P&O- Durham's coffee/sandwich/sweet treat/gift shop

To call Parker & Otis a sandwich shop, doesn't do it justice. Neither does calling it a cafe. It's not exactly a gift shop either. It's really more like 10 of the cutest little shops you've ever seen all rolled into one...

You walk in the front door and head to the back. On your left is a little seating area with unique artwork hanging on the wall. To your right are shelves filled with over 250 wines for sale. Keep walking and you'll suddenly be surrounded by some of the cutest little baby trinkets, colorful notebooks and a variety of tote bags all mixed in with the spice mixes, salad dressings and barbecue sauces.  Keep walking into the next room to find anything you could ever need to fill a sweet little southern gift basket. This is also where we find the food counter. 

Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil, Balsamic

People stand in line to order their salads and sandwiches. But this isn't your usual sandwich shop. If you want a typical ham and cheese on white bread, you've come to the wrong place. On the menu you'll find everything from the Shrimp BLT with Havarti and the Curried Chicken Salad with mango, grapes, red onions and mixed greens on sourdough, to daily specials like their infamous peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich (yes, you read that correctly). Their sandwiches are all served with a side of their delicious homemade coleslaw (or can be substituted by any of their other homemade side salads for just $2.00). They focus on using the freshest local ingredients when available and all their breads are baked fresh by the local French bakery, Rue Cler. 

Peanut butter, Honey, Banana and Bacon Sandwich

Once you've ordered, you can peruse the cases filled with chocolate truffles, fresh-made cupcakes and baked goods to determine what you will have after lunch, when you visit the coffee bar. Then, take a seat in the front seating area or out back on the porch with the ceiling fans creating a nice breeze as you wait for your food to be delivered to your table.

Parker & Otis is a treat for the senses. With the sweet smell of coffee, the taste of the unique combination of fresh ingredients, and the overwhelming display of sweet treats and fabulous gifts, you'll want to come back week after week to check out something new.

The Importance of Customer Service

I write this as I sit waiting for the cable technician from Time Warner Cable to arrive...for the second time in two days. Not to bash TWC, but I think they are a great example of some of the worst customer service...and I say that from (way too much) experience. 

After perfecting your service or product (which would reduce, but not absolve, the need for customer service altogether), and of course, determining a marketing/advertising plan (I have to say that. I'm in advertising!), I think it's really important to have a good customer service department (or depending on your product/service/company size), make sure all employees are trained in and really embrace the concept of good customer service. 

Why is it so important? Because it affects not only the person with the concern, but their whole entire network. There are people like me that when I have an amazing customer service experience, I tell everyone I know. Take a restaurant, for example; if I have a bad meal at a restaurant, but the service was phenomenal, suddenly I want to give them another chance in the food arena and I'm telling everyone I know about how wonderful the overall experience was (the keyword is chance there because if the food is bad the second time, I'm done. "Fool me once...", as they say). And of course, the opposite is also true (and potentially more common for some). If the customer service is bad, I also tell everyone I know.

How hard is it to just "give them the pickle"? I think in every role I've ever been in where there was some aspect of customer service and how they made me watch that video (you know what I'm talking about? Where the new waiter at a restaurant is about to charge customers to get an extra pickle with their meal and the owner says "just give them the pickle!"). It makes sense! Those little things that may or may not have some monetary expense to the company, can turn around even larger income when the customer is happy and they are referring everyone they know to that company because of it! It's a simple concept that every company is obsessed with in all other aspects of their business: Return on Investment.

You can really save a business just through good customer service. I'm not suggesting that you live by the literal meaning of "the customer is always right," because they aren't. But seeming like you care, and going above and beyond (even if it's just a little bit) to not only appease the situation, but make it better, and make sure you keep that customer (and their friends). After all, you can't have a business without customers, right?


Well, that is of course, if you are TWC and have very little competition in the Raleigh, NC area. So I can see why they feel they can make me call month after month when they over charge me, tell me it's fixed, then overcharge me again. Or how they press some buttons on their end to make my TV restart, then tell me it's fixed only to have my call back that same day to tell them it's not. Or how they schedule a technician to come out on a Thursday night, then have an annoyed technician call me at work on a Tuesday morning asking why I'm not at home. Or how they reschedule a technician to come Wednesday morning "between 7 and 9am" and at 9:20 I call to say "I am already late to work, why didn't anyone show up when scheduled?" I don't think I've ever had a good customer service experience from them. But let me tell you something, TWC...I will not hesitate to cancel this service. I would rather go TV and internet-less (or switch to another provider) than keep rewarding your bad behavior.

And look at that...23 minutes later, there's that knock at my door! Better late than never...I guess?

The Brown Ones...

We may need to watch out for them! I say that because I'm "a Brown" but what I'm really talking about are brown M&Ms (I don't really think we need to watch out for them, but keep reading to see where I'm going with this). Have you ever seen the movie The Wedding Planner with Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey? Remember the scene where he throws away all the different colored M&Ms (which should be a crime in itself) saying the brown ones have "less artificial coloring because chocolate's already brown"? Well I beg to differ! In my extensive research of M&Ms (sarcasm intended), I have come to realize that while yes, chocolate is in fact brown (surprise surprise....unless of course, you are eating white chocolate...but I didn't need to tell you that), the M&Ms candy coating is actually a white candy (which you will see if you just bite one in half). And considering that in order to get a rich brown color, you need to mix blue, red, and yellow together (I think you see where I'm going with this but I'll say it anyway)...doesn't that mean that the brown ones would actually have the most artificial colors? It's food for thought...

Things Change (a tale of a reunion with Boston)

Boston, Massachusetts. Everyone knows where it is and the history of it. Many probably have some sort of opinion about it. Some have a connection with it. I have a connection with it. As someone who has no hometown, Boston, Massachusetts is the closest thing I have. It's my home away from...well, my current living situation...I have been going to Boston my whole life. I can't say that about anywhere else (except maybe my Grandpa's farm, but that's another story for another time). There's nothing like going back to someplace constant in your life, to realize how much has changed in your life. Recently, I had a reunion with Boston.

Actually, my real reunion was with my cousin, Jackie, who lives just outside of Boston. We have been best friends since the day I was born...seriously. Jackie and I are one year apart. She is the blonder, shorter version of me. Our moms (who are sisters) even dressed us the same when we were kids. We had the same haircut, liked the same things, even went to the same University and always had that more-than-a-cousin, better-than-best-friends connection with each other. It's almost scary! Like last year, when she was visiting me, we walked out of our rooms in the morning, ready to start the day, wearing the exact same thing (same shoes and all!)...talk about weird connections!

Anyway, back to Boston...so I spent a much-needed, long weekend there visiting Jackie, seeing my family, and exploring a new side of the Boston (and the surrounding areas). First on the list, Brimfield. The Brimfield Antique Show, to be exact. Now this is a real example of how things change. Fifteen years ago (wow, saying that makes me feel old!), the mention of Brimfield would have sent Jackie and I running and screaming in the other direction. That, combined with the "A word" (antiques) were a deathly combination for any kid (especially a kid in our family which means you are dragged to countless antique shows a year in search of hatpins and Lucite purses, among other things). It meant hot days, and being dragged aisle after aisle while the grown-ups sifted through other people's junk. But now? Jackie and I jumped at the chance to go and peruse through the booths of old jewelry, unique dishes, antique furniture, intricate lamps and other chotchkes. We also found some beautiful hat pins to add to our collections. 

Rockport, MA

The disgustingly delicious cupcake ice cream sundae

When we had enough of the heat, Jackie, Aunt Susan and I headed to the beach! Rockport, MA for some more shopping and taking in the beautiful sailboat-lined scenery. Rockport is a quaint little beach town. One could spend hours looking through the art galleries, going into the unique beachy shops, and of course, eating a cupcake ice cream sundae from Rockin' Cupcakes...yes, you heard me...a peppermint patty cupcake consisting of perfectly baked chocolate cake topped with a mint buttercream, cut in half and topped with mint chocolate chip ice cream, whipped cream, a cherry and M&M's (you could have any combination of cupcake, ice cream and toppings, but this is what we ended up with).


The rest of the weekend we actually spent in Boston. Another change was that we treated this trip as a way to be a little touristy for once. It's amazing when you live (or "live") somewhere, how much you miss out on the legitimate touristy things that are really neat. 

We also spent some time in Boston's North End (and especially their equivalent of Little Italy). We had never tried Panza before, and we were in for a real treat. Panza is a traditional Italian restaurant that you'll need a reservation for. The atmosphere is what you would expect from a little restaurant in Italy. The inside was small and had an upscale family feel to it. We started with some bruschetta and garlic bread. Garlic bread is garlic bread...until you've had Panza's garlic bread. The way the literally grill the crusty italian bread and rub it with olive oil and garlic is just delicious. It almost has a sweet taste to it. The bruschetta is even better because it starts with the garlic bread. It's topped with marinated tomatoes, red onion, and goat cheese (I love anything with goat cheese), then perfectly complimented with a sweet balsamic reduction. Talk about a fantastic mix of fresh ingredients to make your taste-buds scream for more! And that was just the beginning! Just when we thought we couldn't eat another bite, our main dishes came. "Free form" lasagna made with black pepper pasta, an absolutely amazing seafood risotto, each dish was just fantastic. Unfortunately, we had to make room for dessert, but had already made plans so we couldn't try it here.

Me, Jackie and the rest of the family at "Asshole's Pastry"

Dessert was a few doors down. The infamous Mike's Pastry (or as my family now calls it, "Asshole Pastry"...but don't worry, it has nothing to do with the Pastry shop or the people in it). This place is always crowded. If you go to Boston, you have to stop (trust me, it's worth the wait)! I would argue (although the claim has not been proven since I have not tried them all), that they make the best canolis in town (*gasp!* Yes, I said BEST canolis in town)! The canoli shell is freshly made (I've had some horribly stale canoli shells in my life) and the ricotta filling is deliciously rich and creamy. My personal favorite is the chocolate chip one, but they have more flavors than I even knew could exist in the world of canolis: espresso, amaretto, cheesecake, pistachio...the list goes on. They also have traditional Italian pastries, cakes and gelato. A quick warning...as tempting as it might be to stock up, these canolis aren't at their best the next day around so you better plan on just coming back the next day to get fresh ones.

To continue in our touristy ways, we ended up going to the observatory at the Prudential building. I highly recommend this experience to any Boston visitor...or native, for that matter. It's a great way to see a totally different perspective of Boston (literally). The view from 50 stories up is really awesome. They also provide free headsets to give yourself a guided tour of the city skyline. This was definitely a side of Boston I've never seen before.


It's amazing when you think about how things change...whether over a period of a couple hours or a whole lifetime. Years ago I wouldn't have cared to go to an antique fair or to be a tourist in a city I know so well, but I've come to appreciate these things more as I've changed. 

So I challenge everyone...go do something touristy, something you've overlooked or never thought to do before in your own "hometown"?



 

The addictions of Thai Cafe

Also referred to by a small group of co-workers and friends as "The Crack House" because of it's addictive nature...and before I go on I need to include this little disclaimer:

Disclaimer- I do not condone the use of drugs and in no way actually believe that Thai Cafe is  actually using crack or any sort of narcotic in the food. It is just a figment of speech. 

But back to Thai Cafe...It's in a small strip mall off of University Drive and 15/501 in Durham, NC. It doesn't look like much from the outside but the servers are friendly and the food is fantastic! My friends, Rebecca and Bailey, introduced me to this gem. The first time I went, I ordered the Shrimp Pad Thai. I always judge a Thai restaurant by their Pad Thai as it is usually the most popular dish. It was delicious. At lunch, you get a bowl of coconut soup or the house salad with your meal. I always get the house salad as I am in love with Asian dressings. This particular dressing is a ginger dressing. The minced ginger in this dressing is what makes the dish so delicious and spot-on. When the Pad Thai comes out, it looks delicious and smells even better. Their peanut sauce is light and just what you'd expect with Pad Thai. The mix of vegetables, bean sprouts, peanuts and perfectly-cooked shrimp were absolutely delightful. I must say, though, that this is not the best dish they have...which brings me to how we named this place "The Crack House." 

Chicken Masaman

Chicken Masaman. Thin slices of chicken tossed with roasted cashews over top sliced avocado and covered in the traditional Masaman curry sauce (which is a mild coconut milk based sauce with tamarind, cinnamon, cardamom and other sweet spices to create a "curry" that is hard to explain but must be tried). One bite of this dish and you are hooked. You wake up thinking about it! We've had to go at least once a week to get our "fix" of this Thai splendor. I'd recommend spending the extra $1.50 to get brown rice, instead of white because the awesome texture of this whole-grain rice (and I am a texture person when it comes to food) adds to the overall experience.

This is a must-try for this area, especially if you are a Thai food fan, as I am.

One extra little tip, try to save room for dessert (keyword is "try" because it will be really hard but if you are super disciplined and can immediately ask for a to-go box to put half your meal in, I suggest that) because right around the corner is Local Yogurt, which is such a great place, it deserves it's own post so stay tuned...

LoYo

Two cups of local yogurt with an array of delicious toppings

Also known as Local Yogurt is a Durham institution! Fresh, homemade frozen yogurt from local farms topped with the largest, most unique array of local toppings makes this place a must-visit in the triangle. 

They post the daily flavor changes and specials on their Twitter Feed to let customers know which flavors they are serving. Everything from original (which is not vanilla but plain yogurt) and chocolate to mango, coffee, or raspberry, depending on the day or what's in season. Toppings including baked goods from local bakeries, fresh fruit from local farmers, toasted nuts and candy galore!

It's really a sweet establishment...in more ways than one!

"Success is going from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm."

Winston Churchill said those words, which I think are words to live by. Some might see a person who fails time and time again as somewhat of a loser, but let me tell you why this is an important lesson to learn.


As stated before, I believe everything happens for a reason. Therefore "failure" is not really a failure at all, but something you had to go through to get where you are going. Therefore, can you ever really fail at something? Sure, you can fail a test, but what does that truly mean? Does it mean you failed at learning the subject matter? Does it mean you failed at mastering the art of test-taking? Or does it simply mean you are not meant to fully understand that subject but there are plenty of other things you are great at? Let me give you a real life example of what some might see as failure, but it was just the path I needed to go on. But first, a little background...

An old intern of mine, Kristen (who is absolutely fabulous, by the way, and I can't wait to see where her path takes her), asked if we could go out for dinner to talk about how I got where I am. I was honored by this request and of course obliged. As a recent graduate, she was stressing about finding the right job and knowing whether to take the first thing that came along or holding out for something better (I do not envy her for graduating in this economy). After hearing her concerns, it was clear that students these days have misconceptions about their path. Looking back, I had the same fears when I graduated. Think about it, your whole life up until that point, you knew exactly what was coming next...You start school, you go up through the grades, after high school, there's college, in college there are internships, but after college....who knows! That's the beauty of it and also the terror of it...These students believe that before they graduate they should know exactly what they are going to do, have that job lined up, and that's where you are going to be for an undetermined long period of time. I don't blame them. And when graduation nears, and that job has not been solidified yet, that's about the time when people start to freak out! What am I going to do? Where am I going to live? Please don't make me live with my parents again! That is how society has brought us up.


Now, I wish I knew someone like me when I was in school to tell me what I told Kristen. And if someone from the future, told the 21 year-old version of myself what my life would be like even a year after graduating, I would not have believed it. But everything happens for a reason...


The first thing I told Kristen was this: "Your first job is not going to be your last..." It's true! And as simple as it may seem, it's not something that really hits home for students nowadays. In my first year outside of school, I worked at four different agencies...yes, I said FOUR! If anyone told me that my first agency would have gone bankrupt and closed 4 months after I was hired, I probably wouldn't have accepted the job. But it turned out to be a great stepping stone to where I am today. I learned so much in that first job (including what not to do and what kind of things to watch out for in a company) and made so many great life-long connections, that I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. My second agency was a freelance gig. Again, I got so much out of my few months working beyond what I thought were my limits and honing my skills, that it was another great stepping stone. My third agency was a learning experience of what I do not want in life. To put it in the smallest nutshell I can possibly squeeze it into, I quote one of the Partners of this particular organization, "...Sounds to me like you're working for 'The Devil Wears Prada'..." But luckily, after all my hard work and determination, the very day I had a meltdown in the office and decided I could no longer go on that way, I got the best phone call ever...the agency I aspired to work at "one day" wanted to interview me for a position...Now if that's not a sign that I've got greater powers looking over me, I don't know what is! So here I am, working at a place a love, with wonderful people, inspirational managers, and awesome accounts, loving what I do every day. 


The second piece of advice I gave Kristen was this, "Do what you love or make sure it's a learning experience..." This is important. Now, the end goal is to have both of these in the equation (as I do, which is why I'm so happy), but think about it... If you don't love going to work every day, it's going to be miserable (trust me, I know)...and if you are miserable, it's not good for yourself or the people you work for/with. Dreading going to work everyday takes a physical, mental and emotional toll on someone! It's horrible. Now here's the kicker, if you can't get to where you love your job yet (which is the case for many people so you're in good company), start going along the stepping stones of learning the things you need to get there. Everything and everyday should be a learning experience. It's like dating. If you get nothing else from dating a bunch of duds except knowing exactly what you don't want in a relationship, then that's a huge success! You're not a failure because of "failed" relationships. You're learning about what you do and don't want in life.


And finally, I told Kristen, "Don't be afraid to be aggressive in getting what you want..." Go for it! No one got anywhere by playing it safe. If you don't go out full steam ahead, trying to grab your dreams, you won't find them. If your dream job right out of school is to be an account executive at a specific ad agency, then you reach out to every person you know, expand your network, think outside the box and strive for it. Heck, go ahead and call up the president of the company! The worst they can say is "No." And if every time someone thought receiving a "no" was a failure, most of us wouldn't be where we are today. 

Famous Failures is a great video that shows some of the most successful people who didn't take "no" or little "failures" to hold them back.


The word "failure" is very subjective. So turn your "failures" into successes by looking at them as learning experiences, if nothing else...

Irregardless, it's my new favorite restaurant...

Irregardless Cafe, that is! Picture this: a non-descript building on the corner in downtown Raleigh, but when you walk in, you suddenly enter into a swanky cafe in Paris or somewhere on the Mediterranean. You are seated with a fabulous glass of wine and a menu that would make the best decision maker writhe in pain as they try to determine the one dish they will have to narrow down to. The owner, Arthur, in all his sweetness, stops by every table donning his yarmulke to schmooze with the guests. There's a band playing a wonderful mix of Jazz music on one side of the restaurant, and after the huge rush of guests dwindles down, they clear a dance floor, which quickly fills with couples cutting a rug. The upscale atmosphere seems to contradict the name. Irregardless, the food was amazing.

Morgan Street Chicken

One look at the menu and it will be clear that deciding on your dish will be the hardest decision you make that day. The Morgan Street Chicken with it's Lemon-Tahini dressing (which is good enough to drink!) and encrusted in cashews was delectable. The mushroom and black mussel parmesan risotto was so creamy and perfectly cooked. Everything we ordered was beyond fantastic. 

The service was impeccable. Our waitress profusely apologized for "slow service," which to us, did not seem the slightest bit slow and ended up comping some items to show their appreciation. We were so grateful and it just added to the whole experience to see how much they valued customer service (which is rare to find these days). 

And since there is always room for dessert, you have to try one of theirs. It was fabulous!

This is a restaurant you'll want to keep coming back to as they update the menu regularly with fresh ingredients and everything on the menu looks amazing!


Irregardless is definitely a place you need to put on the top of your list to visit in Raleigh. I'll definitely be making many more trips to try out more of their menu. It has surpassed all other restaurants in the Triangle as my favorite restaurant. 

UPDATE: And the brunch is fabulous too! Everything from their Morgan Street Chicken and other savory dishes to typical (and not-so-typical) breakfast fare like omlettes, challah french toast, pancakes and even blintzes!

Adding "blogging" to my long list of things I do...

Blogging. As if I needed anything else to fill what little free time I actually have. Actually, that's a lie, I do have free time but I choose to pack it with the things I love doing which includes eating great food with great friends, reading interesting and inspirational books (I'm all about constant learning and expanding the mind), starting an event (which at this point will remain nameless as it is still in the fetal stages of event planning), staying up to date on the latest ads (I'm in advertising so I'm an ad junkie) and going to the gym (which allows me to eat as much of that "great food" I referenced earlier). (Did I mention I like parenthesis to take a thought a little deeper?)

But back to blogging, I decided to start one based on two non-related happenings with one common thread that I wanted to bring together:

1. As you can tell by the name of my blog, I'm a huge foodie. And as I said in my previous post, I will try anything once, and when I find something amazing, I tell the world (literally)! I'm always seeking out the newest, best restaurants and suddenly I became the girl everyone went to when they needed a good restaurant recommendation. So I started posting now and then on Yelp, when I found something that was truly amazing. I immediately started getting "Yelp compliments" from people like Felecia B. who saw my review and loved it. Felecia wrote, "Wow-your review makes me want to try this place out...Definitely write more reviews!" That made me consider writing a food blog, because who doesn't love to learn about the latest and greatest restaurants (and the best things to get there).
2. The "revelations" part of the blog came from the fact that my brain is always busy. To the point that I wish I could have an on-off switch because it can keep me up at night! I'm constantly thinking about things in different ways and always joke that I have too many thoughts and I need to start writing them down. I love learning about different sides of one situation and thinking outside the box. This has lead me to many great revelations in life. 

And that common thread? Well it's passion. Passion about food; passion about living life to the fullest; passion about sharing experiences with friends. 

So congratulations! You made it through my second blog post of ramblings. They won't all be like this, I promise. I just wanted to let you know where I'm coming from and what this blog is all about. Thanks for reading!

Hi, my name is Jessica, and I am a Foodie.

My whole life, I've had a love affair with food. I think it comes from my Jewish mother. It's always about the food. The first question I always get when I go home to visit is, "What do you want to eat?" She's always making something. It's like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" but we're not Greek! Your stomach hurts? Eat something! You have a headache? Maybe you're hungry! I always love to try new restaurants or test out new recipes or hunker down with the Food Network to get some inspiration. I'll try any food once and trust me, I've experienced the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to food.

In Cadiz, Spain, trying the local cuisine.

 (2007)

In addition to food, I love learning new things and having different experiences. That probably comes from the fact that I moved around a lot my whole life. Each new place was a new adventure. A new venue for me to try the local food, learn new things and grow. My passion for Asian cuisine comes from my years of living in Japan (which is also where I gained the courage to literally try anything...Jelly fish anyone?). My passion for a good wine and Tapas (small plates) where I can try little bites of everything came from the time I lived in Spain (which is also where I gained a larger appreciation for the arts and where I learned about working to live, not living to work). My passion for Coastal Carolina (fresh seafood, sun, and beautiful water to be exact) and a perfectly golden Fried Green Tomato comes from my time living in the south (Raleigh and Southport, NC). I've learned a lot from living in so many wonderful places (more than just the three I listed here). It's my passion for food and exploring new things that has really made me who I am today.

But it's not all about the food. I've had many experiences in my life (again, the good, the bad, and the ugly) that have shaped my perceptions of the world and how I live in it. That's what this blog is about. Great food, great experiences, following your passions, and living life the the fullest!