Eating Around Durham...This Is Where It Ends

Change is afoot! Then again, that seems to have been a mantra in my life for the last four years or so. What’s happening? Well, a location change is on the horizon (again). Things are moving swiftly and time is drawing near. My time in Durham is now super limited but there were more than a handful of spots where I had eaten but just didn’t quite get around to covering. I am gonna blame the heat and humidity here for it because why not. Sometimes the heat is so sweaty and the humidity so thick and heavy you just don’t want to do anything but lay down in front of a fan or on the air conditioning vent and not move. I mean, I have even seen cats and dogs do that here, so yes, it can be challenging for those of us not acclimatized to it. Or maybe sometimes I’m just lazy. Either way, here we are.

Since it has come to the end I thought I would just throw these places out there with some quick mini reviews, coverage, highlights, low lights, etc. All these spots are in Durham and do cover some of the breadth of offerings in this city. They are also spread across the city/county since I have stated a few times before, you kind of need a car here in order to get to places outside of a super concentrated small downtown. Thus, where I’m going, you can have a car, but for the most, it isn’t really necessary. Some cities just have better transit options. More on that later. As for Durham, as the city continues to burgeon, its food options also continue to expand and I know it sometimes pops up on those list of up and coming foodie destinations. Though unless you have family here or are going to be attending one of the colleges, it isn’t quite at the must visit level yet. Sound a bit harsh I know, but hey, I grew up here and while there has been some change, many things are still the same. And while weather is a big factor in my relocation it is not the only one and I will just leave it at that.

Still, while here I tried my best to get a taste of the varied offerings and beyond the barbecue and fried seafood I did manage to eat at many spots, yet in total probably still drop in the bucket of what is on offer. Herewith then is a final wrap up of what I ate good, bad and eh.

Ethiopian, I highly recommend it as a way to try a different cuisine but one that still feels familiar in some ways. Imagine my surprise when I found out there was a spot here serving it up called Goorsha. I do enjoy it and it does live up to the offerings I’d had in SF. Here we have zilzil tips—beef and lamb sautéed in butter, garlic, onions and jalapeños. Normally Ethiopian has a kick to it, here they at least ask your level of comfort. I went medium since I enjoy it but be warned it is big heat for those not used to it. They do it right and this was all good. A side of gomen is basically collard greens with spice so familiar and tasty. Kik alecha are yellow peas cooked with turmeric, onion, garlic and ginger. These can be spicy too, in fact it all can so ask accordingly. Plus you get plenty of injera—spongy bread—to sop up juices and if you want to go traditional—eat with your hands. The place can be on the pricey side but otherwise, if you want a well spiced food adventure, this is it.

I was at a food truck event in Durham’s Central Park and came across Virgil’s Jamaica truck. Mmm, more spice and stuff I thought plus the prices were decent for a food truck. I ended up with the combo plate of jerk chicken, green curry chicken with sides of cooked cabbage, red beans and rice and potatoes. The best part of the dish was the cabbage—cooked just right with some nice heat. The chicken was dry. The jerk sauce too sweet, the curry sauce barely noticeable and the beans and rice lacked any seasoning at all. I thought I might be saved by the beef patty but the dough was dry and meat also lacked seasoning. The prices might have nice but beyond the cabbage the rest was forgettable. I composted most of this.

Okay, this place is kind of a mini chain and I came across it when searching for fried seafood nearby. Called Showmars , it is on the way to RDU airport and I was near there and wanted a bite. I think what drew me were the different offerings like the zucchini squash side and the pita burger. And you can see, I also got my flounder and shrimp plate and all the other fixings—slaw, hush puppies, fries and mac and cheese. I have to say it all surprised me. This place was pretty good. Three pieces of lightly battered fish and plenty of shrimp cooked to order. Crinkly fries! Decent slaw. The zucchini squash needed some salt but still a Southern side you don’t often see. Mac and cheese was okay, super creamy. I like my a little more baked but this was fine. And the pita cheese burger was a gyro but with burger. I liked it. A different take I hadn’t thought about before or actually seen. I’m sure it’s around but this spot does it and their other offerings pretty darn good. Totally worth stop if you are headed to airport or shopping around Brier Creek.

Everyone used to smoke in the South (they still kinda do) and tobacco was king. Not so much anymore and the the old factories here have been turned into living spaces and trendy shopping districts like the American Tobacco Campus. One spot located there is Boricua Soul, offering a combo Southern meets Caribbean food menu. I was wondering the campus and they seemed a good spot for a quick bite. For $9.50 you can get two empanadas of your choice plus a side. I went with the pulled pork ones and collard greens because, duh, some of my faves. Not a completely filling meal but as a late afternoon snack with a beer these were some tasty crispy bites. You also get a couple sauce choices and one specialty, the pique really brings the heat. But if that isn’t your spice, they do have some of the regular choices like ranch and what not. Their menu is chock full of other stuff worth trying if I was staying I would definitely go back.

I do so love me some German food, particularly of the schnitzel variety. Thus Guglhupf was right up my alley. Big, tender, crispy and served up with some warm red cabbage! This was great. Can’t say I was down with the side of mushroom gravy, it was completely fine without it. Classic German fare served up in a pleasant outdoor setting. Bonus, the place is also a bakery and there were way too many things to choose from or list here. Better if you just go and try it out for yourself. Though don’t go during Saturday/Sunday lunch/brunch unless you don’t mind crowds. Best to go later in day if you can.

Moe’s Original BBQ is a chain doing Texas style barbecue in the South. Seems to be an anomaly with all the other options here but I was game. Of course I’m doing the two meat plate with two sides and cornbread. Basically this is all smoked meat and it wasn’t too bad considering it wasn’t NC style. The meats were nice and tender and didn’t really need the sauce. The greens needed salt but otherwise were good. The green beans seem to have all the salt the collards were missing and then some. So much so they were inedible. And, ugh, that cornbread was drrryyy. It is like they baked a loaf of it. Cut it in slices then cooked it again on a griddle top to brown it. I think drastically overcooked is an understatement and not a stick of butter in sight! So while not a total winner, the meat was good so you can stick to that, just be careful on your side choices.

There are a fair number of neighborhood restaurants in town, though they all seem to not necessarily be in neighborhoods (like you’d find in SF) a fair number are actually in the downtown area. One such place is Geer Street Garden. A cute little spot with a pleasant covered outdoor seating area. It is a small menu with a handful of Southernish variations on things. Kind of reminds me of places in SF, you know, fried chicken, a burger, a vegetarian dish, etc. I went with the fried chicken salad and a side of baked mac and cheese. Good solid dishes you’d find at your local casual spot. Though the mac and cheese tasted like it had nutmeg in it or something but not totally sure. The brownie sundae was super sweet. I think brownie was a little on the mushy side for me and we all know how I feel about ice cream. But still, it is a cute place if you are looking for a relaxed weeknight nosh.

This is Nantucket Grill and I think you can see why I am here. Their menu has a number of sandwiches and burgers plus a handful of main entrees that include some kind of seafood. I’ve been here twice and for the most part the savory options are fine. This is another one of those easy to drop into neighborhood spots with decent food choices. Not going to say it is exciting food but solid like the crab cakes, seafood combo, crab dip and a steak sandwich I also had but is not pictured. What really draws me to the place are obviously the giant cake slices. In fact, the pics above are half slices. You can get a full size one too but since I was wanting to have a variety I went half. Here we chocolate, carrot and lemon. For the most part they offered all I am looking for in cake. Thick slices of cake, ample portions of frosting and distinct flavor. The two knocks I’ll hit them for is the chocolate and carrot should have not been served straight from the fridge, they should have been set out to room temp down. As is, the frosting was on the hard side and it made it seem the cake parts were a little dry. And the carrot seemed to have an overabundance of nutmeg? cardamon? Not sure but someone was heavy on one of the spices. Which is why I liked the the lemon the best with its tangy curd layers and cream cheese frosting. Unlike the others it seemed to be at just the right temp for serving. Still, cake!! Most choices are at $5 a half slice, which is still pretty big, and they are baked on site and pretty much worth it.

And then we came to the end….of the last of the places I have eaten in Durham. There are couple more in the Triangle area I ate at but didn’t cover but, whatever. Now comes the time to hit the road to places far flung from here. It has definitely been an experience here the last couple years and that is about all I have to say about that. But at least I got my fill of pulled pork, fried seafood and that wonderfully tasty and bad for you deep fried covered in gravy stuff this area is known for. It will be interesting to see where I land and what new food types and adventures I can chow down on. I will be hitting the road with my friend Ms. M again in a few days and you can always follow my Insta and FB posts to see what is cooking. Till next time, keep eating cuz’ I know I will!