A CULINARY ODYSSEY: MEMORIES

Prologue 


When I came to Carolina for my freshman year in 1967 the food scene was defined,to me, by a narrow geographical space —to the north by the intersection of Rosemary and Henderson Streets — the west by a block beyond Airport Road (now MLK)— and south to Manning Drive because that’s where Chase Dining Hall was — and on the South Road.

Lenoir Hall as it is today was main north campus dining hall and a great place for snacks was the Scuttllebutt located at corner

I ate mostly on the campus as I believe a lot of us did (I distinctly visiting Sutton’s, the Dairy Bar or was it the Dairy Queen now a Bonchon and on Rosemary was one of the earliest fast casual chains Lums that I know I visited once or twice.

I didn’t return for my sophomore year because I had decided to join the navy following in the steps of my favorite uncle because, in many ways I felt that I needed to. It was a great decision for me, but I began almost began dreaming about returning to Carolina which I did in 1972.

My tour in the Navy was the greatest catalyst for me learning about food and its diversity.  I went out to bars and restaurants with my Navy buddies and being 19, fast food and bar food were familiar.  (I developed a passion for  the  BK whopper,,,).  BTW Navy chow was pretty damned good too.


It was traveling the world that really expanded my palate.  Eating casual food in hotels and restaurants in Sasebo, Japan, Honolulu, Hong Kong. Tokyo, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen, will do that.

Harrison’s was a bistro/cafe in the mold of places I liked to visit in Georgetown in the 80s like Mr. Smith, and the First Edition or Yellowstone in NYC.

It was located on Franklin Street in a basement space that later became Zog’s.

Once you entered the place you became aware of the large aquarium that covered most of the wall.

The food was , to my recollection, excellent bar food like it’s Franklin Street rival Spanky’s.

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Two Nights in Another Town — Crawford and Son/Jolie in Raleigh — September 5th and 6th 2021

Raleigh’s restaurant scene has become gratifyingly rich and variable. I’d heard nothing but the best about Crawford and Son and decided I had to pay a visit.

I had had my sights set on visiting Crawford and Son for months, but the opening of its sister restaurant Jolie, made taking the trip something like making a culinary crusade.

http://www.crawfordandsonrestaurant.com/

Thursday January 9th @ Crawford and Son. My menu choices: Butternut squash soup with crab, pepita, brown butter and sage. They served the dish very uniquely– the bowl arrived with the crab & sage already in the dish, and the server poured the creamy, buttery soup gently into the bowl. Nicely done!!!

My entree choice was the Crispy Catfish in a shrimp and potato chowder with a bacon fennel relish.

The homemade warm malted wheat rolls with sea salt and hickory butter are a must to order.



http://restaurantjolie.com/menu/

Friday @ Jolie. The main dining room at Jolie is so small that getting reservations between 6 and 9PM is still very challenging even though they’ve been open for nearly six months. Fortunately, the opening of their lovely rooftop, which requires no reservations, makes the effort a little less challenging. Arriving early also helps.

My menu choices for Jolie — started with the Gougeres, a savory cheesy puff pastry and A wonderfully creamy bowl of winter soup made with apples, smoked pecans and brown butter. The entree of choice steak frite — a tender flat iron in a sauce au poivre with herbes frite.

The wine is a Chardonnay

After having enjoyed a lovely meal your server brings you your check, placed inside the covers of copy of a pocket volume of an epic historical work by Victor Hugo

A Bowl of Soup @ Thai Palace

Thai Palace has been serving excellent Thai food for years and in the same location in the Glenwood shopping center on South Road/Raleigh Road. The place has the same lovely, graceful look it’s always had (I’ve included pictures) and the same friendly service.

On a wet, cool Monday I dropped in for something fast and warming for a dreary February afternoon. What I got was satisfying and wonderfully simple — a cool refreshing small salad with the house’s amazing ginger dressing and an enormous bowl of soup with perfectly cooked noodles in a rich, savory broth with steak and meatball and crunchy vegetables.

“A soup like this is not the work of one man. It is result of a constantly refined tradition. There are nearly a thousand years of history in this soup.” Willa Cather

Buns, YoPo and He’s Not Here — Memories on Franklin Street

After spending a total of three hours, waiting at the Social Security Office and the Veterans Medical Center hospital, I needed a break. On the spur of the moment i decided to go to Franklin street to find something to eat. My first choice was Linda’s only to discover that they’re closed on Mondays. I quickly decided to go up the street to Columbia and Franklin to try Buns. As always Buns is a good call. The flame grilled burgers are still a hearty tasty meal.

Taking advantage of the beautiful spring afternoon I decided to go around to YoPo and and the trending He’s Not Here to continue my memory refresher.

However the very best part of the afternoon was my meeting a third year Carolina undergraduate (Tar Heel, born and bred) who was the epitome of a smart, charming, polite, and friendly young man. We ate our yogurt cones and had a delightful time sharing being Tarheels. A La Recherche du Temp Perdu.