sandhillsDig.com - Pinehurst, Aberdeen, Southern Pines - Golf, Events, Restaurants, Shops, Concerts

The Sly Fox

Yesterday, we lunched on chicken and manchego croquettes with roasted red pepper coulis and shepherd’s pie at what will soon be The Sly Fox in Southern Pines.  sandhillsDig.com was fortunate to be “in the way” as owner, Chef Mark Elliott, Sly Fox Executive Chef Dan Piotrowicz and General Manager Andy Heisinger tested out some of their latest pub fare twists on innocent bystanders (landscapers, construction workers, etc.) But no one complained. We were also able to get some answers to the questions everyone has been asking...

Where is this new restaurant located?

The Sunrise Theater is offering sandhillsDig.com subscribers the opportunity to WIN 4 FREE ENCORE TICKETS good at  at any of the remaining 3 shows listed below.  To be entered to win, all you have to do is subscribe to receive our email updates.  We'll keep you current with what is going on locally in the Sandhills - restaurants, shopping, movies, events & more.

Live in HD Metropolitan Opera Encores:

Hamlet, Wednesday, April 7 at 6 pm

Simon Keenlyside in the title role with Natalie Dessay as Ophelia

It looks like more rain is on the way and nothing cures a rainy day like a good time out with friends. The sandhillsDig.com suggestion for tonight?  Dinner with friends at your favorite local restaurant and then head over to The Jefferson Inn in downtown Southern Pines to hear the amazingly talented, up-and-coming band Old Avenue.

Old Avenue has been causing a stir in Raleigh (they recently opened for the Embers at North Hills) and have set out on tour with the release of their cd "Knockin' on Doors."

"With a sound that can only be described as funky, jazzy, infectious grooves that will make you dance, with melodies that were meant for sing alongs, Old Avenue is the essence of the upbeat happy tunes we've all been missing..." 

Old Avenue will be playing from 9pm - 1am.  Just what we need to cure these rainy day blues.

The house is finally cleaned up from the holidays and I just couldn’t bring myself to get the cutting boards, pots, pans and dishes back out. Exhausted from getting the house this way and with no energy to fix up and go out (Fix up? Yes, you can’t go out looking too bad in the Sandhills as you are always guaranteed to see 5+ people that you know!). 

My mother-in-law, Carolyn, taught me an important method for exactly this type of evening. Call your husband shortly before he gets off work and say, “Well, what would you like for dinner tonight?” And after he replies, you simply say: “Sounds great, just pick it up on your way home!” Thanks mom. No cooking, cleaning or make-up tonight.

We like to see all of our options before we decide. Check out the sandhillsDig.com restaurant guide to help you make your dine in or take out choices.

Tonight’s take out choice = Vito’s Ristorante & Pizzeria
• One large “Vito’s Special” pizza
• Salads with creamy Italian dressing (also good for dipping your pizza crusts)

sandhillsDig.com wants to wish all a happy and joyous 2010.  May this new year be prosperous to our local restaurants, shops, businesses & full of blessings to our community.  Enjoy your black-eyed peas and bring it on 2010!

Going over my list this week (& checking it twice) I realized that with all the Christmas and New Year's celebrations ahead that I needed to go see Tad at Uncorked to stock up on a holiday selection of wine & champagne.  Located off Linden Road beside Elliotts in Pinehurst, Uncorked offers customers the opportunity to sample wines before you buy.  Too long of a "to do" list?  Uncorked even does home delivery within the Sandhills.  Here are some more facts sandhillsDig.com has learned about Uncorked:

• Over 200 wines & 100 different beers to choose from
• They can special order any wine
• 90% of their wine & beer labels you won't find anywhere else in the Sandhills

Check out these upcoming events at Uncorked:

Last Minute Shoppers (Free tasting) - Saturday Dec. 19th - Noon to 4pm - All wines will be 10% off, 15% off all case purchases.  Santa says you may mix and match.  Call 910.295.3663 for the details.

I had the whole thing planned out, Wes and I would go back to Italy this year to celebrate our engagement there 7 years ago. We’d fly to Rome, train to Florence, then the coast, Cinque Terre, rent a car…but I’ve been unable to find that perfectly priced pair of airline tickets and the value of the dollar isn’t helping much either…

In the meantime, I’m getting my Italian gelato fix here in Southern Pines at Henry's. When I walk in and see those colorful mounds of authentic Italian gelato, I’m transported back to my favorite Florentine gelato joint near the Palazzo Vecchio.

Word has it that the owner’s of Henry’s traveled to over 50 countries to bring a wide range of flavors and recipes here to the Sandhills. The best part about Henry’s is that although you can only fit one or two flavors in a cup, you can sample as many as you’d like.

My favorite flavor (this month) is pumpkin spice.  What's yours?  Tell sandhillsDig.com readers.

Positano, Italy, 2002

In preparation for some out-of-town guests (when you move back to Pinehurst and everyone wants to come and visit!) we decided some of our area rugs needed cleaning. Where do you go to get an area rug cleaned? After a few phone calls, we found Victor at Neighborhood Cleaners on Hwy 5 (next to Sandhills Bowling Center). His dry cleaning business not only takes care of your clothing, outerwear, linens and bedding but also cleans area rugs. Victor will give you a quote based on size and thickness of the rug and the cleaning takes about a week.  Neighborhood Cleaners continues to impress us with their friendliness and customer service.

Got a question about where to go for something in the Sandhills? Let sandhillsDig.com investigate for you.

Recently we noticed our water developed an odd smell. Our dishes smelled terrible after going through a cycle in the dishwasher and we couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. Yes, this was bad news but I knew whose number I needed to pull up on my Blackberry. I quickly called Ray's Plumbing Service in Aberdeen. “Boz” and the team from Ray's was able to come that day, diagnose the problem (an old and faulty water heater) and got my water supply back to normal...clean and odor free. From toilets, to tubs, to leaky pipes, family-owned Ray's Plumbing has been servicing the Sandhills for over 30 years and always focuses on satisfying its customers – that gets a thumbs up from sandhillsDig.com!