Thursday, January 22, 2009

Restaurants are my happy dance

I wrote this post back on Monday, but was too busy to add pictures to it until now. Enjoy!
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I should really be working on my chemistry homework but I decided instead to update the blog...for all of my readers. =) I am excited because I have gotten to eat at two places in Durham that were on my list (although one was #6).

After a hard first full week where I was at school for 8-12 hours every day, I decided I was in need of an end-of-the-week reward. I already had to give myself chocolate cookies Tuesday through Thursday to make it through (they are from Francesca's and cost $1 each and are awesomely delicious). I knew that these fancy restaurants I couldn't quite afford going to for dinner had great deals during lunch. After looking through all my choices I decided that Nick and I would eat lunch at Watt's Grocery, a champion of local food and recipient of lots of glowing reviews.

We made it there around 12:30 and waited in the packed restaurant. I had no idea that reservations were helpful for lunch on a weekday. We were seated at the table closest to the door, which made for a cold lunch since it was 20 degrees outside. Nick and I (well, really me) ordered a whole bunch of food: a bowl of the sweet potato bisque, a catfish po' boy with salad (me), the housemade bratwurst on pretzel roll (Nick), a side of deviled eggs, and for dessert: a butter pecan rum cupcake.


The sweet potato bisque was my favorite part of the meal. It was creamy and a little spicy and perfect for the frigid weather.



Our sandwiches were also delicious. I decided that I really enjoy fish sandwiches. The salad was a little overdressed. Nick enjoyed his bratwurst and the fries even more.


The presentation of the deviled eggs was cute. They were good, but I wondered how I ever ate so many in one sitting as a kid.


We shared this cupcake at the end. It was really, really good. The cream cheese frosting balanced nicely with the cupcake, but the cake itself was my favorite part. It was studded with pecans and had a really good mouthfeel.
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On Saturday I watched Duke beat Georgetown. It was a pretty exciting game. I did not fully realize how short our team is until I saw the really tall guys on the Georgetown team. Cameron stadium is super small, and every point we had to cheer or boo or rile up the team. It was really an insane atmosphere in there. I think Gerald Henderson could totally make it in the NBA. He's definitely the best player on the team.
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On Sunday I dragged Nick, Emily, and Tali with me to Rue Cler (#2 on the list) for a French bistro brunch. I forgot the camera, which really depressed me. Suffice to say, the presentation was great. The main reason I wanted to go for brunch was the tantalizing mention of beignets on the menu.

I ordered a 1/2 dozen beignets for the table ($4) and they were so good I could have eaten all six myself. For brunch I ordered chicken paillard on greens with brie. It was delicious, but the romaine lettuce leaves were cut into long strips that made it difficult to eat. Nick got the Oeufs Rue Cler (sort of the French-style eggs benedict) that he enjoyed. Emily got the French toast made from French bread with bananas. I tried some and they were delicious. Tali ordered the omelette of the day, which was very dainty and came with a salad on the side.

I made a mental note to return some time and check out the Rue Cler bakery next door. I'll be sure to bring my camera!

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