The Pit, 328 W Davie St, Raleigh

Yeah, this food was good. Hard to go wrong with BBQ. I think I would have liked the lunch menu better but I made due with what I had to work with. I opted for appetizers for my dinner. I got Barbecue Fries and Barbecue Sliders, with a side of okra. I was celebrating. I decided to have the fries brought out as an appetizer for both my husband and me. Wow, am I GLAD that I did that. Those barbecue fries were intense.

Hand-cut fries with melted pimiento cheese, chopped 'cue, and chives, served with BBQ ranch dressing! YOWSER. I think we were done after that but we pushed on.

Barbecue Sliders - a little dry but great once I hooked them up with some BBQ sauce!

Carolina Style Ribs with Mac 'N Cheese and Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Ed Mitchell, the owner, even came out and made his way around the room, talking to EVERY table except ours for some reason. I think I'd rather go for lunch next time but I had a great time!

Website and menu: http://www.thepit-raleigh.com/
Speed: Pretty good - it seemed like it was group servers, so lots of people were checking on us.
Price: $6.99-$10.59 (lunch); $6.99-$23.59 (dinner)
Hours: Mon-Thurs. 1130am-10pm, Fri-Sat. 1130am-11pm, Sun: 1130am-3:00pm, 5pm-9:00pm
Overall: 4/5

Manchesters Grill, 2121 T.W. Alexander Drive, Morrisville, NC 27560

This restaurant has a pretty good little atmosphere. Small bar area (great happy hour specials on Thurs) and a large restaurant seating area. The kitchen is partially open to the dining area which wasn't really noticeable until someone turned the lights up in the kitchen. We were seated in the center of the dining room in a table and we both agreed that we would like a booth off to the side next time.

I ordered a house salad with grilled chicken and ranch on the side. My lunch buddy ordered a parmesan chicken sandwich with a side of house salad. Just about everyone in the restaurant looked like they ordered the soup of the day which turned out to be clam chowder. I saw a pasta entree and it looked pretty freaking big.

When my buddy's salad came out (with balsamic dressing that smelled delicious), I was a little worried about the size of my salad. Her salad was great for a side salad - large even. But for a meal? I started to reconsider. I didn't really have anything to worry about - the size of my salad was great. There was a LOT of lettuce and not a lot of anything else. Or maybe the lettuce was cut too large. It seemed hard to keep each bite moist and flavorful. I think I would go back and try the greek salad next time or the club sandwich. My buddy said her sandwich was good and she would go back.

Website and menu: http://www.manchestersgrill.com/
Speed: Pretty good - drinks were filled by everyone, not just the waitress in our area and our waitress checked back with us until we were ready to order.
Price: $4.99-$26.99
Hours: Mon-Fri. 11am-10pm, Sat. 11am-10pm, Sun: 11am-3:00pm, 4pm-9:00pm
Overall: 3/5

Lina's Cafe and Catering, 5400 S Miami Blvd, Durham, NC

I wasn't really a fan of Lina's. It runs like Moe's so you're shouting at someone behind the counter who is moving REALLY fast to throw your food on a tray and move you out of the way. The people in line behind you are pushing past you to get a glimpse of the day's specials so that they are ready to shout their order when it is their turn. Meanwhile, no one working there acknowledges you so you're left wondering what you're actually going to get for lunch.

If you want one of the day's specials, I'd say you are set for this place. The specials look really appetizing and you get a lot for $7.99. But I opted for the healthy grilled chicken over salad with dressing on the side. Not great, not delicious and not filling. Then the place is so crowded, it's hard to maneuver to an open table.

Website and menu: http://www.linascafeandcatering.com/
Speed: Super Fast
Price: $5.99-$7.99
Hours: M-Th 11am-4pm, F 11am-230pm
Overall: 3/5

Casalinga Ristorante Italiano, Mini City Market Place, 4538 Capital Blvd., Raleigh

Casalinga is my favorite Italian restaurant in Raleigh. Crappy location but amazing food. First off, they bring out the most wonderful bread basket I have ever seen: 2 slices of Focaccia, 2 Garlic Knots and 4 slices of Italian bread. When we asked for more, the waitress even offered to customize it for us and let us pick and choose which breads we got! The "Focaccia" was more like slices of Sicilian pizza without the cheese/toppings. And that's just what you get for free!

We ordered an Antipasta salad without anchovies (prosciutto, soppressata, salami, provolone, artichokes, roasted peppers, tomatoes, olives, and onions) to start. It's definitely a good size to split into 2 small salads. However, we were used to antipastas being served with dressing already on it and we were given the choice of dressing which I think just confused us. Tried the olive oil and balsamic vinegar which wasn't the right choice. It was $13.95 for the salad.

We also ordered a Sicilian square-pan pizza. It is probably their best value. For $14.95 you get a one-size-fits all (and then some) cheese pizza. We added pepperoni to ours for an extra $2.25. You get 16 huge pieces. Well, it's not that they are huge but they are DENSE. Two pieces and you're full. I think we got like 6-7 meals out of this thing. Check out our leftovers:


I don't like Pizza Hut's deep dish pizza because I think it is too greasy, so although this looks greasy, it's really not all that bad. And it tastes amazing. You better check this place out.

Website and menu: http://www.carlocasalinga.net/
Speed: Quite fast. We had just finished our salad when the pizza was coming out and our service was amazing - our drinks never ran low.
Price: $7.95-$23.95/plate
Hours: Mon—Thurs: 4:30pm—9pm; Fri/Sat: 4:30pm—10pm, 5pm-10pm; Sun: 5pm-9pm
Overall: 5/5

Georgina's Pizzeria & Restaurant, 3536 Davis Drive, Morrisville

Georgina's wasn't too bad. They brought a basket of garlic knots to the table that were happily swimming in oil. I've had better but I was starving so they tasted pretty awesome.

I asked the waitress for a recommendation and I think she took the easy way out and recommended what the other person in my party got - a stromboli. It was $6.95 and I needed comfort food so I went with it. Their strombolis have pepperoni, salami and mozzarella. But they are less like a stromboli and more like a roll. Didn't really change the taste and it was nice to be able to see what I was eating instead of something hidden behind dough. The stromboli, like the garlic knots, was swimming in oil which was unfortunate. But for $6.95, I think I could give them another go.

Website and menu: http://www.georginaspizzeria.com/

Speed: A little while longer than I would have liked but the menu warns that stromboli's take some time since they make them fresh.
Price: $6.95-$20.95/plate
Hours: Mon—Thurs: 11am—9pm; Fri/Sat: 11am—10pm; Sun: 12pm-9pm
Overall: 3.5/5

Fratello's Italian Restaurant, 8531 Brier Creek Pkwy - Suite 109, Raleigh

Knowing full-well that I'm not a fan of Italian, I opted to go to Fratello's lunch buffet today. I couldn't resist the $7.95 price tag. The sign advertised spaghetti, meatballs, salad, pizza, sausage and peppers, eggplant parmigiana and baked ziti. They also had garlic knots.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that although the buffet was TINY, the salad portion was relatively large. Fratello's offered Romaine and mixed greens, tomatoes, red onions, Kalamata olives, pepperoncini peppers, feta cheese, parmesan cheese, Caesar dressing and Italian dressing. It wasn't very pretty but it worked. I got a plate full of salad, some ziti and garlic knots. The ziti had an olive flavor to it but it didn't bother me. My first plate was a success. The garlic knots were VERY yummy.

I went back to treat myself to a slice of pizza and a couple more garlic knots. My first bite of pizza I spit out because it was COLD. Two important factors here. #1 - I do not spit out food. That's how undesirable it was. #2 - I considered it a fluke of the buffet and tried again. However, when I returned with my new slice of pizza, I took a bite and again had to spit it out. The pizza tasted disgusting. Not fresh at all. And I only had a slice of cheese pizza - I can't imagine what other toppings would do.

So, to end my meal, I ate my final garlic knot and dubbed the salad the best part of the buffet. Additionally, I made the mistake of ordering a soda and my glass was dry for a considerable amount of time. I asked for a to-go menu to browse and the lunch buffet is cheaper than any single item on the lunch menu except for a side salad. So sad. Despite my poor experience with my second plate, the price was good for my first plate of food.

Website and menu: http://www.fratellosbriercreek.com/
Speed: Slow considering everyone got the buffet and the waitress just had to stay on top of drinks
Price: $7.95-$10.95/plate (lunch); $14.95-$23.95 (dinner)
Hours: Mon—Thurs: 11:30am—2pm, 5pm-9pm; Fri: 11:30am—2pm, 5pm-10pm; Sat: 5pm—10pm; Sun: 5pm-9pm
Overall: 2/5

Baby Moon Cafe, 100 Jerusalem Drive, Ste 106, Morrisville

I'll admit up front that my opinion of Baby Moon is a bit skewed. I would say that the majority of the menu is Italian and I'm not a big fan of Italian food. So I expect an Italian Restaurant to pack a mean salad. I ordered the Baby Moon salad - Herb crusted chicken, roasted peppers, zucchini, olives, mixed greens, tomatoes, and Spicy ranch dressing. Unfortunately, I expected the chicken to be blackened with herbs rather than pan-fried with herbed breading that it really was. Additionally, I believe that the olives may have been racid because they did not taste appetizing at all and I love olives. Also, something was strange about the zucchini and roasted peppers. Too slimey for my salad preferences. The salad was also served with bread that may have been good had there been olive oil on the table to dip it in. As it was, it was just bread too dry to eat.

The service was adequate. I never went without a drink. Our waiter wasn't very friendly and he wasn't the only thing cold about Baby Moon. I would have been warmer if I was dining in Antarctica (I even brought my jacket).

This is the second salad I've had at Baby Moon and I'm going to have to go out on a limb and say that they just don't do salads well. Everyone seems to enjoy their Chicken Pesto sandwich and pasta salad. Next time I'm forced to go to Baby Moon, I'll get that.

Website and menu: http://babymooncafe.com/
Speed: Not bad
Price: $6.95-$23.95/plate
Hours: Mon—Fri: 11am—10pm; Sat: 4pm—10pm
Overall: 2/5

Fujisan Japanese Steakhouse, 8411 Brier Creek Parkway, Suite 105 Brier Creek Commons

Fujisan was a nice excursion from the standard trip to Kanki. The waitress brought us warm towels to wash our hands and took our orders. The prices were very reasonable. For dinner we could get steak for $16.95 or two meats for $17.95. The soup and house salad were pretty standard fare. The waitress didn't slack on drink refills so they already earned high marks in my book.

It was the atmosphere that really set this steakhouse apart from the competition. The staff seemed genuinely happy to be there. Our chef was Asian, not a Hispanic person trying to pretend to be Japanese (we've had that before). It was a friend's birthday and since she was carrying a present to the table, the staff immediately picked up on it and brought my friend complimentary dessert and a balloon. Most places today charge you for that kind of service.

The chef was entertaining and a pretty skilled performer. He actually made 98% of the tricks he tried to do and he was delighted to entertain his table. He didn't throw food at the table either, which has gotten really old at the other Japanese steakhouse. His only stunt was to threaten me with a condiment bottle that pushed out a straw when he squeezed.

Also different from the competition, Fujisan provided fried rice and noodles with dinner. Yummy.

Website and menu: http://www.fujisansteakhouse.com/
Speed: Pretty good
Price: $7-$16/plate (lunch), $12-$30 (dinner)
Hours: Monday - Thursday 11am-2pm; 4:30pm-10pm; Friday 11am-2pm; 4:30pm-11pm; Saturday 3pm-11pm; Sunday 12pm-9pm
Overall: 4/5

Capitol City Chop House, 151 Airgate Drive, Morrisville

See here? I do eat at places other than Mexican restaurants. I decided to go the healthy route and ordered the Santa Fe Salad with Blackened Chicken ($10). It was pretty tasty but the salad prep station dropped the ball on this salad. I had Roma tomatoes cut in half and a whole jalapeno. In addition to the cucumber and chicken, I had to chop my own salad. I ordered it without crispy tortillas but I missed the sour cream and got a whopping glob in the middle of my salad. Not too hard to remove though.

One guy in my party had a complaint though. The Capitol City CHOP House did not have a Pork Chop on the lunch menu. Lucky for him, they were more than happy to let him order off the dinner menu. Our vegetarian party member had a tough time of it though and ended up with a Caesar salad (does he know the dressing is made with anchovy paste?), vegetable medley and french fries.

I couldn't resist ordering dessert though. It had been one of those days. So the waiter quickly gave us our options: "chocolate cake, creme brulee, cheesecake, key lime pie, bananas foster." So I opted for the chocolate cake. The server forgot to mention it's REAL name:

Mile High Chocolate Suicide Cake served with homemade Chocolate Pecan Ice Cream Truffle ($11)

The service was ok. The waiter was a little snobby but he warmed up by the end.

Website and menu: http://www.chophousesofnc.com/ChopHouse/ourstory.htm

Speed: The waitstaff seemed slow to respond to mundane requests like straws and bread. However, they were nicely staffed for our party of 7 with one waiter and 2 runners.

Price: $7-$14/plate (lunch), $19-$49 (dinner)

Hours: Monday - Friday 11:30 am - 10 pm, Saturday: 4:30 pm - 10 pm

Overall Score: 3/5

Torero's Mexican Restaurant, 1837 N Harrison Avenue, Cary, NC

I know you must be thinking that I only ever go to Mexican restaurants. However, when I started this blog, I wanted to review only original restaurants found only in North Carolina. That seriously limits what I can review. Of course I've hit up Andy's since my last review but there are so many of them (though the one on Davis has better service than the one on Harrison).

So, Torero's. Up until this year, Torero's was my all-time favorite Mexican restaurant in the Raleigh area (now it's Cafe Capistrano). My biggest complaint to-date is that their salsa has a very strong cilantro flavor. So I opt for their cheese sauce. They probably give you the best bang for your buck on queso dip.

My favorite dish at Torero's is Arroz con pollo - rice with chicken. It's unique to all Mexican restaurants, I think. Chicken is sauteed in a thick mushroom gravy and served over rice. Everyone who knows me knows I don't do Mexican rice. However, served up this way, I'm all for it. They bring tortillas on the side and you can eat the dish like fajitas. Yum. Another added bonus, it always seems to be the special so it's super cheap. Regular price is $6.25 but it's usually on sale for $5.50 or less.

I've also recently had their Chicken Fajita Quesadilla. It's like a normal chicken quesadilla but the chicken is grilled like fajita chicken. Before my most recent experience, I never noticed that Torero's uses a strange sauce to prepare their fajita meat. Turns out it is also the hot sauce on the tables and it tastes oddly familiar to teriyaki sauce.

So, two out of the last three times I've gone to Torero's, they've sat my party on the other side of the bar. Somehow this becomes the "no fly" zone and we never see our waiter again. It takes forever to get our check and since every Mexican restaurant is different, we can't remember if we take our check up to the front or pay at the table. So we wait longer. Good food, long wait.

Website and menu: http://www.torerosmexicanrestaurants.com/
Speed: The waitstaff was slow to bring the bill.
Price: $5-$12/plate
Hours: Unknown
Overall Score: 4/5

Cafe Capistrano - 2250 Gathering Park Circle, Cary

After driving through a subdivision and past the music school, we reached this Mexican oasis. Hands down, this location has the best Mexican food. Cafe Capistrano describes their fare as "California Style Mexican Cuisine." The setting is fairly elegant but the outside seating is divine. You can actually see grass from their outdoor patio, not just a field of concrete like most restaurants. Outside, you feel as if you are at a neighbor's house.

The waitress brought the standard chips and salsa to the table but there was nothing standard about either. The chips taste different than most tortilla chips somehow. But the salsa is where the real magic happens. The website says they make their salsa fresh twice daily and it really tastes fresh. In fact, today, the owner apologized that it was a little spicier than usual because the "jalapenos got away from me." By far, best salsa I've had in the Triangle.

For lunch I got the Mexican salad with chicken. You won't believe this but my salad, from a Mexican restaurant, was green. Most Mexican salads are anything but green and they usually have a giant tortilla shell as a bowl. However, Cafe Capistrano knows what a real salad is. The salad is a bed of greens topped with black beans, rice, your choice of meat, cheese and pico de gallo. It is served with California lime dressing or santa fe (spicy ranch) dressing. I opted to use the salsa on my salad instead of the dressings. It was fabulous.

Mexican Salad

This restaurant really takes pride in the quality of their food. They use olive oil to sautee and canola oil for frying. No animal fat is added to the beans (they offer "smashed" rather than "refried"). The chicken is always chicken breasts and the beef is quality angus.

For queso dip, they offered a selection of "Clasico" or "Blanco" and we opted to try "Clasico," which I did not find very appetizing. I will have to give Blaco a try next time.

Website and menu: http://www.cafecapistrano.com/
Speed: The time to get the food was pretty decent considering they make everything fresh. However the waitstaff was slow to bring the bill.
Price: $8-$12/plate
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 11am-2:30pm, 5pm-9pm; Fri-Sat: 11am-2:30pm, 5pm-10pm

Burrito

Quesadilla

El Rodeo GRILL - 7420 Six Forks Road, Raleigh

Now don't be confused. This restaurant is not part of the El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant chain. Yes, it is Mexican food and yes it is owned by the same family that owns El Rodeo. But this restaurant is more like a fancy Mexican restaurant and no one calls you "amigo."

I went with some friends and we tried a full spread. So I think we have a pretty good variety to critique the menu. First, the atmosphere though. The restaurant definitely felt classy with frosted glass separating the bar from the rest of the restaurant. There is a stylish ramp that leads from the hostess station to the seating area, too. We went on a Sunday evening which may have contributed to a low clientele. There were only a handful of other tables full.

The standard chips and salsa were brought to the table. The chips weren't that special but the salsa was tastier than most Mexican restaurants. The website says they make their salsa fresh daily. It had large chunks of onion and didn't reek of cilantro so that's a winner for me!

For the meals, the waitress recommended the fajitas, the burritos and the fajita quesadillas. So, here's what we ordered:

The chicken fajita quesadilla ($12.49): The quesadilla was quite tastey. It was loaded with green peppers, onions, mushrooms, chicken and CHEESE. The mushrooms were succulent and the cheese was different from most other quesadillas. Quite tastey. The rice was nothing to write home about and that green lettuce stuff was loaded with cilantro. The guacamole was pretty yummy, too. No idea what the white stuff was on the quesadilla.

Carnitas ($11.99): Quoted as "the pork was trying to seduce my mouth." The pork was very tender and full of flavor. Not to mention that it was a huge hunk of meat. It was served with rice, refried beans, slaw and tomatillo sauce. The slaw was more like cabbage mix with some vinegar dressing. Also, the refried beans had some extra flavor which was a nice surprise.

Fajita Trio ($13.99): The statement made about fajitas was that the vegetables were not cooked long enough. The vegetables were still crunchy and not blackened in any spot. Cheese and guacamole were offered as "extra" and it was not understood that the cheese would be melted on the meat, but that was a great bonus. Also, a great quantity of meat was expected based on other Mexican dining experiences.

One thing unique to El Rodeo Grill is that they offer Charro beans which were pretty freaking good. They taste like pinto beans cooked with chipotle peppers - smokey and with some spice. Yum.

El Rodeo Grill also offers homemade sangria. The sangria tasted a little sour, like it was made mostly with cranberry juice and very little real fruit flavor. Not what I consider authentic sangria.

Final weigh-in: If you're a fan of Dos Taquitos, this place is WAY better, has better hours and atmosphere. If you have a favorite local Mexican restaurant around the corner, it's not really worth the drive past your local Mexican joint for a classy $12-per-plate Mexican restaurant. El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant has a menu with greater variety but definitely not the exact same offerings as El Rodeo Grill.

Website and menu: http://www.elrodeogrill.com/
Speed: Not bad, slower than a regular Mexican restaurant though and it took a long time to get the bill and then send it back to be separated.
Price: $10-$15/plate
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat: 11am-11pm, Sun: 11am-9pm

Tres Magueyes - 9605 Chapel Hill Rd, Morrisville

Today I had a craving for Mexican and a last minute choice led us to Tres Magueyes. I've eaten there a few times but have yet to figure out what a Maguey is. All I can think of is Gizmo from Gremlins but I'm pretty sure it's one of those plant things on the sign. There are tres of them.

So, I decided to go wild for lunch and try something new. I had a hankering for something fried so I tried a chicken chimichanga. I thought we could rock out with the standard chips and salsa on the table but the salsa seemed to be really off that day. Or maybe it's just always bad but it tasted like straight up tomato sauce. There were some green flecks in there but I sure couldn't taste them. So I resorted to my fail-safe: queso dip. It was mmm-mmm good.

The chimichanga was pretty boring. It was served with guacamole and sour cream so I buried it with both. No vegetables were on my plate to eat with it. Even the beans were pretty flavorless. So I stuck with my trusty queso dip and called it a day.

I reminded myself that I was excited when my office moved locations and was now closer to my favorite Mexican Restaurant, Torero's. I'm not sure why my last minute decision took us to a new place but I think I'll boycott in the future.