joe eats

Archive for March, 2010

I don’t know about you, but growing up for me was like a culinary merry-go-round. Sure my Mom might make a variety of dinners for our family to eat, but too often it was from the same playbook week after week. As a kid, my favorite time of year was always the holidays, and not because of the presents – because of the food!

No matter what you celebrate, the holidays are always a time to bring together family to celebrate life around the ritual of food. Everyone has memories since childhood of one or two dishes that are so sacred that a special occasion is the only time they will be prepared. For me there are two. My Dad is a pie master, and any time that our family gets together you can be assured there will be heavenly pie to be had. But the one food that brings back childhood memories for me like no other is my Mom’s brisket. [ Read the full article ] »

You know, a few years ago, I would not be caught dead drinking a beer. That yellow, flavorless piss in a can that my college buddies lived on would have been my beverage of choice behind room temperature skim milk and flat soda. No offense if you enjoy mass-produced commercial beer – I didn’t know any better at the time either.

Maybe that was the world we lived in here in North Carolina before they popped the cap back in 2005 and allowed beers with more than 6% alcohol by volume to cross our borders. As a food fanatic who has always saught the highest knowledge of all things culinary, I was determined to dive head first into these uncharted waters.

Fortunately for you and me, the Triangle is an oasis of outstanding bars and beer shops for anyone who is willing to go out and explore. In the last couple years I have sampled and savored my way through as many diverse and distinct quality brews as I could lay my hands on, while constantly educating myself on what else is out there. [ Read the full article ] »