In a region as culturally vibrant and rapidly evolving as the Triangle, taking a year-end snapshot of the local dining scene is always a challenging proposition. Never in my 15 years of reviewing restaurants, however, has a year so defied categorization as 2010.
Sure, there was the usual crop of sushi bars, Italian restaurants and the like, but no single category domi nated. In fact, the two most obvious trends - food trucks and local breweries - don't even involve restaurants in the traditional sense.
That's not to say that 2010 lacked for excitement. The year saw our already colorful palette of dining options expand to include an unprecedented spectrum of new options, from authentic Peruvian (Lucky Chicken) to dramatic still-life-on-a-plate presentations in a sleek hotel setting (Flights). Asian Grill gave the region its first taste of Shanghainese cuisine, while Saxapahaw General Store turned the farm-to-fork trend upside down by serving local produce in a bucolic setting.
Taking my cue from this culinary kaleidoscope, I'm shaking things up a bit this year. I've abandoned the traditional Top 25 list, and in its place I'm offering three separate lists. In the elite circle of Gold Medal winners, you'll find the cream of the crop: six restaurants that set the highest standard for dining out in the Triangle, regardless of cuisine. Why six? Because that's how many I consider to be worthy of the honor, that's why. And because if ever there were a year to break out of the limits of an arbitrary number, this is it.
The same reasoning applies to the 24 Silver Medal winners. There are no Bronze Medalists (again, no arbitrary rules), but I have compiled a list of my picks for best restaurant by cuisine, which I'm calling Best in Class.
Then, in a class all by itself, is the Restaurant of the Year: Bella Mia. The coal-fired pizzeria opened in Cary in June, and its blistery-crusted pies immediately raised the bar far above anything the area has ever seen. The restaurant's four-star rating wasn't the highest I awarded last year, but that was through no fault of its own. My rating system makes it virtually impossible for a casual restaurant - especially one that hasn't withstood the test of time - to earn anything higher than four stars.
Regardless of rating, Bella Mia was the biggest news in a year full of category-defying surprises. In my book, that makes it Restaurant of the Year.
Note: You can find my full reviews of these (and hundreds more) restaurants at events.triangle.com/ restaurants .
For a moment, you might be in a bistro in a France, instead of Vin Rouge, just off Ninth Street in Durham. Marking its 10th anniversary this month, Vin Rouge doesn't have the national reputation and of-the-moment buzz some newer places are enjoying. Instead, it has earned a loyal following drawn to its understated bistro style and its characters who combine Southern hospitality with a dollop of eccentricity.
Thanks to the Triangle's popularity as a landing zone for southward migrating snowbirds, the region has reaped a windfall of Italian restaurants run by relocated Northerners.
If corporations are people, as Mitt Romney has famously proposed, then I'm pretty sure I've discovered a business that has suffered from a multiple personality disorder for the past 10 years.
Slow cookers have been around for more than 40 years, but today, they're almost trendy. They're perfect for braising, a technique that lets less-expensive cuts of meat become hearty and succulent when cooked low and slow.
We're back with a winter Triangle Foodie Tweetup. This time at Durham's G2B gastropub, which recently earned four stars from The N&O's critic Greg Cox.
Get entertainment updates
What to do? Find out with out free entertainment newsletters, delivered straight to your inbox!
We welcome your comments on this story, but please be civil. Do not use profanity, hate speech, threats, personal abuse, images, internet links or any device to draw undue attention. Read our full comment policy.
