capitalapts

How about it? That would be killer. It's killer-ness would only be surpassed by putting in a bakery next door.

Sigh...great. Out there, this flight was the ticket. Totally beat sweating out the very narrow layover windows that the Continental flights to LAX via IAH imposed. BUT, the redeye on the way back was no fun at all. The direct RDU-LAX Delta flight may have been the easiest way to fly to L.A. from the east coast (and I'm not exaggerating), all things considered (direct flight, about 15 minutes from parking to the gate through security if you're not checking a bag, hardly ever any takeoff delays, etc.).

and how. you raise an interesting point: what and where are the really good restaurants in Cary? I haven't been anywhere there that would have me wanting to make the drive time and time again. Most of what it has to offer is very chain-ish, like a huge brier creek. Thanks for the tip, though, I'll have to check it out.

Hey RaleighRob-where is this Udupi you speak of? Would you put it on par with Royal India (which I think is excellent)?

What NCSU alum doesn't fondly remember drunk dialing in a Gumby's Destroyer (two large pizzas, one topping each for like 11 bucks) after a fine night of drinking at the Vomit (which was very appropriately named)? Ah, memories.... As a side note, has anyone tried pie from that new join on Oberlin near the intersection with Fairview called Zowie Howie's or something like that? It's in one of those new storefronts they constructed a year or two ago, just around the corner from EVOO. Any reviews are much appreciated.

Whooo hoo!!!

I just went there today. The owner (dark haired woman) is very nice, and the selection is pretty good. It's not Sprinkles in L.A. or anything but not too shabby, either. I bet the reason why the display area is so limited (and yes, there are just cupcakes but they had some good coffee as well) is that they probably plan to do most of their business catering. Grab yourself a red velvet and enjoy! It's open til 8 Tuesday through Thursday and til 11 Friday and Saturday. They're closed Sunday and Monday.

Conti's market on Person St. is a good Raleigh Italian market, but I don't know if they actually make their own pasta. The owner is a great guy, though, so check it out!

Excellent thread. As far as the local (to me) dining scene goes, the restaurant I'm most excited about opening on the horizon is Dos Taquitos' Wilmington St. location (just south of the Morgan St. crossing). The sheetrock and HVAC stuff is slowly going up. The owner told me that he was shooting for a late summer opening, and that it would cater to the lunch crowd and be open for dinner Thursday-Saturday. I can't wait! I'm going to gain 20 lbs from takeout alone

You'd think they would be but I still haven't seen any tables directly outside Betski's (you might have seen the tables associated with the grocery store), which is a shame, because I love their food. Great place to go, folks, if you haven't been.

yep, it's open on Sundays, I went by this past Sunday for some breakfast ingredients. Quick review of the redone grocery store: it's much better. The stock is much more diverse and I find myself wanting for less things when I go. But, you have to keep in mind that this place will never be a SUPERmarket in the Kroger/Harris Teeter mold. The produce section is bigger than it was previously. As Jones posted, there is a salad and hot bar now, and yesterday for lunch they had curry chicken and basmati rice that smelled great. There are also still sandwiches made to order, and now there is a little sushi kiosk with adjacent pre-made sushi displays. The owner is very engaging and he said that they are going to start having wine and beer by the glass from 4-8PM (a grocery bar? hmmmm....). Beer and wine selection has been buffetted. The meat counter remains very good. On a scale of 1-100, I'd give the previous version of the store a 70-75, and this one is probably around 85-90. A marked improvement. If anyone lives/works downtown, please come by and support this place. It's the closest spot for me to get beer and it sucked when it was closed!

That RDU-LAX flight is key. It gets in at the perfect time at LAX and you don't really even have to take much off work early to fly it from here. Are all the redeye returns eliminated or just certain weekdays?

Vertigo was never open for lunch as best I can remember (it opened in 95/96-no doubt when the space was open before it lunch was served, though), at least not until its later years preceding the name change to Pooles. Vertigo was basically a bar that served dinner. Is menu was overly ambitious, though, and at least in the mid-late 90's, if someone said Vertigo, the implication was late night bar, the type of place that would be packed til last call. Those were the glory days, and that's the context I associated Vertigo with (not everyone would share this opinion). I can empathize with not getting served too quickly if you're not a regular at Pooles (and even if you are!), but I've never had that problem at the borough, those are pretty friendly folks there. Sorry you've had that experience. Point taken about the razing history for chains comment, that was more of a commentary on this area in general vs. DT. Regardless, I'm one of those crazy people who doesn't feel very fulfilled hopping the gloso bar set. I like a place with character where an attempt it isn't conspicuously made to manufacture it. The more popular places on glenwood don't do it for me in that regard, spare a few. Just a personal preference. I disagree about the notion of soul with Vertigo, though. It was a lunch counter that was converted into a bar, and it came off to me as unique and a great idea, and one that really worked well (to pretty widespread acclaim-lots of folks used to go). Obviously that was the brain child of the management that bought it. They took a unique space and created something new without gutting it and starting again. Whether or not that was because of money, I don't know, but it worked for me.

That's great news! That and the best mex/latin food place in town is opening up a bit further up on Wilmington (dos taquitos).

You said it, Jones. I support the Borough even though I'm not big fan of its location within the benchmark Raleigh McCondo, The Dawson on Morgan. Poole's has way more soul.

Two other things affecting Poole's business of late: 1. Shamefully low health inspection ratings (I believe an 81 in October or November, it's just up of 90 now, which according to sanitarians I know is usually a gimme to prevent a place from getting a "B" rating) 2. Rude service of late: my friends and I were unceremoniously kicked out by the bartenders a few Saturdays ago before midnight (!). This place is going downhill in a hurry, which is a shame, because space-wise it will probably always be my favorite bar in Raleigh. The bottom line is once Kings got its full liquor license, in absence of good food (of which there is none), Vertigo doesn't have much to offer other than the sweet bar space. I never had a problem with the bathrooms, but sometimes they are pretty grungy. But please, people keep going! If it closed, that would be awful. Raleigh has a bad tendency of razing its history for insipid buildings and chain bars, let's hope this place isn't a victim as well.

dudes y dudettes: has anyone pulled up a stool at the new polish bar beside cap. city grocery yet? if so please share your pierogi experience!

All the posts about RDU and its dated feel are valid. But, I have to say, I can think of no other airport in an area as populated as the triangle is where I can drive to within a few hundred feet of my gate, park for only $10 a night that close, and only have to wait in the security line for a couple of minutes, reliably (barring big rush times like Wednesday before t-giving). Frills aside, I'll never complain about an airport like that.

Wow, Lantern one of the top 50 restaurants in the country??? There are probably 50 restaurants in New York alone better than Lantern. Magnolia might be a top-50, but not Lantern. Does Lantern even crack the top 5 restaurants in RTP? This is a head-scratcher...

how about a convenience store that serves Fayetteville St.? The closest convenience store to the capitol building is several blocks away, like driving distance away. So many small ammenities like this are missing from downtown verite.

I couldn't agree more if that were the case, but like dmmcall said, this is not another el rodeo. They have standard texmex stuff, that is heads and shoulders above the relative crap you get at rodeo, and lots of stuff they don't offer elsewhere. It's definitely the best restaurant of its kind in the triangle. and i live a block away! great news.

Is it a high-dollar kind of place? What's the dress like? Thanks.

I work a few blocks away, and I'm happy about this project. Even though the finished product departed somewhat from initial renderings (which were a bit more exciting architecturally), it looks pretty good, and I'm stoked about the grocery store coming in. Has anyone tried the restaurant yet?

I like the ideas I'm reading here, but the bottom line for Fay. St.'s reawakening, as for downtown's as a hole, will be how many RESIDENTS will be in the area. I am pleased with all the condo projects coming up, but not pleased with the mean price-let's face it, it's the younger crowd that's usually out and about, and unless more affordable housing is constructed, downtown revitalization in Raleighwood is not going to be entirely successful. That's not to say that I don't think great strides are being made. But we do have a long way to go as far as giving people a place to rest their heads in downtown proper (I'm talking about within the grid itself, not up glenwood, etc.). That being said, I would like to see a large residential building (or three) go up on or adjacent to Fayetteville St.

Great stroll down memory lane, Raleighmark. It makes the past 14 years seem impressive, with the downtown additions that have taken place in the interim.