by Jessie Ammons photographs by Keith Isaacs The idea began, as many do, over two stiff drinks. “My partner, Mike Thor, and I were at one of the best whiskey bars in town, Foundation,” says Jeff Mickel, co-founder of downtown’s Whiskey Kitchen….
by Mimi Montgomery photographs by Keith Isaacs If you walk down Hargett Street past The Architect bar, you may notice a single green light glowing above its door. It’s not a relic from a bygone era or an homage to The Great…
by Charles Upchurch photographs by Jillian Clark Ostreophiles might say our primordial beginnings explain the bond between man and mollusk. Somehow, we made it out of the mud. After more than 500 million years, they’re still in it, anchored one to the…
by D.G. Martin Just where did I learn that local restaurants are where you find real friends and lifelong memories? Maybe it was my North Mecklenburg High School football teammate Tommy Oehler who got me started when he introduced me to…
by Liza Roberts photographs by Juli Leonard Raleigh gets top ranks for all kinds of things: education, employment, quality of life. Those of us who love it know that our city’s true value may be less measurable, but it’s no less real….
Brunch by Jesma Reynolds photographs by Keith Isaacs Brunch. It’s a tradition most food historians agree is as old as the 19th-century English field sport of foxhunting. Today, brunch is a hearty midday meal perfect for gathering friends and family to linger…
by Mimi Montgomery photographs by Missy McLamb Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Who hasn’t empathized with that fabled creature of holiday lore at one point or another? Whether you were teased by the Dashers and Dancers of the playground or weren’t allowed to…
by Mimi Montgomery photographs by Ray Black III The holidays are a time to indulge. Local chocolatier Gabriela Miu Kropaczek counts on it. Her company, Avenue des Chocolats, specializes in European-style bonbons with ganache centers that Kropaczek makes by hand. Born in…
“We definitely look after each other – for food and for life events.” –Amanda Gaddy, member and co-founder of a neighborhood meal-share group by Jessie Ammons photograph by Jill Knight A group of friends and neighbors in east Raleigh has been sharing meals…
by Mimi Montgomery photographs by Keith Isaacs Holidays have always been an interesting time in my family’s household. My father embraces the months of November and December with the goofy spirit of a thousand Clark Griswolds, my aunts call with fierce interrogations…
Confessions of a food-obsessed family by Fanny Slater photographs by Casey Toth My family doesn’t care for sports. Let me rephrase. My immediate family doesn’t care for sports. My 89-year-old grandmother puts a dollar in a jar every time the Mets win,…
by Jessie Ammons photographs by Lissa Gotwals By 10 a.m. on a weekday morning, the kitchen at Centro, the downtown Mexican restaurant, is bustling. Sous chefs are chopping pounds of tomatoes for salsa; they’re frying nuggets of hominy for bar snacks and…
by Mimi Montgomery photographs by Keith Isaacs “Haymaker” is a term for a wild punch in boxing – a final, loose, unexpected blow. A knockout. It’s also the inspiration for The Haymaker, a recently opened cocktail bar in downtown Raleigh that lives…
Raleigh restaurants that have stood the test of time by Fanny Slater photographs by Jill Knight When I was 7, I asked my dad how the vacuum cleaner worked. “Just like the light switches,” he said without looking up from a platter…