We used to regularly watch basketball games at the Tavern when it was located on 15-501. It was one of the few places in town that was large enough and off-the-beaten path enough that you didn’t have to fight for a spot to watch a game. When the Tavern moved to its current location on Markham just off 9th street, we had high hopes. We stopped in the first week it was open only to be greeted by oversized bouncers outfitted in mesh shirts and walkie talkies. We didn’t go back.

However this past weekend, after spending too many consecutive nights at Geer St. and Surf Club, we ventured to 9th Street. Two guys playing guitars steered us away from Mitch’s, no empty seats meant Dain’s wasn’t an option and Charlie’s was overtaken by a loud DJ and strobe lights. We ended up at the Tavern.

Because they serve food, the Tavern is no longer a private club which means no membership fee and no bouncers. We were shocked to discover that the Tavern is actually pretty awesome. Lots of decent beers on tap, friendly bartenders and a diverse crowd. It’s a large open space filled with pool tables, dart boards, shuffle board and lots of arcade games. Darts and shuffle board are free, pool is $1 a game. There’s a small room with a stage off to one side. On a Saturday night, the side room was filled with dancers and a DJ. It looks like the Tavern also uses that room for bands and comedy acts.

When we stopped back in this week to give their food a try, the staff was again really friendly and welcoming. The Tavern has a large pub grub menu filled with burgers, chicken sandwiches, wings and the like. All of their sandwiches come with housemade chips and most cost around $6.99. We had the buffalo chicken pita and the veggie burger. The buffalo chicken pita was excellent – a large, fresh pita filled with grilled chicken, lettuce and tomato. The housemade chips were fresh, plentiful, tossed with salt and pepper and served with a side of ranch. The veggie burger was two veggie patties topped with American cheese slices, sautéed mushrooms, onions and peppers and served on buttered/toasted Texas toast.

Are they reinventing the wheel? No, but the Tavern is serving affordable, satisfying and solid pub grub in a relaxed atmosphere. It also may be our new favorite spot watch a game, grab a beer and play a round of darts.

The Tavern
1900 W Markham Ave
Durham, NC 27705
(919) 286-7665

Last night was the soft opening of Surf Club – Durham’s newest watering hole. Surf Club, just a block up from Fullsteam and Motorco, is the brainchild of Rhys Botica, a partner or owner in some of the popular bars around town (Whiskey, The Federal, Bull McCabes). A rare Durham site, Surf Club is just a bar bar – no themes, no gimmicks, no food – just a well curated beer and liquor selection. It’s refreshing.

The décor is dark and lovely – which isn’t surprising as Durham’s decorating superstar Heather Garrett is behind it. Subway tiles, vintage beer signs, dark wood, leather, a single dart board – right now in its newly open state, it is still warm and inviting.

With a staff made up of familiar folks from Botica’s other establishments – Surf Club already feels like our favorite neighborhood bar. Note: Surf Club’s dark lighting means these pictures in no way do it justice.

703 Rigsbee Ave.

Article from the Herald Sun

Looking for a neighborhood bar with cheap beer, free pool, lots of TV’s and a friendly vibe? Then Doyle’s is for you. Hidden next to Piper’s Deli, just a block off University – Doyle’s is a laid-back sports bar and would be a great spot to catch a game.

Staring at a TV, nursing long-necks isn’t your thing? Doyle’s has five pool tables, a ping-pong table, dartboards, shuffleboard, foosball, bumper pool, a bunch of arcade games and a shoe shine stand. It seems shuffleboard and the arcade games are the only two that cost to play.

The bartenders are nice and the beer is cheap. Bonus: we’ve heard on some warm nights they wheel out the grill and cook up some communal grub.

Doyle’s is off-the-beaten path but worth seeking out.

Doyle’s Sports Bar
3219 Old Chapel Hill Rd # A
Durham, NC 27707-6232
(919) 419-9791
Mon – Sun:    4:00 pm-2:00 am

There’s nothing like good buzz to precede a restaurant opening and Seth Gross, owner of Bull City Burger and Brewery (BCBB) knows that better than anyone. In the first two days of business, BCBB served over 1100 customers. You see, Seth had Durhamites anticipating BCBB long before its doors opened on March 25th through the Golden Bull contest that awarded five lucky winners one free meal a week for a year. Although I never found one of those golden bulls, I still felt like a winner as I sank my teeth into one of the best burgers I’ve had in Durham.

The Beef Burger (*written in collabo with DID because I don’t eat beef!*)

Overwhelmed by the options on our first visit, we tried the pimento burger (pimento cheese and pickled veggies) and the green monster (Gruyere, raw onion, roasted poblano peppers). The pimento burger surprisingly came topped with pickled beets and jalapeno peppers. The beets added a welcome hit of sweet/sour crunch while the jalapeno added spice. The green monster was tasty as well with the rich gruyere, crunch of raw red onions and spice of the poblano. The meat on both, which is ground in-house daily, really stood out. I resisted adding ketchup to my burger just to savor the flavor of the meat.  Our only complaint is that you can’t order your burger any way other than medium well. A note on the menu says its NC state law that burgers be cooked to 155º, so there’s no pink in these burgers.

My friend also order the pimento burger and couldn’t stop raving about the texture of the meat. She said the flavor was perfect, that the pickled veggies were awesome, and that the proportions of meat, veggies, and bun were spot on. She also was impressed by how the pimento cheese held up from the first to the last bite.

The Veggie Burger

Folks insistent on their freedom of choice can order custom burgers, and I exercised this option by customizing my veggie burger–a non-meat bean burger. I ordered my burger with cheddar, beer mustard, lettuce, and grilled mushrooms. The burger was hearty (not mushy at all), the flavor was rich–making me wonder if there was beer in the magical mix, and the cheese was perfectly melted. I have finally found a veggie burger in Durham worth bragging about.

The Bun, the Sides, and the Beer

All of BCBB’s burgers are served on soft, fluffy buns. As my friend put it, “it’s a legitimate piece of bread!” The bun has a subtle flavor and held up to our burgers and the fixings. Best part–the buns are baked fresh, in-house, daily. We also ordered the deep fried pickle chips with pretzel crust, which admittedly sounds a bit strange to me, but were crispy, crunchy, sour and delectable. My friend loved the rich and decadent duck fat frites. The night that we went, BCBB featured beer from local breweries, but we were assured by waitstaff that their BCBB brewed beer would be available this Monday.

Fresh, innovative ingredients and the care with which they’re treated set these burgers apart from those you’ll find elsewhere around town. The ambiance–with its terra cotta walls, Enomatic wine dispenser, communal seating, and echoey, somewhat industrial interior–creates a warm and relaxed vibe. Knowing that BCBB honors local farmers, is dedicated to running a sustainable business, and supports the community through monthly donations means that you can eat burgers and drink your beer with pride.

Bull City Burger and Brewery

107 East Parrish Street

Durham, NC 27701

I’m sure most of you have seen that non-descript white building just up the road from Fullsteam with the Lloyd’s Lounge sign out front and like us wondered what’s inside. This past Saturday night, overwhelmed by the crowds/music at Fullsteam and needing a break, we popped into Lloyd’s. And as it turns out – it’s awesome. We’ve been scoping around town for a go-to laidback bar since the Down Under closed down and in Lloyd’s we may have found it.

Pretty nice on the inside, Lloyd’s has a welcoming bar scene, a scattering of tables, a small dance floor and a good patio. On a Saturday night at midnight, there were only a handful of customers. The bartender was really welcoming, encouraging us to come back often and with friends. Apparently Lloyd’s used to have a questionable reputation and was rented out most nights for private parties. But now under new management, Lloyd’s is looking to become Durham’s neighborhood bar.

New manager Chet Mancour, who was one of the first employees at the much beloved and missed Joe and Jo’s, says they may even start serving food and are trying to organize food trucks for their parking lot. There’s a large pig cooker out back that looks promising for summer months.

On Saturday night all domestics were $2, “Long Islands” were $5 and the Blue Motorcycle (pictured) was the cocktail special of the night. A DJ was playing old school hip hop/dance pop hits to a semi-deserted dance floor and basketball was on the TV’s. The bartender said they do karaoke on Thursday nights if you’re into that sort of thing and a night to avoid if you’re not.

Lloyd’s makes a good stop when heading to or from downtown to or from Motorco or Fullsteam. If only they could get the Down Under’s jukebox. Note: Learned that PBR is $1 every night. . . every night.

Lloyd’s site says they’re open Tues. 5-11 pm, Thurs.-Sat. 8pm-2am, & Sun. 3-11pm.

Lloyd’s Lounge

Like the Federal, Bull McCabe’s is just one of those places where we routinely end up for dinner. It’s affordable with a great atmosphere, extensive beer list and a cool, laid back vibe. Most of Carpe Durham readers have probably checked it out for themselves – popped in for a burger, played trivia or just spent some late nights having beers there.

So why the review? I wanted to make sure that folks aren’t missing out on some of the gems on the menu. As many of you have probably noticed Bull McCabes has stepped up its food offerings in the past few months revamping the menu, adding rotating daily specials and including some local sourcing on the menu.

We’ve really enjoyed some of the daily specials that seem to make regular appearances. The new charcuterie plate with house-made relishes is solid and the Carolina hot dogs on Guglhupf pretzel rolls are hard to resist and really a meal big enough for two. The special sides we’ve sampled have all been great (macaroni, onion rings, etc.) and the desserts really tasty (apple pie a la mode and cheesecake).

From the regular menu, aside from solid burger/fries offerings, I really dig the newish smoked brisket and black bean chili. It’s rich, spicy and flavorful while the chunks of brisket take it over the edge.

But my go-to, it’s-hard-not-to-order-every-single-time meal is. . .the veggie burger. I know it’s not what you wanted to hear and it sounds horribly boring. But honestly, even for a unabashed carnivore like myself, MccCabe’s veggie burger or “Elizabeth’s Spicy Veggie Burger” as they call it, is just, well, awesome. What makes it special? A butter-toasted fresh bun for one and the addition of pepper jack cheese, avocado, pico de gallo and chipotle mayo. Interested now? Really, give it a try and if you order it with a baked potato or salad you can, like I do, convince yourself it’s healthy.

With solid food and great beer specials, Bull McCabes has become one of Durham’s finest watering holes and has even made it hurt a little less that Joe & Jo’s is gone.

Note: Sorry for the pics, Bull McCabe’s lighting makes it really tough to take non-obnoxious, flash-less photos. Will try to update with some better shots.

Bull McCabe’s
427 West Main Street

Durham, NC 27701

(919) 682-3061

Nice sign, huh? Motorco is an almost two-month-old addition to the corner of Rigsbee and Geer, transforming a former car dealership into a rock club with a capacity for 500. I went for a show during Troika, and I thought the sound was fantastic, but I’m no expert on these things.

It’s got the classic, dark rock club feel in the main room, with a nice curveball of a full-length window that runs nearly the whole length of the establishment. It adds a wonderful, street-scene appeal to the space.

You can kind of see the windows here.

There are also bleachers on both sides of the large room, and an attractive row of lights above the bar.

For drinks, they have beers by the can, bottle and draft, ranging from $2 to $8, I think, with some local brewery offerings. This particular evening, they had a list of “local shots,” named after the different bands performing at the venue. I chose the Super MoCo, the only one not named after a band, because the ingredients sounded the most exciting.

It was a combo of bourbon, rum, ginger, and Southern Comfort, and quite tasty. It was about twice as large as a shot, in truth, but $6 still seemed a bit much for that little alcohol. I don’t usually buy shots, so I may be out of touch with the going rate for them.

As is the case with Fullsteam, food truck and cart offerings outside appear to be plentiful, and King’s Sandwich Shop down the road might be convinced to stay open later soon, too. They already held later hours for Troika—if the nightlife picks up enough to bring it, hopefully they’ll stay open late on the weekends regularly. Motorco looks set to be an awesome rock club venue, and is only the most recent opening in this up-and-coming area of Durham. Rumor has it per DID that the owners would like to open a restaurant in their additional side garage space. Also, there are plans underway for a beer garden by Andy Magowan, formerly of Piedmont in the gas station just down Geer and across the road from King’s per the N&O. Can’t wait to see what the neighborhood will look like in the next year!

Motorco Music Hall
723 Rigsbee Avenue
Central Park District
Website
Mon–Fri, 4 pm to 2 am
Sat, 11 am to 2 am

Reviewed 11.5.10.

The Entrance

Fullsteam Brewery’s tavern has been open since August, serving up beers that focus on Southern ingredients, from the grains to the produce that sometimes gives them a bit of extra flavor. I’m not a beer drinker, but I am someone who loves to try new things including interesting ingredient combinations. With a line of offerings that have ranged from Carver sweet potato ale and Hogwash hickory smoked porter to Summer Basil farmhouse ale, they’ve got plenty of that! Beers are available at very affordably priced sizes of half-pints ($2), pints ($4), and growlers ($10).

Growlers returned for more grog.

In addition to the beer, Fullsteam has been offering up tamales ($3.50) from Dos Perros that are steamed in Fullsteam’s beer. They also have peanuts, and there’s usually a food truck or two (or four this last weekend because of Troika) around. Joey D’s NY Dogs has taken up nearly daily residence there as well.

I really like Fullsteam’s space; it’s very open with blond wood, creme and red walls, and brick, and three separate rooms: one with picnic tables to bring in your food or order a tamale and enjoy,

one with a stage for live music and an awesome ceiling fan,

and the bar that has a ribbon of dry eraser board just waiting for your next marker masterpiece.

There’s also, of course, the brewery space with towering vats behind a huge wall of glass. Don’t miss the Wall of Awesome near the bar, with names of Fullsteam’s original donors. There are a few pinball machines, too.

It’s a very welcoming space, and even not being a beer drinker, I enjoy hanging out there. They also offer a rotating selection of beers from other local breweries priced at just a dollar more than their own. So far, I’ve liked their Pastinaak Parsnip Ale best, but it hasn’t been seen since the early summer. Such is the lot of a brewery focused on agriculture. I can’t offer an opinion on how good their beer is compared to other local offerings, however, but I can tell you that I’ve successfully made my way through four different pints and that rarely happens.

My husband, who’s a bit of a beer connoisseur, finds Fullsteam’s offerings to be pretty good, liking the basil most out of the four or so he’s tried, but he hasn’t found a favorite as yet. I know they have an awful lot of fans out there, though, as I’m always hearing about rushes to fill those growlers. What’s your opinion of Fullsteam’s wares and space?

Fullsteam Brewery
726 Rigsbee
Central Park District
W–Th: 4 pm to 10 pm, Fri: 4 pm to 2 am
Sat: 12 pm to 2 am, Sun: 12 pm to 10 pm
Website

Reviewed 11.5.10.

There are two exciting events coming to downtown Durham this weekend to support our local businesses and the Triangle’s local nonprofit organizations. First up is Bright Lights, Bull City on Saturday, 10/23, an event sponsored by Durham Magazine to celebrate our vibrant downtown, Brightleaf, and West Village businesses. There will be live music at Alivia’s and free food and drink at several businesses including Fifi’s, Posh the Salon, and Magpie’s from 2 to 6 pm. Much like an art walk, this event is designed for you to make your way through downtown’s shops, taking advantage of free munchies and the specials each participating business offers along the way. Such specials include 20% off coupons and free appetizers with the purchase of two entrees at the likes of Alivia’s, Pop’s, and 604 W. Morgan. Make sure you print out the coupons ahead of time from Durham Mag’s blog post on the event.

The following afternoon, 10/24, swing by the Durham Arts Council for Yelp Helps! from 3 to 5 pm. Yelp is matching up a few of your favorite things (free food from the Picnic Basket, beer, music, magic, and art-perusing) with several Triangle-area nonprofits to help you learn about the local volunteer opportunities that best suit your interests. Due to that free beer deal, it’s 21 and older only, and you need to have a Yelp account to RSVP and attend, but joining up is easy here. There’s a long list of participating nonprofits including the Doughman, Scrap Exchange, Seesaw Studios, Southeast German Shepherd Rescue, and Genesis Home. Swing by and find out just how giving you feel after a few beers in your belly!

Have fun, Durham!

So first off, Bralie’s doesn’t have food. Though each of the two times I’ve been there, I’ve been offered a slice of Domino’s pizza.

Yep, that’s the type of place this is. It’s a bar with a neighborhood feel and friendly service. It’s the type of bar where you can get pizza delivered, share it with your fellow patrons and no one bats an eye.

Bralie’s has cheap beer and lots of daily specials. It’s not fancy and it’s not trying to be. You can order beer by the bucket, play darts for free and listen to classic rock on the jukebox.

But key for Carpe Durham readers is the fact that Bralie’s is conveniently located less than a mile away from all that great ethnic food at the 54-55 crossroads.

So Friday night, after a tasty (and spicy) meal of tofu soups at Vit Goal Tofu, we were looking for an icy brew to cool our palates. We found Brale’s tucked away in a strip, just next door to Good, Better, Best Desserts and Café. The $2.25 Bud special hit the spot. There was a cheesy DJ and a crowd that looked like it could get rowdy late night, but everyone was friendly and looking to have a good time.

So next time you’re having dinner in the area, Bralie’s is worth a stop in for a game of darts and cold beer.

1725 Carpenter Fletcher Road Durham, NC 27713-2280

(919) 806-1441