I've always told people that chicken-fried steak, one of the iconic dishes of Texas, was the first thing I learned how to make, at age 8 or 9, even though that's not entirely true. Mashed potatoes and whipped cream came earlier; I had a thing for my mother's stand mixer. But those were mere accompaniments: a side dish, a garnish.

Cecilia Saleh is the matriarch of the family behind the Neomonde deli and bakery enterprises in Raleigh and Morrisville.

Just when you thought all '80s fashion revivals had run their course, big hair is back.

Pottery is an established tradition in North Carolina, but an installation of more than 120 pieces at N.C. State University's Gregg Museum of Art & Design reminds us of its precarious history and its survival through more than 100 years in the hands of the Owen family.

Ronald K. Brown/evidence, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Doug Varone and Dancers.

Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 ****

Shakespeare warned us that the devil had the power to assume a pleasing shape.

Rollin' with the Flow ***

Felicidade ****.

It's a conversation any father and son might have -- a quick chat about baseball, families and world affairs. But when the speakers are President George *.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush, even a seemingly innocuous conversation can suddenly carry great weight, especially when Oliver Stone is at the controls.

Actor Josh Brolin spent countless hours studying the president's speech patterns and body language but said he wasn't trying to concoct a spitting-image impression, which ran the potential of becoming a "Saturday Night Live" caricature.

Two cable networks serving primarily black audiences will offer vastly more coverage of the Democratic National Convention in Denver next month than ever.

Veteran co-star fits on spy thriller.

Habits of Empire: A History of American Expansion.

The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession.