IRREGARDLESS CAFÉ

My wife, sister and I left Burning Coal Theater chatting about Sunday in the Park with George, getting my sister’s first impressions of the play, and filling her in some of the production differences in the Broadway version. None of us, of course came away humming a tune, but that’s Sondheim.  Eager to share more insights and also hungry, we retired to Irregardless, which we had visited a few weeks back with our old friend Rhonda Rosenheck. I called to make a reservation. Maggie, in her clear and ever chipper voice, asked me the time, I responded, “In ten minutes, for three, preferable with Aaron as our waiter?”  On a Sunday Irregardless opens at 5:00; we arrived at 5:03, the very first customers. Maggie sat as at a booth near the bar.  Aaron saw us coming, grinned his sweet, loopy smile, and sauntered over, all 6’ 3” of him, shaggy hair and all. 

In Raleigh Lyn is eager to try new flavors, back home in Maryland I think she is more of a meat-and-potato gal. Irregardless has evolved since its founding in 1975; Arthur Gordon, the owner-chef, was vegetarian and so was his restaurant. Now, however, his menu is far more varied, among the entrées eleven dishes were strictly vegetarian, six featured fish, and eight focused on lamb, chicken, duck, or beef. All three of us took the vegetarian route, partly because the items were so intriguing, and partly because they were also less expensive, though I found it hard to pass up lamb lollipops, or duck. Meat dishes average $23 each, fish $25, while herbivorous specialties are only $17 each. . Irregardless runs its own Well Fed Community Garden, but even when not using its own produce, it strives to serve locally sourced meat, fish and vegetables.

Like my favorite pair of shoes, the décor is a bit scuffed around the edges but oh so comfortable. Nothing Arthur couldn’t fix with a good shinning. I’m so glad we called ahead, by 5:30, the restaurant was filled. Couples predominated though there were a few larger groups, all from across the generational spectrum. Musicians played in the background, it was truly a sweet atmosphere.

As a former English teacher, I still get miffed by the name.  Though “irregardless” is dictionary listed as a recent dialectical addition, the preferred word is “regardless.” And so, regardless of my syntactic bias, I do love this restaurant, partly because of the food, and even more so because of the people and their stories.  Raleigh can be a bit homogeneously bland; Irregardless is eclectic. 

Arthur the owner in his beret regularly visits tables; on our first visit he sat with us for over 20 minutes telling story after story, Anya. his wife, came over and listened as Rhonda poured out her current situation, Dodge, the general manager has his own special history(1)  and one of my all-time favorites, Aaron Squires, our waiter and bar tender, regaled us with his knowledge of liquors.

Aaron's martinis are a work of art.  This night he and I experimented with glazing (2). When I asked him for suggestions, he bubbled with enthusiasm and suggested I try Domaine de Canton, a ginger liqueur, he even brought out a sample for us to try.  Wow. Vivian and Lyn liked it straight up. Its addition to my martini provided two major changes, first was the very sophisticated hint of ginger, and second was how easily it took the edge off the gin, without sacrificing the wonderful juniper fragrances.

Lyn tried the Irregardless version of a “Dark and Stormy” made with Canton. I’d first heard of this drink in the novels of Nelson de Mille, sited on the Gold Coast of Long Island, not the new-rich Gatsby peninsula, but the old rich of Locust Valley and Centre Island.  I could picture coming from my large sailing yacht and relaxing on the porch of the great Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, sipping my Dark and Stormy, while staring out at Long Island Sound alongside the Doubledays, duPonts, Roosevelts, and Vanderbilts. Though a thirst quenching summer highball, however, it was not so great with dinner.

For my second martini, Aaron recommended a glazing with Cointreau – also fine, and also smooth, but not quite as exotic as the Canton. 

Having had two martinis, I was happy with the arrival of bread: homemade herb bread and muffins, made with finely ground white corn.  Both real treats.

On our previous visit, we had ordered seafood cakes for the table, tasty but with an all-in-the-blender texture; the accompanying cilantro coleslaw however was delightful.  My Shepherd’s Pie, yes vegetarian, was a casserole layered with spinach, sliced carrots, caramelized onions, fennel, braised cabbage, mashed potatoes, and bulgur wheat in a medium of steamed pomegranate, topped by short crust pastry and served with miso gravy.  It’s as good as it sounds.  Our other two entrées included Vegan Sex and Lentil Cakes, the latter actually being the high light of the evening. We shared dessert, an excellent apple crisp.

Eager to try more on the menu, Lyn ordered acorn squash stuffed with wild rice, lentils, pumpkin seeds set astride a bed of black beans and roasted beets and an adjacent bed of white beans and roasted pineapple.  The squash was fine, but the double beds were engagingly terrific. Vivian selected vegan and gluten free lasagna made with soft polenta cakes, béchamel, and a variety of root vegetables.  Vivian enjoyed it; I would have preferred the polenta cakes to have a bit more texture.  I enjoyed my “scallops,” actually grilled oyster mushrooms served over a mushroom risotto.  The oyster mushrooms were fun because they looked much like real scallops, but the real pleasure was the mushroom risotto.

For all food adventurers, and particularly for those who delight in vegetables, Irregardless is worth the visit.  While there, be sure to meet Arthur, Anya, Dodge, Maggie, and/or Aaron.  Enjoy!

Irregardless Café is located at 901 West Morgan Street, Raleigh, NC.  919 833 8898.   www.irregardless.com

1-      http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/aids/past/liveus.html

2-      More on this in a future blog.

Bloomsbury Bistro

OK my foodie friends, here’s one you need to try.

Bloomsbury Bistro is located within and serves the historic, well-heeled neighborhoods of old Raleigh, just off the Five Point intersection of Glenwood Avenue.  My college roommate twice recommended that we try Bloomsbury Bistro. I’d hesitated for almost a year, Five Points appeared far less interesting than downtown.  Bottom line however, he was right. Located in a small strip mall with plenty of easy parking, Bloomsbury’s plain, decades old, exterior belies the delights contained within. We’ve been twice, on our second trip with our good friends Gus and Liz from New York.
On both our visits, we were met warmly at the door by Charles, the sommelier, a fortunate delight for Gus, an active collector of premium California wines, who praised Bloomsbury’s wine list and enjoyed a long conversation with Charles. Our table with its starched white table cloth suggested European affluence.  No airs, no pomp, only solid integrity. 

When making a reservation, ask for Bill as your waiter.  We have had another who was not nearly as professional.  Bill’s quiet unseen hand made sure that the drinks and food arrived in a timely and unrushed manner.  I prefer chatting with waiters who I generally find very interesting; Bill obliged me as long as our “chatting” did not interrupt his service to us or to others.

Bar tenders have far more opportunity to be gregarious and Tony was no exception.  His warm, open face smiled his customers into a comfortable warmth.  On our second visit, a Monday evening, the bar seats were filled with couples of all ages. I attribute this to Tony; I’m guessing that many were regulars from the neighborhood. 

Now to my litmus test: the martini. This ought to be easy, a good gin with a twinkling of dry vermouth.  Not so. I’ve learned to explain at length what I want. Bill waited and then patiently replied, “Of Course.” And, he was right. Tony provided a superb martini. My off-hand remark that olives belong in the gin was remembered in my second drink. Yes I can be that persnickety. The olive, more than a dash of color, adds a musky whimsy to the gin.
Just before the drinks, Bloomsbury’s own herb infused bread arrived – hot.  What is better than freshly made hot bread?  And what better accompaniment is there to a splendid martini or a glass of red wine?

As for the food – delicious.  Despite having been there twice, we have yet to do justice to the appetizers despite how good they sound. Gus and Liz had Greek salads, and both claimed these were among the best they had ever tasted.  I ordered a scoop of the pimento-cheese grits, which accompanied one of the special entrees. Good choice on my part – delightful and so very Southern.  At most restaurants, even such a simple request would have arrived fully dressed with all kinds of frou-frou to pretty it up.  Not here. I received exactly what I asked for, a scoop of the grits.  Though Bloomsbury is a “fancy” restaurant, and the dishes did arrive beautifully plated, I liked it even more for this simple honesty.

Next time I just may have three appetizers and forego both the entrée and dessert.  So many great choices. Perhaps potato gnocchi carbonara with pancetta, then Damascus style spiced lamb confit “pie” in puff pastry; followed up with roasted butternut squash with candied Granny Smith apples. See what I mean about tasty delights.

On our first visit, we both had fish: my wife had the grilled Scottish salmon over Parmesan soft polenta. The Italian polenta, one of Vivian’s favorite, was the smoothest, lightest either of us had ever had; it balanced beautifully with the salmon. So delighted was Vivian that she ordered it again on our return visit. My lightly battered fish, atop its own mixture of vegetables also included Tuscan kale.  In fact, I ordered it for the kale. For over a year so many of the mouth-watering recipes in the Sunday New York Times had featured Tuscan kale, and now I know why. It’s slightly crunchy texture and subtle flavors enhance the other vegetables with which it is paired.

Gus enjoyed his grilled chicken from the specials list with the grilled asparagus and cherry wood smoked bacon. Liz’s homemade ricotta and black truffle tortelloni from the appetizer list came out large and plump, filled with tasty surprises.  I indulged myself with the bacon crusted calves liver. We were all thoroughly impressed, full but not stuffed, just happy and contented.

 On both occasions we all had the figgy pudding dessert, and both times for the same reason. It was greatly sought in the Christmas song. Bloomsbury’s presented a flan, flaked throughout with slivers of port infused figs which we shared and enjoyed together.

After the meal, as I personally thanked our bartender, Tony, we met a lady drinking a Left Bank. On our second visit, Tony devised for me a martini with a splash of St. Germain elderberry cordial, undiluted by a Left Bank’s chardonnay.  Now when I make our reservation, Tony has to be there. I go back for the food, but now especially for this truly, truly, special-best martini. 

My only hesitation in recommending Bloomsbury to you? I don’t know your preference in atmosphere.  Downtown’s high-profile restaurants attract the affluent, and sometimes loud, up-and-comers in their late twenties and early thirties. Bloomsbury Bistro seems almost like a private club: quieter, casual in a very sophisticated sort of way. My guess would be that Bloomsbury attracts the professional, political and business leaders of our community. One couple, whom we met from the table next to ours, held important positions with two of the larger RTP companies.

My roommate and old friend was right.  Great place, perhaps even a new home for us. Go! Then tell me what you think.

 

Located at 509 W. Whitaker Mill Road Suite 101, Raleigh, NC 27608.

                    919 834 9011    Bloomsburybistro.com