Who knew, it seems all of Durham was eagerly awaiting Cuban sandwiches! Old Havana opened its doors almost a month ago in a less-traveled spot on Main St. and since then there have been lines out the door for their lunch service. Their menu is pretty simple with five variations on a pressed sandwich.

Old Havana uses top-notch, locally sourced ingredients in the sandwiches. From their site: “We source our pork from a local Animal Welfare Certified Co-op that uses heirloom breeds of pasture-raised, antibiotic-free …

If you’ve spent anytime at the Durham Farmer’s Market, you’ve probably seen the long lines that form at Phoebe Lawless’ Scratch stand (CD wrote about her Pie CSA almost a year ago).

And more than likely, you’ve probably fallen victim to the temptation of one of her doughnut muffins. Something about that big bowl of sugar-coated muffins amid rows and rows of fresh veggies is really hard to resist on a Saturday morning.

And, as probably most of you already know, that same big bowl of doughnut muffins has …

Did you know there’s a pie CSA (well CSP – Community Support Pie) in Durham?

Scratch bakery sets up at the Durham farmers market on Saturdays and in addition to selling a variety of pies and baked goods, they run a pie CSP.

To join, it’s $65 for four happy weeks of pies. You get to choose between three small pies or one large and whether you want sweet or savory. You pick up your pies at the farmer’s market on Saturdays.

If a $65/month pie habit is too rich for …

Saladelia is a staple of Durham’s lunch scene with a bustling catering business in addition to their onsite food. It is a favorite of mine for a late breakfast also, as their breakfast menu is available until 2pm on the weekend. They offer sandwiches, salads, pastries, and desserts with a Mediterranean bent. Order at the counter and your food will be brought to you. Espresso drinks are available.

They recently completed some remodeling of their seating areas and counter. There’s now a lovely row of …

Amelia Cafe is an appealing spot for lunch or dessert if you are in the Brightleaf area.

The atmosphere is relaxed but sophisticated with smooth jazz playing and very comfy leather chairs at their tables.

They offer candy, sweet and savory crepes, gelato, and desserts all day but their sandwiches, soups, and salads are only available from 11-2. Espresso drinks, smoothies, shakes, beer, wine, and cocktails are all on the plentiful beverage menu.

Their setup is confusing at first: if you are eating in, you should grab a …

Numerous excursions to Bright Leaf Square and Morgan Imports had left me curious about Parker and Otis, whose shabby chic exterior is fully visible from the parking lot.  I did not have the pleasure of dining there until lunch on a Tuesday, however, and I am wondering why I did not explore it sooner.

Parker and Otis is reminiscent of Fosters in that they provide sandwiches and salads within the setting of a gourmet food market.  However, Parker and Otis’ selection of foods for purchase is far superior …

Not that Rue Cler, Durham’s premier French restaurant, needs any more good press, but for some reason I never remember about their bakery and cafe. That neuron was one of the few to fire this morning, and I thought that there would be no better way to recuperate from an awesome first night of the Troika Music Festival than coffee and beignets at Rue Cler’s bakery.

Rue Cler, which is right across the corner from the post office on East Chapel Hill St., was one of the first …

Way down 55, right before you reach RTP, is Good, Better, Best Desserts and Cafe, Durham’s newest bakery. Although they aren’t going to take much business from Guglhupf, their healthy approach and inventive cookies are a welcome change of pace.

They’re still trying to get the word out, so their selection is currently limited to sandwiches, muffins, and cookies. We went for the banana pecan and carob chip muffins, a handful of cookies, and some super-spicy ginger tea.

 
Since she doesn’t use any refined sugar, additves, etc., the …

Tanya Catolos, the pastry chef at the Washington Duke Inn, just opened Daisy Cakes, a mobile storefront (technically a 1978 chrome Streamliner) for her cupcakes and other baked goods, located a block up from the Farmer’s Market.

Here’s the Streamliner in context, on the corner of Foster and Geer, right across from the Manbites Dog Theater and the now-defunct King’s Sandwich Shop.

After some truly heinous cupcake experiences in the Triangle, I was really happy with Daisy Cakes. That’s the Pink Lemonade cupcake (lemon with raspberry buttercream frosting). …

All right, y’all, confession time:  I’ve never really liked pan dulce from Mexico.  Something about pan mexicano was always too dry, too frosted, too uninteresting.  For years I’ve wanted to like the stuff, admittedly, because it is generally easier to find than Central American pan dulce (which has more rice flour, more egg, more cheese, that sort of thing–look for quesadilla hondurena at Compare! it’ll knock your socks off ((pick one that feels heavy)).  So I went into La Loma somewhat hesitantly the other day, drawn mostly by …