On the road again: Good Eats in Chapel Hill NC

We went to the Raleigh area for my nephew's high school graduation.
We also managed to spend a day and night in Chapel Hill, where I went to graduate school in the 1990s (and have visited fairly frequently since those days).
The highlight was brunch at the wondrously good, reliable standby Crook's Corner, the restaurant that set the gold standard for SHRIMP AND GRITS (the Bill Neal recipe) back in the 1980s. OMG, was that dish of food delicious!

World's best shrimp and grits

My husband had a fine "spring omelet," with a side of cheese grits, but nothing compares to the shrimp and grits. I've eaten at Crook's, probably my favorite Chapel Hill restaurant -- and there are many worthy ones -- but it's been years since I've ordered this dish. After scarfing it down, I had to wonder why. Next time, I'm definitely having it again.




For dinner a bunch of us, family and friends, ate at the Il Palio restaurant at the Siena Hotel. We all agreed that the best item of the night was a scallops entree, pictured here.

Scallops at Il Palio in Chapel Hill NC