The Menu: From 2015 – Best in the Triangle, Restaurant of the Year

Our 2015 Best in the Triangle edition celebrated the region’s blossoming dining scene – a region, wrote Greg Cox, that “as a whole has matured into adulthood.” Cox gave Best Restaurant honors to Gocciolina, Aaron Benjamin’s Italian gem in Durham. Cox praised the restaurant’s house-made pastas, charcuterie and other temptations ranging from grilled N.C. black drum with chanterelles and wilted romaine to crispy fried eggplant with roasted beet and Gorgonzola.

In addition to that top award and his Gold, Silver and Best in Class winners, Cox also singled out the region’s best new restaurants, including (but not limited to) Garland in Raleigh, Banana Leaf in Cary and Harvest 18 in Durham.

To read last year’s story and view the full list of winners, visit themenunc.com, where you can also read many of Cox’s restaurant reviews. Also, be sure to read this year’s Best in the Triangle and Restaurant of the Year story.

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 5:15 AM with the headline "The Menu: From 2015 – Best in the Triangle, Restaurant of the Year."