MITCHELL'S HARDWARE

Mitchell's Hardware Store, 215 Craven Street in historic downtown New Bern, is an authentic turn-of-the-century hardware store, as integral to the town's history as Tryon Palace.

From its beginning at the turn of the century, Mitchell's had a reputation for being the place to go for hard-to-find items.  The same is true today.  My hubby has gone to Mitchell's more than once for items not available elsewhere in New Bern (e.g., mineral oil, balls of butcher's string and a plumbing fitting for his boat).
This is a true old-time country store.

A person could literally spend hours here, uncovering hidden gems in the huge inventory of hardware items, cast iron cookware, traditional pottery, enamel ware, bird-watching accessories, spices, seeds and more.  And if you just can't go through all that, there are friendly employees to help.  If you have out-of-town guests, give them a tour of our beautiful downtown, and show them Mitchell's. We bring all our out-of-town guests here for a delightful visit.  Most of them find something they want to purchase.

Seeds are available via packets, but also by the ounce or pound.

Two years ago, my hubby was referred by a local to Mitchell's for stringbean seeds that were supposedly superior for their tenderness and flavor.  The problem:  we only needed about 6 seeds for the earthbox.  No problem.  These seeds produced the heartiest vines, and the absolute best stringbeans we've ever eaten.  Greg, the present owner, told me why.  "All of our seeds are North Carolina seeds.  That means they'll grow in North Carolina."  Greg is constantly answering questions posed by customers, such as this gentleman who was interested in purchasing veggie packs but wanted to know more about the plant.

Greg knows everything you need to know about the plants that are sold at Mitchell's.  The plants are all grown in New Bern to increase your likelihood of success.  As soon as I saw the luscious lettuce plants, I knew I needed to buy some.  Mitchell's has spinach, spicy mix, arugula, red and green leaf lettuces and mesclun in round pots for $5.99 each.  

Greg cautioned me that I need to continually pick the leaves so that more will be produced.  If you stop picking, Greg said, the plant will stop producing.  I appreciated the reminder, though I was already aware of this since  I grow lettuce every year.  There's no need to transplant what's in the pot.  In fact, it's best to just leave the lettuce right in its original container.  So, on the way home, we stopped at Wal-Mart and bought some clear plastic saucers.  The lettuce and arugula look beautiful on our patio coffee table.

Mitchell's will be getting tomato plants, peppers and herbs soon.  You can bet we'll be back to get some.  


Mitchell's store hours, in case you're wondering are:
  Monday - Friday, 6:30 AM - 5:30 PM
  Saturday, 6:30 AM - 5:00 PM

BREAKFAST AT PORT CITY JAVA

Port City Java, a trendy coffee shop on Middle Street across from First Citizens Bank parking lot, is part of a national chain.  Open 7 days a week, their offerings include breakfast and lunch sandwiches, pastries, coffees, teas, cold drinks, smoothies and salads.

Place your order at the counter where you'll see the menu on a wall blackboard.

Pastries are arrayed in a glass case.

Service is friendly, but don't take too long because there probably will be a line forming behind you.  This place is popular.  People seem to filter in and out constantly.

Once you've placed you order, you can sit at one of the tables.  There were only a few available when we got there at about 9AM today.  Since most people object to being photographed by a stranger, I didn't snap a picture of the dining area.  It's cozy, but tables are understandably small.  This is a coffee shop, after all, not a full-fledged restaurant, so small tables are part of the territory.

Also typical of coffee houses is a "living room" area with comfortable upholstered furniture where someone can enjoy a cup of joe with a newspaper or laptop.  A gentleman was using his laptop in the "living room" area, so I carefully shot a photo of part of the area, leaving him out.

Since breakfast offerings are limited, Guy and I ordered the same: Sausage, egg and cheese sandwich on a toasted basil tomato bun and a cup of decaf.  The black coffees are given to you at the register in paper cups.  If you want milk, half and half, creamer or sugar, take your cup to the beverage counter.

When our sandwiches were ready, they were called out.  There are no numbers given, so you really have to pay attention.  No frills here, just a sandwich on a plate.

The toasted basil tomato buns were delicious, the sausage was fresh tasting, not greasy, nicely cooked, and the cheese was temptingly melted over the egg.  The coffees were typical of coffee shop java which is stronger than average.  Port City's decaf is not like Starbucks though, which is so strong I can't drink it.  I found my decaf enjoyable, but Guy could not finish his, stating it was just too strong.  The breakfast sandwiches were $3.30 each, and the coffees were $1.70 each.  

If I were young, or not carb conscious, I would love this place.  The casual atmosphere and good dollar value are definite draws.  But I'm old and watching my carbs like crazy.  Though the bun was delicious and I wanted to eat it, I discarded most of it, thanks to good willpower.   I like my breakfast served at a bigger table, on a plate with fork and knife.  And I like my coffee in a ceramic mug.  That being said, I have no doubt that Port City Java will be in business for a long time to come.  

BREAKFAST AT THE BAKER'S SQUARE

The Baker's Square, 227 Middle Street, New Bern, (252) 637-0304, has been serving family-style food for over 20 years.  As the sign says, it's a restaurant and a bakery.  Fresh homemade breads, cookies, cinnamon and pecan rolls and pies are a big draw here.  Located in New Bern's historic downtown area, the restaurant is open Monday through Wednesday 7AM - 230PM, and Thursday through Saturday 7AM - 8PM.     

The inside of the restaurant is very casual, with a homey appeal.  

There was no line when we entered at 9:30 AM today (Thursday).  On Saturday mornings you had best get there early if you want to get seated.  This place is hugely popular, especially at breakfast time.  Now that I've visited, I see why.  Prices are good, and then there's that fresh-baked bread.  

Guy ordered The Suburban (Toast, hashbrowns, 2 eggs, sausage).  But -- get this -- $6.95 even includes coffee. There's plenty on the menu to choose from, including omelets.

But everything was either two eggs or three eggs.  I asked the server if I could order just one egg.  I mean, is there anyone left in the world except me who eats only one egg at breakfast?  He said that would be no problem.  Then I timidly asked if I could possibly have the egg poached.  No problem.  I was excited.  There aren't very many places in New Bern that will poach your eggs.  Christoph's at the Hilton, IHOP, and now The Baker's Square.  So my order was 1 poached egg, 1 slice of wheat toast.  


My excitement was short lived.  Though my egg was good, even though it was sitting in a pool of water, it had the company of egg #2, which I didn't order.  The server assured me that I wouldn't be paying for it, but we all know that every customer pays for waste.  Two huge pieces of toast arrived, of which I could only eat about 1/4 of one piece.  Really, who could eat two extra-large slices of 1" thick bread?  Do people really eat like this, or do they just want it to look like they are giving you a lot for your money?   

Hubby Guy has already been here once and wasn't crazy about the place.  Last time he ordered bacon.  This time he ordered sausage and was really annoyed when it came very dry and overcooked.  He says they are serving what is left from yesterday.

I was disappointed that no one came to our table to ask if everything was okay -- they were busy seating new walk-ins.  If someone had come, we would have asked for fresh sausage. 

Nothing is greasy in this place, though, and that's a plus.  The hashbrowns are not true hashbrowns.  They are really good.  Outside is tender-crisp, and inside is light and fluffy, which makes me guess that the potatoes were pre-cooked and then deep fried at point of order.   Not a bit greasy either.  Eggs were also cooked nicely and the bread is absolutely delicious.


If only that sausage hadn't been overcooked.  I tasted it.  It had a nice flavor, it was just so dry.  I don't blame Guy for not eating it.

The acoustics here could use some fixing.  Conversations three tables away floated over our table.  Guy said the last time he was here the place was full, and some crying children were upsetting his meal.  (Neither of us has anything against kids, but it's like being on a plane and listening to a child scream for two hours.  It does start to get to you.)  We were finished eating, and still no one came to our table.  We waited a bit, then finally went up to the register to see if we could pay.  Maybe that's the system, though no one informed us. 

Anyway, the counter person asked if everything was okay, and my hubby told him the sausage was terrible.  He asked if he could give him a cookie to take home.  My hubby declined and paid the bill.  I'm wondering when we are going to stop paying for food we can't eat.  The entire bill was only $10.95 plus tip, so there's not much to complain about I guess.  Before we gave our credit card, again we were asked, "Wouldn't you like to take some cookies home, or some cinnamon rolls?"

Would I go back?  Well, that depends.  If Christoph's and IHOP are closed and I really don't feel like cooking, the answer would be yes.

LUNCH AT CIRCA 81, MOREHEAD CITY

Circa 81, 4650 Arendell Street, Morehead City, 252-648-8300, is a small tapas restaurant.  Inside is done nicely, with booths on one side of the left wall surrounded by tables.

 A very nice bar is on the other side of a partition.  We sat in a booth.  Service was friendly and fairly quick, but the restaurant was not overly busy.

The menu is divided into "small plates," including soups, salads and tapas; "medium plates,"which are sandwiches served with a choice of side; and "large plates," which are mostly dinner fare.  The inside atmosphere borders on formal dining, but the menu items are somewhat mixed.

Guy ordered the special (soup and half sandwich for $7.99).  He chose clam chowder for his soup and the Circa 81 Club with roast beef.

He said the soup was good and the sandwich was okay, but he removed the bacon because it was tough and inedible.

I ordered from the small plate menu:  crab cake made with jumbo lumb crab, served with Wasabi aioli and grilled pineapple relish for $7.99.

The crab cake, which was fried, had good flavor, very little filler and a very creamy interior, so I suspect it was deep fried.  I was disappointed that the crab meat was flattened, so I'm guessing it may have been done in a machine.  If the menu had not stated "jumbo lump crab meat," I would not have known.  The pineapple relish was nice, as was the Wasabi aioli.  I enjoyed eating this lunch.  For my small tummy, it was a perfect amount.  I try to avoid breads and usually pick them off a sandwich, so I was happy to not have to deal with that.

Our bill, including one bottle of beer, came to $20.45 plus tip.  I would return to Circa 81, but Guy did not like it.  He felt it was stuffy and geared to snobs and he didn't like the menu items.  Interestingly, there were similar comments from other customers on Trip Advisor.  My advice to readers is to give it a try.  You can see their menu items by clicking on the link at the beginning of this post.

SLOW-COOKER BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

I love our New Bern Farmer's Market.  Okay, I admit that it's small with not many vendors, and it's only open on Saturdays.  But for the size of our city, I'm just happy that we have quality local farm products available.  And, amazingly, we have not one, but two, sustainable farms that sell grass-fed animal products:  Rainbow Meadow Farms and Nooherooka, both in Snow Hill.

I bought 2 lovely lamb shanks from Snow Hill Farms during my last visit to the Farmer's Market.  Their products come frozen and shrink wrapped, ready to be put back into the freezer or thawed and cooked.  Having never cooked lamb shanks, I was in need of a good recipe, one that would use a crock pot.   Your slow cooker is your friend when you cook grass-fed meats, because they contain less fat and tend to be not as tender as corn- or grain-fed meats.  The trade off here is that grass-fed meats are more healthful and actually contain Omega 3's.  The meats we buy from grocery stores contain inflammatory Omega 6's that contribute to many degenerative diseases.

I decided to use a recipe from Williams-Sonoma.  Their recipes are always good, and I liked the list of ingredients.  My changes were minimal:  I added parsnips and mushrooms.  My hubby, not impressed with grass-fed meat, was not interested, so I froze the leftovers in small containers for my future meals.  The recipe below make a wonderful gravy that you can use over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.  But I opted to puree some butternut squash that was cooked with sauteed onions, garlic, celery, curry powder, salt and pepper.  I placed some of the mushrooms from the slow cooker on the squash puree.  This was a most delightful meal, one that I'm going to be enjoying several times.  The meat was fall-apart tender and succulent, and squash puree and mushrooms were a perfect accompaniment.  And, P. S, if you don't want to buy grass-fed lamb shanks, you can use lamb shanks from the grocery store to make this.  Or beef or veal shanks for that matter.

Slow-Cooker Braised Lamb Shanks (adapted from Williams Sonoma)
Bear Rating:  9 out of 10
Click for PRINTABLE PAGE


INGREDIENTS:  1/2 medium onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
6 oz.whole mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup chicken broth or stock
1/2 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 small bay leaf
2 lamb shanks, about 1 lb. each
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup drinking quality dry red wine

Combine onion, celery, carrot, parsnip, mushrooms, garlic, broth, tomatoes, paste, thyme and bay leaf in crock pot.  Stir to mix.  Season lamb with salt and pepper.  In a heavy pan large enough to fit the shanks, heat the oil until nearly smoking.  Add shanks and brown on all sides, about 7-8 minutes total.  Transfer to crock pot.  Remove saute pan from heat, pour in wine and return to medium-high heat.  Bring to simmer, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from pan bottom.  Pour this liquid and any scraped up bits into the crock pot, cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, then on low for about 2 additional hours, or till meat is very tender.  Transfer shanks (which should be falling apart by now) to serving dish.  Remove bay leaf from pot and puree liquids using an immersion blender or a regular blender.  Pour some sauce over shanks and pass the rest alongside.  Yield:  3-4 servings
Accompaniments:  Mashed potatoes, buttered parsley noodles, rice, pureed butternut squash.

BREAKFAST AT CAROLINA BAGEL CO. AND DELI

Bagels Plus, across from the Post Office on Glenburnie Road, used to be the place to go in New Bern.  Great food, fast service, fresh bagels and delicious baked goods drew in the crowds day after day until their unexpected closing due to the owner's death.  The crowd shifted to Carolina Bagel, just down the road a bit, where a repeat performance was going on.

Specials are posted on a board that greets you upon entering.

Freshly baked muffins and other pastries peek out from a glass case to entice you.

And then, of course, there are those bagels.  So many different kinds of bagels, all delicious.

The shop is small, but they've made good use of the limited space by using small, but adequate, tables.

And, just like Bagels Plus used to, Carolina Bagel draws them in, day after day.  The working crowd, the retired crowd -- they all come here to get the reasonably priced eats.

We decided to try breakfast.  Though I wanted to sink my teeth into a luscious  muffin, I was a good pre-diabetic and ordered 1 egg with whole-wheat toast, plus a cup of decaf.

Guy ordered the Carolina Breakfast with over-easy eggs, home fries, ham, white toast and tomato juice.

Our table wobbled annoyingly, and my coffee spilled.  Luckily, the server brings refills so that you never have to worry about running out of joe.  It's just straight coffee, no gourmet blends, but it's hot and it's good.  Not too weak, not too strong, just the way I like it.  How delighted I was to see an egg arrive with no grease!

Guy said his eggs were cooked perfectly, the ham was good and not too thin, but he didn't like his potatoes.
They were overcooked, not hot and just not tasty.

Interestingly, Carolina Bagel uses ceramic cups for their coffee and regular plates, but plastic forks and knives.  It wasn't a bad breakfast, but there were some issues:  a wobbly table, home fries that were inedible and plastic forks and knives.

For folks in a hurry, this could be a good choice.  Definitely for those who eat high-carb foods, this is a good choice.  But for folks like us, who are looking for a specific breakfast, this is not a good choice.   Guy has to have his spuds, and we want to eat on regular plates with regular forks and knives.  But there's no denying that the price is right:  $10.51 for two breakfasts is not bad.  And, regardless of what we think, people will keep right on coming to Carolina Bagel to get more of what they're serving up.

BREAKFAST AT KITCHEN ON THE TRENT

The Kitchen on Trent is not new.  When it first opened several years ago, the place was swamped with customers who loved the cafe theme.  It was so popular that the owner expanded when the adjacent commercial unit was available.

This is a no-frills small cafe-style restaurant with great prices.  Carb lovers will delight in the freshly-baked muffins, cookies, scones and other pastries.  Teas and gourmet coffees are available at a self-serve station, and you can order breakfast, lunch or dinner during  the appropriate hours, Monday through Friday.  Saturday hours are 8am - 2pm for breakfast and lunch only.

It's been a long time since I visited KOT, so hubby and I decided to have breakfast there.  We placed our order at the counter, and I asked for 1 egg over easy with bacon and whole wheat toast.  (I wanted soft-boiled or poached, but that's not an option at KOT.)  The counter person informed me that they were out of whole wheat toast but they had light wheat.  I asked for a glass of water with my breakfast and was told it would be brought to me.  Hubby asked for 2 eggs over easy, ham and potatoes, but was told there were no potatoes.

We went to the self-serve bar to get our coffees.  I got the hazelnut cinnamon, and hubby got a house blend.  The coffee was steaming hot, but only available in paper cups.  The cups were large, but KOT calls them small and charges $1.63 per cup, a fair price for gourmet blends.  These blends are not like Starbucks coffee, more like McDonald's, which I particularly like -- not too strong, not too weak, just right for me.  We loved the coffee, but not the paper cups.

We sat at one of the small tables to wait for our meal.

Our breakfast came to the table in a reasonable amount of time.  Thankfully, several napkins were on the table, so I could sop up the grease from my plate.  We were surprised that a beautiful fruit cup came with the breakfast.  What a bargain for $3.71.  Unfortunately, my water never arrived.

Hubby was already not happy because he wanted his spuds, and he was even more discontented with the thinly sliced ham.  He wanted a real slice of ham.  I mean, really, what do you expect for $3.71 anyway?  There's a lot of food here.  Maybe it's not perfect, but where can you go in New Bern to get a full breakfast like this for $3.71?

Our entire bill came to $11.50.  Now, truthfully, we're not going back.  It's because we're hopeless food snobs.  I want my eggs poached or soft boiled, I don't like sopping up grease from my plate, and I hate coffee in paper cups.  Guy wants a thick slice of ham and he wants his potatoes. We'll pay more to get what we want.  But for others who may not be as snobby and don't want to pay the prices at the Hilton (my top breakfast-place pick) or at IHOP, Kitchen on Trent is a good choice.  You can also order omelets, French toast, oatmeal or sweet potato pancakes.

There's not a lot of atmosphere here -- it's a spread out diner without a sit-down counter.  There's no view, and the food is not gourmet.  Still, for the right people, this could be a top pick for breakfast.