Today the leading foodservice industry publication, Nation’s Restaurant News, has named the Angus Barn to its list of 50 All-American Icon restaurants. The Barn has “become synonymous with hospitality and service excellence” according to Nation’s Restaurant News. That’s one of the primary reasons why the establishment made the NRN 50. The Angus Barn is the only North Carolina restaurant on the list, and joins such noted dining institutions as Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, St. Elmo Steak House in Indianapolis and The Four Seasons in New York City.

This comes as no surprise. The Angus Barn is known for going out of their way to present an outstanding experience. The restaurant has a rigorous training program for its waitstaff, and only hires people who make it their profession. Owner/manager Van will not accept customers waiting unnecessarily. Case in point: I recently stopped by at 5:30pm one day to buy some blue cheese dressing from the gift shop. The refrigerators were out of stock, but the nice, helpful lady who was running the shop went to the kitchen to make a couple for me. When Van found out that I had been waiting 10 minutes for the dressing, she went to the back, got things rolling, and comped my purchase.

If one is paying attention, they will notice some of the many details that go into the experience at the Angus Barn. The restaurant’s Christmas Tree every year is the finest in any restaurant around. The relish station, an unnecessary perk that was put in place decades ago to placate those waiting for a table, is always fresh. Much of the wood from the restaurant was salvaged from barns in the area. Inset in the brick floor of the gift shop is a 6” thick disc of wood from the state’s largest loblolly pine tree. In the last couple of years, The Angus Barn opened The Pavilions, a rustic lakeside special events facility. A trip to the men’s room of the facility is another example of the fine detail that (along with the excellent, consistent food) has earned this restaurant’s status among the nation’s top restaurants.

The Angus Barn was already one of the early inductees to the publication’s prestigious “Hall of Fame” list. Magnolia Grill is the only other North Carolina restaurant to receive that honor.

Each spring of the past decade has revealed some sort of nationally recognized hero from the area. Whether it was a team going deeply into hockey or basketball playoffs, or an American Idol contestant going far, spring has been a fun season for the Piedmont region of North Carolina. I guess our karma for this coming year was spent when the Tar Heels won it all, the Hurricanes reached the final four, and Anoop Desai reached American Idol’s Top 7.

This year the Hurricanes are near the cellar in the NHL, the Heels may not make the Big Dance, and AI is featuring this mess. There are no words to describe it. In fact, there hardly are any words at all; just vowels. Meet Kenny from Durham.

On August 8 Norah Jones makes her return to the area. This time she will be at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Tickets go on sale at 10am on February 12.

OpenTable has named Rey’s to its list of 50 Most Romantic Restaurants in America. The restaurant features “fine dining with a French Quarter flair”, and offers some of the best table service in the area. Rey’s is open for dinner nightly, except for Sunday, and is located in the old Ruth’s Chris location on Buck Jones Road.

No other restaurants in North Carolina made the list, although The Melting Pot chain, with locations on Wake Forest Road and at Southpoint in Durham, was named to the list.

As part of its celebration of 100 years of basketball, UNC is putting together another alumni exhibition basketball game. This time the event takes place at 8pm on Friday, February 12. Tickets are $10 and available online. The game will be at the Smith Center and features alumni such as:

• Bobby Jones
• Walter Davis
• J.R. Reid
• George Lynch
• Eric Montross
• Brian Reese
• Kevin Salvadori
• Matt Wenstrom
• Serge Zwikker
• Pete Chilcutt
• Scott Williams (‘90)

On the following day, February 13, the Heels host N.C. State. All former players, coaches, and managers have been invited to attend the game and a reunion dinner following the game.

Sooner or later…we knew this would happen. The Beat, The English Beat, is twisting and crawling their way across the pond. On Sunday, May 2, the tour stops at The Cat’s Cradle. the show is at 8pm, and tickets go on sale Saturday (1/16). They are $17 in advance.

A three night-series of celebrity chefs including Food Network favorites Paula Deen, Tyler Florence, and The Neelys is coming to the Durham Performing Arts Center. The schedule is as such:

• February 21: Paula Deen and Family (2pm and 8pm)
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• March 26: Tyler Florence (8pm)
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• April 17: The Neelys (8pm)
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Tickets start at $30 for each event and series tickets start at $112.

RDU Airport recently unveiled a simple website that posts current flight data for the airport. I’ve added the link to permanent list of Tools (in the left sidebar), as well as to the gogoraleigh iPhone interface’s “Tools” section, for easy access.

On March 27, Wilco will play at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday morning at 10am via Ticketmaster. There is a fan club presale that begins tomorrow (Wed.) morning at 10am via Front Gate Tickets. One interesting feature with the show is the band is taking requests via its website. Click on the Durham show, then on the “Requests” box.