Business took me to Durham, NC this past week, but it was my love of great BBQ that took me to downtown Raleigh to visit Ed Mitchell's retaurant, The Pit. Ed is one of the true superstars of the BBQ world. He has been featured many times on TV, including the Today show and Throwdown with Bobby Flay (in which he beat Bobby in a spare rib contest). Ed is not only famous for his traditional NC style BBQ but also for his belief in cooking with local and sustainable vegetables and meat. Ed has organized a co-op of local hog farmers that raises free range hogs (I was told they eat better than most humans) which he then uses for the BBQ in his restaurant. He also sources his vegetables in the same manner. In addition to fantastic BBQ and vegetables, the wine and beer selections are better than most high end restaurants I've visited. I've spent a lot of time in this blog talking about the idea of taking BBQ to the next level and presenting it in a quasi-fine dining format. Unquestionably, The Pit is the closest I have come to seeing that idea manifested. Continue reading The Pit - Raleigh, NC here...
When does your review of Eventide come out? ;-)
Posted by: Jonathan Discount | February 22, 2010 at 10:39 AM
Your comment about the kitchen (your only letdown) must be unique to your visit. I was there a couple of days ago, and the kitchen was hopping. Both of the smokers were full, one loaded with Carolina-style ribs and the other with baby backs. Ed Mitchell was there in the afternoon. After dinner, I went back to the kitchen and "grilled" one of the sous chefs for a while about the smoking process, and he was more than happy to oblige. Now I'm on a quest to reproduce Ed's sweet rib sauce recipe.
Posted by: Todd Meyers | May 20, 2010 at 10:34 AM