Is Cary really boring as people say? (Raleigh, Morrisville: restaurants, price)

[Moodies80NC]

And why would it be boring? You are close to Raleigh anyway

[jbny2076]

I live on the Raleigh/Cary border and cross through Cary to get on I-40. I often find myself falling asleep at the wheel when driving through Cary it is so boring.

[cadillac811]

Originally Posted by jbny2076

I live on the Raleigh/Cary border and cross through Cary to get on I-40. I often find myself falling asleep at the wheel when driving through Cary it is so boring.

Boring until you hit the concrete divider-then you'll be excited!

[Sayantsi]

Cary to me is like a region - its part of the greater Raleigh area. Taken as a whole, there's lots to do in the area, but Cary itself doesn't have much. About the only reason I have to go there is for soccer games.

If you live there, life isn't that different from any of the other neighborhoods and regions that make up Raleigh.

[SaucyAussie]

I do like that there is a bit of a push to put more stuff in downton Cary.

[Bull City Rising]

Originally Posted by soawesome94

what do they mean as boring? Ive lived in that town for a solid 10 years and i thought it was a fun clean low crime traffic is still bad though especially going towards crossroads between 5-7pm and as of 2013 it came in #9 as the safest city in america

yea i know the nightlife is bad 0 traffic but theres a strip club across from the cary train station called pure gold theres atleast a few bars idk if there 24 hours doubt it the only stores that are 24 hours are walgreens walmart and the harris teeter by the mall

honestly cary is not as boring as people say those are come and go people at first it might be a boring town but after living in cary for few months to a year you'll adapt and be used to it and will love it

we have 1 mall 2 movie theaters 3 parks nd dozens of shopping centers

and for singles theres a gym a park a bar and nightclub

you sir have just won the internets. City data edition.

[GotHereQuickAsICould]

Originally Posted by lamishra

We don't eat in chain restaurants around here (maybe the occasional Caribou coffee if we're pressed for time). There are TONS of independent places in Cary. You have to know where to look.

Here's what we've found in several years of searching:

Bosphorus - Tasty food. Terrific staff. Currently, our favorite place to eat in Cary. Sometimes we pick up their appetizer platter and flat bread to go.

La Farm Bakery - These folks know their stuff. The bread and croissants are outrageous. Menu is limited but everything on it is out-of-this-world wonderful.

Tom Yum Thai - Tasty Thai. What's not to love?

Care 21 - Great Sunday brunch. Hope they can make it. Going for their $20 prime rib dinner this weekend.

Maximillians Grill & Wine Bar - Spendy. $40 for a veal chop covered in marsala sauce. It was delicious, I'll say that. But with an appetizer and a couple glasses of wine our two meals came to more than a plane ticket to New York City. It's an anniversary celebration kind of place not a Friday night out restaurant.

Jasmin Bistro - Good food, decent price. Used to be our favorite Mediterranean restaurant until we found Bosophorus. Still stop by for lunch now and again.

Shiny Diner - Memorable chocolate milkshakes but after eating there several times, never remember to go back.

Barry's Cafe - Tremendously greasy. Not only the food, but the table top, the floor... Everything seemed covered in a thin film of grease.

Serendipity Gourmet Deli - Overpriced and underwhelmed. Cute decor though.

Havana Grill - Bland and overcooked. Nothing like the Cuban food we've had in Florida. We still have a Groupon coupon we haven't used. Can't seem to work up the oommph to go back even at free.

La Casa de las Enchiladas - So so. Dry, not overly tasty taco fillings. Still in search of a great Mexican restaurant in Cary.

Several Indian restaurants. We tried Udopi Cafe on a vegetarian friend's recommendation and could find nothing on the lunch buffet that warranted seconds. Determined that the spices used in Indian cooking are not our cup of tea.

There's a couple of Chinese restaurants, we always order take-out on New Year's eve from one. It's a family tradition. I don't know why we continue this tradition as none of us care for syrupy sweet and salty food these days and we end up tossing most of it after the initial hunger rush is over. I think we'll get Thai next year.

After extensive searching, we're down to less than half a dozen independent restaurants to rotate through.

So where are these great independent restaurants? What have we missed?

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by lamishra

We don't eat in chain restaurants around here (maybe the occasional Caribou coffee if we're pressed for time). There are TONS of independent places in Cary. You have to know where to look.

Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould

Here's what we've found in several years of searching:

Bosphorus - Tasty food. Terrific staff. Currently, our favorite place to eat in Cary. Sometimes we pick up their appetizer platter and flat bread to go.

La Farm Bakery - These folks know their stuff. The bread and croissants are outrageous. Menu is limited but everything on it is out-of-this-world wonderful.

Tom Yum Thai - Tasty Thai. What's not to love?

Care 21 - Great Sunday brunch. Hope they can make it. Going for their $20 prime rib dinner this weekend.

Maximillians Grill & Wine Bar - Spendy. $40 for a veal chop covered in marsala sauce. It was delicious, I'll say that. But with an appetizer and a couple glasses of wine our two meals came to more than a plane ticket to New York City. It's an anniversary celebration kind of place not a Friday night out restaurant.

Jasmin Bistro - Good food, decent price. Used to be our favorite Mediterranean restaurant until we found Bosophorus. Still stop by for lunch now and again.

Shiny Diner - Memorable chocolate milkshakes but after eating there several times, never remember to go back.

Barry's Cafe - Tremendously greasy. Not only the food, but the table top, the floor... Everything seemed covered in a thin film of grease.

Serendipity Gourmet Deli - Overpriced and underwhelmed. Cute decor though.

Havana Grill - Bland and overcooked. Nothing like the Cuban food we've had in Florida. We still have a Groupon coupon we haven't used. Can't seem to work up the oommph to go back even at free.

La Casa de las Enchiladas - So so. Dry, not overly tasty taco fillings. Still in search of a great Mexican restaurant in Cary.

Several Indian restaurants. We tried Udopi Cafe on a vegetarian friend's recommendation and could find nothing on the lunch buffet that warranted seconds. Determined that the spices used in Indian cooking are not our cup of tea.

There's a couple of Chinese restaurants, we always order take-out on New Year's eve from one. It's a family tradition. I don't know why we continue this tradition as none of us care for syrupy sweet and salty food these days and we end up tossing most of it after the initial hunger rush is over. I think we'll get Thai next year.

After extensive searching, we're down to less than half a dozen independent restaurants to rotate through.

So where are these great independent restaurants? What have we missed?

This is a tangential answer to Lamishra's post.

She says you don't have to go to chains, and there are many options in Cary where one can get good food without going to a chain. It doesn't have to be subjectively "great" to easily surpass TGI Friday's or Subway, right?

A few more locals:

An Cuisines
iPub
Doherty's
Tangerine Cafe
Home
Komo Komo
Paisans
Bocci
There is a Chinese restaurant in Crescent Commons between Walmart and Harris Teeter whose name I cannot recall. Good eats.
Catering Services - Corporate Catering - The Cary Cafe - Cary - North Carolina


Others can add to that list.

[Myghost]

Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould

.

So where are these great independent restaurants? What have we missed?

Good list, and mostly accurate, but I'll add more. Not so much to argue, but to get the list going. (It would be nice to compile a list somewhere and put it on Google Drive or something):

Chinese:
Superwok: Authentic and very good, but sometimes greasy (not the tables, but the food), and IMO the service is not great, but they have some great dishes. Fun place. Crappy atmosphere

Taipei 101: Nicer atmosphere, really nice staff, some great dishes but a little more limited menu than Superwok. I like taking my daughter here, and she loves it.

35 China: Better menu than Superwok, and nicer decor than Taipei 101. Where else can you get a Beef Tendon Spicy Hot-Pot in Cary? Ate there on Christmas Eve and it was really good. I know it gets mixed reviews, but this is my new location for "nice-enough" authentic Chinese

Neo-Asia: Haven't been there in YEARS (and that was the one on Glenwood), but I'd be willing to try it again.

Tangarine: Never been there, but menu looks good, and it gets great recommendations. I'm moving to walking distance in a couple weeks, so I'll go!


Bars and pubs:
Hibernian: Great atmosphere, decent food. I like it
Train Station: Formerly known as Harrisons. I go there with a group, the food is good enough, the beer selection is good, and I know the staff. Divey, but I like this place.
Corner Bar: Good food, good specials, seems to have a loyal following. I little "strip-mall-ish" but a cool place. Recommend!
Mac's: Never been there, but it gets good comments
Spirits: Only been there once, and I was hammered (had to ride my bike to get my car the next morning), but I vaguely recall them having all kinds of great mac-n-cheese options, and a decent beer list.
RallyPoint: Divey, food is decent, but it's just a cool place. In the summer, they put games up on the HUGE screen in the courtyard. If you like to play corn-hole, this is your place.
---I'm sure I missed several---

Mexican:
Ponch Villas: Great tacos, $1 on Tues/Thurs
Rancho Grande: Even better tacos, no $1 Special
Los Tres Maguyes: Hate (!!!) the one on Kildaire and Maynard, but the one on Cary Pkwy & 54 has 'decent' food if you like your typical gringo Mexican. But the deal here is the $1.50 drafts on Saturday, with a surprisingly good beer list. Go there for a few beers and some chips and guacamole for less than $10, and the bar is usually addled with great people watching.

Other Ethnic:
Yum Yum Thai: I like it better than Tom Yum. It gets good reviews and my meal there (only once) was good. Service was not, but I enjoyed my company, so it was all good.
Anvils Philly Cheese-Steak: This is S.E. Cary, almost Raleigh, but that place is AWESOME. I'll be back. many people regard this as THE place to get a cheesesteak in the RDU area. Family owned, nice, hard-working people, and their meatball sub uses grandma's recipe. I can't wait to try that (and the porkloin sammich, and....). (Note that Philly IS an ethnicity!)
Mawa's African: Good stuff. I'm getting tired of typing, but look it up. Really good!
Byriani House: Pretty good, just felt like mentioning.
Chatham Square: Has a few others including Japanese*, Indian, Mexican, Korean. Most are already covered.
*Tokyo House: "Decent-to-good" sushi at a great price. This place has a warm spot in my heart.

Pizza:
NY Pizza: Next to Rally Point. Pretty good
Salvios: LOVE IT. Almost as good as Randy's on Miami, and that says a lot coming from me.
...: I'm tired of typing. Can someone else take over.

[Myghost]

^^^Yep, pretty boring. Nothing but chain restaurants.

(and to the OP, apologies for my insensitive use of punctiation) <--period omitted out of kindness and empathy. :-)


EDIT> Mike and I typed at the same time. Great minds and all that... But the telling thing is we both had long lists of great places, and I think we only had one place (Tangarine) in common. There are THAT many great places! I'll try to rep you Mike, but I bet I can't.