Matthew’s Chocolates lavender, lemon, dark chocolate and vanilla buttercream truffles on VIETRI’s stacked Incanto white Baroque cake stand on an Incanto white lace medium cake stand. red peppers, eggplant, zucchini, asparagus, onions and tomatoes — marinated in extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, mint and garlic. The tomatoes were roasted with rosemary, thyme and fresh oregano and the red onions were baked with olive oil and house-made mozzarella cheese. “We work with Ashley Parker from Parker Farm and Vineyard that provides us weekly with most of our vegetables: arugula, spinach, mixed greens, Swiss chard, kale, broccoli, broccoli rabe, sweet potatoes, fingerling potatoes and anything else that comes in season like eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini,” Tolan says. Her signature pasta, spaghetti ai Gamberi, or imported Italian spaghetti with shrimp, was dressed in olive oil, garlic, parsley and a touch of red pepper. The dishes were light and fresh, simple. Chef Gephart brought his wild culinary game to the table with 88 WBM may 2014 a roasted pheasant and rabbit risotto with natural jus, a hearty accompaniment to his tempura-crusted whole North Carolina red snapper drizzled with a sweet and spicy Asian glaze. The fish, served on a bed of Moroccan couscous, was a house favorite for many at his former Wrightsville Beach restaurant, Buoy 32 Bistro. LaPlace’s Fox showcased some of the Louisiana cookery’s house-made meats from the newest restaurant on the block to open this spring. Imagine shrimp sausage with tarragon, duck sausage with sage, fresh green onion sausage, smokey Andouille with a kick of spice and a bacon cured in Steen’s cane syrup. His oysters on the half shell are shucked by order and are slightly sweet and briny. “We are trying to be very authentic with the Cajun and creole theme,” Fox says. “We’re unapologetically Cajun, we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, just do it in an authentic way.” Authentic is keynote of the Hillsborough food scene that is notably eclectic — the aroma of wood-fired pizza fills the air, the texture of delicate house-made pasta graces the palate, the creamy blend of a shrimp rémoulade begs for seconds, and heavenly chocolates complete the meal. “Everyone is aware that it’s not about competition,” says Carroll. “It’s about creating a cohesive, diverse, delicious selection of food for our community and the surrounding areas.” Pancuito’s Aaron Vandermark may have put the town on the epicurean map with his consistent James Beard Foundation semi-final kudos, but it is the shared affection among fellow chefs and restaurateurs that set the stage day after day, night after night, drawing the town’s residents and visitors to table. Their names resonate with impeccable dining experiences. Hillsborough is la place — the place — where you might dine in town or at the farm, anywhere within a 50-mile radius of the town’s limits to sample freshly sourced produce, dairy and meat, prepared from scratch, cooked to order and artfully presented, with or without goats and chickens watching. savor —36 hours in hillsborough
Wrightsville Beach Magazine May 2014
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