On paper, it sounded like a misstep: a four-in-one concept that included a floral shop, brewery, bookstore, and, if that wasn’t enough, dim sum restaurant. It’s hard enough opening any of those, but four all under one roof? In San Francisco I guess, but Raleigh? I confess I was skeptical.
But halfway through my second beer, a funky, peachy brett saison, I started to believe in whatever this thing was. It wasn’t a concept or even a vision, it was simply an eclectic group of family and friends who decided to open a place together, each bringing their passions to the table. Best of all, it felt like a community center for like-minded locals who value diversity, open-mindedness, and, yes, Cantonese barbecue pork buns.
Sister-and-brother duo Vanvisa and Vansana Nolintha, who own next door’s popular Bida Manda Laotian restaurant, had bonded over tales of food and travel in Laos with a guy named Patrick Woodson, who happened to brew beer. Soon they started to dream of a brewery. Their friend Deana Nguyen could have space for flowers, and there would be a bookstore. And it would be in the space right across the street from the historic Moore Square. And it would be a beautifully designed showstopper like nothing the town had seen before.
They succeeded. Bright, light, and cheery is the only way to describe the design and vibe. Things can get a bit noisy at the marble bar but never out of control—this is an adult crowd that prefers farmhouse ale to Fireball. In the multiple dining areas (I prefer the small café tables and long communal table in the middle room), it’s laid-back with a big-city loft feel and flooded with natural light.
Every meal should start with a beer even if you don’t drink beer. It’s that good, and, who are we kidding, many sour and saison styles, a specialty of Woodson, taste like natural wine anyways. There’s always more than a dozen to choose from, and if you are unsure of what, say, the Grove, a double IPA, or Glean, a mango peppercorn saison, tastes like, ask for a sample; they’ll happily oblige. As for the modern dim sum–style menu, good luck deciding on which dumpling to go with: xiao long bao—a.k.a. soup dumplings—or pork-and-snow-pea-tips shumai or shrimp and corn. You’ll order too much, but that’s okay. Take a deep breath and find the strength to persist because you don’t want to miss the crab fried rice that arrives covered in an egg crepe or the whole Peking duck with textbook crunchy skin and confit-like meat. Before I knew it, I was fat and happy, buying books for my two daughters back in New York and flowers for my wife.
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