City: Raleigh, NC

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (919) 832-4477

Address: 426 S. McDowell St.

Description: Oh-so-hip and truly delicious, Poole’s combines a restored vintage setting with the inventive genius of one of the Triangle’s beloved chefs, Ashley Christensen. The space began its life as a restaurant when Poole’s Pie Shop opened there in 1945. The central double horseshoe-shaped bar, pressed tin ceiling, and red leather banquettes recall this first heyday. The small space at the edge of downtown Raleigh has been many things since the 1940s. Today it wears the Poole’s name again, but instead of pies, Christensen serves a menu of farm-fresh food that changes several times a week if not every day. North Carolina clams with late summer squash go fast when they’re in season, while duck hearts with sherry and bacon tempt those with adventurous palates. The menu is written on chalkboards above the bar, saving the earth a few sheets of paper every day.