Got to Be NC Competition Dining

We really enjoyed the NC Competition Dining and can’t wait to go again. It is a truly unique experience dining experience at a fantastic price point.
Things you should know before you go:
You will be seated at tables of 10 and the room is packed tight. This is not a romantic, six course dinner for two. It is like attending a wedding with really good food where you don’t know anyone else. But, you are all there because you love really good food and that gives you so much to talk about. We had a great time with the folks at our table and it appeared everyone around us did too.
You will eat late on a school night. The first course starts at around 7:30pm and finishes up around 10pm. It’s just the nature of the event. Thankfully there’s spacing between each course.
Each table has a server and the service is excellent. A full bar and local brewers and spirit drink specials are available throughout your meal.
It is busy. There are a lot of people in the room, an MC introducing chefs and sponsors. Others have complained that it is very heavy on sponsorship and we agree, but if that’s what it takes to pull off this fun event, it is fine with us!
You will have no idea what you will be eating until you get there, so if you are picky, vegetarian or vegan, this is probably not the event for you. If you love trying new, super creative flavor pairings, you will love Competition Dining.
You will use your smart phone to judge each course. You will download an app (there’s an IT guy circling the room to help) and go from there. The app is very user friendly and allows you to take screen shots of the ingredients so you can remember dishes later.
Get tickets early– it sells out!

First off, I have to thank Unilocal for these tickets! This isn’t an event i’d usually attend (because of the price) but I am sooooo glad I was able to!
Got To Be NC Competition Dining has a huge following in the Triangle and i’ve heard great things about it from the people I work with so I was very excited and nervous going in. They don’t tell you the secret ingredient of the night until you get there so I was crossing my fingers that it wouldn’t be carrots or chocolate (I know, what kind of freak doesn’t like chocolate! Me. I’m so weird) —
Well guess what. The secret ingredient was chocolate… Though more specifically it was cocoa nibs; the bitter flakes that chocolate comes from… It’s like the reject icky cousin of what we know as chocolate. Needless to say I was more than a little worried I wouldn’t have a dish I liked. Fortunately those chefs in the back worked some major magic and somehow incorporated those nibs into every dish pretty much flawlessly. The only dish I could even taste chocolate in was the desserts which may have not been the point of the competition (after all one of the judging points is how well the nibs were used in the dish) but amazing luck for me!
Service during this event was perfect, there were wait staff circling the room to full glasses before they were empty and to office another beverage or clean utensil. They were so eager to provide good service that one of the waitresses accidentally took my plate while I still had a few bites left (granted I was looking down at my phone, voting on my meal). Despite this I was extremely happy with the service!
My only complaints about this event (other than you better not be a vegetarian!) were that the tables are extremely crowded with ten seats around and that the event is VERY commercialized. Everything has a sponsor and they have to name them off several times through the night. It interrupted our conversations and seemed sorta intrusive and annoying near the end. If you can ignore those two issues (which come with events this popular) I am sure you will have an amazing time with this dining experience!

I went to Final Fire last night and it was awesome as always. Though the tables can be a little crowded (that’s why 4 out of five), the food is always spectacular and the service and facilitators of the event are so nice. It makes for a fantastic date night or night out with friends! We can’t wait to go to the next one!!!

A year ago, had I updated my review, I would have changed my rating to 4-​stars, due to the excessive commercialization of the event. Where there is still a lot of that going on, I am happy to say that it is better done than it was a year ago.
Sis and I went to Monday night’s Oxford vs. City Kitchen battle of Peaches and Blackberries. As always, we didn’t get to find out the secret ingredients until right before we started tasting them. In our case, the first plate was served around 7:33 pm. So this event is not for early diners! We were out of there around 10:00, having just finished up six courses (two of which were desserts). Also not for those who can’t handle lots of rich food that late at night. I do wish it would start an hour earlier!
Be advised that this event is not for picky folks (you must be willing and able to try anything and everything because the secret ingredient could be ANYthing), and it is NOT for vegetarians. This night alone we had quail, venison and pork.
As always, the service is outstanding. This event is not inexpensive, but when you factor in the quality, quantity, and over-​all experience, it is well worth it. (also makes a great gift… we have given this as birthday presents and it’s been a hit).
Do know that these events sell out, some more quickly than others, so be watchful and buy quickly when one sounds good to you.
Have to give big kudos to the CHEFS who make this event happen… I applaud all of you and your teams who work so hard and give so much. It is an HONOR to be able to experience such talent. It is always extra fun to go to their restaurants after experiencing their work in this realm.
TIP: GO to one of these events… what an enjoyable event where you can expect the unexpected, AND get to judge it!

Always a fun adventure in tasting all six courses. Great service and lively crowd. The seating was a little more crowded this year with 10 people per table instead of a more comfortable 8. Come give it a try and you’re sure to have a good time.

We attended one of the semi-​final rounds for Fire in the Triangle 2013, which pitted Market against Midtown. The secret ingredients were pork and elderberries — score!!! I was a little worried when I saw the one that had Krispy Kreme donuts and coffee, but there was a lot of cheering when the ingredients were announced last night.
1705 Prime is a great location for the event, although the bar area got really crowded before dinner and even though there were 4 bartenders, they had a hard time keeping up. I was disappointed that there was no champagne available in the bar, but at least they had a full bar. The wine selections for the evening were also very limited which was a little disappointing.
The dining room was set up very nicely and the servers that we had were fantastic. We tried to get our server to spill on the secret ingredients but she was very tight lipped other than saying she thought we’d be happy. Apparently they had a leak in one of the early rounds and it wasn’t well received!
The food was fabulous. The only thing I didn’t really like was the sweet potato cinnabon. It sounded like it would be awesome, but it was just too thick and dense. The standout dish of the night was a pork bolognese with country ham gnocchi and a poached egg on top! YUM. The first runner up was pork belly with an elderberry BBQ sauce, peanut sauce and crispy prosciutto on top. Both of those were prepared by the chef from Midtown who won the competition.
My main complaint was that the em-​ceeing was too much. There was a ton of advertising and just a lot of chatter that wasn’t needed. Over all though, this was a really fun event and I will go again.

4.5 stars for the finale event; but I’m rounding up given the novelty of this series, and it’s inaugural appearance in the Triangle. I can tell you I’m certainly looking forward to next year; and also strongly considering attending one of the Triad competitions.
Firstly, the logistics; and then the food. So much about this contest has been fine-​tuned (over years past, held in other NC regions) that, for the most part, it runs really smoothly! The few things that bothered me were that when I purchased tickets online, I didn’t receive an email confirmation; similarly, there was no reminder email with date/​time/​dress code/​location, so you had to search for that info on the website. We also didn’t start on time, since a few folks were stuck in accident traffic on 40. It was nice of the host to wait for them, and we had bread at the table in the meantime. Everything else was handled pretty perfectly — from check-​in, to video production, to soundtracks (think Rocky theme songs, complete with training montages!). Also the voting app is fab, and real-​time results are immediate!
1705 Prime is a great location for this event. The bar and lounge make a nice cocktail hour before seating time. The dining room is comfortable with tables seating six. And the staff was efficient with clearing plates and getting drinks. However, they bussed my silverware with each plate and failed to bring new utensils. On my third course, I asked if I could get a new fork, and the gal delivering my plate told me it was a «spoon dish.» It was pork shoulder. I attempted to eat it with a spoon, but had to give up; flagged another server who brought me a fork and knife. After that course was over, the server seemed to take notice of our table’s depleting utensils and took care of replenishing them before needed.
The food… the finale was between Herons and Weathervane. I was really excited about the match-​up. Then we learned that there would be not one, but two secret ingredients: chocolate and grits. These are tough ingredients! And many of the dishes produced had pronounced chocolate and a not-​so-​creative use of grits, so that our table-​mates actually grew verbally weary of the cuisine. Surprising too, there was no use of vegetables! So the first four courses were all meat and grits. I did enjoy taking in the many facets of each plate (the aroma, presentation, use of secret ingredient, and so on). And was certainly impressed with some of the offerings, and full after finishing them all. Although for the finale, I think frankly, I was expecting a bit more pizzazz. Standouts for me were the housemade sausage, served with grits and crumbled cheese. Also the petit filet, with white chocolate-​sweetened grits and a plate dotted with a citrus syrup. Couldn’t taste the supposed cocoa rub on the filet, but the other flavors came across beautifully.
All in all, I truly enjoyed myself, and found it to be a unique and engaging experience. One that I would definitely repeat! Not knowing the secret ingredient or – in the final rounds — the competing chefs at your point of purchase, really only makes the Russian Roulette of it all more exciting.

If you love food, and all of the shows on TV about food, this is the event to attend in the Triangle. When the best compete with unknown ingredients, they get to face off in a challenge that you help decide the winner of.
We decided to try the final battle between Herrons and the Weathervane. Secret ingredients were «grits and chocolate». A six course meal followed where you used your smart phone to judge such things as appearance, aroma, taste, etc.
What fun for a true foodie!
Lots of discussions at each table and it was very interesting to compare notes with people eating the same thing. I truly believe we will attend something like this again.
This is a well put together event, and a truly unique experience to our area.
The winner I won’t reveal (Look it up!) received a red chef jacket and a $ 2000 check and of course bragging rights.
I believe there is going to be an upcoming one in Greensboro for that area, if you missed this event.
Plan on a special and fun night, bring friends and family, taste, discuss and vote!

Fire in the Triangle is a fantastic event! I went to last night’s Heron’s vs 518 West showdown, where corn was the secret ingredient. It was even better than I had hoped. First class experience. My only disappointment is I don’t have tickets to the remaining Triangle challenges. Seriously contemplating the 3 hour round trip to Greensboro for «Fire in the Triad» in Aug/​Sept. Rumor has it, the final 4 winners from Fire on the Rock, on the Dock, in the Triangle and in the Triad will face off. Count me in if that happens!

We’ve been looking forward to this event for weeks and Ron and Lori’s reviews added to our excitement!
They are right on every count. The event was incredibly well organized and professionally run. Major kudos to Jimmy Crippen for his efforts to run this event and bring it to us.
The chefs were Serge Falcoz-​Vigne of 518 West, Raleigh and John Childers Herons, Cary and the secret ingredient was corn. They prepared some spectacular dishes. Rather than listing them all, I’ll just send you to the results page and you can see the great food for yourself.
I have to say that I thought it was a bargain at $ 49 a person. As Lori mentioned, if you don’t yet have tickets you are out of luck. However, they are coming to the Triad in August/​September. I think it will be worth the drive!

An awesome cooking and dining experience, the Fire in the Triangle series will hopefully become a yearly occurrence. Hit up the Sono vs. Flights competition last week and all I can say is that it’s a first class event. From the choice of the 1705 Prime Chophouse to the production of the competition, a fun and well organized eating-​fest!
We came in early for a couple of cocktails at the lounge, most everyone was dressed up for a high-​end dining experience sporting business casual and cocktail wear. As we moved into the dining room to our assigned tables, the staff is making sure all your needs are well taken care of from a beverage standpoint. TV’s line the room showing off the chef teams and adverts for Got to Be NC who sponsors the event. The emcee Jimmy Crippen gets the excitement and your appetite going as you prepare to be led down a high-​end feasting trail. You’ve got six smallish courses to go through and you have no idea who cooked what, the description of each dish is flashed on the screen and voting is done through paper ballot or your smartphone using a QR code.
And tonight’s special/​secret ingredient is noodle, happy day for me but not a great choice for my gluten-​free friend, Gina B. Over the course of the night we tried a lobster dumpling, smoked duck, braised pork with collards and fried noodle roll, a shrimp roll over lemon cream sauce and finally, a blackberry cake with pistachio cigarette. All very well done, especially under the tight timing and circumstances. At the end of the evening, the teams are introduced to the dining public as the votes are tabulated…
And the winner is, FLIGHTS which kicked so much culinary butt with its blackberry cake. The voting was tight, Sono probably missed the boat without a sweet and happy ending. In the end the real winners were anyone and everyone who was here at the event because it was awesome. And for those of you who have tickets to the final event, I am totally envious of y’all. Because I guarantee you, it’s going to be an amazing culinary and dining experience. No doubt…