April 11, 2016 · 10:08 am

Mystery Brewing & Prodigal Farm Dinner at Washington Duke Inn ~ April 13th

Fairview Dining Room

Fairview Dining Room at Washington Duke Inn

A few months ago I attended a wonderful beer dinner at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, the premier luxury inn and golf club located on the campus of Duke University in Durham. April is North Carolina beer month and this week the Inn is hosting “The Brewer and The Farmer” dinner. This special dinner features another local favorite brewery of mine, Hillsborough’s Mystery Brewing Company and Rougemont’s Prodigal Farm, on Wednesday, April 13 at 6:45 p.m.

Beer and cheese enthusiasts alike are invited to join Executive Chef Jason Cunningham for a masterfully created multi-course menu incorporating decadent Prodigal cheeses paired with flavorful Mystery beers. Mystery Brewing Company will feature limited-time celebratory birthday brews, including Sancho (Belgian Singel), Orpheus (Belgian Dubbel),Mousqueton (Belgian Tripel) and Eurydice (Belgian Quad).

Mystery Founder and CEO Erik Lars Myers will join with Prodigal Co-Owner Kathryn Spann to guide guests through this extravaganza and share their expertise along the way. These dinners are a lot of fun and a great way to learn more about the thought process behind the different beers offered by the brewery and how they pair with different foods. Not to mention the Fairview Dining Room at the Washing Duke Inn is an amazing space to enjoy an evening of great food and craft beer.

The Brewer and the Farmer Dinner costs $65 per person, or $54 for Executive Club members. The event will take place on the Fairview Patio, weather permitting.

To make reservations, please call the Fairview Dining Room at (919) 493-6699 or visit the event registration page.

About The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club
The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club is located on the campus of Duke University, only twenty minutes from Raleigh-Durham International Airport and ten minutes from Research Triangle Park. The Washington Duke Inn is the only AAA Four Diamond hotel in Durham, North Carolina. Nestled on 300 acres filled with tall pines and hardwoods, the Inn is known for its beautiful facility and grounds, 271 elegantly appointed guest rooms and suites, marvelous cuisine in the Fairview Dining Room — winner of the AAA Four Diamond Award, 2015 Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Award and Wine Spectator Award of Excellence — the Bull Durham Bar, the Robert Trent Jones-designed 18-hole championship Duke University golf course, and its convenience to local points of interest. It is set apart from other area hotels and conference centers by unparalleled service, a gracious staff, luxurious interiors and attention to detail. For more information or reservations call (919) 490-0999  or visit washingtondukeinn.com.

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April 7, 2016 · 8:05 am

NCMA “Art in Bloom” April 7-10th

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The North Carolina Museum of Art’s annual festival of art and flowers starts today and runs through Sunday, April 10th. Known as Art in Bloom, the event invites floral designers from across the state to create more than 50 beautiful floral displays interpreting masterworks from the permanent collection in the Museum’s West Building.

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Designers use their skill and creativity to capture the essence of a specific piece of artwork on display in the museum. Some may create literal interpretations using flowers with matching color schemes or shapes, while others may focus on bringing the mood or emotion they sense from the artwork to life through their arrangement. In addition to the arrangements inside, there will also be nine floral displays for visitors to admire outside as part of the living art displayed along the museum grounds. The event will also feature several demonstrations by world-renowned floral arrangers and hands-on workshops.

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Visitors are invited to vote for their favorite arrangement by ballot at the Information Desk in West Building. Voting ends at noon on Sunday, and the winner will be announced by 5 pm on the NCMA Facebook page.

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Separate tickets are required for Art in Bloom and for individual events. The arrangements will be on display this Thursday, Saturday, Sunday from 9 am–5 pm and Friday 9 am–9 pm. Tickets are $10 for Members, $15 Nonmembers, and free for children 6 and under. For tickets and more information about scheduled workshops visit www.ncartmuseum.org/bloom.

North Carolina Museum of Art
2110 Blue Ridge Road
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 839-6262
www.http://ncartmuseum.org/

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March 31, 2016 · 11:39 am

Picture of the Week – Dog Walker

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Last weekend at I was at Sola Coffee in North Raleigh checking out their Pop Up Market when this dog walker strolled by with a herd of well behaved dogs in tow. I counted 13 dogs in all. It was quite a site to see. It was a nice reminder that now is a great time to enjoy the outdoors with our four-legged friends.

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March 30, 2016 · 12:06 pm

Bull City Vegan Challenge ~ April

Vegan

During the month of April at least 15 different restaurants and chefs will be participating in the 2016 Bull City Vegan Challenge. Each chef is tasked with creating one vegan dish to add to their regular menu for the month. Diners are then invited to order the different dishes throughout April and rate them based on specific criteria (you will be presented with a scorecard at the restaurant to complete at the the conclusion of your meal.)

The theme for this year’s challenge is “Planet Protein” with the goal of educating diners that there are many sources of plant based protein.  The challenge has rules in place preventing chefs from using common vegan options like vegetable platters, hummus, and portobello mushrooms, so expect interesting and inventive dishes.

The winning chef will be announced May 7 and will hold a class the following month demonstrating how to make their winning dish. Share your photos, and tag #PlanetProtein and #BCVC2016‪ to win prizes. For more information visit the Bull City Vegan facebook page and see the tasty dishes & chef bios at www.trianglemm.com/planetprotein.

Key Dates for Bull City Vegan Challenge
April 1: KICKOFF of the Vegan Challenge
April 1 – 7: Monuts vegan donut available! Maple ‘Facon’ Bourbon
April 9: Durham Farmers Market “Planet Protein” vegan food sampling
April 30: Final day of Challenge. Get your votes in by May 1st!
May 7: After-party: awards, and prizes at Ponysaurus Brewing

I plan to try a few of the dishes myself so check back next month for photos here and on my instagram feed. Happy eating!

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March 29, 2016 · 7:53 am

Weekend Picks: April 1st – 3rd

Cedar Creek
This weekend marks the start of April and North Carolina Beer Month so there are plenty of craft beer related activities to check out in the next few days. Another favorite of mine this time of year is the Cedar Creek Pottery & Glass Festival in nearby Creedmoor. Also, happy to pass along that new Cocoa Cinnamon location in Durham is now open on Sundays and the Honeysuckle Tea House in Chapel Hill is now open for the 2016 season. Here are the rest of my top picks for the weekend:

Friday – April 1st

Casks on Fools at Crank Arm Brewery
At least 20 breweries are joining with Crank Arm to celebrate the kick off of NC Beer Month by bringing a signature cask. Portion of proceeds goes to NC Brewers Guild & NC Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1719903001577740/

Cedar Creek Glass & Pottery Festival
The glass and potter festival at Cedar Creek in Creedmoor runs Friday-Sunday. Includes demos, workshops, local vendors and daily food trucks.
http://www.cedarcreekgallery.com/

Saturday – April 2nd

Bond Brothers Beer Grand Opening in Cary
Celebrate the grand opening of the highly anticipated new brewery in Downtown Cary. Festivities include live music from local touring artists, Chatham County Line and Diamond Creek! Local food truck favorites attending include: The Humble Pig, Pie Pushers, Chirba Chirba, Heavy Metal Grillers, CJ’s Street Food, and Sweet Traditions. There will be new releases of Bond Brothers beer, special collaboration beers, plus raffles and more!
https://www.facebook.com/events/192433221118013/

LoneRider Beer Showdown
Lonerider Brewing Company presents a day of beer, bands and other great entertainment with a portion of proceeds going to benefit the Lung Cancer Initiative NC.
http://www.loneridershowdown.beer/

Tour De Brew
What better way to solve a world crisis (lack of clean water) than spending a day with friends exploring new breweries, joining one of the bike rides, or just hanging out at the Tour de Brew party?
www.tourdebrew.org

Sunday – April 3rd

Free Coffee from Allegro Coffee Bus
Keep an eye out for the Allegro Coffee Bus this at the Durham Whole Foods. The bus is a restored vintage 1951 bus that’s been outfitted as a mobile coffee bar and they will be in Durham Sunday from 2-5pm giving out free coffee and tea drinks.

Bonus: Fariview Garden Garden Center – FREE Classes

Fairview Garden Center, one of the largest garden centers in the Triangle, will be hosting a series of free classes throughout the months of March, April and May with the goal of empowering local community members to take charge of their family’s nutrition and learn to enjoy the act of gardening.

Do you really know where our food comes from? Are you inspired by your neighbor’s garden and want to start your own? This series will cover these topics and more. All classes will be taught by Fairview’s owner and certified horticulturist, Brad Rollins and his wife Heather every Saturday at the garden center located at 8422 Holly Springs Road in Raleigh. Saturday classes are followed by a mini food truck rodeo featuring two local, gourmet food trucks each day. Classes are free to attend and are open to the general public.

Upcoming classes include:

March 31 – Greenhouse Safari for the Kids
April 2 – Easy Edibles
April 17 and May 14 – Container Gardening
May 7 – Big Color, Easy Plants
May 21 – Organic Gardening

To see the full list of upcoming events or to register for free, visit http://fairviewgardencenter.com/about/classes-events/.

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