Dishcrawl led a tour through downtown Raleigh's Warehouse District last night, visiting Humble Pie, Five Star, Jibarra and Brewmasters.
Posted — Updated
By Caitlin Zanga
RALEIGH, N.C. — Dishcrawl led a tour through downtown Raleigh's Warehouse District last night, visiting Humble Pie, Five Star, Jibarra and Brewmasters. This was the company's third event in Raleigh and it was a big success.
The event started off at Humble Pie, a tapas restaurant that was one of our Five Faves for shrimp and grits. After a late start we received our first course, which was crispy collards with some red peppers and almonds. Collard greens are definitely not my favorite thing to eat, but these were really good, probably because of their crunchy texture. That was followed by a braised pork tostada, which was basically a delicious nacho. The meat was tender and juicy, but I just wish I could have had more!
The group walked over to Five Star for our next mini meal.
Our plate of Asian-inspired chicken, fried shrimp and green beans was so yummy, and luckily I got the hang of my chopsticks pretty quickly. While the whole dish was good, I think our table agreed that the shrimp, lightly fried to perfection, stole the show.
Next up was Jibarra, which serves up modern Mexican cuisine (they've also been named one of our Five Faves for margaritas – and I can say after last night that they are really tasty).
Our first course was shrimp cocktail and tortilla chips. The cocktail sauce tasted so fresh, with a perfect mix of avocado, mint and cucumber. After a while it got very spicy, and I noticed that it was hot enough for some people to stop eating it. Then we had a plate with a Mexican truffle empanada with sweet corn puree and an Asian fusion bulgogi tostada, both of which I really loved. The chef came out and explained the plates with some culinary humor, which we all appreciated.
Our final stop was Brewmasters for a unique "dessert." They prepared, on short notice, a small beer pairing for the group – four beers, each paired with two different foods. The pairings were Mother Earth Dark Cloud Dunkel with raw almonds and prosciutto, Lonerider Sweet Josie with sharp cheddar cheese and chocolate covered butter toffee, Delirium Tremens with brie cheese and apricot jam and Stoudts Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout with homemade brownies and raspberries. The owner came out and explained why each beer was paired with each food and expertly walked us through the tasting. While this dessert wasn't all sweet, it was definitely a fun and unique way to end the night.
Dishcrawl is a fun way to experience new restaurants in the area. We'll be keeping an eye out for upcoming events in other Raleigh neighborhoods. You can also look at our recaps from Dishcrawl tours through Glenwood South and downtown.
