We met our tour guide, Susan, at the Briggs buildings (the oldest “skyscraper” in Raleigh) at 3:15. Throughout the entire journey, Susan was very knowledgeable about the city, the restaurants we visited, and the food scene in general. She could explain any of the seven-plus walking tours that Taste Carolina offers through the state and her warm and inviting personality made the experience a superb one. If you haven’t taken one of these tours, then you have no idea what you are missing.
The first restaurant we went to was Sitti. Yes, we have been there before, and enjoyed it, but this time, we had the opportunity to try new things. We started with baskets of their fresh-baked pitas, which of course, were delicious. They brought us a Pom Spritzer; a combination of fresh pomegranate juice topped with Sprite and a lime. It was colorful and a great opener to our meal. Then, we were brought their hommos (hummus), pureed chickpeas whipped with tahini, garlic, and lemon juice, then topped with mint. The hommos was good and creamy, but nothing vastly different from the norm. We had (and I’m probably going to butcher this name since it was not on the menu) a sitar pie. It was an oven mezze (pizza-like) topped with sumac, sesame, oregano, and a drizzled yogurt topping with Lebanese pickles and diced tomatoes. This was a good combination of flavors, though my American palate really wanted cheese on this, feta perhaps. Lastly, we had falafel, which was out-of-this-world. We have never had falafel before, and both Megan and I loved it. Realistically, it is just a chickpea ball that is fried and in a bowl of tahini sauce, but we just couldn’t get enough of it. The crunchy exterior with smooth interior was a great contrast. While it looked like a meatball, the blend of flavors just pops in your mouth. We’ll definitely order these on our next trip to Sitti.
Stop two was at The Mint Restaurant. Built out of an old bank, the Mint is an architectural wonder, with the original, six-ton vault door in the lobby. The inside of the restaurant is absolutely beautiful! I now understand why this is one of Raleigh’s most elite restaurants. We started with a shot of a pineapple cosmopolitan, which was one of the best mixed drinks that I’ve had in a long time. Chef Chris Hylton is a true culinary genius. He was trying out items for the new winter menu, so we got a great treat out of the Mint. He created a Sake-brined Filet grilled medium-rare and served over course, southern style grits and micro greens. Beneath all of this wonder food were a combination of sauces, a chive oil sauce and a star anise and juniper berry sauce. The combined Filet with the grits, dipped in the berry sauce was one of the most heavenly things that my mouth has ever tasted (sorry the picture is sideways, Blogger keeps loading it the wrong way). Oh, then Chef Chris came up personally to deliver me a double chocolate brownie with blueberry compote and homemade ice cream. Based on the food and his personality, I can see why Chef Chris is such a popular and in-demand chef. I can guarantee that for the next holiday/birthday/whatever, we’ll be making our reservations at The Mint.
Our third stop was at an underground bar called the Foundation. An architect literally dug this bar out of the foundation of 213 Fayetteville St., hence the name. We got to try two of their handcrafted libations. Megan got the King’s Mountain Gimlet, which is a combination of gin, rosemary syrup, and lime. While, I typically am not a gin fan, the rosemary and lime cover up the alcohol taste and make this a rather delectable combination. I had the Queen Anne’s Revenge, which was a combination of Crown 9 spiced rum, brown sugar, a whole egg, and nutmeg, blended together. The rum was a little strong, but the combination was almost like a spicy, holiday eggnog.
After a short trip on the R-line bus in Raleigh, and about a half-mile hike through Peace College, we got to Market Restaurant. Now, Market focuses on local, organic food, under the leadership of owner/chef Chad McIntyre. In fact, they were a finalist in the Best Dish in NC contest. Here, we were served their "crack" fries. These fries are triple cooked (boiled, sliced, then fried twice) for extra crispiness. Then, they are topped with truffle oil, fresh herbs, and asiago cheese. On the side is Chef Chad's homemade ketchup, which is legendary. The triple-cooked fries were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. With the flavor combinations, the intense herbs, and the asiago, this dish is seriously addicting. Chef Chad also cooked up a Saffron Paella with pork sausage. The spanish rice was mixed with spicy pork sausage slices, corn, mushrooms, and stewed tomatoes. Megan liked this dish, but honestly, I thought it was very bland. I thought another one of the guests on the tour was spot-on when he asked for something to add more flavor to this; they brought him salt and pepper. Salt definitely would have helped, but this dish didn't have the classic blend of flavors that you usually expect from paella. Megan still wants to return to Market someday, but honestly, I am very hesitant. The fun, upbeat ambiance of the restaurant was dulled by the paella.
Next door to Market was our next stop, Escazu Chocolates. This is one of about a dozen places in the entire country that grinds their own cocoa beans and completes the entire candy process: going from bean to bar. As soon as you enter the store, the smell of the chocolate being made is heavenly. We have been here before, and I guarantee that we will be back. This store is one of the true treasures of Raleigh. We were served their house-made hot chocolate. It was utterly fabulous; the best hot chocolate that I have ever had. But, honestly, I don't want to talk about the hot chocolate, I want to talk about the $30 worth of chocolate that we bought. Megan got a half-dozen chocolate, bacon, & rosemary truffles. She loves them, in fact, they are her most treasured candy. I can't get past the overpowering rosemary taste which washes out the bacon and chocolate. I got three of their chocolate bars, a Beaufort Bar (65% dark chocolate with sea salt), a vanilla chili bar (74% dark chocolate with chipotle chili bits and vanilla), and a Dark Goat's Milk bar (60% dark chocolate mixed with goat's milk). While all three are exceptional, the Goat's Milk bar is so unique and different, that I am still day-dreaming about it almost a week after finishing it. The tanginess of the goat's milk is the perfect complement to the rich, dark chocolate. It is a masterpiece. 
After a much longer trip on the R-line (this time long and rough enough to kick in our motion sickness), we arrived back to Fayetteville Street, just a block down from where we started. We walked to a newer place in town, the coffee shop, Wilmoore Cafe. We were served a piece of homemade Lemon Bundt Cake, which was a perfectly tart combination to pair with the sweet icing on top. The owner, David Fowle came over and explained some various methods for making coffee. We learned that the perfect cup of coffee is made at 200 degrees to extract the most flavor from the ground beans. He made us an Ethiopian coffee three ways. He used a French press, another type that filters right as you pour, and a syphon method. The syphon was the most unique since he heated a round, glass globe filled with water by using a burner. The heat then syphoned the water from the globe into a beaker above it with a filter and coffee grounds. The water then blended with the coffee, and once the burner was turned off, the completed coffee returned to the glass globe. He called it the most pure cup of coffee that you will ever have. While it was unique, David's obvious passion for coffee and the politics of getting a "fair trade" coffee was just way too over-the-top intense for us. While the coffee was good, I somehow doubt that this will be a permanent addition to the tour. Our Taste Carolina Food Tour was so amazing. I loved every minute of it. Our guide Susan was exceptional and I can guarantee that we will be taking another tour with the company in the near future (probably the Chapel Hill/Carrboro one). This concept, created by Lesley Stracks-Mullem and Joe Philipose is a winner, if I ever saw one. I love the novelty, the idea, and the restaurants. I would gladly come and give tours for them any day of the week. Our guide, Susan, also gave us fodder for a few other restaurants to try in the near future like Clyde Cooper's, Beasley's Chicken & Honey, Chuck's, Mecca, and Dos Taquitos. So expect posts on some of them soon. I loved the Taste Carolina Food Tour! Megan knows me so well, as this was the perfect gift for my birthday. I guarantee that we will be back and I will definitely recommend taking one of their walking tours to anyone who has any interest in good food. Thank you for a wonderful birthday Taste Carolina.
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