The End of the Culinary Tour of Raleigh

May I first say that I could REALLY get used to this whole food blogging thing. I'm a fan of good food, and I didn't expect to find much of it here in Raleigh, because it's not exactly a culinary destination, but these places we've found have been really good. It's a shame that I discover all of this on my what might be my last trip down here for a while.

Anyway, friend of the station Adam Fried (who also, by the way, took all of these amazing photos you see here in this post - I swear we didn't find that first one on the internet) challenged me last night to find good falafel in Raleigh for lunch today. I had my doubts, but I came through, and while Hal and Jeremy went off to play a round of golf, Adam and I headed out with fellow friend of the station Aaron Kraut for a meal.

The destination was Neomonde, a combination cafe and market tucked behind a Waffle House near the NC State campus. And I mean tucked - we missed the place while trying to find it, and had to double back. However, despite the hidden location, the parking lot was packed - it's usually a good sign, and that was the case on this trip, too. Adam and I couldn't decide, so we each opted for two half sandwichs, one falafel and one lamb shawarma, which are pictured above. The falafel was moist, yet fluffy, and was complemented with a nice array of vegetables. The shawarma was among the best I've ever had (see? People besides Hal have pictures taken of them while eating):


Aaron went with a whole chicken shawarma sandwich, and was so envious of our falafel that he went back for another half sandwich just so he could try it himself for......uh......"dessert." Adam and I went the slightly more mainstream dessert route, opting for some fantastic baklava (also not a stock photo):


Lest you think that the baklava was sufficient for dessert, we stopped in at a place called LocoPops, which specializes in paletas, essentially popsicles with fruit or cream bases in a wide variety of crazy flavors. Case and point: if I was an NC State student, I'd probably end up eating a chocolate brownie pop every time I was around. It's essentially a more chocolaty, more creamy Fudgsicle with actual bits of brownie inside. Simply amazing:


And with that, we likely conclude the unique food experiences portion of Raleighpalooza. Hal and Jeremy will be back later, and will likely throw up a post about their golfing excursion, but outside of that, we'll be talking about strictly basketball from here on out, save for possibly an anecdote here or there from the RBC Center. We're heading out in a little more than an hour, and once we get to the arena, we'll put up a couple of posts, including a final preview. Be sure to stick around both on the blog and on the audio stream this afternoon - we've got this thing covered from all angles. Pregame begins at 6:00 with a special surprise or two that you'll have to tune in for. Hal, Jeremy and I will take over around 7:00, and we'll be there through the end.