I'd Rather Starve

Update: I spoke with the manager of the Flying Biscuit and super nice Peace alum this afternoon.  She was extremely understanding and helpful.  She said that the same server screwed up like that three other times today and that it was being taken care of.  She also said that she'd hook Katey and me up the next time we go in.  I hope it's as good as everyone says it is.

This morning I went to the Flying Biscuit in Cameron Village with my best friend, Katey.  I have been hearing about how amazing their breakfast is for the past few years and have never gotten the chance to try it out.  Needless to say, I was super stoked about finally going.  I haven’t had any blog-worthy food in about two months so, I couldn’t wait to taste the infamous biscuits and maybe even have some BACON.

Walking into the café, I noticed the bright and colorful table coverings.  It appeared to be a pretty laid back place.  It was drizzling outside but part of the outdoor seating was covered, so people were still dining out there, which I thought was nice.

We walked inside and were greeted by a "less than friendly"  hostess without a smile.  She didn’t say hello, she only said “two?”  I jokingly said “and a half,” and pointed to the toddler resting on my dear friend’s hip.  She didn’t seem to think that my hilarious joke was funny in the least and just turned and walked away to get a high chair.  She sat us down and slapped two menus on the table and asked if we wanted crayons for the baby then went on her merry  way.

There were a lot of interesting things on the menu.  I was looking forward to trying the Egg-Ceptional Eggs, which consist of two large farm fresh eggs over medium, on black bean cakes topped with oven-roasted tomatillo salsa, feta cheese, and sour cream served with grits or oven-roasted rosemary potatoes, while Katey was going to order the eggs Benedict breakfast.

We waited and waited and waited and waited with the hungry child.  I myself was especially parched due to a wine hangover... the worst kind of hang over there is, but we were never helped.

For fifteen minutes we waited for a server to bring us at least a glass of water before ordering our meals and it was as if we were invisible.  Nobody even looked in our general direction while they cleared and set plates at the tables near us.  (The place was not at all that busy, either.)

At least three servers walked past our table multiple times, only one ever made eye contact and yet  our waterless tabletop was still ignored.  The inhospitable hostess stood,  just a few feet from our table and swept nothing. I suppose to appear busy, but she never asked if we had been helped.

After about twenty minutes with a hungry baby, who is usually incredibly well behaved in restaurants, we were all getting a little antsy so we finally got up and left.  We went to the Brueggers Bagels off of Avent Ferry instead, where an extremely friendly woman promptly greetedus with a smile. 

I completely understand that hipsters have an aloof attitude and too-cool-for-school image to uphold but that is absolutely no excuse for bad service.  I’m positive that even hipsters could use a few extra dollars to put towards their bills, cigarettes, or grungy vintage clothes.  I am a server myself and I understand that sometimes, especially in the morning, it can be hard to face and deal with people.  However, I personally try my very best to force a smile and put in just a little extra effort for that one measly extra dollar every time I work.

I can’t see myself ever returning to this restaurant, I wouldn’t want to give them my hard earned money.  I MIGHT go if somebody offered to pay for my meal, but I wouldn’t count on it.  I’d much rather eat a crappy meal and feel comfortable and welcome than eat the best breakfast on the face of the planet while having to deal with such unhelpful, unfriendly people.  I was so disappointed by this restaurant that I have heard nothing but great things about.  Next time I’ll pass on this one… I’d rather just have Waffle House.

"O" yeah!

On Friday I had my mind on only one thing.  Class, after class I couldn’t focus.  Professors were asking me questions directly and I was so lost in my own thoughts that I never had the correct answer.  I was like a dazed little schoolgirl in love.  I kept staring out the window as my heart ached for none other than………… the “Screaming O” roll from Mura.

A few years ago one of my best friends from high school and I went to Mura and ate over $80.00 worth of sushi (mostly in Screaming O).  We just kept shoving it down our throats like a couple of wild hyenas around a dead wildebeest.  We couldn’t stop no matter how full we got… no matter how hard we tried.  Of course, we didn’t pay for all of the rolls.  She was totally dating one of the current managers there (who I am sad to say no longer works there, or I’d go there more often).  I hadn’t been there in years seeing as the last time I had gone, the wait staff looked at us like a pair of starving barbarians.

Anyway… I figured I had waited long enough and my craving was just too strong.  I called Taylor Shaw and we met up at North Hills… despite the fact that I hate that mall because the girl whose father owns it once had a 9^th grade slumber party (for the ENTIRE 9^th grade class at Saint Mary’s School) and didn’t invite me.  Yes.  I was one of 2 loser girls who weren’t invited.  There were 105 girls in the class.  I admit it.  I sell my soul to the devil every single time I go there.  And it is absolutely, 105% worth it.

The delicious 8-piece roll is beautifully displayed on some kind of fancy leaf, a lemon slice on the side and a heaping mound of pickled ginger (MY FAVORITE!) and a flower on top.  On the inside is spicy tuna, crispy shrimp tempura (breaded, then fried shrimp), seared tuna on top and drizzled with creamy “O” and eel sauce.  The shrimp tempura is a fantastic crunchy contrast to the sticky rice and chewy seaweed.  The spicy tuna isn’t spicy at all but just adds a little bit of a kick.

Oh my god.  I just realized that the “Screaming O” has spicy tuna. I didn’t even read the menu because I never even remembered what was in the roll; I just know I liked it.  How long is it going to take for this salmonella poisoning to kick in?  Maybe I can skip my finals.

I digress.  Salmonella or not, it’s good as hell.  The secret “Screaming O” sauce, which I’m sure is nothing but mayonnaise (disgusting. BUT I DON’T CARE) spiced with some kind of seasonings adds a creamy, tangy, taste with just a liiiiiiiiittle bit of spice to it.  The eel sauce puts a good sweet and sour taste to it, too.

Mura always gives you a ton of ginger… possibly to settle your stomach for the oncoming salmonella poisoning.  My mom and I both love ginger and always fight over the last piece… they give you enough to go around the table TWO TIMES!

Taylor and I ordered martinis too because she had such a terrible day.  I must say, they couldn’t be any stingier on the alcohol.  I guess ya can’t have it all though.  The buzz that we got off the sushi alone was enough to keep us sitting at the table a little longer before driving.  Anyway, Taylor ordered a Lemon Twist, which consisted of a mixture of Absolut Citron, Limón cello (gross), lemon juice, simple syrup, and a sugared lemon wedge.  I ordered a Spiced Mango because it sounded interesting.  It was a blend of Cruzan Mango rum, muddled basil and jalapenos, simple syrup and a splash of sour and Sierra Mist.  I thought that the jalapenos and basil mixed in to the sweet sounding drink would add a kick of interesting flavor or a little bit of heat, but the whole thing tasted like kool aide only more a little more gross.  I don’t recommend it.

Other than that, I love Mura and if you like sushi you should definitely try it out… even if I wasn’t invited to that slumber party when I was 14.  It’s a little on the pricey side.  I go once in a blue moon.  The “Screaming O” is $14.00, however they have many other interesting rolls for as low as $8.00.  That’s almost as cheap as it gets at the grocery store but I say that the “Screaming O” is worth every penny.

Taylor Shaw said “After we went to Mura the other day and ate the ‘Screaming O,’ I have had such a bad craving for sushi so I went and got some more.”  Even she agrees.

Tea Time with Ingrid!

Now that the semester is winding up and I am running out of restaurants to try and money to spend, I have decided to do one of my final blogs on my Easter Sunday meal at my mom’s house.  In order to escape the rancid smell of dog feces, rotting cabbage and garbage that is the customary stench of my beautiful four-bedroom townhome, I drove to Cary to my parents’ house for a peaceful Easter dinner.

As I walked into the front yard, my morbidly obese cat and my old, fat dog greeted me as apposed to my drunk, deadbeat neighbors who I have grown so accustomed to over the past eight months.  I walked into my parents’ house, which always smells like clean laundry and flowers… as long as something isn’t cooking on the stove.

My parents and I sat down for lunch/dinner, which was at 3 pm.  My parents are German, and dinner is usually pretty early.  My mom was given a beautiful tea set some years ago and never has any reason to use it so, instead of doing the traditional ham dinner, my mom has a high English tea!

The kitchen table was covered with a white tablecloth with pink butterflies on it and the pink china tea set with a tiered centerpiece.  Each tier had a different “course” of the meal.  Super fancy.

The first tier was a plate of my mom’s famous made from scratch scones with raisins.  She had homemade clotted cream and strawberry jelly to slop on top of them.  Since scones are so dry and taste like a sugary desert of sand in your mouth, the fluffy cream and the sweet and sour jelly were muy perfecto on the English pastries.

The next tier was an assortment of finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off.  There was an egg salad sandwich with sprouts on a roll, cream cheese and pineapple on cinnamon raisin bread, chicken salad, cucumber, pimento cheese, and cream cheese with smoked salmon.  Each little sammy was even more delicious than the next.

Finally, my mom ordered a bunch of beautiful cookies from The Teet.  I only tasted the chocolate mousse ladybug, a pistachio tart, and had a penneyfour.  I really liked the penneyfour because it was so little and pretty and tasted exactly how it looked.

There was also some gross tasting, really strong authentic tea from India that was given to my dad as a gift.  I never add sweeteners to my tea or coffee, nor do I ever use creamer but this stuff was so potent that I had to do something to tone down the taste.  I used a sugar stick and a ton of creamer and it tasted less disgusting, but still not great.  

Easter dinner at the Carney residence was amazing.  The service was almost as amazing as the food, minus the occasional badgering of when I would walk the ancient dog who should really be in a wheelchair by now, or about when I am going to come home and clean my “filthy pig sty,” it was iiiiiimpecable.  Thanks, mom and dad for such an amazing Easter and for the basket of candy (not that I need it after this super foodie semester...). 

Special shout out to my brother:  You missed out, Butthead!  I know you're jealous.  Hope you enjoyed your bacon burgers with Shiara in Charlotte… Sucker.

Bundle of Joy

I woke up this morning after a long night out for one of my best friends’ birthdays feeling like the wrath of Satan’s yahootie.  I was groggy, tired, cranky, and had a terrible craving for the saltiest, greasiest, most high cal, high fat thing I could get my grimy “little carney hands” on to settle my queasy stomach.  Luckily I have a ridiculously good-looking neighbor who happens to have equally as naughty and good taste in food as I do.  I called him up and asked him if he had any ideas of where I could eat and he said he knew just the right place. 

We rode together to a place in the Mission Valley Shopping Center called Bada Wings at 2161 Avent Ferry Road.  I have passed this place a million and one times and never even thought to stop in.  I never really eat wings unless I’ve been drinking and I have a box of them in the freezer.  We walked into the typical looking sports bar and sat ourselves at a high top table.  Just a few minutes later our friendly server came up with a couple of much needed waters and and asked to take our orders.  Kellen, the neighbor guy suggested that we order the ultimate food sponge to absorb the residual stuff from the night before… the Cheesy French Fry Wrap.

This perfectly sized, perfectly stuffed burrito is packed full of crispy French fries, Monterey jack cheese, homemade ranch, and………. Bacon.  This delicious “side dish” (as the menu itself calls it) could be all yours for the low price of $3.95… $4.95 if you want an extra side of………….. BACON. 

WHAT A GREAT HAND TO SIZE RATIO FOR $3.95!!!

When our food came out in no time flat, I was in complete and utterly overwhelming awe.  It was too pretty to bite into… but I had to force myself.  Thank you, Raleigh Food Gods for making my mind, body, soul and mouth explode once again with flavor and giddiness.  Our cranky moods literally turned the instant we bit into the soft blanket of flour tortilla.  This thing gave me the biggest rush of adrenaline I have had in weeks.  I knew that what I was doing was so wrong… but in the moment it felt oh, so right. 

The sweet and creamy Monterey Jack cheese that melted around the crispy french-fries, and salty crunchy bacon was a perfect balance with the tangy ranch.  The burrito from heaven wasn’t drowned in ranch so it wasn’t a huge mess to eat.  It was the best meal I’ve had in a while, not to mention my date was SMOKIN!

Kellen, a smart and handsome 25-year-old student at NC State said “The taste of these wraps are like gas prices… unbelievable! I have been craving one for weeks now.  Thanks for driving my loofah self to go get one!”  And you’re every so welcome, my creepy little neighbor, you! 

Derpy Daze at Players' Retreat

Today Brit and I decided to grab lunch at Players Retreat to catch up on our failed and blossoming relationships while we ate and drank away our feelings.

The weather was beautiful so we sat ourselves outside.  I have only ever been to Players’ Retreat to grab drinks and watch basketball, I had never been to eat.  I had heard the service was kind of sucky, so I wasn’t expecting much. 

Our less than friendly server who will remain nameless (because he never gave us his name) brought us menus and water.  Shortly after he brought us our brews and took our orders.  I asked for his suggestion and he told me that he was currently eating a huge, yet affordable turkey club sandwich in the back so that’s what I ended up ordering.  Brit kept calling our server “derpy.”  I suppose he wasn’t not-friendly, I think he was just stoned.   Brit goes “I’ve never seen such a derpy guy in my entire life!”  To be honest, I never even really knew the definition of “derp” until I met this guy. 

I digress.  We also ordered some mozzarella sticks for a starter.  Sorry there isn’t a picture of them… we started stuffing our pie holes before we could remember to snap a pic.

About the time it took for Brit to finish her glass of water, our meals came.  She got the burger and I got a monster turkey club.  Today is Steven Tyler’s 64^th birthday and I couldn’t have ordered anything more appropriate.  The thing was ginormous and you literally have to stretch your mouth out as far as you possibly can to take a bite of HALF of it.  The Demon of Screamin’ would have been so proud to see his biggest fan gorge her face the way I did.

The turkey club was divided into four triangles held together with the biggest toothpicks you can buy and it was layered like this: bread, mayonnaise, turkey, turkey, turkey, turkey, turkey, turkey, turkey, bread, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, provolone, bread.

I must say that in contrast to the sub par service, my sammy was DE-LISH.  The wheat bread was only slightly toasted.  It was a golden brown and the sugars were brought out ever so sweetly in the bread without making it too crispy or leaving it too soft.  There was enough turkey to feed a small family on Thanksgiving, needless to say I took a nice nap once I got home after the turkey/beer combo.  The tomato and lettuce on it tasted fresh.  The sandwich wasn’t drowned in mayonnaise at all.  I hate when places have it dripping and oozing out of the sides and you have to use a thousand napkins to keep your hands clean.  There was hardly any mayonnaise on the sandwich at all so for me, it was muy perfecto.

The kettle chips that come with the sandwich must be loaded with MSG or some other sort of addictive drug such as the crack cocaine or meth.  They tasted good.  In my opinion they were nothing to neither rave nor bitch about… however I couldn’t stop scarfing them down like a famished, starving, and abused dog at the pound.  No matter how full I got, I just kept eating and eating and eating and eating them.

Anyway, Players Retreat was good mostly because I was in good company.  The food was pretty decent but I have certainly found better things to rave about around downtown Raleigh.  I’d stick to this place for beer and basketball.

Empanada Terrible Place To Go

Last night my friend Sara and I went to Calavera Empanada and Tequila bar located downtown at 444-101 South Blount Street.  I had never been nor heard of it so I was excited to go.  I also had no idea what an empanada was. 

The inside was itty-bitty and the weather was perfect so we sat ourselves outside.  The tables were covered in fun, brightly colored floral tablecloths.  We each ordered waters (however, I totally would have gotten one of their fancy specialty beverages for only $8.00, but I was driving and the last thing I’d want to do is total another car) and a chips and guacamole appetizer.  The guacamole was better than at most places and had more lemon or lime in it than usual so it was really refreshing for the hot humid weather.  We wished we had either more guacamole or less chips.  What a terrible ratio it was.

Their prices were muy perfecto for you college students.  One empanada was 3 dollars.  They aren’t too big, so I assume most people order two or three but I had already eaten a snack closer to dinnertime so one was perfect for me.  If you don’t know what an empanada is, I would compare it to those little turnover things that people eat for breakfast.  It’s a half circle, crispy pastry stuffed with whatever meat/cheese/veggie/fruit combination your hungry little heart desires.

Calavera’s most popular empanada is the Al Pastor.  The pastry was stuffed with sweet guajillo pepper marinated pork, cilantro, pineapple and lime.  The price sort of speaks for itself.  I’d say it was a lot more pastry than any of that other fancy stuff so I can’t really tell you what it tasted like because it was overpowered by the bread.  Sara said I ordered the wrong one.  She said “the Pablono Loco is the best bang for your buck so, if you like cheese you should definitely order it.” 

Each plate comes with a side of salsa, and a side of some kind of green chili salsa.  I liked the green one because it was different and it was really sweet and tasted good with my lackluster pineapple turnover dinner pocket.

For dessert we split the King of Kong, which was an empanada filled with banana, Nutella and topped with powdered sugar.  As you can imagine, it was amazing.  Anything with Nutella is guaranteed satisfaction.  I only wish it had more banana chunks in it and I also wish it had been like… fifteen times the size so I could eat Nutella forever and ever.

The service here was so-so.  My water went down to the bottom more than once but the atmosphere was brilliant.  If you get the opportunity to sit at Calavera outside around dusk, you truly get to experience all of the glory that is downtown Raleigh.  Bowlegged dogs, hipsters in 90-degree weather wearing heavy jackets and scarves, funny toothless men on some sort of something fun yelling profanities, and most importantly, beautiful shirtless men glistening in pearls of sweat as they run into the sunset wearing nothing but spandex and tennies.  Downtown Raleigh is truly an experience and Calavera helps you see it all.  Plus, I hear they have really great drink specials on the weekends.

Not Loafin' the Meatloaf

Last week my favorite Peruvian and I went to lunch at the creatively named 18 Seaboard located at 18 Seaboard Avenue in Seaboard station.  It was a beautiful 72-degree afternoon so the friendly hostess gave us the option of sitting inside or outside so we chose outside. 

Unbeknownst to us, the outdoor seating was not just merely outside on a patio… it was open-air seating on the roof!  We were lead through the restaurant and to the roof and chose a nice table for two in the shade.

Our server was friendly and timely.  As always, I ordered whatever he said was the most popular item on the menu.  Unfortunately it was meat loaf.  Not only have I never tasted any meat loaf other than my own mother’s (unwillingly, of course…), I have never been a huge fan of the idea of meat coming in a loaf… especially if it’s smothered in sweet ketchup.  The idea of a loaf of meat has repulsed me for as long as I can remember.  I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I ordered it anyway.  If it’s a Raleigh favorite then I guess it’s worth a try, right?

I figured if I was going to try one of my top 5 least favorite entrees of all time, I might as well get my wine-o on a little bit so I ordered a nice, cheap, sweet pinot grigio to help ease the pain.

My food came out and to my surprise, my meatloaf looked nothing at all like the traditional meatloaf our moms and grandmas make!  It looked like a char grilled steak atop a mound of mashed potatoes with a side of spinach and house made Worcestershire sauce for dipping.

I was pleasantly surprised by the meatloaf.  It was packed full of flavor.  It was pretty salty but the bits of onions left a little bit of sweetness in it.  The Worcestershire sauce was nice for dipping since the loaf was a little on the dry side.  It was pretty salty and vinegar-y, so my sweet wine contrasted nicely with it… but I’m probably an idiot.  In my opinion, all wine tastes fine with all food. 

The spinach tasted like spinach.

THE MASHED POTATOES.  Heavenly.  I couldn’t put my finger on it until I was half way through them.  They were house made, made out of red potatoes with the skins left in (my favorite).  They were perfectly whipped so that they were soft and creamy with hunks and chunks and little bits of potato still left in and there was a little bit of tang in them.  As I was listening to a story about Peruvian cops or something (I wasn’t really paying attention), the tang hit me.  Goat cheese.  Wonderfully delicious goat cheese!  It said it right not the menu, apparently but I don’t even look at the menus when I go out for this blog solely to keep myself ordering outside my little box. 

Right before we ordered our checks, our server brought us some complimentary dessert samples!  He brought two little pieces of Reese's Peanutbutter cake!  I'm glad the portions were so small... it was definitely a nice treat after all of the food I ate, but i'm sure I could have easily crammed a little more down my throat had he brought more.

The prices weren't terrible for lunch but I wouldn't recommend going for dinner if you're on a budget.  If you want to splurge a little bit on yourself rather than getting your usual bar food, this is a nice spot.  It only paid about $5 more than I usually would on a meal (excluding that glass of wine).

Go to 18 Seaboard.  If your mother sucks at cooking, order the meatloaf, as I’m sure you didn’t get the mystery meat once a week growing up.  If your mother frequently made meatloaf for you, I don’t recommend it although it was still fine to eat.

I wrote a note to 18 Seaboard suggesting that they might try and make the delicious goat cheese redskin mashed potatoes into an entrée of their own.  Maybe they could serve them with a side of goat cheese redskin mashed potatoes.  Also, I apologize that I do not have a picture of these godly mashed potatoes.  I ate them before I could snap one.