Triangle Good Eats

My name’s Mary Choe and I’m passionate about food. I think about it constantly. I’ve recently moved to the Raleigh, North Carolina area, and my first priority is to find all the best places to eat.

I believe in supporting locally owned restaurants whenever possible. I was inspired to start this blog when I happened to glance at some “Best Of” restaurant awards (in a publication that shall remain nameless for now) and was really dismayed by how many of the winning places were national chains. Even though I’m new to the Triangle, I find it hard to believe there aren’t a bounty of locally owned restaurants that are putting out better food than their chain counterparts. Supporting local businesses isn’t just good for the local economy, it’s also important in fostering a spirit of community.

To quote my culinary hero Alton Brown, “The modern interstate has rendered our palates comfortably numb with its rolling miles of paved pablum, and that is a shame, because if we don’t savor the flavor of the road, then our edible heritage will soon become history.” This exactly captures how I feel about the negative effect chain restaurants have on preserving the spirit and flavor of a place.

I’m not perfect nor am I a purist. Chains are not inherently evil and I’m not saying that no chain restaurants put out good food. There are some chain places that I am unapologetically fond of and I’ll ‘fess up to liking them. But I’m also going to try different chain restaurants and see if I can’t suggest local alternatives.

Except for Applebee’s. I’ve eaten at Applebee’s more than once, in my foolish youth, and I’m never going back.

Since I’m new to the area, I’ve barely made a dent in exploring all the local good eats, but I’m driven to seek them out. Suggestions for places to try are always welcome. You can reach me at marychoe at gmail dot com.