousand fruit juice choices in the grocery store. I like Stoli Vanilla.

Anyway, nothing really jumped out at me on the drink menu so I went to my default Kirin Light.

I made the mistake of not studying up on the food menu beforehand. I find it annoying when there are a gazillion choices with very similar ingredients. It’s distracting to have to read each line item with company. Even though I was just with my husband who I’ve dined with thousands of times, I still wanted to focus on our conversation and not a conversation going on in my head with the menu. …I mean with Thai food it’s basically some kind of noodle with peanut sauce or lemongrass. Amazingly, they can come up with 50 or more different exotic dish names.

And that’s if you’ve committed to eating Thai for the night there. There’s also the Japanese menu..I. E. Sushi. Another 50 items to look at. By the way, if you’re not familiar with sushi lingo, sashimi is basically sushi without the white rice. I like the rice. But I’m constantly reminded by Eric that I shouldn’t be eating that processed white stuff. That’s true, but carbs are my fav’rite!

Anyway, I’d forgotten how many choices they have on the menu but it’s a lot. It was hard to read the 4 point font.

I’m glad Eric made the appetizer choices ‘cause I probably would’ve eaten anything. I wasn’t really in the mood to make choices. The Japanese appetizers are great like the Ebi Shumai which is a shrimp dumpling. I prefer them steamed over fried. There… Eric, I eat healthy steamed foods so I can eat my white rice. …Oh, and Gyoza is a pork appetizer cooked in a wonton wrapper with a sweet brown honey dipping sauce. We decided to go all Japanese this night. But the Thai appetizers are delish too as I’ve had ‘em before. They’re more in the spirit of spring rolls and chicken satay skewers .

Appetizers are easy. The entrée is the hard decision to make. You don’t want to make a mistake ‘cause then you’re stuck with a bad meal with a bad sauce for a looong time. Our waiter seemed to think we knew the menu or something ‘cause he came by ready to take our order as soon as our drinks were out. He never introduced himself to us. It was like “I am waiter”. Nothing like… do you have any questions?… Would you like any suggestions? Maybe ‘cause I have an Asian look they think I should have this stuff memorized, and ready to go. Ha! No seriously, I think nameless waiter was busy getting ready for a big party in the private room.

We took a few minutes but we decided. Remember we were doing Japanese tonight. All over the Shaba Shabu Japanese menu you’ll see there are two type of rolls. One was the bagel roll which has fish and cream cheese wrapped in rice and seaweed. The other is a California roll with avocado, cucumber, and crab meat wrapped in rice. California rolls are in every sushi bar and I think are even popular with non-sushi eaters. Well…we decided to get the combo assortment of sushi and sashimi for two. It’s a Chef’s assortment. Normally I prefer picking each item separately or a-la-carte, like you do at most sushi bars with a short pencil and checklist in hand. But this seemed easier at this restaurant with 50 plus entrée choices.

After our combo plate got delivered, we got this… I’m not sure what it was…but some kinda veggie mixed salad. The waiter told us it was spicy hot. I’m glad I was warned as I don’t do well with hot spicy foods. But the few pieces I tasted weren’t spicy at all. I think the waiter must’ve been describing another dish. Really I thought this side dish was a kitchen mistake as it wasn’t listed on the menu and didn’t come out with everything else. Anyway, it was a nice freebie. I’ll eat anything…non spicy.

The sushi and sashimi was just okay. It was kinda dry and tasteless even after dipping in soy sauce. I guess that’s what the wasabi is for if you like spicy foods. But I like the food to stand out by itself. So, I wasn’t particularly salivating at the mouth for more after a few pieces. The imitation crab sushi was the one that was most disappointing. I guess it was just too store bought looking for me. I sometimes buy imitation crab sold at the store for snacking, and it comes out of the packages with the exact same cylindrical shape as the sushi in front of me. You’d think the person who prepared it could cut it up a little more artistically. I just didn’t feel like some Top Sushi Chef prepared it.

By the way, they have a fondue menu and a whole ‘nother seating area for this type of food entertainment. Apparently dipping Japanese foods in sauces is very popular. Like I alluded to earlier, the place has a really neat atmosphere about it. I’d go back. Are you surprised? I wouldn’t go again expecting the best tasting food. I’d go for the ambiance, and maybe if I was with a group.

Great Raleigh Wings Restaurant

Brandy — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:19:10 +0000

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…

Raleigh’s Wild Wing Café has some awesome sliders…not slider shoes but ’lil cheeseburger appetizers with the pickle “on the side”. They were actually stuck to the toothpick on top for a unique presentation. You know you’re getting the real deal when there’s that level of detail. And these sliders had just the right amount of ketchup and mustard that wasn’t drippin’ down the sides everywhere. But just in case you have to clean your hands, they don’t give you paper napkins but real terry cloth napkins that’ll do the trick. I took a photo so you could start salivating.

…and if you love wings, this is the place to go to…get it Wild Wing Café…famous wings… it’s all about the dippin’ sauces…well, as you could probably imagine they’ve got every taste bud sauce you can imagine, including hot, tangy, sweet and sour, barbecued, jerk seasoned, garlicky, mustardy, and other traditional flavors south of the Mason Dixon line.

What about drinks? Well, thank goodness the drink and beer menu wasn’t overwhelming either. The drink specials seem to be during times when there are big sporting events like Sunday afternoon. Makes sense. As for selection, they have…I guess the most popular beers on draft ‘cause there the ones you can find in any convenient store across the nation like Bud, Amstel, Rolling Rock, Sam Adams…

What I found really cool was the servers wear a variety of T-shirts that have some cute and funny sayings. Like the one pictured here. A lot of “Got Beer?” army style shirts with the Wild Wing Café logo…I guess the army theme works well to hide if the servers spill anything on themselves or maybe they want to camouflage themselves from their guests who after a few too many may be a bit too demanding. Whatever the reason, the shirts are very unique and cool and give the place a fun feel. I almost wanted to see peanut shells on the floors but instead I saw a really clean and new looking (like 2008 when they opened) hardwood floor that would make a really good dance floor…in case the joint did get wild at night. The partial brick veneer wall gives the place an after college bar sort of feel.

The décor was really an eclectic collection of nostalgia. We happened to have a framed photo of what-would-be-Grandma on her roller skates and short shorts next to our booth wall… so the place does have some humor mixed into all the sports stuff. The ceilings run pretty high there so there were some photos and fun artwork hung higher up than my eyes could see without straining. …of course, there were the college football pendant flags too hanging above the bar. But that’s pretty customary in any part of this town.

We’d definitely go back. It’s a great place to hang out and have some good times with friends or family. Wild Wing Café is right in Brier Creek, so if you get bored for some reason you can always hop to another restaurant/bar like the Carolina Ale House, just a few steps away.