Relocate Triangle - An Insider's Guide About Moving To The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area

Getting Directions In Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill

Let us assume for this moment that you are lost in the Triangle without access to Mapquest or a GPS navigation system. (We know, that is a hard scenario for some of you to believe, but go with us on it.) How should you handle your situation then? Well, here are our handy dandy rules of advice for you.

1) Feel free to ask a stranger for directions. Yes, you can and should slow down your car and move to the side of the road to ask someone you see nearby how to get to another place. It is not considered rude at all around here to take that action –what is considered rude is if that person does not take the time to stop and at least say, “I do not know” or better yet, “There is a store two blocks ahead where someone might know the answer.” In fact, if you ask someone on the street for directions and they blow you off, report them to the nearest law enforcement officer – he or she will set them straight about what their duties are as residents of the Triangle el pronto. You can avoid the possible aggravation and do the old fashioned thing of stopping at a convenience store or restaurant for help instead, of course, but that just shows how unadventurous you are.

2) Be prepared for the directions to involve landmarks and/or time rather than exact streets and distances. By “landmarks,” we mean hotels, restaurants, gas stations, shops and the odd building or even natural growths that people in the area recognize as being distinctive. Most types around here apparently remember those spots better than they do the names of the roads, which actually makes a little sense given how many of the roads change their names in the Triangle, as we have discussed in previous entries. Likewise, the preference for giving an estimated time rather than mileage to a driver has logic behind it as well, as traffic patterns do vary and affect commuters on many roads during the weekdays.

What does this all mean? To put it into perspective, say you are leaving the North Carolina State Fair (http://www.ncstatefair.org/2007a/) heading toward Raleigh and asking someone what is the quickest way to get to Sanford. You probably will hear anyone tell you, “Go to where you see Meredith College on the left, then get ready to turn onto the Beltline and follow that road south using the signs for Sanford. It will probably take you about an hour and a half with this traffic.” That person probably thinks they have given you the best and clearest instructions to the town – you may feel differently, but it is a typical way they are dispensed in the Triangle, so get used to it, and to asking more questions for clarification.

3) Do not be surprised if your respondent veers off topic for a little bit. Suppose you are looking for the Target in Durham off U.S. 15-501. Well, if you come across someone who knows the history of the area, they might tell you, “That is where they used to have the South Square shopping center, up until they created the Streets at Southpoint a few years ago. Man, that mall was something else. I loved the food court because it had the best Orange Julius I have ever had …” and blah, blah, blah. Now, resist your initial temptation and indulge the person’s ramblings – but only for a minute. Direct them back to what you need, and they should get the message. The person also probably will tell you where is the best place to park, what to avoid there and a few other tidbits of irrelevant material – listen politely, smile, nod and move on when you find a suitable stopping place in the conversation. Some people around here just like to talk, which at the very least is better than some other verbs they could do in public.

Follow these simple rules and you will find whatever place you are seeking in the Triangle. If they seem a little offbeat to use and do not give you the straight advice you want, well, just remember the old saying – “Getting there is half the fun.”

Restaurant Surveys For Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill

Determining what is the best in a region is a subjective process that naturally will prompt debates from those who disagree with your opinion. With that in mind, while we have given you our recommendations about what places you can and should eat in the Triangle in many previous entries, we thought we would share now what some recognized national surveys consider the best in the area, so that you would have that knowledge and can check them out yourself to see how much you agree with the assessments.

Now, while there is as of yet no Zagat’s survey for Triangle restaurants, there are a couple of other major names in the food reviewing business that have done so. They include the following:

The Mobil Travel Guide rates restaurants on a one-though-five stars scale, with five being the best. There are no five-star restaurants under Mobil’s survey in the Triangle, but the guide has awarded four stars (“exceptional restaurant featuring food that is creative and complex, and emphasizes seasonality and culinary technique”). to the Fearrington House Restaurant between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro, and to Carolina Crossroads Restaurant in Chapel Hill. The former is pricy (more than $85 on average per meal), while the latter averages between $36-$85 per meal. It gives three stars (“offers skillfully-prepared food with a focus on a specific style or cuisine”) to Durham’s Magnolia Grill, The Fairview Restaurant at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, Chapel Hill’s Bonne Soiree and Il Palio Ristorante, and Raleigh’s the Angus Barn, Second Empire and Simpson’s Beef and Seafood Restaurant, all of which average between $36-$85 per meal.

Fearrington House fares better in winning 12 consecutive times since 1995 the AAA Five Diamond Award, making it the only restaurant in North Carolina this year to earn the prestigious designation. To become AAA Approved and Diamond rated, hotels and restaurants undergo a thorough inspection by one of AAA’s 65 full-time, highly trained professional evaluators. Five Diamond establishments complete a more extensive review that includes a series of inspections and final committee review. Earning four diamonds from the AAA are Carolina Crossroads and Il Palio in Chapel Hill, The Fairview and Four Square Restaurant in Durham, and Second Empire in Raleigh.

Meanwhile, Magnolia Grill boasts that it has been listed among the top 50 restaurants nationally by Gourmet magazine, finishing at #11 in last year’s survey, and was a nominee this year by the James Beard Foundation for Outstanding Restaurant in America.

Those are the main national recognitions for restaurants around here. As we have noted, they are all going to run you at least $35 or so to check them out, so be prepared. If that price range is too high for you to handle, well, hey, there are a couple of Wendy’s around here we could recommend to you as well in a future blog ...

Valet Parking In Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill

To some of us, valet parking reeks of sophistication, while others find it the height of pretension. Here in the Triangle due to the continuing strong growth in population, cities where it never existed as recently as the 1980s are finding it a necessity to cope with the parking and transportation needs of residents and visitors.

For example, according to this article on the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership Web site, nine businesses on the West End of Franklin Street have teamed with the Downtown Partnership, a nonprofit organization charged with revitalizing the city, to offer valet parking Thursdays through Saturdays from 5-11 p.m. for customers who might be discouraged visiting them due to limited nearby parking options. Best of all, the valet parking is complimentary with a validated parking receipt from the business. (If you want to go somewhere else downtown during the valet service’s hours of operation, you can use the service as well, but it will cost you $5.)

Raleigh offers something similar with its designated downtown valet zones, according to this recent article in The Raleigh Chronicle. On Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 p.m. to 3 a.m., at locations such as Blount Street next to Moore Square, you can drop off and pick up your vehicle for free while enjoying the nightlife.

Of course, not all valet parking in the Triangle is free. Most ones involving individual businesses start around $5 at least, and you are expected to tip your driver as well when he or she returns your car. There are some establishments that do offer it free to their guests, such as Nana’s Chophouse in Raleigh and the Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill, but they often are the exception rather than the rule.

So for your information, here is a sampling of what major businesses in the Triangle are known to offer valet parking for a fee currently (keep in mind that some offer lot parking as well, so it is not necessarily a requirement that you use the valet service):

Raleigh – The Capital City Club, Sullivan’s Steakhouse, The Angus Barn, The Office.

Durham – Duke University Medical Center and Health Clinics, Hilton Durham, Durham Marriott, MK’s House of Jazz.

Chapel Hill – The Franklin Hotel, Carolina Inn, UNC Hospitals.

In addition, most of the big shopping centers in the area such as the Streets at Southpoint offer valet parking, and should you be a guest at what is referred to as a “gentleman’s club,” all of those operations offer valet as well.

Don't Forget To Vote In Relocate Triangle's Best Barbecue Restaurant Poll

If you have not done so yet, check out the left-hand column of the home page of RelocateTriangle.com and cast your vote for the place that you feel is the best barbecue restaurant in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill. The polling lasts only a few weeks, so every vote really does count.

The Relocate Triangle Polls feature allows you and your fell readers of RelocateTriangle.com to vote on your favoriate Raleigh-Durham restaurants, businesses, organizations and more, providing visitors with experienced opinions of their peers. The polls rotate every few weeksand incorporate an assortment of topics essential to enjoying the Triangle experience. At the conclusion of each poll, we honor the winner with a news release as well as a full-write-up that shows why they are the best.

Our previous polls and their winners have been:

1) Best Place for a Hot Dog in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill - Cloo's Coney Island Hot Dogs, Raleigh
2) Best Steakhouse in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill - Sullivan's Steakhouse, Raleigh
3) Best Shopping Center in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill - The Street at Southpoint, Durham

Who will join this list of winners in the barbecue category? We will be announcing the victor soon, so vote now.

Weekend Guide June 22-24

We are now in the days with the longest sunlight all year long here in the Triangle, so why not get out and enjoy what attractions are available to you? Here now are some of the best options, in our opinion.

Community Celebration

After what seems like an eternity to us locals, Durham’s streetscape improvement project has ended, or at least the city is saying it has ended (there are a couple of parts that still look unfinished to us, but whatever) with a big party in its center district called Durham Rising Saturday at 4 p.m. It is your standard free town fair with music and activities for adults and kids, but it does have a special guest band – Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics, performing such 1970s favorites as “You Make Me Feel Brand New” and “Break Up to Make Up” at 8 p.m. (Russell was the lead singing tenor of the original Stylistics on those hits). There will be a light show spectacular (translation: fireworks) capping off the celebration at 9:30 p.m.

Festivals

The well-known body-bending dance troupe Pilobolus makes a stand at the American Dance Festival in Durham at Page Auditorium in Bryan Center (http://events.duke.edu/facility/page.html) at Duke University. Pilobolus is making its first foray into outside choreographic collaboration by teaming with Tel Aviv-based choreographers Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak. We bet if you wait after the performance, someone will tell how they did all those weird representations of Oscar-nominated films at last year’s broadcast of the Academy Awards. Tickets range from $26-$41 per person – click the Dance Festival link for details and reservations. The show runs all weekend long, with a children’s matinee Saturday at 1 p.m. and the others at 8 p.m. The nighttime shows may contain nudity – we know that for some readers, that alone will be incentive enough to attend the performance. At least you will be getting some culture along with it.

Music

The Koka Booth Amphitheatre presents the Chicago blues with two respected names, Robert Cray and Koko Taylor. In fact, they are so respected, we will not make any snarky comments about them. The show starts Sunday at 4 p.m. at 8003 Regency Parkway in Cary – call 919-462-2052 for directions, tickets and other info.

The Walnut Creek Amphitheatre at 3801 Rock Quarry Road in Raleigh hosts two different acts this weekend. Saturday has country superstar Toby Keith at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at 7 p.m., New Edition (http://www.newedition20th.com/) with special guests K-Ci & JoJo will be featured. Those expecting a “train wreck” look to be out of luck, since Bobby Brown is not touring with his old gang this time. For tickets and info on both shows, call 919-834-4000.

The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus (yes, spelled with a “K”) and Magic Hat Summer Tour comes to the area Sunday at 8 p.m. at Lincoln Theatre at 126 E. Cabarrus St. in Raleigh. The show, based in New York City, bills itself as a “unique hybrid of vaudeville, circus, burlesque, and sideshow” suitable for the kids. You will have to take their word for it and not ours, or call the theatre for more information at 919-821-4111.

Whatever you ending up doing, have a great weekend!

Bed and Breakfast Inns in the Triangle

Are you someone who loves staying at bed and breakfast inns? Or maybe you have never been to one of those places but are intrigued by the idea of you (or your friends and/or family) staying at a place where the first meal of the day is included as part of a comfortable room to spend the night? In either case, there are plenty of options to do that in the Triangle, whether you are trying to accommodate acquaintances or looking at a temporary place to stay while finding your permanent residence here. For your information, North Carolina officially defines a B&B as a business that is the permanent residence of the owner or manager with at most 12 guest rooms that offers accommodations to between nine to 23 persons per night for a period of less than one week, and that serves breakfast only to overnight guests and includes the price of breakfast in the room rate.

The B&B inns that exist by county in the Triangle are as follows:

Wake – Raleigh has three major bed and breakfast inns, two in downtown Raleigh and one in west Raleigh near N.C. State University. The former are Cameron Park Inn B&B at 211 Groveland Ave., 1-888-257-2171, and Oakwood Inn Bed and Breakfast at 411 N. Bloodworth St., 1-800-267-9712. The N.C. State one is Woodburn Cottage at 117 Woodburn Road, 919-828-2276.

Outside Raleigh, there are B&Bs in Apex at the B&B Country Garden Inn at 1041 Kelly Road, 1-800-251-3171, in Fuquay-Varina at Carambola Inn at 7155 Sunset Lake Road, 1-800-484-1856 ext. 7674 and the Fuquay Mineral Spring Inn & Garden at 333 S. Main St., 1-866-552-3782, and in Wendell at the Sunset Inn B&B at 116 N. Buffalo St., 919-365-0353.

Durham – The B&Bs here include Arrowhead Inn Bed & Breakfast at 106 Mason Road, 1-800-528-2207, the Blooming Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast at 513 Holloway St., 1-888-687-6777, Carol’s Garden Inn at 2412 S. Alston Ave., 1-877-922-6777, the Morehead Manor Bed & Breakfast at 914 Vickers Ave., 919-687-4366, and the Old North Durham Inn Bed and Breakfast at 922 N. Mangum St., 919-683-1885.

Orange – Chapel Hill has the Inn at Bingham School at the Mebane Oaks Road/N.C. 54 intersection west of town, 1-800-566-5583, and Windy Oaks Inn at 1164 Old Lystra Road, 919-942-1001. Hillsborough has two properties in its historic downtown district, the Inn at Teardrops at 175 W. King St., 919-732-1120 and the Webb House Bed & Breakfast at 117 E. Queen St., 919-732-8466.

Note that not all of these B&Bs are located in historic properties, contrary to popular belief, so check them out first to see how old they are as well as what sort of maintenance has been done to keep them looking beautiful today. Also, in case you are interested in establishing your own B&B in the Triangle, you should know that there are regulations and inspections for sanitation and food preparation by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which you can learn more about here.

Know Your Triangle Entertainment Districts

It is the weekend – Memorial Day weekend, in fact – and for those folks who do not go out of town, there are plenty of activities occurring within the Triangle to keep them entertained. The busiest area is naturally the biggest city, Raleigh, and it has several distinct entertainment districts that each possess unique qualities that appeal to their patrons.  Here is a brief rundown of what each has to offer:

Cameron Village – This long-established shopping center destination lies north of N.C. State University and has several nice places to eat as well, but be warned:  Once the clock hits 9 p.m., much of the activity dies down and goes elsewhere as the majority of stores close for the evening.  Still, if you are near the downtown area and want to shop when the sun goes down at someplace nearby (meaning less than a couple of miles to drive), this is your main solid choice.

Capital – The most “touristy” entertainment district, the Capital includes most of the state’s historic buildings and landmarks.  Its borders are roughly Peace College to the north, Person Street to the east, Hillsborough Street to the south and Capital Boulevard/Dawson Street on the west.  This is where the North Carolina Museum of History and North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences are located, among other attractions.  There is not too much nightlife there however, unless you count the relatively new fancy dining establishment 18 Seaboard or the local favorite Krispy Kreme Donuts shop, always a favorite stop for people heading home from the bars or restaurants.

Fayetteville Street – This is where the main cultural events of Raleigh often occur, as it encompasses both the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts within its borders.  It lies south of Capital, west of Moore Square, north of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and west of the Warehouse district.  This area also had a recent facelift designed to encourage more traffic and visitors to enjoy its charms, which include several street cafes and established businesses.

Five Points – Funky, quirky, fun, all those terms have been used to describe Five Points.  Named after a crossroads for five residential neighborhoods, it has an eclectic assortment of restaurants, bars and shops that appeal to many locals and visitors.  The one big drawback is limited parking around here, as well as the fact that parking does pop up suddenly in parts of the roadway along the main stretch of Glenwood Avenue between Interstate 440 (the Beltline) and downtown.

Glenwood South – The party place for the young and the ones who think they are still young, Glenwood South is, yep, south of Five Points and includes the major trendy eateries and bars in Raleigh.  If you go there at night, and sometimes during the day, be prepared for long lines in driving and some difficulty in finding parking unless you use one of the many valet services available.  Once you have parked, however, the neighborhood is very pedestrian friendly, with plenty to see and do.  It is the hot spot for Raleigh nightlife.

Moore Square – A rather compact area concentrating on art galleries and smaller restaurants and bars, Moore Square lies to the east of Fayetteville Street and includes Art Space and City Market.  A little more low key than it needs to be, Moore Square nevertheless has admirers who think it reminds them of what an artistic village should look like.

N.C. State – Along Hillsborough Street from I-440 east until roughly you meet Glenwood South, this is the spot for university students to hang out and whoop up a good time between classes and sports contests.  Lots of bars and essential hangout areas, along with one of the most crowded International House of Pancakes every late night through early morning on this planet.  The astonishing thing is that a few establishments actually cater to people who are not State students, and they do this rather well.  Go figure.

North Hills (also known as Midtown) – The upscale shopping and fashion district north of Five Points near I-440, this has a lock on most of the swanky restaurants that suburbanites and inhabitants of North Raleigh love to partake.  Just be advised that traffic can be a mess, and that if you are looking for something offbeat and down to earth, chances are not too good that you will find it here.

The Warehouse – This is where downtown bohemian entertainment thrives.  Bounded roughly by Hillsborough Street on the north, Dawson Street on the east, South Street on the – yes – south, and the train tracks on the west, this used to be the manufacturing center of the city.  Now much of that activity has been replaced by funky eating establishments and bars, many of which cater to the gay, gay-friendly and “alternative lifestyle” crowds, and pricey albeit attractive condos have emerged within the fabric as well.  Probably the second-most popular entertainment district in Raleigh after Glenwood South.

That is the basic outlook for the districts in Raleigh.  Obviously there is something in at least one of them that should appeal to you, so check it out while you have this weekend free.  You might find that good time in the area that you had been missing since you moved here.

Cloo's Coney Island Hot Dogs: Best Place for a Hot Dog in the Triangle

The Relocate Triangle Polls feature allows you and your fellow readers of RelocateTriangle.com to vote on your favorite Triangle restaurants, businesses, organizations and more.  At the conclusion of each poll, we will honor the winner with a full write-up that shows why they are the best.  The “Best Place for a Hot Dog in the Triangle” poll has concluded, and your winner is Cloo’s Coney Island Hot Dogs.  We interviewed several customers and took a trip there ourselves to find out exactly why Cloo’s is the best…

Where is the best place in the Triangle to get a hot dog?  Cloo’s Coney Island Hot Dogs.  Hands down.  It can only be explained as a dive, but one of the best.  Tucked away off of Avent Ferry Road in Raleigh, Cloo’s is well known to the N.C. State students who travel to its Mission Valley location in droves.  Why?  You will know as soon as you enter the door. 

The first thing that hits you when you walk in is that distinct scent of grilled hot dogs, fresh chili and melted cheese.  It is that type of smell that gets your stomach to growling for food, even if you have just eaten.  If Cloo’s could be likened to a movie scene, then it would be the final scene in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator where Maximus finds himself in front of a soft focus lens and in the middle of an Elysian field where everything he loves is near.  Maybe that is a bit of an overstatement, but after trying one of Cloo’s famous chili dogs, you may think you are in heaven. 

The interior of this quaint restaurant is painted red, with Detroit paraphernalia tacked up all around.  If the Detroit part of the interior of a Coney Island hot dog restaurant confuses you, then I will quickly explain.  Coney Island is a famous New York City attraction, so much so that, decades ago, a Detroit resident found himself there enjoying a hot dog.  He was so impressed by this hot dog that he decided to bring the idea to Detroit by opening up a Coney Island Hot Dog restaurant.  He branded the name, and it began a decades-long competition between other Detroit restaurants for the best Coney Island hot dogs. 

Cloo’s is cut from this historic fabric, and offers inexpensive yet delicious hot dogs of all types.  The menu, which spans almost the entirety of the restaurant, offers pork, beef and even kosher hot dogs, all with the choice of homemade chili or cheese (although I do not think that you can have a kosher hot dog with cheese).  If you are feeling ambitious, then you should order one of their foot-long hot dogs.  Do not fail to grab a handful of napkins either, because it can get messy.  They also offer the ultimate guilty pleasure: chili cheese fries.  And the best thing about visiting Cloo’s is trying to sneak your hot dogs into the movie theater next door.

Living in the Triangle is "Sweet"

From the time I was a small child, I have had an ongoing battle with an addiction I cannot seem to shake which is that I adore sweets.  They say the first step is admitting you have a problem, so there you go, I admit it.  Luckily, living in the Triangle, I have an abundant amount of places to fulfill those cravings I get so often.  Here are some of my favorites in the Triangle area.

Edible Art Bakery and Dessert Café

Edible Art Bakery and Dessert Café is the perfect place to have dessert on one of those sugar-craving days.  Edible Art is located on Hillsborough Street across from Meredith College in Raleigh.  The bakery offers a variety of dessert cakes, cookies, cheesecakes and pies as well as beverages and espresso drinks for you to enjoy while dining in their relaxing atmosphere.  Need a creative and unique sheet or layered cake for a special occasion?  Edible Art has numerous designs for weddings, birthdays, baby showers and seasonal parties.  The cake flavors include vanilla, chocolate, lemon, almond and carrot.  To spice up the traditional birthday or any other special occasion cake, add one of their numerous fillings such as amaretto cream, kahlua, raspberry cream, strawberry cream, chocolate mousse and lemon cream.  Top your cake creation with either buttercream, chocolate buttercream, rolled fondant or chocolate ganache.  Not sure as to which flavored cake is right for you?  No problem!  Edible Art will provide you with a sample before you place your order.  I have purchased several different birthday cakes from Edible Art, but somehow always forget how they taste.  Luckily I can sample the different flavors right?

Cold Stone Creamery

Cold Stone Creamery provides its customers with one of the most heavenly ice cream experiences imaginable.  Cold Stone offers smoothies, cakes, shakes and my personal favorite, custom ice cream creations.  After entering into the doors of ice cream heaven, you then proceed with the decision as to whether you would like to enjoy a Cold Stone Original Creation, or go wild and create your own.  All around you will be pictures and descriptions of the many Cold Stone Original Creations such as Cookie Doughn’t You Want Some, Strawberry Banana Rendezvous, Rocky Road Trip, Berry Berry Good, and my personal favorite and anti-drug, Birthday Cake Remix. 

All of these creations are amazing but if you want to try to create your own treat, just browse their many different ice cream flavors, candy, nut, and fruit mix-ins and go crazy! Just to give you an idea of just how fun this process can be, check out the different flavors you have to choose from:  banana, white chocolate, mint, cheesecake, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, sweet cream, French vanilla, bubble gum, cotton candy, amaretto, cookie batter, dark chocolate, mocha, black cherry, orange dreamscicle and cake batter.  Cold Stone also provides you with different candy bars, cakes, cookies, cookie dough, marshmallows, peanut butter and the list goes on and on. 

Cold Stone also offers sorbet in lemon, raspberry, tangerine and watermelon flavors as well as low-fat light ice cream in vanilla, chocolate, coffee and cake batter. If you are not having enough fun already creating your treat, you get to watch the Cold Stone Creamery staff blend your ingredients together on a frozen stone know as “the stone.”  Try any of these delectable treats in either the “like it” or “love it” sizes.  I will leave my choice of helping size to the imagination. 

Goodberry’s Frozen Custard

Goodberry’s Frozen Custard has been recently introduced to my list of mouth-watering frozen treats.  Goodberry’s serves an original French ice cream known as “frozen custard.”  When you approach the front window of this establishment, you actually witness its employees making the frozen custard fresh.  Every hour, a new batch of their frozen treat is made right in the very store you are visiting.  You may choose to have the Goodberry’s Flavor of the Day, or one of their Carolina Concrete creations by choosing from their list of fresh fruits, nuts and candies to mix in with their heavenly custard.  Goodberry’s understands your need to pick the perfect flavor, so they provide you with samples to make this decision as successful as possible.  Goodberry’s is so sure that your frozen custard creation will be so thick and rich that they serve it to you upside down!  Now that’s the kind of guarantee I like!

Cook Out

If you are looking for a convenient, less formal dessert experience, Cook Out is the ideal choice for you.  A large portion of their drive thru menu is dedicated to the many different kinds of milkshakes available, including traditional chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cookies and cream, Snickers, blueberry cheesecake, apple cobbler, orange squeeze, and a refreshing summertime favorite, the watermelon milkshake.  I must warn you however, these scrumptious milkshakes are rarely able to be consumed through a straw due to their thickness, so ask for a spoon before driving off.  I have only made that mistake once. Once you have tasted these milkshakes, you will never be able to settle for anything less.  They are AMAZING!

Chick-Fil-A

Chick-Fil-A is known for inventing that chicken sandwich we love so much, but they also house a dessert that I find to be amazing.  Ever heard of Icedream?  If not, please let me inform you of this mouth-watering treat.  Want to know why they call it icedream?  One taste and you will no longer question the name.  Believe it or not, this treat leaves you feeling satisfied yet not feeling as if you splurged too terribly, due to a small cone of this luxious frozen treat only contains 160 calories and 4 grams of fat! After the first taste, this fact will seem completely ridiculous, but trust me, I have done my research and it is true. If you would like to add more flavor to your icedream, Chick-Fil-A provides you with chocolate, blueberry and strawberry toppings.  Next time you have dessert on the brain, think chicken.

Valentine’s Day Hot Spots

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it is important that you begin making reservations as soon as possible! If you want to impress that special someone, or show him or her how much you care, it is essential that you begin the planning process right away. Throughout the Triangle, there are a wide variety of romantic restaurants from which to choose. Whether you are planning a night out on a fixed budget or want to go on an extravagant date, there are more than enough places that will appeal to you! And don’t worry, for those who are anti-Valentine’s Day, I have just the place in mind.

As a college student, it is often hard to find a restaurant with a certain romantic atmosphere without spending insane amounts of money. However, there are restaurants around town that offer romantic dining without burning a hole in your pocket. 518 West Italian Café specializes in Italian cuisine, and is a popular Valentine’s spot.  Conveniently located on West Jones Street, 518 offers specialty pastas, wood fired pizzas, steaks and seafood.  Porter’s Tavern is located on Hillsborough Street and is known for its casual, bistro dining experience. The menu has a wide variety of choices, from hamburgers to steaks, and allows anyone who ventures there to leave satisfied. Maggiano’s Little Italy is another Italian restaurant that sets the mood for a romantic evening. It is located in Durham at the Streets of Southpoint Mall. Everything is made with fresh ingredients and gives you the option to order individual dishes or choose the family-style dining option. Either way, you will be glad you spent your Valentine’s Day evening here.

If you are looking for a more upscale dining experience this Valentine’s Day, allow me to introduce you to a few of my personal favorite locations. 115 Midtowne is a hip restaurant located in North Hills, offering an eclectic selection of metropolitan food and extensive wine selection that is sure to please everyone. The wait staff is dressed in black ties and white aprons, providing a memorable experience that you want to be a part of. The atmosphere and dining experience are just a few reasons why this intimate setting is the place to be this Valentine’s Day. Chatham Hill Winery, the Triangle’s only winery, is having their annual Sweetheart Dinner on Saturday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m. This romantic evening includes a delicious buffet-style dinner prepared by Daniels’ Restaurant, a wine tasting from the winery’s barrels and dancing to live jazz music. This event is one-of-a-kind in the Triangle and is sure to set the mood for a romantic night out. The Melting Pot offers a unique dining experience, with a personal setting that allows you to spend quality time with your significant other. Since The Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant, you get the opportunity to cook your entire meal at your table. Sullivan’s Steakhouse is located in the heart of Glenwood South and offers exquisite steaks and seafood. All of their sides are á la carte and are big enough for two to share. Sullivan’s also boasts its wine selection that you don’t want to miss! Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse is located in Cary, and its food will leave you wanting more. Their mouthwatering steaks arrive at your table on a sizzling 500-degree plate and their family style sides are to die for. This upscale setting will keep you in the holiday spirit and allow you to enjoy yourself this Valentine’s Day.

For those of you who are single and anti-Valentine’s Day, I know just the place for you to go! Jack Astor’s Bar & Grill in Cary is holding The “Anti-Valentine’s Day” Bash on Wednesday, February 14. The night includes beverage specials, a unique feature cocktail and a décor package. Among the other singles that will be in attendance, the “Miller Girls” will be there to help keep the mood light and festive. Make sure to participate in the “Will You Be My Valentine” contest, and you are in for a fun, memorable night!

While there are many more restaurants in the Triangle, these are a few of my personal favorites. Each offers a wide variety of food selection and romantic dining experience. Remember to make reservations as soon as you can so that you can have a memorable Valentine’s Day experience at the restaurant of your choice!