Chic and Unique: Dinner at Lantern

It's rare that a restaurant lives up to great expectations. Believe me, Lantern actually exceeds them. It's an Asian-fusion-esque restaurant on Franklin street, and has received some of the best reviews in Chapel Hill. I absolutely loved my recent date night there. The atmosphere is hip but clean, with watermelons in the window and heirloom tomatoes in between booths. It's a very small interior and I noticed that everyone who arrived had a reservation. Despite the higher price point and chic menu, Lantern is still a casual place, with some customers in sandals and even cargo pants (oy vey). I had steamed halibut with baby bok choi, jasmine rice and lemongrass. It was light and totally lovely. The flavors at Lantern are definitely innovative, and it's almost like Asian-fusion with accents of Southern flavors. Oh, and did I mention, rumor has it that the owner is married to the head of Arcade Fire's record label? Lantern's cool factor is so high.

Lantern

Merge Records

Shop on a Grad Student's Budget

While I do love the Streets at Southpoint Mall in Durham, I really prefer shopping in small boutiques. Chapel Hill has plenty of cool smaller shops that I can easily spend some cash in. Thankfully, there's Fab'rik. A new friend of mine in law school in Chapel Hill recommended it, so I stopped by the store last weekend in East 54. Every dress, skirt and tank is under $100. The only pieces that rank a little higher on the price scale are the designer jeans, and those I expect to pay more for. I found out online that this is a small chain of stores that are primarily in Georgia, but there's also a location in Austin, Texas! The pieces are fun and flirty, and dresses seem to dominate the inventory. I could definitely find something fabulous for date night. If you're not sure how to pick that out, visit the Fab'rik Files blog, a good source for fashion inspiration.

Fab'rik

Streets at Southpoint

If Design*Sponge Recommends Toast...

The hype surrounding restaurants in Durham never ends. Prior to my move to Chapel Hill I read the Design*Sponge guide, New York Times and many other publications to find the best of the triangle. Often, Durham dining is the highest rated. My favorite spot so far is Toast. This is located downtown in an area called "five points." Parking isn't easy, but it's worth a walk to get to Toast. It's a casual spot with simple decor, you order at a counter and servers bring the food to you. Toast has a great beer selection, including local favorites, and an interesting wine offering. Everything revolves around toasted bread; paninis, crostinis and bruschetta are the staples in the menu. I had a three cheese white truffle panini and the chilled tomato puree soup. It was an amazing combination on a hot summer day. Everything that went out of the kitchen looked fabulous, and despite the simple decor, the plating is well-thought out. My friend and I had a wonderful time, just chatting over our bottle of wine and toasty delights. Toast is a fabulous place for a girls dinner, but could also be a gourmet quick bite.

Toast

New York Times

Design*Sponge

Note: The photo above is from Design*Sponge

Southern Sunday

Sunday brunch is my favorite time of the weekend. Whether you need of a mimosa, a hangover cure or just some fresh breakfast, brunch at Crook's Corner satisfies any brunch need. A friend and I both heard of Crook's Corner without much research, so we decided to try out the small house on the border between Franklin Street Chapel Hill and Main Street Carrboro. Apparently some other friends had heard the same, because they showed up a little later. The menu was small but not simple. We had delicious hush puppies to start (with cocktail sauce, which is new to me). My friend had the recommended Shrimp and Grits, a southern favorite, and I had the Summer Omelette. Both were fresh and just what the doctor ordered. I did see the French Toast go by to another table, and that will certainly bring me back. It wasn't as dive-y as I had thought it would be, but that wasn't an unwelcome surprise. When the weather is nice, I look forward to sitting on the large outside patio. Crook's Corner could definitely become a Sunday staple.

Crook's Corner

Gourmet Shopping

I recently had my first Chapel Hill brunch experience! Some new friends and I ventured to Weathervane, at A Southern Season. Let's start with the restaurant, Weathervane. The atmosphere was cozy, and the food was good, but not outstanding. They have a really big menu for brunch including lunch and breakfast items, and you can't go wrong with a Sunday mimosa!

But the highlight of our Sunday get-together wasn't the restaurant, it was the store that owns it! A Southern Season is like a foodie paradise. Some combination of EatZi's, Sur La Table and a candy store will get you a good idea. A Southern Season has a salad bar and prepared foods that you can take home and eat. It's also a store with a huge selection of wines, spices, chocolates and did I mention cooking utensils? Knives, Cuisinarts and anything else you need to prepare a gourmet meal are all for sale. It was all I could do to get out of there without spending a fortune. Spiced Vosges chocolate and herbal tea were all that I bought this time, but I will come home with more in the future.

A Southern Season

Sur La Table

Vosges Chocolate

EatZi's Blog Post

I Feel Like Lil' Jon

Occasionally, you know you have to visit a bar just because of it's name. That's the reaction I had when I heard about The Crunkleton. I had imagined a dive bar, but I was way off. This fine Franklin Street bar serves some of the best cocktails you can find. Many items are unique, but bartenders also serve up the classics, like a nice Manhattan. The drinks are strong, but most are delicious. I say most because one of my friends was served a red drink that tasted like turpentine. The service wasn't great, but I don't think that the Crunkleton was expecting around 60 MBA students to show up on a Tuesday night around 10:00PM, and only one bartender was on staff. The atmosphere is warm and luxurious, definitely a welcome departure from the bare bones sports bars that make up most of downtown Chapel Hill. For a hot Tuesday, it was a great place to get Crunk.

The Crunkleton

*Note, this post has been edited since the original publishing.

Dessert in Carolina Blue

I think that Sprinkles Cupcakes are the most delicious dessert in all the world. I'm a little sad to live in a city without one. They're always great for any special occasion, and giving one to my dad keeps me on his good side. But back to the point of this blog post, Sugarland in Chapel Hill. I saw this cute little shop on Franklin Street and it's Food Network approved! The cupcakes were delicious with fluffy icing, almost like homemade. They have really original flavors, and the dulce de leche was my favorite. What's best, they even serve beer and gelato, in addition to full size cakes. Several people were walking around town with the gelato and it will be great for warm summer days. I don't recommend the red velvet cupcake if you're a fan of Sprinkles, it doesn't begin to compare. But don't worry, the vanilla cupcakes even impressed my dad.

Sugarland

Sprinkles

What Exactly Are We Trading?

In Chapel Hill, I finally came into contact with the infamous Trader Joe's. Everyone I've met who has been to the place loves it. I, on the other hand, was a little disappointed. First of all, I didn't really have appropriate expectations. I thought that Trader Joe's was sort of like a low rent version of EatZi's. The other night, I was craving an EatZi's salad, and went to Trader Joe's to find one. I was completely wrong. No salad line, no sandwich line. It's basically a cheap grocery store. The store carries a bunch of private branded frozen foods and other processed packaged stuff. They have some produce and a bunch of booze. I bought bananas only to regret my purchase when I saw the beautiful unbruised bunches a few days later at Harris Teeter. The frozen and packaged foods I bought were really good and they have an excellent method for marking their vegetarian items. A plus for me any time. I will definitely go back and with the appropriate expectations, I'll learn to appreciate it more. However, I'll mostly stick to the Teeter, right across the street with lovely bananas and wine openers for when mine break.

Trader Joe's

Harris Teeter