A vegetarian goes to Smithfield BBQ

It took twelve years of living in North Carolina and a whole lot of desperation to break the spirit of this vegetarian - I finally set foot in those hallowed grounds of eastern-NC style pork barbeque - Smithfield Chicken and BBQ.

We were driving back from Hammocks Beach to Durham - there was a stretch of about an hour of country highway with rainy skies and nowhere to stop for a decent meal. One hour, 2 whiny kids, and 2 grumpy adults later, we finally came to a little crossroads with a Subway on one side, and a Smithfield Chicken and BBQ on the other... it was a toss up. Mom (me) had to choose. Recklessly, I chose Smithfield Chicken and BBQ.... and got their "Veggie Plate".

My non-french fry choices were: hush puppies (fried corn batter), coleslaw, potato salad, greens (with pork), and baked beans (with meat!) - so I got the plate with the first three options - the only non-meat options!! Here it is:

The verdict: Greasy and DEEEE-Licious! The potato salad was creamy, the coleslaw crunchy, and the hush puppies were absolutely divine - crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. I dipped the hush puppies in tangy and spicy BBQ sauce. I must have had at least a dozen. Definitely not diet food. Perfectly paired with sweet tea, calor-ific!! Yummmm veggie plate!

Saturday Brunch at Tyler's

One of our treasured Saturday morning family traditions is brunch after the Saturday children's activities and the Durham Farmer's Market. Downtown Durham has undergone an amazing revitalization in the twelve years (has it been that long already!) since I first moved to North Carolina. There are so many great restaurants within walking distance or a short drive of downtown - it wasn't so long ago that the only food available near downtown was the McDonald's and the farmer's market was little more than three or four small stalls in the Old Durham Bull's ballpark parking lot.


Last Saturday we hit one of our family favorite spots - Tyler's in downtown Durham. Something to please everyone! Turkey burger for Hubby, amazing hand-cut chips and garlic fries, children's menu with healthy options such as fresh cut carrots and celery, and peas and corn. I got the 'sampler platter' and it was a huge amount of food! Creamy, tangy hummus, house-made pimiento cheese, and pasta salad all served with crisp carrots and celery and pita wedges. I had enough leftover for pimiento cheese sandwiches and hummus plates for lunch for several days.

And yes, I had a cold tall glass of cider. At lunch. Go ahead and judge me. When you have a 3 year old and a 6 year old and have sat through two hours of swimming lessions and countless hours of whining, you'll want a cider too. It made the food taste that much more amazing.

South Indian Vegetarian Feast

One of the joys of living in the Triangle area is the diversity of populace, and the diversity of authentic restaurants where I can eat my fill without first having to slave in the kitchen for hours.

If you don't already know about Udupi Indian Vegetarian on the corner of Chatham and Maynard Streets in Cary (or Cary's "mini-India"), you should go! Weekday buffets are very reasonably priced and service is courteous and helpful.

Authentic South Indian food - this is what i grew up eating for lunch. Every meal I have there brings back memories of my grandmother and mother's cooking, every aroma takes me back to my childhood in Malaysia. This last visit, along with the usual array of dhal, rice, dosa, and curries they had plantain dry curry (Poduthul). I was in orbit!

I love introducing my friends to South Indian food - most people have only had the over-greasy saag paneer, bland tandoori chicken, and dry chapatis at Americanized North Indian places and have no idea of the aromatic, flavorful explosion of tamarind, coconut, chilly, and turmeric that is the backbone of South Indian food. My friend's eyes literally sparkled with joy as she had her first taste of dosa, that heavenly rice-and-white-lentil crepe. Now, THAT was a fabulous office lunch. If you go, wear elastic pants and plan to skip dinner!