So it’s November.  You’re busy, you’re shopping, you’re working and you’re trying to figure out how to keep the credit card from going “TILT” over the holidays. We recommend beating the stress by taking a break for lunch with a friend.  But of course you don’t want to stretch your wallet even more.  So we went looking for a few local restaurants that have good food and even better value.  Here’s what we found:

Fiesta Grill
You might have heard people talk about Fiesta Grill, but have you ever been?  It’s more or less outside of Carrboro (but somehow has a Chapel Hill address) and has super fresh Mexican food.  In fact, it’s caught the eye of more than one travel writer and appeared in a national magazine or two.
It’s located in a tiny square of a building and you can guess that this might not be the typical Mexican place by the interesting parking lot mix—think pick-ups, priuses and the occasional BMW.  Inside, you can order take out (I know someone who won’t make tacos unless they pick up the tortillas from Fiesta Grill) or sit down at one of the six or seven tables.  If you sit, you’re immediately rewarded with warm tortilla chips and freshly made salsa.
The menu is actually pretty extensive and includes tacos, burritos, tostadas, chimichangas, fajitas and more.  We asked for advice in ordering and apparently one of the most popular items on the menu are the fajitas ($10.95).  And now we know why.  The tortillas were soft and warm, the meat was perfectly seasoned and the veggies were fresh.  We were also recommended the burrito de chile verde ($7.25). When served, the thing was as big as my head; it easily could have been two lunches.  For those who want something lighter, try the a la carte menu.  It’s a great deal – the list includes items like a taco for $2.50, an enchilada for $3, and a chile relleno for $3.  If you’re up to spending a few bucks more, it all washes down very nicely with Mexican beer.

Fiesta Grill
3307 Hwy 54 West
(at the intersection of White Cross Road, 5 miles west of Carrboro)
919-928-9002
www.fiestagrill.us
Closed Mondays

If you love meat — no I mean if you really love meat — you have to try Chamas at Brightleaf in Durham.  It’s a Churrascaria or Brazillian steak house.

The main thing on the menu — well pretty much the only thing on the menu–is roasted meat.  Talk about low-carb restaruant options. Stand outs include the garlic steak, the flank steak and the lamb. But we also sampled incredibly moist chicken that practically fell off the bone, bacon wrapped filet mignon, pork loin and italian sasuage.   All were beautifully seared with well-balanced seasonings.

I recommend starting with their signature drink — a Caipirinha.  It’s Brazil’s national cocktail made with cachaca, sugar and lime.  Think of it as a rum-based drink.  Kind of a tart mojito.  Actaully, I think I liked it better than a mojito.

You are then invited to get a plate of starters from their extensive gourmet buffet.  This included items like brie cheese topped with apricot preserves and sliced almonds, roasted sun dried tomatoes, mussels in garlic sauce, calamari salad and more.  Way more.  In fact, you can just order the buffet as your meal and pass on the meat.  But don’t pass on the meat.

Once you’re done, they start coming around with the full pieces of meat — like the entire tenderloin — on huge skewers.  If you want some, they slice off a piece (just like at a carving station) and you take it with tongs and put it on your plate.  They serve a couple of sides but those are pretty much just for decoration.

Insider Tips: On Thursday nights they have live music at Chamas and on Fridays during the summer Brightleaf hosts concerts.  Also, this place is great for groups!

Sunday Oct 12 - 6pm gourmet tasting dinner featuring the North Coast Brewing Company

Tuesday Oct 14 - 4pm Farmers’ Market and/or 6pm McIntyre’s Book Club Night.  Sounds like they come up with great suggestion for your club’s reading list.

Thursday Oct 16 - 7pm McIntyre’s presents a dual author event with (local auther) William Conescu reading from Being Written, and (New York author) Diana Spechler reading from Who By Fire. Check out details here.

Friday Oct 17 - 2pm Michael L. Walden comes to McIntyre’s to discuss North Carolina in the Connected Age: Challenges and Opportunities in a Globalizing Economy.

Saturday Oct 18 - 10am McIntyre’s is delighted to host Howard N. Lee as he visits to read from The Courage to Lead: One Man’s Journey in Public Service.

Sunday Oct 19 - 4pm Join Fearrington Wine Director Maximilian Kast at The Belted Goat for a wine seminar about California before Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Went to Memorial Hall on UNC campus on Friday night to see Buckwheat Zydeco. Saw him for the first time in NYC about 20 years ago.  Had no idea what Zydeco was before that.  Fell in love with the music. Anyway, the opening band Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas stole the show. They rocked! We were dancing in the aisles.

If you’re not including the Memorial Hall/Duke Performances/the Progress Energy Center in your date night plans you’re missing out.   It doesn’t matter what you’re into.  Big band, classical, jazz — let me just gloat for a moment — we have tickets to the sold out Wynton Marsalis show in January. Find a sound you love or discover something new.  Many of the shows start at 7:30 or 8pm, which is perfect for going out to dinner before the show.

Check Memorial Hall out here.  Find Duke Performances.  Check out what up at in Raleigh here. Opera, Broadway, ballet and more.  Wow.  Are we lucky.

If you’re not familiar with the event — it features great bluegrass music, outdoors, in the heart of Chapel Hill every Friday from 5-7pm April - October.  You can get wine ($6) and beer at a number of bars set up outdoors.  They also have a hot buffet should you get hungry.  You can start your evening here (park in UNCs Nash lot for easy access) and then wander to Franklin Street for dinner. Home game weekends can get a little crazy so you might need reservations at some of the more popular spots.

New this year - they’ve announced the game day edition where the music starts 2 hours before every home game.  Check out the schedule here.