Fish of the Day @ The Boot
The Boot, a neighborhood place in the Duke Forest area of Durham, boasts professional service and delicious food amid a simple, industrial atmosphere. We shared orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage and a swordfish entree with pickled radish, faro and asparagus. Both dishes were prepared well. The pasta was cooked al dente and the sauce was a delicate balance between the sharp rabe and the rich sausage. The fish was presented beautifully on a ceramic plate with a bed of faro and asparagus tips. Also cooked nicely with a crisp crust. Dessert was the highlight of the meal for me; olive oil cake with orange cream and fennel. What a wonderful combination of flavors and the cake was moist and heavenly.

Josephine Crepe @ Le Carpe Diem Cafe Creperie
Ever had that urge to hop on a plane and go somewhere far, far away… like, say, Paris? Yeah, me too. But if it isn't happening anytime soon, the next best place to find authentic crepes is in the east end of the city at Le Carpe Diem Creperie. The cafe is decked with vintage clocks, lots of Parisian paintings, prints and artwork, French motifs like the Eiffel Tower in forms of little statues and paintings, a variety of decorative lighting fixtures and a cushioned window bench seat for patrons. The folks at Le Carpe Diem specialize in crepes, both savory and sweet. The savory crepes, aka galettes, are made egg-free with buckwheat flour (gluten free), sugar or milk – great news for those with celiac disease or are on a gluten free diet. Staff is friendly, helpful and French. which adds to the authenticity of the place and transports you away to a little corner cafe somewhere in Paris. Visit them during your morning commute, lunch break or enjoy a late-night dessert catch up with friends to ring in the weekend.

Nutella and Banana @ Crêpes Parfait
Complete with uniforms and French music, this authentic food truck serves sweet and savory crepes. Served on organic buckwheat, fillings for the savory crepes include ham, chicken, veggie and at least one special, which has ranged from sausage to lamb. Diners also have the option of getting their crepe with extra toppings. Crepes Parfait also offers a daily soup option as well as an extensive menu of drinks that range from house-made lemonades to coffee drinks. Sweet crepes always include one daily special as well as Nutella and banana, orange and cinnamon and lemon and butter.

Brisket @ BBQ Bus
BBQ Bus offers myriad options for BBQ lovers, including pulled pork, brisket, chicken, and ribs, along an expansive selection of sides that include BBQ bus beans, bacon mashed potatoes, fire-roasted corn and vinaigrette slaw. They also offer a three-bean chili and serve by the pound for really hungry folks! They also offer at least five different sauces, so there’s plenty of ways diners can customize their meal.

Black Bean Corn salsa @ South Meets East
Named one of the area’s top food trucks by Washingtonian Magazine, South Meets East serves rice bowls, burritos and tacos – each of which can be customized with your choice of protein and toppings. Choices range from grilled with black bean corn salsa, lime crema and cilantro to Vietnamese-style roast pork with carrot and daikon slaw, aioli and cilantro. For those who aren’t carnivores, there is also a vegetarian option with avocado as a substitute for protein. They also offer chips and guacamole/salsa as sides.

Pizza @ DC Slices
Always piping hot, fresh, and offering creative toppings (buffalo chicken and meatball with gouda aren’t ones you see on a regular basis, DC Slices serves up some of the best pizza in the city. Aside from pizza, they also offer tater tots (several varieties, including plain, old bay and Cajun), cheese tots, Mozzarella sticks, St. Louis-style fried ravioli, and a salad whose ingredients rotates with the seasons.

HD Signature @ Haute Dog Carte
The Haute Dog Carte is a stationery food cart specializing in gourmet hot dogs and condiments. Located at the northern most part of Baltimore, the Haute Dog Carte has become a destination for the best dogs in town. Always on the menu is the HD Signature dog, a full quarter-pound Black Angus dog that comes to life with the house-made bacon and onion marmalade, tomato and onion jam and their authentic Dijon mustard. The specialty rolls are put on a heated upright rod that toasts the inside and creates a home to nestle the hot dog. Each week, local chefs create specialty hot dogs to tantalize the adventurous hot dog connoisseur. Take them home, eat in your car or enjoy al fresco dining on the front porch of the neighboring Bonjour Bakery Café.

Chicken Vesuvio  @ Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse
Chicken Vesuvio, a specialty of Chicago, is an Italian-American dish made with bone-in chicken, potato wedges, celery and carrots. Sautéed with garlic, oregano, white wine and olive oil, the chicken is baked until the skin becomes crisp. The dish is served swimming in white wine sauce and garnished with bright green peas. The Capitanini family, owners of Italian Village, Chicago's oldest extant Italian restaurant, founded in 1927, say it was on their menu very early on. According to “The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink,” an Italian cook inspired by the Mt. Vesuvius volcano (or Vesuvio in Italian) created the dish in Chicago after WWII. Another story has Nick Giannotti claiming his father, Vic, invented it in the 1960s. While its origin remains in dispute, some suggest the dish was popularized by the Vesuvio Restaurant, which operated at 15 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago, in the 1930s. Today, it is a signature dish at Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse.

Coddies with Crackers @ Suburban House
Coddies, fried codfish cakes, are an iconic snack food in Baltimore. In the 1950’s, every corner drug store fountain served coddies, and you could buy a fountain coke and a coddie for 11 cents. It was the perfect nosh to eat on the way home from school. Today, be prepared to spend $5 and there are only a handful of delicatessens that still make them. One of them is Suburban House. Where the balls of codfish and potatoes are deep fried, then served at room temperature on saltine crackers slathered with yellow mustard. Suburban House’s rendition, with its slight black pepper kick, is a must if you want to taste one of the quintessential foods of Baltimore.

“Ringo @ Raku Sweets
When Mitsuo Endo opened Raku Sweets a couple of years ago (as a desserts-only sister restaurant to his iconic Raku in the same shopping center), he brought a very Japanese spin to very French desserts, the likes of which Las Vegas had never seen. Seasonal desserts were also something unheard of off the Strip, and it’s safe to say Endo-san and his pastry chef, Mio Ogasawara, were pioneers of that lip-smacking trend as well. Ogasawara’s “Ringo” – an apple compote encased in a delicate mille feuille pastry with honey ice cream – is the sort of pitch-perfect pastry that used to be the province of fancy dining rooms a couple of miles to the east. Now, anyone cruising Chinatown can drop into the L-shaped dessert bar, six nights a week, and order one of Ogasawara’s creations that dazzle with their artistry and intensity. The only problem (especially on weekends) is scoring a seat. But call ahead or be patient, because the turnover is relatively fast. Once you’re seated, whatever you order, get ready to taste what might be the best desserts in all of Las Vegas – which is really saying something.