Most people who know me know about my passion...food. My husband and I are somewhat obsessed with eating out, eating in, buying food, sharing food, sharing food ideas, visiting farms, talking about places to eat and planning our next meal. Our best friends understand that every conversation will eventually lead to, "have you tried XYZ restaurant," and then end with detailed descriptions of our latest meals. Of course, mostly these conversations are had over a great meal.
I do believe there are two types of people, those who live to eat, and those who eat to live. My husband and I absolutely live to eat, and that is part of the reason we live in the restaurant mecca of Durham. We do not discriminate, however. We have many favorite places that are located in towns like Binghamton, NY, Cleveland, OH, Kingston, Ontario and even Cary, NC.
Our hometown of Durham, however does provide a smorgasbord of restaurants, markets, taquerias and bakeries. In Durham, a chain restaurant has a difficult time surviving. Local proprietors and chefs, often under the age of 35, are celebrated and receive national press coverage. Restaurants with celebrity chefs such as Scott Howell and the Baker's win top national awards and are frequented by a wide array of people -- from professors to non-Duke associates. If a restaurant doesn't have a great beer list with local breweries represented or if a restaurant doesn't try to serve some local ingredients, chances are the restaurant isn't going to be around for long. Sometimes a requirement is a storied history in Durham -- "the chef used to be the chef at XXX Bar, the owner used to bar tend at XXX restaurant, etc."
Summer is an interesting time to visit Durham since so many of the students are out-of-town. Some restaurants take week-long vacations to recharge, and it is a great time for a townie to get a table without much stress. It's also a great time for a townie to better get-to-know the bartenders and servers.
I love rankings, and I will share many throughout the blog. I also love hearing other people's take on a place too.
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Did the fact that your brother is a chef, and a good one I might add, have any influence on your culinary likes and dislikes? This is another good piece with lots of food for thought!
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