David Connell, in addition to being a talented musician of The Connells fame, is a very accomplished painter as well.  His work is primarily North Carolina landscapes and cityscapes with interesting buildings and structures.  Having traveled most of North Carolina’s highways and byways myself, several of the scenes are familiar and comforting.

A portion of the proceeds are being donated to the Conservation Trust of North Carolina to help preserve our states rich natural resources.  If you can’t make it Thursday to meet the artist, you can still view the work until June 9.

Cherry is a full service home furnishings and accessories store that specializes in modern Italian furniture, but has a large array of accents to give your home a modern makeover as well. You can find rugs, light fixtures, unique hand blown glass pieces, tableware, barware, and numerous other home accessories as well.

Some well known brands at Cherry include Rosenthal tableware and serving pieces, Nambi metalware, and Michael Graves designed pieces. For many of the lines, the store is the only authorized retailer in the state.

Cherry is the brainchild and namesake of Louis Cherry and his wife Ann Marie Baum. The husband and wife team saw a real void in the Triangle for contemporary and modern design and decided to do something about it. The day to day operation of the store is directed by Mrs. Baum. With her background in interior design and retail management, she is perfectly suited to help all their clients find the perfect look for their homes.

Cherry is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. It is open on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. A grand opening celebration is planned for late April.

Over a 100 Raleigh residents gathered to celebrate the dedication of Carlton Place Wednesday morning. Developed by Raleigh-based DHIC, Inc., Carlton Place is an 80 unit mixed income apartment community just a stone’s throw from Moore Square. As the city asks what downtown will become and for whom, Carlton Place represents a good first step in addressing the need for affordability in the city core.

Many dignitaries were on hand for the event. Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker, County Commission Chairman Tony Gurly, state Representative Deborah Ross, and North Carolina Housing Finance Chairman Lucius Jones all spoke. The honored guest, John Carlton, for whom the development is named, also received a special presentation. Mr. Carlton is a long time neighborhood activist and affordable housing advocate, as well as a former member of DHIC’s board of directors.

Carlton Place is the result of an effective public-private partnership. How is it affordable? The developer assembled funding from local government loans, state government loans, private loans and grants, and federal and state tax credits awarded by the NC Housing Finance Agency. The loans are below market rate, and the equity from the tax credits reduces the debt service and thus lowers rents.

Carlton Place is the first mixed income, mixed use, Housing Credit funded apartment community in North Carolina. 16 of the units are market rate, and not funded by credits. The remaining 64 units are restricted to households making 60% or less of the county median income. There is also commercial space along Davie Street currently in lease up.

Eight of the units are set aside for, and affordable to, persons with disabilities. Additionally, 4 units are fully accessible to people with mobility impairments, including curbless showers. One resident benefiting from this is Raleigh native and reigning Ms. Wheelchair North Carolina, Ms. Kelly Woodall.

Carlton Place also received a grant from the Home Depot Foundation to incorporate “Green” elements in the design of the development. Carlton Place features Energy Star appliances, low VOC paint and carpet, pervious concrete, low flow plumbing, and solar reflective roof membranes.

According to Gregg Warren, Executive Director of DHIC, the first residents are employees of The City of Raleigh, Wake County Public Schools, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Capital Area Transit, retail businesses, state government, and Wake Med. Many are now able to walk to work. DHIC is also the developer of Murphy School Apartments and the Prairie Building in downtown Raleigh.

Pretty frequently I get a powerful taste for collards.  I love ‘em.  Now my grandma used to make good collards the old fashioned way: slow cooked in a big cast iron skillet with a streak o’lean and a streak o’fat.  I should probably clarify that I assume they were good.  When I was a snot nosed little kid I declared to her that “I didn’t eat grass.”  Well now I do, and I wish I did then.  I’m sure my grandma’s were good.  If she were alive today I’d be all over them greens like a pack of wild dogs on a three legged cat. 

My mama makes collards sometimes too.  She used to cook them like grandma, but now she parboils them and then sautés them in olive oil.  I like “nouveau” collards just fine too.  The last time she made them was New Years day, as is the southern tradition, and they were spot on.  Sometimes I make collards as well.  Ok, sometimes is a stretch.  Rarely.  Rarely I’ll make some collards.  I’m just too dang lazy.  So there’s the rub.  Where can a sluggard get a mess of good collards around here when the craving strikes? 

Every once in a while I get lucky and some nice person at the office will bring me some leftover collards from their Sunday supper.  For some time when the craving was just too great, I’d scratch the itch at Don Murray’s.  I’d ignore the health rating, ignore that my feet stuck to the carpet, let it slide that the collards weren’t that great, and roll the hepatitis dice.  What they lacked in quality they made up for in quantity.  Well, ole Don Murray’s is no longer and option. 

I’ve been to all the other BBQ joints, and I’m sad to say they just didn’t cut the mustard.  I went to the Farmers Market Restaurant and they were salty and tasted a little burnt.  Big Ed’s?  Nope.  The best collards I’ve had in my quest, surprisingly, were at the Underground.  (Which by the way, if you’ve never been to the Underground, get yourself there with all due speed.)  They were amazing!  Tender, sweet, and flavorful with succulent little pieces of pork floating in an ethereal broth.  I’m getting tingly all over just thinking about them.  The only problem was it’s a tapas joint.  It was a tease.  I could have eaten a whole pot, and all I got was a tiny taste.

Other folks have made recommendations in all corners of our great state, but did I mention I’m lazy?  I know there are great greens to be had, but I don’t want to drive to the Virginia line.  I don’t want to go to Lumberton, Elizabethtown, Lexington, or Asheville.  Heck, I don’t even want to drive to Durham or Chapel Hill.  There’s got to be other collard lovers that can’t find a local fix, or some folks in the know.  Where do y’all get great collards in Raleigh?

How did Raleigh get so lucky?  Swiss brothers Brian and Chris Hereghty felt like Raleigh would be a great place to live and start a business.  Chris is a french trained pastry chef and Brian is a former architect.  Chris manages the baking and Brian runs the front of the house. 

Hereghty serves excellent and well made coffees.  You can pair your coffee with a quiche, scone, stuffed croissant, or a cinnamon roll.  The hands down best is the cheese danish.  It is so good it will make you want to smack your mama.  Lunches feature daily soups and a variety of REALLY tasty paninis such as the prosciutto di parma.  That case also includes their flourless chocolate chewies with walnuts, financiers (don’t make the mistake of calling them “mini muffins” as I might have done), croissants, and an assortment of cookies. 

However, the real stars are the masterpieces in the dessert case.  An inventory of the desserts evokes the same reaction out of women that perusing a fancy jewelry store does.  It literally looks like a dazzling display at a modern art museum, but as good as they look, they taste even better.  Chocolate lovers go nuts over the “Paris” with its layers of chocolate mousse and chocolate sponge cake.  In the mood for something tropical?  Try the Okinawa with mango, passion fruit, and chocolate mousse layers on a flourless coconut cake layer.  You have to special order my personal favorite- the Frasier, but trust me its worth the effort.  The fresh strawberry, pistachio cream cake is to die for.

Hereghty makes the perfect spot to end an evening and fills a major void since there are a real lack of places in town to go for just dessert.  Wash down some seriously decadent desserts with a cappuccino or a night cap of Santa Julia dessert wine while live music filters through the air around you.  Close your eyes and you just may find yourself drifting off to Paris.