+ + FRIDAY JANUARY 29 2016 1C FACEBOOK.COM/NEWSANDOBSERVER TWITTER.COM/NEWSOBSERVER NEWSOBSERVER.COM N Weekend Movies and their grades: EEE Finest Hours Satisfying melodrama. 5C EEE 1/2 Kung Fu Panda 3 Another knockout! 6C EEE 1/2 Theeb Brutal adventure story. 6C Fifty Shades of Black Review at nando.com/movies. Jane Got a Gun Review at nando.com/movies. TODAY’S REVIEWS JEFF BRADSHAW WIELDS HIS TROMBONE AT THE POUR HOUSE. 7C MUSIC Last year, the Triangle experi- enced the culinary equivalent of a rare planetary alignment: All three local winners of the presti- gious James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Southeast em- barked on new restaurant ven- tures. 2014 winner Ashley Christen- sen, owner/chef of the ac- claimed Poole’s Diner and sev- eral other establishments in downtown Raleigh, opened Death & Taxes in June. Lantern chef/proprietor Andrea Reusing, who brought home the medal in 2009, launched the restaurant in The Durham Hotel in Octo- ber (too late for me to review in time for this year’s roundup). 2000 winner Ben Barker, of the now-shuttered (and still missed) Magnolia Grill, has teamed up with his wife, Karen (herself winner of the 2003 Beard Award for America’s Outstand- ing Pastry Chef) and their son, Gabe, to open Pizzeria Mercato in Carrboro. They’re looking to fire up the brick-lined ovens any day now. In my book, that trifecta of restaurant news qualifies 2015 as a banner year, even if nothing else of note happened all year. In fact, a whole lot else hap- pened. For starters, the Beard Award winners were not the only note- worthy talents to embark on new ventures. Nana’s chef Scott Howell made a splash in the bar scene with Bar Virgile in down- town Durham, with executive chef Carrie Schleiffer turning out exquisite small plates to pair with bar manager Daniel Sar- tain’s rigorously researched list of classic cocktails. Scott Crawford, formerly executive chef of Herons in the Umstead Hotel, teamed up with developer John Holmes to open Standard Foods in Raleigh (an- other late launch that’s on my radar for a 2016 review). A few local landmarks moved to new digs, among them Ta- DINING Best restaurants 2016 ................................................................... All three of the Triangle’s James Beard Best Chef winners embarked on new ventures in 2015 ................................................................... Ashley Christensen has the Restaurant of the Year with her casual and cosmopolitan Death & Taxes ................................................................... Other noteworthy new restaurants came from Scott Howell in Durham and Scott Crawford in Raleigh ................................................................... JULI LEONARD [email protected]Roasted oysters, preserved lemon and chili butter from the menu at Death & Taxes in downtown Raleigh. Raleigh chef and restaurateur Ashley Christensen in Poole’s Downtown Diner in 2011; her Death & Taxes is this year’s Restaurant of the Year. Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth’s Saturday show at the Carolina Theatre in Durham is nearly sold out, as of press time. And it’s no wonder. The 47-year-old singer-actress, who 13 years ago originated the role of Glinda in the Broadway musical “Wicked,” is beloved by fans. (“Wicked” went on to become a touring sensation and ends a run in Char- lotte on Sunday, the same night Chenoweth performs in that city.) Chenoweth is also known for TV roles on “Pushing Daisies” and “Glee.” There are plenty of reasons for fans to celebrate the Tony and Emmy Award win- ner’s visits to Durham and Charlotte this weekend. Here are just five. 1. She’s not a North Carolina girl (Chenoweth is from Oklahoma), but she’s no stranger to the state. In 2009, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, where she was the commencement speaker. “Kids in New York will come up to say to me, ‘I was there when you got your degree!’ ... I love that. In the arts, the connections you make just continue on.” 2. She won’t deprive fans of the songs she’s become most (pardon the pun) MUSIC Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth to play Durham’s Carolina Theatre JOHN RUSSO Kristin Chenoweth originated the role of Glinda in “Wicked” and has performed in “Pushing Daisies” and “Glee” on TV. BY THÉODEN JANES [email protected]SEE CHENOWETH, 2C Death & Taxes 105 W. Hargett St., Raleigh 984-242-0218 ac-restaurants.com/ death-taxes T o say that expecta- tions were high when Ashley Christensen opened Death & Tax- es last summer would be an understatement. Poole’s, her downtown Raleigh flagship, has won nationwide acclaim and was key to her winning the 2014 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast. Her other ventures – Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Chuck’s (gourmet burgers), Fox Liquor Bar, and Joule Coffee & Table – are all strong best-in-class candidates. The bar for Death & Taxes was set in the stratosphere, then, and was raised even higher by the challenging con- cept: a menu driven almost entirely by a wood-burning grill. Christensen and her well- trained crew cleared it in style. That’s “style,” as in a wait staff that are as friendly as they are well-trained, and a dining room whose leather banquettes, marble tables and vintage-look chandeliers were featured in Architectural Di- gest magazine. Located in a historic building that has in the past been home to a funeral home and a bank (hence the restaurant’s name), Death & Taxes sets a mood that is at once cosmopolitan and casual. From the culinary perspec- tive, the most stylish feature of all is the custom-built grill that dominates one end of the open kitchen. A massive beast of structural steel and firebrick that burns seasoned post oak (selected expressly for its bal- anced, moderately smoky flavor), the grill turns out everything from fire-roasted okra pods to dry-aged steaks. The menu evolves with the RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR Death & Taxes raises the bar BY GREG COX Correspondent SEE DEATH & TAXES, 4C BY GREG COX Correspondent SEE RESTAURANTS, 4C TRAVIS LONG 2011 News & Observer File Photo
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+FRIDAY JANUARY 29 2016 1CFACEBOOK.COM/NEWSANDOBSERVERTWITTER.COM/NEWSOBSERVERNEWSOBSERVER.COM
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Weekend
Movies and their grades:
EEE
Finest HoursSatisfying melodrama. 5C
EEE 1/2Kung Fu Panda 3Another knockout! 6C
EEE 1/2TheebBrutal adventure story. 6C
Fifty Shades of BlackReview at nando.com/movies.
Jane Got a GunReview at nando.com/movies.
TODAY’S REVIEWS
JEFF BRADSHAWWIELDS HIS TROMBONE AT THE POUR HOUSE. 7C
MUSIC
Last year, the Triangle experi-enced the culinary equivalent ofa rare planetary alignment: Allthree local winners of the presti-gious James Beard Award forBest Chef in the Southeast em-barked on new restaurant ven-tures.
2014 winner Ashley Christen-sen, owner/chef of the ac-claimed Poole’s Diner and sev-eral other establishments indowntown Raleigh, openedDeath & Taxes in June. Lanternchef/proprietor Andrea Reusing,who brought home the medal in2009, launched the restaurantin The Durham Hotel in Octo-ber (too late for me to review intime for this year’s roundup).2000 winner Ben Barker, of thenow-shuttered (and still missed)Magnolia Grill, has teamed upwith his wife, Karen (herselfwinner of the 2003 BeardAward for America’s Outstand-ing Pastry Chef) and their son,Gabe, to open Pizzeria Mercatoin Carrboro. They’re looking tofire up the brick-lined ovens anyday now.
In my book, that trifecta ofrestaurant news qualifies 2015as a banner year, even if nothingelse of note happened all year.In fact, a whole lot else hap-pened.
For starters, the Beard Awardwinners were not the only note-worthy talents to embark onnew ventures. Nana’s chef ScottHowell made a splash in the barscene with Bar Virgile in down-town Durham, with executivechef Carrie Schleiffer turningout exquisite small plates to pairwith bar manager Daniel Sar-tain’s rigorously researched listof classic cocktails.
Scott Crawford, formerlyexecutive chef of Herons in theUmstead Hotel, teamed up withdeveloper John Holmes to openStandard Foods in Raleigh (an-other late launch that’s on myradar for a 2016 review).
A few local landmarks movedto new digs, among them Ta-
Roasted oysters,preserved lemonand chili butterfrom the menu atDeath & Taxes indowntown Raleigh.
Raleigh chef andrestaurateur AshleyChristensen inPoole’s DowntownDiner in 2011; herDeath & Taxes isthis year’sRestaurant of theYear.
Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth’sSaturday show at the Carolina Theatre inDurham is nearly sold out, as of press time.And it’s no wonder.
The 47-year-old singer-actress, who 13years ago originated the role of Glinda inthe Broadway musical “Wicked,” is belovedby fans. (“Wicked” went on to become atouring sensation and ends a run in Char-lotte on Sunday, the same night Chenowethperforms in that city.) Chenoweth is alsoknown for TV roles on “Pushing Daisies”and “Glee.”
There are plenty of reasons for fans to
celebrate the Tony and Emmy Award win-ner’s visits to Durham and Charlotte thisweekend. Here are just five.
1. She’s not a North Carolina girl(Chenoweth is from Oklahoma), butshe’s no stranger to the state. In 2009,she was awarded an honorary doctoratefrom the University of North CarolinaSchool of the Arts in Winston-Salem, whereshe was the commencement speaker. “Kidsin New York will come up to say to me, ‘Iwas there when you got your degree!’ ... Ilove that. In the arts, the connections youmake just continue on.”
2. She won’t deprive fans of the songsshe’s become most (pardon the pun)
MUSIC
Broadway star Kristin Chenowethto play Durham’s Carolina Theatre
JOHN RUSSO
Kristin Chenoweth originated the role ofGlinda in “Wicked” and has performed in“Pushing Daisies” and “Glee” on TV.
Death & Taxes105 W. Hargett St., Raleigh984-242-0218ac-restaurants.com/
death-taxes
T o say that expecta-tions were high whenAshley Christensenopened Death & Tax-
es last summer would be anunderstatement. Poole’s, herdowntown Raleigh flagship,has won nationwide acclaimand was key to her winning the2014 James Beard Award forBest Chef: Southeast. Herother ventures – Beasley’sChicken + Honey, Chuck’s(gourmet burgers), Fox LiquorBar, and Joule Coffee & Table– are all strong best-in-classcandidates.
The bar for Death & Taxeswas set in the stratosphere,then, and was raised evenhigher by the challenging con-cept: a menu driven almostentirely by a wood-burninggrill. Christensen and her well-trained crew cleared it in style.
That’s “style,” as in a waitstaff that are as friendly asthey are well-trained, and adining room whose leatherbanquettes, marble tables andvintage-look chandeliers werefeatured in Architectural Di-gest magazine. Located in ahistoric building that has in thepast been home to a funeralhome and a bank (hence therestaurant’s name), Death &Taxes sets a mood that is atonce cosmopolitan and casual.
From the culinary perspec-tive, the most stylish feature ofall is the custom-built grill thatdominates one end of the openkitchen. A massive beast ofstructural steel and firebrickthat burns seasoned post oak(selected expressly for its bal-anced, moderately smokyflavor), the grill turns outeverything from fire-roastedokra pods to dry-aged steaks.
The menu evolves with the
RESTAURANTOF THE YEAR
Death& Taxesraisesthe barBY GREG COXCorrespondent
SEE DEATH & TAXES, 4C
BY GREG COXCorrespondent
SEE RESTAURANTS, 4CTRAVIS LONG 2011 News & Observer File Photo
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+4C FRIDAY JANUARY 29 2016Dining NEWSOBSERVER.COM
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seasons, though you cancount on a few popularstaples. The featured steak– a porterhouse, say, or abone-in Kansas City strip –will set you back $60-$70but will make a meal fortwo that you won’t soonforget. The poussin livesup to Christensen’s well-deserved reputation forroasted chicken. Roastedoysters with preservedlemon and chile butter area must, regardless of theoyster variety.
Other highlights of myvisits – ember-killed saladwith country ham and a
warm cider dressing,whole crab salad withcitrus and avocado, pick-led muscadine grape hulltart – may no longer beavailable, but not to worry.Death & Taxes is one ofthose rare restaurantswhere it’s nearly impos-sible to make a badchoice. That goes for thebeverage selection, too,whether it’s a craft cock-tail or one of the winesfrom the old bank vaultthat has been repurposedas a temperature-con-trolled cellar.
This year, it’s tempting
to change “Restaurant ofthe Year” to “LifetimeAchievement Award” forAshley Christensen. Inaddition to being a su-premely gifted chef andsuccessful restaurateur,she’s a vocal cheerleaderfor other restaurants in thearea and a tireless sup-porter of worthy causes.
But make no mistake,Death & Taxes is worthyof selection as Restaurantof the Year in its ownright. And besides, for allher accomplishments,Ashley Christensen is stillfar too young for a Life-time Achievement Award.
Foraged mushrooms are roasted over a wood fire at Death & Taxes, where the menu isdriven almost entirely by a wood-burning grill.
FROM PAGE 1C
DEATH & TAXES
Center). All managed toretain much of the charmthat had made them en-during favorites, and Ta-verna Agora’s new rooftoppatio is sure to become alandmark in its own right.
Meanwhile, food trucks– a category defined by
verna Agora (from North-west Raleigh to down-town), Dos Taquitos (fromCreedmoor Crossings tothe building vacated byTaverna Agora), and CafeTiramisu (across the park-ing lot to the other side ofNorth Ridge Shopping
mobility – continue toexpand our list of cheap-eats options at a dizzyingclip. As the market ma-tures, a growing numberof the more successfulvendors are setting upbrick-and-mortar loca-tions. In 2015 alone, 11food truck operators (un-less I missed one or two;they’re a moving target,after all) set up shop at afixed address. Not surpris-ingly, the overwhelming
majority of these are inDurham, where the localfood truck trend firstkicked into gear.
Indian restaurants out-paced all other cuisines onthe list of newcomers, andthe Cary-Morrisville areacontinued to solidify itsreputation as the hub. Thearea now accounts formore than half the 50 orso Indian restaurants inthe Triangle, a list thatcovers an ever-widening
spectrum of regional cui-sines from Hyderabadi toHimalayan.
Every year sees a fewunexpected closings – oflong-established restau-rants, or notable new ones– and 2015 was no excep-tion. Last year’s restaurantobituaries included Battis-tella’s, Black House atStraw Valley, Brewmas-ters, The Cary Cafe, EdMitchell’s Que, Firewürst,Fishmonger’s, Natty
Greene’s, Pie Bird and 518West.
On the bright side, BaliHai – a perennial Raleighfavorite closed by a fire in2013, after more than 30years – finally found a newhome after a two-yearsearch. Mongolian barbe-cue fans can now get theirfix at the restaurant’sspiffy new digs in Garner.Note: You can find myrestaurant reviews onlineat themenunc.com
FROM PAGE 1C
RESTAURANTS
BEST IN CLASSBAKERYGuglhupf2706 Durham-Chapel Hill
Blvd., Durham919-401-2600guglhupf.com
BARBECUEHillsborough BBQ Company236 S. Nash St., Hillsborough919-732-4647hillsboroughbbq.com
BURGERChuck’s237 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh919-322-0126ac-restaurants.com/chucks
CAJUN/CREOLELa Place111 N. Churton St., Hillsbor-
ough919-245-0041laplacehillsborough.com
CHINESE (CANTONESE)Shanghai3433 Hillsborough Road,
Durham919-383-7581shanghaidurham.com
CHINESE (SZECHWAN)Gourmet Kingdom301 E. Main St., Carrboro919-932-7222thegourmetkingdom.com
CHINESE (TAIWANESE)Taipei 101121-A E. Chatham St., Cary 919-388-5885carytaipei101.com
COFFEEHOUSE/CAFEJoule Coffee223 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh919-424-7422ac-restaurants.com/joule
CUBANOld Havana Sandwich Shop310 E. Main St., Durham919-667-9525oldhavanaeats.com
DELINew York Bagel & Deli III2050 Kildaire Farm Road,
Cary919-851-9050newyorkbagelsanddeli.com
ETHIOPIANQueen of Sheba1129-O Weaver Dairy Road,
Chapel Hill919-932-4986queenofshebachapelhill.com
FRENCHVin Rouge2010 Hillsborough Road,
Durham919-416-0466vinrougerestaurant.com
FUSIONLuna Rotisserie & Empana-
das112 W. Main St., Durham984-439-8702
lunarotisserie.comLatin-Southern fusion
GERMAN, POLISHJ. Betski’s10-120 West Franklin St.,
Raleigh919-833-7999jbetskis.com
GREEKKipos431 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill919-425-0760kiposgreektaverna.com
INDIAN (CONTEMPORARY)Garland14 W. Martin St., Raleigh919-833-6886garlandraleigh.com
INDIAN (NORTHERN ANDINDO-CHINESE)
Aroma160-114 NE Maynard Road,
Cary919-415-1132aromacarync.com
INDIAN (SOUTHERN)CholaNad308 W. Franklin St., Chapel
LEBANESESitti137 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh919-239-4070sitti-raleigh.com
MEXICAN (CONTEMPORARY)Centro106 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh919-835-3593centroraleigh.com
MEXICAN (TAQUERIA)La Superior3325 N. Roxboro St., Durham919-220-3588
MEXICAN (TRADITIONAL)Vallarta3177 Capital Blvd., Raleigh919-790-2696nando.com/3ck
PAN-ASIANBanana Leaf1026 Ryan Road, Cary919-468-9958bananaleafcary.com
PASTRIESlucettegrace235 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh919-307-4950lucettegrace.com
PERUVIANMachu Picchu4500-100 Falls of Neuse
Road, Raleigh919-526-7378machupicchu
peruviancuisine.com
PIZZAPizzeria Toro105 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham919-908-6936pizzeriatoro.com
SANDWICHESNeal’s Deli100-C E. Main St., Carrboro919-967-2185nealsdeli.com
SEAFOODBlu Seafood & Bar2002 Hillsborough Road,
Durham919-286-9777bluseafoodandbar.com
SOUTHERNCrook’s Corner610 W. Franklin St., Chapel
Hill919-929-7643crookscorner.com
STEAKHOUSEBin 541201-M Raleigh Road, Chapel
Hill919-969-1155bin54restaurant.com
TAPAS Mateo109 W. Chapel Hill St., Dur-
ham919-530-8700mateotapas.com
THAILemongrass8320-142 Litchford Road,
Raleigh919-954-0377lemongrassthairestaurant.net
TURKISHTalulla’s456 W. Franklin St., Chapel
Hill919-933-1177talullas.com
VEGETARIANThe Fiction Kitchen428 S. Dawson St., Raleigh919-831-4177thefictionkitchen.com
VIETNAMESEPho Far East4011 Capital Blvd., Raleigh919-876-8621nando.com/3cl
BEST NEWRESTAURANTS
Bar Virgile105 S. Mangum St., Durham919-973-3000barvirgile.comCuisine: small plates
The Boot2501 University Drive, Durham 919-294-8383thebootdurham.comCuisine: Italian
Cave 19121912 Bernard St., Raleigh919-977-3864cave1912.comCuisine: contemporary
Counting House111 N. Corcoran St., Durham919-956-6760countinghousenc.com
Cuisine: contemporary
Dashi415 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham919-251-9335dashiramen.comCuisine: Japanese
Death & Taxes105 W. Hargett St., Raleigh984-242-0218
ac-restaurants.com/death-taxes
Cuisine: contemporary grill
Juju737 Ninth St., Durham919-286-3555jujudurham.comCuisine: Asian fusion tapas
The izakaya is the Japanese pub upstairs at Durham’s Dashi.
GOLD MEDALFearrington House2000 Fearrington Village
Center, Pittsboro919-542-2121fearringtonhouse.comCuisine: contemporaryHerons100 Woodland Pond, in the
Umstead Hotel & Spa, Cary919-447-4000theumstead.comCuisine: contemporaryIl Palio1505 E. Franklin St., in the
Siena Hotel, Chapel Hill919-929-4000 sienahotel.comCuisine: ItalianLantern423 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill919-969-8846lanternrestaurant.comCuisine: AsianMateo109 W. Chapel Hill St., Durham919-530-8700mateotapas.comCuisine: Spanish (tapas)Nana’s2514 University Drive, Durham919-493-8545nanasdurham.comCuisine: contemporary Medi-
terraneanOakleaf480 Hillsborough St., Pittsboro919-533-6303oakleafnc.comCuisine: contemporaryOne100 Meadowmont Village
Circle, Chapel Hill919-537-8207one-restaurant.comCuisine: contemporaryPanciuto110 S. Churton St., Hillsbor-
ough919-732-6261panciuto.com
Cuisine: contemporary ItalianPoole’s Downtown Diner426 S. McDowell St., Raleigh919-832-4477poolesdowntowndiner.comCuisine: American bistro Second Empire330 Hillsborough St., Raleigh919-829-3663second-empire.comCuisine: contemporaryYamazushi4711 Hope Valley Road, Dur-
ham919-493-7748yamazushirestaurant.comCuisine: Japanese
George Yamazawa cuts daikon radish into paper-thinsheets at Yamazushi in Durham.