On Friday, February 11th, we visited Saxapahaw to take in the setting sun.  Linda completed her mission to visit the local gallery and inquire about their studios.  I climbed down to the bank of the Haw and investigated the Haw River trail but found that it is not ready for prime time.  There was a small plot of grass without any apparent trail.  But I did see the dam up river which earlier was obscured during our summer visit by the leaves on the trees.

Then we asked some locals when the new pub opens...4:00 pm...and we hurried up there on the heavily constructed stairs to roll back the significant doors and enter The Eddy Pub.  We took a position at a sunlit table with a view of their cantilivered deck.  From this deck as the sun set we could see the swirls of water in the Haw River below which are the namesake of the pub in the Saxapahaw Rivermill.  The waitress immediately brought me a locally brewed hard cider and Linda her usual Chardonnay and we felt quite at home.  Linda ordered the Chicken Pot pie with mixed greens and I the Shrimp and Pepperjack Grits with applewood bacon and portobello mushrooms.  While we waited we did our usual NY Times crossword puzzle and began to realize the wonderment of the view outside.  The sky reddened as the sun got lower and I knew that with a lucky cloudy day this view could be the best in the Triangle area.  Meanwhile the crowd gathered and a fiddler played a celtic tune.  The waitress asked whether I liked my shrimp hot, medium or mild and I ordered medium.  It was hotter than I thought but by dipping the shrimp into the grits I got it just right.  It was great.  Linda's chicken was wonderful.  We shared a Pots du Creme and a mint tea.  All for $44.18.  We vowed that we would return soon to see if this was real.

The Eddy Pub	Feb. 11th, 2011	Jeff Barney, Chef	1715 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Rd Saxapahaw, NC 27340	(919) 928-8388
				Saxapahaw General Store with Bob Garner youtube

This Thursday, January 27th, we sought out Bonne Soiree (not easily found) at the back of the CourtYard at 431 West Franklin St in Chapel Hill.  The setting is intimate with just 10 tables.  The service is excellent.  I ordered a shiraz/Grenache from Australia if possible...and got a French primarily Grenache which was very pleasant, obviously had been kept the few years needed. Linda had a Chardonnay.  We started with a chestnut soup with an island of Foie Gras and some floating chips of chestnut, smooth and satisfying.  My entrée was the Sea Bass positioned with a butternut squash purée, surrounded by carmelized brussels sprouts, capers, raisins and pumpkin seeds.  Linda enjoyed the chicken breast and thigh stuffed with paté with tender spinach, and an extruded pasta patty.  For dessert we shared the dark chocolate and mocha layer cake with which we sipped a lemon balm tea.  It was a very warming finish to a nicely done meal.  Pricey but recommended if you are looking for the taste of Provencal.

Bonne Soiree	Jan. 27th, 2011	Chip Smith, Chef	431 West Franklin Street Chapel Hill, NC	(919) 928-8388
				Gayot guide - Bonne Soirée

Thursday, January 6th, we went to Main Street in Durham to visit REVOLUTION.  Without reservations we opted to sit by the bar.  Pleasant ambiance; cheerful crowd; we ordered wines while we waited.  I had the 2007 Tete-a-Tete (California Syrah blend) and Linda had the 2008 Dona Paula (Viognier from Argentina) which we agreed were very good.  The ample chunks of bread were impressive, especially the sesame encrusted one...crunchy.  The bread comes par-baked from Tribeca in New York.  From the "Chilled/Raw" menu we ordered the lightly seared scallops with aioli and watercress and from the "Big" menu the baked flounder, lentils, artichokes, with red pepper sauce.  The lightly seared scallops did not appear.  In their place were nickel-sized slices of smoked scallops (!?).  The flounder was delicately flavored without any crust or marinade...delicious.  For dessert we had the Chocolate cayenne cake, topped with a mocha dollop, which was quite nice.  I enjoyed an Indian mint tea before we exited into the night.  Downtown Durham was surprisingly alive with crowds going to see the Lion King at DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) and overlooking it was a new (to us) animated neon Old Bull sign.

Revolution	Jan. 6th, 2011	Jim Anile, Executive Chef	107 West Main Street Durham, NC	(919)956-9999
				Revolution website

On December 16th we visited ONE which is Shane Ingram's latest venture in the area and we were quite pleased with the visit.  So we decided that this week we would try Four Square where chef Ingram polished his skills for the past 12 years.

I ordered the braised Berkshire pork shank.  It turned out to be a massive shank braised 'til it was fall-off-the-bone tender.  I'm usually one for ordering appetizers to avoid too large a portion but this night I went all out and was quite pleased with the result.  The shank was quite flavorful and the accompaniments, green apple, rutabaga & parsnip hash, spicy greens (baby bok choy), daikon were a fine diversion.  The wine, Domaine Gouron "Terroir" Chinon 2007, was a perfect complement to the pork shank.  I can't believe that I ate every last bit.  Linda had her favorite pan seared scallops with lacinato kale, black garlic naan, broccoli tabouleh and a local butternut squash curry.

 We did have room for dessert and I allowed Linda to select the Dark Chocolate Pana Cotta with coffee mousse, cinnamon syrup, hazelnuts and a cream cheese ice cream.  We shared it as usual and I did kvetch about always the chocolate.  This doesn't allow me to try the many flavors that are available.  Next time I'll have to order a dessert for myself.  However, I enjoyed it; especially the candied hazelnuts.  Linda liked the cream cheese ice cream.