Cary/Raleigh eats, part two.

Two new articles up on ESPN.com: Cliff Lee trade breakdown and brief reports on all of the players in Sunday’s Futures Game.

I took a few of your suggestions for Q and sushi in the Traingle area and stumbled on very solid frozen custard joint for my second run through North Carolina.

I’ll start with the sushi: Waraji seems to be, by acclamation, the best sushi place in the Triangle, and it may very well be that, but it’s not very good. Better than Little Tokyo, but still not good. The fish was completely tasteless; one fish, “white fish,” recommended by the chef who served me, was chewy and sinewy; they don’t offer anago or tai and were out of kanpachi; and they charged me for a nirigi I ordered but never received. The seaweed salad cost $8 and was really portioned for two, although it was the greenest I’ve ever seen, making me wonder about its legitimacy.

I tried Allen & Sons and The Pit for Q, and would unequivocally vote for the latter despite its inauthentic setting. The Pit is the only upscale Q joint I’ve come across in my travels – they even have a wine collection – and the place was filled with businessmen and -women at lunchtime. I ordered a combination plate at my server’s suggestion, getting the St. Louis ribs, the pulled pork, fried okra, and collard greens; the platter also comes with a biscuit and hush puppies, so I was full enough that I didn’t need dinner for about eight hours. The pulled pork was dry but both meats had a nice, subtle smoke flavor, and the ribs were fall-apart tender*. The okra was excellent – I’m starting to like eating in the south for the fried okra more than for the Q – and for about $12 the quantity of food was a little absurd. It’s not wow barbecue, and had a little bit of the feel of mass-smoked meat, as opposed to some guy in a shack who does it one pork shoulder at time, but it was very solid.

*There seems to be some real disagreement over whether ribs of any animal should be smoked till the meat falls off the bone. I’m in the “yes” camp, as ribs have a lot of connective tissue that I have no interest in eating. When the meat falls off the bone, the connective tissue will be largely gone. This, to me, is the entire point of low-and-slow cooking, whether it’s smoking or braising.

Allen & Sons looks good in the uniform, but the tools didn’t really play. It’s in a run-down building just off I-40 in Chapel Hill, and the menu is limited to “Carolina pork” and ribs, with the pork as their signature item. What came looked like some had scraped it off the wall after a pig exploded, an oily, vinegary, sloppy mess that tasted only of vinegar and not in the least of smoke. The best thing I can say about the dish is that it came with five hush puppies, as even the cole slaw was drowning in a mayo-vinegar slurry. It’s too bad, since that’s the sort of place where I’d expect to find the sort of artisanal work I thought the Pit’s pork lacked, but if you’re not going to put smoke flavor into the smoked meat, you might as well stick the thing in an oven.

Goodberry’s is a local chain of frozen custard shops that I think would stand up well against the competition of Milwaukee, still the capital of frozen custards as far as I can tell. Goodberry’s felt a little richer, with more butterfat, but the texture was an 80 and the chocolate, despite being a little light in color, had a rich natural cocoa flavor. They offer vanilla, chocolate, sugar-free vanilla, and a rotating flavor of the day; I was disappointed that coconut wasn’t coming until the 16th, since that + chocolate is one of my favorite ice cream flavor pairings. They also offer a long list of toppings, including freshly roasted nuts (I don’t think they’re roasted on site, though), so I’ll recommend the chocolate with Oreos and almonds combo. The location I went to, on Kildare Farms Road in Cary, has no indoor seating but there are tables with umbrellas for shade.

Comments

  1. South Carolina Puled Pork

    1) Cooper’s Country Store – Greeleyville, SC
    2) McCabe’s – Manning, SC
    3) Scott’s – Hemingway, SC

    All three are musts if you are heading down this way!

  2. Maybe Allen and Sons was your first exposure to Eastern NC style BBQ? Very finely chopped, simple vinegar and hot pepper sauce, not as smoky as a lot of Q’s. I grew up in Eastern NC, so I’m partial – try some brunswick stew if you get the chance. I’m in St. Petersburg now – if you ever make it this way, for Q try Connie’s (sides aren’t great, but Q is) and Butler’s does a good NC style. Also, if you get a chance, John Egerton’s Southern Food is a great read – half about home cooking, half about restaurants. Dated, written in the 80s and a lot of the places he visited are likely gone or changed beyond recognition, but worth checking out regardless.

  3. It wasn’t “finely chopped,” though. It was a mess. The meat looked and felt in places like it was disintegrating. Maybe that is eastern Carolina Q, but it doesn’t pass any definition of “good eats” for me.

  4. Allen and Son (no ‘s) is fantastically overrated. Loved your description–I think you got lucky with your batch of hushpuppies. I’ve gone 3-4 times and each time I’ve gotten a couple of brick nuggets next to soggy french fries and sloppy slaw.

    The Pit, sadly, has also gone down in quality a bit from their opening–it used to have the best ribs in town, but now they are badly overcooked and soggy.

  5. Bullock’s in Durham is good, if you make it down that way again. I wasn’t being an apologist for Allen and Son (can’t recall if I’ve been there), just get a little defensive when it comes to the Q. It’s a religion, after all, ya know.

  6. Keith-

    Do you have any restaurant recommendations for Berkeley, Ca? Avoiding the drive into the city if possible. Other reader suggestions are also welcome. Prefered price range is 15-20 dollar entrees or so.

    Thanks in advance.

  7. Milwaukee Mike

    If you haven’t tried it yet, next time you’re in Milwaukee go to Kopps (3 locations) for frozen custard. It really is the best around.

  8. Grew up in Milwaukee and lived in Durham. Goodbury’s is the best custard of North Carolina, it is good, but not in league with the best of Milwaukee.

    Kopps being #1 (Vanilla, Chocolate & specialty flavors)
    Leon’s being #2 (Vanilla)
    Several other places Oscars, Lincoln Gyro, Omega all beat Goodburys.

    Still, Goodburys is quality, which is rare to find anywhere, so props.

    #7, Keith did visit Kopps a few years ago. He rated it very highly.

    Bullocks in Durham is solid, but not great. Perhaps next time Keith, visit Ma Dips in Chapel Hill. Great place for excellent southern home cooked meals. Best fried green tomatoes and your okra would be a nice selection here as well.

    Also, next time get at least 2 biscuits. NC is also the biscuit belt and without question home of the best biscuits.

  9. Oh, I almost forgot. “Chicken n Biscuit” is how you will eat your biscuit in NC. By far, BY FAR, the best “Chicken n Biscuit” in NC is at “Time Out” in Chapel Hill. It is 24 hours.

    You will get in line and tell the guy at the counter you want a “chicken n biscuit” they will take the best biscuit, (square), small handful of shredded cheddar, open biscuit and place it one one steamy side. Then place the boneless fried chicken breast on top, cover with other biscuit half, wrap up.

    Get the sweet tea and you will be set. By far the best.

    Enjoy the huge poster of CHRIS WEBER calling a phantom TO from the Final Four. And yes, “Time Out” was there before Weber played for Michigan.

  10. fall off the bone vs “toothsome” is an age old debate. I agree that the purpose of low and slow is to break down the connective tissue but I still like a little bite for ribs. I also like spare ribs vs baby backs.

  11. I agree with the few who commented on Durham. Bullock’s BBQ in Durham is the best in the Triangle area. The best sushi I’d probably give to Sushi Blues in Raleigh, but Shiki Sushi in Durham (down the street from Southpoint Mall) is fantastic as well. And it’s buy one, get one free there.

    But really, do yourself a favor next time you’re down that way and make sure you hit up Bullock’s. It’s awesome.