Over Thanksgiving weekend, Mrs. Malik and I traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, for some family time at my brother’s house.
Approximately five hours north, Raleigh is a look at our town’s future, maybe 20 years from today.
We spent three nights at the hip Longleaf Hotel. Once a motor lodge from the early 1960s, an age of vinyl and velour, it now sparkles with modern touches while embracing its past. The Longleaf Lounge offers early-morning, locally roasted coffee, as well as sublime cocktails and conversation in the evening. Its “Investment Advisor” cocktail — a blend of two bourbons with a black cherry, a dash of vanilla and rosemary — took the chill off our first evening.
That night our family dined on exceptional Southern favorites (fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, collard greens) at Beasley’s Chicken & Honey. The fast-casual approach to serving handmade food had me pining for another restaurant just like this one, in our town.
On Friday, we ventured into Raleigh proper where we toured the stunning North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences with my niece, who happens to hold a doctorate in natural sciences. This museum has discovered a species of tyrannosaur, Nanotyrannus lancensis, that was only a tenth the size of Tyrannosaurus rex. Its bones are currently being studied by museum staff.
After a few hours we bribed my niece with the promise of a memorable lunch and on the recommendation of my brother, we rambled into Press, a cafe in downtown Raleigh. As soon as I closed the massive front door, I realized I was in restaurant-design heaven. Sure, we had a soothing, hand-crafted lunch courtesy of chef Rodney Steele that was studded with sourdough breads, house-cured salmon, farmers market vegetables and steaming soup. What really captivated me was the design. Press is one of the cleverest restaurants I’ve ever visited. It’s dappled with smart touches everywhere and its level of feng shui gave me hope for the future of our planet.
Our server recommended a visit to Videri Chocolate Factory, where a team of chocolate lovers produce delicious chocolates from beans sourced from across Central and South America.
When our time in Raleigh came to a close and we headed south, we discussed Greenville and its rush of development and whether it still had a personality. I asked my wife: “If there was a song, one fairly modern, that would describe our town, what would that be?” After some debate, I settled on Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy.”
Our town dreams to become the glitz and glamour of Broadway, wherever that may be. We’ve been getting cards and letters from people we don’t know thanks to our Southern hospitality yet we, like much of the Southeast, is flirting with those big-city issues. If there’s a song you believe captures our town, let me know.
“City Juice” is a colloquial term for a glass of tap water served at a diner. John Malik is a restaurant coach and hospitality consultant. He can be reached at chefjohnmalik@gmail.com.
