With contributions from MEZ

Stepping into Dulce Cafe, the newest restaurant in Sutton Station on Fayetteville Road, makes you feel like you’re sitting in your Nana’s living room. The intimate space has large comfy chairs, a lavish chandelier and other regal ornamentation, green tea lights on the tables and the bar, fresh lilies and orchids, mahogany wood, brushed metal, large windows with classically braided curtain ties, green walls with goldenrod accents, coffee table books, and a running water fountain–all seemingly put in place to create ‘la dulce vida‘ for diners who find themselves in Southpoint wanting French press, espresso drinks, or in-house made pastries and gelato.

While there, Carlos, the owner who is from Columbia, offered to make a custom sandwich for me–a mozzarella, pimento cheese, and tomato panini (on ciabatta). All sandwiches come with chips or a salad and I chose the salad. For dessert, I had an alfajore–a South American shortbread cookie stuffed with dulce de leche.  My sandwich was a little messy, but super flavorful. The bread held up to the filling, the pimento cheese had great spice and surprisingly went well with the gooey mozzarella and soft tomato. I forgot to ask for my dressing on the side, but the salad was lightly dressed, allowing the rich flavors of the summer vegetables to shine. And the alfajore was like edible silk. It literally melted in my mouth with each bite and provided the perfect sweet treat for what was admittedly my second lunch.

Although I went to Dulce Cafe during their soft opening, I will say that their service was impeccable. Upon entering, I was offered samples of gelato, brioche, and coffee cake. And throughout my solo dining experience, the staff engaged me with conversation and smiles. Perhaps it was the great service, delicious food with clean flavors, use of local ingredients, free wireless, or songs from the Black Orpheus soundtrack playing faintly in the background, but Dulce Cafe is definitely on my list to try again.

Mez also enjoyed her time at Dulce and says: I loved the zippy yellow and green coloring of the place, and the seating area with cozy lounge chairs and a chandelier right when you walk in the door may become prime weekend real estate for me when in need of a dessert! Can’t wait to try one of those, but I focused on food this trip, choosing the chicken salad sandwich on rye. It was a light, tasty rye and the chicken salad was great—small dice with a dressing that could have used some more herbs to punch up the flavor just a tad. Offering a mixed salad instead of chips as a side is welcomed by me, especially since their house dressing was delicious. I think it was a creamy raspberry vinaigrette.

Dulce Cafe

5836 Fayetteville Road

Suite 106

Durham, NC 27713

919-797-0497

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 rich brown half-booths and a waiting area for to go orders. There’s also bar seating across the front window and two huge, attractive red lamps in the side room.

The seating has been improved but the quality of the food has remained the same, which is to say, excellent. Sandwiches sizes here are plentiful. It would be nice if half sizes were available, too. I had the chicken salad on a kaiser roll and opted to upgrade from the included bag of chips to a side of penne pasta salad for $1.

The chicken salad did not contain shredded or diced breast meat but thick strips instead. The mayonnaise was kept to a minimum, pepper was plentiful, herbs were savory, and I think there was a touch of curry, too. Normally, kaiser rolls are more plain than I like for pricey sandwich bread but this one did a great job of keeping the chicken salad on the sandwich and not the plate, which is not an easy feat.

The penne pasta was mixed with sundried tomato, feta, parsley, and scallions. It had plenty of flavor though was a tad dry. Definitely a better accompaniment than a bag of chips, though.

Saladelia continues to be a great spot to get a deluxe sandwich and/or intriguing sides. I’ve yet to try one of their desserts or pastries but they certainly look appealing.

Saladelia Cafe
4201 University Drive
Eastgate, Durham
www.saladelia.com
Breakfast: $3.25-7.90
Lunch: $4.99-7.50

Reviewed 9.30.09.

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 seat and you will be waited on; if you are taking out, then order at the counter, but you will still need to look at one of the menus at the tables if you are looking for something not in the expansive display cases. Be careful if you do look at the cases; I dare you not to try one of their beautiful desserts once you have.

Or the gelato, which looked amazingly creamy.

As I didn’t realize crepes were available all day due to my confusion about how and what I could order, I opted for the tomato-topped focaccia round from one of the cases.

It was really flavorful with lots of herbs, squishy roma tomato slices, and sauteed green bell peppers and red onions. I couldn’t quite tell what cheeses were on top but I’d guess it was a mix of mozzarella and parmesan.

I also, of course, had to have dessert and opted for a raspberry and dark chocolate tart.

It was my idea of heaven. Rich dark chocolate crust, with a rich dark chocolate mousse interior, rich dark chocolate swirls, and a sweet, plump raspberry in every bite.

If the crepes are half as good as the focaccia and tart, this will fast become one of my regular destinations. And it actually stays open reasonably late, until 9:30 pm M-Sat!

905 West Main Street
Brightleaf Square, Durham
www.ameliacafe.us
Food: $3-11
Desserts: $2-6.50

Reviewed 9.8.09.

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 to Foster’s: rows of hard-to-find candies and licorices, lots of mixes, cook books, jars of preserves and jams, etc.  I didn’t spend as much time wandering the foodie store as I should have, but then again I am trying to watch the budget and, therefore, trying to avoid temptation.

The feed-me part of the establishment does breakfast and lunch and serves food until 8:00 in the evening.  There is also a coffee shop section for those of you who crave the sacred bean.  You can eat inside among the rows of purchasable goodies or outside on a really cute, semi-industrial patio with a lovely wooden floor and rusty fans decorating the the railing.  Since this past Tuesday provided a gorgeous break from the summer heat, my two lunchmates and I opted to eat outside.  The place was fairly hopping around noon with downtown worker types and presumable students with laptops and piles of paper.

You order your food at the counter, give the person your name, and then take a seat and chill until you are called.  My lunchmates, AL and HG, decided our name should be “Hungry,” because we were, and so we were pleased when our name was called.

AL had the grilled pimento cheese sandwich with tomato on sourdough ($5.99 plus .$.50 for the tomato).  The pimento was really delicious and artery-clogging in the best way, with tons of sharp, fresh cheddar cheese.  The tomato brought a good crunch and freshness to the otherwise extremely heavy (but delicious!) sandwich.

HG had the Black Forest ham and Swiss panino with honey mustard on sourdough ($7.99).  HG raved about the sandwich and the tangy, vinegary and (most importantly) not-too-mayonnaisey cole slaw with which all the sandwiches are served.  You can substitute another side, such as the summery looking corn and tomato salad, for two dollars extra.

Since a dead cell phone and job search woes on Monday had caused an instance of eating my feelings via an entire slice of red velvet cake, I decided that my body needed to recover in the form of copious vegetables.  Thus I resisted other tempting sandwich possibilities such as an excellent looking curried chicken salad sandwich and a tomato, mozzarella, and basil sandwich on fontina and went with the totally healthy white bean spread with avocado, red onion, tomato, and sprouts on sunflower bread ($6.99).  The sandwich was extremely fresh and healthy tasting, the veggies were all incredibly crunchy, but I would have preferred a little more of the hummus-like bean spread, whose taste got lost within the barrage of verdant goodness.

AL and I split a crisp that we thought was peach and raspberry but turned out to be just peach ($3.75 for a small serving), which wasn’t problematic.  Heavy on the fruit, light on the crisp, this was one of those semi guilt-free desserts that could have been exponentially improved by a scoop of vanilla ice cream–which Parker and Otis, sadly, did not have.  The crisp was still yummy, mind you, but I feel that everything is better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Why no a la mode, Parker and Otis?

Ice cream absence aside, Parker and Otis is one of those places where I’d love to chill with a book, frequent for lunch, or shop for foodie gifts.  An excellent choice for lunch if you’re doing any shopping in the Bright Leaf area.

112 S. Duke Street

Durham, NC 27701

http://www.parkerandotis.com/store/index.php/

Breakfast: $5-$10

Lunch: $5-$10

Hard to believe, I know–the SouthPoint mall.  But where there is awesome, Carpe Durham will risk life and aversion therapy to get it.

Vita Dolce has been around for about a year and a half and I’ve been shamelessly enjoying it for most of that time without ever posting on it.  What once seemed like a bit of a secret within the mall, there is now a preponderance of advertisements for the tasty treats at the gelateria (incidentally, most of the ads are not for the gelato, exactly).  The marketing is pretty witty, though.  And coming from a local family business it is actually quite impressive (the original location was in Carrboro).

Beyond having superb, fresh gelato, they manage to have a true cafe feel.  Sitting at the bar with an espresso and healthy serving of gelato, I’ve often forgotten I wasn’t back in Buenos Aires whiling away an afternoon.

I never veer far from either the amazing Banana Stracciatella (fresh banana, chocolate chips), the Baci (chocolate hazelnut), or the Espresso.  Though the Lemon is possibly the best representation of the fruit I’ve tasted–it is fresh and shocking.

Occasionally there are a few casualities to being in the mall, particularly the rush periods that get a little noisy (and then spur a fresh batch of gelato to be made in its mixers that the back wall doesn’t fully dampen).  But I’d rather have a rare run in with these minor nuisances than see this sweet little spot go.

This could be common knowledge or a totally unsubstantiated rumor, but I thought I’d throw it out there either way.  I just heard that the owner of Bean Traders on Ninth St. is going to open a kiosk in the outdoor stand outside of Alivia’s (beware that link, it contains annoying noises and seems outdated) at Main St and Gregson St.  Word is, the plan for now is to be open 6:30am til 11am (Alivia’s opens at 11am) and serve coffee to go.  Not sure when this is set to happen (if it happens).  When it gets warmer, I could definitely see myself enjoying a coffee in the morning on Alivia’s sweet patio.  

On the other hand, Alivia’s has been looking pretty dead lately.  If this rumor’s true, maybe it’s a sign the restaurant is not really in dire straits?  We’ll see.

Copa Vida Coffee is now open in Shade Tree’s old spot (in Erwin Terrace).  I hope this one sticks around, if just because there obviously needs to be a coffee shop this close to Duke.  The space is fairly similar to Shade Tree’s, except without the bar–the colors are slightly different but the atmosphere is still well-lit and open.  In the tradition of many Durham coffeeshops, Copa Vida offers Guglhupf pastries and Counter Culture Coffee.  They also plan to have live music some evenings, starting at about once a month (the first show was last week).  Check it out!  They are open 7a to 11p Mon-Sat.

(If you go soon and are put off by how quiet and echo-y it seems, don’t worry–she is still working on getting her music system working.)

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). The cupcake itself is more cakey than spongey, and the frosting is creamy and super light but not at all airy like grocery store frosting.

If I ever buy a madeleine mold pan (or mini loaf pans) my masculinity will be officially rescinded, so I’m pretty elated I can now get fresh madeleines in Durham. It doesn’t get much better than warm, lemony discs of pound cake.

One of the cuter items on hand are “Pop’t-Arts,” which is basically flaky shortbread with a layer of strawberry preserves. They’re warmed before serving, but they really open up when you toast them at home too.

They’ve got a couple of tables set up next to the bus, great local coffee (Counter Culture), and tons of adorable in the vein of Locopops. I hear they’re starting to get swarmed, so in case supply doesn’t keep up with demand, you may want to show up earlyish for your Pop’t-Art.

Daisy Cakes (map)
Saturday: 8 am – 1 pm

Shade Tree has been a favorite study spot of mine for a long time. Most people who go there seem to go for the purpose of studying, so they are quiet. The lighting is good during the day thanks to two walls of windows. And, most importantly, they serve a very good cup of coffee.

My friend and I went there the other day for a reading sprint. Caffeine is helpful for that. She was also hungry (and it is hard to read on an empty stomach), so she decided to try an artichoke heart-spinach crepe from their new crepe menu. These crepes are made just like they do it in France, with buckwheat, and they have lots of fillings–both sweet and savory.

My friend liked that the fillings were fresh and simply prepared. I got all excited when I saw that the crepes were made of buckwheat, so I asked the owner about them. He said that they also contained wheat, but only a little wheat. This is enough to give me hives, so I said no thanks. However, he also said that if there were sufficient demand, he could try making them with NO WHEAT AT ALL. So, if you want to help me out (or you are allergic to wheat or intolerant to gluten), you should go in and ask Greg about this all subtle-like. Or tell him that I said to ask. I do not care.

I just had a cappuccino and a macaroon. Sometimes they will draw a little fern or heart on the top of espresso-based drinks, but they didn’t this time. Disappointing, but at least it spared me the displeasure of ruining the drawing when I stirred my sugar in. Either way, it tasted good.

They also have wine and beer. I have never partaken, but I sometimes worry that they’ll stop serving if no one orders it, so you all should go and drink there. The bar area is kind of cute. And a coffee/wine/beer bar is so continental.

A few other notes: the crepe addition is not the only change that we have observed. They used to make a big deal about some aspect of their milk, like that it was local or organic or something. Also, their website seems to be outdated, claiming to serve Guglhupf pastries and silent on the matter of the crepes.