Featured
Ed Mitchell is back in the barbecue game as of this Friday, albeit not quite in the way that we’ve been waiting more than a year for. With the opening date of The Preserve up in the air, Ed and team have opted to open a “delivery only ghost kitchen” (previously referred to as a “pop up”) starting this Friday, March 5. Which is, of course, over a month after their original date to open this part of their business on January 22.
Let’s hope this goes smoothly because in a since-deleted reply The Preserve’s official Facebook account stated that they were not going to open until next year “after things cooled down” (I’m paraphrasing here). If that’s the case, then that is the latest setback in a series of setbacks for Mitchell whose original Raleigh restaurant in the Brier Creek area never came to fruition in the years since his Durham restaurant shuttered in 2015. I am rooting that their delivery business goes well, but would feel a lot better if they were still charging forward with opening a restaurant this year. Nevertheless, I hope Raleigh folks will support The Preserve in earnest starting this weekend.
Native News
Buxton Hall makes Eater Carolina’s list of best restaurants in Asheville
ICYMI
Non-Native News
J.C. Reid on barbecue-adjacent stews (paywall)
La Barbecue has collaborated with Zilker Brewing Co for a pilsner perfect for pairing with smoked meats
AGL’s Craft Meats is hoping to be the first to use traditional open-air smokers in LA County
Orlando Magazine has a feature on barbecue in their March 2021 issue