raleightransplant

Bummer for RDU. Yeah, I used to live in Columbus. It's sort of the oasis in an otherwise dying state. Columbus itself is pretty damn vibrant and constantly growing. Pretty similar to the Triangle actually.

^^ Agreed. Great to see the progress, and I see this place doing really well. Between the view, an urban neighborhood nearby, and a brewery being downtown again--this one should be a home run! I definitely plan to check this place out on warm summer nights. I also plan to check out this chocalate place in Glenwood South tonight. Very exciting times for our burgeoning city!

I would love to see some great Indian and other ethnic restaurants right in DT Raleigh. I love that Neomonde, or an upscale restaurant along those lines is opening up on Hargett. Honestly, Cary gets a bad rap (and rightfully so) around here for obvious reasons---but there are a number of good non-chain restaurants in that town, actually. A lot of good ethnic food there. I believe there's a new Peruvian restaurant near Cary Town Center, a ton of good Indian restaurants, some good Greek and middle eastern places, Cuban, Vietnamese, Thai, etc. The stereotype of Cary being a bland place is right in the sense of place (or lack thereof), but the food isn't lacking in my eyes. P.S. Twisted Noodles in Durham got a mention in Bon Appetit in past month.

DanRNC--good to hear. I definitely want to check that place out. Looks fun. RaleighRob--I saw that this morning about Nana's Chophouse and thought the same thing. I am pumped, however, about this BBQ place. It looks different and will be a nice addition to DT Raleigh. Should be a fun place for food and drink late in to the night. I particularly like how they're going to add lunch service after they get up and running. Raleigh needs that. I guess I thought it was going to go somewhere in the Hargett vicinity, though. Wasn't that the idea originally?

Anyone been to Southern Rail in Carrboro? It's in the old Crazy Mae's spot--supposed be a pretty cool place decor-wise. I've heard mixed reviews on the food.

I haven't flown out of RDU in a little while, but took the chance to check it out a couple of weeks back. It's really taking shape, and it looks fantastic. I enjoyed the video, as you're able to get a bit of an aerial view. This will be something to be proud of.

Wow..wouldn't that be fantastic to have the College World Series here? This is true college area if there ever was one, and the region offers a lot to see for a visitor. REALLY excited about this Minor League Baseball development. This is and should be a real calling card for Durham. Bull Durham is loved by people all over the country, and I have no doubt this would be a success. Durham, to me, really feels like a "baseball town"--it's got all these historic buildings that give it that feel. This would be fantastic.

^^ I like City Market, and I think Edison could work really well with that and compliment it. I've also always thought the Warehouse District could be a possible place where you might see some cool browsing areas pop up. I think you could have the old warehouses along with some modern buildings if development could push west (and I'm not sure it can or will). CAM could really lend itself to that kind of thing, and you have some good establishments like Humble Pie down there already. I like the idea of blending contemporary steel and glass with old brick warehouses. Regardless of where we see retail pop up downtown (and let's hope it does), I would love to see a good mix of avant garde and traditional. Niche places are great and add character, but there needs to be a range there. My dream urban neighborhood--The Pearl in Portland. http://www.portlandneighborhood.com/pearldistrict.html

Yeah--Glenwood is quite the hopping spot at night. Daytime is a bit of a downer if you ask me, and the problem is two-fold. One is residents...this is changing for the better right now but I'm not sure there's a critical mass that can sustain streetlife all day. The other problem, as mentioned by others, is the lack of a retail district. People do typically shop in a browsing way, so you need more shops for window shopping, impulse buys, etc. I really hope the Edison adds this kind of feel. I'm not too knowledgable with regard to zoning, etc., but I would like to see certain parts of Glenwood South (as it expands) and DT zoned specifically for retail in order to draw people in who would otherwise go to North Hills or Cameron Village.

There's a place in North Raleigh called Nina's that is a really great place. Check them out. I think they're off Strickland and Six Forks. If there are any fans of Cuban food, I know there's a new place in downtown Cary called Havana. Anyone had a chance to check it out yet? I think they're at 404 Chatham Street.

I love it here, but if that ever happens I'm gone..

^^ Three that are Raleigh or Wake-centric and worthy of note in the past year are An, Herons, and Fins. Three solid additions. There are plenty more I'm sure, but I'm not thinking of them right now.

Thanks for the thread...I liked the bit where Hatem speaks of filling up Hargett w/ more eateries. The Triangle is a truly great place for innovative food. Probably one of the very best attributes of the area in my opinion. It appears the national media is starting to really take notice. Now, if we can just get some decent transit we'll be cooking w/ gas!

Food & Wine has a nice little blurb about the Triangle..there's a sidebar about J. Betski's (link on right side) http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/raleigh-durham-nc I wonder if they'll talk about this at all on the Early Show.

I've been to Powells...absolutely loved it. I would certainly go for something like the Regulator in Durham or Quail Ridge downtown. That would add some vitality and street activity during the day.