Durham Farmer's Market

Final part in a three-part series on eating in The Triangle of North Carolina

I am finally concluding my series on a long weekend spent eating around the North Carolina Triangle (Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh). In town for the wedding of friends, I enjoyed some traditional (and some unexpected) North Carolina cuisine.

After a day that included my first coffee cupping, bbq and paletas, the wedding was upon us. With just a few free hours available in the morning, it was a perfect opportunity to visit one of the many farmer's markets in the area.

Farmer's markets comprise an important part of life in the Triangle. As good farmer's markets should, they function as places for selling/buying locally grown and produced food, and also community gathering. The two larger ones are those in Durham and Carrboro. With only one morning available, a choice needed to be made, and Sarah and I opted to visit the one in Durham.

Beneath an open-air roof, many of the standard farmer's market stalls were present, selling baked goods, vegetables, plants, meat, arts and crafts, etc. A highlight? The 7 layer cookies from one local baker, packed with butterscotch chips, chocolate chips and coconut.

An unexpected surprise was the Only Burger hamburger truck. True to its name, it sells primarily burgers, along with fries and a basic drink selection. The burger was just what I needed that morning, a bit more well-done than I like, but topped with gooey melted cheddar and fresh onions, lettuce and tomato within a toasted bun. Sarah, the vegetarian, opted for a potato and mock ham pasty-type thing from one of the other vendors.

Then it was off to the wedding, where beef brisket and mac and cheese helped make up the Southern themed dinner menu. Not surprisingly, I was pleased!

Our trip ended the next day after a lovely family brunch. One place I didn't make it to is Crooks Corner. Nicknamed the Chez Panisse of the South, it is credited with taking traditional southern cooking and elevating it to a finer type of cuisine. With quite a few friends either from the Triangle or having studied there for grad school, I bet I'll be making a return trip.

The Barbeque Joint & Locopops

Part 2 in a series on food in the Triangle of North Carolina

I roused myself from a post-coffee cupping nap to join a group of our friends for BBQ and popsicles. Few would disagree: a trip to North Carolina isn't complete without a healthy dose of BBQ, but paletas, aka Mexican popsicles? Apparently, a trip to the Triangle isn't complete without a couple of those either, thanks to a local chain, Locopops.

But first, we stopped for lunch at the Barbeque Joint, a favorite in Chapel Hill. While on the BBQ border, we were still technically in East North Carolina BBQ territory, meaning a vinegar dressing as opposed to a thick tomato-based sauce. And with BBQ, the sides are just as important as the meat. Sydnor recommended the Brussels sprouts, cooked with garlic and bacon. Being the huge Brussels sprouts fan that I am, I ordered them. And a side of mac & cheese. And a pulled pork sandwich.


Can pickles be described as "fresh?" Because if so, these were the freshest pickle slices I've eaten, washed in brine rather than soaked. The BBQ itself was good, though not the best I've ever had. The meat wasn't as tender as I like and while I love vinegar, I'm just more of a West North Carolina BBQ gal. Give me a tangy, sweet red sauce with a bit of kick any day. The sprouts were delicious, as most things with bacon and garlic are, but needed a good mixing to give the vegetables a nice coating of their topping. The mac & cheese was a winner, with a nicely seasoned crust. I didn't sample them, but the fried green tomatoes looked awesome too.



From The Barbeque Joint it was off to Locopops, a local Triangle chain. I visited the first storefront years ago with Samara, just after it opened. The barebones decor, standard for paleterias it seems, didn't trumpet their tasty wares, in flavors like chili chocolate, all homemade with good ingredients. And I'll be honest, it's location, slightly off the beaten path in downtown Durham, neighboring a gun shop, didn't augur great success down the road.

Fast forward four years and Locopops is a foodie destination in the Triangle with four locations, even garnering national attention in a recent Bon Appetit article on the area. Fresh flavors, both juice and cream based, like Plum Black Currant, Tamarind Lemonade, and Thai Rice Pudding, comprise the menu. I sunk my teeth into a Grasshopper: white chocolate with fresh spearmint. It was like eating a refreshing white chocolate bar, cool and invigorating with each fleck of spearmint. If I hadn't just gorged myself on a three-course BBQ feast, I would have gone in for another one. Maybe Cookies and Cream... or Cherry Bergomot Truffle... or Berry Hazelnut... or...or... or...

Next up: a pre-wedding jaunt to the Durham Farmer's Market.

Counter Culture Coffee Cuppings

Part 1 in my series on The Triangle, NC

Two weeks ago, a pair of my close college friends wed in Durham, North Carolina. The Triangle (Durham/Raleigh/Chapel Hill) is also home to Counter Culture Coffee, where Ultimo Coffee at Brew gets their beans. When I told friends I was planning on hitting a coffee cupping at Counter Culture on Friday at 10am, I was met with a couple different reactions, all some variation on the theme of surprise. Most people didn't believe I would make it up that early after a bachelorette party the night before. This response was typically followed by, "What the hell's a cupping, anyway?"

In my ignorant pre-cupping days, the easiest comparison to make was that it's like a wine tasting, but with coffee. I now think that a better description might be, it's like a first-year college seminar, but on coffee.

After a night of mechanical bull riding and many glasses of a new cocktail named in honor of the bride and groom, I managed to get myself out of bed for the cupping. Shockingly, I was even able to wrangle a coffee cupping partner-in-crime, Melanie.

I can't speak for Melanie, but I was overwhelmed by the coffee cupping process. About 20 people, mostly good-looking, hipster, twenty and thirty-somethings, were sniffing and slurping coffee with acumen, tasting for brightness, body and aftertaste. The crowd also included a three-week old baby and a 9-year old boy.

We were greeted by Lydia, who gave us a sheet for taking notes, a pencil and a spoon. She briefly broke down the different coffee qualities for which we would be tasting: fragrance, aroma, break, brightness, flavor, body and aftertaste.

Fragrance: Each glass, or cup, contains a couple tablespoons of dry ground beans. Stick your nose in the cup and smell the beans.

Aroma: Hot water is poured over the beans. Again, smell the beans in their wet, brewed state.

The Break: Using a spoon, "break" the top layer of foam, releasing steam and fragrance. Dive in with your nose to capture the smell.

The Slurp: capture a bit of coffee on your spoon and literally slurp it, quickly and cleanly, into your mouth, tasting for brightness (acidity), flavor (sweet, salty), body (mouth-feel), and aftertaste.

Once we had experienced the coffee in its various forms, we gathered around a white board and the group discussion began. Three coffees were cupped that day and we discussed each of the aforementioned qualities for each coffee, finally guessing the specific coffee type at the end.

Baked beans, cinnamon sugar, citrus splash, rooty/medicinal, peaches, bright summery were some of the words used to describe the first coffee, which turned out to be Counter Culture's Bwayi coffee from Burundi.

I can't say that a novice such as myself tasted with such specificity, but everything that the other tasters said made sense to me. The first coffee was brighter, sharper, citrus-y; the second coffee did have mellow tones of chocolate and toffee (it turned out to be La Golondrina, my standby at Ultimo Coffee, which maybe explains why it was my favorite of the three). I feel like I'll be a bit braver at my next cupping and trust my instincts enough to taste with confidence. The cupping was followed by a tour of the roastery, but the previous night's fun was catching up to me and I needed to go home and take a little nap, so we skipped out on the tour.

Counter Culture's emphasis on coffee education is not limited to their Chapel Hill headquarters. They have opened up training centers along the east coast, including DC and NYC. Melanie sent me a Washington Post article on Counter Culture's educational mission that came out just a few days after our first cupping. Aaron Ultimo has mentioned that he hopes to bring cuppings to Brew in the near future. I'll keep you posted.