Where we ate...Updated 3/22/08

We moved to Georgia. We'll miss Bombay Bistro, Thai Esan, and the Cameo Arthouse Theatre. It's strange to leave a place to never return. If you've found this post, I hope it helps. And, I hope all the places we loved survived. Eat locally! Find independent businesses! Avoid the chain restaurants!

Places we loved...
Bavarian Brathaus: The German beer flows freely in this Carthage, NC restaurant. We had a great lunch experience with homemade schnitzel and pork chops, but our evening meal here was a little disappointing. Someone stumped his toe on the salt.
Biscuit Kitchen: You must be a regular to understand the menu board; ask for help and they will begrudgingly give it. But, that's part of the charm. This is a place where you can spot the regulars by their twenty-year-old-plus coffee mugs with faded "Biscuit Kitchen" logos. Excellent biscuits and gravy, and I take my gravy very seriously.
Blue Moon: Fresh, reliable food in downtown Fayetteville. A nice stop for wine and tapas before heading to the Cameo to see an independent flick. A little on the pricey side, but the best you're going to get downtown.
Bombay Bistro: We eat here once a month. Excellent Indian. We'll miss it when we move.
Cameo Arthouse Theatre: Okay, it's not a restaurant, but it does serve great beer, popcorn, and candy (chocolate-covered blueberries, people). And, you're welcome to enjoy your eats in the lounge or outside. And, did I mention that they show independent films?!?!?!?!
El Salvador: We'll be eating there for my Spanish class, but the Pilot and I decided to go one morning when we didn't feel like driving to Sanford for tacos. Excellent chips and salsa. Lovely pupusas -- I had the flour and the pork. They come with a small, yet refreshing salad topped with hot sauce. The Pilot ordered some tasty steak tacos -- generous helpings, interesting accompanying sauce that tasted a little like Dr. Pepper, and delicate corn tortillas. Incredibly inexpensive. For about six bucks, you can enjoy chips and salsa, a pupusa served with hot sauce and salad, and an ice-cold Negro Modelo.
Hamburger Heaven: Not as good as Hot-Diggidy-Dog, but the burgers were hearty. And, I loved the onion rings. Inexpensive imported beer available. $2.75 Newcastle. The service is great; they're new and trying very hard. I hope they succeed.
Henry's: Downtown Spring Lake. Korean. Good lunch buffet, and I hate buffets. Stop by here for lunch and check out all the Asian groceries.
Hilltop House: Nice atmosphere. Good Food. Lovely stuffed pork chop. Perfect for anniversaries. I really want to try their brunch.
Hot-Diggidy-Dog: Excellent burgers and dogs. Love the slaw.
New Korea House: I worry about this restaurant; it moved from its Yadkin location to Bragg Blvd. -- the part of Bragg Blvd. near the Foxy Lady that most people want to avoid. Still, I love the bulgogi.
Lord's Mill Restaurant : This new eatery sits in Campbellton Landing, and its patio overlooks the Cape Fear River. Except for the highway noise, the patio is quite pleasant on a rare, cool summer night in Fayetteville. First off, the service is excellent. Our food was okay. If you want southern food and standard fare, come here instead of Chili's. My shrimp and grits was good and creamy, but it lacked the green onions that no self-respecting plate of shrimp and grits should lack. The Pilot ordered a steak. It was made to order, but we felt the chef got off on a technicality calling the piece of meat a sirloin when what was actually served was a tri-tip roast. Yes, that is in the sirloin family of cuts, but it tastes like its name: a roast. Our dessert, a fried cheesecake, was good and unhealthy. Not bad. Inexpensive. Good service. Pretty good food. A damn sight better than Tripp's or Chili's.
Luigi's Italian Restaurant and Bar: The best steaks in town (besides the ones cooked here by the Pilot). Great wine list. Smart service.
Marita's Schlemmerstrube: 4257 Legion Road in Hope Mills. Good food, spotty service. Still, I love their salads and their schnitzel.
Sherefe Mediterranean Grill: The food is so extraordinarily fresh here. We ate here more than once a month when we lived off Ramsey.
Tacos El Primo: Best tacos in NC!
The Mexican Grocery Next to Tacos El Primo: Their tamales are the size of your forearm. And, tasty as hell. Also, their marinated pork meat makes for excellent tacos in the morning. Fresh and inexpensive produce. Homemade tortillas. I'll say it again: homemade tortillas.
Thai-Esan: On Main Street in Spring Lake. Please go to this restaurant. The Pad Thai is lovingly made, and the Num Tok makes me want to cry it's so good.
Saigon Garden Vietnamese Restaurant: We eat here more than anywhere else. Fresh and healthy choices abound.

Send it back
Chris's Open Hearth Steakhouse: On the inside, with its plush leather seating and expensive furniture, this place looks downright upscale. The food, sadly, is not. The salad bar was attrocious -- iceberg lettuce, very few vegetables. Half the bar was an assortment of salad dressings. The Pilot's steak was cold -- medium rare does not equal cold. He "cooked" each piece on the hot plate it was served on. My scallops were overcooked and rubbery. Disappointing, really...
Sakura: We ate there a couple of weeks ago and were highly disappointed. Everything tasted the same -- very little fish in the rolls. Anything spicy had those crunchy tempura batter crumbs in them. Actually, it was hard to eat. We sat in horror as one table ordered three spicy tuna rolls. I feel the chef has caved to the cravings of the American public -- anything to make them feel a little more comfortable about eating raw fish. We did find another place that looks promising. I can't remember it's name, but it's right by the theatre off Morganton.

Places to try...
Carribean Cuisine
Cafe Espana
Cape Fear BBQ
Fuller's Old Fashion BBQ
Grandma's Soul Food
Horne's Deli Cafe
Hot Box-Imbiss
M&M Jerk Center
Roosters ??
Taste of Europe (outside Yadkin gate)
Viet-Thai Bistro
WildeHare Grille (208/210 Hay Street)

One more chance...
People say it's good, but our experience says otherwise.
316 Oyster Bar: Tried twice. Thoughtless flavor combinations.
The Barn: Not sure what all the hype is about. My pork chops were crispy and dry, dry, dry.
Trio: Mixed experiences at Trio; it's now under new management, apparently, and named The Vineyard.