Sure, Mateo Tapas is a great spot for a lively, tasty dinner, but tapas for lunch? Since opening to packed dinner crowds last August, Mateo has since expanded to lunch and brunch service. I’d overlooked it on many occasions despite the appealing, lunch-appropriate menu. Recently, I made a point of checking it out.

Mateo is less crowded during the day so it’s generally much easier to score a table than on a Friday night. The bar looked inviting, though, so we parked ourselves there.

Although the restaurant wasn’t …

The folks from Foster’s Market have entered the world of mobile eats with their latest venture – Foster’s on the Fly. Like Foster’s Market, a Durham staple for over two decades, the truck is serving up grub that features locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients. The idea behind the truck is that Foster’s will be able to take their food into new markets (Greensboro and beyond), but they have shown up around Durham this past month quite often.

Like the restaurant, the truck is offering …

Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, May 12 this year. This is also graduation weekend, so restaurants in Durham are sure to be busy. Here’s a list of local options for Mother’s Day brunch.

Rue Cler

401 E. Chapel Hill Street

Treat mom to decadent beignets, mussels with frites and other French-inspired fare at Rue Cler. Brunch is served from 10am-2pm on weekends. For reservations, call (919) 682-8844.

Washington Duke Inn

3001 Cameron Boulevard

The Washington Duke Inn’s Fairview Dining Room will host a Prix Fixe Champaign Celebration from 12:30pm-8pm. Adult …

Bar Lusconi is a downtown beer and wine bar that soft-opened this week, so don’t expect perfection or a wide food selection just yet. However, I was very happy with everything we tried last night and can report no kinks in the service. There’s a great article in the Herald-Sun that covers the details of the bar opening. It’s owned by Timothy Neill and Jesse Gerstle, who opened Peccadillo last year, which is a somewhat secretive cocktail bar in downtown Carrboro. Bar Lusconi is at a …

Downtown Durham has a new ice cream shop from the much beloved ice cream bus folks, The Parlour. The ice cream is the same stuff Durhamites already know and love. The new space (which briefly housed a Locopops) is lovely with high ceilings, large windows, cool artwork, marble floors and a handful of tables. With The Parlour’s new shop and the upcoming Thursday night concert series, we’re guessing CCB Plaza is going to be the spot to be this summer.

Tragedy led to the shuttering of Kebab & Curry at the end of 2012 and even four months later, it was somewhat of a surprise to see the lights on in its old building. A family has transformed the spot into a Honduran restaurant called La Cacerola.

Small and cozy, La Cacerola feels like someone has invited you into their home for dinner. The owners are warm and welcoming and quick to offer ordering advice. We started off with two of the $2 oversized glasses …

We’ve covered the Wednesday special before here, but Ninth Street Bakery has never gotten the full review that it deserves. It’s both a hidden gem and a long-time Durham treasure. A wholesale bakery and cafe, Ninth Street’s baked goods can be found on shelves around town. The cafe offers daily soup specials, custom sandwiches, pizza and some excellent daily vegan specials thanks to chef Matt Props.

Around since 1981, Ninth Street Bakery focused on local sourcing, sustainability, organic and vegetarian eats long before it was trendy. The …