Bida Manda Laotian Restaurant and Bar 222 S. Blount St. Raleigh 919-829-9999 Lunch: Monday–Friday 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Dinner: Monday–Thursday 5–10:30 p.m., Friday 5 p.m.–midnight The moment I settled into the golden glow of Bida Manda, the atmosphere so disarmed me that I set aside my worries about being unfamiliar with Laotian cuisine and vowed to […]
Amber Nimocks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ambernim
Posted inFood & Drink
Some parting advice about learning about wine
My only baby boy will slide into a plastic chair in a classroom in a few days to take the first in a string of tests that will punctuate his public school career. This one aims to help his new teachers size up what he’s learned in his first five and half years on Earth. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The cure for the summertime blues
It’s been 35 days since the solstice, and 45 more stand between us and Labor Day weekend. Enter the summer doldrums, one of the most treacherous stretches of the year. My primal joy at the return of the sun season has morphed into a pervasive dread at watching the mercury edge toward 100 degrees day […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Skinnygirl talks down to women
The first time I saw Skinnygirl wine in the grocery store, I felt old. “Who is this for?” I wondered. The female silhouette on the label brings to mind 1960s-era Seventeen Magazine graphics. She is long and lean, standing with one curvy hip cocked to the side, holding a drink aloft with a willowy arm. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Chardonnay’s big do-over
The band looked rumpled, smelly, like they all had bad breath. The song was monotonous. And though I could sense my parents’ bewilderment as the remote hovered over Friday Night Videos, I was at a loss to explain why the reluctant spokesman for my generation felt stupidand contagious. It was 1991, the beginning of a […]
Posted inFood & Drink
When in doubt, a crisp white is the best bet
Learn more about the “Got To Be NC” Competition Dining Series, including Fire in the Triangle, June 11–July 24 in Raleigh. A waiter hovered patiently at my shoulder as I tried to make up my mind. It was my first time judging a surprise-ingredient chef cook-off. I had no idea what I would have for […]
Posted inFood & Drink
More than muscadine: Give N.C. wines a chance
I love the little wine shops that have sprouted up across the Triangle in the past few years. I love the smell of cork and freshly opened cardboard that permeates the air inside. I love the tidy rows of bottles, the sleek tasting bars, the oenophiles dispensing pours by the ounce and knowledge by the […]
Posted inFood & Drink
At Tyler’s in Raleigh, food and beer for you, Wikki Stix for your kids
Tyler’s Restaurant and Taproom 18 Seaboard Ave. Suite 150 Raleigh 919-322-0906 Lunch: Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday brunch: 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Dinner: Monday–Saturday 5–10 p.m., Sunday 3–10 p.m. Late night: Thursday–Saturday 10 p.m. until… Most people go to Tyler’s for the beer. Some go for the food. I go for the Wikki Stixand the beer […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The Wine Feed delivers wine on a bike
The Wine Feed 18 Glenwood Ave. Suite B Raleigh 919-374-0036 Website Twitter Facebook Through February, delivery is available weekdays 2–4 p.m. and 6–7:30 p.m., and Saturday 3–5 p.m Beginning March 1, delivery hours will be 4–7 p.m. daily. As a Southerner, I view free and abundant parking as a birthright. When you need somethinga bottle […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Sai Krishna Bhavan rises in the local Indian cuisine scene
Sai Krishna Bhavan 10970 Chapel Hill Road Suite 108 The Market at Perimeter Park Morrisville 919-481-0910 Lunch: Tuesday–Friday 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Dinner: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 5–9:30 p.m. Weekends: Saturday 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. A cold rain falling since mid-morning had turned my mood muddy. News that the lunch service at Sai Krishna […]