A Belated Father's Day Dinner at Watts Grocery

Watts Grocery in Durham, NC

Dan and I met Laura and Anthony in Durham for dinner last night to celebrate a late Father's Day.  Laura made a reservation for an early seating at Watts Grocery, the popular restaurant on Broad Street, because we wanted to beat the crowd.  We find the food here exceptional, but when it is crowded the noise is quite bothersome.

The food is always fresh and whenever possible local.  I had had a late lunch, so I chose a starter as my entree.  The waitress recommended the salad special of local heirloom tomatoes and fava beans served on top of their signature cornbread and garnished with fresh basil, goat cheese and a creamy vinaigrette dressing. The tomatoes tasted like "real" tomatoes (like homegrown tomatoes of my childhood) and the creamy dressing complemented the tomatoes and fava beans perfectly.  The salad was filling yet left room for dessert.  I always try to leave room for dessert.

Heirloom tomato and fava bean salad topped with fresh basil and goat cheese.

Dan and Anthony enjoyed grilled local yellow fin tuna with peas and mushrooms which they pronounced delicious.  Laura was pleased with her fish stew as well.  The presentation of all our selections was beautiful and the serving size just perfect.  

For dessert, Dan was a bit disappointed in the Sour Lime Sorbet which he found a little bit too sour and slightly bitter.  Anthony was happy with his cheesecake with blueberry sauce.  

Cheesecake with blueberry sauce. (Photo by Anthony Benson.)

I was intrigued with the Summer Berry Slump and asked the waitress what constituted a slump as opposed to say a cobbler, or a crisp, or a buckle.  She explained that the topping was more cake-like than the crust of a cobbler.  And the topping on this Slump practically melted in one's mouth.  I shared this dessert with Laura, and we both surmised there must be a lot of butter in the topping. Oh so good.  The berries were blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.  Buttermilk ice cream on top provided a slight tartness that was perfect with the sweetness of the cake and berries.  

Summer Berry Slump with Buttermilk Ice Cream. (Photo by Anthony Benson.)

Watts Grocery is best known for its brunches, apparently.  If their brunch is any better than our dinner, then I can't wait to give it a try.  We'll be back.