TRIANGLE TODAY | THE NEWS & OBSERVER
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2018
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KIDS TOWN
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RESTAURANT REVIEW IT’S A SOUTHERN THING Greg Cox for Triangle Today
You walk in, and immediately your eye starts ricocheting around the sprawling converted second floor warehouse space that became home to It’s a Southern Thing last September. To your left, vivid red B – A – R block letter marquee lights hang at a 45-degree angle over a patina-streaked copper bar. To your right, large vintage black and white photos of downtown Durham span a lilac colored wall. There’s a longhorn steer skull on a rough plank sliding door that you’re guessing leads to a separate dining room. And could that be — why yes, it is — a disc golf basket mounted on the wall near the open kitchen window. Quirky? Absolutely. Random? Absolutely not. Virtually everything you see is a tangible manifestation of the life and culinary career of Pete Susca, the restaurant’s owner. Susca, a native of New Jersey, relocated with his family some 20 years ago to the Triangle, where he helped his parents open and run La Russa’s Italian Delicatessen in Chapel Hill. In the two decades since, he has worked in a number of restaurants, most recently as bar manager at Motto, the previous tenant in the space where he opened It’s a Southern Thing. He kept the B – A – R sign from that restaurant as a souvenir.
Toast the Expert presented by
Judging by the food he has chosen to serve at his first restaurant, Susca has fully embraced his adopted home. Inspired by classic Southern cuisine, he envisioned a fresh take on the repertoire — everything from fried green tomatoes with local goat cheese and charred tomato-bacon jam to shrimp and grits with homemade andouille sausage — with an emphasis on local produce. To put that vision on the plate, Susca chose chef Matt Kulp. Which is where that disc golf basket comes in. An avid disc golfer, Susca met Kulp while playing the game several years ago. “Matt was an IT guy back then,” Susca says. “I got him into cooking.” In the years since, Kulp went on to work at Zely & Ritz, Garland, and most recently, McCormick & Schmick’s. Low country crab dip, served hot under a blanket of oven-blistered aged white cheddar and accompanied by plenty of warm pita points for dipping, is a deservedly popular starter. So are charred jalapeño and sweet corn hushpuppies, though these can occasionally be a bit underdone in the center. Peel ’n’ eat shrimp, steamed in Old Bay-seasoned shrimp court bouillon, are another winning option. Read more at triangletoday.com.
Don Ricardo Massenburg Jr. Design Inkredible, Durham
The smoked wings at It’s a Southern Thing take the first course prize. Fried to order and given a quick dip in a vinegar-based Carolina style barbecue sauce, these come out fat, smoky and juicy beneath a crisp skin .Juli Leonard
It’s a Southern Thing 605 W. Main St., Durham 919-294-9632 itsasouthernthingdurham.com Cuisine: contemporary Southern Rating: 3 stars Prices: $$ Atmosphere: wildly eclectic
NOMINATE AN INCREDIBLE DESIGNER! We at Triangle Today have partnered with Renewal by Andersen to highlight the work of talented local interior designers. Have you worked with a designer who did a fabulous job on your home project? Do you have a family member who’s a fabulous Triangle interior designer? Are you an experienced professional with a portfolio of beautiful spaces? Go to nando.com/toasttheexpert to suggest a professional designer for us to feature.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2018
fun finder
TRIANGLE TODAY | THE NEWS & OBSERVER
COOKING CLASSES FOR KIDS Kids Town for Triangle Today
Summer is a great time for kids to explore new interests and develop talents they may not be aware of. The relaxed schedule and slower pace often afford families the time to expose kids to different skills and abilities.
Photo courtesy of Raleigh Little Theatre
Sunday, July 22 | 3pm
INTO THE WOODS
Raleigh Little Theatre 301 Pogue St, Raleigh A musical that centers around a childless couple and teaches the consequences of their choices. Their journey also features some familiar faces such as Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood. $15 per ticket, all ages https://raleighlittletheatre.org/shows/intothe-woods/
July 4, 2018
FIREWORKS EXTRAVAGANZA AT TWEETSIE RAILROAD
http://tweetsie.com/special-events/ fireworks-extravaganza/#details Enjoy the most spectacular fireworks show in the High Country! It’s one of the most popular events in the mountains Sunday, August 19 | 1:30pm-end
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL CRYSTAL
PNC Arena, Raleigh Gymnasts and skaters perform acrobatics on the ice and in the air tickets start at $38, all ages www.thepncarena.com/events/detail/ cirque-du-soleil
Find details for these events and more fun stuff at
kidstownnc.com
Has your child expressed an interest in helping you in the kitchen? Summer is a perfect time for eager kids to try their hand at cooking. They’ll learn how fun and rewarding it can be to prepare meals, and it’ll set them on a lifelong path of healthy eating. There are a wide range of cooking classes for kids in the Triangle, at a variety of convenient locations. Check out the offerings in our area below! Who knows, you might soon find yourself sitting back and relaxing while your kids drum up dinner and proudly serve it to you.
Taste Buds Kitchen “Learn, laugh, and cook” at this cool kitchen that provides classes to accommodate the whole family. Fun topics include “Plant to Plate,” which focuses on making vegetables yummy, and a workshop on decadent Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes. Older children can learn the basics in Baking 101, or join in with the family for the Chocolate Lover’s class or a pizza party workshop. Located in Apex. Flour Power Kids Cooking Studios This school focuses totally on kids and offers both weekly classes and summer camps for preschoolers, teens, and everyone in between. Upcoming themes include “Out of the Box Desserts,” “Down by the Sea, and “Aloha!” A popular option at this studio is Kids Night Out—parents and caregivers can drop kids off for a cooking class and dinner on a Friday night and then head out to enjoy some adult downtime. Locations in Cary and Raleigh.
Whisk Carolina This fully-stocked kitchen supply store opens its doors to kids for a Top Chef Jr. Summer Camp, offered throughout the summer. Kids aged 7-13 will learn the basics of cooking, including roasting, grilling, and baking, while working in teams to prepare a complete meal each day. Located in Cary. Sur La Table The well-known chain provides weeklong and 3-day camps in its behind-the-scenes kitchen. Kids will explore foods under the theme “American Road Trip”, focusing on the cuisine of the East Coast, Midwest, West Coast, and of course, the South! Shorter series cover baking and global fare. Located in Raleigh and Durham, with classes for both youngsters and teens. Wynton’s World Cooking School Kids and teens get the rare chance to work with experienced chefs at this school located in Cary. In addition to emphasizing safety and nutrition, Wynton’s program encourages kids to use and reinforce math skills as a part of their cooking projects. Upcoming offerings include summer camps on baking as well as American and global cuisine.
There are a wide range of cooking classes for kids in the Triangle.
Find more kid-friendly fun at kidstownnc.com
TRIANGLE TODAY | THE NEWS & OBSERVER
Food truck Flattz has freewheeling sandwich style
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2018
Discover Kids Town Your new go-to destination where everything is about
fun for kids! Juli Leonard
Greg Cox for Triangle Today Tony Hudson’s dishwasher-to-chef career path isn’t unique, but the route he has taken over the past 30 years has been a meandering one, even by restaurant industry standards.
strong case of wanderlust would wind up starting a food truck. That’s just what Hudson did a little over a year ago, when Flattz hit the road.
Since starting out as a 13-year-old scrubbing pots at a family-owned restaurant in Matthews, the town near Charlotte where he grew up, Hudson has traveled from coast to coast, working his way up through line cook, chef and food and beverage director positions at a variety of restaurants, from regional chain to fine dining establishment.
Nor is it surprising that the truck’s specialty flatbread sandwiches are offered with fillings that are as eclectic as its owner’s background. Hudson roams the culinary globe, from his native South to Asia and the Mediterranean, for inspiration for his flatbread fillers. These he piles generously onto a foundation of roghani naan, an Indian bread that falls somewhere between the more familiar tandoori naan and pita bread, in texture.
The chef took a few detours along the way, leading to jobs ranging from food sales to electronic entertainment and communications. But the path always led back to his first passion, cooking. That includes his years of service in the Coast Guard, two and a half of which he spent working in the kitchen – er, galley.
The best-seller, practically since the day it was introduced into the rotation, is the Truffle Chicken. The tantalizing menu description — “grilled chicken and wild greens topped with tomato bruschetta, balsamic truffle glaze and lemon zest” — no doubt explains part of the Truffle Chicken’s popularity.
It seems fitting, then, that a chef with a
Read more at triangletoday.com.
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2018
TRIANGLE TODAY | THE NEWS & OBSERVER
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