Loaf 111 West Parrish Street, Durham www.facebook.com/LoafDurham lucettegrace 235 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh www.lucettegrace.com Boulted Bread 614 West South Street, Raleigh www.boultedbread.com I’m a big believer in making lots of New Year’s resolutions and forgetting them by Valentine’s Day. I relish that fresh-start feeling, like slipping between just-washed sheets after a kick-your-butt day. New year, […]
Emma Laperruque
Bio: Emma Laperruque is a freelance writer. She writes about food at www.dourmet.com.
Can the Reopened Standard Foods Thrive Without Its Star Chef?
STANDARD FOODS 205 East Franklin Street, Raleigh www.standard-foods.com I haven’t been to Standard Foods in almost a year. Since, that is, the first time I reviewed it. But let’s catch up before we eat. The restaurant opened in September 2015 after much hype and many delays. Five months, one James Beard nomination, and many corned […]
After Thanksgiving: Change Your Leftover Mashed Potatoes from Cold and Depressed to Warm and Delicious
Most Thanksgiving leftovers have a certain fate. Turkey: club sandwiches. Cranberry sauce: peanut butter sandwiches. Stuffing: waffle iron. Pie: breakfast! But the destiny of mashed potatoes is far less of a sure thing. At the holiday table, they are the golden child of sides: buttery and salty, cozy and humble. Fast-forward to Friday and they […]
Before Thanksgiving: Three Cocktails for Your Holiday Drinking Games
For years, my brother and I played the same secret game at Thanksgiving. Our parents share a home with our grandmother, whose name is Jolly and who is as cool as she sounds. Grandma has more friends than any of us, and every holiday she invites them allthe mahjong ladies, the book club, the widows, […]
Eat This: Strong Arm Baking Co.’s Chocolate Chess Tart
A Strong Arm Baking regular heads to the farmers market to buy a chocolate chess tart, but by the time she arrives they’re gone. Julia Blaine, who started the micro-bakery in 2014, just donated the last one to an auction for Farmer Foodshare. So the regular books it to the auction and begins bidding. She […]
Ritz Schmitz—Make Your Own Damn Soup Crackers
We can all agree that canned soup has nothing on the real deal. So why do we settle for commodity crackers? While they sound fussy to pull off at home, do-it-yourself crackers are no trickier than making biscuits or cookiesyou just roll the dough thinner. Still don’t believe me? Try one of these recipes. SHARP […]
Facing Great Expectations, Littler Still Needs Time to Mature
Have you ever tried duck tongues before?” our server asks as she sets down the plate. These are chicken-fried, with star anise-pickled peaches. Fifteen minutes ago, I didn’t even know ducks had tongues, yet I have the strangest feeling that I’ve seen the dish before. My friend and I shake our heads. “So, there’s a […]
First Rule of Gin Club: Toss the Tonic and Smell the Botanicals
Bittersweet 16 East Martin Street, Raleigh “Well,” says one woman, “I can clearly taste the mugwort!” She sits with a group gathered in a corner booth at Bittersweet. They all break into laughter. I follow suit, but only because I want to blend. There are six members at tonight’s gin club meeting in downtown Raleigh. […]
Bona Fide Sandwich Co. Delivers Trusted Classics (With Some Creative Misfires)
Bona fide Sandwich Co. 104 North Churton Street, Hillsborough The classic American sandwich shop takes a cue from Burger Kinghave it your way. Imagine, for instance, ordering a turkey sandwich. Smoked turkey. Not roasted. White bread is fine. Unless there’s whole-wheat? Swiss. Mustard. Mayo. Light on the mayo! Lettuce. Tomato. No onion. And can you […]
Tongues, Livers, & Hearts: The Surprising Revival of Offal
I take a gulp of Dragon’s Milk to wash down the taste of the pork tongue. It’s a Saturday night at Durham’s Dashi, and in the corner booth of the restaurant’s izakaya, or Japanese gastropub, I am surrounded by little platesof pork tongue, beef heart, beef tendons, chicken heart, chicken liver, chicken skin, and shrimp […]

