During these long winter months, we took advantage of one of the nice, impromptu sunny Friday evenings and went to a few places in downtown Raleigh.
First, we stopped at Whiskey Kitchen which of course has tons of whiskey varieties but they also have an impressive beer and food menu! We decided to share two appetizers including the shrimp cocktail special along with the cracklin’ biscuits! The cracklin’ biscuits were homemade buttermilk biscuits topped with pork cracklin’ and served with smoked cream. For those who may not have tried pork cracklin’- it is basically the crispy skin of the pig- very similar to pork rinds. Very tasty!
Next, we walked over to Garland for dinner. Garland is somewhere we have been for birthdays in the past but when our neighbor was telling us about the patio they have created to accommodate outdoor seating, we thought we would give it a try!
Garland is nestled in Downtown Raleigh and it’s really a unique spot that features a Pan-Asian menu. On their website, it states their restaurant features “Indian & Asian dishes served with a Southern twist.” That sums it up perfectly!
Heather & I shared our meal where we ordered the two best appetizers on the menu which are the cauliflower 65 (fried cauliflower with curry leaves, turmeric yogurt, cilantro and a hint of lime) and the Moroccan “hummus” (spiced braised chickpeas with a bunch of goodness and served with crispy tortilla chips). For the entrée, we shared the catfish dish. Yes, catfish with an Indian & Asian flare. As you can see from the picture, it was crispy, covered with a green chili sauce and served on a bed of scrumptious basmati rice. It was delicious.
After eating all of this, we didn’t have room for dessert but I wish we would have! We are definitely going to be going back for another visit soon! I highly recommend you give it a try!