Do you remember that old Trisha Yearwood song, "The Song Remembers When"?  I feel that way about food and how it can trigger memories. I associate my vacations with what I ate while on my adventures. For example, I'll never forget this special trattoria in Italy that was just a few steps from our hotel where I had the best antipasti ever or the carrot soup I had in Ireland in a pub. My mind takes me back to the exact moment where I can relive those memories all over again.  Those experiences were more than 15 years ago and I can see the restaurant and the cuisine like it was yesterday in my mind. 

I remember eating my first country ham biscuit.  It was probably in my Dad's restaurant in 1976.  I have been a fan of Southern ham and biscuits since that time. 




For me, the "food remembers when", and apparently, I am not alone. In a survey released this week from the online company Miss Travel, revealed in a press release that "food is the gateway to a country’s people, history, and culture. Experiencing local, authentic cuisine while on vacation is a must"

A friend of mine was married this month, and my little diva was her flower girl. It was a very special day for her, and she adored every minute. I was proud of her.



We had a great time at the wedding which was held at Prestonwood County Club in Cary, N.C. It is a lovely venue for a wedding. It was also fun to see my son and husband in a coat and tie. My husband works in a casual environment so suits are not the norm.


The weekend before the wedding, Will and I celebrated his 48th birthday at the Fearrington House Inn and Restaurant in Pittsboro, N.C. I'll have more on Fearrington Village for my next "Pack Your Bags" feature, but I wanted to share a few things about our trip today with you.

The five-star, The Fearrington House Restaurant, is located in this historic farm house. I've dined there several times through the years, and it is one of the best fine dining establishments in North Carolina. It remains a favorite of mine. It also gets praise nationally, and has been named as one of the Top 10 restaurants in America.


The restaurant is under the culinary leadership of Executive Chef, Colin Bedford, who was recently named a Grand Chef by Relais &Chateaux. It is a very prestigious honor.

For our dinner, we had Chef Bedford's tasting menu along with the Sommelier's perfect world wine pairings. Will chose the main tasting menu and I chose the vegetarian tasting. I'm not a vegetarian, but the tasting menu is at least eight courses so I decided to go a little lighter. It is a spectacular experience, and really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The tasting menu is $125 per person (vegetarian is $110 pp) and an additional $105 for the wine pairings with the tasting menu.

My main entree was butternut squash ravioli with pecan puffs and pear butter. The dish also had baby leeks, cinnamon, and kale. It was outstanding.


Honestly, every course was perfection. We ended our evening tasting Chef Bedford's famous chocolate soufflé. He recently appeared on The Today Show to tell us how to make the soufflé at home.


If you watched the video then you heard Chef Bedford's British accent. After dinner, he walked over to our table. I did not finish all eight glasses of my wine with dinner, but I had tasted plenty and may have been slightly giggly by that point. With that dreamy accent of his, he asked us what we thought of our dinner. As soon as he spoke, I acted like a star stuck school girl and I have no idea what I said after that other than the fact that it was all delicious.

Everyone in the restaurant started staring because the culinary star had made an appearance at our table. We then went outside for a photo, leaving everyone wondering "who exactly are they?" A very memorable evening, indeed.


The Fearrington House Restaurant opened in 1980, and it continues to be one of our State's best restaurants. I'm also a big fan of Chef Bedford, and the entire Fearrington House team. I'm so glad to have their talents in North Carolina.

Have you ever dined at The Fearrington House?

Want to Go:
The Fearrington House Restaurant
WED-SAT 6PM-9PM 
SUNDAY 6PM-8PM
 919.542.2121

On the way back from the Primland Resort, I stopped in Mt. Airy, North Carolina for a quick lunch.

Mt. Airy, N.C.

Mt. Airy is special in my home state because it is the late actor, Andy Griffith's, hometown. The fictional town named "Mayberry" from The Andy Griffith Show, is based on this mountain town near the Virginia border.




 
Tourists come in the bus loads to experience a little bit of the South's "Mayberry."  And just like in Mayberry, residents sit on the side of the street, and time does seem a little bit slower.

Just like in Mayberry, Mt. Airy, N.C. has a Floyd's Barber Shop

We had lunch at Walker's Soda Fountain.. Andy, Barney, and Opie would always go down to the drugstore for ice cream on the TV show, and Andy's girlfriend, Ellie, was a pharmacist in the store.



In reality, Andy Griffith hung out at Walker's Soda Fountain after school. This store has been a staple in Mt. Airy since 1925.

Owner David Jones has owned the soda fountain for nine years, and he does a great impression of Ernest T. Bass, another crazy character from the show.  While there, he had a table of tourists from Ohio laughing hysterically as he delivered from some past lines from the TV show in Ernest T Bass's twang.

Soda Fountain owner David Jones

It' a great place to relive the good, old Southern days of time gone by.

My two enjoying a day of hot dogs and ice cream in Mt. Airy, N.C.

I added a little bit of today's times to the experience by ordering a coffee milkshop.  Not sure if coffee milkshakes existed in Mayberry, but they certainly do in Mt.Airy.

Coffee Milkshake

We only passed through Mt. Airy, but there really is a lot to see including a great Andy Griffith Museum and some TV set replicas. I'm putting Mt. Airy back on my list to explore another time.


Also, it has one of the best toy stores I've seen in quite a long time. Be sure to stop in the Mayberry Toy Company.  For more on Mt. Airy, visit the city's tourism website. 

The New York Times wrote a piece called "36 Hours in Raleigh." 

Downtown Raleigh, N.C.

Reporters put together a fast-paced agenda that would exhaust my leisurely side, but they certainly hit the city's highlights. 36 hours in Raleigh is simply not enough time because there is so much to see and do.  But, most people take short weekend trips, and if you've got 36 hours, then you should spend it in North Carolina's capital city.

I agree with the NY Times restaurant choices in the article for Raleigh.  I've been to every one. I love Bida Manda and the Stanbury. I have a few other favorites as well as a local. 

If you noticed, accommodations were mentioned at the very end of the article. I want to expand more on that today because when you plan a trip, a hotel is an important part of that vacation. Raleigh has a lot of great places to stay, but where you choose to stay really depends on what you are doing in the area and the feel you want for your trip. 

The lobby in the Marriott Raleigh City Center

If I were visiting Raleigh (Wake County only), I would probably choose to stay in four areas. Those areas would be in Raleigh's Midtown area, which was not mentioned in the article, Downtown Raleigh, the heart of Raleigh near Crabtree Valley Mall, and of course, The Umstead Hotel and Spa, located in Cary, N.C. The luxury hotel is not located in Raleigh, but it's only a couple of exits away from RDU-International Airport and is still a short drive (about 20 minutes) to the heart of Downtown Raleigh or Raleigh's Midtown. 

I recommend these specific areas for the leisure traveler to choose a hotel.  If you are a business traveler, visiting family, attending a wedding, or coming for a specific purpose such as a little league tournament, then you may have very specific needs. We have lots of great hotels throughout the Raleigh area that would suit those needs, including the hotels in the areas I recommend. 

Renaissance Raleigh North Hills

But let's talk specifically to this N.Y. Times article. Everything the writer listed is located inside the Raleigh beltline. For that reason only, I feel Downtown Raleigh hotels would be the best places to stay to tackle that particular 36-hour itinerary. 

Those of you who are regular readers of my blog know that I absolutely love the Umstead Hotel and Spa, but this five-star hotel is a destination of its own. 36 hours in Raleigh is not enough time to soak up the flavor of Raleigh, and also soak up all that the Umstead Hotel offers its guests. You need more time in the area so you can enjoy the hotel. 

The Spa at the Umstead Hotel in Cary, N.C.

You should not go there without visiting the spa, and the hotel's food is some of the best in the Triangle. I had the chicken pot pie in the hotel's lobby bar last week, and it was divine. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't want to check into the Umstead, pay the luxury prices that go with that experience, and then be gone for 16 hours of the day, especially if all you want to do is pack in as much sightseeing, nightlife, and visit as many craft breweries as possible in a short amount of time. 

A balcony off a room at the Umstead Hotel and Spa

The Downtown Raleigh hotels are within walking distance of most of the places this N.Y Times article recommends to see. The Umstead does have an outdoor, resort-like pool, and I would choose the Umstead as a base for families to explore Raleigh at a more leisurely place, especially in the summer. 

The Marriott and The Sheraton, located downtown and mentioned in the article, have indoor pools, which kids love in the colder months. The Sheraton recently underwent a major room renovation and added the Jimmy V Osteria Bar, which I've not tried yet.  Another new downtown option is the Hampton Inn and Suites, located on Glenwood South, with breakfast included in the rate. The hotel also has a manager's reception a few days a week and has an indoor pool. 

The Sheraton Hotel in Raleigh, N.C.

The Renaissance Hotel at North Hills also has an indoor pool and a great restaurant. Shopping, more restaurants, a movie theatre, and a bowling alley are all within walking distance of the hotel. That's a great perk for families with teens. North Hills is in a different part of Raleigh, but it makes a good base for exploring. 

North Hills, a popular shopping area in Raleigh's Midtown area

The Hyatt House, also located at North Hills in Raleigh's Midtown, has family suites and a small outdoor pool. Breakfast is also included in your rate. 

The lobby in the Hyatt House North  Hills

Raleigh is a great city to visit. I just hope you take longer than 36 hours. We have so much to offer here. 

Outside of Nature Research  Center at N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences

All of these Raleigh photos were taken by me for Instagram, so be sure to follow me @Hinessightblog.