Iron chefs, farmers' market-style
B Y B E S H
A R O D E L L
For all
of us who love to eat, this is an exciting time of year. It seems
that every week, a new summer vegetable is coming into season, new
dishes are possible, and the romance that we have with our favorite
crisp green thing or plump red thing is born again. The places in
the Triangle where this giddy love affair is best played out are at
the farmers' markets, and at restaurants with seasonal menus. In
order to showcase the veggies and give readers an idea of what
different restaurants in the area might do with them, I devised a
scheme--to go to the farmers' market and buy three ingredients, and
then give those same three ingredients to three area restaurants and
ask them to come up with dishes based around the ingredients I
provided.
May 26, 2004
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R E S T A U R A N T B E A T
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chose the three restaurants for their diversity of location and
cuisine.
Enoteca Vin in Raleigh began as a wine bar, but in the
years since they opened the food component has become just as strong
as the extensive wine list.
Pop's in Durham was recently sold by Scott Howell to three
friends--Matthew Beason, Chris Stinnett and John Vandergrift.
Stinnett and Vandergrift, sharing duty as chefs, are sticking to the
trattoria-style menu that has fueled the restaurant's success, but
they have done some tinkering too, adding some freshness to their
offerings. Chef Andrea Reusing at Lantern in Chapel Hill has
been doing fantastic things with Asian foods since the restaurant
opened in January 2002.
So off to the Carrboro Farmers' Market I went on a lovely
Wednesday afternoon. I resisted some of the first asparagus at the
Perigrine Farm stand and opted instead for bunches of Easter egg
radishes, which are varied shades of pink and white. "I should have
picked more of these this morning," the young man at the Sunset
Farms stand said as I scooped up the last of the sugar snap peas he
had to offer. And at the Brinkley Farms stand I found beautiful,
bulbous spring onions. I then delivered the veggies to the three
restaurants. Over the next few days I went back to see what they'd
come up with.
Ashley Christensen at Enoteca Vin managed to get all the
ingredients into one dish, a dish that was both beautiful and
playful; soft shell crab on purple cabbage and sugar snap slaw with
spring onion rings and boiled radishes. The soft shell crab sat atop
the slaw, which had a surprising spice to it, thanks to jalapeno.
The spring onions were used two ways, with the bulbs made into
light, sweet buttermilk onion rings, and the greens grilled as a
salty-sweet garnish. And the boiled radishes were dressed with sea
salt, olive oil and lemon juice (did you know you could boil
radishes, much like turnips? I didn't--yum).
At Pop's, Stinnett and Vandergrift created two dishes. The first
was a salad that consisted of four little piles--grilled spring
onions, pickled radishes, pickled beets and local arugala topped
with goat cheese. The radishes, which had only been lightly pickled,
retained a lot of their crunch, and the plate hit all the taste
notes, from sweet to sour to creamy.
The second dish was seared North Carolina snapper on Lyon's Farm
purple and yellow cauliflower and sugar snaps with grilled spring
onions and a basil aioli. This was a visually beautiful dish, and
one of the best pieces of snapper I have ever had.
At Lantern, Reusing made three small plates, each showcasing one
of the ingredients I'd brought her. The radishes were pickled with
vinegar and umeboshi plum and served with a salted sticky rice and
pea greens. The onions were glazed with miso and sake, then grilled.
The sugar snaps were served with toasted garlic, sesame seeds and
chili flake. Each ingredient seemed to have been balanced, given its
opposite and complementing component. Sweet onions with salty miso,
crisp fresh sugar snaps with toasty garlic, tart crunchy radish with
soothing rice.
As the summer moves on, take advantage of the fantastic local
harvest we have, both at the farmers' markets and at restaurants. We
are rich, in both respects.
Restaurant Notes
Raleigh/Cary
There's no doubt about it--Scott Howell is a
busy man. While rumors keep circulating about a Nana's Cafe in
downtown Durham and a second Q-Shack for Raleigh, one thing is
certain.
Nana's Chophouse at 328 W. Davie St. should be open for business
by the time this goes to print. The restaurant, which is housed in a
former meatpacking plant, will serve lots of meat, as well as a few
dishes from the original Nana's. Howell has hired Jeff Saudo, who
has worked under Thomas Keller and Ben Barker, to oversee the
kitchen.
The owners of Fortune Garden in RTP have opened another
restaurant in the Greenwood Commons. Thai Tana is housed in the old
Blue Sage location, and will serve the full range of Thai dishes
from curries to whole fried crispy fish. Open for lunch weekdays and
dinner Monday through Saturday.
Gemini restaurant and club has opened at 420 S. Dawson St. The
huge space houses a restaurant, two dance floors, five pool tables,
20 TVs and six bars. The restaurant serves "authentic international
cuisine" and is open for lunch and dinner, with a $7 buffet lunch
Monday-Friday. For more information, visit http://www.geminiclubandrestaurant.com/
.
The owner of Udupi Cafe in Cary is opening a combined market and
restaurant in the Triangle Square shopping center. Spice and Curry
will serve southern Indian cuisine and should be open by the end of
the month.
Vivo at 510 Glenwood Ave. is undergoing a personality revamp. The
name, the food and the vibe are all changing. Now known as The Red
Room , the Italian menu has been ditched in favor of
tapas, and the atmosphere is said to be more lounge-like.
Watch for the opening sometime in July of Souki's at 311 S.
Harrington St. in the old Cork Wine and Spirits space. The new
restaurant is going to serve Thai food and sushi, and with three
bars hopes to become a happening night spot.
Durham
Green Tango
at the corner of Shannon and University Drive is expanding its
hours. The chopped salad restaurant will now be open from 7:30 a.m.
to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and for the first time will be open on
Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Chapel Hill
Likity
Split, an ice cream and hot dog shop, has opened in Meadowmont
Village. The colorful little shop features weekly hot dog specials
and some pretty creative ice cream dishes called "originals" that
usually include some kind of cake as well as ice cream and toppings.
The Weathervane at A Southern Season is featuring the Saludos
Company salsa band on the patio at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 27. No
cover charge.
The Fearrington House Restaurant will be holding a cooking
retreat on June 20 and 21 that will focus on outdoor grilling. The
class is part of a package that includes dinner, overnight
accommodations and a gourmet breakfast. Call 542-2121 for details.
Elaine's on Franklin will be serving a special early Father's Day
dinner on Sunday, June 20. The five-course prix fixe menu
will be $75 a person and includes wine pairings. For reservations,
call 960-2770.
Panzanella in Carrboro's Car Mill Mall has opened for Sunday
brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. As always, patio dining is available
and dishes are based on fresh local ingredients.
Maple View Creamery has opened a second location in Hillsborough
next to the new Super Wal-Mart off N.C. 86. The Maple View Creamery
II will serve the same yummy ice cream as the original location, as
well as selling Maple View Dairy's other products. 
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