Spencer Lowell
If you haven’t already, it’s worth the drive to check out another of the Triangle’s latest boutique hotels, the hip and understated 53-room boutique Durham Hotel.
No need to stay the night, though. The food’s enough of a draw. Andrea Reusing, the James Beard award-winning chef-owner of Lantern restaurant in Chapel Hill, oversees The Durham’s coffee shop, rooftop raw bar, and American restaurant. Coffee and breakfast – Escazú mochas, matcha green tea lattes, buckwheat oatmeal – are served daily, as are cocktails and evening hors d’oeuvres on the midcentury modern rooftop overlooking downtown. The restaurant serves dinner Monday through Saturday and brunch on Sunday, with a menu that puts a subtle twist on classics: turnip gratin, beef fat french fries, and latkes for brunch.
This month, The Durham hosts a pop-up party on the rooftop February 19 with video installations curated by community newspaper The Citizen. That Sunday, a disco brunch features a DJ from the music-and-technology festival Moogfest, punch bowls for the table, and a bloody mary bar. It’s an eclectic and sophisticated roundup befitting the hotel’s namesake city.
Pop-Up Party on The Rooftop Bar & Lounge: February 19; 6 – 9 p.m.; free
DJ Disco: February 21; 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.; free admission, with full brunch menu and drinks à la carte
Spencer Lowell
