Loaf

While wandering around downtown Durham this Saturday morning we found a great addition to downtown that is a perfect variation for the Three-fer Thursday that we just posted about.  So, head up to downtown, visit the Main Library or Duke Park, and then head down the road to our newest find, Loaf.


What it is: Loaf is one of the new bakeries to open up downtown. It's located on Parrish St. and you can smell the delicious fresh bread from the street as you walk by, drawing you in.  So, in we went. Loaf does not have any indoor seating, just a few tables outside on the sidewalk.  Inside, there is a pastry counter, shelves of mouth-watering crusty bread behind the counter, a refrigerated case filled with other goodies, mostly local, and a table with some coffee. You can also look back into the kitchen where you can see a huge brick oven where the delicious breads are baked.  The owners of Loaf have been selling their wares at the Durham Farmer's Market for a few years, so they've had a little practice creating delicious goodies.

When we walked in we were eyeing the pastry counter for a little morning snack.  My sons immediately spotted the cookies while I focused on the chocolate croissant.  My husband was interested in the ham and cheddar biscuit.  All were absolutely delicious.  You can tell when things are well-made.  We were also excited to see that they were working with so many other local restaurants. They have stews from Pomegranate Kitchen, milk from Mapleview Farms, and work with fellow downtown eatery Reliable Cheese Co. to create their sandwiches.  We will definitely be stopping back by to get a sweet treat or picking up some bread for dinner.  Yum!  Thanks to Abby on Twitter for pointing us to this new great stop!

What we liked:  We loved the high quality of everything they were serving.  The croissant was flaky, the biscuit had the most amazing flavorful ham, and the cookies disappeared quickly into my children's mouths.  We also love how they work with so many other Durham and Triangle businesses.


What we would change: There's not really much we would change about this delicious stop, except maybe more of their delicious goodies. Oh, and it would also be nice to have indoor seating, but on a nice day, you could always sit at their outdoor tables.


Website and other important information:

Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Loaf/102663859807344

Address: 111 Parrish St., Durham, 27701 (You can park on nearby street parking and on the weekends in a lot at the intersection of Mangum and Parrish-I didn't have any luck with that lot on the weekdays.)

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 7am-6pm, Saturday 9am-3pm

Photos:

 1. yummy pastries

 2. bread!

 3. Their case of other local goodies

4. The beautiful oven

Three-fer Thursday: Scratch+Main Library Storytime+Duke Park

Hooray!  It's time for another Three-fer Thursday!  This time, we're taking a trip to Downtown Durham!  It seems that everyday a new great place is popping up downtown, and we're excited to check them all out.  This time we're starting off with one of our favorite morning treats at Scratch Bakery.  We would park at the Main Library on Roxboro and walk on over because there's not much parking near Scratch and it's only a few minutes walk.  Head on in and get a donut muffin for you and the kiddos as well as some coffee for you.  (To head from the library to Scratch, head out to Roxboro St.  From there we headed diagonally across the courthouse parking lot to Parrish St.  Then, we took Parrish to Orange St. where Scratch is.  If you don't feel like heading across a parking lot, just head back down South on Roxboro to Main.  Then you can take Main to Mangum to Parrish where you'll see Scratch just ahead on Orange St.)

Once you've had your sweet fix, head back over to the library for a storytime of your choice.  They have plenty to choose from, or you can just head over to check out their large children's section complete with lots of puzzles, some comfy chairs where you can sit and read, some little tables and chairs, and of course, a great selection of kids books to choose from.  Check out their website to find a storytime (http://host4.evanced.info/durhamcounty/evanced/eventcalendar.asp?EventType=ALL&Lib=ALL).  There's usually one on most days of the week, so you can probably find one to fit your schedule.

After you've had a little book time, hop back in the car and head a few miles up the road on Roxboro to Duke Park for a little exercise in the great outdoors.  If you head North on Roxboro, you'll see signs pointing you toward the left turn that will take you to this park.  It  has lots of room to run and the largest play structure
with the tallest slides that we've found in town!  A great finale to a great morning in Downtown Durham!

When to go: You really could do this Three-fer anytime of day.  Scratch has fabulous donut muffins for breakfast but also yummy lunch fare.  The Main Library has primarily morning storytimes, but there are some that can be found in the afternoon.  Duke Park is great for play anytime.

What it'll cost you: Duke Park is free.  The Main Library storytimes are free.  The only money you'll have to pay for this Three-fer is for your treat at Scratch.  If you stick with the donut muffins, they'll cost you around $2 per muffin.

What to bring: Bring your diaper bag necessities, playground gear, and a stroller for walking from the library to Scratch.

Advisories: If you do attempt this Three-fer, don't forget that Scratch isn't open on Mondays.

Jake's Wayback Burgers

When we headed to Northgate Mall last week for the awesome MLK celebration we also wandered around the mall a bit and had a bit of fun.  Of course, we rode the carousel and checked out some of the ride-on vehicles.  Then, we got a bit hungry.  That's when we discovered Jake's Wayback Burgers.

What it is:  After our stop at the carousel, I remembered hearing that there was a new stop in the Northgate food court that opened last fall, so we headed on over.  Jake's Wayback Burgers is your classic burger stop with food served hot when you order.  They have burgers including regular burgers and cheeseburgers, garden burgers, and turkey burgers with your choice of toppings, hot dogs again with your choice of toppings, chicken, homemade potato chips, fries, and milkshakes.  The kids' meal includes hot dogs, grilled cheese, burgers, chicken fingers, or a BLT.

While it did take a few minutes for our food to be made, it was nice and fresh.  The fries were delicious and the burger was tasty, but I have to say that our favorite part was the fancy soda machine, the Coke Freestyle Machine.  It has over 100 flavors, and you can select as many of them as you want and mix them together.  It was pretty entertaining.

What we liked:  Like I said, the fries and the soda machine were our favorite parts.  It was also nice to have this fun burger option in the mall so we could enjoy it after a day of fun at Northgate Mall.

What we would change:  We thought the potato chips weren't the best, and the few minute wait might make toddlers a bit antsy.  However, the wait was worth it for the yummy burgers.

Website and other important information:

Website: http://www.waybackburgers.com/

Address: 1058 West Club Blvd, Durham, NC, 27302

Photos: 

1. A view of their food court location

2. The Coke Freestyle Machine

Butterfly Release at the Museum of Life and Science

We love the Museum of Life and Science, and on our most recent visit we discovered one more reason why it's so fantastic.

What it is:  The Museum of Life and Science has a wonderful butterfly pavilion where you can wander around while butterflies flit by in a room filled with beautiful plants, a river, and a few curious birds.  It's always one of our favorite places to visit.  They have several benches where you can sit and observe the butterflies and try to sit still enough that one will land on you.  They also have a glass window where you can watch the butterflies emerge from their cocoons.

After they come out of their cocoons they have to be released and that is where our latest adventure comes in.  Everyday at 11am and 3pm one of the museum workers head into the room with the cocoons and collect all of the butterflies into a mesh bag.  They then come out into the main pavilion and release the butterflies.  When the butterflies first come out of the box, their wings are still damp and not ready to fly, so they need to sit somewhere for a few seconds.  Usually, the museum worker holding the bag is happy to take a butterfly and set it on your hand until it is ready to fly away.

Needless to say, my toddler was entranced.  While he was still a bit nervous and wouldn't let the butterflies sit on his arm, (he wouldn't have sat that still anyway) he loved to watch the butterflies close up on my arm before they were ready to fly off.  It was such a nice, up close and personal experience with the butterflies, and we really enjoyed it.

I can't wait to head back and check out some of the museum's other daily programs.  Has anyone been to any other ones?

What we liked:  We loved the change to have such close-up interactions with the butterflies!  Plus, since they release the butterflies twice a day, there are lots of chances to experience this museum fun.

What we would change: If you happen to be at a release at the same time as a school group it can be a bit crowded.

Website and other important information:

Butterfly release times: 11am and 3pm everyday except Sunday morning

Website: http://www.ncmls.org/

Address: 433 West Murray Avenue, Durham, NC 27704


Photos:

1. The butterfly box

2. One of the butterflies on my hand

3. A few more waiting to take off

Food Truck Friday: Chirba Chirba Dumpling

It's Friday, so that can only mean one thing: It's time for Food Truck Friday again!  Welcome back to our fellow blogger Katie from Discovering the Southern Part of Heaven as she tells us about another great food truck in the area-Chirba Chirba Dumpling.  

Thanks to Katie we have also learned where to find Chirba Chirba this weekend.  They will be at the first area Food Truck Mash Up this Saturday night at Motorco in Durham-Yum!  So, if you can get someone to watch the kiddos, get your tickets and head on down!

I love that the Triangle has such an active Food Truck Scene!  I thought it was high time that I start telling you more about them.  I checked out the Eno River Farmers' Market on Saturday, and got to try out Chirba Chirba at the same time!  Here's what I really liked: 

1) The food.  I tried the porkedame, their specialty.  I have to admit, I'm not really a dumpling person, so I wasn't sure about trying them, but I'm glad I did.  They were delicious, steamed pockets of pork and edamame.  I would have liked more than 1 dumpling (there are 5 in a serving), but my husband really liked them, and, when it comes to food, he's faster on the draw than I am. 

They also have Juicy Buns, Veggie-lings, edamame and sweet sausage.  For more details on these menu items, clickhere.

2) The cost.  $5.50 for five good sized dumplings.  enough said. 

3) They are mobile.  Intuitive, I know.  But really, what isn't to like about a place that you can catch one day at the farmers' market, and another at 3 Cups? 

4)  It's fun to get such great food from a truck!  (I can't wait to try more!) 

Want to know where to find them?  Check out their website here or follow them on twitter (@chirbachirba). 

Oh, and if you are going with a hungry husband, get more than five dumplings.  Those things are good!

Nanataco

What it is:  We were so glad when another great restaurant opened up in one of our favorite corners of Durham, just at the intersection of 15-501 and University.  Nanataco is a delicious place to get a taco with a variety of regular meat fillings or Nanataco's specialty "dirty meats" much as lamb cheeks or duck.  My husband tried the duck while I went with the more traditional fish tacos.  The kids' option was a taco with your choice of fillings with rice and beans and a drink for $4, but we split a regular cheese quesadilla between my picky eaters instead.  To top it all off we got their guacamole for a pre-lunch treat.

Let me just start by saying that their guacamole was the best guacamole I've had in Durham, even beating out Dos Perros who does a pretty awesome guacamole.  When we first got our meals we weren't sure what the kids would eat because the quesadilla was huge, overflowing with cheese.  However, my kids realized what was good and eventually they started chowing down.  They also enjoyed the chips.  My husband and I really enjoyed our entrees and the homemade corn tortillas they were made with.  None of our family members were that sold on the rice or beans that came with the meals, I would get an extra helping of the guacamole instead.  They also have a really interested relish and condiment bar including things like several different kinds of salsa, cilantro, limes, onion, cucumber with onion, and even more.  Nanataco also has milkshakes in flavors such as mexican chocolate and margaritas that I can't wait to head back and try.

What we liked:  Like I said, we loved the guacamole.  We also like how they really use some different ingredients and do some different things with tacos, but they still have options for kids and people with a less adventurous palate.  In addition, they have some nice patio seating for when the weather is nicer and a fun lizard weathervane for the kids to watch.  As we've mentioned its proximity to Rockwood Park, Bull City Craft, and Local Yogurt make its location optimal for several hours of fun.

What we would change: As we said, the rice and beans weren't spectacular.  Plus, parking is a little tight, but other than that it's a great addition to this little corner of Durham.

Website and other important information:

Website: http://nanataco.com/

Address: 2512 University Dr.

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 11am-9pm (Closed Monday)

Photos: 

Broad Street Cafe: BSC Kids!

What it is:  We've been wanting to check out this Durham favorite for several years and were fortunate enough to head over this weekend. Broad Street Cafe is a restaurant, bar, and concert spot located, of course, on Broad Street, just North of Duke's East Campus.  They have countless fabulous opportunities to check out great music, but on select Sundays at 4:30pm they actually have an opportunity for kids to join in the fun!  BSC Kids brings musical entertainment geared toward kids to your family.

This Sunday Baron Von Rumblebuss was the featured group.  We went in not quite knowing what to expect.  It definitely didn't seem like a kids venue when we walked in.  It looked like a restaurant where adults go to eat, drink, and listen to great music, but on this Sunday afternoon it was filled with kids and families crowded at tables, sitting in front of the stage, and standing around in every available space.  It was a crowded, but festive atmosphere.  Then, the music started, it was definitely kids' music (one song in particular was about the lead singer's "boo-boo").  However, even though it was kids' music, it wasn't too sugar coated.  It sounded like fun rock music that I might actually enjoy listening to in the car.  Immediately after they started playing, kids started standing up and dancing around. They kept everyone's attention and put on a great show!

When we first walked in we knew we weren't going to find a seat, but that was okay because we weren't planning on eating.  We just found a corner with a stool and counter and settled in.  The boys didn't know what to think at first because it was a bit louder than they were used to.  Then, my oldest started saying something that I thought was "it's too loud", but turns out he was actually saying "down".  When I put him down he started dancing around with everyone else.  We got the boys a juice from the bar and Dad and I had a cider, and it was quite an enjoyable concert!  Now that we know what to expect, we can't wait to head back for more great kids' music that is also fun for the adults!

What we liked:  We liked the adult feeling of the venue with the upbeat kids' rock.  In looking around, no one was taking themselves too seriously and everyone was just having fun!  The event is free although you have to make sure to purchase drinks and food as well as tip to make sure that Broad Street Cafe can continue to offer this free event.

What we would change:  It was a bit crowded, so we definitely would have gotten their earlier so we could have found a place to sit or gather closer to the stage.

Website and other important information:

Website: http://www.thebroadstreetcafe.com/

Address: 1116 Broad Street, Durham, NC 27705

Shows are at 4:30 on select Sundays, so you can check their webpage for specific dates.

Photos: 

1. Baron Von Rumblebuss performs for a packed house!