Tag Archives: Local

July 3, 2014 · 11:18 am

Sol Tacos ~ Gourmet Southern Tacos with Local Ingredients

Sol Tacos

When summer rolls around I can pretty much live off tacos. Thankfully my friend Art over at the Wandering Sheppard shared the news earlier this spring about a great new food truck  called Sol Tacos. It’s a gourmet food truck that serves southern inspired tacos using soft hand made tortillas filled with locally sourced southern organic ingredients that compliment classic Mexican street food.

The truck is based out of Cary and operated by chef Andy Schaumann (follow him on twitter @Sol_Tacos). Schaumann has a long history of working in great restaurants having most recently worked at well the known Vivaci in North Hills. You can tell he pours his heart & soul into his business and it really comes out in the culinary creations he serves from the truck.


When I first visited the truck the daily tacos being offered included a Buttermilk Fried flounder taco with cilantro sour cream, lettuce, and citrus radish salad. Other offerings include a blackened chicken nacho taco and the cheddar chuck burger. I’m a big fan of the fish taco but look forward to trying the chicken nacho taco next!

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A new addition to the taco menu this 4th of July weekend is a special pork taco made with local beer braised pork, pickled okra, hot banana peppers, chicharones, and western BBQ.

Sol Tacos

Sol Tacos also features a selection of creative sides that rotates seasonally. This week’s side items include local sliced heirloom tomatoes from birdland farms with lime aioli, maldon sea salt, balsamic, and olive oil. Another new offering is the “personal nachos” with organic corn chips, ground chuck, black beans, shredded cheese, queso dip, tomato salsa, sour cream, hot sauce.

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You can find the bright green Sol Tacos truck this fourth of July weekend all over the Triangle. Starting on Thursday night (7/3) at Deep River Brewing in Clayton, Friday (7/4) at Knightdale Station Parks fireworks celebration, Saturday morning (7/5) at Apex Farmers Market, & then Sunday (7/6) at Raleigh Brewing Company. To keep tabs on where the truck will be next and visit their monthly calendar here.

Sol Tacos 
website: http://www.soltacosnc.com
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soltacosnc
twitter: @Sol_Tacos

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April 21, 2014 · 6:56 pm

New Lunch Spot: Kiwi Cafe & Smoothies in Wakefield

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Seating at Kiwi Café & Smoothies

Every once in a while there is a place I have on my list to check out and for one reason or another I just takes me forever to make it there. This was the case with Kiwi Cafe & Smoothies located in Wakefield by the Rex Wellness Center and Harris Teeter off Falls of Neuse Road. A friend on twitter alerted me to their opening several months ago and I’ve had them on my radar for a while. A few weeks ago I finally had the chance to check them out for lunch. I’m really glad I finally checked them out because I’ve been looking for a new lunch spot and I was very impressed with their offerings.

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Kale and Apple Salad

Kiwi Café offers a wide range of salads, soups, sandwiches and smoothies. What really sets them apart is that the ingredients they use are in many cases non-gmo or organic. They also offer gluten free breads, pastries, and cookies which can be hard to find in this area. My wife ordered the Kale and Apple salad which included fresh kale, spinach, sliced apples, carrots, berries, goat cheese, pecans, with a honey lemon-lime dressing. The salad was very fresh and made for a great lunch.

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Smoked Turkey and Gruyere

I ordered the Smoked Turkey and Gruyere sandwich which is comprised of freshly sliced smoked turkey breast, gruyere, cranberries, arugula-spinach mix, pecans, basil aioli. My sandwich was delicious and I would definitely order it again. I think it is important to point out that I ordered my sandwich as a panini, but what I got I’d describe as a lightly toasted sandwich, not really a panini. Still it was quite good. I kind of wish it came with chips or a pickle but to be honest I could do with a few less chips in my life.

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Coffee Counter at Kiwi Cafe

Kiwi also has a full coffee bar offering a full range of coffee and espresso drinks. They use an organic coffee from a roaster out in Greensboro called Fortuna. While I find this coffee to be nice, I have to admit it would be even better to see them use one of Raleigh’s local roasters to keep with their stay “local” theme. They also offer a selection of fruit smoothies. I haven’t had a chance to try one yet, but plan to on my next visit.

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Kiwi Café & Smoothies in Wakefield

My wife and I both really enjoyed our meals and I definitely plan to go back for lunch again soon. It is nice to have a locally owned place to grab a healthy lunch and I definitely recommend giving them a try. Kiwi Café is open Monday through Friday 8am-6pm and Saturday 8am-4pm. They are closed on Sunday.

Kiwi Cafe’ & Smoothies
11211 Galleria Ave
Raleigh, NC 27614 (map)
website: http://www.kiwicafeandsmoothies.com
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kiwicafeandsmoothies
twitter: @kiwicaferaleigh

 

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July 16, 2013 · 2:37 am

Pop-Up Ice Cream Parlour in Downtown Raleigh!

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You’ve probably heard by now that a cool Pop-Up Ice Cream Parlour has opened up in downtown Raleigh. It is located at 131 S. Wilmington Street just north of Hargett Street and right next to the restaurants Gravy and Sitti around the corner from Morning Times.

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Several of the people I follow on instagram have been posting fun pictures of the parlour so I decided to walk down there on my lunch break a few weeks ago and check it out. Being a “pop-up” style place means it is temporary and will only occupy the current spot until the end of August. Even though it is only temporary they have done a great job with place. It has lots of tables spaced out across the hardwood floor and great lighting. The parlour has a nice open feeling with huge windows at the front of the shop overlooking the busy sidewalk along Wilmington Street.

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The ice cream shop features locally produced ice cream. Right now the offer ice cream from two local producers but have plans to open their own creamery in the future to sell once they open their permanent location down the road. Given the temporary nature of the shop, the menu is surprisingly inclusive offer a wide range of flavors (14 regular flavors and 4 rotating ones). In addition to traditional ice cream by the scoop in a cup or cone they also have ice cream floats, sundaes and smoothies.

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I opted for a single scoop of the strawberry ice cream in a cone and it was fantastic. I live it when strawberry ice cream has large chunks of actual strawberries in it. I was pretty hungry since I hadn’t had lunch yet so I scarfed this cone down in record time, but I had the presence of mind to grab a picture before I made it disappear. Something I’m not always good at!

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I really enjoyed my visit to the Pop-Up Ice Cream Parlour and was glad I had the chance to visit. During subsequent visits downtown I’ve noticed they have been quite busy so it appears word has gotten around and people are enjoying access to great locally produced ice cream.

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Last week, the news and observer reported that the owner, Laura Suther, is planning to open a second Pop-Up location downtown at 6161 N. Person St. next door to PieBird. This second location is still being negotiated but the plan is to sell ice cream as well as some locally produced items like milk and eggs. The Person street location may become a year-round operation should it prove successful in that neighborhood. I think it will!

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While plans for the second location are being finalized you can continue to get your ice cream fix at the Wilmington Street Pop-Up Ice Cream Parlour through August 31st.

Pop-Up Ice Cream Parlour
131 S. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC (Open through August 31st)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PopUpIceCreamParlour
Twitter: @popupicecream

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June 27, 2013 · 3:01 pm

Artisan Cheese Fest at The Cookery in Durham – June 29th

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If you are a cheese nut like me, this event is for you! This Saturday, June 29th The Cookery in Durham is holding an “Artisan Cheese Fest” featuring food from American Meltdown Food Truck and several other local vendors sampling fantastic cheeses and food from local producers. Their patio and front room will be open and you can wet your whistle with cocktails and local beer available for sale at the front room bar! If you haven’t had a chance to get over to the Cookery to see their awesome space, check out the cool 360 degree tour of their patio and front room from google maps below!


The Cheese Fest event is free and there will be opportunity to see demonstrations and try samples, but also look for great cheeses and products available for purchase from the many great local vendors. For a full list of vendors who will be there, visit the facebook event page here.

Artisan Cheese Fest Details:
When: Saturday June 29th 1-4pm
Where: The Cookery ~ 1101 West Chapel Hill Street, Durham

 

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