Triangle's best restaurants you need to taste in 2014
It never fails. Every year, as I look back over the previous 12 months of restaurant comings and goings in the process of putting together my annual Best Restaurants list, at least one noteworthy trend stands out. In 2012, it was the burgeoning dining scene in Raleigh, which was finally showing signs of catching up to its famously foodie neighbor to the west, Durham. The year before, it was the gratifying growth in the number of authentic Chinese restaurants.
This year the hottest trend, if you can call it a trend, was – well, fire. Just days before 2013 was ushered in, a building fire closed the original Hibernian pub on Glenwood South. That proved to be a harbinger of things to come, as three more restaurants of note would be shuttered by fires in 2013: Bali Hai Mongolian Grill, a veteran of more than three decades; Gregoria’s Kitchen, a relative newcomer whose Cuban cuisine had quickly won a strong following; and Pizzeria Toro, just weeks after opening to rave reviews.
The flames and glowing coals in Pizzeria Toro’s massive wood-fired oven were a prime exemplar of a decidedly more welcome sort of “fire” trend. That’s not to say that wood-fired pizza ovens are new to the area, just that Toro raised the bar. In a similar vein, the wood-burning rotisserie oven at Kipos in Chapel Hill is turning out seriously succulent herb-roasted lamb and Greek-style lemon chicken.
Otherwise, 2013 was a year of continuing trends that were already well underway: another authentic Chinese restaurant here, another small plates specialist there. In one noteworthy case, Stanbury set a new standard for the farm-to-fork category. My pick for Restaurant of the Year, One restaurant in Chapel Hill, is so utterly different from anything we’ve seen before that it defies categorization.
And what about those restaurants closed by building fires? Bali Hai’s owners are looking for a new location to rebuild, and in the meantime, fans can get their Mongolian grill fix at the Durham location. The reopening of Pizzeria Toro is just weeks away. Same goes for a bigger-and-better Hibernian with a rooftop patio. And Gregoria’s Kitchen was reincarnated as Gregoria’s Cuban Steakhouse at a new Durham location earlier this month.
Come to think of it, maybe the Chinese calendar’s designation of 2014 as the Year of the Horse is a little off the mark. Looks like it’s shaping up to be the Year of the Phoenix.
Note: You can find my full reviews of these (and hundreds more) restaurants at http://events.triangle.com/restaurants.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
One
100 Meadowmont Village Circle, Chapel Hill
919-537-8207
Cuisine: contemporary
Last summer, One’s owners closed the Chapel Hill restaurant temporarily for a reboot. When it reopened, the dining room looked much the same as before, from the floor-to-ceiling wine rack near the entrance to the sleek modern leather-upholstered chairs at burnished coffee-dark wood tables.
It’s in the large, open-theater kitchen that the dramatic change took place. New co-chefs Kim Floresca and Daniel Ryan have worked in some of the most highly acclaimed restaurants in the world. Their experience shows in a level of cooking not previously seen in the Triangle.
Their seasonally changing menu distinguishes itself by reviving an old fine-dining restaurant practice of offering entrees for two (Sunburst trout with Carolina Gold rice, green olives and sultana raisins, say, though the description doesn’t do the dish justice) in addition to the expected selection of entrees for one.
For my money, though, the best way to explore the creations of two such supremely talented chefs is their impromptu tasting menu. Here are just a few snapshots of the epicurean parade I enjoyed on a memorable Saturday night in October: miniature balls of cumin-scented squash falafel, nestled among rosettes of zucchini on a bed of squash “hummus;” salt meringue-baked flounder, voluptuous against a backdrop of creamed greens and a surprisingly delicate mustard sauce; supple, rosy slices of spice-rubbed lamb with fresh dates roasted to a sweet, crisp-edged turn; and a perfectly formed quenelle of fig leaf ice cream on a puddle of green peanut horchata dotted with vanilla-perfumed tapioca beads.
Perhaps inspired by the kitchen, the dining room staff at One has raised its game to a level of hospitality and polish matched by a mere handful of restaurants in the Triangle. The wine list, already one of the area’s best, continues to grow under the direction of Sean Rouch, the restaurant’s knowledgeable and approachable sommelier.
All of which adds up to One – the name of the restaurant, as well as its rank among establishments on this year’s list of the area’s best.
GOLD MEDAL
An
2800 Renaissance Park Place, Cary
Cuisine: contemporary Asian
Fearrington House
2000 Fearrington Village Center, Pittsboro
919-542-2121
Cuisine: contemporary
Herons
100 Woodland Pond, in the Umstead Hotel & Spa, Cary
919-447-4200
Cuisine: contemporary
Lantern
423 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill
919-969-8846
Cuisine: Asian
Mateo
109 W. Chapel Hill St., Durham
919-530-8700
Cuisine: Spanish (tapas)
Panciuto
110 S. Churton St., Hillsborough
919-732-6261
Cuisine: contemporary Italian
Poole’s Diner
426 S. McDowell St., Raleigh
919-832-4477
Cuisine: American bistro
SILVER MEDAL
18 Seaboard
18 Seaboard Ave., Raleigh
919-861-4318
Cuisine: contemporary Southern, grill
Angus Barn
9401 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh
919-781-2444
Cuisine: steakhouse
Bloomsbury Bistro
509-101 West Whitaker Mill Road, Raleigh
919-834-9011
Cuisine: contemporary
Bruno
11211 Galleria Ave., Raleigh
919-435-6640
Cuisine: steaks, seafood, Italian
bu.ku
110 E. Davie St., Raleigh
834-6963
Cuisine: global street food
Coquette
4351 The Circle at North Hills, Raleigh
919-789-0606
Cuisine: French
Elaine’s on Franklin
454 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill
919-960-2770
Cuisine: contemporary
Fairview
3001 Cameron Blvd., in the Washington Duke Inn, Durham
919-490-0999
Cuisine: contemporary
Four Square
2701 Chapel Hill Road, Durham
919-401-9877
Cuisine: contemporary
Glenwood Grill
2603 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh
919-782-3102
Cuisine: contemporary Southern
Guglhupf
2706 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Durham
401-2600
Cuisine: German
Il Palio
1505 E. Franklin St., in the Siena Hotel, Chapel Hill
919-929-4000
Cuisine: Italian
Kitchen
764 Martin Luther King Blvd., Chapel Hill
919-537-8167
Cuisine: French, contemporary
Mandolin
2519 Fairview Road, Raleigh
919-322-0365
Cuisine: contemporary Southern
Margaux’s
8111-111 Creedmoor Road, in Brennan Station, Raleigh
919-846-9846
Cuisine: contemporary, seafood
Midtown Grille
4421-115 Six Forks Road, Raleigh
919-782-9463
Cuisine: contemporary
Nana’s
2514 University Drive, Durham
919-493-8545
Cuisine: contemporary Mediterranean
Oakleaf
480 Hillsboro St., Pittsboro
919-533-6303
Cuisine: contemporary
Saint Jacques
6112 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh
919-862-2770
Cuisine: French
Second Empire
330 Hillsborough St., Raleigh
919-829-3663
Cuisine: contemporary
Vivace
4209-115 Lassiter Mill Road, in The Alexan, Raleigh
919-787-7747
Cuisine: Italian
Watts Grocery
1116 Broad St., Durham
919-416-5040
Cuisine: contemporary Southern
Yamazushi
4711 Hope Valley Road, Durham
919-493-7748
Cuisine: Japanese
BEST IN CLASS (BY CUISINE)
• AFRICAN
Queen of Sheba
1129-O Weaver Dairy Road, Chapel Hill
919-932-4986
• BARBECUE
Allen & Son
6203 Millhouse Road, Chapel Hill
919-942-7576
• BURGER
Chuck’s
237 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh
919-322-0126
• CAJUN/CREOLE
Battistella’s
200 E. Martin St., Raleigh
919-803-2501
• CARIBBEAN
Old Havana Sandwich Shop
310 E. Main St., Durham
919-667-9525
• CENTRAL/SOUTH AMERICAN
Machu Picchu
4500-100 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh
919-526-7378
machupicchuperuviancuisine.com
• CHINESE (SZECHWAN)
Gourmet Kingdom
301 E. Main St., Carrboro
919-932-7222
• CHINESE (TAIWANESE)
Taipei Café
9825-G Chapel Hill Road, Morrisville
919-380-8568
• DELI
Neal’s Deli
100-C E. Main St., Carrboro
919-967-2185
• FRENCH
Vin Rouge
2010 Hillsborough Road, Durham
919-416-0466
• GERMAN/CENTRAL EUROPEAN
J. Betski’s
10-120 W. Franklin St., Raleigh
919-833-7999
• GREEK
Kipos
431 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill
919-425-0760
• INDIAN
CholaNad
308 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill
919-537-8258
• IRISH PUB
Doherty’s
1979 High House Road, Cary
919-388-9930
• ITALIAN
Antonia’s
101 N. Churton St., Hillsborough
919-643-7722
• JAPANESE
Waraji
5910 Duraleigh Road, Raleigh
919-783-1883
• KOREAN
Seoul Garden
4701 Atlantic Ave., Raleigh
919-850-9984
• MEXICAN (CONTEMPORARY)
Dos Perros
200 N. Mangum St., Durham
919-956-2750
• MEXICAN (TRADITIONAL)
Centro
106 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh
919-835-3593
• MIDDLE EASTERN
Sitti
137 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh
919-239-4070
• PIZZA
Pizzeria Toro
105 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham
919-908-6936
NOTE: Pizzeria Toro is temporarily closed due to a building fire. Owners hope to reopen by February.
• SEAFOOD
Blu Seafood & Bar
2002 Hillsborough Road, Durham
919-286-9777
• SOUTHERN
Crook’s Corner
610 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill
919-929-7643
• STEAKHOUSE
Bin 54
1201-M Raleigh Road, Chapel Hill
919-969-1155
• TAQUERIA
Los Comales
Two Durham locations: 2103 N. Roxboro Road; 3511 Witherspoon Blvd.
919-220-1614 (Roxboro); 919-973-0961 (Witherspoon)
• TAPAS
Mateo
109 W. Chapel Hill St., Durham
919-530-8700
• THAI
Sawasdee
Two Raleigh locations: 6204 Glenwood Ave.; 3601 Capital Blvd.
919-781-7599 (Glenwood); 919-878-0049 (Capital)
• VEGETARIAN
The Fiction Kitchen
428 S. Dawson St., Raleigh
919-831-4177
• VIETNAMESE
Taste Vietnamese
Cuisine
152 Morrisville Square Way, Morrisville
919-234-6385
BEST NEW RESTAURANTS
Bida Manda
222 S. Blount St., Raleigh
919-829-9999
Cuisine: Laotian
Bleu Olive Bistro
1821 Hillandale Road, Durham
919-383-8502
Cuisine: contemporary Mediterranean
Jose and Sons
327-102 W. Davie St., Raleigh
919-755-0556
Cuisine: Mexican-Southern fusion
Kai Sushi and Sake Bar
7713 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh
919-870-4923
Cuisine: Japanese, Korean
Kipos
431 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill
919-425-0760
Cuisine: Greek
Pizzeria Toro
105 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham
919-908-6936
Cuisine: pizzeria
NOTE: Pizzeria Toro is temporarily closed due to a building fire. Owners hope to reopen by February.
Stanbury
938 N. Blount St., Raleigh
919-977-4321
facebook.com/pages/Stanbury/359649790802483
Cuisine: contemporary
This story was originally published January 30, 2014 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Triangle's best restaurants you need to taste in 2014."