Category: North Carolina

Carolina Capers: A Novel & More

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THE BIG MOVE

Ready to move!

After a decade of retirement living on the west coast of Florida, the Chief Penguin and I moved to eastern North Carolina!  We spent two days on the road with a night in Brunswick, Georgia, before arriving in our new state.  Move-in day was just a week ago, but we’ve made great progress toward getting settled. 

We have a spacious, light-filled apartment in a retirement community.  The daily calendar offers a raft of activities and events plus a complete range of exercise and fitness classes—if you’re bored, it’s your own fault!  Among the several dining venues, we have become fans of the small plates and tapas in one area.  In another venue, stations for salads and sandwiches, wok offerings, pizza, and soups provide additional tempting fare.  With so much good food and all the choices, there’s the risk of adding a “freshman fifteen.”  Not part of our plan!

We’ve been out and about on foot to the new downtown park and then on to the noteworthy La Farm Bakery. The bakery stop was a must for the Chief Penguin, and it passes muster.  Just a few miles down the road by car are both CVS and Walgreens and a Harris Teeter supermarket.  Thus far, we are most pleased with this new adventure!

NOVEL OF THE WEEK

Leaving by Roxana Robinson

(roxanarobinson.com)

Leaving is Roxana Robinson’s latest novel.  I thoroughly enjoyed several of her earlier works including the highly praised Cost. This book too stayed with me.  Sarah, a museum curator, is divorced, lives in Manhattan, and has two grown children.  Warren, an architect, is from Boston, married, but unhappily so, and has an adult daughter.  Theirs was a college romance which Sarah broke off without seeming to give him a reason.  When they meet again thirty years later, they reconnect and have an affair.  

Emotions can be messy and when they become entangled and entwined with an existing family, the fallout can be disastrous.  How much sway should adult children hold over the actions of their parents?  How obligated is a spouse who wants a divorce to heed the wishes of an adult daughter?  What are the consequences and conflicts of being the other woman?

Sarah and Warren are depicted as decent people, individuals with a conscience.  Sarah knows she’s involved in an adulterous affair but rationalizes that she’s continuing a relationship that began long ago.  Warren is a man of honor with a strong moral code.  

The events of the novel unfold over several decades with a twist at the end; it may surprise some, but I thought it was in keeping with these characters.  Recommended!  (~JWFarrington)

SHOUT OUT TO ARTS & CENTRAL

This is for my Florida friends.  Arts & Central is a hot new dining venue in Sarasota’s Rosemary District.  We dined here with friends just before leaving the area.  It’s an expansive space with great patio seating, a large interior with scattered tables, and a long bar with plenty of seating for walk-ins.  Lots of wood and some metal make for a casual slightly industrial vibe. 

There are fish, beef, and other entrees, but we mostly stuck to the small plates for sharing.  The lamb sliders, piquillo peppers with goat cheese, and sticky ribs were all excellent.  We also sampled the Brussels sprouts and the green goddess shrimp salad.  Only real disappointment was the tater tots.  Only open for 3 weeks, the place was full!  We wouldn’t hesitate to return, so make a reservation if you’re tempted.

Note: Unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

November Interlude: Dining Out in North Carolina

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We spent Thanksgiving week in North Carolina enjoying relaxing times with family, but also dining out with my sisters and brothers-in-law. Chapel Hill and Greensboro offer a range of choices; here are several we tried. I also admired the last of the fall colors, here and there spectacular red and blazing yellow foliage.

IN GREATER CHAPEL HILL

Tarantini

An inviting casual Italian restaurant in the Governors Club development. The menu offers pasta, pizzas, and both veal and chicken dishes. The house and Greek salads were good, and, our table had several orders of lasagna and one of the beef short ribs. I had their chicken piccata with capers in a nicely thick lemony sauce. Service was very friendly, but our waitress was too eager to clear the plates.

Flair

Flair Fusion Restaurant (TripAdvisor)

Flair is a sister restaurant to Tarantini in the same complex and somewhat more elegant in its décor. It is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a menu that has some Asian touches. We had dinner and the food was delicious.

The entrée menu runs the gamut from sophisticated salmon and chicken dishes to shrimp and grits, lobster ravioli, and lamb osso bucco with risotto. There are also burgers, Asian noodle and rice dishes, and a wide range of starters including a tasty duck confit egg roll which I ordered. For my main course, I opted for rice vermicelli with veggies and shrimp in a scallion ginger sauce. A pleasant vibe and professional service make this appealing for a return visit.

PITTSBORO

The Modern Life Deli & Drinks

We always look forward to lunch and shopping in historic Pittsboro, just down the road from Chapel Hill. Our usual place is the S & T’s Soda Shoppe, but they are often closed around Thanksgiving. They were this time too, so we returned to The MOD for their good sandwiches, salads and pizzas. Noteworthy were the grilled cheese and bacon sandwich and the soft pretzels accompanied by mustard and an addictive queso which we all dipped into.

CARY

Academy Street Bistro

Exterior & courtyard of Academy Street Bistro (The Triangle Explorer)

Located in old downtown Cary in Ashworth Village, Academy Street Bistro is an attractive casual place serving both lunch and dinner. For summer days, there’s lovely patio seating. We had lunch here and appreciated the warm welcome and the delicious salads. My Caesar salad with grilled chicken was just perfect; the thin strips of chicken did not overwhelm the greens. Others in our group had their salads with a tasty crab cake on top. 

Ashworth Village is a charming set of shops including an olive oil and vinegar store and a gallery featuring works by local artists. This part of Cary is very walkable. We checked out the impressive new regional library and a grand red brick elementary school that is now a performing arts center.

GREENSBORO

Green Valley Grill

Located in the same area as the Proximity Hotel and its Printworks restaurant which we have enjoyed, the Green Valley Grill is adjacent to the O. Henry Hotel, Proximity’s sister property.  The dining room is spacious and attractive with dark wood and high ceilings. The menu is creative, and the chef has upped the ante on some standards with intriguing twists.  We began with za’atar spiced crispy cauliflower for the table.  

The Chief Penguin and I each ordered chicken salads; he the peasant variation with a tomato vinaigrette and I, the grilled chicken Cobb with Gorgonzola dressing.  A and P sampled the farro salmon salad and the white flatbread topped with several cheeses, mushrooms, and broccolini.  Everything was very good. I’d be happy to explore the menu further!

BACK HOME IN SARASOTA

Bijou Garden Café

Under new ownership for a about a year now, the formerly named Bijou Café revamped and redecorated and became the Bijou Garden Café.  Recently, we came to celebrate our anniversary. The new décor is lovely, even elegant.  One of the dining areas, which we liked, has been given over to the bar and bar seating and seems to be very popular. 

Swordfish

The menu has been streamlined, shortened actually, and a couple of my favorites like the chicken paillard and the trout are among the missing.  The entrees emphasize meat—beef, lamb, and duck, with prices ranging from $38 to $43.  I ordered the grilled swordfish on orzo with spinach which was delicious and less expensive at $30.  The Chief Penguin’s chicken Provencal with roast potatoes was a bit under seasoned.  This was our second dinner here, and we still miss the old Bijou.  I don’t think we’ll hurry back.

Fall foliage in Cary

Note: Photos of fall color in Cary and swordfish photo ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Tidbits: Watching & Chapel Hill

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WATCHING

Still Relevant 60’s Musical

Hair

It’s hard to believe that I’d never seen a stage production of Hair until this week.  I certainly knew many of the songs and something about the basic premise.  Seeing it at the Asolo Theatre was a powerful experience.  

The time is 1968, the place the streets of Greenwich Village, and the Vietnam War is raging.   This gang of hippies, or wolf pack as they dub themselves, celebrates peace and love while promoting and participating in anti-war protests.  Individually like Claude, or collectively, they must struggle with the realities of the draft.   

The performance is energetic and almost electric, and the singing boisterous.  It set my toes to tapping. The magnificently disordered set appropriately reflects both the inner and outer disruption in these young people’s lives.  Despite its age, I found parts of Hair relevant to today.  The show runs until January 1.  Highly recommended!

Black & White in the 1920’s

Passing (Netflix)

Clare & Irene (okayplayer.com)

This black and white film is being aired both in movie theaters and on Netflix.  Irene and Brian are a well-off Black couple living in Harlem with their two sons.  Claire is Irene’s sort-of friend from school days who’s married to a white man and living her life as if she were white.  When the two women encounter each other in a restaurant, Clare builds upon their previous relationship and inserts herself into Irene’s life.  She regularly travels up to Harlem to visit and to go out with Irene and Brian.  How each woman deals with her multiple roles (wife and mother) and creates her place in society makes for a complex and haunting film.  Shadows abound while tension lurks beneath the surface.  Recommended!

CHAPEL HILL AND ENVIRONS

Shopping

We spent several days in the Chapel Hill area over Thanksgiving, and both shopped and ate well.  A frequent outing is browsing the art galleries and shops in Pittsboro.  Established in 1785, Pittsboro is a charming small town, and soon became the Chatham County seat. 

Chatham County Courthouse (en.wikipedia.org)

One main shopping street runs into a traffic circle around the historic county courthouse, built in 1881.  The building has been altered and renovated several times but remains an imposing and attractive example of late Victorian architecture.  Many stores were closed because of the holiday, but our family group still browsed and bought. 

Another must stop on this visit was a trip to McIntyre’s Books in Fearrington Village.  Founded in 1989, it is truly a booklover’s paradise.  The store’s multiple rooms and alcoves are inviting, and the inventory includes the latest fiction and nonfiction, classics, cookbooks galore, many, many mysteries, and a room devoted to just children’s books.  It’s a real treasure, and true to form, I made several Christmas purchases.  

Eating

Wednesday lunch was at The Mod, short for The Modern Life Deli & Drinks.  The menu at this Pittsboro café included a wide selection of sandwiches and pizzas.  My turkey rosemary pesto panini was very satisfying as was the Caesar salad on the side.  Very good value! 

Appealing fare at The Mod (tripadvisor.org)

On our last night, we dined at Mosaic Café & Bistro in Carrboro. As its name suggests, Mosaic offers a mix of small plates and larger entrees, some vegan or vegetarian, others what we might call regular cuisine (here that meant gluten-free).  The Chief Penguin boldly ordered Ethiopian roasted parsnips and carrots as well as the vegan meatballs.  The meatballs were made of seitan and served in a slightly spicy tomato sauce.  If you didn’t know, you’d think they were really meat!  These were small plates, but not truly small portions.  Also popular with our companions were the sea scallops, escargots, and French onion soup.  Playing it safe, I ordered the shrimp skewers and avocado.  Mosaic is an attractive space with rust-colored walls and framed art.

In downtown Greensboro earlier in the week, we had a tasty lunch at Jerusalem Market on Elm.  They offer takeout or ordering at the counter for eating in.  Among the four of us, we sampled the shawarma, chicken kebab, falafel, and hummus.  Flavors were fresh, portions ample, and we were happily satisfied.  The restaurant is an affiliate of a local food market founded in 1989; when customers wanted more prepared foods, the sons of the owner decided to create this downtown restaurant.  It’s a recent addition to the dining scene.

Jerusalem Market offerings (happy cow.net)

Note: Header photo of the Asolo Theatre set for Hair is courtesy heraldtribune.com.

On the Road: Greensboro, NC

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We spent Thanksgiving week in Carolina visiting family in Greensboro and then Chapel Hill.  It was lovely to see fall colors and to scuffle and crunch along in the fallen leaves.  Thanks to Ann and Paul, in Greensboro, we enjoyed several outdoor attractions plus a museum. Here are some of the highlights.

ATTRACTIONS

Greensboro Arboretum

Chimes in Greensboro Arboretum

The 17-acre Greensboro Arboretum combines paved paths for easy walking and a host of special plant collections ranging from conifers to hostas to a rhododendron garden and a shade garden.  For us in late November, little was in bloom, so what was most appealing were the tall trees holding on to yellow gold leaves.  Adding to our enjoyment were several sculptures, one tall one with chimes.  It was quiet and serene on a Sunday afternoon, and we only passed one other visitor.

Fall foliage in the arboretum

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Guilford Courthouse, a small village, was the scene of a critical battle in the Revolutionary War in 1781.  Although the Americans were defeated, Major General Nathanael Greene lost only a few soldiers.  Nearly a quarter of British Lt. General Cornwallis’ troops died in this battle, resulting in a change in course for the Southern Campaign.  Cornwallis was reputed to have said, “Greene is as dangerous as Washington.  I never feel secure when encamped in his neighbourhood.”     

Continental Army camp follower

The park’s small museum has exhibits describing the key players in the battle, figures dressed in the uniforms of each side, and facts about life in this rural area.  We watched a 10-minute introductory film which provided a very helpful animated depiction of where the American and the British troops were positioned and how the battle played out.  

Outside we wandered around the battle site noting the occasional sculpture or memorial marker.  It was an informative morning and much more interesting than I had anticipated!

Golden woods at Guilford Courthouse

Green Hill Cemetery

Opened in 1877, this large city-owned cemetery is full of history.  Many prominent families in Greensboro purchased plots here.  Many of the family plots are circular ones, a popular style in the 19th century, which allowed for a central piece of sculpture such as an obelisk to be ringed by individual headstones.  

View in Green Hill Cemetery

At Guilford Courthouse, we noted a pedestal dedicated to one of the founders of the military park along with the names of two other men.  In the cemetery, we wandered, took photos, noted some exotic tree species (Chinese parasol tree, for one), and found the gravesite of one Guilford Courthouse’s founders.  It was a lovely afternoon with splashes of sunlight, and the surrounding trees were especially beautiful!

Glowing fall foliage

LUNCH OUT

Osteria

Osteria is in a small shopping strip.  We had eaten here before with my sister and brother-in-law and were delighted to return.  Their menu includes salads, homemade pasta, and more substantial entrees.  Several of us began with the house salad or the panzanella and both were very good and good sized.  Their mushroom soup was also pronounced excellent.  I really enjoyed the strozzapreti pasta with creamy tomato meat sauce while others sampled fettucine with peas and prosciutto and gnocchi pesto.  Not only was the food very tasty, but it was also a good value!

BOOK SHOPPING

Scuppernong Books

A visit to Greensboro is not complete without some time to browse and buy in Scuppernong Books.  An independent bookstore with a café (offering wine), it both feels and smells like a bookstore should!  In stock are the latest fiction and nonfiction hardbacks, newly released paperbacks, and an extensive and well-curated children’s section.  In the back are two walls of gently used books.  

We browsed and lingered and even bought!  For the curious, the store is named for a Southern grape used to make a sweet wine.

Interior of Scuppernong (downtowngreensboro.org)

Note: All unattributed photos ©JWFarrington. Header photo is of metal silhouettes of soldiers at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park.