The Carolina Inn Blog

The beneficiary of CowParade North Carolina is N.C. Children’s Hospital, a 150-bed state-of-the-art facility offering complete pediatric inpatient and outpatient care as well as more than 25 satellite outpatient clinics throughout North Carolina.

More than 80 vibrantly painted cows will be on parade across Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill through December 7th 2012. The cows are approximately eight feet long and five feet high and will be auctioned off to the highest bidder at a gala on January 26th 2013. Cows that aren’t sold in the live auction will be auctioned online.

The UNC Mooo-saic, Lady Carolina Bloo, from artist Paula MacLeod, is dressed in a mosaic of Vietri stoneware dishes, porcelain and glass tile featuring iconic UNC logos and hidden barn animals. Lady Carolina Bloo will live at The Carolina Inn during our Twelve Days of Christmas through the end of December.

To see the locations of all Carolina’s cows, visit www.cowparadenc.com.

First Place winners received a $100 South Point Mall gift cerificate and Dinner for Four at Carolina Crossroads Restaurant. Second Place winners received a $50 South Point Mall gift certificate and Brunch for Two at Carolina Crossroads Restaurant. 

The winners of this year's contest are:

Adult: 1st Place Winner - Amalia Bolivar
Adult: 2nd Place Winner - Francesca Monachino

Youth: 1st Place Winner - Lynalese Kindy
Youth: 2nd Place Winner - Margret Conrad Troop #378

Congratulations to all our winners! Information regarding the 2011 Twelve Days of Christmas and Gingerbread House Competition will be posted online next fall.

Southern Style Red Bean Soup with Hot Crema

Ingredients:

1lb       Dried red beans-soaked in water and refrigerated overnight
¼ c      Oil
5 oz     Chorizo sausage, small dice
2 T       Garlic, fine chop
½ c      Onions small dice   
½ c      Yellow peppers small dice
¼ c      Green peppers small dice
¼ c      Carrots small dice
½ c      Celery small dice
1 T       Thyme, chopped
1 T       Chili powder
1 T       Cumin ground
2 c       Can chopped tomatoes with juice   
2 qts    Chicken broth
Cider vinegar to taste
½ lb      Small shrimp, peeled and deveined
Crystal Hot Crema (Recipe follows)

Crystal Hot Crema
½ c      Sour Cream
1 T       Lime juice, fresh squeezed
Crystal Hot Sauce, to taste

Method:
1. Place oil in a pot over medium heat
2. When oil is hot add chorizo sausage and begin to render fat
3. Add garlic, onions, peppers, carrots, celery, thyme, chili powder and cumin
4. Season with salt and pepper then sauté for 5 minutes
5. Add red beans after you have discarded the water
6. Add tomatoes and chicken broth and stir well
7. Bring soup to a simmer and continue to cook until beans are finished
8. Add shrimp just before serving and cook until shrimp is cooked through
9. Skim any fat off of soup and discard
10. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary
11. Add cider vinegar
12. Use a hand blender and pulse soup a few times just to give it some body
13. Add more chicken broth if necessary

Serve
Place soup in a bowl and drizzle with crystal hot crema

Come into Carolina Crossroads today and enjoy Chef Jimmy's fall menu. We look forward to seeing you soon! 

Watermelon and Feta Salad
Serves 4

 Ingredients:

2 cups             Baby Arugula
1 oz                Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cups             Seedless Watermelon, Diced Small
4 oz                Crumbled Feta Cheese (Hillsborough Cheese Company is my favorite)
To  Taste         Thin Sliced Red Onion
2 oz                Fig Balsamic Syrup (see below)
1 Tbsp             Fresh Mint –Julienne

Method: Fig Balsamic Syrup
12 oz               Dark Balsamic Vinegar
3 oz                 Dried Figs

1)      For fig syrup, reduce dark balsamic vinegar and figs by ¾ over low heat.
2)      Strain and let cool.

Assembly:

On four separate plates place arugula that has been lightly tossed in olive oil. Portion the watermelon, feta, red onion and mint on all plates. Drizzle with fig syrup right before serving and enjoy this wonderful summer appetizer. Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

 *For more delicious ways to enjoy watermelon, visit The Carolina Crossroads Restaurant and try Chef Reale's Summer Watermelon, Grilled Halloumi Cheese, Arugula, Picked Cottle Farm Cucumbers, Jalapeno Peppers, and Radishes with a Citrus Vanilla Vinaigrette.

1) The Preserve - A Davis Love III Signature Golf Facility
2) Room 180 in The Carolina Inn, AAA Four Diamond Hotel built in 1924
3) Gene Fones, the affable General Manager of The Preserve Golf Club
4) Tasting North Carolina Wine made primarily from Muscadine Grapes and Vinifera grapes (there are now 76 wineries in North Carolina)
5) Walking Franklin Street, the main street in Chapel Hill - full of boutiques, restaurants & students

To read the full list, click here.

History, that sepia patina, plays a part in all this.  The first state university is here, founded in 1789, which means it was the first institution of higher learning where all a young man or woman had to do was get here to take a class, and the only state university to graduate students in the 18^th century.  Over two hundred years later it’s the doing the same thing, but better, changing as the world around it changes.  It’s constantly innovating and remains a model for universities everywhere.  Thomas Wolfe, one of the greatest writers America has produced, came here in 1915, when he was only fifteen years old.  He predicted that that his portrait would one day hang in Old West near that of North Carolina governor Zebulon Vance, and he was right: it still does today.  Other literary luminaries soon followed, and many of them have changed the face of contemporary American literature: Russell Banks, Taylor Branch, Shelby Foote, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Armistead Maupin, to name a very, very few.

What’s harder to see is how a similar history is being made right now.  There are more world famous writers in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, per capita, than in any other place in the world.  You can see them everywhere, meet them in the produce section of the grocery store, sitting at the table next to yours in a restaurant: you can even say hello, and tell them how much you love their writing (rumor to the contrary, they can’t hear that enough).  Do something particularly outrageous and who knows: you could end up in their next book.  Give it a shot. 

Chapel Hill, to this day, is sustained by the arts, and it sustains everybody with its art.  This is a community where art is practiced and perfected, and where professionals from around the world come to play, dance and sing.  Memorial Hall, on campus, hosts everybody from Yo-Yo Ma to Earl Scruggs, dance and drama from all over the world, one-stop shopping for the sort of culture that teaches while it entertains. 

On the other side of campus is Playmakers Repertory Company, whose productions are staged in Paul Green Theater.  Playmakers is considered the leading theater in the Carolinas, and has been honored by the Drama League of New York as one of the best regional theaters in the country.  Recent offerings include The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, an ambitious eight hour stage play, Romeo and Juliet, and The Glass Menagerie. 

And, as almost everybody knows, the Art of Basketball is performed here September through April, and more often than not it’s performed at the highest level, an exemplar of what human beings can do with a round orange ball.  You can see them rise like dancers, turn and spin, elegant and powerful, smart and fast as lightening.  Not unlike our literary tradition, famous practitioners of the art have lived and played here, including the greatest man to have ever played the game, Michael Jordan.  In this last decade alone two national championship banners have been hung from the rafters of the Dean Smith Center.  And yes: you can see our artists there as well, cheering along with half the population of the entire town. 

But this decidedly world-class offering of cultural happenings doesn’t end on campus: it radiates through the entire county like a ripple on the surface of a pond.  Carrboro hosts so many festivals you might think there’s one happening there every single day of the year: there are film, poetry, comedy, dance and music festivals.  In Hillsborough, there’s the annual Handmade Parade, featuring giant puppets the likes of which you’ve never seen before (trust us).  Just to maintain an appropriate balance between the arts and . . . everything else, Hillsborough also hosts Hog Day, now in its 28^th year, a down-home traditional pig-picking and barbeque contest, and the largest classic auto show in the state.

No, you will not go hungry in Orange County.  World-class cooks – two James Beard finalists – live and work here.   On Franklin Street alone – Franklin Street being Chapel Hill’s one and only drag – there are over fifty restaurants, from the elegant to the ridiculously informal.  And many of these establishments serve the freshest produce you’ll ever eat, because local farmers drive into town from their farms, dozens of which surround us like a great wall of organic goodness.  

It sounds like a polyester promise, but there’s something for everybody here.  The Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro is the only significant music club between Washington D.C. and Atlanta, so for a little town we get the biggest bands.  About a mile away, The Ackland Museum in Chapel Hill hosts over a dozen of shows every year . . . Oh, it’s tempting to continue, because once you start thinking about what’s happening here you realize that there’s very little that isn’t.  Even the weather is perfect.  Come at your own risk, because after coming you may not want to leave.  Even our buildings are adorned with murals.

Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, Orange County: It’s not one thing: it’s everything.

-Written by David Wallace for the Orange County Visitors Bureau

The unique history of the Inn and the important relationship between the Inn and The University of North Carolina was described as each employee read The University’s Living Room by Kenneth Zogry. From the Inn’s beginning in 1924 through the New Deal Era, Civil Rights movement and into present-day, The Carolina Inn has remained a fixture on the campus of UNC and truly is the University’s living room.

Click here to view an interactive timeline of the Inn’s history. Also, on your next visit to the Inn be sure to view our new historical photo display.

Photo:
Front row – Jim Phelan, Tracie Panko, Beverly Ingram, Alison D’Agostino, Elizabeth Rubio, Ashleigh Collins

Back row – Terri Nier, Elizabeth Bischoff, Kenneth Zogry (Inn’s Historian), Margaret Oppegard, Julie McCay, Mark Nelson

With our Culinary Rewards Program, you'll earn points every time you dine at the Carolina Crossoads, so you can enjoy more great food and good times on us. As a member, you'll earn one point for every dollar you spend at the restaurant and bar. Once you have accumulated 300 points, we'll give you a $20 Carolina Crossroads gift card that can be redeemed any time at our restaurant - it's that easy! Additionally, rewards members will receive special invitations to Members Only events and offers, as well as preferred reservations on high demand dates.

Enrollment in the program is simple - and free! Enroll now or register in person during your next meal with us. And just for signing up, you'll receive 25 bonus points to get started.

Below is a listing of the local vendors and farmers the Carolina Crossroads used for their Greek Salad:

Bibb Lettuce - Green Haven Farms

Red Radishes - Cottle Farms

English Cucumbers - Barham’s Farms

Sunburst Tomatoes - Sunburst Tomato Company

Feta Cheese - Hillsborough Cheese Company

The Earth Day celebration continues on April 22nd at The Carolina Inn with a prix fixe menu at the Carolina Crossroads Restaurant designed to showcase local and organic ingredients. Stop by to try our three course menu for $55 person, four course menu for $65 per person, and five course menu for $75 per person. Call 919-918-2735 or visit the Carolina Crossroads for reservations.  

The event highlighted an eight minute film of Governor  Terry Sanford calling for racial equality in a 1963 speech in The Carolina Inn’s Old Well Room. Click here to view and download the speech.

Guests were also treated to a discussion with the authors moderated by William Friday followed by a book signing with the authors. Historical 1960s photography by North Carolina photographer Billy Barnes was displayed in the Alumni Room.

The digitization of  the Hellenian and Yackety Yack yearbooks kicked off a string of projects conducted by the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center to provide online access to photographic collections, scrapbooks and pictures of museum artifacts.

Click here to view the full Daily Tar Heel article or view the digitized Yackety Yack online.

 UNC System President Erskine Bowles in 1966

 UNC Sports Radio Announcer 
                                      Woody Durham in 1963

 Author Thomas Wolfe in 1919

 CBS Newsman Charles Kuralt in 1955

It's not too late to schedule a visit with Santa before Christmas.  Make your reservations today for Breakfast or Brunch with Santa at The Carolina Inn.  Click here or call 919.918.2711 for more information and to reserve your seats.  Don't forget to bring your wish list!     

For the Carolina Inn staff, it is always a pleasure to work on homecoming weekend to welcome returning UNC alumni and fans who stay with us every football season.  It is like welcoming family members into your house.  The inn has a distinct energy on home football weekends.  Even if you’re not a football fan, that energy is contagious!    

Two things in particular will make this year’s homecoming one you won’t want to miss!  First, the Duke-Carolina rivalry continues as the Duke Blue Devils will visit Kenan Stadium.  It's a rivalry that doesn't get nearly as much attention as these schools’ basketball teams, but it's a strong historic rivalry nonetheless.  The Carolina-Duke game this Saturday will be much more intense than in the past because both of the teams’ seasons are kind of on the line - a win on Saturday will keep them moving towards bowl eligibility

Finally, UNC school leaders have decided to bring back an old tradition: homecoming parade!  This will be the first homecoming parade at UNC in 16 years.  The parade will start at 11 a.m. on Columbia Street (coming out of Swain Parking Lot on campus) towards Franklin Street.  For the parade route click here

For those of you who will be participating in the homecoming or football game festivities, tell us all about it right here on our blog.  If you're not a big football fan, we still want to hear your experience in Chapel Hill during this exciting time of the year.  Go Heels!

“There are notable distinctions between college towns and other American cities. In the student-centric spots, bicycles seem to outnumber cars. Affordable restaurants serve up authentic cuisines from all around the world. The streets are densely packed with businesses, making for a highly pedestrian-friendly environment. Nature is usually accentuated: the shimmering Lake Champlain, back dropped by a saw tooth silhouette of peaks, forms the western edge of Burlington. Madison, WI, is situated on an isthmus between two lakes that draw hordes of hikers and bikers. Boulder, CO, is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream.

And don’t forget the bars. Each of these locales offers plenty of opportunities for imbibing, many of them ideal for both people-watching and soaking in the scenery. It’s hard to beat sunset cocktails at Austin’s Oasis, where tiered decks jut from a 450-foot-high cliff over Lake Travis.

These attractions are mainly geared toward the students, naturally, but they can be readily enjoyed by those with no homework assignments or college connections. After all, few sports experiences can top the rafter-shaking raucousness in Chapel Hill, NC, during a Tar Heels basketball game. Many schools benefit from world-class art collections in glittering facilities designed by marquee architects; Chapel Hill’s Ackland Art Museum, featuring a wing by Polshek Partnership, tempts visitors with Warhols, Titians, and Dalís in a way that many university-less cities cannot.”

From September 2009 By C. J. Hughes Travel & Leisure

Business organizers in Chapel Hill have started a campaign to bolster the community with economic activity and Tar Heel spirit on game-day weekends.

The goal of “Touch Downtown Chapel Hill” is to encourage football fans – locals and visitors – to come early and stay late after the games to enjoy local restaurants, specialty stores and other cultural attractions.

According to a recent economic impact study conducted by Dr. Nathan Tomasini of the VCU Center for Sports Leadership, the 2008 North Carolina-Notre Dame football game generated $6.4 million for the Chapel Hill and Orange County economies plus $325,000 in local and state tax revenue.

Chapel Hill hopes football will boost economy

With seven home games on the schedule for this year, the total economic impact could be more than $40 million and more than $2 million in local and state tax revenue, according to officials.

Managers said the campaign helped encourage people to stop by their business downtown on Saturday for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s season opener against The Citadel.

As part of the effort, local merchants and restaurants were encouraged to have employees where clothing with UNC logos and put UNC and Citadel flags in front of their businesses.

For the second year, the Carolina Inn hosted a tailgate party on its front porch.

“UNC football…it’s huge,” said Allal Kartaoui, assistant food beverage director for the Carolina Inn.

For the entire Labor Day weekend, managers at Carolina Inn say they're fully booked.

Peggy Fitzgerald traveled from Florida to join the party in Chapel Hill. Fitzgerald said there is a family rivalry – her cousin, Stokes Fishburne, is a graduate of Citadel.

“They rag on me all the time. I’m used to it,” Fishburne said.

Managers at restaurant and bar Top of the Hill hope the city’s marketing campaign attracts people days before the big games.

While the restaurant and bar has long played host to the game day crowd, manager Steven Torchio said they have felt the effects of the economy.

“Nobody is immune. I don’t think there’s any business or any place in this town,” Torchio said.

Reporter: Beau Minnick
Photographer: Geof Levine
Web Editor: Kathy Hanrahan