Drink: eggnog
by Charles Upchurch The converts, they say, are always the worst. A couple of years ago, my wife had never even tried eggnog. Then everything changed. Soon, there were telltale signs of a love affair. Once a week became once…
Category: Food & Drink
Drink: The Manhattan – fall’s ultimate cocktail
by Charles Upchurch photographs by Juli Leonard Fall is woodsmoke. Football and oyster roasts. Leaves gone to gold. All of this nostalgia calls for a drink. Better yet, a cocktail. Something that captures the sublime and fleeting magic of the…
Ashley Christensen: A cultivated palate, a life of purpose
by Liza Roberts photographs by Lissa Gotwals Raleigh’s hottest chef has no back burner. Take one week in late July: Ashley Christensen’s cross-country commitments had her outside and up all night in Sonoma, Calif., cooking a pig for a…
At the table: The porch light supper club shines
by Mary E. Miller photographs by Lissa Gotwals The storming of the French Bastille was a hot affair of high ideals, fueled by the restless hungering of many souls. Not, in other words, unlike the Porch Light French Garden Party…
at the table: Farms of our own
by Karen Johnson photographs by Travis Dove Farming isn’t just for the country any more. Farmers – people growing their own food – are as common today as a suburban next-door neighbor or a favorite downtown restaurant. You can…
Life of the party: Rory Parnell fills her home in support of art education
by Martha Quillin photographs by Liz Condo Rory Parnell did not herself prepare the petite crab cakes with Cajun remoulade that guests gobbled in two bites at her late fall party to benefit local arts education. Her husband, Jerry, grilled the…
At the Table: peppermint wishes
by Liza Roberts photographs by Leslie Baker Charles Winston Jr. is a self-described ice cream nut. The owner of North Raleigh’s Winston’s Grille, he loves it so much he took himself to ice cream school at Penn State a few…
Drink: Champagne cocktail
by Charles Upchurch photograph by Juli Leonard The Paris Ritz is closing. The Hemingway Bar has been shuttered since April. I read these dreadful words recently and was plunged into a near panic. I had never been. The old haunt…
Thanksgiving recipes from Mandolin’s Sean Fowler
Turkey, Mandolin-style Sean Fowler says: We cooked a Bourbon Red heritage turkey, prized for its darkly colored, richly flavored meat, from Cane Creek Farm. I grew up eating conventionally raised, frozen turkey, which can taste great if treated correctly, by…
Local craft beers
by Charles Upchurch Quoth the T-shirt: “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Nice thought, even if Ben Franklin didn’t actually say it. Neither can we be certain that Thomas Jefferson actually said, “Beer,…
Reverie + Revelry: Mardi Gras Cocktails to Try at Home
A historic look at classic New Orleans cocktails and how to make them at home, thanks to local pros.
Mandolin’s Sean and Lizzy Fowler count their blessings
by Felicia Gressette photographs by Lissa Gottwals The sun is slipping away on this crisp autumn afternoon, and a shadow begins to fall over the deck where a square table is beautifully set for six. Candles glow in oversize hurricane…
Made in Raleigh: Roast Grill writes its own rules
In a world where the customer is king, where the answer to most consumer requests is a resounding “Yes,” Raleigh’s hole-in-the-wall hot dog spot, the Roast Grill, prides itself on “No.” No ketchup. No cheese. No mayo, no relish, no…