Win a seat with Fieri

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Tell us where Fieri should go

If you are a fan of the spiky blond Food Network star, here's a chance to win two tickets to see Guy Fieri during his roadshow performance Nov. 21 in Raleigh.

The prize package includes two tickets in the pit directly in front of orchestra, admittance to a pre-show meet-and-greet with Fieri and a new edition of his book, "More Diners, Drive-Ins, Dives: A Drop-Top Culinary Cruise Through America's Finest and Funkiest Joints."

Here's the deal: Fieri hosts a show called "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" on the Food Network. So we want you to devise a list of three must-eat locations for Fieri if he were to bring his show to the Triangle. (He has never been, and we have noticed!) Now, I'll let you go east because I know some of you will want to send him to those barbecue meccas outside the Triangle, but I don't want you sending him farther west than Burlington. This is the Triangle, and you are not only entering for a chance to win tickets, but you are also helping me create a list of diners, drive-ins and dives

Simple freshness from India

CARY--Just a couple of years ago, going out for Indian food in the Triangle meant the familiar curries and tandoori dishes of northern India. But time marches -- or rather, in these parts, gallops -- on. Now our options span the subcontinent, from the Indianized Chinese fare of Calcutta in the east to the Persian-influenced cuisine of Gujarat in the west. Most dramatic of all has been the rise in the number of southern Indian restaurants, which have been opening at a dizzying clip.

Four of the seven restaurants serving up the fiery flavors and coconut counterpoints of southern India are in Cary, and a fifth is just past the town limits in Morrisville. The oldest of these, at the ripe old age of 17 months, is Woodlands.

And just how does the weathered veteran distinguish itself from all these brash newcomers?

Win a bag full of stylish gifts

We're in a holiday mood. So we've checked our list twice and gathered up some goodies. We'd love to give them to you.

There's a stocking stuffer for everyone - the budding fashionista, the guy particular about how he smells, the eco-gal. Or maybe it's everything you've ever wanted.

Just send e-mail to adrienne.johnson@newsobserver.com , put "goody bag" in the subject line. We'll have a random drawing and give it to someone who surely deserves it. Naughty folk need not apply.

Spice & Curry is a taste adventure

At first glance, there's little to distinguish the dining room at Spice & Curry from those of the area's other two dozen Indian restaurants. It's pretty much the standard setting, from the stock watercolors on the front wall to the buffet steam table (which stands empty in the evenings) at the back of the room.

Then you spot it, staring at you from a corner of the room: a larger-than-life white tiger, painted on black velvet. It's an eye-catching decor highlight, certainly. But more than that, the tiger is the first hint that Spice & Curry, which opened in May, is not your garden variety Indian restaurant. It aims to lead you on a culinary adventure deep into the unexplored territory of Indian regional cuisines, deeper than you've likely ever been before.

In the Triangle, which is already blessed with an exceptional number and variety of Indian eateries, that's saying a lot. But, while most of those restaurants specialize in one or two regional cuisines, Spice & Curry's menu embraces everything from Northern

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Find local farmers

The state Department of Agriculture has revamped its Web site, www.ncfarmfresh.com . The site now features more than 125 farmers who sell meat and eggs. The Web site also lists pick-your-own farms, farmers markets and garden centers. It's a great resource for locavores.

Are you the next Food Network star?