Raleigh and Asheville

I would recommend you search this forum as there is a ton of info/opinions already out there but my .02...

Raleigh Bars..Busy Bee and Raleigh Times (both downtown and around the corner from each other)
Tasty Beverage is great...also downtown Raleigh...Sam's Quik stop in Durham is pretty good too...

Asheville
Thirsty Monk is a must see for beer dorks, Barley's Taproom is good stuff also (they both are downtown Asheviille)
Brusin Ales, Appalachian Vinter and Hops and Vines are great bottle shops in Asheviille..i give the nod to the Vinter just because they are super nice guys..not a knock on the other shops which have great selection also..

 

Agreed on Appalachian Vintner... I still need to get by there now that they have opened up their tap selections.

 

Bottle Revolution in Raleigh is solid. The Pit has good BBQ and had strong taps the time I went there.

 

I much prefer "geek". Sounds somewhat intelligent.

Since you'll be traveling on I-40 westbound, hit Bestway in Greensboro. A great selection and excellent prices. I echo earlier comments about Thirsty Monk and Barleys. Must hit locations!

 

Tasty Beverage Co. and Busy Bee are my top picks for Raleigh, and it's definitely worth popping into the Times. If you're in town on Tuesday, def head in for Tasty Trappist Tuesday. Loaded tots at the Bee. If you're driving, you can pop off 40 at Wiston really easily to hit Foothills (try Jade if they have it on). Barley's generally has the most number of NC taps. Go to 12 Bones in AVl.

 

Busy Bee in Raleigh.

Asheville has a ton of great places. I like Barley's for their pizza and local selections, I'd also say Craggies is under rated, and Wedge would also be one I'd definitely hit. Not sure if you could find a dud in Asheville if you tried.

 

Alot of good Raleigh options have been mentioned, without a doubt...Times, Bee, etc.

I'll throw a vote out for Ridgewood Wine & Beer too....16 taps (all well-maintained and selected), bottle selection is not huge, but makes up for it with content.

As a native-NC and bbq lover, I can't recommend the Pit....I just don't want visitors to think that is what NC BBQ tastes like. Fried Chicken and Ribs is great there though (or was last time I went, but haven't been since the main Pitmaster left). If you really want to try what is special about NC bbq....seek out Allen & Son's BBQ outside of Chapel Hill...it's the best outside of Lexington, NC. (please note: NOT the one in pittsboro, it's a fake)

If you have a soft spot for German beer & food....Jbetski's is an awesome spot. Great food, and nice draft/bottle selection of german brews.

 

I'm the one who mentioned The Pit, and even I'll agree with you about Allen and Sons. The one in the little rundown house, right? Homemade pies, mmmmmm. I live near the Lowe's off 15-501, so it's not too far from me. But not really any beer that I recall.

Merritt Store & Grill in Chapel Hill is cheap and delicious -- great BLT -- and they carry bottles of some locals like Foothills and Natty Greene.

 

yeah, didn't mean any offense by it. And you're right, Pit does have a good beer selection (sometimes I get a bit BBQ crazy, too much pit-smoke on the brain). I just start to worry that tourists come to Raleigh, go to the Pit cause of all its national attention, and get the chopped bbq. Might get the wrong impression about how good NC bbq really is (when you go to the right places).

 

Completely agree, and no offense was taken, my friend.

 

I have been a big fan of the Pit since it opened (was actually pissed I didnt think of the concept first but I have been there a couple of times in the past two months and the food has taken a turn for the worse. The pit sampler was a great deal and nice way to try several different things on the menu at the same time in small portions..now you have to buy the fat boy special for something like $28 and its more food that any person wants to eat...they still manage to have some decent beers but don't update their website/menu with current offerings (they still had backwoods bastard listed)

makes me sad.

 

If you make it to the Busy Bee ask for me (Woody) or Chris. As for store recommendations, I definitely agree that Bottle Revolution and Tasty are great for bottles. Hope you have a great trip!

 

The Busy Bee is the best in Raleigh, especially if you are eating there. They care about their menu and it shows. Also, they have the best hummus I have ever tasted in NC.
As for Raleigh area BBQ, I humbly recommend Carolina BBQ in Garner. Best BBQ (and chicken!) in the Raleigh area, and it's embarrassingly easy and close. The banana pudding is a must, too.
http://www.cbqnc.com/

 

Raleigh:

I prefer The Times over Busy Bee foodwise. Beerwise it's a toss up, usually I prefer the beers on tap at The Bee and the bottle list at The Times. Check their draft lists before you go.

Best store in the Triangle is Sam's (in Durham). Tasty, Bottle Revolution are good too. I really like Ridgewood as they also have great beers on draft.

Their is a great "mexican" restaurant in Durham that has a great beer list (remember to ask for the second list for a bigger selection) called Dos Perros.

I should also recommend going to one of our local breweries: Full Steam. They always have great food trucks parked outside, might be a good alternative to sitting in a restaurant.

Asheville: Nothing new to add. Agree with Bruisin Ales, Appalachian Vintner and Thirsty Monk (check out both upstairs and downstairs). I also happened to find 2 bottles of Eric's Ale sitting in the fridge at the Bier Garden, besides stumbling upon the EA there is not much else to write home about there.

If you are traveling on I-40 you should stop at Pipe & Pint and/or Bestway in Greensboro. Pipe & Pint is small, but the beers they do have are top notch.

 

Lots of good recommendations so far. The best thing about The Pit is that its one of the few places you can get brew with your 'q. Ribs are good, too. I haven't been in a few years, so YMMV.

Also, check out the Pisgah Brewing taproom in Black Mountain. It's 15 minutes (?) outside of Asheville on the way to Raleigh.

 

you do realize there are 2 styles of Q in NC, right?
I personally prefer the mountain style of pulled pork with a tomato/vinegar sauce compared to the eastern type that most people think is NC style.

 

I do realize there are two styles.....Eastern and Western/Lexington, but both are chopped....Eastern uses whole hogs and a sauce that is pretty much just vinegar and peppers, and cole slaw......Western/Lexington uses just the pork shoulder, and a tomato/vinegar sauce, and their red slaw (though both use very thin sauces meant more for moisture, than flavor.)

Mountain-style is not one I've heard of....and Pulled Pork is not something NC is known for, as far as I know.

 

guess there's 3 styles then
I grew up eating the eastern/Lexington styles and never liked them... nor their slaw.

pulled is soooo much better

 

Haha....this ain't South Carolina....I think they claim 4+ styles (but none as good as NC's)

chopped is better....in gets all the crispy, barky skin bits, and the fatty yummy bits, and meaty porky bits...and it integrates them all together in one bite. mmmmm