Elements in Chapel Hill

My friend Heide took me to Elements in Chapel Hill on Environ Way.  It's Asian with a bit of a twist. She said her tuna tacos were delicious...

     

And my shrimp with walnuts was really unique. Big, fresh shrimp with what tasted like a rice flour coating finished with a sweet and tangy sauce. Thanks, Heide.  I'll add this to my list of regulars. 

       

        

Remember...

More on the search for first rate PIZZA

If crispy is what you are looking for and you don't want to travel to Durham, there is an alternative.  It's the flatbread pizza at City Kitchen in Chapel Hill. This is a different breed of pizza; it doesn't ooze with cheese or droop down laden with other heavy ingredients. It's crispy and can hold its own with a cold beer.  It's good...not Toro in Durham but it is closer and better than most other attempts at pizza that take place in Chapel Hill.  What passes for pizza here makes me cry.

My new favorite beer

If you like "white" beer...wit blanche is the snobby name for it, this is THE best. It's creamy and wheaty with a delicate, sudsy head.  I love it.  I had it first in France (it's Belgian) and was pleasantly surprised that it's available all over the US.  Who knew?

The famous Diodata meatballs

I made these for Tom to make up for a tough week. His favorite meal: pasta and meatballs.

The recipe is my Grandmother's. She was a Jewish girl from South Philly who married an Italian guy from South Philly in 1912.  She learned to cook by watching his three sisters and became a premier Italian cook. She also made a fabulous Lamb Stew with Dumplimgs. Don't know where she got that recipe.  Her meatballs were heavenly and live on through the generations. She made them every Sunday morning and I can still remember the aroma of them frying up in the pan. She would save me 

two for breakfast before she dumped the rest into the sauce.  She was the best Grandmother and I only wish I had told her that more often.  She is also responsible for my lifelong love of cooking.

Charleston, SC

Basico's in North Charleston has the most delicious tacos in a dozen different varieties. I had the catch of the day which was Grouper. It was delicately fried like a crispy surprise then wrapped in a corn tortilla with some kind of Adobe cream sauce which was excellent. I also tried their shrimp and veg taco. Tom had the pulled pork and BBQ d brisket tacos which he kvelled over.  Lol.

It was dark when we arrived so pardon the picture below. 

End of summer soup and salad party

David made a killer salad with grilled eggplant and fresh corn and I made two cold soups.  One was my favorite Gazpacho of the summer of '14 after many, many variations were tried. It's watermelon gazpacho from Vegetarian Times Magazine. Blueberry Gazpacho was my least favorite.

Fun meal and great company. 

This soup recipe was ripped out of a magazine I happened to be reading in our Paris rental apartment.  It was 2 yrs. old so I didn't think anyone would mind.  Thanks, Louisa Carter, wherever you are because it was delicious. People especially enjoyed those Rosemary Parmesan croutons.

If anyone wants any of these recipes, just let me know. 

Harvest 18

Harvest 18 on Renaissance Parkway, Durham

Farm to table, great, friendly service and really good food.  I had the whole bass and it was beautifully cooked...light and tender. Sweet potatoes were delish also.  One complaint: too much butter on the otherwise perfect string beans.  Will definitely go back.

Merlion and killer Tofu

Who said Tofu has to be boring?  The sizzling Tofu platter at Merlion in Southern Village (Chapel Hill) may be the best tofu I've ever had. Dark, spicy and smoky yet it still manages to be incredibly crispy!  Amazing. Tom and Jen's duck and shrimp dishes, while tasty, did not compare to this mighty tofu dish.

Their appetizer sampler was also first rate. Crispy spring rolls, fried coconut shrimp and meaty samosas were a big hit.