It’s mid-summer and, remarkably, all of those crazy changes that we had to face so suddenly this winter have become routine. Even though there is talk of reopening and returning to normal, it’s clear that in the backs of their minds, at least, lots of people aren’t buying it. Talk of an awful second wave this fall keeps people wary. So, how have people in the food world here adapted? In many cases, admirably.
There had to be a lot of facing of facts. Sadly, some places have closed — but others have adapted in ways best suited to them. Elsewhere on this website is a comprehensive list of restaurants in Orange County that have reopened in some way. It tells who they are and what and how they are serving. I’m going to talk about a few places where I know the owners and staff. I am, of course, biased because these are friends of mine — but don’t take this as a commercial for them. Investigate the place where you have friends.
The online ordering process has been worked out pretty well now. I get a lot of take-outs from Neal’s — like sausage and fried apple biscuits every Saturday on my way home from the Carrboro Farmers Market. With their online system, if you like, you can have it remember your information. Vimala’s uses the same system, and there you can order things that are ready to eat or things to be taken home and reheated at dinnertime. Both websites have clear instructions, as well their menus. On recent visits to both places, Chefs Sheila Neal and Vimala Rajendran themselves delivered my order to the curb.
Going to Imbibe on Henderson Street is sort of like pulling up to a drive-in. No live music right now, but you can order, again all online, Chef Mandey Brown’s Louisiana offerings — plus groceries She’s selling yeast, produce, eggs, pickles, half price wines — you name it. You can also have a glass of wine while you wait.
Chef and owner Tuan Le at Lime and Basil on Franklin St. told me that he’s just trying to break even, so you’ll find him in the kitchen, with one dishwasher and one waiter to ferry orders. Lots of his food lends itself well to takeout, and if you order pho, it comes disassembled so you can finish it at home.
Glass Half Full has a takeout menu only, featuring meals to be heated and served at home. At Oakleaf, they are offering their menu a la carte for takeout and have just begun to take a few tables for inhouse dining on weekends only. Al’s Burger Shack, IP III and Mediterranean Deli have always done a large part of their businesses in takeout so except for some rearranging of seating and pickup arrangements, things are now nearly the same again.
Bowbar, where Rosemary St. meets Carrboro, had perhaps the best idea in town. They will deliver. They can’t send you a mixed drink but imagine a bottle of cold prosecco showing up at your door! They’ll also bring beer, all of their other wines, bar snacks, tee shirts, vermouth, and right now they have fresh watermelon juice.
I used this assignment as an excuse to go out last night to 411 West. I had seen Tommy O’Connell, one of the owners, on the street earlier in the day and he had told me that they were open and following all of the proper procedures. All of the staff were in masks and gloves. Legions of people scurried around with bottles of sanitizer, constantly wiping things down. Parties were seated far apart from one another. I had a good dinner and the first decent drink, a Negroni, that I have had in memory. They are still doing lots of takeout and again, you can do your ordering online.
I’ll finish by looking ahead to summer. This week, I picked the first wild blackberries of the season along the bike trail in Carrboro. It’s going to be a good year, I think. Yesterday, I had a video crew from “Our State” magazine — all face masked and sanitized — in my home kitchen, doing a piece on tomato sandwiches. It was odd doing an interview all suited up like that, but these are the times we live in. Look for the video on their website soon. It’s still a tad early for real summer tomatoes, but the ones I had gotten at the market Saturday were close. Perhaps we can visit the produce of summer next time, but we’ll leave that for then.
“Just The Bill, Please” is a regular column on Chapelboro.com penned by local culinary legend Bill Smith. Born and raised in New Bern, Bill Smith spent 25 years heading up the kitchen in Crook’s Corner — and over the years, he accumulated the accolades to match his incomparable takes on classic Southern food.
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