Carolyn D.'s Profile

I can't recommend Clemons Family Dentistry highly enough. I went to their practice for nearly 4 years. Their staff is so kind and helpful, and the work they do is excellent - both the dental work and on the administrative/billing side. I have gone for general checkups, cleanings, X-rays, and one filling.

This past year, my employer changed dental insurance companies, and unfortunately Dr. Clemons was no longer in-network for my new insurance provider. When I called to cancel my cleaning appointment in order to switch to an in-network dentist, they offered to waive my out-of-pocket fee for that cleaning and helped recommend a new dentist who was in-network for me and would be totally covered under my new plan.

The office is clean and modern, the staff is smart, friendly, and helpful, and the work they do is flawless. Thank you, Clemons Family Dentistry!

My boyfriend and I went for an early dinner before a Durham Bulls game on a Friday night. We were really in the mood for Greek food, so we thought we'd try this place. Boy, were we glad we did!

We got a table by the window, and the restaurant was rather empty throughout our meal. The decor has a Greek theme and is almost a little out-dated, but it didn't detract from our experience at all. Taverna Nikos's main selling points would be exceptional service, great value, and delicious food. We had drinks (a beer for me, a glass of wine for him), shared an appetizer, and each ordered the moussaka entree and a dessert. Our bill before the tip was under $60.

The moussaka was served with vegetables on the side and was absolutely delicious. The portion was very large, and in retrospect, I probably shouldn't have eaten the whole thing, especially because I can't go to a Greek restaurant without ordering a piece of baklava. Our waiter brought me an enormous slice, and he told me he expected to bring me a box to take part of it home. Well, he didn't need to. Apparently, the owner's mother who was visiting from Greece had made the baklava that night. It was so good that I ate the whole thing.

We'll be back again the next time the mood for Greek strikes!

I joined Ladies Fitness & Wellness in April after checking out most of the gyms in the area. I was looking for a gym where I could take yoga classes as well as use the elliptical trainer several days a week. This gym offers a wide array of classes and lots of cardio machines, most of which have personal TVs attached. (Don't forget to bring your headphones!) When I joined, they offered me a free personal training session, and I was able to set up a weight training program in addition to my usual cardio schedule.

I enjoy using the sauna after my workouts. Every time I've used it, I've been the only person in it. There's also a steam room, but that doesn't really appeal to me, personally. Massage therapy is also offered, but its cost is not included in the membership price.

I have been very pleased with my gym membership so far. The facility is always very clean (although I've never used the showers, so I can't speak for them) and the staff is polite. There's a free towel service and lockers are available for your workout (not for overnight use, though). It's not important to me that it's a women-only gym, but I'm sure that would appeal to some ladies. The machines are always in good working order, and I've never had to wait for an elliptical trainer, no matter what time of day I've chosen to work out.

I've been to several yoga classes and a NIA class and enjoyed all of them. Jean's candlelight yoga class on Thursday night is very gentle and relaxing, although I would love it if they would offer another yoga class that is more active and strength-building - one that would really make you sweat!

I've been here several times, but only once recently. (The other visits were a couple of years ago.) The food is good, reasonably priced, and the portions are HUGE, so you definitely get a good bang for your buck.

The last time I went, our party of three sat outside. It was a great evening for it, and we were very comfortable, except there seemed to be a startlingly large number of flies all around our table. That bothered me a little, but not as much as the insanely slow service. We only ordered drinks and entrees, but we didn't get our food until after the table next to us got theirs. We had ordered before they were even seated. There was no explanation or apology for this delay, and we were all a little put out.

There was one thing I did like about the outside seating, though. Each table has its own little cooler to keep the condiments cold!

Delicious, authentic German food. I don't know of any other great German restaurants in the Triangle, so J. Betski's fills the void nicely. We made a reservation for two early on a Friday evening. We were seated in the small inside dining room. There are also some nice tables on the patio.

There is a small bar in the dining room that would seat about 6 people, but I'm not sure if the full menu is served at the bar. While the beer selection is excellent, there are considerably more bottled choices than draft. We both started with drafts; I had a Schneider Weiss, one of my favorites.

We shared an appetizer from the specials menu that combined smoked salmon, thinly sliced potatoes, avocado, a poached egg, and some other ingredients into a pile of deliciousness. We cleaned the plate. I ordered the hanger steak (medium, and it came out just how I like it, with just a little bit of pink) with mushrooms, served with leek and crab pierogies and asparagus. My date had the pork schnitzel. The portions are large, so I took some of my steak home with me.

The food is a bit pricier than I usually choose, but it's worth it. The atmosphere is pleasant and quiet without being stuffy, and I'd recommend attire that's one notch higher than casual. The staff was friendly and very attentive. Overall, I'd highly recommend J. Betski's.

A friend of mine turned me on to the Monday night martini specials at Sirens - all martinis on the menu are $5, and they have at least a dozen different varieties. I've tried several and have enjoyed them all.

I've only been to Sirens on Monday nights, and the same small crowd is usually here. It's a great place for a drink after work. There are always seats to be had at the bar (if you sit here, you'll have a giant fish tank at your feet!), tables or on the couches. There's usually a game on the TVs, and the bartender plays some great music on Monday evenings. I've seen live music events advertised, but I haven't been to one yet.

One of my only complaints is that it gets a little bit smoky, and I've noticed the cigarette smell clinging to me after having left. It's a good place to go and have a conversation though. The atmosphere is laid-back, and the lighting is low.

As far as Chinese buffets go, this one is top-notch. They claim to have a mile-long buffet, but I'd dispute that. That's not to say the selection isn't excellent, though! They have a great variety of traditional Chinese dishes, soups, appetizers, and dim sum. I was especially surprised by the wide range of available seafood choices. They have recently added an all-you-can-eat sushi bar as part of the single buffet price, and the sushi is very decent - much better than any sushi I've previously had at other Chinese buffets.

I have not encountered any items on the buffet that did not seem to be freshly prepared or that looked as if they had been sitting out for awhile. Everything is very fresh. The staff is polite, and my drinks are always quickly refilled and my empty plates speedily bussed.

If you're hungry for good Chinese at a nice price, take your empty stomach (and your hollow leg) to China Buffet.

I was lured into the bar at Thailand Cafe on a Saturday night by a sandwich board on the sidewalk advertising $5 lychee mojitos. Those just sounded too good to pass up, and I was glad I didn't because they were fabulous.

I sat at the bar and the bartenders were friendly and attentive - I even got some extra lychees in a shot glass when one noticed me trying to dig the fruit out of my glass with a straw! Even though there were seats at the bar around 11pm, the dining room seemed to be full.

I can't speak for the food, but I'd definitely recommend stopping in to Thailand Cafe for a lychee mojito.

A friend recommended Watts Grocery to me based on the grits bowl alone. That is what I ordered for brunch on a Sunday morning (with salsa, cheddar, avocado, and a fried egg), and I was not disappointed. My boyfriend, the Eggs Benedict connoisseur, claims his meal was one of the best plates of Eggs Benedict he's ever consumed. Watts Grocery lost a couple stars, however, on aspects other than food.

When we arrived, we had to wait in a short line to put our name on the list. The hostess seemed distracted, chatting to some people she recognized in line behind us before she spoke to us. When we were seated five minutes later, she warned us that the table she was giving us was in the back and not one of the better tables. If she hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed. The kitchen is down a long hall from the back of the dining room and didn't detract from the atmosphere of the table. But since she did mention it, I resented it.

The hostess was not the only distracted staff member. Everyone seemed to be stressed out and in a hurry, even though the restaurant was not terribly crowded. Our waitress was friendly enough, but we only saw her a couple times, and I had to flag her down on one occasion. When I ordered the $6 Pickle Mary, she informed me that they were out of their homemade pickled okra, so the drink would just be a typical Bloody Mary. I declined and ordered water instead.

This turned out to be the most bothersome aspect of my brunch experience. When the waitress returned to our table, she brought two bottles of water and two paper cups with ice in them. When I asked her later to tell me the story of the bottled water and paper cups, she said it was because of the drought in Durham. They aimed to save water by not washing glasses, but I noticed that cocktails were still being served in glassware. Instead, it appears Watts Grocery has opted to create a lot more paper cup and plastic bottle waste, not to mention the water and fossil fuel it requires to bottle water in the first place. It boggled my amateur environmentalist mind to say the least. To top it all off, the bottled water showed up on our bill.

I'd recommend Watts Grocery for the food and the nice natural lighting in their dining room. The availability of featured items, green practices, and staff attitudes need a little help.

Bandido's is probably my favorite "traditional" Mexican restaurant in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area. I liked the Carrboro location better than the Franklin Street one because it just felt a little bit cleaner, it wasn't underground, and they had parking. Unfortunately it closed down in early 2008, but I'd still recommend the Franklin Street or Hope Valley Road locations.

The Bandido's menu is very typical for authentic Mexican restaurants, and everything I've ever ordered came out looking and tasting exactly as I would expect... except for the quesadillas with roasted (or grilled? I can't remember.) vegetables. I think the vegetables come from the freezer section in the grocery store. I didn't expect to find pea pods, red peppers and broccoli in there, but I'm not complaining. It's really yummy, and I still order it all the time.

Bandido's gives you free chips and salsa when you sit down. Their salsa roja has a kick to it but is very flavorful. You can also request other varieties of salsa (verde, pico de gallo) or get it yourself from the salsa bar.

These are my favorite things about Bandido's...

1. The really cute lamps that hang above the tables. They have little pieces of colored glass through which the light shines. I want one for my house.

2. The entree called "Nada mas queso." It means "Nothing but cheese," which is exactly what it is... a plate full of cheese. Cheese enchilada, cheese burrito, cheese tostada, etc. Don't forget to order the cheese dip as an appetizer, too.

3. El Gigante. El Gigante is a burrito larger than anyone should ever endeavor to consume. I witnessed a friend down it in 18 minutes, and I couldn't eat all of my own dinner because I got so full just watching him. If you finish it, they give you a free t-shirt to wipe your mouth with after you have to throw up from its sheer volume.