Hugh Hollowell

I have the best landlords ever. I really do.

However, for the last two weeks, the painters have been painting the house, so five times now I have gotten out of the shower only to see a painter, on a ladder, outside my bathroom window. Yesterday, I had to pee in a jar in my closet because they were working outside my bathroom window. In fact, outside all of my windows.

I will be soooo glad when they are done. On a positive note, the house is now much prettier.

Last night Renee and I went out with some friends to eat Indian. My friend John recommended Royal India on Capitol (warning, music plays when you go to that link). Very good call. The food was good, staff was polite and the conversation was first rate. Entree’s ran about $15 a person.

When I was deciding where to go, I put a cry for help out on Twitter. I got several recommendations (including John’s), but this morning my other friend John pointed out this spreadsheet of Indian restaurants in the Triangle, complete with price ranges and whether they have a buffet, by Justin Wehr.

Note: Some friends are putting this on… I will probably be there.

A Vigil for Raleigh’s 2008 Homicide Victims

Friday Thursday, February 5th, 5:00 pm
In front of City Hall, 222 W. Hargett St.
(the corner of Hargett St. and Dawson St.)

In 2008, Raleigh lost 32 members of our community to homicide. Many of the victims were young people in their teens and twenties.

Too often there is an overwhelming silence from the community after loss of life due to violence. Families of victims and all of us as members of this community deserve better. Violent death deserves reflection and response, not complacency. To ignore the violence is to implicitly accept it. We invite all residents of Raleigh to join us in changing our community norm from a passive acceptance of violence to an active rejection of it on moral, ethical and spiritual grounds. Come help us support the families of victims by saying, “We remember. We are here for you. We will not accept a continuation of the violence that took your loved one.”

Join us in saying: ‘No’ to Violence! and ‘Yes’ to Life! Join us in remembering the victims, supporting their families and praying for healing for all of us.

In almost a year and a half of living in Raleigh, I have come to one conclusion; the food here sucks. And I am not just talking Bar-B-Que. I mean everything.

Now, admittedly, there is some hyperbole in the previous paragraph. For one thing, I have not tried every single restaurant in the city. And I have had some good meals in some restaurants. But by and large, when asked how a meal was in a given place, the answer has been “It’s ok…”. Not horrible, but certainly not ‘WOW”, or “This was incredible”, or “I have to tell my friends about this place”.

So, dear Raleigh residents, I appeal to you. Where is the good food in this place? Where is the noteworthy food? Where would an out-of-towner be a fool not to eat at?

Before you answer, my exacting criteria:

• I am looking for everyday places–not eat on your anniversary or birthday places. Besides, too many folks have recomended Olive Garden or Carrabas as places to go for those events… ewww!
• Which brings us to the next point–a good, memorable place to eat should not be a national chain. If I can have the same meal in the same surroundings in Toledo, it is not a memorable meal.
• I am not driving 25 miles to eat, so please do not recommend something in Durham or Chapel Hill. If I wanted to eat in Durham, I would have moved to Durham.
• It should not cost a whole paycheck to eat there. If my entree and drink cost more than a hardcover book, I simply will not eat there on a regular basis, no matter how good the food is.
• A great place does not EVER have a buffet. E-V-E-R.
• A great place should (duhh!) have good food.

I am begging you, dear readers, to recommend someplace I can eat in this town.  Specifically, I would LOVE to know where to find the following:

• A good Italian place. Preferably a family owned, non-chain Italian place. (Please do not recomend 2 Guys on Hillsborough–been there 3 times = suckage)
• A decent “home cooking” sort of place.
• A great bar (dark, quiet, no big screen TVs and whooping sports fans, long-term bartenders and no watery drinks)
• A diner (other than Waffle House). Preferably one that stays open 24hrs. Sometimes, you just want to be served bacon and eggs by a snaggle-toothed woman wearing a hairnet.
• Authentic (not tex-mex) Latino food.
• Sit down, (tablecloth, cloth napkins) Asian food.

Suggestions?

(Thanks to Prachi for the simile love…)

Can you remember any other president in recent memory that someone would have, for free, done something like this and kept doing it after the election?

on Flickr – Abbyladybug

I am always amazed when I know people from different social circles, yet they already know each other…

I think I started the whole thing with a random observation. I have tried NC BBQ several times since I have been here and I just don’t get it. It is sorta sour, sorta flavorless and kinda mushy. Some places even put hot sauce on it. *shudders*

On the other hand, in Memphis, which is home to so many real BBQ joints it is hard to walk a mile and not see one, the BBQ is sweet and tender and actually has texture and taste. If you order ribs, you can get them dry or wet (dry is better, but this is sorta a theological debate) and they almost, but not quite, fall off the bone. If you are a real hard-core Memphis BBQ fan, you eat your sandwiches on thick Texas toast instead of a hamburger bun. And, of course, with cole slaw and sauce.

In any event, apparently the Twitter crowd here in NC takes their BBQ seriously. Within an hour, the talk was all about sour vs sweet, pork vs. beef, yellow vs red and the only reason no one got into wet vs. dry is because here in NC, they just don’t know enough to intelligently discuss it. But, I am open to trying new things.

So, I have some questions, NC BBQ lovers:

• Where in Raleigh can I get ‘good’ NC style BBQ?
• Several people mentioned getting it ‘Memphis style’ locally. Where can you do that? (I have not seen that option)
• Red Hot & Blue comes closest to anything edible I have had here. Where do you go for bbq?
• Anybody know where you can get bbq bologna locally? or bbq pizza?

Note: just before I hit publish, Abby posted about the twitter bbq smackdown…

So, today I am sitting at Helios, my second favorite coffee shop in Raleigh, NC, talking to my friend Abby and generally avoiding work that I should be doing when we discovered that we lived about two blocks apart from each other when I lived in Memphis.

In addition, while she lived there she took a picture of my bookstore/coffee shop in Midtown (although she never came in… which, multiplied by about 150 people a month, explains why I no longer own said bookstore/coffee shop…)

Photo Credit: Abby Ladybug

My friends Ginny and Wayne have launched 30threads.com, a hyperlocal site that highlights stories, blogposts and other noteworthy content from, or about, the triangle.  Go check it out!

Most of you know I work with the poor and homeless here in Raleigh. Some of you already help me with that in various ways (for which I thank you very much).

On my other site, I created a list of our most urgent needs right now. If you can help me with any of them, I will be eternally grateful.