411, Chapel Hil

411 west, chapel hill ©411

Our family met in Chapel Hill over the weekend to celebrate Mom’s birthday. The location—411 West (located at 411 West Franklin Street) was her choice, and it happens to be one of my absolute favorites. People more familiar with Raleigh know 518, located in Glenwood South. That’s 411’s sister restaurant. They have nearly identical menus, with one very important exception. And it’s one that I’ll drive to Chapel Hill for. Beef Carpaccio. More on this later…

Have you ever considered what you would eat if you knew when your last meal would be? I’m a food-centric person. So I ask this not to be morbid, but to be idealistic. My meal the other night at 411, and what I get there every time, would qualify as an ideal last supper. First, it’s in one of the most beautiful towns in the country. The atmosphere and company is lively and bright. And the food is filling and delicious. And they serve three of my very very favorite dishes.

In addition, 411 has a little place in my heart. Throughout my years at Carolina, when Mom and Dad came to town to visit, it was a popular place for them to take me and my brother. Or Mom and I would share girly dinners there, splitting a little bit of everything. We could enjoy good conversation over good food. Or on special occasions or 1/2-price wine night, it was a nice place to go with friends or dates. There are plenty of great memories and meals shared at 411.

My traditional order begins with the beef carpaccio. Beef carpaccio comes from the tenderloin and is prepared either completely raw or seared rare. It is chilled, usually in the freezer for a couple of hours before serving. Then it is sliced thinly, and thinned out more with a meat mallet. At 411 the carpaccio is topped with an arugula and field greens salad, capers, scallions and grano padona cheese. Crostini and a horseradish creme sauce come on the side. I recommend dressing the salad with just olive oil, salt and pepper. Then, in each bite you try to get a little of everything—it’s truly perfectly balanced. Sweet olive oil, slivers of tender meat and aged cheese, salty capers, peppery greens and crisp and tangy onion. A little bite of crostini with horseradish sauce adds a nice zing! But I prefer to simpler flavor of olive oil on the beef.

carpaccio

The first time I ordered beef carpaccio was at a roommate’s bidding in Florence. It’s not something I would normally select for myself. But I fell in love with this dish. There was a small cafe close to our school, located at the intersection of Via Giglio and Via Melarancio.

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We called it News Cafe, though I’m not sure it has a name. It does have a prime location. The sign just says “News Cafe Bar Tabacchi.” Bars in Italy are more like coffee counters, and a tabacchi is a place that sells tobacco products, stamps, etc. We walked past it everyday, so it became a popular spot to grab an espresso or a quick bite for lunch. There lunch counter included panini, salads, baked pasta dishes, fresh bread. And their carpaccio, served with just arugula and olive oil was heaven. Eat outside on the little sidewalk and…tear…I can’t continue.

Next up at 411, Lemon Linguine—that’s shrimp, scallops, roasted tomatoes, garlic and scallions sauteed in white wine, lobster butter and clam broth.

the lemon linguine

Look at those beautiful scallops. While that is a perk of the dish, the real highlight is the broth. It’s light on filling, but sweet and tangy and full of flavor. The pasta is homemade—substantial, not flimsy. And then…the roasted tomatoes (which I once asked about…something like they’re marinated in orange juice and zest before roasting) taste like candy. They’re sweet and acidic and a perfect in every bite. Seconds please!

chocolate espresso pots de creme

And to finish the meal: Chocolate Espresso Pots de Crème. This is like a creme brulee, but without a crispy, torched top. Instead, the chocolate cream is topped with whipped cream and espresso bean wafers. Holy freakin cow—this dessert is fabulous. It is rich and smooth, and has the perfect hint of espresso to accentuate the chocolate flavor. And it wouldn’t be right to skip on a cappuccino.

cappuccino w/ semi-sweet chocolates

Everyone has a favorite dish at 411. My brother always gets The Crab (Red pepper papardelle pasta in a dill cream sauce with crab meat and a saute of mushrooms, scallions and bacon); Dad likes the Shrimp Carbonara (Shrimp tossed with penne rigate, shallots, bacon and garden peas in a traditional carbonara sauce); Mom’s with me on the Lemon Linguine, and the Whole Wheat Fettuccine is a favorite for many. There’s really something for everyone.

This post on favorite Italian food has inspired me to revisit my journal from Florence and write up some of my favorite places to eat in the city. It will be a fun trip down memory lane. Coming soon…

Anyone have an idea about what you’d choose for a last supper?

I had to put my fork down to write this.

So I’ve been doing a good bit of eating this past month. Bad news: Foodstalkers has been left out in the cold. Good news: Your day has arrived, dear Foodstalkers. I shall enlighten you now!

Let’s go back to breakfast. I got up bright and early mid-December to experiment with pancakes. The real reason: ear infection, and I couldn’t sleep. But mere illness will never, and I mean never, take away my appetite. I’m on the brink of death to miss a meal.

beautiful blueberry pancakes

These are Jiffy pancakes, out of the box. But I quartered the recipe and added a few extra bits. I didn’t have milk on hand at the time, so I substituted water, and used the egg and oil. Then, I added cinnamon, cardamon, vanilla extract and fresh blueberries! With genu-ine maple syrup, this was a home run…and the inspiration for the next pancake attempt.

Oatmeal Banana Cookie Pancakes. I followed the recipe verbatim with the exception of the sour cream and whole milk ingredients. Just to get some dairy in, I used the skim milk I had on hand. Plus the banana adds good moisture. Hint: to mash a a slightly under-ripe banana, nuke it for about 15 seconds. These are off the heezy good. I would recommend surprising your roommates or honey with this breakfast on Saturday morning.

batter is gross. a little uncertain at this point.

mastering the flip.

tah-dah! nice stack.

That leads me to a Wednesday night dinner group adventure to Pulcinella’s in Durham. A quick bit on the legend of Pulcinella:

Pulcinella represents Napoli and the Napolitan spirit of life. He is known best for his costume of white and his simple black mask. The legend goes that Pulcinella avoided work and trouble through his disguise. While working in the pizzeria, Pulcinella was often more of an entertainer than a worker. He would dance around and play. But when the ax fell, Pulcinella would hide himself in the flour bin, escaping the troubles of life in a child-like manner. For this reason Pulcinella is a true representative of the child within us all. The spirit of happiness is Pulcinella.

The food was wonderful, beginning with bread (pizza dough) and an oil dip, and followed with house salad with fresh, garlic tomato dressing. My entrée, I believe, was Spaghettia Bella Notte? Can’t remember the name for sure. But here ’tis:

the way to my heart. pasta.

The sauce was really simple, but popped with flavor: lots of olive oil, roasted garlic, parsley, toasted pine nuts, olives and sardines. Incredibly salty, and thereby, goooood.

Next up: Turkey Fry. A lot to discuss, but I’ll just mention a few highlights. I took a bangin’ Mushroom-Potato Gratin from bonappétit. Upon reading the rich, rich ingredients, you’ll understand why so tasty. Unlike LG, I like a lot of chopping and dicing. The thin potato layers required some knife skillz.

building the layers.

ooey gooey gratin.

covered dish central

Other food stuffs: green bean casserole, corn bread souffle (my favorite!), fried macaroni and cheese balls, dressing, stuffed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and burn-your-pants-off roasted jalapenos. Plus two fried turkeys, one of which was shot-up with hot sauce!We also enjoyed eggnog and a home-brewed keg of milk stout.

bird bird bird. bird is the word.

we did not eat Ducket.

After all of this face-stuffing, that takes us to the Balog Family Christmas Eve Dinner. Mama Susan really pulled out the stops this year with a fabulous menu.

the before-dinner spread

Clockwise from upper-left: Shrimp cocktail, Snowman cheeseball ( I will share this recipe soon) with crackers and baked pita chips, cranberry cocktail (with cranberry ice cubes!), cheese cookies and sausage balls. I could have feasted here alone…but along came the meal meal.

there's a lot of bacon on that plate.

That’s how Balogs do it. We like pork! Clockwise from the carne at the bottom: prime rib with beef gravy, 7-layer salad, lima beans with bacon, Katie Brown’s Spinach Casserole, Emmeril’s twice-baked potato casserole and bread.There was Coconut Cake, too.

Christmas breakfast is also a big meal at the Balog house, and required a quick turn-around in the kitchen for mia mama. Not to mention recovery time for those doing the eating! She whipped up Breakfast Casserole, country ham, biscuits, Crook’s Corner grits, fruit salad and coffee.

And now we arrive at the day after Christmas. Following a delightful party at MJ’s house in Chapel Hill, we were in for a night out on the town, which was concluded in the only proper way to end a night on the Hill: Time Out. I have so many things to say! Time Out is a CH institution. Yet, I’ve never gone during the day. It’s a strictly late-night, post-bar meal. Located on Franklin Street, near bars and lots of on- and off-campus student housing, you’ll likely run into people you do and do not want to see. If you ever take time to look, there are great historic photos on the wall, many of famous basketball coaches and players calling “Time Out!”

There’s also a police officer or two at the door to maintain order, but I like to think of them as greeters! “Welcome to Time Out, home of delicious biscuits, okra, fried chicken and mac-n-cheese.” Now for the food. There were many eaters among us, so I documented many-a-meal.

the classic: chicken cheddar biscuit

the side-lover

the side-lover + biscuit

hungry man meal

Not pictured: The Infamous Box-of-Bones. I only know of one brave soul that orders this. What is it, you ask? A box of chicken bones, freed of their meat parts, for nibbling on morsels of meat, fried bits and bone.

That was a long summary of a month’s-worth of eating. Happy New Year and Good Eats in 2009!

we did not eat Gretel.