Yabba Dabba Do!

Once again, totally loving Google's change for the day to celebrate something special... the 50th anniversary of The Flintstones!

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/celebritology/2010/09/the_flintstones_at_50.html
http://tunedin.blogs.time.com/2010/09/30/the-flintstones-hit-50/

When I got to Shoeboxed today, Caitlin and I were sitting in the marketing room confessing that we both DVR it regularly since it airs on the Boomerang TV network from Cartoon Network (along with The Jetsons and other longtime favorites).

Any other "timeless" classics you love? I'm also a sucker for Alf and Disney animated classic movies that are NOT in 3-D.

Never Too Busy for a Little Brian Davis and Brantley Gilbert!

My pals at City Limits Saloon in Downtown Raleigh are having a FREE concert tonight (courtesy of Bud Light's One Night Stand... thank you Bud Light!) featuring Brantley Gilbert who I posted about earlier here. Who is opening for him? None other than our good buddy BRIAN DAVIS!

It's already shaping up to be a busy week, but who could turn this lineup down?

Not this girl!

Renee's already in for the Monday night fun. Who else wants to join?

PS - You can find Brantley on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BrantleyGilbertMusic and City Limits at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Raleigh-NC/The-Official-City-Limits-Saloon-Raleigh/105498752816348! (Don't forget BD at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-Davis-Live/20712075596, either!)

Restaurant Review: The Cherry Bomb Grill

(Click to enlarge - It's not the best picture in the world, but it's a fun "panoramic" courtesy of Nick's Droid cell phone.)

On Thursday night Nick and I ventured to the new Cherry Bomb Grill - now in the space of the former Joe's Place, which for the record, I cannot remember going to once in my 26 years in Raleigh. (Maybe because I never saw it open during dinner or weekends?)

Based on the early marketing for the restaurant and bar, I didn't think I was going to be much of a fan. It was a little too pin-up cheesy for me. Luckily, I am all for giving a local venue a first chance, because once we got there, it was a lot more toned down inside on the original concept - which I think was a great move.

Seating - +
The restaurant has a really accommodating open layout and bar. We walked in and were immediately greeted by the hostesses and waitresses and taken to a high-top table for two. (They were overstaffed for the evening, however - so the girls were just hanging around up front with not a lot else to do. Not necessarily a drawback, just an observation.)

Service - +
Our server was a little shy, but by the end of the night she finally became a little more personable with us (although I think it was mostly due to asking her what she had tried and liked on the menu so far).

Atmosphere - +
As I noted before, it was much better than I had originally imagined it to be based off the concepts they marketed before opening. The bar setup was accessible and had a nice TV display - great for game day. The restaurant is on the corner of a busy street in Downtown Raleigh, so I was bit surprised when all of the street-facing windows were covered with heavy, dark red curtains. (From a marketing standpoint, I'd rather see them left open so those driving by can see everyone inside having a great time.)

Food and Beverage - (neutral)
http://cherrybombgrill.com/dinner.php
The bar also features three walls of draught brews - mostly micro-brews. Nice! (They lost points and a few dollars revenue for being out of Shotgun Betty, however, because that's Nick's go-to choice. With Lone Rider Brewing Co. being here in Raleigh, it should be the most readily in-stock brew. Maybe an early-opening oversight?)

The menu features a wide selection of appetizers, salads (with meat), entrees, and desserts. Nick had a burger and fries (fries were good!), but unfortunately I was left with few options as a vegetarian. I opted for the macaroni appetizer (sans the bacon) and that was it. (And obviously not fulfilling.) Our server noted that the lack of vegetarian options was brought up by their staff and would likely be remedied in the full menu being offered in the coming weeks as the restaurant gets situated and "fully open". I am kicking myself for not having dessert, though! There were four dessert offerings, including a peach something or another dessert that I sure would have sealed the positive deal for me. ;-)

Nick liked his burger just fine, and that's about all you'll get out of him in regards to a "review". It's not necessarily somewhere he'll be asking to go back to specifically for a burger like Tribeca Tavern in Cary (that review to come later). My macaroni was fine, but it tasted more like an Italian mac and cheese than a cheddar or some other based-dish. My preference goes to cheddars, pepper jacks, etc. So again, it was fine, but not something I'd go back just to have that one dish (very similar to Capital Club 16 - again, another review to come!).

Pricing - (neutral)
Our bill for two was less than $20, but had I opted for an entree it would have tipped just over that. I would say it's "about norm" for casual dining in Downtown Raleigh.

Overall - +
Their facebook marketing is a bit overkill (I'll "like" your page, but please get away from the "be our friend" kick... it's just too much), but I'll venture back for a drink when near the Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater again. I'd also give them another chance when they expand the menu to see if they offer more non-meat options. The new owner(s) have invested a great deal in upfitting the restaurant and you can tell that they've put some time into it. The music played when we were there was not as rockin' and rollin' as I expected (but I liked the music nonetheless).

The only other "hitch" in the evening was that an owner or manager never approached us to see how our experience was (even though I noticed him sitting at a table on his laptop during our visit). I have come to expect it in independently-owned restaurants, but it's not something that would keep us from coming back... it's just a nice touch that I think really ensures a positive experience when the owner thanks you for coming in and asks for feedback.

Other Cherry Bomb Grill Links:
http://www.newraleigh.com/articles/archive/cherry-bomb-and-pin-up-costumed-servers-to-replace-joes-place/
http://www.newraleigh.com/articles/archive/cherry-bomb-to-open-later-this-week-on-martin-street/
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/business/cherry-bomb-grill-opens-in-downtown-raleigh
http://trioutnc.com/Cherry-Bomb-Grill-Raleigh-7181
http://www.facebook.com/cherrybombgrill
http://cherrybombgrill.com/

So Many Options this Weekend

The only problem will be finding time for them all!

Retail, etc.

SmartMomma Grand Opening (in their new location!)
Saturday - 9/25 - 10:00am until 6:00pm
http://smartmomma.com/Locations-Raleigh-NC-sp-6.html
First 100 families to arrive are getting a nice free gift, which may or may not include a VERY nice discount from SmartMomma's neighbors at Fred's Beds. Just throwing that out there... ;-)

Downtown Designers Market (is back!)
Saturday - 9/25 - 9:00am until 3:00pm
http://www.designersdowntownmarket.com/
Jewelry, crafts, apparel, and other fab vendors in the Ornamentea parking lot!

The Green Chair Project Fall Furnishings Drive
Saturday - 9/25 - 9:00am until 1:00pm
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/greenscene/green-chair-project-holds-fall-furniture-drive
http://www.thegreenchair.org/
Got stuff? Donate it to keep it out of landfills - and help those who need it!

Festivals

Ray Price Capital City Bike Fest
Friday and Saturday - 9/24 and 9/25 - 10:00am until 10:00pm
http://CapitalCityBikeFest.com/
I don't personally "ride", but my family and LOTS of friends do... so I'm always game for going along for partaking in the sights, food, and fun.

Hillsborough Street Reopening
Saturday - 9/25 - 1:00pm until 10:00pm
http://hillsboroughstreet.org/event/
http://www.technicianonline.com/news/campus-buffer-to-get-proper-reopening-1.2337841
In true Raleigh fashion, let's close a street to traffic to celebrate it being re-opened to traffic. (It's what we do.)

Triangle Uncorked
Saturday - 9/25 - 2:00pm until 6:00pm
http://www.triangleuncorked.com/
Wine tasting event benefiting the Frankie Lemmon Foundation and Rotary!

Local Raves: The Produce Box

Nick and I (and really mostly me in that equation) have a weekly CSA (community-sustained agriculture) service we can buy from and have delivered -- The Produce Box. I totally forgot to login before 9pm tonight and pick out which Produce Box I wanted for this upcoming week. This girl certainly lucked out, however! Check out this week's goodies:

Box A (Double share of sweet potatoes)
Lots of Sweet Potatoes
1/2 # Salted "ready to eat"peanuts
Tomatoes grape or cherry
Assorted apples (6-8 depending on size)
Cucumbers 4-5 (depending on size)

SO excited. Those are probably my most favorite NC produce items! (Although I'd certainly take big tomatoes, too.) I case you were wondering, here are the other offerings I could have picked from:

Box B (Fresh basil and cider!)
Large Onion
1.5 oz Fresh Basil leaves
Local Muscadine Grape cider
Tomatoes grape or cherry
Butternut squash
Sweet pototatoes
Cucumber

Box C (Oregano and Thyme)
Sweet Potatoes
One bunch Fresh Oregano
One bunch Fresh Thyme
Large Onion
Peaches 4-6
Cucumbers 4-5
Tomatoes cherry or grape

Add-ons
1 case (12 jars) $56
Tomato Salsa
Jalepeno Pepper Jelly
Spicy sweet dill pickles
Pickled okra
Pickled Habanero Pepper

Shitake Mushrooms (larger portion this time: 1/2 #):$6.50
John Toogood's Chocolate Chip Bread: $6.75
Garlic Ristra Wall Hanging: $11.00
.50 donation to help with shipping all our donated shoes to Haiti: .50

Mmmm... peaches would have been stellar, too. Wonder when the fall apple cider will show up?