Top Points of Interest

Taqueria's have become popular throughout the Triangle; the majority seem to be located in Durham. Having spent a fair amount of time in San Diego - I've been happy that they have become more popular locally. Finding something to differentiate each one of them, however, has become difficult. Furthermore, differentiating them by culture may be even more difficult if you aren't familiar with the subtleties. It's nice when each taqueria has a specialty that separates it from the rest.

Costa Azul is an Honduran taqueria - there "taco" offerings were standard, having tried the carne asada and pollo. They were a bit dry and the filling was a bit uninspired. The torta's, however, were a bit unexpected. The "cuban torta" was a large sandwich with two layers of meat (beef & ham), a layer of fried egg, peppers, lettuce and tomato. An additional paste that was likely a pate was also present. The sandwich was served toasted and delicious! Though the location was a bit out of the way for the rest of the Triangle, Costa Azul will be a favorite of ours. Best part abou5t its location, however, is that it is located next to JJ Fish...

try the tortas - skip the tacos.

Costa Azul
2721 Guess Rd.
Durham NC 27713

With the Cheesecake factory becoming almost ubiquitous in most medium sized cities, there aren't as many opportunities for competitors... unless they are really really good.

You wouldn't necessarily expect that Greensboro would have an extraordinary cheesecake store - I wasn't expecting much when I found the little store in Downtown, near UNC-G.... but I was pleasantly surprised.

Cheesecake by Alex - simple name - and no question has to what they specialize in. About 10 different offerings were available in their display case. More unique flavors, such as Creme Brule sparked my person interest. For just under $4 a slice - the cheescake was smooth, flavorful, and just right. The crust added just enough texture, without being overwhelming - I was a bit disappointed that I didn't have more stomach to have more. For those in a similar situation - they offer a sampler that works out to about $2 something a slice... which we will definitely get next time. The brownies, muffins and cookies looked wonderful also!

Cheesecakes by Alex
315 S Elm St
Greensboro, NC 27401
(336) 273-0970

Have you ever dreamed about a wing's place that made you feel like they fried each wing individually - with such a care that it was not the quantity of wings, but the quality, for once?

It's hard to believe that there would actually be such a place, but we've found one in Greensboro, NC. Greensboro isn't famous for a whole lot - High Point is just near by, plus a couple of universitities... but we've found some very special gems, that make it worth a trip from the Triangle.

In a small ethnic mall, next to a large shopping center is a little storefront with bright green, red and yellow colors. The name, "BBQ Chicken", doesn't quite do the fried chicken justice. Each little wing actually feels like it was fried in its own little vat of fresh oil - none of the old oil taste at the places that churn out chicken. The flavors are a bit shifted for Asian tastes, primarily Korean... but they are delightful. The hottest wings are a more subtle burn then the tongue searing flavors... but burn, it does.

We didn't have a chance to try the rest of the Korean offerings - but with the care the restaurant owners put into their wings - we have to think everything else will be just as good. Yum!! - Roadtrip!!

Hammer's BBQ Chicken
4929 W. Market St #2107
Greensboro, NC 27407
(336) 235-2607

Because of our current economic environment (have you heard enough already?), many restaurants are offering early bird specials - we decided to sneak in on such an offer at Michael Dean's seafood in Raleigh. While a bit out of our way, it seemed like a good choice based on the menu and general reviews.

Upon arriving at 5:35 PM (the buy-one/ get-one entree free ended at 6 PM), the greeter person offered us a table in 20 to 30 minutes - even though the majority of the resaurant was half empty. We decided to take some bar seats, but were ushered into the main dining room presumably by tha manager who realized how ridiculous it was to be sitting in their raised bar tables with an infant.

After that early fiasco, the rest of our experience was much better. We ordered the boubon scallops and a pistachio covered salmon. The large scallops were not at all overcooked - but the flavor didn't quite get infused into the scallops. The associated risotta side was delicious. The salmon was also good - but not quite great. As an appetizer, we enjoyed a dozen raw oyster; meaty from the west coast. Solid, but not quite over the top. We also had a bowl of their shrimp/lobster stew - the waitress admitted that it was more shrimp than lobster, which was unfortunately true.

Overall, a solid seafood experience - but the overall cost at "normal" prices would put me off a bit... they are repeating the deal in March - so try it out and save a dime or two while you are at it.


6004 Falls of Neuse Rd
Raleigh, NC 27609
(919) 790-9992Michael Dean's Seafood and Grill

Fried gizzards - move on if you don't like them or are unwilling to try them. I grew to love fried gizzards at a place across the street from a lab I used to work in Kansas City, Go Chicken Go. While obviously not the healthiest of snacks, the hot sauce at that place was delicious... and it goes perfectly with fried gizzards. I don't try them every place I go, but seeing that JJ Fish had them, I had to try them.

Fried "fresh" and served hot, the gizzards are a great; their hot sauce is more run of the mill Tabasco type sauce. Their fried fish is solid, but we generally go there just for the gizzards.

JJ Fish.
2726 Guess Rd
Durham NC
(919) 471-9400

In NC, Krispy Kreme generally reigns supreme in the donut wars. Dunkin donuts, generally are a far second; I can only think of a few store locations off the top of my head, and none that I would be willing to drive any distance to get to. The Fractured Prune is always fun - but one can only have a limited number of "artificially" flavored cake donuts. Enter Daylight donuts. I wasn't aware of this chain until we were brought a box - of the largest donuts that I had ever seen, especially relative to the KK size.

Daylight donuts remind me of the donuts I grew up on - large, minimally artificial (not that a donut isn't artificial to begin with, but this is to contrast the Fractured Prune, which has closed). The standard basic flavors and types are all available - cinamoon, long johns, etc.

Limited hours - but yummy in the morning!

Daylight Donuts
http://www.daylightdonuts.com/
1244 NW Maynard Rd
Cary, NC 27513
(919) 388-0150