by Laura (& Harold, sort of)
Yesterday we stopped by Indy Weekly’s Best of the Triangle party, which featured samples and booths from some of the winners. It was a great way to check out new places that we had heard about but never tried. We agreed that our favorites were both from Raleigh. To Durham and Chapel Hill’s credit, we usually find more than enough to enjoy closer to home on the weekends, so we don’t always make it out to the City of Oaks. However, Lilly’s proved that it serves up more than decent pizza, even if it’s not NYC style, and PieBird offered a selection of truly delicious – you guessed it – sweet versions of pie.
Since we’re too lazy to come up with our own Best of the Triangle, we’ll just tell you about some of the Indy voter’s picks that we can personally endorse, because we know that our opinion probably means everything to you:
- The Bicycle Chain – Harold points out that this shop’s Franklin Street location fulfills the basic requirement of actually being able to bike from our place to get to it.
- Southern Season – Listed as the best place to buy candy…which is probably the main reason we go there, especially to stock up on presents and stocking stuffers around the holidays. Have you tried Vosges bars? Incredible!
- Chatham County Line – This year’s best roots/country band can count Harold as a fan…guess the South is rubbing off on him.
- Ninth Street Dance – Home of once making Laura a hip-hop dancing fool. Affordable, fun classes.
- InsideOut Body Therapies – After having tried other studios that were not-so-stellar, Laura can say that this is a high-caliber place with fantastic instructors.
- Camp Bow-Wow – Noodle does come back alive & with a glowing “camp report card” every time.
- OnlyBurger - We think that sticking to one main item on the menu has helped make these burgers more than good. Follow their food truck on Twitter, or check out their newish storefront!
- Med Deli – It’s always good news when an event’s been catered by this Middle Eastern emporium.
- Cosmic – Wins for both best bang for your buck & late night munchies, which is why this place does so well with the college kids. Are the burritos the most awesome thing you’ve ever put in your mouth? Hopefully not, but they do the trick if you’re looking for something fresh & filling.
- The Remedy Diner – Laura just took a vegan friend here, who reported that their fake-meat version of Eastern North Carolina BBQ was actually yummy.
- Watts Grocery – One of their honors was best Sunday brunch in Durham, and we do think that weekend mornings are the best (and cheapest) time to visit. We should mention that our other fancy restaurant fav Lantern also got multiple Indy Week kudos.
- Chubby’s Tacos – Some creative variations on your standard tacos, low prices, a delicious mango drink, corn tortillas, and an amazing variety of salsas are among the many reasons we like this place. Watch out, though – the salsas can be hot. We recommend the guacatillo.
- Sandwhich – Thursdays are $4 burger nights, but their more creative offerings are worth the extra bucks. And, their updated location on Franklin Street actually has convenient parking.
- Sawasdee – A little far for a regular trip, but we do agree that they have the most authentic Thai around.
There was only one slight that we suppose we can overlook this time around:
Now, Bull City Rising may provide comprehensive, constant coverage of real Durham news, and Carpe Durham may have an easily searchable database of the local restaurant scene, and those other blogs may actually enjoy more than 20 readers, but, do we not have posts featuring an adorable poodle??? Next year….our campaign to take the top spot is on. ;)
Either that, or the pulled pork, biscuits, sweet tea and pie.
Here’s how the two compare, real blue vs. wussy blue: 
Laura
Harold
