Uncorked

Uncorked, located in Falls River Shopping Center, is a local wine bar, that also serves food and beer.  Over the weekend, Uncorked was having a party to open the outside patio.  However, the chilly weather Saturday night caused the party to retreat to the inside of the wine bar.

 

Their concept is very unique in that they provide tastings of different wines by using a gift card that you insert into one of 5 different stations that house approximately 12 different wines.  The price of the wine from the stations - tasting, half glass, full glass - varies based on the price of the bottle.  They can range from $4.25 a glass to $15.00 a glass. 

Uncorked always has a band on the weekends during the warmer weather.  They have a menu that includes meats, cheeses, hummus, etc.  The band playing on Saturday night was Patrick Dyer Wolf and the Attic Orchestra.  They obviously were pretty good since they got Dave and the rest of the place up and dancing a bit.

 

The special for the night, a barbecue plate for $2.50, was amazing.  They put Carolina barbecue on a slice of toasted French bread topped with slaw.  What a great way to serve Carolina barbecue.  I will definitely use this at parties that I have in the future.  The barbecue was also served with a baked bean hummus and toast points.  This was, amazingly, very tasty.  I hope that they add this to the menu. On a side note, one of my favorite items on the menu is the brie with port soaked figs and French bread.  I don't know what it is about the combination of figs and brie, by Dave and I love it.  Something like the combination of honey, with the comb, and blue cheese.  We love that combo as well.

One of the best attributes to this wine bar is the staff.  The owners, Jen & Tonny, are so friendly that they make you feel like family, as does all of the staff.  One interesting note is that Jen (on the right below) is a Corporate Attorney by day who comes in and  helps Tony out in the evening.  No that  is not Tony on the left below.  That is Terry, a new friend we met that night.    

This is definitely a place you need to try!  Friday nights are free wine tasting nights and Saturdays tend to be band nights.  Hope to see you there!

Jugtown Cafe

Dave, Ken, Deb, and I were on a long weekend March 25th in a little town called Gold Hill, NC. While we were there, we went to Seagrove to visit the pottery stores. We ate lunch at a recommended place called Jugtown Cafe. This is, I have to say, a hole in the wall Cafe that was celebrating it's 15th year in existence on the day we dropped in for a bite.  I do have to say that they make an amazing Reuben.  They chop up the corned beef and mix it with the sauerkraut, cheese and thousand island dressing.  I have never had a reuben done this way and it was truly a good sandwich.

Ken had a steak sandwich.  It was a winner as well.  The steak was chopped with mushrooms, peppers, and layered with cheese. 

Otherwise, the onion rings and french fries were so so.  I know this isn't a Triangle Great, but if you ever venture to Seagrove, NC, this is definitely a place to stop in and have a bite!

Tribeca Tavern

The first stop on our TGIF tour was Tribeca Tavern on Wednesday, March 16th. Tribeca Tavern has had a location in Cary, but has just opened their doors in Raleigh. This restaurant is all about casual dining in a family friendly atmosphere. This is the type of tavern that will make you recall the tv show "Cheers". From the smiling staff that opens the door for you when you arrive to the hostess, wait staff, and management of this establishment, you will feel like "everyone knows your name".

Aside from the warm and cozy atmosphere, the food is something to write home about. The beer list is extensive and includes the Mash House microbrews. We have to say that the Mash House IPA is our favorite. It is a nice touch to have the beer served with a hard pretzel on a straw.

There are other drinks on the menu, including an incredible wine selection, martinis, and mojitos.

The menu includes appetizers, sandwiches, wood fired pizzas, and burgers.  No entree is over $15, which assists all of us who are budget concious. We ordered two of the sandwiches and one burger.  The first sandwich we tried is the Chicken Salad Melt, which includes red grapes, walnuts, scallions, and all-white meat chopped chicken.  It is served on wheat bread with provolone, panini style.  One side comes with each entree.  There is a great variety on the list of sides, but peppered onion rings were my pick.  These were incredible.

The Chicken Salad Melt is a great choice, however, there is one sandwich that is truly amazing!  The 12-hour French Dip is made with short ribs that are started at 9:00 pm every night and finished at 9:00 am each morning.  This sandwich is served on a ciabatta hoagie with melted provolone and served with au jus.  This sandwich is a must eat.  It is truly one of a kind!

The burger menu is made up of chef specialities with names including local teams. 
We tried The Pirate Burger mainly because we are ECU graduates.  The burgers can be split between two people because they are a very healthy portion.  This particular burger is topped with colby cheese, slaw, chili, etc.  Meg had to eat it with a fork! 

To end this incredible meal, we tried out one of the spiked milkshakes.  There are three milkshakes to choose from, but the one we decided to try was Grandma's Apple Pie.  This amazing milkshake included 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream, vodka, apple schnapps, and a splash of Goldschlager.  It tasted just like apple pie!

This restaurant will quickly become a local favorite!  It is definitely a great addition to North Raleigh!  If you don't live in North Raleigh, there is another location in Cary.

The Beginning

So, my husband and I were watching Kitchen Nightmares and started talking about how we are really good judges of the places to eat, the places not to eat, and the places that won't last long in Raleigh.  We decided to start this blog.  We already tell all of our friends when we eat at an amazing place, and of course, when we eat at a not so amazing place!  Now we are going to expand our opinions to more than just the people we know and love!  I hope you will enjoy this blog and use it as a "go to" source for what the Triangle Greats In Food are!  TGIF!!