While attending the BOUCHERCON in Raleigh, NC I took Maggie Mason and her friend Nancy to dinner. I let Maggie pick the restaurant. As some of you know, Maggie loves exotic food. We went to the Stanbury restaurant. One of menu choices was Crispy Pig’s Head. Octopus was also on the menu (see below). I had Fried Green Tomatoes. And chose the Chocolate Torte with Ricotta Cheese for dessert (so did Nancy). Maggie opted for the Carrot Cake with Pistachio Ice Cream. Do you like “exotic” food?
Dinner Menu
*Stanbury’s dinner menu changes daily depending on seasonal ingredients*
Below is a sample menu.
// SMALL PLATES //
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Oysters … Pamlico, NC … Blue Point, NY … Cranberry’s, WA 3/per ***
Mixed Lettuces … radish, fines herbs, sherry vinaigrette 7
Grilled Romaine … caesar dressing, nicoise olive, crouton, white anchovy 8
NC Swordfish Crudo … orange, avocado, pickled cucumber, jalapeno, basil 9 ***
Crostini … butternut squash, sage, pumpkin seed, whipped ricotta, Boulted bread 7
Roasted Cauliflower … goat cheese, caper, chile, lemon, parsley
Sweet Potato Bisque … coconut, cashew, apple, cinnamon crema 7
Brandade Croquette … salt cod, potato, sauce gribiche 8
Fried Oysters … cucumber, daikon, carrot, cilantro, sriracha mayo 12
Fried Boquerones … watercress, buttermilk vinaigrette, celery, radish, white anchovy 11
Crispy Sweetbreads … Kewpie’s, pickled ginger, bonito, okonomi, seaweed 13
Grilled Quail … collards, schmaltzed Carolina Gold rice, cherry BBQ sauce 13
Crispy Pig Head … beluga lentils, 62° duck egg, arugula, mustard, creme fraiche 12
Steak Tartare … nuoc cham vinaigrette, peanuts, mint, Thai basil, cilantro, crab chips 13 ***
Roasted Marrow … parsley, shallot, caper, Boulted Bread 13
CHEESE SELECTION … Boulted Bread, Marcona almonds, fig compote 4/per
Chiriboga Blue, Cow, Germany …Pawlett, Cow, VT … Sofia, Goat, IN
// LARGE PLATES //
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House made Tagliatelle … pistachio pesto, grilled kale, butternut squash, pecorino 17
NC Fried Whole Bass … bacon dashi, carrot, tatsoi, braised radish, scallion-ginger 26
Seared Scallops … Anson Mills farro, roasted turnips, creamed greens, mustard cream 25
Smoked Porkchop … baked beans, charred kale, celeriac-apple slaw 26
Ribeye … smashed fingerlings, arugula, shallot vinaigrette, foie gras hollandaise 30
Looks good, George. I love seafood but I have never eaten octopus. Pork, maybe, just once so far.
Prashant, presentation in this restaurant was impeccable. Everything looked and tasted good!
My mouth is watering at some of those choices, George. “Crispy Pig’s Head,” however, sounds like an apt description for most of the current political field.
Jerry, your political analysis is spot-on! The food at the Stanbury was yummy!
I suppose it depends on how “exotic” is defined. The menu looks very interesting and I’m sure all the dishes were beautifully prepared, but I’m not sure “pig’s head” (assuming that’s a euphemism for “brains”) would be a go-to choice for me–although I hear my co-workers discussing how much they love head cheese (brains), “but not the red kind” (whatever that might be!).
Deb, I’m usually not an adventurous eater. I played it safe with the tasty Fried Green Tomatoes. And the Chocolate Torte…priceless!
I will eat almost anything but not organ meat. What’s inside should stay inside.
Patti, that’s a wise food policy. But we have plenty of friends who will eat something “different.”
I knew that Crispy Pig’s Head would show up here! Jackie is too picky an eater to risk the Stanbury’s menu, so we stuck to less exotic fare, sometimes to the detriment of our stomachs. We had way too much barbecue that week. Some of the places we ate: The Big Easy (see if you can guess the menu, Deb) with Maggie, Big Ed’s City Market for a fun brunch (Jackie had a massive pancake that filled the entire plate, plus crispy bacon), The Pit (barbecue, with George, the Abbotts, Richard & Becky Moore and others – yummy hush puppies), Bolt Bistro with the Abbotts (a delicious huge steak for two), Vic’s (Jackie’s discovery; the DAPA-EM crowd feasted on yummy pizza and pasta, with Geotge enjoying The New Yorker – what else?), and Rye Bar at the Marriott on Sunday night with Maggie, the Criders and the Moores (fried green tomatoes, shrimp & grits, and I had grilled salmon).
Now we need a diet, bad!
Jeff, you’re right about the food at BOUCHERCON! Big portions and yummy! I’m back to my granola bar diet this week.
George, I took the liberty of posting the restaurant site on a German site where we’re just having a discussion about food in the USA.
Many tourists seem to think that it’s just burgers and steaks/barbecue there – and of course the exotic Japanese/Italian/Mexican etc …
That restaurant looks very nice and if you enjoyed the food, wonderful!
Btw I just remembered that I was in or near Raleigh on a business trip almost 30 years ago – we visited an IBM lab in the “Research Triangle” which was very exciting at the time.
Wolf, I hadn’t been to Raleigh before. The “Research Triangle” is still there doing impressive work.
The one exception to the “organ meat” rule – I’ve always liked tongue (which Jackie finds disgusting). My mother used to cook it and even though she hates the idea of it, Jackie once made one for me. I haven’t ordered a tongue sandwich in years. Oh yeah, one more: in England I’ve had steak and kidney pie.
I draw the line at anything involving brains.
Jeff, with Mad Cow disease being rampant, I avoid eating brains, too.
Next time you dine there, bring a protractor and order the CPH. If the duck’s egg measures more than a degree out, say 64 degrees, SEND IT BACK!
Art, I think I’ll “duck” that suggestion and stick with Fried Green Tomatoes.”
Great write up, George. I loved the gnocchi I had. I was envious of your chocolate dessert. I don’t like organ meat, though have had heart prepared by a Peruvian cook, and have had it at a restaurant before, and it was pretty good.
The other restaurants we ate at in Raleigh were Second Empire, and Garland. Garland was probably the favorite with a yummy cauliflower dish and Morrocan hummus, which was made with hole garbanzos. In Savannah, we ate at the Pink House, near our hotel. In Charleston, we ate at Hominy Grill, Poogans Porch and Husk. The latter both had dishes made with Carolina Gold Rice, and were yummy.
Maggie, there was a lot of good food in Raleigh! You, Nancy, and I had a wonderful meal at the Stansbury. If I ever return to Raleigh, I’ll return there for another great meal!
Yuuuuuuuuk! I don’t know what’s pictured, but it looks slimy. I’m glad you and the others enjoyed your meal, but this wouldn’t be for me.
I’ll bet the portions were tiny, the prices high and yes, the presentation (they call it “service” in the places I eat) excellent. When chefs make up dishes like these, they just try to twist favorites into something…strange and different. I’ll take the menu at a good steak house any time, or good old southern fried chicken, or just a traditional chef salad.
Rick, actually the potions were generous. And, by the time I finished the yummy Chocolate Torte, I was stuffed!
Rick, we shared a big bone-in ribeye that you would have liked.
I’m sure that dish was better than it looks but I’m with Rick. Give me something I know and like.