Restaurants

Our friends have just left Los Angeles for Chapel Hill. As a newlywed couple and just getting started, they are torn between leaving their long-time L.A. friends and starting a new life in NC. I would like to send them a gift certificate to go out to dinner somewhere in Chapel Hill as soon as they arrive. Does anyone have the name of a restaurant in Chapel Hill(price doesn%26#39;t matter, but not over-the-top chic/dressy) where they could dine in a romantic atmosphere, sample typical NC fare and have a nice bottle of wine? I would want this to be one of their first impressions of the town. Thank you so much.

Restaurants

I would suggest the following:

Carolina Crossroads at the Carolina Inn

Elaine%26#39;s on Franklin

Crook%26#39;s Corner (corner of W. Franklin)

Acme (in Carrboro)

Restaurants

Thank you!

As an introduction to this area, I would recommend Crooks Corner.

Here%26#39;s what the New York Times said about Crooks: ';Sacred ground for Southern foodies...Par neighborhood diner, part upscale restaurant, Crook%26#39;s Corner is a nightly celebration.'; Washington Post review said ';I have yet to eat an average meal at Crooks Corner - the food is consistently outstanding, sort of nouvelle down home.'; These are only a few of the great reviews. The chef, Bill Smith, just published a cookbook and I understand from friends that it was reviewed yesterday in New York Times and was chosen as a good holiday gift to give friends.

I also like Elaines. I think the food is just wonderful, the service just a little more formal than Crooks.

i guess it%26#39;s unanimous for crooks..near the top of the things i miss from time there. another gift certificate idea is A Southern Season (google them).... wonderful all-round gourmet store...but really zeros in on some n.c. specialties (it%26#39;s in chapel hill, too).

Crooks and Elaines are blah and pricey. If you want fancy,

go for Aurora%26#39;s.

Try the Flying Burrito (Mexican) , Red Lotus (Chinese), and The Barbecue Joint for much tastier food.

If you like people-watching and beer, you can%26#39;t beat The Top of the Hill on Franklin Street.

For coffee, seek out Padgetts in Carrboro and Cup A Joe in Chapel Hill.

Magnolia Grill in Durham on Ninth St is one of the Triangle%26#39;s world renowned gems. It is creative and always have dishes with lots of flavor. Their desserts are to die for. They too have been praised in national media, such as NY Times and Bon Appetit.

Gourmet magazine rates it their #11 restaurant and says:

';Whereas many temples of local produce threat their products with worshipful reverence, Ben Barker’s cooking is daring, almost reckless. The menu is rife with wild, unwieldy-sounding dishes like “octopus ‘salami’ with farmer’s market vegetables, romaine in Caesar dressing with overnight tomatoes, roasted olives, and pine nuts.” But it works – flavor after flavor makes its own space, elbowing the others out of the way in an ecstatic parade. Karen Barker’s desserts end the roller coaster with the straightforward pleasure of a knockout chocolate cake or a classic lemon tart. Don’t be fooled by the unassuming exterior of the wan lighting inside – the excitement here is all on the plate.';

check out www.magnoliagrill.net/press/6_gourmet.html

^Um, Debbie asked for suggestions in Chapel Hill not in Durham. Granted, Durham has some great restaurants but they are not in Chapel Hill as requested.