Durham, North Carolina, is known for its vibrant and diverse dining scene, in particular its commitment to Southern cuisine, including barbecue, fried chicken with waffles, and food for the soul. Durham is also renowned for its strong coffee culture and for the variety of local restaurants serving everything from Southern comfort food to international dishes. The crunch of juicy fried chicken, the melted top of baked mac and cheese, and the creamy texture of shrimp and grits are just a few of the quintessential Southern dishes that visitors, sweet tooth and hungry people alike desire when they visit the South. Crackers with sauce, a dish that was born out of necessity during the period of the Reconstruction of the United States, are now a decadent and, at times, exaggerated staple for breakfast.
Located inside the sister restaurant, True Flavors Diner, this restaurant not only has standard crackers and sausage sauce, but it also serves a minced chicken cracker with gravy and a cracker with meat and onion sauce. There are also options to add duck, sausage, or mushrooms for a hearty meal. This iconic dish combines Scottish and West African frying techniques in a tasty American union. Add spices and condiments and a legend will be born.
There aren't many weekends where there isn't a line outside this Foster Street institution. Fried chicken comes with waffles, flavorful schmears, and a touch of Southern hospitality. Macaroni and cheese come from France, but the Americans perfected them. When you see macaroni au gratin on the Vin Rouge menu, know that it's perfect.
Expect home-smoked bacon, handfuls of grated Gruyere, and a mass of cheese that you'll have to break up to get the creamy pasta. The words “banana” and “pudding” are synonymous with “barbecue” in this part of the South. Picnic presents a homemade pudding with banana slices and nilla wafers. It is then topped with warm whipped cream with a little gelatin so that the soft peaks are fluffy and high.
Find dishes like handmade empanadas, French birria sauce, expert sushi and fried oyster rolls. Durham is known for its vibrant and diverse dining scene, which features numerous acclaimed restaurants and food trucks. Among the most prominent establishments are Chef & the Farmer and Mateo Bar de Tapas. The city's food culture encompasses farm-to-table food and international cuisine.
Annual events like Taste of Soul highlight local culinary talent. Durham's culinary scene attracts food enthusiasts from across the country. Salad consisting of apple cider and rosemary ice cream with fig vinaigrette, mustard leaf pesto and pasta with shiitake mushrooms and smoked pork mozzarella with grilled cabbage, creamy polenta and jus bread. I'm not sure who I expected, but it wasn't Alice and Stuart.
To begin with, they don't look like the stereotypical couple of farmers. Stuart, 30, raised in Maryland and a graduate of the New York Film Academy, has the good looks of a protagonist, even with his long sideburns and John Deere trucker cap. Alice, 28, is a local product with an attractive girl-next-door look. The two work in the fields while listening to iPods (she prefers Neko Case and José González; he likes The Black Keys and Wu-Tang Clan), they blog about farms for their website and are passionate about local food. Soon I'll find out that it's a passion that shares everything the community.
Before meeting as employees at Ken Dawson's Maple Spring Gardens, neither Alice nor Stuart were sure that agriculture was their calling. But they fell in love with each other and with the agricultural lifestyle. Elsewhere, agriculture is somewhat more picturesque. “We both love what people here think about food and the farmers who grow it,” Stuart said.
