411

During my first two years at UNC no one helped me out more than my best friend’s sister Katie.  She was always there to share some sage advice or take me out to a nice dinner when I was having a tough time getting acclimated to college life.  

For the past few years Katie has lived on the west coast, but luckily she is now back in The South where she belongs.  The other day the two of us had a nice lunch at 411 on Franklin.  She had The Crab, a red pepper papardelle in a rich dill cream sauce, with scallions, bacon and fresh crab.  It is a pasta dish that 411 is famous for, it is one of my favorite dishes in Chapel Hill, but too much for me on this day.  I had the dry packed scallops pan seared with house gnocchi, wilted spinach and a balsamic red wine reduction.  The scallops and gnocchi were made to be indistinguishable which gave the dish a nice touch of whimsy, and other than a heavy hand with the salt, this was a delectable lunch on a beautiful summer afternoon in Chapel Hill.

-J