Dine Local: Downtown Cary Food Tour

February 17, 2011 | Story by: Leslie Huffman | Categories: Featured, Food, Go Local, Restaurants, Shop & Dine

Cary, NC – This past Saturday, I was invited to go on a walking food tour of downtown Cary. It was an amazing treat, one that I highly recommend if you want to taste the best from some of Cary’s hidden gems.

About Triangle Food Tours

Leigh Eckle, who lives in Cary, founded the Triangle Food Tour for downtown Raleigh in March of 2008. This walking tour helped to establish a connection with local food lovers and restaurateurs.

“Many residents, if they did go downtown to a concert, play or museum, did not include lunch or dinner, primarily because they weren’t comfortable knowing where to go,” says Leigh.  “The Triangle Food Tour has changed all that.”

Leigh added Durham and Chapel Hill and then began tours in downtown Cary in April 2010. Cary’s walking tour runs once a month on a Saturday afternoon.

Our Tour Group

I met our wonderful tour guide Marthe and 5 other couples at the Page Walker House in Cary. Marthe began with a little Cary history and then mapped out our culinary journey.

Most of the folks that joined us were from Cary and had just lost touch with what was types of establishments were available downtown. We also had a couple that was planning a move to Cary from California and thought that this tour would give them a perspective of the area. I also met a young couple visiting the Triangle for a romantic weekend getaway and two best friends enjoying a birthday tradition.

Mmm, the Food!

We began our three hour gastronomic tour at Roma’s Italian sampling their famous grilled marinated chicken Spiedie (pronounced “speedy”) on homemade Italian bread. The Spiedie is a specialty in New York and in a word, delish! I had never been there before, but plan to put it on my regular rotation.

Next off to Chatham Street Cafe for a sample of Southern goodness with shrimp and grits, the house white, and the most wonderfully moist carrot cake. We love Chatham Street Cafe at CaryCitizen. Great atmosphere, live music on the weekends and local, fresh ingredients.

Klara’s Czech Eatery was the jewel of the day. Klara served us authentic European recipes family style. We sampled potato pancakes, roasted pork loin served with homemade sauerkraut, and pork schnitzel served with potato salad.

The sauerkraut and schnitzel was a huge hit among the group. Each bite was better than the next. We were also treated to pitchers of Czech draft beer that was crisp and delicious. Klara made us feel like family.

Off to Ashworth’s Drug Store with the original soda fountain and lunch counter. If you have never been there you must stop by for an old fashioned ice cream soda, Orange Aid or Cherry Coke. Always busy on a Saturday with their famous hot dog special, Ashworth’s has been serving folks for 53 years.

Around the corner we stopped at the Cary Gallery of Artists to see some creations from local Cary artists and be treated to some confections from Blue Moon Bakery. We sampled chocolate chip scones, jalapeno scones, and lemon squares. And I thought that all they made were cakes.

We were all beginning to get very full, so we took a longer stroll down W. Chatham Street to Havana Grill. In this authentic Cuban restaurant we sampled fried plantains, slow-roasted pork, and black beans and rice. Everyone also had a glass of sangria, but while I was chatting with owner Robert, he poured me another.

Close by was Chocolate Smiles that left us all smiling. The shop was packed as it was 2 days before Valentine’s Day and handmade fresh chocolate was the gift of choice. Owner Melanie let us pick our favorite flavor of chocolate truffle. Mine was dark chocolate hazelnut.

The last stop was a place that I was very familiar with, Harrison’s Bar & Grill. We met owner Jim May who has owned Harrison’s for 16 years. I was very happy to see that he brought out a platter of ribs and their famous fried pickle chips that go great with all of the North Carolina beers they serve. I had never sampled ribs at Harrison’s before. I must say that they were “fall-off-the-bone” divine.

What Dining Local Means

This walking tour is an experience in which both participants and restaurateurs benefit.

“With the walking food tour, everybody gains”, says Leigh. “The restaurants get the opportunity to personally connect in an informal way with potential new customers who often say they’ll be returning.”

The owners of each shop greeted us and told us about their personal journey. Owners of Roma’s, Lisa and Mike, have been in business for 15 years in their downtown Cary location serving New York Italian. Gayla Bonke was a software professional before she bought The Chatham Street Cafe and gets her fresh ingredients from local farmers and venders.

Robert from Havana Grill brought his recipes from Cuba and offers salsa dancing every Saturday night on the patio. For 27 years Chocolate Smiles has been hand dipping chocolate in Cary making everyone smile.

Klara grew up in the Czech Republic, and visits home, where her Grandmother cooks the same family recipes that she shares at the restaurant. And the Ashworth family have been supporting Cary art and charities for over 50 years.

All these people live here in Cary. They have invested in the town. They are diverse and rich with experience.

Talent, hard work and passion are what drive these small business owners. And this passion is what makes Cary successful. Go visit these places when dining around town because dining local benefits everyone in the community. Cheers!