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

"Underground" is an Understatement

Saturday night, following dinner, the boyfriend and I wandered further down Franklin Street and overheard some live music. That's generally a hit with us, so we decided to investigate. There was just a small door, and stairs that led us underneath the building. It was perfect. The Cave is an ideal little live music spot. There are very few people there, and the bartender tells us that it's the oldest bar in Chapel Hill. The front room housed the band (who was great by the way) and the bar. The ceilings are painfully low, and there are about three booths in addition to a little bit of bar seating. After the band finished, we wandered to the back room. Apparently this is where the regulars hang. Because there's no cell service in The Cave, they're passing around the bar's cordless phone. It's two guys and a girl. One of the guys is at least forty with dirty long blond hair, wearing a Jerry Garcia style tie dye t-shirt, and carrying around a chihuahua. The three are fervently watching a soccer game. There's a few video game machines, and a pool table. I definitely plan to go back, it sounds odd, but I loved it. Everyone ordered the $2 Miller High Life, so I did too! Maybe if I go back enough, they'll let me use the phone.

The Cave

First Saturday on Franklin

Franklin Street is THE place to dine and drink in Chapel Hill. At least as far as I can tell. This weekend, the boyfriend and I tried 411 West, an Italian Cafe that has a sister restaurant in Raleigh. The atmosphere was really lovely, and it had a quaint courtyard in the back for outdoor dining. The salads were super fresh and the pasta was really good. A step above your regular Italian restaurant. I had a lighter linguine with scallops and shrimp. The location was fabulous and we were able to parallel park in front (I've been forced to practice my parallel parking). We even found a good place to drink afterwards, but that's another story... I've mostly relied on the Independent Weekly for restaurant suggestions and it has yet to disappoint. It was romantic and low key, perfect for a first trip to Franklin.

411 West

Independent Weekly

A Southern Irish Pub

And now, Tarheel in High Heels takes its turn to Chapel Hill. I've been here for a few days, but haven't had the internet until now. Apologies for the brief hiatus.

On my first night, the boyfriend and I ventured over to Durham, a full eight miles from my place, to Bull McCabe's. It's a great Irish pub, something that every town has, and that makes everyone feel at home. Granted, I'm not from Ireland, but Dallas was covered in so many pubs that they become staples in the dinner and drinks rotation. Bull McCabe's has great food, including a veggie burger that I loved! I'm guessing there are more vegetarians in the triangle than in Dallas because veggie items are pretty popular on restaurant and bar menus. This pub will be a great place for the boyfriend to watch soccer! The waitresses are super friendly, another symptom of the South. We really wanted to dine in the downtown Durham area, where all of the old tobacco manufacturing facilities are, and they provide a great backdrop for any bar night (I took the photo above). Though there are plenty of pubs in Chapel Hill as well, I think I will be back to Bull McCabe's.

Bull McCabe's