Where do you take out-of-town guests for dinner in the Triangle?

20 May

Where do you take out-of-town guests for dinner in the Triangle? I recently found myself pondering this when my childhood friend Todd called and said he was in town and wanted to meet up.

I lost touch with Todd in high school. He moved away the summer before 8th grade. We remained pen pals for a couple years, and even visited each other a couple times. But our snail mail dwindled when we got our driver’s licenses, probably because we were spending less time at home and more time pursuing friendships in our own towns.

In college we briefly managed to find each other through the Internet. We exchanged an e-mail or two, but lost touch again. Occasionally I would Google him, but I could never find enough information to track him down.

Then a few months ago, through the power of facebook, we reconnected. I found out he was living in Atlanta and occasionally flew to RDU for business. He recently called me to say he was in Durham and soon we were making dinner plans. We had not seen each other in 12 years.

I wanted to show Todd how cool Durham is, so I suggested we meet at American Tobacco for dinner. Then I realized there was a Bull’s game that night, so the place would be packed. I opted for The Federal by Brightleaf Square, where I ordered the always tasty pork carnitas.

After dinner, we headed over to Tyler’s Taproom for beers. I showed him the rushing water feature, explained the area’s tobacco legacy and even walked him over to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The game was underway, so the crowds had dispersed outside.

We didn’t have time to wander around downtown or take a stroll down Ninth Street. But between Brightleaf Square and American Tobacco, I felt like he got to see some of the Bull City’s flavor.

If you only had 3 hours to show an old friend around your Triangle city, where would you take them?

13 Responses to “Where do you take out-of-town guests for dinner in the Triangle?”

  1. Andrea May 20, 2009 at 4:46 pm #

    Excellent question Ginny. I’ve got my sister-in-law, niece and nephew coming into town in June, and I’m not sure what to do with them.

  2. Ginny May 20, 2009 at 4:50 pm #

    I’m getting a lot of responses on Twitter. I’ll paste a few below:

    DonaldJones @GinnySkal Peak City Grill, Ocean Grill, Poole’s, Sitti… just some of our favorites.

    Robert_Peterson @GinnySkal if you are in durham try metro 8.

    yogashannon @GinnySkal Brasa, Zely & Ritz, Twisted Fork

    ayeshamus @GinnySkal took my out of town friends that were in this week to tyler’s in durham, the pit, & raleigh times.

    GregLee @GinnySkal Elmos, Breadman’s, Carrburritos, not necessarily in that order.

  3. Steve B May 20, 2009 at 4:51 pm #

    My favorite restaurant in the Triangle is Piedmont in Durham.
    http://www.piedmontrestaurant.com/

  4. Rebecca May 20, 2009 at 5:12 pm #

    Favorites (and places we have taken out-of-towners):
    Elmo’s
    Washington Duke Inn
    Carrburritos
    Metro 8
    Bullock’s
    Tyler’s (Durham)
    We also tracked down OnlyBurger when my in-laws were here :o )

  5. Allison Harris May 20, 2009 at 5:40 pm #

    Lilly’s – 5 Points
    Jibarra – Warehouse District
    Humble Pie – Warehouse District
    Rockford – Glenwood South

  6. Matt Frye May 20, 2009 at 7:23 pm #

    For fancy…
    Piedmont in Durham, Lantern in Chapel Hill, Jibarra in Raleigh.

    For local eateries…
    The Pit or Lilly’s in Raleigh, Carolina Brewery in Chapel Hill, Cosmic Cantina or Elmo’s in Durham.

    Assuming the weather is good, any place with outdoor tables that isn’t a chain.

  7. Steve May 20, 2009 at 9:19 pm #

    Watts Grocery or Rue Cler, Durham.

  8. Nellie Lytvinenko May 21, 2009 at 3:09 pm #

    Sushi Thai in Cary is always good.

  9. D May 21, 2009 at 11:24 pm #

    Food-Piedmont,Allen & Son,Only Burger,MAMI NORA’S CHICKEN,and
    Los Comales

    General Fun- Wed/Sat- Farmers Market Durham, Ball Game, Brightleaf,and 9th Street.

  10. DJ Waldow May 22, 2009 at 7:00 am #

    Watts Grocery has quickly become one of our favorites. Guglhupf of course is one of the best. Thai Cafe…

    The list goes one.

    DJ Waldow
    @dwjaldow

  11. Abel Pharmboy May 24, 2009 at 9:58 am #

    I’d actually start at the Enomatic at The Wine Authorities for a few unique tastes before then heading to North Broad, Brightleaf, of the ATHD.

  12. Abel Pharmboy May 24, 2009 at 9:59 am #

    “or” not “of”

  13. G Wolf June 18, 2009 at 3:12 pm #

    Depends on if you’re asking what are the best places if you want them to get local flavor, or the actual best places regardless of type of cuisine.

    For instance, one wouldn’t normally associate Latin cuisine with North Carolina, but some of our visitors have loved the tacquerias we’ve been to.

    Matt Frye – The Pit is hardly a local eat anymore. Have you been lately? It’s a tourist trap.

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