Where to Eat?: Good mocktails, romance with vibes, toddler-friendly spots
In this edition of Restaurant Matchmaker, we’re looking for great mocktails, romantic vibes and kid-friendly restaurants.
We’d love to try and find your new favorite restaurant — or at least your next great restaurant experience.
Write in with a few details about what you’re looking for, style of food, ambiance, price point, whatever, and I’ll try to steer you in the right direction — at least a direction. Send to jdjackson@newsobserver.com, and regularly check back here (or in our food and dining newsletter, First Bite) to see if I, said matchmaker, made you a perfect match.
Where to find a great spirit-free drink
I’m looking for a good midweek mocktails spot to gather regularly with a girlfriend. I’m hoping for an extensive (3+) mocktail menu and a decent price point — most mocktails are juice and soda, which are not worth $15. Most importantly, I want to keep it a ~20 minute drive for us both (I’m in Apex, she’s in Chapel Hill). — Kimberly T.
There aren’t a ton of buzzy bars between Apex and Chapel Hill, so I’m sure it’s been hard finding a fun midway point for you and your friend. Recently the dining and nightlife has started to improve in RTP and you could try Glasshouse Kitchen, which offers what we’re all looking for in a drink spot — a seat in a stunning setting. Wrapped in glass, here you’ll find at least three distinct mocktails from $9-$12, plus non-alcoholic beer and wine.
Swapping glass for brick, G58 Cuisine in RTP could be another option. The dining room in this fine dining Chinese restaurant is elegant and luxurious with a breathtaking deep red bartop and one of the Triangle’s largest mocktail lists, all at $10.
Special occasion and vibes for around $100
What are some restaurants or bars with romantic vibes where my partner and I can celebrate a special occasion? I’m looking for something open Sunday evenings (since that’s when we’ll be celebrating). We’re willing to drive to Durham, but would prefer to avoid Orange County, since we’re in Knightdale. We’re young and (relatively) broke, so would prefer to avoid anywhere that would cost us more than $100-ish for two people for an entree each, dessert and drinks. Bonus points if you find anywhere with a photo booth or ~aesthetic~ vibes. — Lexi S.
The special moments aren’t all the same. For birthdays, I like the meal and restaurant to be the star, an experience in and of itself. For personal celebrations, say anniversaries or engagements, you want a setting that can match and enhance the buzz you’re feeling, not get in the way.
There isn’t a dreamier restaurant than Ajja, the Mediterranean-ish restaurant from Cheetie Kumar and Paul Siler. The backyard bar and patio is lined with paper lanterns and strings of lights, the Raleigh skyline sometimes peeks into view and all the colors are bright and bold. The interactive menu allows you and your partner to build the kind of meal you want, and might be easier to keep under $100, sharing plates and snacks, dipping, pinching, passing dishes like whipped feta with bruleed grapes, coffee roasted carrots glazed with ginger and larger dishes off the grill.
Sometimes I like the mashup of high and low for special occasions, and Oakwood Pizza Box might be a good option for that. Though no one would mistake this hot spot pizzeria for “low,” Oakwood has a well known wine collection, where you could perhaps split a bottle of real deal Champagne, along with a pizza and a cannoli for around $100.
Kid-friendly restaurants with menus beyond chicken nuggets
We are starting to venture out to restaurants more with our toddler, so I’d appreciate any recommendations on toddler-friendly places that offer more than just the standard toddler fare? We are a pro-chicken nugget household but also want to expand her culinary horizons. But also looking to avoid any place that’s going to end up with us being publicly shamed in a Facebook mom group if my toddler acts like a toddler. — Anna R.
One time at an oyster bar I saw a kid who couldn’t have been more than 18 months old absolutely woofing down raw oysters. He couldn’t get enough and seemed to relish the laughter and glee he got from his parents with each briny slurp.
Couldn’t be my toddler, who has dabbled in smoked salmon to some success, but is largely skeptical of food groups that aren’t “chicken nuggets” and “pasta” and “ketchup.”
First off, taking your toddler to a restaurant is a win for everyone, so let go of preconceived ideas of shame and dignity. Neighboring diners are usually kind and patient and often game to make silly faces of their own. Also, lids are the greatest thing.
There are really two things going on when thinking of a good restaurant for toddlers: Will they be comfortable, and will they eat the food?
Lakewood Social in Durham has become a regional favorite for families, because it has a huge, grassy, fenced-in space, a great smashburger for kids, lots of small snacky plates and an excellent bar program for the adults.
Similarly in Raleigh, Standard Beer & Food is big with the parenting crowd, especially in the warm months when the back patio is open. The tater tots flow all year round.
As far as food beyond french fries and nuggets, it’s fun to go to restaurants where you can cast a wide net and let kids decide what looks good to them. You will be surprised. Once at Bullock’s BBQ in Durham, I sat in rapt silence as our toddler gobbled down pinto beans and fried okra simply because it was there, and left the fried chicken largely untouched.
One of our first successful restaurant outings was at Mezcalito, which, no matter the location, offers a sensory feast. The immediate drop of tortilla chips and bean dip had little hands reaching and tasting. We were able to offer guacamole, slices of avocado, bits of chicken and pork, a ripped tortilla, mounds of rice and beans, all to varying levels of success.
Perhaps a weekend buffet at an Indian restaurant like Sitar in Durham could be a fun spot, where you can fill plates with a little of this and that, and see if any new favorites emerge.
Sushi for a family without breaking the bank
A recent headline in The Wall Street Journal caught my eye: “Parents Are Going Broke From Their Kids’ Sushi Obsession.” My family of five loves sushi and other Japanese cuisine, but we don’t eat it as often as we’d like to keep from breaking the bank. Where are good-quality, inexpensive places we can go to get basic rolls, tonkotsu ramen and tempura chicken? Bonus points for locations in Cary or elsewhere in Western Wake. — Nicole S.
I didn’t try sushi until I was 21 years old, my first experience being one of those conveyor belt sushi bars where you grab whatever rolls you like as it passes by your table. I’m certain I was swimming in soy sauce.
So I admire Gen Alpha’s embrace of flavors beyond pizza and cheeseburgers.
When even grocery stores like Wegmans and Whole Foods are selling basic salmon rolls for $13, affordable sushi is a tough find. The cheapest sushi I’ve found, by far, is conveyor belt sushi bar Neo Sushi Express in Durham and Raleigh, where some rolls are as low as $4, but there’s no ramen or tempura chicken.
Hokkaido Ramen in Morrisville is a good option with an attractive dining room. Most classic rolls are around $8-9, ramen bowls are very affordable and include some creative takes and while there’s no tempura chicken, there’s the crunchier karaage.
Especially if sushi is the main draw, Osha Thai Kitchen & Sushi in Holly Springs may be another good option. The menu blends favorites from several Asian cuisines and though there aren’t bowls of ramen, there are other noodles. The sushi is affordable and the menu includes larger combinations of rolls that might be good for families that don’t mind sharing and sampling.
