Top Points of Interest

We've tried to avoid going to Brasa for a while now - unfortunately most of the reviews from friends didn't put it in the best of light, especially as compared to Chamas. However, we were recently in the Briar Creek area, and to our dismay, found TQ Zheng closed (a reasonable Chinese restaurant). Searching for a quick lunch, we found that Brasa had a buffet lunch for around $12 for hot and cold bar; $18 or so with four cuts of meats; $20+ for the "full" experience. As we were early, only a few others were seated.

The salad/cold bar was mildly above average; some reasonable pastas/ potato/ chicken salads; nothing extraordinary. The hot bar was not unreasonable, with a few different chicken dishes. Probably the best dish was the chicken stew... and the others were a bit bland, though probably sufficient for a good lunch.

I was excited about the four types of meats - in particular the bacon wrapped filet. The sausage was reasonable. But, the other meats all were a bit tough and just had an old, not very fresh taste to them. As one might guess, I was rather underwhelmed by the experience. Any steakhouse lives and dies by the quality of the meats that they serve - and it was clear to me that Brasa was unwilling to serve meats that would live up to its name.

Try it for lunch if you'd like... good luck on dinner. There are many other choices in the area - and for that price with that poor quality - I'd rather just buy a steak and grill it myself.

May is Soft Shell Crab Month in NC!

Unfortunately, my favorite soft shell crab place closed about a year ago... so I'll let you know if I find another great one!

Blue crab in NC

Jibarra has definitely opened the Triangle's eyes to great sophisticated Mexican cuisine. Unfortunately, it is also at a price that is a bit out of reach for a non-special location. We were searching for unique brunch places, when we saw the ad for the Sedona Grill. Searching the address reveals that it repaced the Hudson Oyster Bar & Grille - a place with great potential, but never quite living up to it. With that in mind, the menu looked interesting... at least interesting enough to give it a try.

The interior had been remodeled into tastefully separated bar and dining area. Multiple options on the brunch and lunch menu were rather interesting - our mouths watered at the Tejas Tango (Honey-Pine Nut Cream Cheese Stuffed Artisan Bread, Grand Marnier Custard) and the Huevos Caballeros (Chorizo & Potato Enchiladas topped with Colorado Sauce, Jack Cheese and Fried Eggs). We also had a bowl of the corn and shrimp chowder - a huge bowl with a slight spice.

The Tejas Tango was a delightful brunch dish - with a complex blend of flavors, and just enough sweetness from the whipped cream. The Huevos Caballeros was a solid meal; both were large enough in portions to probably be shared. A sweet potato and potato hash rounded out both dishes. The flavors were complex - not the simplified flavors of many Mexican type restaurants. Definitely a nice enough place to really enjoy a great set of complex Tex-Mex flavors.

With such an inspired brunch menu, we look forward to trying out the dinner menu and desserts soon!

Going to NYC anytime soon? Apparently an old friend has been in Time Magazine for his inspired Dessert Truck in NYC. Located at 8th St. and University place, in the Greenwich Village area.

If you are up there - try it their delicious desserts out!

Dessert Truck
8th St and University Place
New York City

One of my favorite Japanese restaurants in the US is in Boston, called the Ginza. I dearly miss the perfect soft shell crab there, the baked eggplant... and that's just from the appetizer menu!

I was excited to drive by a new local restaurant in Cary, with the same name. Taking a nice location near Henry's Gelato on Darrington Drive, I hoped for the best...

But unfortunately, got the worst. The restaurant is elegantly decorated, but that was about the extent of positives I could come up with. As sushi lovers should know, the rice is the most important part of sushi - in a word, the Ginza sushi rice was horrible. Pieces were even completely dried, rendering the sushi barely edible. For the price, you might as well enjoy Harris Teeter leftovers.

The noodle dish we tried was mall-like - maybe acceptable for a mall shop... but not for a stand-alone Japanese restaurant.

Don't even bother going - but just so you know where to avoid:

Ginza
1077 Darrington Drive
Cary NC

As we have talked about previously, we enjoy a great gelato store. Having tried to keep up to date with the local "gelato scene", we were pleasantly surprised on a trip to Chill Bubble, that Sugarland had opened across the street on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. With our never-satisfied sweet tooth, we decided to stop on in.

We were greeted by a display case with a variety of standard, and not so standard but delicious sounding flavors. First, was the chocolate pear - delicious! A not-too-sweet rendition of the two flavors; it was a delightful blend. The standard fruit flavors were also delightful.

We have yet to try their coffees or the beignets... but we will be back, soon!