DINE AROUND

BREWERIES COCKTAIL INSPIRATION

LAOTIAN FOOD D i s c o v e r drinks like BEVERAGES Crawford and S o n s ’ BBQ I m m o r t a l R e b e l w i t h + MORE mezcal, Lyle’s Golden peach s y r u p , TRENDS Scarborough FROM THE b i t t e r s . TRIANGLE

+ Q & A SEPTEMBER 2018

| ISSUE 59 | CHEF JAKE WOOD YOUR MONTHLY 18 SEABOARD FOODSERVICE IMMERSION DA

50% OF CONSUMERS ARE INTERESTED IN TRYING THE CLASSIC SOUTHERN “MEAT AND THREE” (SEE PAGE 7 FOR MORE INFO)

DATASSENTIAL RESEARCH

DATASSENTIAL’S DINE AROUND: RALEIGH-DURHAM 2 DA THE MENU ADOPTION CYCLE Datassential’s Menu Adoption Cycle (MAC) is a framework for understanding, predicting, and leveraging food trends. A trend’s life cycle is defined by where that trend shows up, starting at fine dining restaurants and then eventually finding its way to mainstream supermarket shelves and beyond.

RETAIL FOODSERVICE

Ethnic Independents Ethnic Markets

Fine Dining MAC STAGE I INCEPTION Trends start here. Inception-stage trends exemplify Ethnic Aisle MAC STAGE originality in flavor, A ADOPTION preparation, and Adoption-stage trends presentation. grow their base via Gastropubs lower price points and Farmers’ simpler prep methods. Markets Chef Casuals Still differentiated, Food Trucks these trends often Specialty Grocers feature premium Gourmet Food Stores Upper Casual and/or generally authentic ingredients. Casual Independents Fast Casual

Traditional Grocery Lodging

Mass Merchandisers Casual Chains Colleges MAC STAGE Quick Service Restaurants PROLIFERATION Club Stores P Grocery Deli Proliferation-stage trends are adjusted for mainstream appeal. Often combined with popular applications Convenience Stores (on a burger, pasta, Drug Stores Corporate Cafeterias MAC STAGE etc.), these trends UBIQUITY have become familiar U Ubiquity-stage trends to many. Family Restaurants have reached Dollar Stores Healthcare maturity, and can be found across all K-12 Schools sectors of the food industry.

DATASSENTIAL’S DINE AROUND: RALEIGH-DURHAM 3 DA TERMS TO KNOW Datassential’s MenuTrends data is reported using two key measures: PENETRATION and INCIDENCE.

PENETRATION % of RESTAURANTS that serve that food, flavor, or ingredient. This is a measure of adoption. Increases in penetration indicate that more restaurants are adding the item to their menu. Penetration is the most important statistic and the best indicator of trend movement. INCIDENCE % of MENU ITEMS that feature that food, flavor, or ingredient. This is a measure of versatility. A restaurant adding yet another chicken dish to its menu will result in an increase in incidence. Incidence is a supporting statistic, to be used as a complement to penetration.

EXAMPLE CHICKEN

Chicken is found on 95% of all restaurant 95% 10% menus, and is featured in 10% of those dishes. PENETRATION INCIDENCE

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Roasted beets, citrus, grilled avocado, and goat cheese panna cotta at Chef Ashley Christensen’s Death & Taxes. See more on page 23.

“There’s no question that North Carolina’s capital city is having a major food moment,” says Food & Wine. The state’s capital, Raleigh, which is often sandwiched together with Durham because of the two’s communal airport, Raleigh-Durham International, has “a shining personality of its own,” with a growing culinary scene that’s going way beyond Southern food classics like shrimp and grits and biscuits.

And while Raleigh and Durham do have their own unique chefs, foods, flavors, and personalities, we’re covering them both in this issue of Dine Around: Raleigh-Durham. Because Durham, too, has been having a moment. Southern Living called it “The South’s Tastiest Town,” where a passionate mix of baristas, brewers, and chefs have “quietly transformed” it into one of the hottest dining destinations. The accolades for all the cities in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, the area so named because of the convergence of three top research universities (Duke University in Durham, North Carolina State in Raleigh, and University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill), have piled on in recent years. National media outlets have latched onto the area, too, with Bon Appetit profiling Durham and Chapel Hill’s dining scene in “America’s Foodiest Small Town.”

Datassential is diving into these food scenes in this issue, highlighting the chefs that are building mini empires in their respective Triangle towns. There’s Scott Howell, a pioneering Durham chef who closed his beloved fine dining restaurant Nana after over 25 years, but continues to run fast casual concepts Nanataco and Nanasteak; Ashley Christensen, the Raleigh chef who went in the opposite direction, opening fine dining restaurant Death & Taxes after building a portfolio of more casual concepts; and M Sushi’s chef Mike Lee who’s going on a restaurant-opening spree in Durham. Right next door to the sushi joint is M Kokko, a fried chicken restaurant, and it doesn’t stop there as his vision includes creating a total of seven restaurants, all within walking distance of each other.

The Raleigh-Durham dining scene is heating up, which consumers love or like). Find mashup concepts like means there’s plenty of trend inspiration to go around. Mateo Tapas, which infuses classic Spanish tapas with a Go beyond mainstream metropolitan cities like New taste of the South (country ham dates, anyone?) or one York or Chicago and discover a dining scene that, while of the ultimate mashup operators, Bhavana Brewery, a bustling for many TrendSpotters like Datassential, is still dim sum restaurant that wears a number of other hats. flying relatively under the radar. In this issue, discover Also get the scoop on how to go beyond basic how chefs are bringing new spins to tried-and-true beverages and see how one brewery is bringing consumer favorites, like Southern cuisine (which, together brews, BBQ, and grilling. according to Datassential FLAVOR, a whopping 70% of DA MORE TRENDSPOTTING AROUND

There’s more to the Research Triangle than Raleigh and Durham – don’t forget about Chapel Hill and nearby Cary. The latter is home to Heron’s, one of only 64 Forbes Five Star restaurants in the world. SPOTLIGHT ON The signature restaurant of The Umstead Hotel and HONEYSUCKLE HOUSE Spa features tasting menus full of surprising Located in Chapel Hill, Honeysuckle Tea House is every presentations and dishes, like the Hummingbird kid’s tree house come to life. Often referred to dessert course shown as a tree house in the sky, Honeysuckle is located on 17 above or oysters delivered acres of farmland just west of the city and tucked away to the table with billowing enough for a tea retreat. The house showcases the smoke. On the other end of trend of sustainability and being environmentally the spectrum , find classic friendly as its built on old shipping containers and other joints like Goodberry’s, (top repurposed materials. More than just an oasis for tea left) a frozen custard chain fans, Honeysuckle’s open-air structure allows for with nine locations in the customers to lounge around in the hammock or Triangle. For quintessential breakfast favorites in mandala garden, explore herb gardens, or visit a Chapel Hill, there’s Crook’s playground suitable for kids of all ages. Corner, known as a temple of Southern cuisine offering dishes like New Bern Whiskey Pound Cake (middle left) for brunch. One of Honeysuckle’s And speaking of brunch, in Cary, there’s La Farm warming, immune- Bakery (bottom left), an supporting tea blends authentic French bakery featuring linden leaf, featuring everything from elder flower, ginger rustic apple tartlettes to root, and thyme leaf. buche de noel. ESSENTIAL DATA DA

WHAT DO CONSUMERS THINK ABOUT FOODS & CONCEPTS FROM RALEIGH-DURHAM?

EASTERN NORTH MEAT AND THREE CAROLINA BBQ LEXINGTON STYLE Features whole hog NORTH CAROLINA BBQ A restaurant or entrée style smoked over hardwood Wood-smoked pork where customers choose from a coals, sliced or shoulder served with a selection of foods to create a chopped, and dressed red sauce of ketchup, plate of one meat (fried chicken, with a vinegar and vinegar, and pepper. ham, pot roast are common) and pepper sauce. three sides (greens, cornbread).

INTERESTED INTERESTED INTERESTED 50% 50% 50%

INTERESTED INTERESTED INTERESTED 42% 37% 33%

CAROLINA-STYLE CHESS PIE CHEERWINE HOT DOGS An old-fashioned A cherry-flavored soft Hot dogs topped Southern pie made drink originating in with chili, coleslaw, with eggs, sugar, North Carolina. and onions. butter, and flour.

n=1,514

DATASSENTIAL’S DINE AROUND: RALEIGH-DURHAM DA PLANNING AN IMMERSION TOUR? DON’T MISS THESE RESEARCH TRENDMAPPER TRIANGLE DESTINATIONS.

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1 FAYETTEVILLE STREET 3 WAREHOUSE DISTICT 5 CHAPEL HILL Once a pedestrian mall closed to Located in downtown Raleigh, the The third part of North auto traffic, Fayetteville Street was Warehouse District features the city’s Carolina’s Research Triangle restored to a drivable thoroughfare former warehouses now converted area is Chapel Hill, home to the in 2006 and remains one of the into trendy restaurants, bars, and art University of North Carolina. central areas in downtown Raleigh. galleries. Like Warehouse Districts Located within part of Durham Known for theater venues and City across the country, Raleigh’s is County, Chapel Hill is known as Plaza, Fayetteville Street’s premier known for attracting young a college town, complete with outdoor event and festival location, professionals and hipsters, and is popular student hangouts like the area is constantly bustling. In the home to mainstay restaurants like Pit He’s Not Here and Pantana Spring, City Plaza hosts the Raleigh BBQ and events like The Saturday Bob’s, but Chapel Hill is more Downtown Farmers’ Market. Market at art gallery Rebus Works. than “just a college town.” Also find a number of breweries as well as Baxter Bar 4 2 CAPITAL DISTRICT DURHAM & Arcade (for more on classic Known as the heart of downtown The other city in what’s often eatertainment venues like Raleigh, the Capital District stays known as Raleigh-Durham and the barcades, check out Creative bustling during the day and second part of the Research Concepts: Eatertainment) and night, when young professionals Triangle, Durham is home to Duke The Crunkleton, an acclaimed flood the streets for a number of University. Visitors will find a private club featuring over 300 dining and entertainment variety of dining destinations and distilled spirits. options. You’ll find the North sports and entertainment venues in Carolina State Capitol building, Durham, from the Durham Bulls the North Carolina Museum of Athletic Park and Duke University’s Natural Sciences, and the North Nasher Museum of Art to the Carolina Museum of History. Durham Performing Arts Center.

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INTERVIEW JAKE LANIER WOOD CHEF DE CUISINE 18 SEABOARD RALEIGH, NC A native to Apex, NC, chef Jake Wood’s passion for food was influenced by his grandparents and the state’s rich agricultural traditions. With inspiration from his family, Wood started his culinary career in Raleigh, working his way up from shucking oysters at 42nd Street Oyster Bar to becoming head sushi chef at The Cowfish and developing the food program at Raleigh Raw. Wood came aboard 18 Seaboard (pun intended) in 2017, working with executive chef and owner Jason Smith to push the envelope in Southern cuisine.

DATASSENTIAL: Can you tell us a bit about 18 Restaurant Group? WOOD: 18 Restaurant Group focuses on attention to detail and community. We build relationships with our guests, and we’re friends with local farmers, fishermen, and charitable organizations. Developing these relationships is our foundation.

D: What are some of the quintessential flavors, ingredients, or foods that are trending in Raleigh-Durham, and how are you using those at 18 Seaboard? W: Clearly the farm-to-table phenomenon has hit Raleigh-Durham. Now, more so than ever, I am seeing this as a trend with most restaurants and even national grocery chains. We try to write our menus based solely off what is coming out of the local farm fields. We have great relationships with folks at our local farmers’ market and are fortunate to be able to rely on their fresh produce on a weekly basis. Since joining Jason’s team at Seaboard, I have worked to continue to push the food program forward by creating innovative dishes that are not an intellectual test at the table. I seek out neat ingredients like Geechie Boy Mills Blue Indigo Popcorn, which we pop in duck fat and top with sea salt, duck fat powder, and crispy country ham. I am always pushing for oysters to be trendy as they are one of my favorites. One of our best sellers is our Oysters 18, where we top Core Sound oysters with my great-grandmother’s pimento cheese, Maestri prosciutto, and crystal cane syrup!

D: What are some of your go-to restaurants, bars, or retailers in the area? F: My personal favorite in Raleigh is Gallo Pelon. It is a cozy little mezcal bar above Centro downtown. Marshall Davis serves up unbelievable craft cocktails along with delicious treats such as street style tacos, patacones, and elote fritters. I have an extreme weakness for spicy margaritas, Mexican beer, and tacos. As far as retailers, I am excited to welcome Apex Outfitters to downtown Raleigh this fall. They carry a few of my favorite brands and just overall crush it on the outdoor apparel game.

Interview has been edited for space and content. Photo by Stacey Sprenz, Tabletop Media.

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COFFEE, , & TEA

WHY IT MATTERS Want to make sure you’re offering customers items that pair well together? Why not start with some classic combinations, like steak and & TEA potatoes, peanut butter and jelly, or how about, coffee and chocolate? That’s the idea behind Cocoa Cinnamon, which describes itself as a DESSERT coffee, chocolate, spice, and tea lounge, focusing in on third-wave coffee, gourmet chocolate, and spices that bring them all together. The coffee is provided by the owners’ coffee brand and roastery, 4th Dimension Coffee, and anyone looking for unique beverage inspiration will find it with Cocoa Cinnamon’s Willy Wonka-esque menu. Signature lattes include breakfast-coffee mashups like the Breakfast Latte, which features granola actually in it and is finished with , or the prickly BACKGROUND pear coffee pictured above left. The growing chain also differentiates The business now known as Cocoa its cafes so customers can get something a little different at each one – Cinnamon began as bikeCoffee, a the original Geer Street café is decorated with nods to the tobacco mobile coffee cart that was a staple at roots of the Bull City, while the newest location, Cacao Canela, Durham festivals and food truck events. features signs in both English and Spanish, welcoming people with a Owners Areli and Leon Grodski de large HOLA sign on its storefront. Cacao Canela takes the concept to Barrera first trademarked the name next-level Mexican with the addition of creative churros (and Cocoa Cinnamon in 2010 and turned to Instagram-worthy churro ice cream sandwiches shown above), Kickstarter to raise funds for channeling Areli’s Mexican roots. Aside from its wide variety of transforming the mobile shop into a beverages, , and , Cocoa Cinnamon is also known for brick and mortar. The community far what’s been a bit of an eyebrow-raising WiFi policy: in an effort to surpassed the couple’s original goal, and create a more social vibe, two of its locations power down their WiFi the first Geer Street location opened in during select hours of the weekend. Cocoa Cinnamon says it hopes to 2013. Last year, the third and newest give customers a gentle nudge to unplug and carry on conversations location opened in Lakewood. IRL (internet lingo for “in real life”). DA

1 BEVERAGE INSPIRATION FROM

2 3 1. The Eros, a sipping chocolate with ginger, cardamom, maca, cayenne, and honey, a special available during Valentine's Day. For more on the functional ingredient maca, search SNAP! for TIPS: Spring 2018. 2. The Silk & Sun, a lavender and fig seltzer. 3. Acculturation Iced Tea, a house herbal blend featuring hibiscus, lemongrass, peppermint, cacao nibs, and peel. 3. juice. DATASSENTIAL’S DINE AROUND: RALEIGH-DURHAM6. Watermelon Poke with smashed avocado, toasted nori, and citrus soya. 11 DA

BACKGROUND Has there ever been a more long-awaited Raleigh opening than Morgan Street Food Hall? Perhaps, but it sure doesn’t seem like it. First announced in spring 2016 and slated to open the next summer, Hiberian Hospitality Group’s Morgan Street Food Hall, at long last, opened last month. Located in the Warehouse District of downtown Raleigh, Morgan Street spans 20,000 square feet and currently houses over 20 different vendors. WHY IT MATTERS Datassential has covered the food hall phenomenon widely, most recently exploring the newest food halls in Creative Concepts: Food Halls, which included news of the then-upcoming Morgan Street. With 61% of consumers saying they would visit a food hall, this is a trend that simply can’t be ignored – no matter what your company specializes in. Retailers, manufacturers, and operators can take note from food halls like Morgan Street, which features indoor seating for 350 people, employs 400 people, and offers something for all. Customers looking to dine with friends can fan out and find everything from Indian fare at Curry in a Hurry to traditional down home cooking at Iyla’s Southern Kitchen to a taste of the Northeast at Cousins Maine Lobster, and enjoy a sip of trendy Asian FOOD HALL bubble tea at Boba Brew. Like many food halls, Morgan Street also boasts being a one-stop shop for all things food: there are two full bars and over FAST CASUAL a dozen retail shops. Find stuffed and other desserts at Fancy , fresh floral arrangements at the Fleurs de Moufette kiosk, or artisan, Carolina-inspired jerkies at Two Brothers Jerky. For operators who don’t necessarily have the giant spaces food halls do, think of creative ways to provide customers with a similar experience. Maybe it’s adding a few retail items to your storefront or hosting rotating pop-ups that feature cuisines you normally don’t offer.

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FROM MORGAN STREET

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1. Iyla’s Southern Kitchen offers a Fried Chicken & Waffle Sandwich made with Cackalacky hot sauce, fried chicken, and pimento cheese. 2. Thai rolled ice cream topped with Fruity Pebbles and Pocky from Raleigh Rolls. 3. Bella’s Wood Fired Pizza offers options like the Spicy Klucker with jalapenos and chicken or the Casino Clam. 4. The Freddy Likes it Hot Taco with carnitas and habanero sauce at Wicked Taco. 4 5. Lobster Tots from “Shark Tank”-backed Cousins Maine Lobster. 6. Iyla’s Southern Kitchen’s spin on a sundae includes BBQ sauce and pulled pork.

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COCOA FORTE’S APPLETINI Husband and wife team Freddie and Nicole McIntyre’s Cocoa Forte offers up a variety of easy- to-eat chocolates, including chocolate-dipped cheesecakes and this out-of-the-box “martini,” showcasing chocolate-dipped apple slices. How’s that for a fun, Instagram-friendly dessert?

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TACOS & TEQUILA

First opened in 2011 in Raleigh by Gonza (hence the name) Salamanca and his cousin Carlos Rodriguez, originally, according to the Triangle Business Journal, the idea for the duo was just to make payroll and get the restaurant up and running. Now Gonza is a much buzzed-about taqueria featuring Mexican and Colombian fare, and has five locations throughout the Triangle, including two in Raleigh and (soon-to- be) two in Durham. Diners can find items like the El Platano with whole ripe plantain, steak, and chile de arbol, or the chain’s take on surf and turf: the Callo de Haca taco pairs pork belly with scallops, chile de arbol, and pico de gallo.

Lamb in chile sauce Chiles Endiablados – pickled jalapenos, bacon, and cheese.

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Mateo Tapas was Durham chef Matt Kelly’s first solo venture, where he blended Spanish tapas with Southern flair – think goat cheese and country ham-stuffed dates or albondigas (meatballs) with saffron rice grits.

Chef Kelly’s longtime dream of opening a seafood restaurant came to life last year as he transformed the old Fishmonger’s space into St. James Seafood Restaurant and Raw Bar. While the menu shifts with “thea whims of the sea,” diners can find riffs on seafood classics like baked oysters with bone marrow and Southport Clams “Jackpot” with chorizo butter and bottarga.

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CASUAL MEETS FINE DINING

BACKGROUND WHY IT MATTERS Located in downtown Raleigh, Though Crawford and Son’s presentation and menu may say fine dining, Crawford and Son describes according to The News & Observer, which named it the 2018 Restaurant itself as a casual neighborhood of the Year, the restaurant is actually a departure from the fine dining restaurant featuring an restaurants Crawford has helmed in the past. Taking a more casual route ingredient-driven menu. Chef is an industry-wide trend also spreading around Raleigh – Crawford told Scott Crawford, who opened his The News & Observer, "We thought perfection could only exist in fine namesake restaurant in 2016, dining. The way I came up, it was all about the grande cuisine, and I recently announced his second never realized until I matured as a chef that you can actually focus that act, a Parisian bistro that will same perfection on casual food and make a lot of people really happy” open next door and be named (for more on the evolution of fine dining, search SNAP! for Creative after his daughter, Jolie. Concepts: New Fine Dining). At Crawford and Son, that means menu items that straddle the line between casual and upscale – grits, a Southern staple, are amped up with aged white cheddar and paired with pork cheeks and smoked ragout. To keep things interesting, the NEW AMERICAN restaurant offers a blue plate special that changes week to week depending on whatever comfort food the staff is craving as well as ever- changing seasonal cocktails like the Spruce Banner with gin, lemon, shiso, ALCHOLIC BEVERAGES celery, and vermouth and Southern-inspired desserts like the above sugar cream pie with huckleberry sorbet. For more on huckleberries, search SNAP! for Dine Around: Boise.

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FROM CRAWFORD AND SON

MELON CARPACCIO $10.00 Tomatoes, blackberries, pine nuts, and tarragon.

Smoky duck broth, date-buttered rye.

BRAISED OCTOPUS $14.00 Eggplant, chorizo, olives, feta, and .

CHICKEN CONFIT $24.00 Creamy rice, rosemary jus, endive, pecans.

WARM MALTED Compressed watermelon, white soy, crispy seaweed. $6.00 WHEAT ROLLS Hickory butter, sea salt.

RICE PUDDING $10.00 Roasted grapes, rosemary, and pistachio.

ON THE MENU There’s more to grapes than just raisins or wine. Search SNAP! for On the Menu: July 2018 for more unique uses of the Ubiquitous fruit. Yogurt panna cotta with strawberries and sorrel granita.

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Pork cheeks with melted peppers, aged Grouper cheeks with melted cauliflower white cheddar grits, and braising juices. parmesan broth and caper relish.

CHEEKS

YELLOWTAIL

Yellowtail with spicy cucumber Yellowtail crudo with lightly-smoked mignonette and buttermilk ice. apple, yuzukosho, and crispy rice.

DATASSENTIAL’S DINE AROUND: RALEIGH-DURHAM 19 Carrot cake trifle with miso butterscotch DA and cream cheese ice cream.

Chocolate brownie with chestnut purée, cacao nibs, and toasted meringue.

Olive oil semifreddo financier with blackberries and basil.

FROM CRAWFORD A N D S O N

Crawford and Son’s grasshopper brownie with mint meltaways and -mint ice cream.

Cookies and Cream – toasted meringue and cacao nib ice cream.

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EXPERIENTIAL

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

BACKGROUND If beer could drink beer, what beer would it drink? Nope, it’s not just a ploy to repeat as many of the same words as possible in the same sentence. It’s Durham brewery Ponysaurus’ tagline. Established in 2013, Ponysaurus says it’s “The Beer Beer Would Drink if Beer Could Drink Beer” (say that five times fast). And while many breweries get their start in a garage, Ponysaurus says they’re pretty sure they’re the only one that started in an attic – the attic of The Cookery, a Durham incubator and event venue, to be exact. In the few short years after its attic-ception, Ponysaurus has moved into a much larger space and racked up accolades ranging from one of the 50 most underrated breweries in America by Thrillist to being called a “next level brewery” by Food & Wine. WHY IT MATTERS It was once the case that craft breweries and taprooms simply-named IPA that puts a slight spin on a classic were a novelty, with many cities having only one or two West Coast Pale Ale) to the eyebrow-raising (the Oyster go-to spots for customers looking for something Saison is, as it sounds, made in collaboration with St. beyond big beer. Today craft breweries are a dime a James Restaurant and Raw Bar and infused with 50 dozen in many metro areas, and as a downside to pounds of fresh, whole oysters). In addition, the greater distribution, customers can oftentimes also brewery and taproom also features an upper deck and purchase craft beer brands at any number of bars. It’s offers food in the form of a rotating food truck parked becoming more important than ever for companies like on-premises. Customers can also choose to get hands- Ponysaurus to offer an experience customers can’t get on with their food by renting one of Ponysaurus’ anywhere else. Located just outside of downtown outdoor grills – now how’s that for a quintessential Durham, Ponysaurus has done just that. Its line of beer-drinking experience you can’t find elsewhere? “forward-thinking, backward-tasting” beers includes a Turn the page for more info on the brewery’s selection ranging from the more traditional (like the experiential elements.

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Ponysaurus’ lineup of events includes game nights every first and third Tuesday of the month. Along with video games on the big screen, there are also games like Solarquest, Settlers of Catan, and good old-fashioned playing cards.

FROM PONYSAURUS

Not feeling a food truck? Ponysaurus has rent- your-own grills and all the food (from brats to burgers to hot dogs) and fixings (Chow Chow Potato Salad, Southern Slaw). Here’s their how-to on reserving and using their grills: Step 1. Reserve your grill on our online scheduling system and order your food from our menu.

Step 2. You will receive a confirmation email with your reservation time and the details of your order.

Step 3. Show up! Pick up your grill-ready meal at the bar, and we’ll direct you to your grill.

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WOOD - FIRED COOKING

BACKGROUND What’s that saying, there’s only two guarantees in life: death and taxes? Raleigh star chef Ashley Christensen’s latest restaurant, which opened in 2015, isn’t named after those guarantees – instead, the name of the New American restaurant is a nod to the building’s previous tenants: a funeral home and a bank. WHY IT MATTERS Death & Taxes is a departure from Christensen’s other restaurants like Beasley’s, where Southern fried chicken takes on a modern spin in a casual environment (with casual prices); or Chuck’s, a fast casual burger joint with unique Southern-inspired toppings like tobacco onions or pimento cheese. Death & Taxes is Christensen’s foray into fine dining, and it’s one that’s almost always described as the chef’s most ambitious restaurant to date. The focal point of her first fine dining venture is a wood-fired grill overnighted from Texas that adds a kiss of smoky flavor to nearly everything on the menu. An octopus appetizer begins by marinating in wine, corks and all, according to Indy Week, before it’s grilled to order, yielding what the paper says is meat that’s almost as tender as the creamy butter beans it’s served atop of. But that’s not all – vegetables and desserts also get a touch of wood-fire cooking: okra is grilled and served with harissa and yogurt, embered sweet corn takes on even more flavor with smoked butter, and embered pistachios are included in an olive oil cake dessert.

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Roasted oysters, chile butter, preserved lemon gremolata. Watermelon Pavlova with candied rind.

F R O M DEATH & TAXES

ROASTED BEETS Grilled avocado, grapefruit, chevre, and smoked .

OCTOPUS Rice beans, parsley, pine nuts, Castelvetrano olives, red peppers. Granola Tart with lemon curd and basil.

SPAGHETTI Jumbo lump crab, tomato water, and tarragon. ON THE MENU 23% of consumers are interested in trying benne seeds. For more on benne seeds (which, while sometimes BURIED BANANA used interchangeably, are not the CRÈME CARAMEL same as sesame seeds), search SNAP! for On the Menu: September 2017. Honey crème fraiche, benne crumble.

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1 2 4 3 VIA BIDA MANDA

Brother and sister duo Vansana and Vanvisa Nolintha brought the foods and flavors of to Raleigh with the opening of Bida Manda in 2012. Bida manda, which is the Sanskrit term for father and mother, is aptly named after the co-owners’ parents who still live in Laos. While the cuisine of the small Southeast Asian country has yet to take off in the U.S. (it’s found on less than 1% of menus), 40% of consumers are interested, according to On the Menu: September 2017. Anyone looking to move beyond more mainstream Asian and global cuisines can look to Lao cuisine for inspiration. Here are four items found at Bida Manda to spark your innovation:

1). How essential is sticky rice to Lao cuisine? Very. Just take a look at this pile of thip khao, the small baskets traditionally used to serve sticky rice (Thip Khao is also the name of a well-known Laotian restaurant in Washington, D.C.). 2). Crispy rice lettuce wraps, also known as Nam Khao, with crunchy rice. 3). The Lao Bull cocktail with North Carolina moonshine, five-spice beef pho broth, and lime juice. 4). Green Papaya Salad stars as an entrée at Bida Manda, customizable with options like grilled flatiron steak (pictured here) or dill and lemongrass trout.

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FLOWER SHOP / DIM SUM / BREWERY

BACKGROUND WHY IT MATTERS For their second act, aforementioned Garden and Gun says it’s hard to tell if Vansana (or Van for short) is brother and sister team Vansana and being “droll or earnest” when he says, “No one in Raleigh asked for Vanvisa Nolintha teamed up with brewer a place that has books on peace and conflict resolution, that sells Patrick Woodson for something a little flowers and that serves dim sum. But we all long to be in the outside the box. Enter Brewery Bhavana, community together, and if we can do that at a brewery…” And, which opened in downtown Raleigh March indeed, Brewery Bhavana shows there doesn’t need to be a specific 2017. Bhavana, which means community in demand for a concept or product for it to be successful (for Sanskrit, is a mashup concept in every example, just because your customers aren’t clamoring for plant- sense of the word – it’s of course a based foods or more seafood products, doesn’t mean there’s not brewery, but also a flower shop, book interest). For Brewery Bhavana, offering multiple (seemingly store, and dim sum restaurant. disconnected) concepts under one roof has garnered a following of fans who, according to Garden and Gun, call it “a brilliant mashup” that makes a case for serving Asian cuisine alongside Belgian beers. Find a little bit of everything on the pan-Asian menu, from Indonesian Nasi Goring Crab Fried Rice with house-made nasi goring (also spelled goreng) spice to Scallion Pancakes with bone ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES marrow, oxtail, and coconut-soy jam. On the brewery side, customers can choose from over 40 taps with core beers such as the MASHUPS Glean, a peppercorn saison, or the Bloom, a dry cardamom tripel (because what else would a brewery-dim sum restaurant ASIAN mashup be without peppercorn and cardamom beers?). For more on trendy brews and foods, search SNAP! for Creative Concepts: Next-Level Brewpubs.

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FROM BREWERY BHAVANA

CRISPY PIG EARS $7.80 With spicy nuoc cham fish sauce.

CHICKEN CURRY BAO Three steamed buns filled with Crab Rangoon $9.80 spicy yellow chicken and vegetable curry.

PORK BELLY RICE CAKES $18.80 Stir-fried rice cakes with herbs, Sichuan peppercorn, and braised pork belly.

LAP CHEUNG FRIED RICE $17.80 With Chinese sausage, asparagus, egg, and crispy lotus roots.

Fortune Cookies

Many cultures intersected at one of the restaurant’s staff meals, featuring house-made chicken tacos with Sichuan peppercorn oil and 20-year-old Pu’er tea.

DATASSENTIAL’S DINE AROUND: RALEIGH-DURHAM 27 DA

FROM BREWERY BHAVANA

Brewery Bhavana’s Seafood Dumplings variety of beers featuring lobster, includes the Pulp, shrimp, scallop, and which is a Galaxy cabbage dumplings, IPA featuring Galaxy served in a garlic and black hops, one of the mushroom sauce. world’s most-prized hop varieties. It’s one of Bhavana’s most popular provisional beers.

Steamed Whole Fish with ginger and herbs, served with scallion relish and spicy nuoc cham fish sauce.

DATASSENTIAL’S DINE AROUND: RALEIGH-DURHAM 28 DA

BREWERY BHAVANA’S GROVE A double IPA the brewery says “will take you on a long walk through a citrus orchard dripping with clementine, grapefruit, and peaches.”

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CLYDE COOPER’S BARBEQUE Consistently named one of the best BBQ spots in the Triangle and in the country is Clyde Cooper’s BBQ, which has been serving up its signature ‘cue since 1938. A few years ago, after being in the same building for nearly 80 years, Clyde’s was forced to vacate its original digs to make way for new construction, moving just around the corner in downtown Raleigh. Here, it’s all about using only grass-fed meat and keeping tradition alive – everything is cooked with wood or wood and gas, from its three styles of pork BBQ (chopped, coarse, and Clyde’s “famous sliced”) to beef brisket served up with its own jus to award-winning fried chicken. And of course, it’s not true Southern BBQ without Southern sides like fried okra and Clyde’s homage to a North Carolina beverage staple, Cheerwine baked beans.

THE PIT A caprese salad with smoked mozzarella and collard green pesto? Yep, we must be at a Southern BBQ restaurant. Or The Pit, a BBQ joint with locations in Raleigh and Durham, churning out whole hog, pit-cooked (hence the name) Eastern-style Carolina BBQ. Named one of the best BBQ restaurants in the Triangle by The News & Observer, The Pit also offers Southern staples like house-made Brunswick stew (typically made with beans and game such as chicken) with local vegetables, and on Fridays and Saturdays customers can get a hands-on experience with the Carving Cart, where a chef’s selection of pit-cooked meats is brought to tables by cart, carved tableside, and served with two sides. While the heyday of tableside preparation (like tossed-at-the-table caesar salads) has passed, presenting foods like BBQ in this interactive manner can help add nostalgia to diners’ experiences.

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VICEROY At downtown Durham’s Viceroy, it’s all about British and Indian fusion – modernized, that is. Opened in 2017, Viceroy is a joint venture combining the cuisines of two Durham businesses, Bull McCabe’s pub and the Tan- Durm food truck. While British-Indian cuisine isn’t exactly new (the two are tied together with centuries of history), the spins at Viceroy are. Whether it’s a Southwestern Samosa with ground chicken, peas, and Southwestern spices; Bollywood Poutine with Mumbai- spiced chicken keema and shredded paneer; or desserts like the Kheer, a mashup of Indian rice pudding and the popular English Cadbury candy bar, Viceroy offers a variety of out-of-the-box items. Catering to trending vegetarian and vegan diets, Viceroy’s menu features a number of meatless dishes, including the Panang Curry that includes carrots, mushrooms, okra, and jackfruit, the meaty not-meat that nearly 40% of consumers know of, but not many (15%) have actually tried (Datassential FLAVOR). Are there ways you could incorporate jackfruit into your vegetarian-friendly menu items?

HAPPY AND HALE Now with four locations (including its first venture outside North Carolina), Happy + Hale is the epitome of a next- generation healthy fast casual. Customers will find all the quintessential healthy items on the menu – bowls, salads, all- day breakfast (which of course includes avocado toast), smoothies, and juices. Everything is made to order and from scratch, without the use of things like fryers or even mayonnaise (salad dressings are made from greek yogurt, avocado, and fresh herbs and spices). Newer creations include Happy + Hale hopping on the poke train with the Salmon Poke Bowl that includes sticky rice and tuxedo sesame seeds. Customers can also create their own bowls in-store, choosing from a wide range of ingredients like roasted butternut squash hummus and golden quinoa. DA

MADE IN DURHAM

Nut butters, and nut butter alternatives, are hot. Nearly a third of consumers love or like nut butters, according to PRODUCTS Datassential FLAVOR, and though they don’t appear as often on restaurant menus, a wide variety of nut butters can be found at retail. Durham’s Big Spoon Roasters, inspired by COCOA BUTTERS Pictured at left is Big Spoon founder Mark Overbay’s experiences with fresh-roasted nut Roasters’ Peanut Cocoa butters while abroad in Zimbabwe, opened in 2011, offering butter that’s made with a variety of butters made with ingredients sourced only from peanuts and organic stone- trusted farms and producers. In addition to classic peanut ground chocolates. The cocoa butter also comes in butter, Big Spoon also offers a variety of next-level nut butter an variety. flavors – there’s the perfect-for-fall Chai Spice with cardamom, clove, ginger, black pepper, and sea salt; and the Hot Peanut, which gets a kick from guajillo, ancho, and habanero chiles. Every spring, Big Spoon teams up with a NUT BUTTER BARS Big Spoon’s hand- local roastery to feature a different Espresso Nut Butter crafted nut butter blend. It currently showcases Tigerwalk Espresso made in bars come in flavors conjunction with San Rafael, CA-based Equator & like Apricot Pepita and Cherry Pecan. . To further showcase how their nut butters are truly handcrafted, Big Spoon makes all butters to order, with products shipping in 3-5 days.

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GET INTERACTIVE WITH EXPERIENCES AND EVENTS It sure seems like we say it a lot, but it’s worth saying again: it’s time to step up your experience game. As consumers continue to look for unique dining experiences, think outside the box with events and 1 hands-on-activities, like the ones at Ponysaurus. The brewery hosts game nights every week and even gives customers the opportunity to rent grills and grill their own food to pair with brews. At The Pit BBQ, there’s the Carving Cart experience where meats are carved tableside.

PUT A SPIN ON REGIONAL FAVORITES Raleigh-Durham is filled with unique takes on Southern cuisine mashed up with other flavors. Brewery 2 Bhavana goes Southeast Asian on beers with flavors like cardamom and peppercorns, while Mateo Tapas offers stuffed dates with country ham and Spanish meatballs atop grits.

NO DEMAND, NOT A PROBLEM Brewery Bhavana, the dim sum restaurant/flower shop/brewery, admits there was never a specific demand for such a mashup concept, but that doesn’t mean the off-the-wall combination hasn’t seen 3 success. Don’t be quick to nix ideas for menu items or product lines simply because customers aren’t clamoring for it. Consider experimenting with industry-wide trends, perhaps in the form of pop-ups or LTOs, to gauge customer feedback.

GO BEYOND BASIC BEVERAGES While regular coffee is almost always a sure bet (brewed coffee is the most-consumed drink second only to tap water, according to Datassential’s 2015l Non-Alcoholic Beverage Keynote Report), there’s also something about going beyond the basics. Mini chain Cocoa Cinnamon, for instance, 4 offers trendy beverages like matcha with unique flavors such as cardamom in addition to featuring prickly pear syrup to coffees. For more beverage inspiration, including insights on how manufacturers can create products that help baristas or operators craft next-level beverages, stay tuned for an upcoming updated non-alcoholic beverage Keynote Report.

CHANNEL TRENDY CONCEPTS HOWEVER YOU CAN Food halls continue to be the talk of the town (and that’s any town, really). And you don’t have to be in a food hall setting or be a food hall operator to reap insights from the trend that over 60% of 5 consumers are interested in. Take a look at your current offerings and see how you can revitalize them by incorporating the elements that make food halls resonate so well with consumers such as the ability to customize food that’s made to order.

DATASSENTIAL’S DINE AROUND: RALEIGH-DURHAM 33 DA WHERE WE’VE BEEN GOING ON A TRIP? PLANNING AN IMMERSION TOUR? CHECK OUT ALL OF THESE PAST ISSUES OF DINE AROUND IN SNAP.

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DATASSENTIAL’S DINE AROUND: RALEIGH-DURHAM 34

BE THE TREND EXPERT 70 ISSUES A YEAR. SEARCHABLE IN SNAP. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. PIZZA a keynote

consumption & attitudes

ordering behavior

operator perspectives

restaurant menus & consumer appeal

regional & city profiles

demographic influences & segment skews

brand rankings for quality, value, & convenience

Pizza is fired up. Two-thirds of consumers have eaten pizza in the past week, and 20 percent of Millennials enjoyed a slice in the past day. Pizza varieties are growing on menus, expanding on favorites like pepperoni and mushroom to include upscale ingredients such as pulled pork and ricotta cheese. And operators who menu pizza say business is booming, both among national and regional chains and local independents. Find out why and get your piece of the pie with actionable insights into the world of crusts, sauces, cheeses, proteins, and toppings. PIZZA: a keynote

Topics covered From the report

consumption & attitudes o explore how often consumers eat pizza and for which CONSUMERS occasions 70% of most recent pizza occasions were o compare at-home versus away-from-home behavior o identify consumption drivers and barriers prepared away-from-home 46% feel strong loyalty toward their regular ordering behavior pizzeria o understand preferences around customization through a simulated ordering exercise 52% say they add chicken wings to their o track price sensitivity for premium ingredients order at least occasionally when o delve into demographic shifts by age, gender, and ordering pizza; even more consumers geographic region order garlic knots

operator perspectives o understand how foodservice operators are menuing and OPERATORS marketing pizza o learn which formats are commonly purchased and which 53% expect their sales of pizza to increase in ingredients inspire brand loyalty the next year o identify operational challenges and opportunities for supplier support 34% either purchase pre-made pizzas or use a mix of pre-made and made-in-house restaurant menus & consumer appeal 43% have no preferred brand for pizza o follow the growth of pizza varieties, crusts, sauces, cheeses, ingredients proteins, and toppings o pinpoint emerging ingredients and flavor profiles o see consumer affinity for pizza-friendly ingredients 1,000 consumers 309 restaurant, on- regional & city profiles from all generations site, and retail o uncover differences between census regions and DMAs for and regions operators chains and independents o review profiles of notable pizza operators around the country

consumer brand rankings o see which pizza chains perform best on food quality, value, and service report x-tab tool webinar o track brand loyalty versus convenience as a purchase driver

GET FIRED UP. ORDER TODAY. Contact Brian Darr at 312-655-0594 or [email protected] datassential.com

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