King's Sandwich Shop recognized for having a special place in Durham's heart

"McDermott has watched four generations of family pose for a photo in front of the King's sign. He's seen an elderly woman run her hand along the old wooden counter top and say, 'I know I was grown up when I could see over this.' "

—"King's Sandwich Shop" JP Trostle, Our State

Our State Features Durham Food Trucks

"Do the stripes on this converted mini school bus look familiar? But of course: They’re the pink, cream, and brown of that brick of Neapolitan ice cream you ate as a child. Owners Vanessa Mazuz and her husband, Yoni, serve up seasonal specialty flavors, as well, like sweet corn with berry swirl in the summer, and butternut squash come autumn. Everything in your cone or in your dish is made from scratch, including sundae toppings."

—"Photo Essay: Keep on Truckin’" Staff, Our State

Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club recognized for its maximum luxury

"Arriving at Durham’s Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club feels like the end of a fairy tale, or maybe a game of “Dungeons & Dragons”: If you make it safely through the (Duke) forest, you are greeted at the castle’s entrance by a pair of alabaster lions, friendly ones. They wear wreaths around their necks; a small child is climbing on the back of one of them. Smiling valets usher you inside, where you will enjoy meat and grog."

— "Guests Get The Royal Treatment at The Washington Duke Inn" Wendy Brenner, Our State

Picnic recognized as urban BBQ with small town tradition

“It’s [the menu] a bit overwhelming. Dickson chuckles when I tell him that if it’s OK, I might stick to the pulled pork sandwich and the hush puppies and maybe the creamy mac and cheese. But the menu, he points out, includes Brunswick stew. The description right below it has two words only, and it is the perfect embodiment of this entire barbecue-gone-country-gone-city phenomenon. It says, simply, Old-school!”

- "Country Hog, City Hog" Adam Lucus, Our State

Urban Ministries of Durham featured in Our State

"The crowd forming for UMD’s Community Café, or cafeteria, in no way resembles the way folks in a stereotypical free-meal line are often depicted. There are those who seem clearly gainfully employed, coming off a shift where scrubs are worn, or perhaps heading to a work site where steel-toe boots are required. For every threadbare tee and pair of stained pants, there is an equal number of belted slacks and button-down shirts. Patrons are of every color and every age, each with a unique set of circumstances that brought them to UMD. It makes no difference why they’re here to the staff and volunteers who have put together enough food to feed 250. No one will ask questions or make them justify their place in line."

—"A Daily Slice of Life at Urban Ministries of Durham" Elizabeth Shestak, Our State

Yamazushi featured in Our State

"You'll marvel at such jewels as chestnut rice with Japanese pickles, thinly sliced scallops fried with a crunchy rice cracker coating, or soft shell crab with green tea salt. But you'll get more than a meal."

— "Yamazushi" Debbie Moose, Our State

Alley Twenty-Six featured in Our State

"Durham is the South in a to-go box. Everything bright and beautiful and dark and dirty about this gritty and glorious ecosystem we call home is right here — our past, present, and future — everything from tobacco to slavery to the Civil War, to the demise of thriving industries, to the growth of our cities and the subsequent flight from them and our eventual return. All of it, everything, is here."

—"The Brightest Alley in Durham" Daniel Wallace,  Our State

Our State features a new spin on traditional apple doughnuts with cider from Bull City Ciderworks

"Put a spin on the traditional apple doughnut by using hard cider from Durham-based Bull City Ciderworks as an ingredient."

—"Apple Cider Doughnuts". Elena Rosemond-Hoerr, Our State

Our State Recommends Piedmont

"Sustainability is what’s key to Piedmont’s executive chef Greg Gettles. Gettles will certainly have his pick of vegetables to work with this summer. The owners of Piedmont, Richard Holcomb and Jamie DeMent, also own Coon Rock Farm on the Eno River, which has more than 10 acres of gardens, orchards, and ponds."

—"6 Farm-to-Table Restaurants to Try This Summer," Katie Quine, Our State

Our State Features Durham Letterpress Designers

"A trio of Durham printers finds satisfaction in — and a new demand for — the original methods of a 500-year-old craft."

—"The Art of Letterpress Finds a Home in Durham," Iza Wojciechowska, Our State

Our State features the Duke Lemur Center

"In its near 50 years of operation, the Duke Lemur Center has not only become a haven to the world’s most endangered mammal, but it is also a place where the public can learn the importance of an animal they might’ve not known a whole lot about the day before."

—"Duke Lemur Center Educates and Entertains" by Katie Quine, Our State

Our State Highlights Durham Sandwiches

Our State Magazine highlighted the Fried Catfish Sandwich from Saltbox Seafood Joint, the Grilled Cheese from American Meltdown in its Southern Sandwich Travel Guide.

Our State Profiles Bull City Ciderworks

"The story of this urban cidery involves two visionary North Carolina companies, Bull City Ciderworks and Perry Lowe Orchards, working together to bring hard cider to the Triangle."

—"Bull City Ciderworks," Kristen Baughman, Our State

Our State Finds Honeysuckle Treat in Durham

Our State Magazine asked, "How Do You Take Your Honeysuckle," recommended the Honeysuckle treat "Sweet Child o' Mine" at Scratch Bakery in Durham.

Our State Features Ponysaurus Brewing

"The brewery’s name is a wild portmanteau of “pony” and “dinosaur,” and founder Keil Jansen’s whimsy and inventiveness result in great beer, like Biere de Garde..."

"Photos: North Carolina Brewers Guild," Travis Dove, Our State, July, 2014

Our State Enjoys Durham's Saltbox Seafood Shack

"But it’s not the press or even the word of mouth that keeps people coming back. The draw is simple: It’s the taste and aroma of perfectly cooked, imaginatively seasoned, impeccably fresh fish."

"The Inland Seafood Shack," Jill Warren Lucas, Our State, May, 2014