Raleigh, NC

Dagney · 06-01-2005, 06:19 PM

So, the new promotion comes with lots of travel opportunities - and hopefully the ability to sneak out of the office and do some sight seeing kinds of travel opportunities.

Thankfully said promotion comes with hella raise that will also let me enjoy said travel opportunities

First site of invasio...err...business opportunity, Raleigh, NC.

OC, aren't you from near those parts? (if you are grrl, we're SO doing coffee *G*)

I'll be there with my technical lead, my quality lead, and hopefully on occasion an industry expert or two. So, where do I (the project manager) take people for fun when they need to get away from the stress of a new project for a while?

SteveDallas · 06-01-2005, 06:50 PM

I think I'd strangle myself with my own necktie if my title were "quality lead."

Clodfobble · 06-01-2005, 07:01 PM

*snicker* My mother's in Quality Assurance. As a child I always pictured her job to be going to other people and assuring them that the product was good.

Dagney · 06-01-2005, 07:30 PM

Actually her title is Quality Assurance and Testing Supervisor......but we call her QL for short...QATS just sounds so....dirty *G*

Queen of the Ryche · 06-03-2005, 09:13 AM

One thing I can tell you is don't go out for Mexican food (unless you like plain hamburger with ketchup on a tortilla), DO eat BBQ (some of the best I've ever had was in Mt. PLeasant, south of Raleigh, restaurant owned by an ex trooper), and be sure you know the difference between regular iced tea and "sweet tea", because man-oh-man is it sweet...........have a great time - it is beautiful down there.

Dagney · 06-07-2005, 09:53 PM

We're here and getting settled in.

Last night for dinner was Bahama Breeze.(http://www.bahamabreeze.com/index.asp) Research quickly shows one is down Philly way - I highly recommend it. It's a chain, yes, but a big change from the standard burgers, fries, and mudslides you find at Fridays, Tuesdays, and Applebees. If you like Carribean cuisine and a laid back atmosphere, (and yes, reggae) this is most definitely a place you'd enjoy. I had Tropical Tiger Prawns which was a healthy portion of prawns marinated in passion fruit juices and served with roasted red pepper angel hair pasta and fresh squash. My dinner companion had the Calypso Shrimp Linguine - I 'm not sure what all was in it, but it sure did smell good.

We were on site for meetings today and met some awesome people. (We'll be working with them for the next year or so, so friendly is important!) Had lunch at Quiznos, nothing out of the ordinary - we were crunched for time and had to grab and go.

Got caught in a hella storm on the way back to the hotel from the office, and decided to work for a bit before heading out for dinner. Dinner this evening was sushi and sashimi at Sakura (www.steakandsushi.com). I'd never had the experience of sushi before and was a bit tentative on what to order. My dinner companion (traveling with someone who likes to try different things is a true pleasure) recommended to start with something I 'knew'. So, I opted for a cucumber roll and a philly roll. (Not standard sushi from what I've found, but it was good anyway). The cucumber roll was light and refreshing, dipped in a little bit of wasabi to give it some spice. The philly roll was also good, cream cheese, smoked salmon and avacado in seaweed and sticky rice. I was suprised at how rich everything tasted, even though it wasn't cooked and it was 'naked'. It's definitely going to be something I try again.

Tomorrow we're going out to lunch with our customer, and I think they're planning on something 'local', so hopefully it will be an experience as well. Since we're so busy on site this week, we've not had much of a chance to explore Raleigh, but I'm hoping that eventually we'll get to travel around a bit and see what's out here.

Dag

BigV · 06-08-2005, 11:34 AM

I had never heard of a Philly roll, and I consider myself sushi qualified.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dagney

...The philly roll was also good, cream cheese, smoked salmon and avacado in seaweed and sticky rice....

Googling these ingredients led me to several "localized" recipies, all the same.

Philly roll, california roll, new york roll, broadway roll, green bay roll. Interesting. These flavors and textures are obviously very compatible, a discovery made independently in many places.

warch · 06-08-2005, 11:41 AM

The best sushi ingredient is eel! Never,ever thought I would eat eel, ate it on a bet, but damn! Its great!

melidasaur · 06-08-2005, 01:37 PM

I just moved from Chapel Hill - a quick jaunt north of Raleigh to Illinois (Crapaign, Champaign - same thing) and I MISS NORTH CAROLINA SOOO MUCH. I miss my friends, seeing all the pine trees, and I miss Chapel Hill.

If you have time, you should go check it out. There are lots of unique restaurants, my favorites being Crook's Corner and Foster's Market. University of North Carolina is the country's first public university and the campus is gorgeous - definitely worth a post-dinner stroll. You could grab dinner on Franklin Street too.

Despite what people may say down there, Durham is also worth a look. It has a bad reputation for being a bit ghetto, but it is a very unique old Tobacco Town. BrightLeaf square in downtown has a lot of cool places to check out and many of them are in old Tobacco warehouses, so they have really unique architecture. The only bad thing about Durham in my book is that it is home to Duke University - I loathe them as a tar heel fan. Apparently, Dook's campus is really pretty too. I never went there as I refuse to venture that close into enemy territory.

I never made it to Raleigh much... the downtown does have some cool stuff.

If I think of anything else, I'll post it.

vsp · 06-08-2005, 02:15 PM

I spent my college years in Raleigh. Haven't been there since 1993, so a lot of my advice may be extremely outdated and irrelevant now.

Food:
Check out <a href="http://balihainc.com/">Bali Hai</a> for tasty Mongolian Grill action. If there's one Raleigh restaurant I miss, that's it.

Char-Grill is the definitive Raleigh burger joint -- fast food at its best. There's a Fuddruckers nearby for more refined burgers.

Goodberry's has good ice cream and custard.

Gumby's Pizza was the grease-pit pizza joint of choice among the NCSU set.

There's a Hard Times Cafe in Raleigh now, and if it's anything like its Maryland cousins it's damn fine chili.

There used to be an authentic cheesesteak joint downtown (TJ's Philly Grill: the owner moved from Chester, they had Amoroso rolls trucked in, and I'd donated a big pic of John Kruk to their walls), but I'm told it's long since closed.

Heh, Mr. Dunderbak's is still at the local mall -- decent German-style sandwich deli with all sorts of imported beer.

Rock-Ola Cafe was a decent casual-dining place.

People used to swear by Two Guys on Hillsborough Street for Italian. Dunno if the Rathskellar's still there.

Can't comment on the local cuisine too much, as grits are wallpaper paste mixed with sand, and REAL barbecue isn't vinegar-based.

The music scene was pretty good in the Triangle back then, dunno now. The Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill was the dive of choice.

Queen of the Ryche · 06-08-2005, 02:52 PM

Anyone remember the greasy spoon down towards Mt. Pleasant with the NASCARs on the roof?

dar512 · 06-08-2005, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsp

and REAL barbecue isn't vinegar-based.

Sheer prejudice. All barbecue is good. MMMmmmm barbecue.

vsp · 06-08-2005, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dar512

Sheer prejudice. All barbecue is good. MMMmmmm barbecue.

All barbecue is good. All barbecue is made with tomato-based sauces (if any sauces at all) and with a smoker. It's one of the few things Texas has gotten right. Vinegar-sauced shredded pork isn't bad, but it's not barbecue.

melidasaur · 06-08-2005, 04:06 PM

Vinegar based sauce is absolute heaven!!! I miss it sooo much. I hate this sweet-ass Midwest shit. No offense to the midwest - I'm from here.

melidasaur · 06-08-2005, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsp

People used to swear by Two Guys on Hillsborough Street for Italian.

I think Two Guys closed in April.

06-01-2005, 06:19 PM	#1
Dagney The Prodigal Brat Returneth Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: North Cackalacky Posts: 1,107	Raleigh, NC So, the new promotion comes with lots of travel opportunities - and hopefully the ability to sneak out of the office and do some sight seeing kinds of travel opportunities. Thankfully said promotion comes with hella raise that will also let me enjoy said travel opportunities First site of invasio...err...business opportunity, Raleigh, NC. OC, aren't you from near those parts? (if you are grrl, we're SO doing coffee G) I'll be there with my technical lead, my quality lead, and hopefully on occasion an industry expert or two. So, where do I (the project manager) take people for fun when they need to get away from the stress of a new project for a while? __________________ The Constitution gives every American the right to make a total fool out of himself. But that doesn't mean you need to.

06-01-2005, 07:01 PM	#3
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	snicker My mother's in Quality Assurance. As a child I always pictured her job to be going to other people and assuring them that the product was good. __________________ My book My other book My spirit animal

06-01-2005, 07:30 PM	#4
Dagney The Prodigal Brat Returneth Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: North Cackalacky Posts: 1,107	Actually her title is Quality Assurance and Testing Supervisor......but we call her QL for short...QATS just sounds so....dirty G __________________ The Constitution gives every American the right to make a total fool out of himself. But that doesn't mean you need to.

06-03-2005, 09:13 AM	#5
Queen of the Ryche is fleeing the scene Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Beautiful CO Posts: 1,510	One thing I can tell you is don't go out for Mexican food (unless you like plain hamburger with ketchup on a tortilla), DO eat BBQ (some of the best I've ever had was in Mt. PLeasant, south of Raleigh, restaurant owned by an ex trooper), and be sure you know the difference between regular iced tea and "sweet tea", because man-oh-man is it sweet...........have a great time - it is beautiful down there. __________________ Once, in an interview, Chuck Norris admitted that he was not the most awesome thing ever. He declined to elaborate; but I believe we all know that he was referring to the existence of chocolate covered bacon. I'd rather be judged by twelve than carried by six.

06-07-2005, 09:53 PM	#6
Dagney The Prodigal Brat Returneth Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: North Cackalacky Posts: 1,107	We're here and getting settled in. Last night for dinner was Bahama Breeze.(http://www.bahamabreeze.com/index.asp) Research quickly shows one is down Philly way - I highly recommend it. It's a chain, yes, but a big change from the standard burgers, fries, and mudslides you find at Fridays, Tuesdays, and Applebees. If you like Carribean cuisine and a laid back atmosphere, (and yes, reggae) this is most definitely a place you'd enjoy. I had Tropical Tiger Prawns which was a healthy portion of prawns marinated in passion fruit juices and served with roasted red pepper angel hair pasta and fresh squash. My dinner companion had the Calypso Shrimp Linguine - I 'm not sure what all was in it, but it sure did smell good. We were on site for meetings today and met some awesome people. (We'll be working with them for the next year or so, so friendly is important!) Had lunch at Quiznos, nothing out of the ordinary - we were crunched for time and had to grab and go. Got caught in a hella storm on the way back to the hotel from the office, and decided to work for a bit before heading out for dinner. Dinner this evening was sushi and sashimi at Sakura (www.steakandsushi.com). I'd never had the experience of sushi before and was a bit tentative on what to order. My dinner companion (traveling with someone who likes to try different things is a true pleasure) recommended to start with something I 'knew'. So, I opted for a cucumber roll and a philly roll. (Not standard sushi from what I've found, but it was good anyway). The cucumber roll was light and refreshing, dipped in a little bit of wasabi to give it some spice. The philly roll was also good, cream cheese, smoked salmon and avacado in seaweed and sticky rice. I was suprised at how rich everything tasted, even though it wasn't cooked and it was 'naked'. It's definitely going to be something I try again. Tomorrow we're going out to lunch with our customer, and I think they're planning on something 'local', so hopefully it will be an experience as well. Since we're so busy on site this week, we've not had much of a chance to explore Raleigh, but I'm hoping that eventually we'll get to travel around a bit and see what's out here. Dag __________________ The Constitution gives every American the right to make a total fool out of himself. But that doesn't mean you need to.

06-01-2005, 06:50 PM	#2
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	I think I'd strangle myself with my own necktie if my title were "quality lead."

06-08-2005, 11:41 AM	#8
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	The best sushi ingredient is eel! Never,ever thought I would eat eel, ate it on a bet, but damn! Its great!

06-08-2005, 01:37 PM	#9
melidasaur Traded your soul for pogs. Join Date: May 2004 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 646	I just moved from Chapel Hill - a quick jaunt north of Raleigh to Illinois (Crapaign, Champaign - same thing) and I MISS NORTH CAROLINA SOOO MUCH. I miss my friends, seeing all the pine trees, and I miss Chapel Hill. If you have time, you should go check it out. There are lots of unique restaurants, my favorites being Crook's Corner and Foster's Market. University of North Carolina is the country's first public university and the campus is gorgeous - definitely worth a post-dinner stroll. You could grab dinner on Franklin Street too. Despite what people may say down there, Durham is also worth a look. It has a bad reputation for being a bit ghetto, but it is a very unique old Tobacco Town. BrightLeaf square in downtown has a lot of cool places to check out and many of them are in old Tobacco warehouses, so they have really unique architecture. The only bad thing about Durham in my book is that it is home to Duke University - I loathe them as a tar heel fan. Apparently, Dook's campus is really pretty too. I never went there as I refuse to venture that close into enemy territory. I never made it to Raleigh much... the downtown does have some cool stuff. If I think of anything else, I'll post it. __________________ I love England, what can I say?

06-08-2005, 02:15 PM	#10
vsp Syndrome of a Down Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: West Chester Posts: 1,367	I spent my college years in Raleigh. Haven't been there since 1993, so a lot of my advice may be extremely outdated and irrelevant now. Food: Check out <a href="http://balihainc.com/">Bali Hai</a> for tasty Mongolian Grill action. If there's one Raleigh restaurant I miss, that's it. Char-Grill is the definitive Raleigh burger joint -- fast food at its best. There's a Fuddruckers nearby for more refined burgers. Goodberry's has good ice cream and custard. Gumby's Pizza was the grease-pit pizza joint of choice among the NCSU set. There's a Hard Times Cafe in Raleigh now, and if it's anything like its Maryland cousins it's damn fine chili. There used to be an authentic cheesesteak joint downtown (TJ's Philly Grill: the owner moved from Chester, they had Amoroso rolls trucked in, and I'd donated a big pic of John Kruk to their walls), but I'm told it's long since closed. Heh, Mr. Dunderbak's is still at the local mall -- decent German-style sandwich deli with all sorts of imported beer. Rock-Ola Cafe was a decent casual-dining place. People used to swear by Two Guys on Hillsborough Street for Italian. Dunno if the Rathskellar's still there. Can't comment on the local cuisine too much, as grits are wallpaper paste mixed with sand, and REAL barbecue isn't vinegar-based. The music scene was pretty good in the Triangle back then, dunno now. The Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill was the dive of choice.

06-08-2005, 02:52 PM	#11
Queen of the Ryche is fleeing the scene Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Beautiful CO Posts: 1,510	Anyone remember the greasy spoon down towards Mt. Pleasant with the NASCARs on the roof? __________________ Once, in an interview, Chuck Norris admitted that he was not the most awesome thing ever. He declined to elaborate; but I believe we all know that he was referring to the existence of chocolate covered bacon. I'd rather be judged by twelve than carried by six.

06-08-2005, 04:06 PM	#14
melidasaur Traded your soul for pogs. Join Date: May 2004 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 646	Vinegar based sauce is absolute heaven!!! I miss it sooo much. I hate this sweet-ass Midwest shit. No offense to the midwest - I'm from here. __________________ I love England, what can I say?

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)