MAMI NORAS - RALEIGH, NC

PERUVIAN FOOD! We both love trying food from different cultures. Okay, we just love food! A friend suggested we give Peruvian food a try since I'm a big fan of Latin and island flavors. He recommended MAMI NORAS. They have four locations in the Triangle area and wanting something we'd never eaten before Big Daddy and I were game.

I really liked MAMI NORAS. Per their website they are recognized for their unforgettable rotisserie chicken, cooked in a special marinade, then roasted in their imported oven from Perú. This oven uses wood charcoal, no gas or electric heat is needed. And they pair their chicken with traditional South American sides like plantains to yucca fries and black beans.

We both ordered the chicken. He got white meat, I ordered dark meat. I opted for the black beans and white rice and Big Daddy wanted fries and slaw. And the food was really good! I commend them on the chicken. It was tender, moist and flavorful. The black beans were some of the best I've ever had but the rice was lacking. It's hard to screw up rice but theirs was dry with bits of hard pieces like it had been sitting for some time. The fries and slaw weren't overly special but they were good.

Now where I give them big points is the service. The service was exceptional. The young woman who took our order cheerfully explained the menu and the cooking process and I was impressed by how hard everyone seemed to be working. The tables and floor were clean and after every sitting there wasn't a moment of hesitation before someone was picking up the dirty dishes and wiping down table and seats for the next person. Business was brisk and no one was slacking. 

My only disappointment was the Caramel Flan. I really wanted some. But according to the cashier, they didn't have any available. "There wasn't any cut." However she did suggest we try the Caramel Cookie, insisting that we would not be disappointed. I wasn't convinced so I passed. I will however make another trip to eat here again and hopefully get a taste of that flan!

TILTED KILT

I love a great Irish pub! I'm not a big beer fan but when I do drink I only drink Guinness and where better to get Guinness than an Irish pub. Big Daddy is not a fan of Guinness, the taste just too dark and bitter for his liking. He's weird. I know. As for the Irish pub, he could take it or leave it. But I wanted Guinness and off we went to visit Tilted Kilt located in Raleigh, NC. It was mid-afternoon and I was having issues. I wanted an ale and that dry Irish stout was calling my name. Big Daddy was only interested in lunch although he did order a Bud Light.

Tilted Kilt is a good Irish pub. I don't know that I loved it but under the right circumstances, I would probably go back again. The atmosphere was inviting and friendly. The customers lively and their waitresses were attentive. The staff is costumed, the women slightly Hooter-esque in very small kilts with red plaid push-up bras beneath a tied white blouse. Male staffers likewise wore a kilt but not as short or revealing. Doesn't take rocket science to know what key demographic they cater to. And the men were there in full swing!

They have a decent menu of pub/bar fare. Things like wings and chips to help soak up some of that alcohol. But truth be told, I don't know if they're a good place to eat if you're looking for a really good, stick to your bones kind of meal.

He ordered the Irish Dip. It was shaved rib eye steak topped with melted Swiss cheese and a side of au jus for dipping and it was served with fries. I ordered the Pastrami Sandwich. Thinly sliced hot pastrami and Swiss cheese served on marble rye with spicy mustard was a great companion to my Guinness. At least that's what I was hoping for. But to our dismay, the chef was clearly having a bad day that afternoon. Someone had been heavy handed with the salt in both of our dishes. Both were barely edible. And you know it had to be exceptionally salty when Big Daddy couldn't eat it. 

We decided not to count them out altogether. A bad day doesn't necessarily make for a bad restaurant all around. We'll try them again, if for no other reason than to satisfy my taste for Guinness.

BACKYARD BBQ PIT - DURHAM, NC

Tea & Breakfast, an online news, entertainment and fashion sight recently published a list of the Best Soul Food Restaurants in America. Some sixty food places made the cut and we were intrigued. As we perused the list there were some we had heard of and others that we knew about and had dined in. We were suddenly excited by the prospect of trying the others. I screamed, “Road Trip!!!” and Big Daddy gassed up the car.

Our first stop was number 39 on the list, Backyard BBQ Pit in Durham, North Carolina. We headed in that direction and arrived about 7:15 pm on a Friday evening. The place itself is a dive, nothing at all that gives you any warm and fuzzy feelings once you step through the door. But there was a line of customers wrapped around the building and that in and of itself had us intrigued. Once we stepped inside, however, every ounce of that intrigue dissipated.

Pure chaos greeted us at the door. We have never witnessed the likes of such ever before. As we stood in line for some twenty-five minutes we watched patron after patron be disappointed as the food began to run out. “Sorry, all out!” became their mantra. We were slightly confused until the man in front of us noted that they closed at 8 PM. Then a young man stuck his head out the kitchen window and cried out last call for fried food. If you didn't order it right then and there you weren't going to get it.

We quickly ordered a fried catfish plate, a fried whiting plate and a fried pork chop plate. Chaos continued as minutes later they were still unsure of who had ordered fried what. Another twenty minutes passed and we watched as they locked the door some ten minutes early. We asked about sitting down and dining and were told it wouldn't be a problem but there would be no refills on any drinks we purchased since they were closing. We opted to take the food home instead. Once home, I filled our plates and we sat down, hopeful that the meal would meet our expectations. It didn't.

Big Daddy and I both believe the catfish is probably much better if eaten hot out of the fryer. But I found the catfish fishy and I was not a fan. Both of us were willing to try it again when we had an opportunity to dine in.

The vegetables were mediocre at best. The greens were tough and clumpy and tasted of a hint of sugar. Neither of us is a fan of vegetables with sugar added. The macaroni and cheese was good, not great, but okay. The canned yams were right out of the can with nothing added to spice them up and the string beans were blah. I was wholeheartedly disappointed but I agreed to give them another try.

We tried them again this past weekend and the experience wasn't much better. This time we arrived at 5:30 for dinner just to discover that they close at 6 PM on Saturdays. Really? On a Saturday? This time we ordered two rib plates. We wanted to try the fried chicken but they weren't taking any more fried food orders. And, again, someone was yelling for the door to be locked so that no one else came inside.

Again, we ended up taking the food home. Again, the macaroni and cheese was good and actually better this time than the last.  And this go round we tried the sautéed cabbage. They were good and neither of us had any complaints. Now Big Daddy enjoyed the ribs. They were heavily sauced and the sauce was sweet. I’m more of a dry rub kind of rib girl. And the sauce was too sweet for my tastes. He would eat them again. I would pass.

What we did agree on is that we won’t be repeat customers at Backyard BBQ Pit. The food didn't live up to the hype and I was thoroughly disappointed. But what was most off putting for both of us was the customer service. We watched as plates were prepped and handed to customers before their fried pieces were finished. Then the fried food was wrapped in wax paper and just handed to the customer over the counter. No bag. No nothing. The staff was surly, clearly more interested in closing the doors than making their paying customers feel welcomed. Questions were met with abrupt answers and the whole vibe felt extremely amateurish. For a food business it was just not good. 

CAFÉ PARIZADE - DURHAM, NC

Café Parizade is a long time staple in Durham, NC. Six years ago my mother, sister, and I hosted my father’s 70^th Birthday dinner celebration for fifty persons in their private dining room. From start to finish the staff went above and beyond our expectations. Since then I have been promising to return but just never got there. But I love the atmosphere and have never been disappointed by the food.

Recently Big Daddy and I were given a gift certificate to Café Parizade and l was over the moon excited! It was an opportunity to dress up and rub elbows with a sophisticated, trendy crowd. At least that was my plan. But this week we happened to be in the area mid-afternoon and decided to pop in for lunch since we didn’t know when we’d get another chance. The lunch rush was done and finished and there wasn’t a crowd so the wait staff were exceptionally attentive.

Everything about Café Parizade feels like a Mediterranean excursion. The décor is whimsical and inviting. The staff hail from all over the world and the food tastes out of this world!

 The meal started with a beautiful basket of whole grain focaccia bread. Big Daddy balked at the bread at first because it was “chilled” and he likes warm bread when it comes to olive oil and dipping. Our waiter, a young man from Kenya studying dentistry, said the bread is served at room temperature. Of course, Big Daddy joked about the room being a refrigerator! But the bread was fresh and spattered with olives. The dipping oil was a flavorful olive oil atop red pepper flakes and grated parmesan cheese. I could have made an entire meal off the bread. It was that good.

For his appetizer Big Daddy ordered the seasonal soup of the day. It was a healthy bowl of creamy goodness; a delightful melding of chicken and scallions in a rich cream sauce. This needs to be on the menu every day. On a day like today, I’d give anything for a big bowl to offset the cold and rain.

For his entrée Big Daddy ordered the CHICKEN SOUVLAKI KABOB. It was a kabob of grilled chicken atop a bed of chopped Greek salad and arugula with tzatziki sauce and pita triangles on the side. The portion was modest but more than enough for a full meal. The chicken was melt in your mouth tender and so flavorful. Surprisingly, Big Daddy liked the cold focaccia bread more than the pita but it was all good.

I started with the PARIZADE SALAD, a pretty dish of mixed greens, strawberries, bleu cheese, and almonds in a raspberry vinaigrette. It was like eating spring time, bright and fresh! Everything about it made me feel good. It looked pretty and tasted great. For my entrée I went for the pasta and ordered the FETTUCCINE CARBONARA. It was delicate noodles in a parmesan cream sauce topped with Applewood bacon, hardboiled egg, and green onions. The sauce was a little bland for my liking. It really could have used just a smidgen of salt to accent the flavors. I also found the chopped egg a little off putting. For me, it just seemed out of place. And it did nothing to enhance the taste.

We ended the meal with their BLACK VELVET PRALINE TORTE. It was three layers consisting of a velvety smooth blend of milk and Gianduja chocolate, caramel praline, blanket chiffon cake and topped with a warm chocolate praline sauce. It tasted much better than it looked. The flowers dusted on the plate were pretty but the warm sauce dumped on top of the torte was not appealing to the eye and I won't even repeat what Big Daddy thought it looked like.

On a scale of one through ten I’d give the meal a solid eight. Neither one of us was really disappointed. We would go back in a heartbeat. I’m actually looking forward to summer and their infamous Prixe Fix Friday menus. The Prixe Fix Friday menus, with five courses for a nominal price, focus each month on one of the Mediterranean countries, with inspiration coming from Spain, Morocco, Italy, and Greece, culminating with their Greek festival at the end of the summer.

Café Parizade was a win-win for us both! I absolutely LOVE this place!