26 Hours in Chapel Hill in Lists: What to do in Chapel Hill, NC

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Grits
Sunday night’s Chapel Hill inspired dinner

Lovely people I spent time with:

  1. Andrea Reusing, the chef/owner of Lantern – also, Jason and Sylvia
  2. Matt and Sheila Neal of Neal’s Deli
  3. Nancie McDermott, cookbook author and eating enabler
  4. Bill Smith, chef/owner of Crook’s Corner
  5. Sara Foster of Foster’s Market – also, her husband Peter Sellers
  6. Sandy and Michael Fain, who gave me the what’s what about UNC Chapel Hill

Bookstores I could spend much more time at:

  1. Mcyntyre’s
  2. FlyLeaf Books
  3. Bull’s Head Bookshop

Things I ate:

  1. At Neal’s Deli: spiced roasted cauliflower, asparagus with vinaigrette, and a coleslaw that made tears prick at my eyes
  2. At Lantern: salmon sushi bento box, shrimp tempura, sticky rice with shrimp, salt and pepper shrimp, and the most perfect two bites of dark, dense banana ice cream
  3. At Crook’s Corner: fried oysters, hush puppies, soft shell crabs, shrimp and grits, fried grits, collard greens, honeysuckle sorbet, lemon pie with a saltine crust and whipped cream
  4. At Foster’s Market: the Grits Bowl and an English muffin with pimento cheese, a fried egg, bacon, and fresh tomato jam
  5. At the airport: Tums and a diet Pepsi

Things I bought at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market, shopping with Sara Foster, and dragged home on the plane (don’t look at me like that):

  1. Escarole
  2. Collard greens
  3. Raising greens
  4. Arugula
  5. Bibb lettuce
  6. Grits from Brinkley Farms
  7. Pickled cherries, raspberry jam, and bourbon figs from The Farmer’s Daughter
  8. Country bread
  9. Sourdough bagels
  10. Chapel Hill Creamery cheeses
  11. Sugar snap peas
  12. Spring onions
  13. 6 perfect pastel eggs
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Most surprising moment:

  1. Seeing the Arroz con Pollo from The Mom 100 Cookbook being sold in the prepared food area of A Southern Season!

Go Tar Heels!

NB: I want to clearly, CLEARLY affirm that this day of indulgence and gluttony:

  1. Has no resemblance to my real everyday life!
  2. Is not something I could repeat on a regular basis without dragging an IV of Lipitor around with me, and sporting some very stretchy pants

And here’s what to do in Tulsa!

About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

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5 Comments

  1. Official member of the NC Temptation Task Force. Come on down, y’all! At least for visits: October and April would work. Did I mention we’re less than 3 hours from fabulous beaches (East) and magical mountains (West)? Just planting seeds. What a feast, what a treat, what a memorable evening; and that’s not even counting the food. Loved visiting, loved eating, love your marvelous beautiful practical inviting book. It will get sticky, buttery, crumb-y, and scribbly.

    1. I actually put them in my suitcase. But they were nestled between the cheeses, so they arrived safely.

  2. Sandy can attest to Katie’s having packed her fresh food in her luggage! What did the TSA say, Katie?

    The Fain’s think Katie and her fam should move to the Triangle (what we locals call the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area). Soon!
    :>)