This weekend is one of those magical ones where many of us won’t have to set the alarm when we crawl into bed Sunday night. There is no mail on Monday, schools and banks are closed – but what does this mean for you fine Carpe Durham readers? It means you can stay out late on Sunday night celebrating Dr. King in our very own special Durham way with a chocolate-themed dance party.

This Sunday, the Pinhook and King Kenney will once again come together to throw an awesome themed event. Dancing the night away is fun and all, but what we here at Carpe Durham are most excited about are the FREE self-serve sundaes provided by the lovely folks at Parlour Durham. Get that? FREE self-serve sundae bar from Parlour.

The Details:
Sunday, January 15th
The Pinhook, 117 W. Main St.
Doors at 9pm.
21+, $5 suggested donation.

DJs:
Chocolate Thunder
Nerve
B.A. Barawkus (of BANG!)
Sean the Revelator
La Sirenita de Tijuana
and surprise guests

Ice cream flavors:
vanilla
vanilla malt chip
milk chocolate stout
Vietnamese coffee
vegan eggnog
& secret chocolate test flavor

Toppings:
hot fudge
caramel sauce
vanilla whipped cream
cookie crumbles (tripple chocolate, lemon chocolate coconut)
flaked coconut

For more traditional Martin Luther King celebrations and events check out the Durham Visitor Center’s post.

Somewhat shockingly Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. In honor of the quickly approaching big feasting, this is a quick guide to special events and places in Durham from which you can order eats for the big day. This is by no means a complete list and I’ll continue to add to it. Feel free to leave comments with any events or specials around town that I’ve missed.

Durham Farmer’s Market
There is a pre-Thanksgiving Farmer’s Market on November 22
2:00-5:00 pm
http://www.durhamfarmersmarket.com/

Places to Eat:
Four Square
Thanksgiving day dinner
3pm-7:30pm
Three course meal.
$55 per person.
Menu

Washington Duke Inn
Traditional Thanksgiving day buffet
Seatings are at noon, 3pm and 6pm
Reservations: 919.493.6699
Menu description:
“A chef carving station with roast turkey and steamship of beef, an assortment of chilled seafood and salads and hot entrees, mouthwatering side dishes, an elegant display of seasonal desserts and more. Paul Holmes, locally acclaimed pianist, will play light classics on the Inn’s baby grand.”
Adults: $55, children 6-12 $27 and under 6 are free.

Parizade
Triangle Vegan Society Annual Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner
Note: Already sold out. Email TVS in case spots open up.
2011 marks the 18th year of this legendary vegan thanksgiving feast held at Parizade. This is the largest vegan thanksgiving dinner in the country. $23 for Triangle Vegan Society members and $26 for nonmembers. Children 5-10 are $7 and under 5 are free.
Menu

West 94th St. Pub
Opens at 7pm on Thanksgiving day

Places to Order:
Foster’s Market
A $99 thanksgiving take-out dinner for four and various other sides, entrees and desserts for pick up.
Includes an oven roasted turkey breast, cornbread, celery/sage stuffing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry orange relish, peter’s favorite rolls and pumpkin pie.
All orders must be placed no later than Monday, November 21st for pickup between 11:00 am – 6:00 pm on Wednesday, November 23rd.
Note: Foster’s Market will be closed on Thanksgiving day.

Reliable Cheese
Order form

Scratch Bakery
Order form

Bull City Burgers and Brewery
Order growlers for Thanksgiving pick-up

Cocoa Cinnamon
Homemade chocolates

Guglupf
Special Thanksgiving Bakery Items
Order form

Ninth Street Bakery
Stop in and order your Pumpkin, Pecan, Chocolate Chess, or Coconut Curry Pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving.

It couldn’t be a more perfect time to hop in the car and take a trip to Ganyard Hill Farm’s pumpkin patch here in Durham. Not too far out of town, you can escape from the malls and city grit and have some fun on the farm!

There are plenty of activities to entertain the kids, but even the most sophisticated of adults will find something to appreciate. Vintage barns, rusty farm equipment, and stacks of gourds will bring you a sense of harvest adventure that can only be found this time of year.

Whether you’re looking to adorn your home with harvest produce, an afternoon of hayrides and barnyard animals with the kids, or getting real adventurous and actually cooking with this season’s crops, the folks at Ganyard have what you need. With pumpkins at sixty cents a pound, it averages less than the grocery store and supports local farmers. With an overwhelming burst in local pride here in Durham, there is no better time to jump on the bandwagon and do something out of the ordinary.

Our farmers need our support and what better way to show them than by and grabbing a couple of pumpkins? Get a few for the doorstep, but also pick up a couple to make some pie or even this chipotle pumpkin soup. Fresh, local pumpkin beats the canned stuff any day!

Halloween falls on a Monday this year, which in my opinion justifies a full weekend (and then some) of revelry. Durham – great city that it is – loves to celebrate, loves to participate and loves to dress up in costume! This makes Durham a great place to be during the Halloween festivities.

Let’s leave Chapel Hill to the kids – with concerts, balls, lurches, rodeos and more – the hardest part of Halloween this year isn’t going to be choosing a costume but choosing an event each night.

I dare you to come up with a different costume for each. Feel free to comment with any additional events I’ve missed and I’ll continue to add to this list if anything comes up.

Friday October 28
Halloween Hullaboo at Motorco with Southern Culture on the Skids
$13 in advance
Starts at 9 pm
Motorco says: “Lots of surprises that we can’t tell you about because then they wouldn’t be surprises. Stay tuned…”

Scar-e-oke at the Pinhook
Free
Starts at 10 pm

Mystery Dinner Theater at Magiano’s
$68 per person
6 pm
“Country Fried Caper, a comedic theatrical paired with dinner.” Price includes show with hors d’oeuvres, a glass of wine or beer and a three course dinner. Country themed costumes encouraged.

Saturday October 29
Habitat Halloween Bike Ride
$40 donation
9 am
Fund-raising event with 31, 62 and 100-mile route. Riders and volunteers compete for best Halloween costume in this unique, themed event. Free tee.

5th annual Durham Zombie Lurch
Free
5-8 pm
Starts in the parking lot across from Piedmont.

Zombie Lurch After Party at Motorco
Free
Music by Killer Filler, food trucks and prizes!

LUEWWD at Casbah
$5
Doors at 7:30, wrestling starts at 9 pm
Arm wrestling competition with Halloween theme. Raises money for Child S.A.F.E.
Food Trucks

Monster’s Ball 3 at Motorco
$7 in advance
Doors at 8 pm
Costumes are Mandatory! Over 21 only.
DJs: Brian SD, Marshall Jones, Cayenne the Lion King, Chocolate Thunder, Nugz, Fifi Hi-Fi, Pancakes, Ryah, La Sirenita de Tijuana, Pangean, Chris Corsello
Grand Prize for best costume is $250.

Durty Art Collective Halloween Bash! at the Pinhook
$5
Starts at 10 pm
Bands and DJ dance party. Costumes encouraged.
FangHOLE * Janzig * Knives * Trademark * H.U.S.S.

Scary-Oke at the West 94th St. Pub
Free
Starts at 9 pm

Sunday October 30
Largest Food Truck Rodeo at Durham Central Park
Central Park 4pm – 8pm
This will be the biggest food truck rodeo so far in Durham with 25 trucks. According to Only Burger, they’re closing down Foster Street so the food trucks can spread out, they’ve added an extra hour and the trucks will be more prepared to handle the crowds.

INDY’s Halloween Party at G2B Pub
$10
Starts at 7:30 pm
Live DJ, open buffet (while supplies last), cash bar, costume contest, games, etc.
Costume or mask required.

Bookulele! at the Pinhook
$5
5-8 pm
A Halloween Ukulele event hosted by High Strung.

Halloween Eve! Of Whiskey and Blood, B Side Project & Transistor Zen at The Casbah
Free
Doors at 8 pm
From Casbah: “Come shake your wicked ass with us on Halloween Eve at Casbah Durham!:
Wear your zombie get up and win some free stuff!”
Bands: Transistor Zen, B Side Project,  Of Whiskey and Blood

All Hallows Eve Run?
Spotted this poster around town, but can’t find anything online.

Monday, October 31
Donnie Darko at Fullsteam
Free

Halloween Party at Casbah
$5 if you come in costume
Doors at 7 pm
Bands playing:
Justin Robinson & the Mary Antoinettes, Birds and Arrows, Corn & the Colonels

Hallow-Eno
6 – 9 pm
West Point Park
5101 N. Roxboro Rd.
Hayrides, campfire stories, entertainment, treats and more.

Photos from last year’s zombie lurch:

After a recent trip to Portland, where we spent those magical hours from 4-7 pm rushing around town trying to take advantage of as many happy hour drink and food specials as possible, I was inspired to try to find similar deals in Durham.

Unfortunately, due to NC ABC laws, alcohol cannot be offered on special in NC for limited hours  – which translates into no happy hour drink specials in Durham.

On the upside, however, restaurants and bars in Durham can and do have happy hour food specials. We regularly take advantage of Blu’s happy hour appetizer special (it doesn’t get much better than an early dinner made up of Blu’s seviche, mussels and tuna tartare for $15) and I wondered if there were similar deals out there.  Turns out there are a few bargain nibbles to be had in Durham.

(Note: This list is a work in progress and I’ll update as more deals arise.)

Happy Hour Food Specials:

Blu Seafood
$5/$6 apps at the bar
5-7 pm daily

City Beverages
1/2 Price Appetizers & Gourmet Nachos.
4-5:30 pm Mon-Thurs

MEZ
Taco Bar $2 tacos
Mon-Fri 4-6 pm

Rockfish
1/2 price apps till 7 pm daily

Tobacco Road
$3 eats from 4:30-5:30 pm Mon-Fri

Early Bird Dinner Specials:

Fairview at the Washington Duke
$25 for three courses
5:30-6:30 pm daily

Parizade: “Early Theater Menu”
5:30-6:30 pm daily
Three courses for $19.95

Vin Rouge
Prix Fixe Menu 5:30-6:30 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday
Three courses for $25

Weekly Food Specials:
(Note: I didn’t include sushi joints two-for-one daily deals, as that seems to be the standard these days)

Charlie’s
Mondays – 25 cent wings starting at 5 pm. Dine in only.
Saturdays – Free cookouts starting at 6 pm

Dos Perros
Mondays – Taco Night

Fishmonger’s
Fridays 2-6pm
Dozen oysters for $7

L’uva
Thursdays – 1/2 price small plates
4-6pm

Mount Fuji
Thursdays – Half price sushi

Six Plates
Wednesdays – $5 Lamby Joes, Flatbreads

Sushi Love
Tuesdays – Half price sushi
Thursdays – Half price sushi

Vita
Mondays –  Kids eat free.
Wednesday – $15 Chicken Dinner To Go ”Enough to feed a family of four”
Includes: roasted whole split chicken, lemon potatoes and vegetables. Call to order and pick up.
Thursdays – Couples night: Two entrees and a salad to share for $25

Late Night Eats (Where to find grub after 10 pm):

Broad St. Café
Late night menu
Daily 10:30-close

Bull McCabe’s
Late night menu
7 days a week. 10-close

Cosmic
7 days a week, serving food till 4am

Dain’s Place
Full menu till 2am.
Tues-Sun.

Dos Perros
Late night menu
Friday and Saturdays till midnight

Federal
New late night menu
Thurs.-Sat. midnight till 2 am.

Geer St. Garden
Late night menu daily

Six Plates
Mon-Sat, serving food till midnight

Tobacco Road Sports Café
7 days a week, serving full menu till 2am

The first time I experienced Chirba Chirba was outside of Fullsteam during one of their pre-open-for-business dumpling raids. It was kind of the dream – to be sitting outside, sipping a beer when a yellow truck pulls up and a tray of free dumplings is tossed in front of you. That day, I was lucky enough to get to try the soup dumplings and a basket of edamame. Both were excellent and left me wanting more.

Now fully operational and on the streets of the Triangle, I had a chance to try Chirba Chirba again outside of Motorco during the Sunday Bloody Brunch (really if you’re not making it to this weekly, free event – you’re missing out).

Chirba Chirba’s menu is pretty simple – a tray of pork dumplings, a tray of veggie dumplings (fillings vary day to day) or a tray of pork soup dumplings. All are $5 or $6 and come with a side of edamame or sweet pork sausage.

They also offer a sampler tray with two of each dumpling variety for $6, which is what I ordered adding a side of edamame ($2.50). Once you order, the dumplings come out quickly and Chirba Chirba has four dipping sauces available (curry, sesame, spicy, black vinegar). All of the dipping sauces were excellent. The dumplings are served steamed, though I later learned you can order them fried for an extra 50 cents. The dumplings are pretty small and though a portion of six sounds like enough, it left me hungry.

This is only their second week in operation, so I’m guessing they are still working out some kinks. During the dumpling raid, the edamame was bright, green, salty and fresh. On Sunday, it was overcooked, limp and lacked enough salt. The soup dumplings during the raid exploded in flavor and broth, on Sunday they had no soup. The veggie (bok choy and shiitake this day) were my favorite, the shitake filling and pineapple topping adding a nice, bright flavor. The traditional pork were fine, but I think maybe the fried option would have added a nice texture and enhanced the flavor. I was lucky enough to try a friend’s sweet pork sausage side, which was really good. It tasted kind of like a small, dense summer sausage – salty, sweet pork goodness.

Because of the excellent product Chirba Chirba doled out during the dumpling raids, I still have high hopes for the truck and look forward to trying them again. The bright, cheerful Chirba Chirba truck is a fun addition to Durham’s mobile food fleet and worth checking out.

Chirba Chirba
Twitter

The Mad Hatter Bakeshop and Cafe serves breakfast all day, has a case full of freshly baked cookies, bars, pastries, brownies, cakes, muffins, and cupcakes, and offers free refills on soda and coffee when you dine in. These perks, along with some of the friendliest employees in Durham, are the reasons why I go to the Mad Hatter at least twice a week. When thinking about potential places to write about next, I was shocked to see that the Mad Hatter had never been reviewed. Perhaps it’s because the restaurant is just one of those places everyone knows about. But to be comprehensive, and for all of the Carpe Durham readers who are new to the area, I thought a review was in order.

Located near Duke’s East Campus and 9th Street, the Mad Hatter Bakeshop and Cafe shares a parking lot with Whole Foods and Ben & Jerry’s. The extensive menu offers everything from oatmeal and silver dollar pancakes to crab cakes and quesadillas, as well as a number of hot and cold wraps, grilled and cold sandwiches, and soups. Despite the large menu, I tend to stick with “the salad trio”–a combination of any three salads of the customer’s choosing (My pick is the tomato & mozzarella salad, the fried goat cheese salad, and the fruit salad). With every salad, you get a large hunk of hearty, yet airy ciabatta.The day I took pictures for this review, I was with a friend who ordered the chicken salad wrap, which came with a side of pasta salad. She said the chicken was full of flavor and that the portion was more than enough for lunch and leftovers.

Although I think the cupcakes at the Mad Hatter are a bit small for the price, they are really tasty and come in fun flavors like chocolate turtle, vanilla hazelnut, and pink lemonade (my personal favorite). The Mad Hatter also offers special order cakes with 24-hour notice (48-hour notice for cheesecakes).

The cafe has outlets lining the perimeter of the restaurant, as well as a few in the center of the restaurant. If you’re someone who likes to do work in coffee shops, this makes the Mad Hatter “the money spot.” But if study groups and folks on computers in restaurants irk you, be sure to visit the Mad Hatter in the early morning or in the evening to avoid the lap top crowd. Whenever you go, you’ll be sure to get great service and good food for a fair price.

Mad Hatter Bakeshop and Cafe

1802 W. Main Street

Durham, NC 27705

919-286-1987

One of the reasons we love Durham is its unabashed enthusiasm for itself! And this Saturday’s Marry Durham is sure to take the cake.

This Saturday March 19 is Marry Durham Day. Sure to be quite the spectacle, events include an official ceremony, a parade, food trucks, music and more.  Some of Durham’s finest will be out to show their support including WUNC’s Frank Stasio, Mayor Bill Bell and Wool E. Bull.

Of note for Carpe Durham readers – the following food trucks will attend:

Bulkogi

Daisy Cakes

Farmhand Foods Sausage Wagon

Klausie’s Pizza

Ko Kyu BBQ

Locopops

Slippin’ Sliders

And Lloyd’s Lounge will be firing up their grill.

All proceeds will benefit five Durham-based non-profit organizations that are listed on the Marry Durham site.

It kicks off a 4 pm. Here is the official schedule and map of events.

So if you’re in town this weekend and dig Durham as much as we do, why not go out and pledge your allegiance to our beloved city?

Marry Durham

March 19, 2011
Rigsbee Ave (between Geer and Corporation) in downtown Durham

Looking for a special dinner for Valentine’s Day? The (sometimes-dreaded) day of all things love is quickly approaching and now is the time to secure a reservation. We thought it might be helpful to make a list of Durham restaurants’ offerings for Monday February 14. (This list is in no way complete and we will continue to add to it as we hear back from restaurants.)

Blu
Open Monday (Closed Sunday)
Four course, $50 per person
Menu here.
Reservations required: (919) 286-9777

Dos Perros
Special Menu. Looks really good.

Foster’s Durham
Pick up Valentine’s Day four course dinner for two – $75
All orders must be placed by Friday, February 11th for pick up on Monday, February14th between 4:00pm and 8:00pm.
Menu.
919.489.4114

Four Square
Valentine’s Day Dinner
2/12 & 2/14
Serving a three course menu for $65 per person.
Menu
Call for reservations (919) 401-9877 or make them online through website.

Guglhupf
Valentine’s Day Dinner 2/12
A la carte dinner menu featuring special additions.
Reservations: Online or call 919.401.2600

Kings Daughters Inn
Champagne, Port and Chocolate Affair
Saturday, 2/12, 2-5 p.m., $15/person.
Enjoy a romantic tasting of champagne, sparkling wine, port and chocolate. Enjoy local cheeses, delicious chocolates, sweets and treats with 4 – 5 champagnes, sparkling wines and ports.
More info.

Nana’s
Offering a 5-course tasting menu at $55/person.
The menu itself will be announced the weekend prior to the 14th depending on what fresh produce/proteins are available. Taking reservations now.

Parizade
Special Menu on their FB site.

Piedmont
Open for regular business all weekend before and offering a special menu on the 14th.
Make your reservations online or call 919-683-1213

Poole’s Diner
Added this one Raleigh restaurant because they’re donating all of the proceeds from 2/14 to children’s cancer research. Support.
From Poole’s: “In honor of the brave Prince Liam’s mission (and his favorite holiday), Poole’s Diner will donate all of the proceeds from our Valentine’s Day dinner to Liam’s foundation. It’s one of our biggest nights of the year, but it’s really nothing if you have a little perspective. I challenge you to make a similar gesture in this sweet prince’s honor. Let’s do this, for Prince Liam the Brave. Prince Liam.

Pop’s
Regular menu plus a few specials.

Rue Cler
Regular menu plus a few specials.

Revolution
Cooking Class on February 13th. The theme is desserts, pastries and chocolate. $200 per couple includes all materials, wine, t-shirt and 2- $25 gift cards.
Call today to reserve your slot. 919-956-9999
2/11-2/12 Regular menu with some Valentine’s Specials and Desserts.
2/14 Special Three Course Valentine’s Day Menu, $65 per person

Washington Duke
Dine by candlelight, five-course meal & live entertainment.
Reservations 919.493.6699
More info here.

Watt’s Grocery
$50 4-course tasting menu.
Some items include NC pamlico sound oysters Rockefeller with creamy collards, house bacon, and herbed crumbs, blood orange salad with house bacon and toasted pecans, and Border Spring lamb breast with Anson Mills hominy and many more. Desserts include a passionfruit mousse, individual red velvet cakes, and a chocolate assortment. Please call the restaurant directly (416-5040) for more details and to make reservations.

And if a fancy dinner out isn’t your thing:

Dolly Mama Chocolates
Who wouldn’t love a dozen of these creative and indulgent chocolates. Available at the Durham Farmer’s Market, Wine Authorities and Foster’s. We have our eyes on this one.

Regulator Book Shop
Valentines from the Heart: An Evening of Love Stories
Start: 02/14/2011 7:00 pm
Join us for this special evening with the Regulator Storytellers on Valentine’s Day. Why come? Because you recognize the power of words to arouse, motivate, and change. Because you want to find great stories to tell to others. Come to tell or to listen; come to enjoy the feelings of community that an evening of this age-old art inspires. These evenings will be hosted by John Benedetto, a talented and experienced storyteller, mime, and workshop leader.

How about a bouquet of Locopops!

Mami-Nora’s take-out – a meal of roasted chicken and sweet plantains cozily at home, away from the crowds, sounds pretty great to us.

Vit Goal Tofu – Is there anything steamier than a bowl of their tofu soup? Followed by darts at Brailie’s or music at Papa Mojos?

A Gracious Plenty will offer a Love Goddess cake for pick-up.
An individual, heart-shaped cake, the Love Goddess is a combination of devils food, chocolate mousse filling and a Chocolate ganache frosting. A Gracious Plenty will offer additional valentine specialties packaged in a decorated bags or boxes. Call 361-0414 for ordering details and prices.

Ninth Street Bakery
Valentine Cookies! $1.50 per heart-shaped shortbread dream.

Restaurants

TAQUERIA & PIZZERIA PLAZA GARIBALDI (315 FOUSHEE ST, DURHAM, NC, 27704)

Mobile

CAPITAL CITY SEAFOOD MFU (DWAYNE GREENE, DURHAM, NC, 27707)

TASTY HAVEN BUD FOOD TRUCK (518 E TRINITY AVE # B, DURHAM, NC, 27701)

*Presence on this list indicates that a restaurant has been inspected, not that it is necessarily open for business today (although it often is).