16. Dos Perros
City: Durham, NC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (919) 956-2750
Address: 200 N. Mangum St.
Description: The newest addition to the Triangle’s collection of dressed-up Mexican restaurants, Dos Perros is sleek, comfortable, and delicious. The atmosphere is California contemporary, with mango-colored walls and spare adornment. The food, from Chef Charlie Deal, whose other restaurant is Chapel Hill’s Jujube, is traditional Mexican with some American influences, but certainly not Tex-Mex. Mole poblano, sweet potato soup, and the chile rellenos all exceed expectations. Creative margaritas like the mango-cayenne are an unusual treat. Dos Perros is in downtown Durham within walking distance of the Durham Performing Arts Center, which makes it a good pre-show dining option. Just remember to give yourself plenty of time since it’s not an in-and-out Mexican joint.
17. Magnolia Grill
City: Durham, NC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (919) 286-3609
Address: 1002 Ninth St.
Description: A darling of the national food press, Magnolia Grill earns its stripes with consistently excellent New South cooking that turns traditional ingredients into dreamy works of culinary art. Start with the twice-baked grits soufflé covered in exotic mushroom ragout and shaved confit foie gras and you’ll begin to understand why grits are sometimes more than just grits. Owner-chefs Ben and Karen Barker follow the seasons with their daily changing menu and incorporate local produce, meat, and seafood. Set in a converted grocery store, Magnolia Grill’s façade belies its charming interior of warm wood floors, white tablecloths, and walls bedecked with modern art.
18. Watts Grocery
City: Durham, NC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (919) 237-3611
Address: 1116 Broad St.
Description: Chef Amy Tornquist turned the grocery store where she used to buy candy as a kid into a unique incarnation of Southern comfort cuisine. The menu has a lot of local offerings, including smoked pork and fish made nearby at Zuke’s, house-made terrines with artichoke pickles, and pasta dishes spiked with local goat cheese. North Carolina seafood turns up as cornmeal-crusted fried oysters, catfish almandine, and shrimp and crab étouffée. The setting is casual and modern, with a wall of banquette seating, dark wood tables, and a long bar illuminated by cylindrical lights. It’s a comfortable place to experience updated Southern dishes prepared with great attention to detail.
19. Mellow Mushroom
City: Durham, NC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (919) 680-8500
Address: 410 Blackwell St.
Description: This Atlanta-based chain has three popular outposts in the Triangle that serve up good pizza and beer selections in fun, laid-back atmospheres. The crusts are hand-tossed and the toppings are fresh and inventive. The salad selection is respectable and the ingredients are fresh. Vegetarians can take heart in the tempeh subs on the menu. Psychedelic decor, including the signature mushrooms, convey a hippie-inspired playfulness. The patio at the Raleigh location, at the corner of Peace and Glenwood, is packed anytime the sun shines and the mercury ekes above 55 degrees.
20. Fishmonger’S
City: Durham, NC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (919) 682-0128
Address: 806 W. Main St.
Description: A downtown institution for more than 25 years, Fishmonger’s feels like a beachside oyster bar, only the plate glass windows open onto the traffic near Brightleaf Square instead of the sand. Wide wooden booths have a weathered feel, and the staff is laid back. Fishmonger’s Friday oysters special ($7 for a dozen between 2 and 6 p.m.), makes it a popular early-weekend start. Fried, steamed, and broiled seafood of many varieties populates the menu. If you feel like a messy, delicious feast, order the Frogmore Stew, a South Carolina low country tradition. It’s a mess of shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes cooked in Old Bay and beer that you eat with your hands.