Dining in Durham

I had just been lamenting how food-bored I was in Durham when Alivia's Durham Bistro showed up. You couldn't ask for a more convenient location: Alivia's is right next to Devine's and directly across the street from Satisfaction's. Aesthetically, the place is absolutely adorable-warm wooden paneling, an open kitchen, comfortable booths, and a laid-back atmosphere that belies its sophisticated menu. A chalkboard above the bar broadcasts the daily drink specials as well as a formidable list of doctored coffee drinks. (Read: coffee with alcohol. Yum.) The ceilings are high, the lighting is great, and there's plenty of outdoor seating for the summer months. Alivia's is a fun new alternative to the Main Street staples.

I had been to Alivia's bar before, as it's one of the only places around here whose kitchen stays open until 2 a.m. And as far as late-night bar food goes, Alivia's has some of the best: Corn fritters and empanadas stood out as welcome departures from the usual pizza-and-fries fare. (But late-night snacker beware: Alivia's "bar food" portions are totally tiny. The last night I went, a $7 portion of fish and chips consisted of two strips of fish and about five individual French fries.)

The Alivia's dinner experience is completely different. For one thing, it's almost impossible to pick what you're going to eat, because everything looks delicious. My friend and I settled on a Romaine salad and a tartlet made with leeks, sweet Vidalia onions and chanterelle mushrooms, but it was a difficult choice. The smoked salmon mousse that the waiter described sounded amazing. A Romaine salad had perfectly crisp lettuce, and a poached egg on top added nicely to the vinegar-based Caesar dressing. The leek, Vidalia onion, and chanterelle mushroom tartlet was delicious, and not too heavy. The arugula salad that came as a side to the tartlet helped to balance the sweetness of the onions.

As far as entrees went, my friend's roasted chicken dish was delicious-despite the prominent piece of hair on the plate. (They profusely apologized and gave us free dessert-a warm, gooey banana bread pudding with caramel sauce that immediately rid me of my prejudice against bread pudding). And my spicy sea scallops with a fennel and chive salad weren't particularly spicy, but they were darned good anyway. Oh, and before I forget-I might be the only person who judges restaurants based on how good the breadbasket is, but in my book, Alivia's warm, slightly salty focaccia wins the Main Street competition hands down.

The service was a little spotty for how expensive the meal ended up being ($70 for two people)-my friend and I were in a bit of a hurry and said as much to our waiter, but he didn't quite take the hint. But the banana bread pudding was totally worth being a little bit late to rehearsal. Good thing Alivia's is so close to campus.