Music Buzz: Condiment Sandwich

Condiment Sandwich may be based in Austin, Texas, but the ivory-tickling Wes Haynes grew up in the greater Raleighwood area.

Be sure to go to their myspace page and have a listen to this nifty, jazz-infused, funky three-piece. Heck, there's even a song called "NC" that's pretty darn funky.

It doesn't look like Condiment Sandwich will be making it to these parts any time soon to perform; however, they're starting to get noticed.

Pizza Fusion coming to Raleigh?

Google Alerts can find some interesting things. Just ask my buddy James.

But it also can draw your attention to things you wouldn't have known of otherwise. Case in point: This post (by GingerLemonGirl) that Pizza Fusion is planning to open a restaurant in Raleigh. Honestly, I have never heard of Pizza Fusion, but it sounds pretty promising for those that need gluten-free food.

Writes GingerLemonGirl ...

Pizza Fusion codes every menu item to let customers know whether or not items are gluten free, vegan, or lactose free! I couldn’t believe this restaurant had gluten free listings on their MAIN menu. The restaurant also prepares gluten free foods in a separate area in the kitchen to prevent cross contamination! The restaurant also bakes up gluten free, casein free chewy chocolate brownies for dessert!

The company also practices "what they preach by using hybrid cars for delivery, supporting sustainable business practices and seeking out environmentally friendly vendors" and the restaurants are "are build [sic] from recycled, earth friendly materials, and they make every effort to follow eco-friendly practices on a daily basis from the toilet paper to the biodegradable take out containers."

Any thoughts on where Pizza Fusion will be located?

Cities hit hard by recession; Raleigh doing OK

The recession is no doubt having an economic impact on the country's metropolitans (who are faring better than the rural areas, it seems). But even within the state of North Carolina, some are doing better than others, according to a recent Brookings Institution report.

Raleigh? Not too shabby (comparatively speaking). Greensboro? Meh.

The report, which looks at the nation’s 100 largest metro markets, says that while no area has been immune to the economic downturn, the pain has been unevenly distributed [says the Greensboro News & Record].

It shows, for example, that the Greensboro-High Point area has been hit harder than the Raleigh or Charlotte areas. ...

“When you look at things at the metropolitan level, you see 100 different recessions playing out across the country,” said Alan Berube , lead author of the report . “Greensboro’s recession is more severe than the Raleigh recession. Charlotte — for the period we are looking at — is somewhere in between.”

The report, called the MetroMonitor , suggests that — based on data such as unemployment, wages and housing prices — Raleigh would rank 32nd nationally while Charlotte would come in at 59 and Greensboro 73.

This isn't the first time that someone has said that the Capital City is faring OK in these tough times. Nonetheless, here's to hoping that we're closer to the recovery.

Related:
-'Triangle' tops Southeastern cities
-We may not be as desirable as we were a year ago, but we still kick your butts!
-We're No. 1!

Chalk another one up for The Pit

(Disclaimer: I don't work for The Pit, nor do I go out searching for accolades for the place. What can I say? The place is just "hot" right about now.)


The June issue of Budget Travel asked the world's "best chefs, cookbook authors, food writers, cooking-show hosts, and specialty-food purveyors to tell us where they love to eat. The answers are all over the map (literally!), but there's one thing all the places have in common: Every one of them is worth traveling to."

In our case, one of them is VERY close by.

Patrick Ford tabs The Pit as a place to go.

"Time—and only time—gets good 'cue done right, so they start the lunch barbecue the night before. My mouth waters for the triple-meat combo (328 W. Davie St., 919/890-4500, combos from $10)."

Click here for the rest of the recommendations from the world's top "foodies."

The city of 'The Triangle' tops southeastern cities in several categories

The Charlotte Chamber of Commerce apparently commissioned a study to, according to the TBJ, "determine how several prominent Southeastern cities compare to each other." What they found out was the mythical city of "The Triangle" topped the list, placing either first or second in every category.

The categories, and the Triangle’s rank in them, were: employment and workforce (2); income and productivity (2); livability and connectivity (1); new economy (2); and equity and diversity (2).

Other than the Triangle, the cities in the rankings – and their composite ranking – were: Austin, Texas (2); Charlotte (3); Atlanta (4); Dallas, Texas (5); Richmond, Va. (6); Nashville, Tenn. (7); Tampa, Fla. (8) and Jacksonville, Fla. (9).

The study, called Benchmark Charlotte 2009, was conducted by Harrison S. Campbell Jr., an associate professor of geography at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Not too shabby. I'd be curious to know how Raleigh, Durham, Cary, etc., would've done by themselves though.

This is what I like to hear

Here's a quote from interim N.C. State University Chancellor Jim Woodward:

“There is no other institution in the state that has the responsibility that N.C. State does. In my view, at this point in time, N.C. State is the most important university in the state of North Carolina.”

I'm obviously biased, but I agree. Hopefully under Woodward's leadership -- even if it's brief -- NCSU can stake that claim legitimately.

Woodward also went on to say in the above piece that the love of State has "always impressed me – the deep love and affection that so many people have for this university. You find that within the student body, you find that within the faculty and staff – many of whom have been here for 30 or 40 years –and you find that among alums, who may have worked outside of North Carolina for many years, yet they are still lovers of this campus.”

By the way, if you want to meet the new chancellor, you can do so in about, oh, an hour (12:30 ET) on the North Plaza of the Talley Student Center.

Raleigh Curios-city: Time + Light Tower

This is the third in a feature that (hopefully) sheds the light on some of the more, uh, unique aspects of Raleigh. Know of something that Raleigh has that no other place does -- be it a building, a organization, a group or whatever? Then tell us about it!


I can't admit to have paid much attention when the debate about the much ballyhooed (or beleaguered, depending on your POV) Time + Light Tower was really hitting its stride back in the mid-1990s. But I was aware of it enough to know that it seemed like a really big deal at the time.

Over time, I forgot about it at all. Several years ago, I was driving down Capital Boulevard with someone and noticed what I thought was a small cell phone tower with solar panels. The person corrected me and told me that it was A) the aforementioned tower and B) was supposed to be "art." Hmm.

To this day, I'm still not sure what to think about this piece of art that is somewhat obscured by traffic and a median and is not exactly in a place where one can (safely) sit and admire it. (I think it's because of the latter reason that there are so few actual photos of the thing. Go ahead: Google it and see if you can find much about it.)

But who am I to judge?

From the city's website, which was where I found this rare, close-up photo (bold emphasis is mine):

A reminder that we are part of a complex universe, the LIGHT + TIME TOWER is about the relationship between the sun and earth.

We seldom think about it, but we are on a planet that is constantly moving. We hurtle through space as we orbit the sun, and mark days by the journey. At the same time, we rotate on a slightly tilted axis (23.5 degrees) which gives us night and day. This relationship between the earth and the sun has been the basis of the artist Dale Eldred's artwork for over 20 years. For those who pass daily as they commute to and from the heart of the city, the tower will act as a subtle reminder of the constant presence of light and time in our world, and of the extraordinary mechanics of the universe - the rotational and orbital relationship of the earth and the sun. ...

The 40-foot tall tower is made of galvanized steel that supports 20 panels of clear glass. The rear side of these glass panels is surfaced with a high quality, industrial-grade substance called diffraction grating, which is a surface that has been ruled with 14,500 grooves per inch. These grooves "catch" the light from the sun and literally shatter it into its various wavelengths, much like prisms refract light. As a result, we see the radiant colors of the visible spectrum; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. ...

The color is visible on sunny mornings when traveling south into downtown on Capital Boulevard. When traveling north, away from downtown Raleigh, the color is visible on sunny afternoons.

The sculpture is intended for viewers who pass it at 45 miles per hour. The panel surfaces that appear activated at any one time will depend upon the time of day and the direction from which the viewer is approaching. This is because of the rotation of the earth and the angle of the sun. The distance away from the tower at which the viewer will be able to see the color spectrum will change from summer to winter as the sun appears higher or lower in the sky.

Now for the main question, from the city's site ...

Why is the LIGHT + TIME TOWER sited on Capital Boulevard?

The tower is on Capital Boulevard, one of our major traffic arteries, to celebrate entry into the heart of the City of Raleigh.

In the late 1980s, the citizens of Raleigh embarked on a program to beautify Capital Boulevard. As part of Raleigh's 1992 Bicentennial, improvements such as widening the street, burying utility poles and planting trees along the boulevard were implemented. As part of that plan, Dale Eldred's LIGHT + TIME TOWER was also commissioned.

A couple of things stand out there. I guess if you're traveling north on Capital in the morning and south in the afternoon OR you're going 50 mph or even 40 mph, you're screwed and can't enjoy the Tower? Weird. Oh, well. Again, I'm no artist.

See previous "Curios-city" pieces on NCSU's Whisper Disks and Sacred Heart Cathedral.

A Raleigh-Hong Kong partnership

A Google alert showed this article.

At a meeting with the Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, Charles Meeker (June 9, Raleigh time), Director of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York, Ms Monica Chen, said researchers, scientists, and companies in Raleigh and Raleigh's Research Triangle Park might wish to consider possible collaboration with Hong Kong-based companies in the areas of research and development.

Introducing the establishment of the Hong Kong Science Park Biotech Centre, Ms Chen told Mayor Meeker that the Hong Kong SAR Government's commitment to support the continued growth of biotech industries in the territory would further enhance Hong Kong's status as a hub for innovation and biotechnology.

She said, Hong Kong had an Innovation and Technology Fund, which had supported about 1,400 projects with total funding of around US$512 million (HK$4 billion) since it was set up in 1999. ...

During her visit to Raleigh, Ms Chen visited the Research Triangle Park and met with executives from the Research Triangle Regional Partnership to learn more about this public-private partnership and also to discuss potential collaborations and partnerships.

Ms Chen visited North Carolina State University and addressed faculty members and students of the School of Public and International Affairs at a luncheon presentation, where she spoke on US-Hong Kong relations in the areas of trade, education and cultural exchanges as well as the economic strategy adopted by the Hong Kong SAR Government in the current global economic downturn.

Ms Chen said that Hong Kong was also leveraging its close integration with the economy of mainland China, noting that the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement or CEPA helped facilitate greater access to the China market for firms established in Hong Kong. ...

'I can't wait to tell people about this place!' - June 2009 edition

I can't believe it's been a year since our last version of this. Guess having two kiddos under 3 will severely cramp one's "goin' out" quota. (Not that I'm complaining.)

Coincidentally, the last time I did a "I can't wait to" piece I had just tried Neomonde for the first time. Well, this time around I'm giving some deserved props to its urban sister -- or in this case mother -- Sitti.

The missus and I were pleasantly surprised to see how busy the place was early on a Tuesday night. (It also made me glad I called ahead for reservations.)

I honestly can't think of anything bad to say about the place, aside from me making a bad beer choice -- my fault, not our attentive waiter's. We decided to have several appetizers (mezze) instead of an entree, and it was a great decision.

We started with the hummus (mouth-watering -- I didn't know hummus could be), the feta cheese dip (like feta pimento cheese) and the beef shawarma. We weren't quite full, so we ordered the falafel -- or Lebanese hushpuppies, as we joked. That was more than enough to eat for two.

One of the best parts about Sitti is the prices. You can go out and have a wonderful meal WITH drinks and not break the bank. My wife commented that it may be her new favorite restaurant.

We left Sitti and went a couple of blocks down Wilmington to The Busy Bee Cafe -- more specifically, its rooftop bar, The Hive. Despite the threat of rain and thunderstorms, the evening was nice and we both enjoyed The Sting as a cocktail. I can't exactly recall what's in it other than vodka, cilantro and jalapenos (yes, jalapenos), but it is a perfect summer evening drink. Our jocular waiter was not kidding when he said the jalapenos are what give it that "sting" at the end. Highly recommend it.

In short, we were 2-for-2 on enjoying new places (3-for-3 if you count our fairly recent trip to The Foundation). It's great to see that there are dining spots downtown that aren't crazy expensive.

Been anywhere new -- or new to you -- lately?



(The Hive image from their website)

Congrats to Durham and the Capitol

First of all, congratulations to the City of Durham for being named the fifth-best place in America to live by U.S. News and World Report.

"The magazine," said the TBJ, "praised the town’s rebirth as a medical and tech hub for its strong performance, saying: 'Once a tobacco town, Durham, N.C., has evolved into a world-class center of all things advanced.'

"Albuquerque, N.M., topped the list, which was determined by studying a database of 2,000 locales that contained crime rates, local economies, living costs and entertainment options, among other factors."

Another nice feather in the cap for the Bull City. Congrats!

Secondly, this Friday the State Capitol will celebrate its 169th birthday.

Stop by the Capitol grounds on Friday, June 12, to hear live old-time string band music, eat some barbecue and celebrate the State Capitol's 169th birthday!

This celebration will take place on the Capitol’s west grounds from noon until 2 p.m. Visitors can also help make birthday cards for this national historic landmark, to be displayed inside the Capitol for the rest of the weekend. And since no birthday celebration is complete without cake, Capitol staff will pass out free birthday cake to everyone, while it lasts. This program is free and open to the public. ...

The State Capitol of North Carolina opened to great fanfare on June 10, 1840. A three-day celebration attracted visitors from all over the state to marvel at the extraordinary Greek Revival-style temple of government. Leading citizens in Raleigh hosted elegant dinners in their homes to celebrate the occasion. Meanwhile, extravagant galas were held in the Capitol, with dancing in the Senate Chamber and refreshments in the Commons Hall. According to reports in the Raleigh Register, both chambers were “brilliantly lighted by the magnificent new Chandeliers, which hold near one hundred candles each.” Revelers also enjoyed evening fireworks displays on Union Square.

A National Historic Landmark, the State Capitol is one of the finest and best-preserved examples of the Greek Revival style of architecture in the United States. It features a domed rotunda and state senate and house chambers, meticulously restored to their 1840 appearance. Until 1888 its granite walls housed all of state government, and the Legislature met here until 1961. Today the governor and her staff still occupy offices in the Capitol.

'... And I'm here in Rallee, really'

The line above is from "Hang On," a song from The Connells' mid-1990s album, Weird Food and Devastation. (Or, as my buddy James and I jokingly refer to it, Appetite for Destruction.)

"Hang On" is one of the few songs I can think of that actually mentions our fair city. But there are a few.

It should come as no surprise that The Connells have another song that directly references Raleigh. Heck, they have an entire album (Boylan Heights) named for a Raleigh neighborhood. Boylan Heights also gets name-checked on the final track of that album, "I Suppose" ("All the way to Boylan Heighs, How are you?").

Way back when, Chuck Berry's "Promised Land" (later made famous by Elvis) features this Eastern Seaboard homage: "I left my home in Norfold Virginia/California on my mind/I straddled that Greyhound/And rode into Raleigh/And on across Caroline."

Raleigh metal legends Corrosion of Conformity may have been paying homage to their hometown with "College Town" off 1983's Eye For An Eye. "So much to do/We're gonna have fun/College town, life on the run/Just go, go, go/So much to do/Living the fast life, like living in a [expletive] zoo/College town/Life fast paced/College town/[expletive] up place."


Then again, who knows?

Could be worse. Raleigh ex-pat Ryan Adams could very well carve up the City of Oaks like he did his other hometown of Jacksonville in "Jacksonville Skyline" where he sings about the "neon signs and car dealerships and diners."

"Jacksonville's a city with a hopeless streetlight/seems like you're lucky if it ever changes red to green/I was born in an abundance of inherited sadness/with 50 cent picture frames bought at a five and dime."

By the way, I'm 100-percent convinced that "back in the day" there was a version of Huey Lewis and News' "Heart of Rock and Roll" that included the line, "Charlotte! And Raleigh too" toward the end. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I remember hearing this at least a couple of times back when The News were still on top of their game. (And, yes, I'm dating myself now.)

I'm sure there are others that I'm missing. Please fill me in on Raleigh-related tunes I'm forgetting or just plain don't know about.

Yeah, school!

For all the embarrassment that a certain land-grant university has caused in recent weeks, it's refreshing to see that a couple of Raleigh high schools have provided reason to cheer.

Two Triangle schools have made Newsweek's newest list of top 100 public high schools in America.

Raleigh Charter High was ranked 33rd in the 2009 list released online today by the newsmagazine. Enloe High in Raleigh was ranked 82nd in the list [according to the News & Observer].

Both high schools usually make the top 100 on Newsweek's annual list. The newest rankings were developed by taking the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests taken in 2008 and dividing by the number of graduating seniors.

Other Triangle area schools on the list of Newsweek's top 1,500 (Yes -- that's 1-5-0-0!) schools:

* East Chapel Hill High -- 182nd

* Chapel Hill High -- 285th

* Jordan High in Durham -- 356th

* Broughton High in Raleigh -- 400th

* Durham School of the Arts - 412th

* Green Hope High in Cary -- 649th

* Riverside High in Durham -- 737th

* Wakefield High in Raleigh -- 1,115th

* Northern High in Durham -- 1,155th

* Northwood High in Pittsboro -- 1,457th

Go to newsweek.com to see the new rankings.

What's the most famous restaurant in Raleigh?

Up until last night, I would've, without even thinking about it, probably answered the Angus Barn. It does, after all, have a national reputation, and has been for years THE place to bring visitors who want a steak and good glass of wine.

But, in my opinion, that honor of "most famous" Raleigh restaurant must now belong to The Pit.

I've noticed a phenomenon at The Pit lately that I've yet to see at any other area restaurant: people smiling for the camera in front of the restaurant, like it's the Acropolus or something. (Yes, that's me and the missus in front of said ruins.)

Last night, while allowing my 2-year-old to stretch her legs outside before and after our wonderful meal, I saw several groups of people and couples having their photos taken in front of The Pit, making sure to get the restaurant's sign in the background. This also happened several weeks ago when we were across the street (at Ess Lounge) for a party.

(Granted, The Pit's popularity may have a little something to do with its recent national TV appearances.)

It never really hit me until last night, but are there other Raleigh restaurants where people do this? To me, taking a picture of a restaurant is another sign that Raleigh is becoming not just a great place to live, but a wonderful place to visit. I've been known to do that (like I did at the oldest restaurant in the world, the Botin, in Madrid, pictured). And I'm sure people clamor to have their photos taken at The Lady & Sons in Savannah, Sloppy Joe's in Key West (pictured) or one of Emeril's joints?

Does this happen at other Raleigh-area restaurants? And, more importantly, what IS the most famous restaurant in town now? My vote goes to Ed Mitchell's place. Now all he needs are some t-shirts, like the Sanitary or Hog's Breath ones.

(Sloppy Joe's photo from igougo.com)

Now that the smoke has cleared ...

... (or will be soon), are there restaurants/bars/clubs that you may actually check out that you haven't up until now because you didn't want to come home smelling like an ash tray?

Some background: In case you have been under a rock (or an ash tray), Gov. Bev Perdue recently signed a bill that bans smoking in restaurants and bars statewide (with some exclusions).

This decision has been hailed as highly progressive for a tobacco state, aside from a few voices of anger at an apparent infringement on private rights. Some restaurant and bar owners have actually admitted that this may result in better business. (I tend to agree.)

If that is the case, are there Raleigh-area joints that you are likely to try out (once the ban goes into effect) that you have been perhaps afraid of entering up until now?

I wonder if the ban is already having an effect on places that currently allow smoking. I tried out The Landmark for the first time last week, and had heard that it was "crazy" smoky inside. There were definitely smokers doin' their thang, and my clothes did reek the next day; however, I didn't notice the overpowering smell of tobacco smoke -- nor did my eyes water -- that I expected.

Thoughts?

(Thanks to Hugh for submitting this idea for a post)

Raleigh photo trivia

OK, I don't think this will be very hard for anyone, but let's see who can be the quickest to guess from where this photo was taken.



The fastest to guess correctly wins ... the adoration and respect of the Raleigh blogosphere.

Music Buzz: Bowerbirds and The Loners

At the risk of sounding "braggy," I feel like I at least do a pretty good job of keeping up with what Raleigh-area bands and musicians are creating a buzz. Even if I can't tell you what particular artists sound like, I at least can say, "yeah, I've heard they're pretty good." A couple of excellent sources are The Independent Weekly and our friends at New Raleigh. (In fact, we so rarely discuss music here because they and others do such a good job.)

That's why I was mildly surprised last night when my buddy James (occasional Society contributor and the man behind Yet Another N.C. State Sports Blog) mentioned Bowerbirds, whom I had not heard of. A quick listen this morning validated James' insistence that I check them out. Bowerbirds should rank among The Annuals and The Rosebuds as one of the better bands to come out of Raleigh in recent years.

This nu-folk, Americana act is made up of Phil Moore (guitar, lead vocals) and Beth Tacular (accordion, keys, vocals), "plus a rotating cast of musicians." They describe their sound (on their MySpace pageg) as "tiny pebbles being dropped into a fishtank." For a nice snapshot of their sound, try out "In Our Talons" and "Hooves." High-quality stuff.

Bowerbirds will be playing in Carrboro on August 22. According to Wikipedia, their second album, Upper Air, will be released July 7th in 2009.

Another local band that appears to be gaining some buzz are The Loners. (Full disclosure: the band is fronted by my neighbor, Eddie Taylor.) Think Flat Duo Jets meets The Ramones, with a slight detour to the White Stripes.

Turning the corner: Raleigh now being advised on HOW to revitalize downtown

It wasn't that long ago that city officials and Raleigh business leaders were the ones traveling to other cities to get good ideas on how to revitalize downtown. (Hopefully they still are; never hurts to keep learnin.') But it appears that the work that has gone on in the DTR over the past four or five years has been so positive that other places are looking at how "Raleigh done it."

One example is the city of Salisbury, which invited Assistant City Manager Dan Howe to town recently to talk about Raleigh's efforts.

When the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006, the city of Raleigh celebrated.

Where? In the parking lot of the RBC Center[ says the Salisbury Post].

It reinforced for Raleigh's leaders that the downtown no longer represented a symbolic or ceremonial center for the city.

By then, they already had initiated projects to change all that.

Raleigh Assistant City Manager Dan Howe shared the downtown's transformation Thursday night when about 100 Salisburians met at the Rowan Museum to discuss a new 10-year Master Plan for their own central business district.

Howe said six things helped to improve Raleigh's downtown: leadership, a plan, strategic partnerships, transformational investments, programming to bring people downtown and good timing.

Very nice to see Raleigh -- and its city staff and leaders -- get some good pub. We citizens are not always completely satisfied with what we see, but we have to admit that Raleigh has been pretty progressive and aggressive about re-inventing downtown. And the one gripe we seem to all have -- minimal retail -- has not been lost on Howe and others. Howe suggested to Salisbury's folks a retail incubator.

"Retail is always the piece that lags," he said.

Click here for the rest of the article.