Lisa Jeffries Nobling – Raleigh, NC

Tag: restaurants

  • I’m Living in France – and Drinking Less Wine Than Ever

    I’m Living in France – and Drinking Less Wine Than Ever

    I’ve been in the south France for nearly a month and I’ll be here off and on through the end of April finishing my dual master’s degree in Global Luxury Management. You’d think while I’ve been here that I would have had more than my fair share of wine already, right? Wrong. In fact, I’ve enjoyed less wine here than I did at any time in the states.

    So, what gives? There are some cultural differences in the retailing of wine here, especially in restaurants and bars, but the real reason I’ve consumed so much less wine is the very sub-par selection of wines by the glass at restaurants and bars. I really had hoped before venturing here that I would be outside of my United States comfort zone of wines available and trying a greater variety of European wines that haven’t made their way stateside, but when you’re out and about here, the by-the-glass selections are as follows: “red”, “rose”, and “white”. No kidding! You’re lucky if the menu includes any details about the by-the-glass varietal or the geographic source.

    Perhaps this recent experience is why this article struck me so strongly today: Millennials dragging wine sales down – and the prudent included advice:

    “One way to sell Millennials more wine: Carefully curate your wine-by-the-glass list to boost its appeal to this demographic.”

    I think it’s a great read for restaurant, nightlife, and hospitality operators everywhere – regardless of geographic location.

    Don’t get me wrong – the wine selection at retail points of sale and by the bottle in restaurants are pretty wide and adventurous here in France (and aggressively priced since most are domestic products) – but I rarely desire an entire bottle in one seating and when I want just a glass, I don’t want a mediocre glass of “house wine” that was selected for a profit margin rather than to complement menu offerings.

    Ending on a positive note: the retail store wine scene is in much better shape offering a really nice selection with incredibly high-quality and great tasting wines beginning at 8 euros (about $9 USD) a bottle, so I’ve had fun with that! I mean – a girl’s still got to have her wine, right? (Especially when there is no craft cocktail culture here… but more on that later.)

  • Sunday Funday in Cannes

    A week ago Sunday, Johnnie Bud and I headed to Cannes with GLM classmates Daniel, Sarah, and Stephanie. Taking the SNCF train for $12 round-trip, it was about a 30 minute ride (with stops included) and we couldn’t have asked for better weather.

    It was fairly quiet in Cannes on the day we went, missing the film festival the area is known for that takes place in May, but we walked from the busy town streets down to the beautiful waterfront and enjoyed a super fun lunch at restaurant called o’key beach that is literally situated on the sandy beach and mostly porch seating.

    Word to the wise: there’s nothing speedy about dining in France. (Or really anything speedy, except bus and train service, in the south of France.) Luckily, we were day tripping and enjoying good food and drinks with great company – with absolutely no rush needed. Many service staffers speak a good deal of English, so we haven’t had any challenges dining out… but they certainly appreciate and it usually entertains them when you try to speak French and order off the menu as its written. Also to note, tax and gratuity is included in menu prices and when you try to tip your bartender extra for speedy service, they look at you funny.

    I would love to see this place during the film festival, but I’ll be back in Raleigh by then. Put it on my bucket list to return soon, though! 2017, perhaps?

  • Really Tasty Retreats Happening at O.Henry and Proximity Hotels in Greensboro

    By far, two of my favorite boutique hotel concepts in NC (and the country), O.Henry Hotel and Proximity Hotel in Greensboro will play host to a few very innovative, and tasty, weekend getaways this summer and fall.

    Savor the South Weekend: September 26-28Authors from UNC Press Savor the South Cookbook will join Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants & Hotels Chef Leigh Hesling and Chef Jay Pierce for an evening of what is sure to be incredible food and beverage, and highly entertaining conversations, at the O.Henry Hotel. One-night package includes accommodations, two tickets to Friday’s farm-to-fork dinner, breakfast on Saturday, Saturday’s Tasting Extravaganza lunch, and a cookbook is $295/person, double occupancy. A two-night package is also available and includes additional meals and entrance to the Bourbon & Bluegrass Bacchanal Dinner for $449/person.
    (Image via OHenryHotel.com)

    Sustainable Summer Weekend Getaway: May 30-September 1Check in at 2 p.m. at the Proximity Hotel (or earlier if available) and spend the afternoon traveling nearby greenways via complimentary bicycles or lounging by the property’s infinity-style pool. A $30 voucher for breakfast or dinner at Print Works Bistro is included. Available Fridays and Saturdays, May 30-September 1 (some blackout dates apply) for $219, plus taxes.
    (Image via ProximityHotel.com)

    Weekend Rail Getaway PackageRide the Amtrak train to Greensboro and Proximity Hotel will pick you up at the historic depot! A sustainable weekend getaway at America’s first LEED Platinum-certified hotel and restaurant includes overnight accommodations in a Loft King Room on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night, as well as a $50 dining voucher for Print Works Bistro, as well as breakfast in bed the following morning, for only $249, plus taxes.

    If you can swing the investment in these weekend indulgences, my personal experience from a quick visit to both properties’ restaurants back in March says “ABSOLUTELY! DO THIS!” Enjoy.

  • A New Raleigh Restaurant and New Crafty Website Addiction

    Renee and I were chatting on the way to Cafe Caturra last night about how we both have sewing machines, but wish we actually knew what we were doing in that department.

    Now granted, I had to take a class or two in garment construction for my TATM degree… but my awesome momma may or may not have helped me with my final project after I broke TWO sewing machines in the process. (Read into that as much as you’d like.) I can rock out a design and the pattern construction. But, the actual garment construction? Notsomuch.

    Nonetheless, it hasn’t kept me from stumbling upon BurdaStyle.com:

    The site, “for people who sew”, has patterns, projects, skills, tutorials and more. I signed up for their eNews, so let’s see if Renee and I actually improve our lack of crafty skills in this department sometime this summer 🙂

    Oh yeah, back to the wine!

    Renee and I may or may not have sampled mmm… say 5 or 6 of the wine bar and restaurant’s 10 reds, 10 whites, and 5 dessert wines… many of which are seasonal which means enjoy them now, because come fall there will be some new wines to love. You can buy any of their wines in several sizes, so we opted for the 3 oz. pours, which is perfect if you don’t want a large pour of wine or want to indulge in several smaller. (I’m sure you can see where this is going.)

    I profiled the pre-opening of this place on i heart retail and was glad to read in TBJ yesterday that it finally opened. Renee and I just enjoyed the wine last night, but they do a full fresh food menu, so I’ll be back to try the food soon. Cafe Caturra is in Cameron Village near Talbot’s.

  • Update: Cameron Bar & Grill Coming Soon!

    If you read my previous post on new additions to Cameron Village you might be as excited as I am to read that Cameron Bar and Grill should be opening in the middle of this coming week (the good news came from the always ahead of the game GoGoRaleigh.com blog).

    Hopefully the food will be delish (a possibility noted in the GGR article based on the owners’ history)… and some outdoor seating would be icing on the cake.

  • Well Crap…

    Looks like the industry rumors are true… Nelson’s is closed (but it’s reopening, as Ashton says, as Foster’s … again).

    Check out the N&O article on all the happenings in Cameron Village. We’ll shall see what will become of the Nelson’s Late-Night and if Foster’s will offer something similar.

    In all honesty though, the same article reports the closing of my favorite little organizational shop – Hold Your Own – in Cameron Village. That’s what I’m really bummed about. It notes that their other store in Durham is remaining open… but we all know that I can rarely be found venturing to Durham for anything. (There was that one time freshman year where I wandered over for the last iPod in a two-county radius… but that was a special exception.)

  • This Is A Very Important Topic These Days…

    Where to go for lunch/dinner and where can we sit outside to enjoy doing so (bonus points if the dogs can join, too!)?

    Thank you, thank you, thank you to Ashton’s daily email update and to the following blog for gathering all the info into one blog post for us:

    Raleigh Philosophical Society: Best place to enjoy outdoor dining?PS – I hope everyone will join me for lunch AND dinner at Hard Times Cafe (one of my favorite places to dine outside in the whole city) on Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 between 11:00am and 10:00pm! If you tell them that you are there to support NCSU’s Relay for Life (AND THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!), they will donate a portion of your bill to this year’s Relay event. Let’s kick cancer’s butt together my friends 🙂

  • Tobacco Road

    Dangit! I wanted a piece of a sports bar to call “Tobacco Road”. I knew it’d be a great name for a bar around these parts. And I still know that it’ll be a great place to watch college sports with a nice hint of rivalry in the air.

    Apparently, those Amra boys beat me to it. Oh well, if it could be anyone else… I’m glad it’s them! (If you’ve never been to a wine tasting at Amra’s on Glenwood South – or anything else there for that matter – I highly recommend it!)

    From Ashton’s daily dish on Downtown Dirt and more… here’s the short and sweet of it… and I do mean short!

    “In downtown news: The 7000 square foot satellite sports bar planned for 222 Glenwood (to be opened by the Amra’s brothers) will be called Tobacco Road.”