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Weekend

Movies and their grades:

EEE

Finest HoursSatisfying melodrama. 5C

EEE 1/2Kung Fu Panda 3Another knockout! 6C

EEE 1/2TheebBrutal adventure story. 6C

Fifty Shades of BlackReview at nando.com/movies.

Jane Got a GunReview at nando.com/movies.

TODAY’S REVIEWS

JEFF BRADSHAWWIELDS HIS TROMBONE AT THE POUR HOUSE. 7C

MUSIC

Last year, the Triangle experi-enced the culinary equivalent ofa rare planetary alignment: Allthree local winners of the presti-gious James Beard Award forBest Chef in the Southeast em-barked on new restaurant ven-tures.

2014 winner Ashley Christen-sen, owner/chef of the ac-claimed Poole’s Diner and sev-eral other establishments indowntown Raleigh, openedDeath & Taxes in June. Lanternchef/proprietor Andrea Reusing,who brought home the medal in2009, launched the restaurantin The Durham Hotel in Octo-ber (too late for me to review intime for this year’s roundup).2000 winner Ben Barker, of thenow-shuttered (and still missed)Magnolia Grill, has teamed upwith his wife, Karen (herselfwinner of the 2003 BeardAward for America’s Outstand-ing Pastry Chef) and their son,Gabe, to open Pizzeria Mercatoin Carrboro. They’re looking tofire up the brick-lined ovens anyday now.

In my book, that trifecta ofrestaurant news qualifies 2015as a banner year, even if nothingelse of note happened all year.In fact, a whole lot else hap-pened.

For starters, the Beard Awardwinners were not the only note-worthy talents to embark onnew ventures. Nana’s chef ScottHowell made a splash in the barscene with Bar Virgile in down-town Durham, with executivechef Carrie Schleiffer turningout exquisite small plates to pairwith bar manager Daniel Sar-tain’s rigorously researched listof classic cocktails.

Scott Crawford, formerlyexecutive chef of Herons in theUmstead Hotel, teamed up withdeveloper John Holmes to openStandard Foods in Raleigh (an-other late launch that’s on myradar for a 2016 review).

A few local landmarks movedto new digs, among them Ta-

DINING

Best restaurants2016

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

All three of the Triangle’s James Beard Best Chefwinners embarked on new ventures in 2015. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ashley Christensen hasthe Restaurant of the Year with her casual andcosmopolitan Death & Taxes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Other noteworthy newrestaurants came from Scott Howell in Durham andScott Crawford in Raleigh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

JULI LEONARD jleonard@newsobserver.com

Roasted oysters,preserved lemonand chili butterfrom the menu atDeath & Taxes indowntown Raleigh.

Raleigh chef andrestaurateur AshleyChristensen inPoole’s DowntownDiner in 2011; herDeath & Taxes isthis year’sRestaurant of theYear.

Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth’sSaturday show at the Carolina Theatre inDurham is nearly sold out, as of press time.And it’s no wonder.

The 47-year-old singer-actress, who 13years ago originated the role of Glinda inthe Broadway musical “Wicked,” is belovedby fans. (“Wicked” went on to become atouring sensation and ends a run in Char-lotte on Sunday, the same night Chenowethperforms in that city.) Chenoweth is alsoknown for TV roles on “Pushing Daisies”and “Glee.”

There are plenty of reasons for fans to

celebrate the Tony and Emmy Award win-ner’s visits to Durham and Charlotte thisweekend. Here are just five.

1. She’s not a North Carolina girl(Chenoweth is from Oklahoma), butshe’s no stranger to the state. In 2009,she was awarded an honorary doctoratefrom the University of North CarolinaSchool of the Arts in Winston-Salem, whereshe was the commencement speaker. “Kidsin New York will come up to say to me, ‘Iwas there when you got your degree!’ ... Ilove that. In the arts, the connections youmake just continue on.”

2. She won’t deprive fans of the songsshe’s become most (pardon the pun)

MUSIC

Broadway star Kristin Chenowethto play Durham’s Carolina Theatre

JOHN RUSSO

Kristin Chenoweth originated the role ofGlinda in “Wicked” and has performed in“Pushing Daisies” and “Glee” on TV.

BY THÉODEN JANEStjanes@charlotteobserver.com

SEE CHENOWETH, 2C

Death & Taxes105 W. Hargett St., Raleigh984-242-0218ac-restaurants.com/

death-taxes

T o say that expecta-tions were high whenAshley Christensenopened Death & Tax-

es last summer would be anunderstatement. Poole’s, herdowntown Raleigh flagship,has won nationwide acclaimand was key to her winning the2014 James Beard Award forBest Chef: Southeast. Herother ventures – Beasley’sChicken + Honey, Chuck’s(gourmet burgers), Fox LiquorBar, and Joule Coffee & Table– are all strong best-in-classcandidates.

The bar for Death & Taxeswas set in the stratosphere,then, and was raised evenhigher by the challenging con-cept: a menu driven almostentirely by a wood-burninggrill. Christensen and her well-trained crew cleared it in style.

That’s “style,” as in a waitstaff that are as friendly asthey are well-trained, and adining room whose leatherbanquettes, marble tables andvintage-look chandeliers werefeatured in Architectural Di-gest magazine. Located in ahistoric building that has in thepast been home to a funeralhome and a bank (hence therestaurant’s name), Death &Taxes sets a mood that is atonce cosmopolitan and casual.

From the culinary perspec-tive, the most stylish feature ofall is the custom-built grill thatdominates one end of the openkitchen. A massive beast ofstructural steel and firebrickthat burns seasoned post oak(selected expressly for its bal-anced, moderately smokyflavor), the grill turns outeverything from fire-roastedokra pods to dry-aged steaks.

The menu evolves with the

RESTAURANTOF THE YEAR

Death& Taxesraisesthe barBY GREG COXCorrespondent

SEE DEATH & TAXES, 4C

BY GREG COXCorrespondent

SEE RESTAURANTS, 4CTRAVIS LONG 2011 News & Observer File Photo

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seasons, though you cancount on a few popularstaples. The featured steak– a porterhouse, say, or abone-in Kansas City strip –will set you back $60-$70but will make a meal fortwo that you won’t soonforget. The poussin livesup to Christensen’s well-deserved reputation forroasted chicken. Roastedoysters with preservedlemon and chile butter area must, regardless of theoyster variety.

Other highlights of myvisits – ember-killed saladwith country ham and a

warm cider dressing,whole crab salad withcitrus and avocado, pick-led muscadine grape hulltart – may no longer beavailable, but not to worry.Death & Taxes is one ofthose rare restaurantswhere it’s nearly impos-sible to make a badchoice. That goes for thebeverage selection, too,whether it’s a craft cock-tail or one of the winesfrom the old bank vaultthat has been repurposedas a temperature-con-trolled cellar.

This year, it’s tempting

to change “Restaurant ofthe Year” to “LifetimeAchievement Award” forAshley Christensen. Inaddition to being a su-premely gifted chef andsuccessful restaurateur,she’s a vocal cheerleaderfor other restaurants in thearea and a tireless sup-porter of worthy causes.

But make no mistake,Death & Taxes is worthyof selection as Restaurantof the Year in its ownright. And besides, for allher accomplishments,Ashley Christensen is stillfar too young for a Life-time Achievement Award.

PHOTOS BY JULI LEONARD jleonard@newsobserver.com

Foraged mushrooms are roasted over a wood fire at Death & Taxes, where the menu isdriven almost entirely by a wood-burning grill.

FROM PAGE 1C

DEATH & TAXES

Center). All managed toretain much of the charmthat had made them en-during favorites, and Ta-verna Agora’s new rooftoppatio is sure to become alandmark in its own right.

Meanwhile, food trucks– a category defined by

verna Agora (from North-west Raleigh to down-town), Dos Taquitos (fromCreedmoor Crossings tothe building vacated byTaverna Agora), and CafeTiramisu (across the park-ing lot to the other side ofNorth Ridge Shopping

mobility – continue toexpand our list of cheap-eats options at a dizzyingclip. As the market ma-tures, a growing numberof the more successfulvendors are setting upbrick-and-mortar loca-tions. In 2015 alone, 11food truck operators (un-less I missed one or two;they’re a moving target,after all) set up shop at afixed address. Not surpris-ingly, the overwhelming

majority of these are inDurham, where the localfood truck trend firstkicked into gear.

Indian restaurants out-paced all other cuisines onthe list of newcomers, andthe Cary-Morrisville areacontinued to solidify itsreputation as the hub. Thearea now accounts formore than half the 50 orso Indian restaurants inthe Triangle, a list thatcovers an ever-widening

spectrum of regional cui-sines from Hyderabadi toHimalayan.

Every year sees a fewunexpected closings – oflong-established restau-rants, or notable new ones– and 2015 was no excep-tion. Last year’s restaurantobituaries included Battis-tella’s, Black House atStraw Valley, Brewmas-ters, The Cary Cafe, EdMitchell’s Que, Firewürst,Fishmonger’s, Natty

Greene’s, Pie Bird and 518West.

On the bright side, BaliHai – a perennial Raleighfavorite closed by a fire in2013, after more than 30years – finally found a newhome after a two-yearsearch. Mongolian barbe-cue fans can now get theirfix at the restaurant’sspiffy new digs in Garner.Note: You can find myrestaurant reviews onlineat themenunc.com

FROM PAGE 1C

RESTAURANTS

BEST IN CLASSBAKERYGuglhupf2706 Durham-Chapel Hill

Blvd., Durham919-401-2600guglhupf.com

BARBECUEHillsborough BBQ Company236 S. Nash St., Hillsborough919-732-4647hillsboroughbbq.com

BURGERChuck’s237 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh919-322-0126ac-restaurants.com/chucks

CAJUN/CREOLELa Place111 N. Churton St., Hillsbor-

ough919-245-0041laplacehillsborough.com

CHINESE (CANTONESE)Shanghai3433 Hillsborough Road,

Durham919-383-7581shanghaidurham.com

CHINESE (SZECHWAN)Gourmet Kingdom301 E. Main St., Carrboro919-932-7222thegourmetkingdom.com

CHINESE (TAIWANESE)Taipei 101121-A E. Chatham St., Cary 919-388-5885carytaipei101.com

COFFEEHOUSE/CAFEJoule Coffee223 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh919-424-7422ac-restaurants.com/joule

CUBANOld Havana Sandwich Shop310 E. Main St., Durham919-667-9525oldhavanaeats.com

DELINew York Bagel & Deli III2050 Kildaire Farm Road,

Cary919-851-9050newyorkbagelsanddeli.com

ETHIOPIANQueen of Sheba1129-O Weaver Dairy Road,

Chapel Hill919-932-4986queenofshebachapelhill.com

FRENCHVin Rouge2010 Hillsborough Road,

Durham919-416-0466vinrougerestaurant.com

FUSIONLuna Rotisserie & Empana-

das112 W. Main St., Durham984-439-8702

lunarotisserie.comLatin-Southern fusion

GERMAN, POLISHJ. Betski’s10-120 West Franklin St.,

Raleigh919-833-7999jbetskis.com

GREEKKipos431 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill919-425-0760kiposgreektaverna.com

INDIAN (CONTEMPORARY)Garland14 W. Martin St., Raleigh919-833-6886garlandraleigh.com

INDIAN (NORTHERN ANDINDO-CHINESE)

Aroma160-114 NE Maynard Road,

Cary919-415-1132aromacarync.com

INDIAN (SOUTHERN)CholaNad308 W. Franklin St., Chapel

Hill800-246-5262cholanad.com

IRISH PUBDoherty’sTwo locations: 1979 High

House Road, Cary; 5490 ApexPeakway, Apex

919-388-9930 (Cary); 919-387-4100 (Apex)

dohertysirishpubnc.com

ITALIANGocciolina3314 Guess Road, Durham919-973-4089gocciolina.com

JAPANESEWaraji5910 Duraleigh Road, Raleigh919-783-1883warajijapaneserestaurant.com

KOREANSeoul Garden4701 Atlantic Ave., Raleigh919-850-9984raleighseoulgarden.com

LEBANESESitti137 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh919-239-4070sitti-raleigh.com

MEXICAN (CONTEMPORARY)Centro106 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh919-835-3593centroraleigh.com

MEXICAN (TAQUERIA)La Superior3325 N. Roxboro St., Durham919-220-3588

MEXICAN (TRADITIONAL)Vallarta3177 Capital Blvd., Raleigh919-790-2696nando.com/3ck

PAN-ASIANBanana Leaf1026 Ryan Road, Cary919-468-9958bananaleafcary.com

PASTRIESlucettegrace235 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh919-307-4950lucettegrace.com

PERUVIANMachu Picchu4500-100 Falls of Neuse

Road, Raleigh919-526-7378machupicchu

peruviancuisine.com

PIZZAPizzeria Toro105 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham919-908-6936pizzeriatoro.com

SANDWICHESNeal’s Deli100-C E. Main St., Carrboro919-967-2185nealsdeli.com

SEAFOODBlu Seafood & Bar2002 Hillsborough Road,

Durham919-286-9777bluseafoodandbar.com

SOUTHERNCrook’s Corner610 W. Franklin St., Chapel

Hill919-929-7643crookscorner.com

STEAKHOUSEBin 541201-M Raleigh Road, Chapel

Hill919-969-1155bin54restaurant.com

TAPAS Mateo109 W. Chapel Hill St., Dur-

ham919-530-8700mateotapas.com

THAILemongrass8320-142 Litchford Road,

Raleigh919-954-0377lemongrassthairestaurant.net

TURKISHTalulla’s456 W. Franklin St., Chapel

Hill919-933-1177talullas.com

VEGETARIANThe Fiction Kitchen428 S. Dawson St., Raleigh919-831-4177thefictionkitchen.com

VIETNAMESEPho Far East4011 Capital Blvd., Raleigh919-876-8621nando.com/3cl

BEST NEWRESTAURANTS

Bar Virgile105 S. Mangum St., Durham919-973-3000barvirgile.comCuisine: small plates

The Boot2501 University Drive, Durham 919-294-8383thebootdurham.comCuisine: Italian

Cave 19121912 Bernard St., Raleigh919-977-3864cave1912.comCuisine: contemporary

Counting House111 N. Corcoran St., Durham919-956-6760countinghousenc.com

Cuisine: contemporary

Dashi415 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham919-251-9335dashiramen.comCuisine: Japanese

Death & Taxes105 W. Hargett St., Raleigh984-242-0218

ac-restaurants.com/death-taxes

Cuisine: contemporary grill

Juju737 Ninth St., Durham919-286-3555jujudurham.comCuisine: Asian fusion tapas

The izakaya is the Japanese pub upstairs at Durham’s Dashi.

GOLD MEDALFearrington House2000 Fearrington Village

Center, Pittsboro919-542-2121fearringtonhouse.comCuisine: contemporaryHerons100 Woodland Pond, in the

Umstead Hotel & Spa, Cary919-447-4000theumstead.comCuisine: contemporaryIl Palio1505 E. Franklin St., in the

Siena Hotel, Chapel Hill919-929-4000 sienahotel.comCuisine: ItalianLantern423 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill919-969-8846lanternrestaurant.comCuisine: AsianMateo109 W. Chapel Hill St., Durham919-530-8700mateotapas.comCuisine: Spanish (tapas)Nana’s2514 University Drive, Durham919-493-8545nanasdurham.comCuisine: contemporary Medi-

terraneanOakleaf480 Hillsborough St., Pittsboro919-533-6303oakleafnc.comCuisine: contemporaryOne100 Meadowmont Village

Circle, Chapel Hill919-537-8207one-restaurant.comCuisine: contemporaryPanciuto110 S. Churton St., Hillsbor-

ough919-732-6261panciuto.com

Cuisine: contemporary ItalianPoole’s Downtown Diner426 S. McDowell St., Raleigh919-832-4477poolesdowntowndiner.comCuisine: American bistro Second Empire330 Hillsborough St., Raleigh919-829-3663second-empire.comCuisine: contemporaryYamazushi4711 Hope Valley Road, Dur-

ham919-493-7748yamazushirestaurant.comCuisine: Japanese

George Yamazawa cuts daikon radish into paper-thinsheets at Yamazushi in Durham.

SILVER MEDAL18 Seaboard18-100 Seaboard Ave., Raleigh919-861-431818restaurantgroup.comCuisine: contemporary

Southern, grillAn2800 Renaissance Park Place,

Cary919-677-9229ancuisines.comCuisine: contemporary AsianAngus Barn9401 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh919-781-2444angusbarn.comCuisine: steakhouse

Bida Manda222 S. Blount St., Raleigh919-829-9999bidamanda.comCuisine: LaotianBleu Olive1821 Hillandale Road, Durham919-383-8502bleuolivebistro.comCuisine: contemporary Medi-

terraneanBloomsbury Bistro509-101 W. Whitaker Mill

Road, Raleigh919-834-9011bloomsburybistro.comCuisine: contemporaryBruno11211 Galleria Ave., Raleigh919-435-6640brunoraleigh.comCuisine: steaks, seafood,

Italianbu.ku110 E. Davie St., Raleigh 919-834-6963bukuraleigh.comCuisine: global street foodCoquette4351 The Circle at North Hills,

Raleigh919-789-0606coquetteraleigh.comCuisine: FrenchElaine’s on Franklin454 W. Franklin St., Chapel

Hill919-960-2770elainesonfranklin.comCuisine: contemporaryFairview3001 Cameron Blvd., in the

Washington Duke Inn, Durham919-490-0999washingtondukeinn.comCuisine: contemporaryFour Square2701 Chapel Hill Road, Dur-

ham919-401-9877foursquarerestaurant.comCuisine: contemporaryGlenwood Grill2603 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh919-782-3102glenwoodgrill.comCuisine: contemporary

SouthernGocciolina3314 Guess Road, Durham919-973-4089gocciolina.comCuisine: Italian

Guglhupf2706 Durham-Chapel Hill

Blvd., Durham919-401-2600guglhupf.comCuisine: GermanKitchen764 Martin Luther King Blvd.,

Chapel Hill919-537-8167kitchenchapelhill.comCuisine: French, contempo-

raryLittle Hen5160 Sunset Lake Road, Apex919-363-0000littlehennc.comCuisine: AmericanMandolin2519 Fairview Road, Raleigh919-322-0365mandolinraleigh.comCuisine: contemporary

SouthernMargaux’s8111-111 Creedmoor Road, in

Brennan Station, Raleigh919-846-9846 margauxsrestaurant.comCuisine: contemporary,

seafoodPiedmont 401-B2 Foster St., Durham919-683-1213piedmontrestaurant.comCuisine: contemporaryPlates301 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh919-828-0018plateskitchen.comCuisine: contemporarySaint Jacques6112 Falls of Neuse Road,

Raleigh919-862-2770saintjacquesfrenchcuisine.

comCuisine: FrenchStanbury938 N. Blount St., Raleigh919-977-4321stanburyraleigh.comCuisine: contemporaryVivace4209-115 Lassiter Mill Road,

Raleigh919-787-7747vivaceraleigh.comCuisine: ItalianWatts Grocery1116 Broad St., Durham919-416-5040wattsgrocery.comCuisine: contemporary

Southern

A dessert from Glenwood Grill in Raleigh.