Small Plates at Milton & Miles – A Review

Small Plates at Milton & Miles – A Review

by | Lifestyle, Restaurant Review

Quality over quantity. That’s a foreign concept to many of the restaurants where I reside in eastern North Carolina.  The mantra of cheap and plentiful rules when it comes to dining. Where most meals are disappointing. At least for me. I crave fresh and interesting combinations. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy my fried foods. Just once in a while.

Choosing a restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night can be cumbersome. And frankly we often just end up cooking at home those nights because there is minimal choice unless you want chain restaurants or “home-cooking.” And we usually make the thirty minute drive to Greenville for any ethnic food such as Indian or Thai. 
This is where Milton & Miles enters the picture. It is located in the Imperial Centre in Rocky Mount. The Imperial Centre is a cultural hub for Nash county housing museums and performing arts venues as well as this small cafe. In another life, it was a tabacco processing plant and the bones are still there giving it a modern industrial feel. 
I didn’t know Milton & Miles existed until I recently when I had a business meeting there in the morning. So glad my friend Ken suggested we meet there. I’m glad I found it. It serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday and dinner on Thursdays and Fridays. I came back with my guys for a Friday night dinner. 
For Milton & Miles, they serve small plates or bites. To me, the dishes were perfect in portion allowing diners to get a handful of dishes to share. All of us felt comfortably full at the end of the meal. The quality of ingredients was high. Presentation was pleasing to the eye. The prices were reasonable ($4-$9 per dish.) 
So what did we have? 
Biscuits with Strawberry Jam & Maple View Butter. It was a lovely way to start the meal. 
Turkey with Cucumber & Cranberries. Light and refreshing. 
Beef Braised in Red Wine with Roasted Veg. The classic beef dish done right. 

Pulled Pork with Sweet Korean Pickles. Wonderful combination of an eastern North Carolina staple of pulled pork with Korean condiments. 
Liege Waffle with Vanilla Cream, Honey Almonds, & Maple Syrup.  The Liege Waffle is a house speciality and is devine. 
Two Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate Espresso Glaze. A classic with a twist. 
I like the fact that the owner Brian is there interacting with patrons and sharing his passion for the coffee, wine, and/or food. He shared with me that his meats are locally sourced from Blazing Cattle Company, a well-respected butchery in Tarboro known for their quality meats. 
What a refreshing place! I have to say it was one of the most relaxed meals I’ve had living in eastern North Carolina. While we were there, there was a group of professional women enjoying wine and different small plates while sitting on comfortable chairs and a couch. It is a place to have leisurely meal while enjoying the company of whoever you are with. That’s golden to me. Dining should be an experience. One to be enjoyed not rushed. 
We’re going back. We want to support small, local restaurants which are focusing on quality over quantity. This restaurant would not be out of place in any larger city. 
And I suggest you pay Milton & Miles a visit. Support local. 
Milton & Miles
270 Gay Street
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
252.210.9515

Turkish-Mediterranean Cuisine at Its Best – Restaurant Review

Turkish-Mediterranean Cuisine at Its Best – Restaurant Review

by | Bread, Dessert, Dinner, Restaurant Review, Travel

Ezme. Eggpant Salad. Hummus. Baba Hounush. Adana Kebab. Kofta Kebab.

I crave the above. And I can’t get enough of it. Really. I’m at my happiest sipping tea out of a glass and nibbling on a mezze platter.

I’ve been lucky to have friends from all over the world including friends from Turkey who exposed me to their home cuisine. I was so pleased when my friend, Nathan, invited me to a Turkish restaurant in Cary, North Carolina.

Bosphorus, is a small restaurant with ten inside tables and about the same of year-round outdoor seating. It is always busy and I don’t think they take reservations unless it is for a large party. It is not uncommon for three or four different languages being spoken at neighboring tables. Many of the patrons are Turkish and for me that’s always a good sign. Especially when it is families having a meal together. The staff are wonderful, friendly, and helpful.

I’ve been there for lunches and dinners both on the weekday and weekend, and I’ve yet to have a bad experience. The food is always outstanding. The dishes are freshly prepared. What I appreciate about Bosphorus is the dishes are flavorful and delicate. The spices are well balanced. I find a lot of  Mediterranean restaurants overwhelm the dishes with mainly garlic. Bosphorus doesn’t. It all blends and balances perfectly. Let’s put it this way, after eating a Bosphorus, I do not have to avoid kissing people out of fear of garlic breath.

Everything I’ve had at Bosphorus is delicious. Here are some of my favorite dishes. Dishes that I really do crave:

Bread (Pide). It is freshly made on site. If you like bread then this is to die for. Even if you don’t like bread, you still will like this bread. Trust me, it is worth very carb in it. It comes to you hot out of the oven with a wonderful dipping sauce. We go through 2-3 baskets each visit, but it is sooooo good.

Mezze Platter. This could be a meal onto itself, but it is made to share. The platter is hummus, baba gounush, ezme, tabouli, eggplant salad, cucumber dip, and stuffed grape leaves. I usually find stuffed grape leaves bitter; however, not at Bosphorus.

Adana Kebab Platter. It is ground lamb and beef mixed with spices and grilled served with salad and Bulgur pilaf. Flavorful and tender. This is a favorite of mine.

Mixed Grill Kebab. This is the dish for folks who either can’t make up their mind or are newbies to Turkish food. It comes with pieces of grilled lamb, chicken, Kofta, and Adana served with salad and Bulgur pilaf.

Baklava. While I love desserts, I’ve never been a fan of Baklava until I had Boshorus’. While I was there the first time with Nathan for lunch, the staff were transporting trays of freshly made Baklava to a van. And I mean trays of it. So we decided we had to try it. The Baklava just melts in your mouth. It is sweet, but not sickly sweet. It is a nice balance to the flavorful spices of the main courses and a great way to end the meal.

And I can’t forget the tea served as though they do in Turkey. Or as I like to say

the proper way being a tea drinker who rarely drinks tea outside of the house. They, of course, serve Turkish coffee.

For us, Bosphorus is worth the one-and-a-half hour drive one-way to have a meal.

Boshporus
329-A North Harrison Avenue
Cary, NC 27513
919-460-1300
www.boshporus-nc.com

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