W H AT WE’ RE EATIN G NEWS FROM OUR RESTAURANT COMMUNITY, PLUS A DISH WE LOVE
➾ NEWS BITES
HOT OFF THE GRILL Jed’s Kitchen, a Moroccan and Mediterranean grill, opened in December in the former Peño Mediterranean Grill on East Franklin Street. The menu includes offerings such as salads, soup, chicken tagine and beef gyro pita. THE OLD COLLEGE TRY As of press time, Trophy Room at the Graduate Chapel Hill was slated to open on Feb. 18. The menu will feature homemade takes on college favorites such as Hot Pockets, Dunkaroos, Eggo Waffles, Doritos and more.
he memory of 10-plus friends seated around one large table covered in sushi and sake has faded since the onset of the pandemic. Spicy 9 Sushi Bar & Asian Restaurant was one of the most popular celebration spots on West Franklin Street for many locals and UNC students. These days, birthdays, job offers and graduations can slip by without anyone saying, “Let’s go out to dinner!” Which is why we checked in with Spicy 9 owner Mike Vikitsreth to see how Chapel Hill’s sushi staple is holding up. “We’re doing well enough,” he says. Mike has worked hard to keep Spicy 9 financially afloat since opening the restaurant’s doors in 2014. He was prepared to safely lead his staff forward when Spicy 9 reopened in August 2020 after months of being closed due to the pandemic. Spicy 9’s menu includes popular dishes from Thailand, Korea, Japan and China, which you can enjoy via curbside pickup, delivery or by dining in; takeout is the most popular option. Mike, an ’06 UNC grad, shared some of his favorite menu items: “I’m a restaurant kid, so I grew up with these rolls,” he says. “My go-tos are always the dragon roll, spider roll and the spicy tuna roll.” There are 40 rolls to choose from, but Mike says these are the classics, especially if you don’t know exactly what you’re craving. If you buy one specialty roll of sushi, you get a second specialty roll of sushi for free any day of the week. Some rolls feature local namesakes, like the “To All The Rolls I’ve Loved Before,” which is a nod to fellow UNC alum Jenny Han whose popular trilogy of young adult novels were adapted for film and released on Netflix. In “Always and Forever, Lara Jean,” the third book of the series, Spicy 9 is featured in a scene where the main character tours UNC’s campus and pops into the sushi bar for a bite. Mike hopes that the ritual of dining out to celebrate life’s milestones and achievements will one day resume. Until then, celebrate the small victories with a saketini, sushi and soy sauce – to go.– Marie Muir Always Roll My Maybe, $16, and Sweet Ninja Roll, $14 SPICY 9 SUSHI BAR & ASIAN RESTAURANT 140 W. Franklin St., Ste. 150; 919-903-9335; spicy9chapelhill.com 22
chapelhillmagazine.com
March 2021
I LOVE YOU LIKE BISCUITS & GRAVY The Flying Biscuit Café is slated to open in University Place this spring. Known for its signature biscuits and all-day breakfast, the restaurant, which has 24 other locations across the South, specializes in unique takes on Southern comfort food. EAT LOCAL Owner and chef David Peretin opens his restaurant, Tesoro, in late spring across from Weaver Street Market in downtown Carrboro. David, a graduate of Chapel Hill High School, saw stints in the kitchens of Pizzeria Mercato, The Fearrington House Restaurant and, most recently, Saint James Seafood in Durham. His menu will feature house-made pasta, entrees and sweets with Italian, French and Croatian influences, which will change with the seasons. The restaurant will offer limited dine-in seating to start, plus curbside pickup and retail sales of house-made pasta, sauces and more. SOUTHERN COMFORT Dave’s Hot Chicken announced in January that it signed a franchise agreement with a multi-unit franchise group to open 10 locations throughout North Carolina, including Chapel Hill. Specializing in hot chicken tenders and sliders, with spice levels ranging from “no spice” to “reaper,” each restaurant also serves sides of house-made kale slaw, creamy macaroni and cheese and cheese fries. CHM