The Best of North Carolina, South Carolina and Beyond.

Angus Barn Restaurant 9401 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh. Tel: 919-781-2444. Monday-Saturday 5-11pm, Sunday 5-10pm. www.angusbarn.com Since opening in 1960, this enormous restaurant near the Raleigh-Durham Airport has become a landmark for generations of diners. Steaks aged in-house are the centerpiece of the meat and seafood menu. The Wild Turkey Lounge upstairs serves appetizers and cocktails amid a museum collection of whiskey bottles. $$$$ Fearrington House Restaurant and Country Inn Fearrington Village Center, US 15-501, Pittsboro. Tel: 919-542-2121. Fax: 919-542-4202. Monday-Saturday 6-9pm, Sunday 6-8pm. www.fearringtonhouse.com Member of Relais & Chateaux provides the focal point of a traditional North Carolina farm village. One of the state's top dining destinations, the restaurant consistently receives both the 5-Diamond AAA and Mobil's 5-Star awards, one of the few such establishments in the U.S. so honored. Prix fixe. $$$$	Magnolia Grill 1002 Ninth Street, Durham. Tel: 919-286-3609. Tuesday-Thursday 6-9:30pm, Friday-Saturday 5:30-10pm. Chef/owners Ben and Karen Barker earn rave reviews at their unpretentious Durham eatery. Menus change nightly but always feature bold flavors combined in unusual ways. $$$ Mama Dip's Kitchen 408 W. Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill. Tel: 919-942-5837. Monday-Saturday 8am-10pm, Sunday 8am-9pm. www.mamadips.com Mildred Council a.k.a. "Mama Dip" has provided home cooking to the college students in Chapel Hill for a quarter century. Lately, fame has caught up with her Fried Green Tomatoes and other Southern down-home dishes, but Mama's still in the kitchen making sure everything's cooked just right. $
Hotels
Carolina Inn 211 Pittsboro Street, Chapel Hill. Tel: 919-933-2001. Fax: 919-962-3400. www.carolinainn.com Elegant historic inn provides a focal point for the University of North Carolina campus. CrossRoads Restaurant and Bar, afternoon tea, room service, valet parking, business center, dry cleaning, exercise room, data ports, voice mail. $$$$	Pinehurst Resort 80 Carolina Vista, Village of Pinehurst. Tel: 910-235-8553. One of the world's premier golf resorts offers a variety of accommodations, as well as some of the most famous golf courses in the country. A free shuttle bus connects the 1895 Holly offering a modified American plan and afternoon tea, the Carolina , a 1901 Victorian beauty, the Manor, 8 golf courses, 24-court tennis complex, 9 restaurants and lounges, Heart Healthy Fitness Center, 2 outdoor pools, croquet, lawnbowls, 200-acre lake with pontoon boat tours, sailing, swimming and fishing, carriage rides, bicycle rental, shopping, historic walking tour, concierge, children's program Check out the resort's website www.pinehurst.com for cool virtual tours.