By Calie Faulkner
Oak City is known throughout the Triangle for its wide variety of restaurants, bars and entertainment. While there are some that the majority of the public know about, there are those that are tucked away in little areas such as Cameron Village, where Café Carolina is located (401 Daniels Street Raleigh, NC 27605).
Café Carolina is a local restaurant that has been open since 1995. They are open Monday through Saturday from 7 AM until 8 PM. On Sunday, they are open from 8 AM until 6 PM. Upon arriving at this unique place, parking may be a challenge because of local construction, but once you are inside the restaurant there is a feeling of happiness, friendship and appreciation.
The employees are very patient with customers as they come to a final decision of their choices. They give off a warm and friendly vibe that makes people feel welcome the moment they walk into the door.
While placing an order with the cashier, there is a long list of food and drinks on the menu that is written on the board. Listed are the variety of paninis, flatbreads, sandwiches, salads, soups, and bakery items offered, as well as combinations to satisfy customers – for example, soup and salad, or soup and sandwich.
Once the order is placed, there is another line that is towards the entrance where the food will be picked up after the purchased. This is also where drinks and eating utensils, napkins, salt and pepper, and other accommodations can be found. After placing an order there are options of where to sit. There are tables outside with chairs and umbrellas that are great for sunny days. On the inside there are booths with home like cushions for comfort and tables for people that come in with bigger parties.
On this particular day, I ordered the loaded baked potato soup and a salad. I was thoroughly impressed with the taste of the soup. It was the perfect temperature (not too hot) for soup. It had everything that would normally be in a loaded baked potato such as bacon bits, sour crème, cheese, and it was topped with croutons which gave it an extra crunch.
The salad was a house salad which was lettuce, cheese, cucumbers, and croutons with ranch dressing. The salad was chilled and fresh with made it delicious within the first bite and it was the perfect mix to eat with the soup.
A sweet potato biscuit was added as another side to this dish. It was an interesting texture and taste to it. The biscuit had a sweet taste to it that had a sugar like topping that made it taste more like a sweet potato than a regular biscuit.
This café offered a great impression that will last a lifetime. The home like feeling on the inside, the friendly employees, and the delicious food was a great experience.
While there are many restaurants in the Raleigh area, Café Carolina offered an unique feel.