New Thread: Date-night restaurant recommendations, almost anything goes (Raleigh, Durham: home, school)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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I know we discuss this a lot here, but I could not find a RECENT thread on good 'date night' restaurants.
FWIW, I'm located in South Cary, and willing to go drive into DT Raleigh on almost any night. DT Durham has to be a little special (because it's a little further).
Looking for fun places to eat with my wife. We're both foodies, I'm very adventurous, she's somewhat adventurous. We have our favorites, which I'll list a few of below, but I realize places come and go all the time, so I'm always curious as to what others are enjoying NOW.
We typically like "fairly casual, with great food". (Not hoity-toity, and we don't mind paying for good food, but not into paying just to go to the "in" place.)
Places we like:
Teresas (formerly Alex and Teresas) for great Italian Food
Mi Cancun for above average "American Mexican Food"
Sitti
Taverna Agora (on the roof)
Lucky 32
Seasons 52 (A chain, but not "chain-like")
Generally speaking, we like interesting food, getting a good value, and going to a place that we can sit down and enjoy a relaxed meal without getting rushed.
Places I really don't like:
Cheesecake Factory: A lot of quantity, but not that good IMO.
Fridays, Chilis, Ruby Tuesday, etc.: NOt that bad, but "boring" IMO
Super-fancy places like the Angus Barn. I actually like them a lot, but for nearly $100/person, I can cook a dang good steak at home and still afford to go out to one the places I love.
Fu-Fu places where you pay $40 for an entree that looks like an appetizer
Any place that needs to promote "Vegan" or "Gluten Free" to get customers. (I don't mind Vegetarian or even vegan places, but it's not what I'm looking for.
Etc.
Asking because we want to add to the list above... And because it's always a great discussion to have.
Bonus if you tell us what you like about your recommendations.
it's not fancy but I recommend Salt Box in Durham. Good food, the chef won a James Beard award, local. Come over to Durham for lunch, maybe catch a baseball game or a show later.
I second Scratch Kitchen mentioned above, I've never had a bad meal there and they have a seasonal menu so always something new to try. When you're done eating walk over to Peak of the Vine (a wine bar), great little place.
Some other favorites
La Santa on Glenwood - Mexican https://lasantanc.com/home/ I like the mole and the drinks are unique and great
Vieni Ristobar in Holly Springs - Italian https://www.vieniristobar.com/ I've had the tagliatelle with mushrooms and the pappardelle bolognese, both were excellent
Osha in Holly Springs - Thai and great sushi Osha Thai Kitchen & Sushi Pad Thai is on point and the sushi is some of the best around
Rey's in Cary - old school steakhouse vibes https://reysrestaurant.com/ It's a steakhouse, plain and simple. Great steaks, sides and the old school flambee for desserts.
Brewery Bhavana downtown Raleigh - Chinese https://brewerybhavana.com/ Honestly I've never had anything here I didn't like. Standouts for me are the crab fried rice, soup dumplings and the beef with longhorn peppers.
Vidrio on Glenwood - Mediterranean small plates https://www.vidrioraleigh.com/ The menu is constantly changing, so what I had may not be served when you go but everything here was excellent.
Edited my post to add what I liked per the original posters request!
I feel like an outlier on Cape Fear Seafood Company. Neither my wife nor I were impressed, and I doubt we'll go again. My wife really liked Nantucket Grill, though I wasn't with her when she visited (though I like the menu). If you were in North Raleigh I could easily give you 1/2 dozen solid non-chain recommendations, but being down in Apex the travel time isn't going to work.
I feel like an outlier on Cape Fear Seafood Company. Neither my wife nor I were impressed, and I doubt we'll go again.
I'm the opposite on both of these. Not impressed with Scratch Kitchen and we really like Cape Fear Seafood. Was glad to see them open a place in Raleigh after enjoying them in Wilmington.
We like A'Verde, on Walnut Street, but it can be pretty noisy.
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