SpiceLines

When Saveur singled out Chapel Hill as one of five “unsung burgs [that] really cook” (See “The Saveur List: 5 Food Towns,” No. 96, October 2006, pp. 28-29), it wasn’t a huge surprise. We knew all along that our chefs, wine merchants, markets, cookbook writers, local farmers and artisan food producers have made the ballyhooed “Southern part of heaven” a haven for food lovers.

Here’s our list of the most rewarding food destinations in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. We’ll update it often with new additions, comments and reviews.

Restaurants

Acme Food & Beverage Co., 110 East Main Street, Carrboro, NC 27510. Telephone: 919.929.2263. www.acmecarrboro.com. (See Kevin Callaghan’s recipe for Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder here.)

Allen & Son B-Q, 6203 Millhouse Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. Telephone: 919.942.7576. Saveur list.

The Barbecue Joint, 630 Weaver Dairy Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Telephone: 919.932.7504.

Crook’s Corner, 610 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Telephone: 919.929.7643. www.crookscorner.com. Saveur List. “Sacred ground for Southern foodies,” says The New York Times. (For chef Bill Smith’s Green Tabasco Chicken recipe from Seasoned in the South, go here.)

Jujube, 1201 Raleigh Road, Glen Lennox Shopping Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27517. Telephone: 919.960.0555. www.jujuberestaurant.com.

Lantern Restaurant, 423 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. Telephone: 919-969-8848. www.lanternrestaurant.com. No. 47 on Gourmet's 50 Best Restaurants list (October 2006); Saveur list. (For chef Andrea Reusing’s recipe for Pickled Pumpkin Slices, go here.)

Sandwhich, 431 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. Telephone: 919.929.2114. www.sandwhich.biz See GlobalProvince's Best of Triangle, no. 84, 'Most Original Sandwich Shop."

Coffee (and Tea) Houses

Caffé Driade, 1215 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Telephone: 919.942.2333. www.caffedriade.com

Open Eye Café, 101 South Greensboro Street, Carrboro, NC 27510. Telephone: 919.968.9419. www.openeyecafe.com

3 Cups, 431West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 2751X. Telephone: 919.968.8993. www.3cups.net See Global Province's Best of Triangle, no. 78, "Coffee, Tea and Chocolate for the 21st Century."

Farmers Market

Carrboro Farmers Market, 301 West Main Street (next to Town Hall), Carrboro, NC. Telephone: 919.280.3326. www.carrborofarmersmarket.com See “Local Flavors: Pickles and BBQ for Breakfast at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market” on SpiceLines.

Specialty Food Shops

Classic Silver Wok, 7 Mariakakis Plaza, Fordham Boulevard (Hwy 15-501), Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Telephone: 919.933.1295.

Mariakakis’ Fine Food & Wine, 1 Mariakakis Plaza, 1322 Fordham Boulevard (Hwy 15-501) Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Telephone: 919.942.1453;

A Southern Season, Hwy 15-501at Estes Drive, University Mall, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Telephone: 919.929.7133. www.southernseason.com

Local Farmers

Elysian Fields Farm, 5925 Oakley Road, Cedar Grove, NC 27231. Telephone: 919.732.8980. www.elysianfarm.com Top local CSA; Elise Margolies sells organic vegetables and naturally fed pork at Carrboro Farmers’ Market. Saveur list.

Artisan Food Producers

Cane Creek Farm. www.canecreekfarm.us Eliza McLean raises rare Ossabaw and heirloom pork, sells at Carrboro Farmers’ Market. For more, see Global Province’s Best of Triangle, No. 73, “Hog Heaven: Pork Sausage from Cane Creek.”

Chapel Hill Creamery, 615 Chapel Hill Creamery Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. Telephone: 919.067.3757. Flo Hawley and Portia McKnight make fresh and aged cheeses from intensively grazed Jersey cows; find New Moon semi-ripe and aged Hickory Grove cheeses at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market and Whole Foods. Saveur list.

Kitchenware

Kitchenworks, 201 S. Estes Drive, University Mall, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Telephone: 919-967-9388. www.kitchenworksinc.com

See also, A Southern Season.

Slow Food Convivium

For info on the Slow Food Triangle Convivium and its programs, see www.slowfoodtriangle.org. Highly recommended: April MacGregor’s September 2006 presentation on Southern peas.