Mariss

I finally made it over to the NC State Farmer's Market during 4th of July weekend. I arrived before 10:00 a.m. and had time to peruse all the plants, baked goods and fruits. Nothing really caught my eye, so I decided to head over for breakfast at the restaurant. The line was out the door in the 98 degree southern heat. It moved rather quickly and the hostess team provided wonderful southern hospitality. I must say, I love how coordinated the staff was in their green overalls and tops. You get the true country down- home experience here. This is a great choice to bring those who are visiting or new to the Raleigh area. We were seated near the hostess station and service was excellent. I decided on the famous fried bologna biscuit and added a scrambled egg to it with cheese grits. The biscuits are served very fresh and fluffy. My waitress Anne warned me that the serving size would be huge and the " size of a cat's head " and that it was ! So big I had to take half my biscuit home for lunch. The bologna was also thick and delicious. I enjoyed my iced coffee on this humid day. My neighbor enjoyed a Belgian waffle, sausage with breakfast potatoes. I will return because the service is excellent here. I would love to try dinner.

The Big Easy is a popular full Bar & restaurant on Fayetteville St that offers a very lively atmosphere featuring a live DJ on weekends, 2 levels of seating and New Orleans style Cajun menu. I visited and ordered from their late night menu after 11:30 p.m. Staff was friendly and kind. We were seated near the bar and the DJ DVS was spinning throwback Hip Hop & R&B. He is excellent. He didn’t play a bad song.
I decided on the catfish platter and had a side house salad. I paired it with a old fashioned bourbon cocktail. Our waitress worked hard at bussing and serving tables. She was overwhelmed with work due to the lack of staff. Despite this, our food arrived quickly given the time of night. My catfish was the perfect amount of filet and nice and crispy. This is definitely a convenient stop for a Cajun style brunch or for some weekend fun while downtown. They offer all the vibes with DJ DVS and karaoke some nights.