Because Vic Pop loves you so, I’ve made a resolution for you. Visit Chapel Hill, NC, more often. The gift doesn’t stop there. To make your life even easier, I’ve created a “food lover’s best day” guide to Chapel Hill. Visit these places, in order, on a weekday visit to Chapel Hill. In between, be sure to walk off some of your indulgences on the pretty 18th century campus, one of the oldest public universities in the USA.
The campus of UNC Chapel Hill.
Neal’s Deli – The best biscuits in town. This place has been featured in the NY Times, Food & Wine and tons of regional mags. I don’t love their steamed eggs, but many do. My preferred breakfast order is basically a heart attack special, a biscuit with house cured pastrami and bacon. Sometimes I lighten things up a bit and visit for lunch instead, and at that time of day, I can never resist their pastrami salad, warm, perfectly fatty pastrami on salad greens with sauerkraut. Meat salad.
3Cups – for a cup of black, no cream, nothing fancy coffee that will run you $4 and rock your world. All sourced from Durham-based Counter Culture, a purveyor that supplies April Bloomfield‘s restos in NYC and many of the best across the country. They also sell fabulous teas and small production, organic and bio-dynamic wine, like the mind-blowing Pinot Noir from Enderle & Moll. This German Pinot Noir from Baden is so pretty, you can taste the handicraft behind it. Made by two guys on just about 4.5 acres of land, they produce only about 90 cases total each year. This is typical of the offerings in this very special store. Things to buy here: The 3Cups quick cup for $2 is the best deal in the morning, but you are limited to their selected coffee of the day. Also buy anything from Farmer’s Daughter, a local brand of jams and preserved things that have been featured in tons of publications. She regularly attends the Slow Food gathering in Italy. Just ask Jay (one of the owners) for something small and perfect that you can carry back home without paying a baggage fee. Check out their website in advance, Jay and his very academic staff often host classes and special event tastings that are intimate and loads of fun.
Shopping!
A Southern Season – This company built their business on mail order gift baskets, which frankly suck. The shop itself is Dean & Deluca on steroids, a magical place that rivals Murray’s Cheese, or any chocolate specialty store and baker you’ve visited, and it is all under one massive roof. Here you can buy a variety of Vosges products or Moonstruck truffles, a bottle of Krug, and some Rosenthal china if it tickles your fancy. Be warned, the prices are steep. Other things to buy here: Crook’s Corner Grits, Blenheim Ginger Ale, custom-designed sandwiches made to order with things like Mangalitsa or Iberico ham. Buy one and stash it in your bag before a basketball game or the flight home. They also offer a variety of classes that cover topics ranging from varietal or region-specific wine tastings to celebrity chefs like Sara Moulton and the guys behind BAKED, so be sure to review the schedule in advance. Seating is limited to about 30, and the best classes book quickly.
A Southern Season – This company built their business on mail order gift baskets, which frankly suck. The shop itself is Dean & Deluca on steroids, a magical place that rivals Murray’s Cheese, or any chocolate specialty store and baker you’ve visited, and it is all under one massive roof. Here you can buy a variety of Vosges products or Moonstruck truffles, a bottle of Krug, and some Rosenthal china if it tickles your fancy. Be warned, the prices are steep. Other things to buy here: Crook’s Corner Grits, Blenheim Ginger Ale, custom-designed sandwiches made to order with things like Mangalitsa or Iberico ham. Buy one and stash it in your bag before a basketball game or the flight home. They also offer a variety of classes that cover topics ranging from varietal or region-specific wine tastings to celebrity chefs like Sara Moulton and the guys behind BAKED, so be sure to review the schedule in advance. Seating is limited to about 30, and the best classes book quickly.
The Pig – a new whole hog place from former vegan Sam Suchoff. This is probably the only barbecue restaurant in North Carolina where you can enjoy a Band of Horses and Magnetic Fields soundtrack while eating vinegar based pulled pork from animal-welfare-approved hogs with all the traditional sides as well as some sneaky new fangled styles. It’s also got to be the most vegetarian friendly menu I’ve seen–an order of fried green tomatoes, [brussels] ‘sprouts and shrooms, and a pimiento cheese baked mac ‘n cheese square will keep the non-meat eaters in your crew fat and happy, and they always keep a veggie sandwich on the menu. Look for that somewhere between the fried bologna and pork belly. This place is great for vegetarians, a tight budget, and serious pork lovers.
Dinner and/or evening boozeries:
Lantern Restaurant – The best fine dining option in Chapel Hill. James Beard nominee and chef/owner Andrea Reusing has a loyal, international following of foodie cognoscenti. David Chang held a dinner here in early 2010 to celebrate the Momofuku cookbook, former NY Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni tweeted about his meal there when he was the guest of honor at a fundraiser here in November 2010. Asian food with southern ingredients–not fusion–you’ll never see Japanese and Korean mingled in one dish. All dishes, especially the seafood, will be new interpretations of contemporary classics like miso cod, pork belly in bacon dashi, etc. The salt and pepper shrimp with shells on are a must order, but they are a staple. The strength of this menu is in the specials which change frequently, the Korean-style fried chicken is legendary. Be sure to buy a copy of Andrea’s first book, Cooking in the Moment, as soon as it hits the shelves in April 2011. For a quick peek at the gorgeous photos and a few sample recipes, take a look at the Cooking in the Moment Scribd link. Tip: The bar, located in the back of the restaurant, is small and dark and a great place for a glass of wine. The full menu is available, and there are five tables that are never reserved except on New Year’s Eve. Exquisite, often seasonal cocktails. The wine list favors interesting old world selections, this is where I first tasted the above mentioned Enderle & Moll Pinot Noir.
Lantern Restaurant – The best fine dining option in Chapel Hill. James Beard nominee and chef/owner Andrea Reusing has a loyal, international following of foodie cognoscenti. David Chang held a dinner here in early 2010 to celebrate the Momofuku cookbook, former NY Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni tweeted about his meal there when he was the guest of honor at a fundraiser here in November 2010. Asian food with southern ingredients–not fusion–you’ll never see Japanese and Korean mingled in one dish. All dishes, especially the seafood, will be new interpretations of contemporary classics like miso cod, pork belly in bacon dashi, etc. The salt and pepper shrimp with shells on are a must order, but they are a staple. The strength of this menu is in the specials which change frequently, the Korean-style fried chicken is legendary. Be sure to buy a copy of Andrea’s first book, Cooking in the Moment, as soon as it hits the shelves in April 2011. For a quick peek at the gorgeous photos and a few sample recipes, take a look at the Cooking in the Moment Scribd link. Tip: The bar, located in the back of the restaurant, is small and dark and a great place for a glass of wine. The full menu is available, and there are five tables that are never reserved except on New Year’s Eve. Exquisite, often seasonal cocktails. The wine list favors interesting old world selections, this is where I first tasted the above mentioned Enderle & Moll Pinot Noir.
Bowbarr – fun hipster bar around the corner from Lantern owned by a couple of local artists. Really good cocktails, average beer options. I like to order the “Real Dill”, a shot of bourbon and a shot of pickle juice. Cause I’m gross.
A drinking note: Beer heads are well aware that the North Carolina craft beer scene ranks right up there with states like Colorado and Oregon. Noteworthy breweries within a couple of hours of Chapel Hill that are served on tap all over town include Foothills (Winston-Salem), Duck Rabbit (Farmville), Fullsteam (Durham), Triangle (Durham), and Lonerider (Raleigh). Definitely sample one or two of these before you leave town.
Finally, I need to acknowledge that this list is far from comprehensive. Other gems in the area include Johnny’s of Carrboro, a bodega turned humble store with plenty of outdoor seating and a variety of food trucks (crepe, wood-fired pizza, taco) that park in the surrounding gravel lots. Another treasure is the Saxapahaw General Store, about 20 miles from Chapel Hill. This gas station serves a surprising menu (pan seared duck breast salad with local cheese, a local goat burger) that you can enjoy at one of the few tables inside. Weather permitting, you could pack up your purchases and walk down to the banks of the Haw River about 1/4 mile away for a lovely picnic. I could go on, but I’ll save the others for another time. I’ve got to keep you wanting more, right?
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