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?

Come Check Out the DTR Water Tower on Wednesday!

Who has $685,000 to lend me? I think this would make a GREAT location for my first restaurant... no?

My friends at Glenwood Agency have listed this very cool water tower (and current home to the NC chapter of the American Institute of Architects) and are having a little open house/tour on Wednesday of this week (ie: tomorrow). Consider this your official invite, via Ann-Cabell's post on my facebook wall:

Okay, so, it's official - invite whomever you'd like! 115 W Morgan Street - Wed from 4:30 - 6:30 pm at the Old Raleigh Water Tower! We're going to serve some champagne, too! I sent out a post card to some folks, but, am eager to get as many people there as possible since it's such a cool building!

Click here to read up on the history and join me on Wednesday afternoon to check out this cool property!

Click here to watch the video about this piece of property going up for sale on News14.com!

{Image: Downtown Living Advocates blog post}

Last Call for Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week!

It's the last day to get out and enjoy Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week... so if you haven't, get to a DTR restaurant today and make it count :-)

Indulge your palate during the Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week — a week-long dining extravaganza showcasing the culinary talent in the heart of the capital city!

Select restaurants will offer tantalizing, three-course prix fixe dinners for either $20 or $30, depending on the venue. Savor the delectable dishes prepared by downtown Raleigh's finest dining establishments from Monday, August 23 through Sunday, August 29.

Prices are $20 or $30 per person, depending on the venue (tip, taxes and beverages not included).

{via http://www.godowntownraleigh.com/restaurantweek/index.html}
The girls (Denise, Adrianne, and Jess) and I made it out to Irregardless Cafe on Thursday night and enjoyed wine, appetizers, and dessert for less than $30 a person. I, recently vegetarian, enjoyed the vegetable curry (and had leftovers for dinner last night) and the vegan fruit crisp for dessert. SO good! (I also ordered the Mediterranean platter as my appetizer and shared it with the table - it included hummus, lima bean pate, olives, and other goodies.)

Irregardless takes pride in being the oldest (consistent) restaurant in town, but I'm ashamed to say my first visit was only a few weeks ago for breakfast with the Shop Local Raleigh gang. I won't be waiting too long to return again - breakfast and dinner have both been excellent, in my opinion! I also heard no complaints from lovely ladies that I enjoyed a night out with on Thursday! :-)

Check Irregardless out online and stop in soon for a meal:
http://www.irregardless.com/
http://www.facebook.com/IrregardlessCafe
http://twitter.com/IrregardlessNC

Holy Crap

This girl has the best idea EVER.
I freakin' LOVE sandwiches!
(And love even more that she will downright bring it to you!)



http://www.porchrockin.com/

Essentially, she posts a menu on Sunday night. You email, call, or text to place an order. Lunch arrives at your location on sandwich day.

How cool is that??

The breads she offers and the creativity are downright appetizing.

Talking Football Already?

What's that you say? There are less than 2 weeks until college football starts?

How did this happen??

(And where did my summer go?)




GO PACK!

PS - For those who are wondering, I did not renew my season tickets this year. Our schedule is kind of lame, honestly. Between the games at UNC that Nick has season tickets for - and Thursday night games usually being hard to get to in a timely fashion - it just didn't make sense. But I'll be buying some single game tickets, as available!

Southern Adventures: King's Sandwich Shop in Downtown Durham

Yes, ya'll - this is the perpetual Raleigh kid bloggin' about Downtown Durham. But, it's my blog... and that makes me the boss :-)

Just a quick post so that Adrianne can make her lunch time plans today!

Yesterday I ventured just a few hundred feet (give or take) from the Shoeboxed.com offices to check out King's Sandwich Shop with a few fellow Shoeboxed-ers. Sonny brought food back last week and the fries smelled so good, I had to check this out myself.



I have gone vegetarian, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a black bean "burger" on the menu, alongside regular burgers, hot dogs, bbq, and more. I resisted all urges to add on a milkshake and cookie, but definitely got the fries!

It was a delish $7 lunch and my only complaint is that I asked for "no onions, add jalapenos" and only got jalapenos on my black bean burger. It definitely needed the King's sauce, lettuce, and tomato I was anticipating to avoid being too dry.

King's Sandwich Shop
500 W. Geer Street
Downtown Durham, NC


PS - I don't think that's the exact address, but if you can get there, you'll be able to see King's. It's what was printed on the street sign I was standing by when taking the picture above.

PS #2 - Bring cash. They don't take cards. (Bad form!) So, big thanks to Laura for paying for me :-) I've got your next lunch, Laura!

What are YOU Doing on Saturday?

I have two great options for you fellow Raleigh kids!



1 - Raleigh Wide Open
Specifically, the 11:00am parade through Downtown... where you can see yours truly (and Nick will very likely get volunteered, too) volunteering with Shop Local Raleigh!

PS - Go see my buddy Mike for great prizes from Triangle.com, too!




2 - Second Chance Pet Adoptions' Auction for the Animals
This fun event taking place at 7:00pm features several ways to get in on the fundraising fun!

• Buy a ticket!
• Bid on over 150 silent auction items
• Bid on over 40 chance auction items
• Bid on over 10 live auction items
• Purchase raffle tickets for some cool items including:
• Disney World Park Hopper Passes
• Sightseeing Plane ride
• Tickets to Carowinds
• $100 Bailey's Fine Jewelry Gift Card
• Gift Certificate for a Pet Portraits
• 2 Air Tran Airline Tickets - anywhere in the US
• Doggie Daycare Gift Certificates
• Original Engraving from Clark Art
• NC Symphony and Ballet Tickets
• Private Dance Lessons
• Topsail Beach condo - 1 week
• And, much, much more...

Individual tickets are only $35.00 and open bar tickets are $125 for two!

Tickets include a wonderful selection of cold and hot hors d'oeuvres along with a fantastic dessert buffet. A selection of Pepsi products, along with water will be available. Wine and beer will be available on a cash basis.

Wines for Humanity will be doing wine tasting of select red and white wines during the evening. Wines for Humanity is an in-home wine tasting company dedicated to introducing the public to the joy of fine wines while raising funds for charity. Their wines are sourced from award-winning vineyards from all over the world.

Purchase your tickets online here!

See you there!

More Ways to Support Letters for Lyrics

In June I told you about Letters for Lyrics from Zac Brown Band and Dodge, which was a campaign I loved in its original format then. But my friend Amber sent me a tweet today letting me know about a new component they've added to this campaign and I love it even more now!

via http://www.zacbrownband.com/news.html?n_id=762:

Zac Brown Band and RAM Trucks Letters for Lyrics Continues to Salute the Troops

By saluting the troops you can receive a free CD Breaking Southern Ground. This exclusive compilation, not sold in stores, features Southern Ground Artists Zac Brown Band, Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan, and Levi Lowrey.

Here's how it works:
• Write a letter to a soldier
• Take it to a RAM dealer
• Receive the free CD

Please help us reach our goal of sending one million letters! If you cannot make it to a RAM dealer or Zac Brown Band concert, you can write your letter online and donate your copy of the Southern Ground CD to a soldier. Every letter brings us closer to our goal of 1,000,000 letters.

While you are on the Letters for Lyrics page, watch Part IV of the exclusive film "For Those Who Serve." The documentary follows Zac Brown Band on their April USO Tour in the Persian Gulf and features the band performing for the troops, meeting individually with the men and women overseas, and sharing their thoughts on the experience.

Visit the RAM Letters for Lyrics page now!

If your prior excuse was that you had no time to get to a Dodge dealership (or that you didn't care to get the CD), it's now easier than ever to participate! So... get to it! :-)

Talk Southern to Me: Peach On, Dolly!

The title of this here blog is "Growing Up Southern...", so I assume I don't have to preface this post with a little ditty on Dolly, right?

@Dolly_Parton: "Love is something sent from HEAVEN to worry the HELL out of you!" :) - Dolly

And just in case you need a little Dolly education: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_Parton.

{Image via: http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/famecrawler/archive/2008/08/05/dolly-parton-tackles-britney-lindsay-and-miley.aspx}

Tweet for the Troops!

Let me just start out this post with a full disclosure-esque statement: I am so privileged to be associated with the team at Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q. (I provide marketing and PR services for the NC-based restaurant brand.) Even if they weren't a client, this post would so be happening!

Today is the last day that you can Tweet for the Troops and support Smithfield Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q's week-long fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project... appropriately deemed "Freedom Week"!

Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® (website | facebook | twitter) sends bar-b-q all over the map through its online store, and this year’s Freedom Week campaign encompasses the internet in a whole new way for the company.

Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® kicked off its annual seven day “Freedom Week” campaign for its restaurants on July 2nd, focusing efforts on one initiative—supporting the troops.

Via its huge social media following, the company is undertaking a pretty audacious goal in its Twitter campaign: Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® will donate 10¢ to the Wounded Warriors Project for every mention or retweet of #FreedomWeek (that’s a Twitter “hashtag”, used to monitor topics on the microblogging service) during Freedom Week (July 2nd-July 9th).

The Wounded Warriors Project raises awareness and assistance for the needs of severely injured service men and women with the objective to provide tangible support to get them on the road to healing, both physically and mentally.

If you're not a twitter user, you can also support this campaign by purchasing a commemorative t-shirt available in their online store! (The shirt design is pictured above in this post.)

Click here to tweet about this to contribute! http://twitter.com/home?status=Check+out+@SCNBNC's+FreedomWeek+to+support+our+troops!

LOTS of First Friday Options - Even on a Holiday Weekend!

My twitter question today:

Ok Raleigh kids... what's on the agenda for #FirstFriday in #DowntownRaleigh? I'm making my list now!

Appropriate responses included:
@artspacenc - Artspace has it going on! We've got our Summer Artist in Residence here setting in Gallery 1- come on down!

@_huddy_ - Come on down to @Fragmentlabs and check out the jewelry on display from Jaclyn Anthony.

This girl right here! RT @FireflyVodka: Who is in the mood to celebrate family, friends, and summer?! #fireflyfriday #fourthoffirefly


Also on the list:

Music on the Porch at Seaboard Station
(This is where my gang is starting!)
Event opens at 6:00pm, band starts at 7:30pm – tonight featuring Peter Lamb and the Wolves.
Music on the Porch is a grassroots community event featuring free music every Friday night this spring, summer and fall.




First Friday Market… presented by IndieNC.com
The place to visit for LOTS of unique local finds tonight! Located at 131 S. Wilmington Street (in Downtown Raleigh), this once-a-month market features emerging designers, iced coffee, and live music from Mike Roy and Rob Watson this evening from 6:00pm until 10:00pm.


WKNC First Friday Dance Party at Jibarra
(You might be able to find me here for the tequila!)
10:30pm - 2:00am

WKNC is launching a series of Raleigh Afterhours dance parties at Jibarra starting on July 2.
These events are meant to showcase the Afterhours DJs and are free and open to the public for anyone 21+ and only $3 for those 18-20. All of the money collected at the door goes straight to WKNC.

You can find the Facebook event here.


Need to get around to all of these great events?
Park your car once and then hop on the R-Line -Raleigh’s free downtown circulator bus! Check out the mobile site and pick up the bus when it gets to a stop near you: www.yourhere.com/mobile.