Dining

Published September/October 2010

Number 1: Eating at Sutton’s lunch counter

Though Sutton’s Drug Store has been a staple of Franklin Street since 1927, some locals still don’t know about the deliciousness that is the Sutton’s lunch counter. I’d like to remedy that. If you haven’t had one of their cheeseburgers, don’t delay. Yes, you may have to wait in line for a spot at the counter or the handful of booths plunked down amid the shelves of aspirin and orthopedic insoles. But the huge portions of juicy beef, smothered with whatever toppings you want (I like jalapeños) and a melty slice of American cheese, make it all worth it. Order the fries double-fried, for extra crispyness.

Number 2: Cocktails and DIY sushi at the Lantern bar

Everybody knows that Lantern is one of the hottest restaurants in the area (just consult any issue of Food & Wine, the mag that can’t seem to stop bragging about the place). But in my opinion, one way to get the most bang for your buck is to skip the restaurant and have appetizers and cocktails at the bar. In a detached bungalow behind the restaurant itself, the little lacquered jewel box of a space only seats a handful of people, so come early. Sip a Junebug (Pimm’s, fresh ginger, lemon soda, cucumber), and order one of Lantern’s famed roll-your-own sushi bento boxes, a nifty kit filled with nori (seaweed sheets), tea-cured salmon or trout and a variety of house-pickled Japanese vegetables.

Number 3: Biking (or driving) to Maple View Farm

Sure, townies can get their chocolate-lavender ice cream fix at Maple View’s Carrboro store. But for the full-on experience, you’ve got to get your cones at the source, the Maple View Farm Country Store in rural Hillsborough. Bikers love to ride the rolling hills down Dairyland Road, so you’ll see more than a few spandex-clad individuals enjoying their treats on the rocking chairs on the porch. The less athletic can also drive, of course.

Number 4: Saturday mornings at Johnny’s

Over the past few years, this 70-year-old blue Main Street cottage has become a second living room for many Carrboro-ites. Once a bait-and-tackle shop, Johnny’s has repositioned itself as an old-fashioned corner store with a contemporary locavore heart. Neighbors drop by in the morning for coffee and Guglhupf pastries or swing by after work to grab a quart of (local) milk, a six-pack of craft beer or a jar of Farmer’s Daughter’s dilly beans. On Saturday mornings, the Parlez-Vous Crêpe truck alights in the backyard, and Johnny’s picnic tables fill up with hungry young couples and families. Ditto for evenings, when the taco truck dishes out barbecued beef tacos with homemade salsa verde. Sometimes there’s live music; sometimes the fire pit’s aglow; sometimes there’s a chicken or two running through the yard. You never really know at Johnny’s – you just have to show up.