Big Ed’s City Market
Big Ed’s City Market is a Raleigh institution and I’m glad I finally got a chance to check it out. It completely lived up to my expectations of hearty, down-home Southern food and hospitality. The place is packed with a charming hodgepodge of farm equipment and other kitsch hanging from the ceiling. Some might find it cheesy, but I love places like this. Red checkered tablecloths and bottles of molasses and vinegar with hot peppers add to the charm.
Big Ed’s serves breakfast all day and that was what I was in the mood for, while my husband opted for one of the blue plate specials. I’d say the most notable item on the menu was Brains and Eggs! I ordered one hot cake with country ham and the husband got the pork tenderloin special. His meal came with biscuits and cornbread, which came out first. I have to confess I’m not much of a biscuit lover, so take that into consideration when I say the biscuits were good but nothing earth-shattering. We plied them generously with the whipped spread (A minor disappointment. I know places have to cut costs somewhere but I’m always thrilled when a restaurant offers real butter.) and asked for a side of honey. I actually liked the cornbread better, it certainly tasted as it was made the way cornbread should be – with bacon grease in a cast iron skillet. Yum.
I was a little surprised at the price of my order ($8.40) but got over it when I saw the size of the portions. The hot cake was the size of the place and the slice of ham was huge. The hot cake was terrific, one of the best I’ve had in a long time, with those crispy edges that are so often missing from other pancakes. The ham was tasty but overwhelmingly salty.
My husband’s pork tenderloin was in big chunks served in gravy over rice and he got sides of creamed potatoes and baked apples. Not the most colorful of meals, but tasty nonetheless. The pork was super tender and bathed in some serious gravy. The potatoes and apples were good but the rice was almost superfluous.
At $7.19 for the pork with two sides, biscuits, cornbread, dessert, and beverage, the blue plate special is a very good deal. We chose the brownie for the dessert, which had to be taken home because the table was already groaning with food. The brownie was very rich, very sweet, and very good.
Service was efficient and friendly and the sweet tea was sweet as can be.
As I’d expected, this is not light food and Big Ed’s is not a place for calorie counters. But if rich Southern food is what you want, this is the place to go.
Big Ed’s City Market
220 Wolfe St.
Raleigh, NC 27610
(919) 836-9909
Closed Sundays