RALEIGH, REALLY DINING

It occurred to me that the Segway tour and art museum were the only activities in this trip. Everything else was about eating. The best thing for me to do is just list where and what I consumed.

I asked if there was a Chinese restaurant as a dinner plan fell through due to the area parking lots being filled up for a free event. We wound up in the Warehouse District on West Hargett Street and walking into what looked far from any Chinese restaurant that I ever went to. The name is Five Star. Huge open spaces where people could drink, dance and hang out as it must have been a former warehouse. Then we enter one smaller room where the dining takes place. Very casual Soho or Village like atmosphere all around.

What may have distinguished this restaurant from any other cuisine was the Oriental waitstaff, which seems to assure us that the it's Chinese food.

Don't expect Chicken Chow Mein and the like. It's an upscale menu. I didn't dine alone so what I describe had been shared and with leftovers. Appetizers: Crispy Green Beans; Roasted Duck Rolls - rolls are made of a thin wrap and not fried; Heat Seeker Shrimp with just enough heat to not overdo it.

Entree: Crispy Sesame Beef; Grilled Lamb Chops with Seasonal Asian Vegetables, Sticky Rice and Spicy Cucumber Mint Relish (certainly not skimpy on the amount of chops); Filet Mignon with Teriyaki Reduction, Asparagus, Eggplant, Red Chilies and Taiwanese Yams.

It was when the desserts came out that I questioned it all. One of them was this flourless chocolate cake and the other two were something that you would never find on a Chinese menu. I asked the waiter if the desserts were made here and he said that it was. We now wanted to meet the chef, Daniel Gray who was not of any Asian descent. Just a great chef who decided to focus on Chinese cuisine.

I also found out that this Warehouse District is considered to be the "gayborhood" of Raleigh.

Big Ed's City Market Restaurant where Southern cooking couldn't be more traditional. The restaurant is filled with antique farm instruments and political memorabilia. When you order "pancakes", you just need to order a pancake, which takes up the whole plate.

42nd Street Oyster Bar is not located there but off Glenwood Avenue, a nightlife area. If you want steamed oysters you have to sit at the seafood bar. They come in a bucket and get shucked as they are served. I didn't realize how many oysters were in a "half peck" and preceded with a seafood salad of crab meat, shrimps, and scallops over greens and such.

Another Natty Greene's Pub and Brewery recently opened in Raleigh. The restaurant is much larger than the one in Greensboro with a different menu as well. Great beers brewed here, too.

I also encountered Escazu an artisan chocolate store where they make the chocolate started from the beans. There are various bars and pretty chocolates as well. I tried one bar of dark chocolate with goat's milk.

As far as my radio show, it was held in my room at the Raleigh Marriott City Center just across from the Convention Center. Excellent location and comfy bed. I had breakfast at the hotel the next morning. Did not order grits.