Poole's Diner (Best Mac N Cheese)

Ah, another diner? Trust me, its not what you think. This isn't just a diner, its Poole's Diner. According to Andrea's research prior to our meal, the chef at Poole's is a mini-celebrity. She's been on the Food Network and is opening two more restaurants in Raleigh. Andrea and I got all gussied up for a night downtown and headed over to McDowell St to try this famous Mac N Cheese.

When we first walked in, I knew I'd like this place. The atmosphere seemed calm and fun, though the lighting was too dark to take pictures. We sat at a bar area, which I like because it lets you talk to your neighbors if your neighbors are nice, and lucky for us- ours were. I must say though, that as a picky eater, I had trouble with Poole's menu. There were, I think, 5 options for the main course- 3 of which I would not like and 1 that I didn't even know what it was. So we went with the last option- fried chicken. Don't worry, I know I keep referring to the MnC (I'm big on abbreviations today), we got that too. As I move on to my opinion of the food, please refer back to my intial statement about my personal tastes. I like things simple, not fancy. Poole's Diner food is not diner food, its fancy food. The MnC did not disappoint. Best in DTR? Maybe. I haven't had all the mac n cheese there is to be had in Downtown Raleigh.. not to say that I wouldn't be up for that challenge. It came in a big bowl, and was just what you'd think homemade MnC should be. Cheesy, buttery, deliciousness. Comfort food with a fork. The fried chicken didn't quite live up to the pasta. Small pieces, which Andrea and I split, and a tiny amount of mashed potatoes all came at a price that I'd have paid half of- if that. The meat was greasy, the flavor wasn't anything to elaborate on, and the potatoes.. well, they tasted like mashed potatoes. I didn't even finish my small piece of chicken. And by the time we'd had our meal, I didn't want to fork over any more money to get dessert too.

Final words? Go to Poole's for the Mac N Cheese, but just the Mac N Cheese. If you're one of those people that enjoys paying $16 for a small plate of food that will only half satisfy your appetite.. sure, go ahead and think your tastes refined by ordering a burger rolled in duck grease or a crab cake that you'll finish in 4 bites. Don't get me wrong, I think our portion sizes are way over inflated, but I want to get what I pay for- and if I pay that much for a meal, I'd at least like to get two dinners out of it. Just one (cheap?) girl's perspective.

Afterwards we walked over to Busy Bee- if you're going to spend your money, go there. The bartender whipped me up a yummy drink (no alcohol taste, please) and their mac n cheese is quite good, and not so pricey.

Relish (A Recommendation)

I won't even tell you how late I am in posting this meal. Suffice to say its been a while since we ate at Relish, but I'll do my best to faithfully recount the meal/experience.

Before I actually start my critique, please keep in mind that I am slightly biased towards Relish. Regardless of what the food actually tastes like (delicious!) I like the people who run this restaurant. No, I don't know them personally, but I'm inclined to like them. Relish is hosting a St. Baldrick's event (shameless plug here) October 2nd. People volunteer to have their heads shaved and through that raise money for research for Childhood Cancer. For more information on the event, go here.. Donate. Shave. Volunteer. 

Moving on to the actually food. (finally?) The charm that Relish lacks in decor (think cafeteria colors and cheap fake flowers on the table) is made up for in the food, which is more important anyway- I think. Drinks come served in mason jars, food is fresh and delicious, and desserts are a must have. At the risk of a slightly more boring blog entry, we forewent the fried black-eyed peas since neither Andrea nor I were very hungry. For dinner I had the Italian Mac N Cheese skillet - fresh basil, mozzarella, and tomatoes. A tough decision to make, what with all the choices of grilled cheese sandwiches and tempting burgers, but I stick by it. I recommend it to anyone who goes here. Andrea got a burger, and when it wasn't cooked quite long enough to suit her, the waitress very graciously took it back to the kitchen with many apologies to make her a new one. Another woman came out (one of the cooks?) and apologized again to Andrea, told her her meal was on the house, and even gave us a complimentary banana pudding (which, to be honest, is what I wanted most anyway.) The service was excellent, to say the least. I like my banana pudding just like I imagine a southern grandma would make it. My grandma is from Pittsburg, so she doesn't make banana pudding, but her cookies are always amazing! Anyway, Relish's b.p. was a little gussied up. They used carmalized bananas, which added a good flavor but didn't have that thick, pudding consistency that I love in my pudding. That, and though this batch was fresh, that meant that the wafers didn't have time to get all soggy and delicious. Now I'm just being picky. 





My final assesment? Go to Relish. The food is good, the people are nice, and if you eat outside (foregoing the not so trendy interior decorating) there really isn't much more you could ask of a place. Did I mention the prices are reasonable? I should have, because that's important too. And the best day to try Relish is October 2nd.

The Diner (Voted Best Hangover Food)

Poor Andrea. I'm sure she was excited about starting the list and going out somewhere new. Then I call her, all exhaustion and anti-social feeling and say that I really want to go somewhere chill where I can just wear a t-shirt and jeans and not feel underdressed. I'm in the mood for diner food. Ah! We were in luck, because it just so happened that we had a diner on our list.

The Diner was voted 'Best Hangover Food' and even though neither of us had a hangover, we headed toward Glenwood with our I <3 Elvis shirts. No, not really, but if we had those shirts and wore them we would fit right in. The Diner was exactly what I expected, and wanted. Greasy burgers with a side of fries.

We sat right down, I folded my legs into my booth seat (don't tell my grandma,) and we browsed the menu. To be fair, there were healthier options (such as a black bean burger..) but that would defeat the purpose of going to a diner! I ordered a sweet tea, took a sip, and promptly switched it out for a soda. Don't order the sweet tea. Then, while we were supposed to be looking over the menu, Andrea and I proceeded to take several photos of ourselves sitting in the booth. Our waiter was courteous and gave us plenty of time. If I could remember his name I'd put him in here and have you request him. Great job. Eventually we did order, bacon cheeseburgers with fries. Mmm mmm. Something The Diner has going for them (other than being open 24 hours on the weekend) is proportions! I ordered a burger and got two patties along with plenty of cheese and more fries than I should eat. (See how I said should eat and not could eat right there?) The food was decent, for what it was, and I can see how the late hours and big portions of grease could qualify as good hangover food.. coming from someone who has never had a hangover. I guess I'll have to 'assume' here.

All in all, I say go to The Diner, at least once. The staff was friendly and the food was pretty good, but as far as diners go, my heart still belongs to Gypsy's.

The Introduction

Before I say anything, I should say I am not a professional. I'm not a food critic. A couple months ago my friend Andrea and I were looking through one of Raleigh's newspapers (The Independent) and came across a 'Best Of' food ratings for the Downtown Raleigh area. We like eating, we like hanging out, we like trying new places.. so we decided to eat our way through this list. We'd already frequented some of the places on the list (Boylan Bridge - get the pretzels and beer cheese!) so we narrowed it down to only trying new places. I, being unsatisfied to simply eat at a restaurant and not weigh in my opinion, decided to start this blog. This way the two people reading it will see how the places stack up. To be fair, I should add that I prefer a fun, laid-back atmosphere to a snooty one- and I AM a picky eater (thus the blog title) so there will be no tomatoes or seafood on this blog, unless Andrea would like to add in her opinion on the seafood. That all being said, in one very drawn out paragraph, let the judgement begin!