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A NOTE TO OUR READERS:
"Our Favorite Regional Restaurants" is from the Favorites 2005 issue of Southern Living.
ASHEVILLE
Early Girl Eatery (Traditional Southern): 8 Wall Street; (828) 259-9292 or www.earlygirleatery.com. Go for breakfast and have a stack of multigrain buttermilk pancakes with double-cut bacon, accompanied by a side of stone-ground grits that are milled nearby and cooked to perfection. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, Saturday-Sunday brunch.
The Market Place (Contemporary Southern): 20 Wall Street; (828) 252-4162 or www.marketplace-restaurant.com. For more than a quarter of a century, chef and owner Mark Rosenstein has been coming up with inventive dishes made from fresh, local ingredients. One of our favorites meals included stuffed Oven Roasted Carolina Trout on a bed of Potato Galette with Sage Butter. When your server asks if you'd like a dessert soufflé, just say yes. Dinner.
Tupelo Honey Cafe (Contemporary Southern): 12 College Street; (828) 255-4863 or www.tupelohoneycafe.com. A must for Sunday brunch. Try the Crawley and Eggs--two crab cakes topped with eggs, hollandaise sauce, and asparagus. Lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch (closed Monday).
CALABASH
Calabash Seafood Hut (Seafood): 1125 River Road SW.; (910) 579-6723. Squeeze yourself into this tiny gem and order a bowl of oyster stew. It's creamy and thick with plump mollusks. Lunch, dinner (closed Monday).
Captain Nance's Calabash Seafood Restaurant (Seafood): 9939 Nancy Street; (910) 579-2574. Request a table with a view of the Calabash River, then settle back and enjoy a platter of lightly breaded, piping hot shrimp, oysters, scallops, or soft-shell crabs. Lunch, dinner.
Ella's of Calabash (Seafood): 1148 River Road SW.; (910) 579-6728. Seems like everyone in town is either catching seafood or cooking it. This is one of our favorite places for deep-fried seafood. Lunch, dinner.
KITTY HAWK
Ocean Boulevard Bistro & Martini Bar (Seafood): 4700 North Virginia Dare Trail; (252) 261-2546 or www.ocean-boulevard.com. Best place in the state to find grilled fish in a restaurant that's beachy and swanky all at once. Dinner.
RALEIGH-DURHAM
Big Ed's City Market Restaurant (Traditional Southern): 220 Wolfe Street, Raleigh; (919) 836-9909. Go for breakfast. The pancakes, eggs, homemade sausage, and country ham are as authentic as it gets. Fresh veggies shine at lunch. Breakfast, lunch (closed Sunday).
The Duck and Dumpling (Ethnic Standout): 222 South Blount Street, Raleigh; (919) 838-0085 or www.theduckandthedumpling.com. Raised by Chinese parents in Vietnam, chef David Mao blends the two culinary cultures of his heritage in a contemporary downtown setting. For starters, try the Chinese half-fried dumplings, hand-rolled by David daily, or the spring rolls with a Vietnamese dipping sauce. Lunch (Monday-Friday), dinner (Tuesday-Saturday).
Magnolia Grill (Contemporary Southern): 1002 Ninth Street, Durham; (919) 286-3609. If it's on the day's menu, order the "Tender as a Mother's Love" Veal Cheeks, braised and served with lump crab salad and a buttery golden potato puree. The desserts, rooted in down-home flavors, change regularly. Some of our favorites include an upside-down banana confection with salty peanut ice cream, and Lemon Angel Food Bread Pudding. Dinner (closed Sunday-Monday).
The Q Shack (Barbecue): 2510 University Drive, Durham; (919) 402-4227 or www.theqshack.com. The whole turkey, chile-rubbed beef brisket, hand-pulled pork, chicken, and ribs are all smoked on-site. Sauces include a Texas-style, tomato-based version with a touch of chipotle chile, and a western Carolina vinegar-based one with subtle layers of chiles and garlic. Top the meal off with homemade ice cream. Lunch, dinner.
WILMINGTON
Circa 1922 (Ethnic Standout): 8 North Front Street; (910) 762-1922 or www.circa1922.com. Order fresh seafood from the tapas-style menu. One excellent choice is Paella, a traditional Spanish dish that marries clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, chorizo sausage, and saffron rice. Dinner.
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