Wimpy’s Grill, Boondini’s and 6 more restaurants that closed in 2019 we’ll really miss

In the past decade, the Triangle dining scene has grown and flourished.

It has nurtured homegrown talent and attracted national attention for its innovative chefs. We’ve had food halls plant their roots here, and James Beard nominations (and wins) for some of the best of the best.

The next decade is sure to bring more of the same. But before we move to 2020 and beyond, let’s raise a glass to the memory of some notable restaurants that served their last meals in 2019. While there were other notable closings in 2019, these were open at least a decade, if not two or three, and all left their marks.

Allen & Son, Chapel Hill

Opened: 1970

Here’s to: One of the last holdouts preserving the North Carolina pork barbecue tradition of cooking strictly over wood. Long before a new generation of pit masters came along to revive the practice, owner Keith Allen personally selected and split the oak and hickory that he used to transform hams and shoulders into a succulent, subtly smoky delicacy. His skill and persistence earned Allen & Son national recognition, including the James Beard Foundation’s American Classics award, honoring “our nation’s beloved regional restaurants ... distinguished by their timeless appeal.” Allen & Son actually closed in December 2018, but I couldn’t allow such a significant passing go unmarked.

I’ll remember: The ever-present pile of wood stacked out behind the cinder block building that gave Allen & Son a backroad barbecue joint feel, just a few miles north of Chapel Hill. I could never resist a dish of homemade cobbler, no matter how much barbecue I’d eaten. But most of all, I’ll miss the barbecue — coarsely chopped, with a sauce that married Eastern and Western styles — that for many years rated the best in this part of the state.

Blu Seafood & Bar, Durham

Open: 2007

Here’s to: Owner/chef Tim Lyons, who honed his culinary skills in southern California and Key West before bringing his fresh take on seafood to the Triangle and serving it in a setting as refreshing as a tropical sunset breeze.

I’ll remember: The Miami-chic bar, whose underside was backlit in sea-foam green, and a semi-enclosed patio that somehow managed to feel more open and airier than it actually was. And meticulously sourced fresh seafood, showcased in presentations like queen conch ceviche, pan-seared opa spangled with crunchy bacon bits cooked in brown sugar, and an inventive saffron-fragrant riff on seafood paella.

Boondini’s, Raleigh

Open: 1977; since 1986 at its most recent location

Here’s to: Owner Billy Williams, whose first-name-basis relationship with regulars (including some who came more than once a week for years) had as much to do with the sandwich shop’s enduring success as his homemade soups and well-filled sandwiches.

I’ll remember: A reader recommendation, shortly after I began reviewing restaurants in 1995. The “reader” was my daughter, who would have been around nine at the time. She had heard me talk about getting reader suggestions for dishes to try (back then, some of them came via snail mail). One day, returning from a lunch outing with her mom, my daughter handed me a copy of the Boondini’s takeout menu. She had circled the chicken salad sandwich, and written “Try this, it’s good.” I did, and she was right. It was the first sandwich I had there, but by no means the last.

18 Seaboard, Raleigh

Open: 2006

Here’s to: Raleigh native chef Jason Smith, who cooked all over the world from Gramercy Tavern in New York to a research station in Antarctica, before returning home to open 18 Seaboard, his first restaurant, in Seaboard Station. His seasonal Southern-accented menu with a focus on wood-grilled fare proved so successful that Smith went on to open Harvest 18 in Durham and Cantina 18 (locations in Cameron Village and Morrisville).

I’ll remember: A menu loaded with dishes that delighted as much for their surprisingly low price as for their inventiveness and consistently high quality. Fried green tomatoes with crawfish aioli comes to mind, and a refreshing mint pineapple soup, and cracklin’ pork shank served over blue cheese grits, and wood fire roasted chicken, and — well, you get the idea.

Milltown, Carrboro

Open: 2006

Here’s to: Belgian beer on tap. Milltown was among the first in the area — if not the first — to specialize in what many aficionados consider to be the world’s best beers. The Carrboro gastropub offered an Old World-centric menu to match (steak frites, mussels steamed in Wittkerke wheat beer), and served it against a backdrop of vintage beer signs and French and Belgian art deco worker safety posters.

I’ll remember: Relaxing on the secluded patio, sipping a witbier and tucking into a sausage platter laden with Weisswurst, knockwurst, sauerkraut and a warm, soft pretzel that briefly transported me back in time to my college junior year summer in Germany.

Mura, Raleigh

Open: 2005

Here’s to: Bold moves. You might say that was the hallmark of Mura’s owners, who dared to open an upscale Japanese restaurant in North Raleigh, which at the time could best be described as a sea of strip malls and national chain restaurants. It proved to be a winning formula for a decade and a half, as locals discovered they could enjoy premium sushi and wagyu beef in a chic setting without venturing inside the Beltline.

I’ll remember: The first real, freshly grated wasabi I was able to order in a local sushi bar. Also, the glitzy decor, from the constellation of halogen lights twinkling overhead in the dining room to the mesmerizing pinpoint sparkle of cobalt blue lights inset into a serpentine black granite bar. In the dining room, the first white tablecloths I recall seeing in a Japanese restaurant glowed beneath a constellation of halogen lights overhead.

Sunflower’s Cafe, Raleigh

Open: 1983

Here’s to: The original Glenwood South restaurant. Long before Glenwood South was a trendy night life destination, this cheery little sandwich shop stood alone in a gastronomic desert of abandoned warehouses and industrial shops. Somehow, word got out about the wholesome offering (half the sandwiches were vegetarian, a rarity at the time), and Sunflower’s spent 21 years where the Hibernian Pub now sits. Eventually, Sunflower’s relocated to roomier digs on Peace Street, where it spent the last 15 years until it closed Dec. 21.

I’ll remember: The old screen door at the corner entrance of the original location. Always being torn between indulgence (The Mighty Quinn, with roast beef, onions and horseradish on grilled sourdough) and being virtuous (the Sonny, with avocado and Havarti on sunflower bread). Knowing that either choice would make me happy.

Wimpy’s Grill, Durham

Open: 1987

Here’s to: Napkins. You needed lots of them at this hole-in-the-wall takeout burger joint where the hand-formed, griddled burgers were thicker and juicier than the standard diner burger. The place was tiny, cash-only, and only open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m to 2 p.m. That didn’t prevent the little mom-and-pop shop from earning legions of loyal fans — and national attention.

In 2009, Adam Richman of the Travel Channel’s “Man V. Food” came to Durham, and he stopped by Wimpy’s for the Garbage Burger, a bacon double cheeseburger with chili, slaw and all the traditional toppings.

But it was the local, loyal fans who kept Wimpy’s alive. How loyal, you ask? When owners Larry and Brenda Mishoe retired after 32 years, they had to close the restaurant a day ahead of schedule because they ran out of food.

I’ll remember: My mouth watering at the sight of the grease-stained paper sack carrying my burger and onion rings (they were better than the fries). I knew that, as soon as I bit into that burger (which I invariably ordered “all the way” with mustard, chili and onions), the juices would run down onto my wrist. Like I said, you needed lots of napkins.

This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 12:05 PM.