Outdoor Eateries

[kellyc]

Now that spring is almost in the air...the hubby and I love to eat outdoors...so anyone want to suggest good places to eat with outdoor seating. From us:

Firehouse Subs
Carolina Cafe
Panera

Kelly

[Oliver]

Mr. or Ms. kcommiskey,

There are places to eat outdoors in several of the Cary parks. There is a nice bench at Bond Park where I enjoy eating one of my favorite home-cooked meals (cucumber & mayo sandwich with Doritos; write for recipe), while watching the squirrels. Usually, when I sit down on the bench, anyone else who is there leaves.

You also can eat outside at most of the bus stops in Raleigh and Durham. I suggest pumpernickel crackers with Cheese Whiz, or if you really want to splurge, peanut butter (crunchy) and orange marmalade sandwich.

I agree with you about eating outdoors. For one thing, Muffkins can dine with me. Also, cleanup is a snap!

[SteveG]

Now that spring is almost in the air...the hubby and I love to eat outdoors...so anyone want to suggest good places to eat with outdoor seating.

Downtown Cary:
Vespa (good view, good food)
Serendipity (good for a light lunch)

Most restaurants in Cary with outdoor seating provide little to look at other than a parking lot. I think the downtown will attract more cafe-style businesses because there are actually some people walking around.

Another alternative is to try Southpoint Mall. They have an outdoor pedestrian mall with cafe seating at some decent restaurants. Southpoint's outdoor mall succeeds while Fayetteville Street fails because Southpoint has better automobile access/parking.

There's lots of other places in downtown Raleigh to try, such as Glenwood South, City Market, Mellow Mushroom and Moes. These outdoor spaces face urban-style streets that provide good automobile access, but at modest speeds that keep the noise volume low (noise increases with the square of speed; 45 mph is four times as loud as 22 mph) and have sidewalk traffic for people-watching.

Last but not least, you can take a picnic to a Cary park, many of which have tables and charcoal grills. The sheltered facilities, however, may need to be reserved. I like the hill in North Cary Park, where people play frisbee in the field and picnic on drop cloths. I bike there on the greenway with my son.

[johnb]

Most restaurants in Cary with outdoor seating provide little to look at other than a parking lot. I think the downtown will attract more cafe-style businesses because there are actually some people walking around.

IF Shoeboy will ever get off his arse and get the bulldozers fired up we can get rid of certain unattractive downtown establishments and give that land to developers who'll put those quaint outdoor eateries in for us. :)

[Don]

I love you too John! Smooch!

[Brent]

IF Shoeboy will ever get off his arse and get the bulldozers fired up we can get rid of certain unattractive downtown establishments and give that land to developers who'll put those quaint outdoor eateries in for us. :)

Good one, John. However, Nels is assuring that we will get the quaint outdoor eateries in my end of Cary (future home of "Crossroads West"), across from Lowe's (now THERE'S a view for you, Steve!).

[Wuptdo]

There are several places located on the corner of Harrison Avenue and Weston "International Raceway" Pkwy. These include:

Cary Cafe'
StarBucks Coffee
Moe's Southwest Grill
Maggie Moo's

None of the above have yet to "approved" by Mr. Oliver!

The classest place to eat outdoors in Cary, is located off of Maynard Rd, about a block from Harrison Avenue. It is called "Circus," you can't miss the mustard yellow and red color scheme. :grin:

Highly recommend: Foot Long Chili Hot Dog with your favorite flavor of milk shake! I beleive Miss Laurie did a review of this fine eatery.

Wuptdo B-)

[johnb]

Hey Don,

I'll do my part to improve the look of Frantz Auto, I'll be bringin' my orange 1974 Vega by. ;)

[Don]

Hey Don,

I'll do my part to improve the look of Frantz Auto, I'll be bringin' my orange 1974 Vega by. ;)

Sweet!
I'll make sure I keep it parked out front. :wink:

[Don]

I agree with Steve. Vespas is awesome.

[Brent]

Hey Don,

I'll do my part to improve the look of Frantz Auto, I'll be bringin' my orange 1974 Vega by. ;)

John, please make sure that the 8-track player is blaring some "Deep Purple" when you stop by. Don also prefers that you wait until the muffler no longer works before you visit his shop.

I don't know if you can fit a toilet in a Vega or not, but I heard somewhere that the toilet near Don's shop that had been a "fixture" for quite some time has been removed, so he may need another one of those out in his neighbor's yard. You might want to check with him.

P.S. A lot of people can't find Don's place. Just look for the small, beige "Amortize This!" sign that uses an approved font. :lol:

[johnb]

Sure you can fit a toilet in a Vega, you never heard of the Chevy 140cc aluminum block engine? :)

[Oliver]

There are several places located on the corner of Harrison Avenue and Weston "International Raceway" Pkwy. These include:

Cary Cafe'
StarBucks Coffee
Moe's Southwest Grill
Maggie Moo's

None of the above have yet to "approved" by Mr. Oliver!


And Mr. tdo, I shall tell you why just now.

Based on your recommendation, today I visited this place called "Maggie Moo's" after my regular luncheon (today it was tuna salad, light on the mayo, heavy on the celery, with a side of carrot sticks -- and I do NOT mean those "baby carrots"!). Ms. Moo's is a "dessert bar". It is much like Starbucks, you have to know some secret language to know how to order properly. In any case, I asked for a chocolate cone. I was mortified to see that they smooshed up the ice cream, and I mean they really mauled it, with these heavy-duty spatula things before they placed it in the cone and served me.

It was tasty, but the main reason I am unable to approve this establishment at this time was that I checked out the outdoor seating which had been so highly recommended. The main problem was that it was raining, moderate to heavy, making the outdoor seating most unpleasant. In addition to the rain that was coming down and making my cone soggy, the chairs were already soaked.

In fact, after a little girl pointed at me and said, "Mommy, look! That man wet his pants!", I had to leave without checking out the washroom.

Ergo, I have no complete review or rating of any of these establishments at this time, although I will see what I can do if Mr. Admin Hyatt forks over some dough. But my initial impression of these outdoor eateries is not, shall we say, stellar. Let's all hope for better weather.

[Honkeyball]

Mellow Mushroom at the corner of Peace Street and Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh is my personal favorite. The patrons tend to be almost as diverse as the beer menu.

[StanN]

La res in Chapel Hill has the most atmospheric garden..but not eaten there in months.

Grasshopper (pan asian) and Vin Rouge in Durham (parisian bistro) both have outdoor dining in a garden and excellent food at fair prices. Land in Cary is too expensive for a garden.

Stan