#durhamtweetup 2011

Sometimes blogging can feel like an isolating activity. And while cooking and writing is extremely therapeutic for me, it can be fun to meet up with like-minded folk and just talk media and food. I had heard about "tweetups" before, but never attended any for fear that I would be an odd duck in the midst of writers, photographers, and other creative minds. However, yesterday evening was the durhamtweetup hosted by @durhamfoodie and @designkompany and I'm so glad I went! It was fun to put faces to twitter handles and actually meet the movers and shakers of the Durham media and food scene. 

Of course where there are foodies, there are food trucks! Welcome to the scene, @ChirbaChirba, Durham's first dumpling truck. Didn't have a chance to try them because of the long line, but will definitely be tracking them down in the future. 

Also caught sighting of @WillandPops, which makes locally-sourced food. Had their Mango Lemonade, which hit the spot on a hot evening. Also in attendance and not shown, but previously featured: @piepushers and @parlourdurham. 

I'd been looking for @KoKyuBBQ for a long time and finally had a chance to try them. 

Thai-Ko. 

Short Rib Slider. 

Duckfat Tots. 

The Thai-Ko had a super flavorful relish/salsa that was delicious with hints of sweetness and spice. The Short Rib Slider had marinated daikon and cucumbers, yum yum. The duck fat tots were what you would expect - fried tots, but with a creamy dip (that might contain duck fat?). I can see why KoKyu has received a following. Layers of flavor and combinations of salt, sweet, and spice. Keep in mind that food truck food is not always cheap - definitely a quality over quantity thing here. 

Overall, durhamtweetup was a laid back and inviting event to meet people who appreciate a vibrant food, media, and creative scene in Durham. Looking forward to seeing how this evolves in the next few years. 

A followup thought to the success of this tweetup. Anyone interested in a similar gathering for young (and old) women entrepreneurs and self-employed folk in Durham? Imagine the wisdom and synergy that could be generated at an event like that! Find me on twitter if interested: @spoonraider. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Durham Food Trucks: Part 3

The Husband found a deal for Slippin Sliders, which is a food truck that occasionally parks in Durham near Fullsteam and MotorCo on Rigsbee. We found them on a hot afternoon next to Fullsteam, just as they were opening for the night. 

We got everything on the menu except the Teriyaki: 4 sliders for $10.

The Diablo. 

The West Coast. 

The Texas. 

The Turkey Apple Jack. 

Overall consensus was that the sliders with bacon were quite good. They also had some pretty tasty aiolis and remoulades. The bun is quite soft and the meat is thin so every bite is a little mushy with all of the sauces and veggies. My favorite was the Texas (naturally) and the West Coast had a great sauce. 

While I understand that sliders are "mini" burgers, I'm just not quite a fan yet because if I wanted to eat a great burger, why would I want it to be "petite-sized"? At $10 for 4 sliders, it's not a bad deal if you find a coupon or a daily deal. Unfortunately, I'm still not quite convinced that the genre of sliders is a bona fide food category. 

I hope Durham continues to attract food trucks, as it's great to see this movement growing in the midst of the locavore, foodie crowd in the area. 

May your food truck trekking continue this week! 

Caramelized Onion Rolls

To continue along the vein of flavorful breads, I recent tried caramelizing onions to make some veggie burger buns. The caramelization process took approximately 25 minutes and because I didn't use butter I didn't quite get the browning that I would have liked. But I suppose this is healthier.

Caramelized onions with white wine, white wine vinegar, brown sugar, and dried oregano. 

These buns were sandwiched around potato and white bean veggie burgers (recipe here) that we threw on the grill. 

Just in case the veggie burgers were too healthy, we also made salt and vinegar chips. 

Since it will be raining all week, there will be no more grilling for a while. Have a great weekend and enjoy my favorite month, JULY! 

Dining In: Durham, NC - Bull City Burger and Brewery

The highly anticipated Bull City Burger and Brewery was on the top of our list for dining out and apparently that was true for everyone else in Durham. Nested in the middle of downtown Durham, it has a great presence in a growing, vibrant eatery scene.  

Of course, they have their own brewery, which wasn't up and running yet when we went. But, we'll definitely be back to try the beer. They also have Boylan sodas on tap and all non-alcoholic drinks are served in adorable mason jars. 

Between all of us, we had the "Green Monster," "Pimento Burger," and the "Over Easy," which naturally had a fried egg on top and bacon.

I must say that I prefer my burgers very juicy and I always order them medium rare. Since we weren't given the option of how our burgers were cooked, I felt that the burgers were fairly dry and the cheese just didn't quite moisten them up. The Husband's fried egg helped to soften his burger, but the house-made burger buns were fairly dry as well so topping off with ketchup and condiments was a must. 

All in all, I must sadly say, BB&B was not one of my favorite burger joints in Durham, but they have  a great vision and marketing plan with potential for improvement. I'm definitely open to trying their burgers again once they have hit a stride and I will definitely be asking for my burger medium rare if possible. On the other hand, I will definitely be returning for an ice cold beer and one of their chili hot dogs (a customer had one at the next table, which I couldn't help but covet). 

I'm eager to hear what other Durham fans think of this new place. The ambiance certainly added to the meal and they also had an enomatic wine machine, which would make for great post-work happy hour-ing. 

Have a (tolerable) Monday! 

Sunday Dinner

Yesterday was a fabulously warm Sunday. After an entire day of cleaning, dusting, and laundry washing, dinner needed to be hearty, filling, and no-nonsensibly good. Warm weather = grilling! I can't wait until the longer days allow for grilling and dining outside for hours to come.

We had sweet italian sausage and beef hamburgers with thickly-sliced, toasted bread. Grilled tomatoes, asparagus, and shrimp were perfect accompaniments.

Dessert was grilled pears with candied pistachios and Ben and Jerry's pistachio ice cream. Yum!

Let's hope there is a lot more warm weather to come!

Pumpkin Ale

Fall is one of my favorite seasons because pumpkin is infused into virtually every food (and sometimes non-food) item. So this is my tribute to fall beer.



This beer is actually quite light in flavor, but has distinct hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. I don't quite know much about the different types of beer... ask me what the difference is between a lager and an ale... and I would tell you... I HAVE NO IDEA.

But I do know that this beer is a perfect accompaniment to Asian-Inspired Burgers by The Hubs.



Makeshift Asian-Inspired Burger Recipe (estimates only!):

1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
5 cloves garlic - minced
1/4 cup onions - finely chopped
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp soy sauce
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 lb ground beef (80/15)

1. Mixed (preferably by gloved hand) all ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Form into large 1/4 lb patties and flatten somewhat.

3. Grill or pan-sear the patties.

4. Top with bun and favorite add-ons.

Happy Weekend!!!