Raleigh Restaurant Reviews

For the past two weeks, I was home in Clayton with Jessica marking the halfway point of my Spanish assignment.  It was great to be back in my own house with Jessica and Berkley spending time together and enjoying the life we have built over the past three years.  During my time home, we decided to try a few new restaurants as well as one of our favorites.  I've written up quick reviews below (and more pictures can be found on Instagram @DKMiller327).

Oro

Our first dinner out was at Oro (http://ororaleigh.com/), a new restaurant opened by chef and owner of the Mint, which has recently closed.  Oro serves small plates rather than typical meals, and has many choices for vegetarians and vegans in addition to offering many "typical" southern dishes with modern presentations.  I liked the set-up of the restaurant; the downstairs had several tables and a bar area while the upstairs had additional tables overlooking the floor below.  It feels more like a bar or club than a restaurant, which matches the type of food they serve I think.

We chose five dishes for our meal, and they were brought out over a period of an hour or so (one small issue... I think our waitress forgot to enter the last three choices so there was a large gap after the first two before we got the rest).  Everything we ordered was good, although the shrimp and grits, the corn, and the vegetarian spring rolls were not exceptional.  I'd certainly have them again, as they still had good flavor and slight twists on the standard versions (for instance, the corn was served with miso-spiced butter), but I would probably rather try something else.

On the other hand, the pork belly and BBQ chicken flatbread pizza were fantastic and certainly something I'd recommend to anyone trying Oro.  The pork belly, served as five large pieces in a sweet sauce, was both tender (in the fatty part) and crispy on the edges, which is the perfect way to prepare it.  I could have eaten twice as much, even if the serving they gave was more than enough for two people!  The flatbread was equally good... very fresh with thin, crispy bread and just the right amount of sauce, chicken, and cheese.  For our next visit, I think we'll sample a different variety of flatbread (as they have four I believe) but the BBQ chicken is certainly worth ordering.

Overall, I think Oro is worth a trip for anyone in Raleigh looking for a new, trendy place to eat before going out.  For two people, you can get away with three dishes and be full for the rest of the night.  I also would recommend ordering from the specialty cocktail list, and maybe Jessica can suggest her favorite since I forget what it was right now!

Beasley's

Jessica and I had been to Beasley's (http://www.ac-restaurants.com/beasleys/) once before for dinner with friends, but we wanted to try their new brunch menu and went on Saturday morning.  The restaurant fills up relatively quickly for brunch, although not as fast as Poole's Diner, but I'd recommend arriving at the opening time (11:30 AM) anyway.  One of the great benefits of eating brunch at Beasley's is the chance to order from either their brunch or dinner menu; this gives you MANY great options and allows you to have either a proper breakfast or lunch, or both if you're very hungry! 

I chose the biscuits with pork shoulder gravy, as I miss this dish living in Spain and know that Poole's Diner serves a great version.  In my opinion, Beasley's was even better as it came with two larger biscuits (cut diagonally into triangles for presentation I assume) and pork gravy that was filled with much more sausage.  Although the portion seemed made for two people at least, I finished the whole thing with ease!  I don't think I've had better biscuits and gravy anywhere, including Tupelo Honey Cafe in Asheville which had been the leader in the clubhouse before Beasley's (with Poole's a close second).

To go with my meal, I tried their American Trio cocktail, which was more of a sipping drink than a true beverage for brunch.  Still, it has great flavor and was perfect once the ice in the drink melted a bit... the orange peel and the three liquors (which escape me right now) were a great match and refreshing for the morning.

If I'm looking for good brunch in Raleigh and want the traditional southern style, I think I'll go with Beasley's rather than Poole's Diner.  While both are exceptionally good, the larger menu and slight smaller crowds (which will probably change with time unfortunately!) make Beasley's more convenient and appealing my various tastes for the day.  I already cannot wait to return when I'm back in North Carolina... this will certainly be one of my first stops!

Market

For our final dinner before I returned to Spain, Jessica and I went to Market Restaurant (http://www.eatatmarket.com/) on Blount Street.  I had been once before on a food tour and knew they specialized in fresh, local ingredients with selections for vegetarians and vegans.  The atmosphere is just as you'd like... very "indie" and somewhat casual with a small bar in the front and an open kitchen on the right allowing the diners to see the food being prepared.

Jessica and I took our seats at the bar (all of the tables were full on a Saturday night, so this was the quickest option and also allowed better view of the chef preparing the dishes) and started with their crack fries.  These fries are amazing; a huge pile is served sprinkled with cheese, green onions, and truffle oil.  They are the right amount of crispy without losing the potato taste and texture inside.  We (and by "we" I mostly mean "me") finished these fries with NO PROBLEM whatsoever, somewhat embarrassing as the couple next to us received theirs first and weren't even halfway done when I polished off our last one!

For dinner, Jessica had the grilled avocado salad (which she loved) and I tried one of their specials for the night, lamb tagine served with creamy grits.  The lamb was served tender, having been braised in a type of tomato sauce with onions.  The flavor was milder than a lamb chop, which I appreciated as sometimes the "lamb" flavor can come across a bit strong, and was complimented perfectly with the tomato flavors and the creamy grits (I didn't expect it, but I'd say these were some of the best-prepared grits I've ever had).  With each bite, I tried to get a little taste of everything because they were paired so well together.  I stopped JUST short of licking my bowl clean, but needless to say, the dish was excellent.  For dessert, we went next door to the local chocolate store and Jessica had a great peach push-up.

Market Restaurant is the perfect example of a local, no-frills restaurant serving great food in a great atmosphere (I've heard they're moving actually, which may help with space as it can be very crowded).  More than anywhere else in Raleigh, I'd say I look forward to returning to Market most to try something new for dinner, as well as getting more crack fries to start!  I really enjoyed watching the chefs work also, seeing the way they time the finish of dishes as well as the methods and organization they use in the kitchen to make sure everything is prepared properly and moved through the kitchen.

My time home in Raleigh was too short, but I enjoyed every minute with Jessica and Berkley, as well as my family and friends.  The food in North Carolina is SO different from that here in Spain, but both are amazing in their own ways.  I am fortunate enough to have the chance to taste amazing seafood and ham here in Barcelona, but cannot wait to return to Clayton for more of the southern dining I've grown to love.