Raleigh’s food scene has exploded in recent years, with no shortage of new restaurants bringing big flavors and bold cocktails to the city.
And while members of the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team have been spotted out and about enjoying everything Raleigh has to offer, Brodeto, an Italian and Croatian-influenced spot, is the restaurant that tops their list (and happens to be one of my favorites as well).
Manifesting A Celebration
Brodeto, named after the traditional Italian seafood stew, is owned by chef Scott Crawford, a five-time James Beard nominee and owner of several other popular restaurants in Raleigh. Three of his restaurants, including Brodeto, are also Michelin-recommended, so right off the bat you know you’re going to get a top-tier meal.
“The Carolina Hurricanes have just always been really supportive of my restaurants,” Crawford says of the relationship he has with the team. As much as the players have frequented his restaurants, they’ve struck up friendships with staff members and even invited him out to a game.
During the Stanley Cup playoffs, Crawford’s culinary director Connor Delaney and Hurricanes’ forward Jordan Martinook began texting about a potential celebration party at Brodeto should the team win the cup.
“They were kind of manifesting it,” Crawford says of the pair’s plans.
And so, two days after winning the Stanley Cup, that’s where the team and their families found themselves eating and drinking into the night.
“Jordan walked in with the Stanley Cup, hoisting it over his head,” Crawford recalls. “And then he told [me and my staff] to hoist it, which I wasn’t expecting. I had just been hoping we could take a picture with the cup.”
A Destination Experience
Walking into Brodeto feels like you’re leaving Raleigh. I call it one of the city’s ‘New York’ restaurants as the vibe feels more Manhattan than the South. Cool wood tones mix with a neutral palette for the floors and walls for a simple, refreshing feel, and strategic uplighting casts a warm glow throughout.
One of my favorite design elements is the sleek, marble bar in the restaurant’s side room. It’s a swankier feel than the main dining room, and you can order from the full menu, too.
A Menu Of Favorites
I haven’t had a bad bite at Brodeto. The menu is inspired by the Adriatic Sea, so you’ll find dishes with influences from the Puglia region in Italy, Croatia, and even Slovenia. Crawford focuses much of the menu on wood-fired grilled meats, seafood, and vegetables, making the menu feel lighter than what you’d traditionally think about Italian food.
There’s a large selection of crudos and small plates as well as pasta dishes and heartier mains. I’m a fan of building a meal out of the small plates and pastas to try more flavors, but there really is no wrong way to go.
Crawford says the Carolina Hurricanes’ players are especially fond of the fresh pastas, like the cavatelli with braised pork or the linguini with sea urchin butter and chili breadcrumbs, as well as the grilled ribeye with anchovy garlic crust.
On a recent visit, the lamb pogača especially stood out. Lightly cooked lamb pieces are mixed in mint yogurt and spooned on top of a grilled piece of pogača, a Croatian bread. They’re part of the small plate selections, but felt hearty enough to stand in for a main alongside our other choices. Equally as good were the grilled beets topped with gorgonzola and pistachios.
Brodeto is also one of those places where it behooves you to save room for dessert. The rotating soft-serve option on my past visit was a simple vanilla with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt, and it could have stood up to any ice cream shop in town.
So while I can’t promise you’ll catch a Canes player on your next visit, I can promise a fantastic meal that’s worthy of the Stanley Cup.
Read the original article on Southern Living
Dining and Cooking