W H AT WE’ RE EATIN G NEWS FROM OUR RESTAURANT COMMUNITY, PLUS A DISH WE LOVE
➾ NEWS BITES HOPELESS RAMENTIC Fusion Fish chef and co-owner Yung Nay opened Iza Whiskey & Eats, a Japanesestyle izakaya, on East Main Street in Carrboro in December. Its menu features small plates, sushi and ramen, as well as whiskey, sake and cocktails. RIGHT ON ’CUE Barbecue restaurant Blue’s on Franklin opened in late October in the former Moe’s Southwest Grill spot on West Franklin Street. The restaurant specializes in smoked barbecue, shrimp and chicken wings served alongside classic Southern sides. Formerly a gas station, the historic building is also the spot where owner Andrew Young’s father, Bob Young, proposed to Andrew’s mom, Jackie.
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ound the alarm – now every day is April Blues Day. UNC alumni from all over travel back to Chapel Hill just for a pint of Bell Tower Blueberry Wheat beer starting each April 1 – the beer’s annual release date. But these days, Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery’s famous seasonal drink is available to order anytime. “We decided this summer, let’s just keep it on,” Manager Guy Murphy says. “It’s enough of a drive now with the situation we’re in that I think it’s still appealing and people will come out for it.” This is just one way the Franklin Street staple reinvented itself during the pandemic. Last summer, when the restaurant was still closed, its sister business, TOPO Organic Distillery, began producing hundreds of gallons of hand sanitizer for first responders and local businesses. And, like many other restaurants across the country, it transitioned to curbside pickup and delivery when it reopened on July 23. (Two weeks later, the restaurant reopened for dine in.) On top of that, TOPO Executive Chef Trey Cleveland added a new section to the menu in December: bowls. “All the young folks say they want something healthy,” Trey says, “but they can never describe exactly what that means.” So, Trey decided to create three new vegetarian choices (with the option to add six different proteins): • Quinoa Bowl, served cold. $10.99 • Mexi-Cali Bowl: “The staff gets tired of nachos, so they sub rice,” Trey says. “That’s basically what it is – [our] nachos with rice, instead of chips … it’s a staff-inspired dish.” $9.99 • Teriyaki Cauliflower Bowl: Trey says to add shrimp or salmon to this one. $10.99 For those keeping count at home, there are three must-haves at TOPO this season: a bowl, a blueberry wheat and a bunch of its distillery-produced sanitizer. – Hannah Lee TOP OF THE HILL RESTAURANT & BREWERY 100 E. Franklin St. 919-929-8676; thetopofthehill.com 20
chapelhillmagazine.com
January/February 2021
GOOD FOOD, GOOD MOOD Five local products were selected in early November as finalists for the 2021 Good Food Awards. The finalists are Lady Edison, Boxcarr Handmade Cheese, Chocolatay Confections, Cottage Lane Kitchen and The Accidental Baker. Winners will be announced on Jan. 22 via livestream at the Good Food Awards ceremony. SHINY NEW PENNY Piedmont Pennies, a bakery specializing in cheese straws, opened in September. Owner Becca Jordan, a grad student at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, used her grandmother’s recipe to produce them commercially. WAFFLEY SAD After 48 years on East Franklin Street, Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe closed in December. “From a public health perspective, and due to the ongoing challenges of the pandemic,” the breakfast restaurant posted on Facebook, “it is the right choice for us.” TEA-RRIFIC! Möge Tee opened in the former Fedora boutique spot on East Franklin Street in December. The bubble tea shop offers cheese foam fruit tea, bubble tea, fruit yakult and more. CHM