Juniors Bryson Piscitelli and Sean Clayton giving the camera a satisfied look after biting into the classic Gateway Diner special. JACOB TURNER, SEAN CLAYTON, AND BRYSON PISCITELLI
As another holiday season brings tidings of good cheer and gift-giving, The Eagle’s Beak ventured into the Raleigh food scene to give back to the local community. For those not following The Eagle’s Beak Instagram profile (you should), there is a local diner, but five minutes from Enloe’s campus, aptly named the Gateway Diner. One step inside evokes nostalgia and inspires comity—a gateway to the land of biscuits, gravy, and Southern opulence. At the core of this ambiance lays seemingly the most elusive issue of the restaurant business: customer service. In this area, Gateway Diner excels spectacularly relative to its comparables. Need to call ahead and reserve a table or place an order? No problem. Want an extra order of cornsticks, free of charge? They welcome it. And yes, we said cornsticks, a cornbread variant in stick form. While this gastronomic paradise of classic Carolinian cuisine is worth visiting simply for its atmosphere, there remains another crucial component of its appeal: The man and woman at the heart of the diner are perhaps some of the most pleasant people The Eagle’s Beak has been served by to date! The man, Robert, works the register while the woman, Martina, waits tables. They both possess such a raw charisma and sincerity in every encounter. For a restaurant like Gateway that serves its very heart and soul on each plate, The Eagle’s Beak felt obliged to give back to the establishment. One melancholy November afternoon, while striking up a friendly conversation with Robert, the man at the register, it was discovered his birthday was Sunday, December 17th. Robert remarked with a small grin, “Yeah, I don’t get many presents for my birthday anymore.” The Eagle’s Beak, of course, had no choice but to buy him a gift, in the spirit of reciprocity for Robert’s graciousness to Sean Clayton on Sean’s birthday (a superb discount) and of the coming days of holiday celebration. So The Eagle’s Beak ventured one bright and early Friday morning to Gateway Restaurant. We weren't able to make it on Robert’s actual birthday on the previous Sunday, and even still, only Sean and Jacob were able to attend. We ordered positively delightful lunch specials: the daily available special, pulled pork with macaroni and cheese and coleslaw, along with the Friday exclusive, lasagna with mac and cheese and French fries. Unfortunately, the French fries were largely forgettable due to their over-crispiness and lacking flavor, but the lasagna was to die for, particularly for those familiar with the common “sweet marinara” Southern interpretation of Italian dishes. The mac and cheese stood well on its own among the many others The Eagle’s Beak has sampled, combining creaminess and savory-sweetness reminiscent of Velveeta (it could have been!), and the coleslaw was quite vinegar-heavy, but nonetheless palatable. As The Eagle’s Beak devoured our Southern-cooked lunch, Mr. Robert’s gift waited patiently in the car. Then, the meal came to a close, and after retrieving the gift (a practical 30 oz YETI tumbler) from the car, we implored Martina to capture the moment. We approached the always smiling Robert, who seemed immediately wise that something was up, gift in hand and said, “Now Robert, we remembered you saying you didn't get many gifts for your birthday, so we thought we’d get you something.” He remarked, “Are y’all serious?”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
The Eagle's EyeBest of the Nest since 1981 Archives
January 2018
|