When I asked my husband what was the first word that came to mind when he heard “North Hills” his reply was “expensive”. True, North Hills has its share of boutiques and upscale dining that I would classify as special occasion kind of places, at least as far as the budget goes. But with almost 100 stores and close to 30 restaurants, North Hills can be surprisingly affordable.
As a matter of fact, when I think about the places my family frequents, I think of weekly routine rather than special occasion. …

We redesigned North Hills Buzz on Friday night and the new design is up and running. We think it provides more of an upscale feel and gives you quicker access to the sections that may interest you. Please let us know what you think!
Also, we have added an event calendar (see the sidebar on the right). If you would like us to add any of your events in the North Hills area, please feel free to let us know!
Lastly, we have made it easier for you to contribute articles and …

In the spirit of love/giving/Valentine’s Day, Q Shack at North Hills is offering its customers a pretty sweet deal. If you buy a sandwich or platter there anytime this weekend from Friday through Monday, they’ll give you a free homemade cobbler for dessert. You can try their peach, apple or blueberry cobbler for free!
I’ve also heard that Q Shack now has sweet potatoe FRIES. If they’re anywhere near as good as their sweet mashed potatoes, then you’ll definitely want to check them out.
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Today I had breakfast at Hot Point Cafe with Hal Goodtree, whose company designed the new website for Kane Realty/North Hills. It’s a nicely designed site so check it out if you haven’t seen it yet.
We had actually planned on eating at Coquette. We thought it was open for breakfast at 7am every morning, but when we showed up at 7:45 it was closed. Not a big deal, as I enjoyed my bacon, egg and cheese biscuit that I got at Hot Point. Checking their hours now, it says they’re …

When you think of Bonefish Grill, you think of seafood right? Bang Bang shrimp, fresh fish, calamari, etc. All excellent-tasting and prepared well. The relatively new Bang Bang tacos are pretty amazing, too.
Last night I went to Bonefish with my dad and decided to try filet mignon. Steak at a seafood place? Crazy, right? I was craving steak, but wasn’t sure what to expect. Everything I’ve ever had at Bonefish has been good-except the bread which has been a little hard a few times-but I had only ever ordered their …

This Saturday from 9:00am – 12:00pm chefs from Mura and Bonefish Grill will participate in the North Hills Iron Chef Competition to raise money for the Interfaith Food Shuttle. The chefs will use ingredients from the North Hills Farmers’ Market to prepare 3 dishes to be judged by a panel made up of food critics and local media.
Feel free to come out and watch this competition. $5 will get you a tasting ticket that you can use to sample some of the delicious food that will be made, and ticket …

I’m a little late on this news but in case you haven’t heard, Ruth’s Chris Steak House opened their first Raleigh location at North Hills on Monday. They’re located in the space where JK’s used to be.
According to CarolinaNewswire.com, this is the first of three Ruth’s Chris restaurants that will open in the Raleigh area in 2008.
You can read the full story here.
I still kind of miss JK’s bar menu, especially their Big Ass Burger, but I’ll definitely give Ruth’s Chris a try, since I’ve heard good things about it. …

Yesterday some friends and I headed over to the Commons at North Hills for the music they have there every Thursday. We were planning on going to the luau at Mura later, but wanted to check out the music first. The area was pretty packed. It seems like more people show up to hear the music each week, and yesterday I’d estimate there were about 2,000 people there. Most people were standing, but others brought their lawn chairs to relax in.
The Music
The Mardi Gras Band put on a good performance …

Today my buddy Taylor Barr met me for lunch at Cinelli’s Pizza at North Hills. I am a huge fan of the restaurant, but Taylor had never eaten there before. We sat outside and both ordered the lunch special (2 pieces of pizza and a drink). You can choose from a few different styles of pizza at Cinelli’s but I always go with “Grandma’s Pizza.”
Here’s how Cinelli’s describes Grandma’s Pizza on their website:
Thin crust, baked in a pan, litely topped with mozzarella cheese & Italian plum tomatoes. Sprinkled with Olive …

In case you missed it, Kane Realty recently announced that they’re bringing a Hyatt Summerfield Suites Hotel to North Hills (across the street from the current finished development).
If you’re curious about what this will look like, here’s some pictures to think about. Remember, they’re conceptual so this may not be exactly how things will look when they’re finished in 2010 or so. Click the pictures for larger versions.
In this first picture, the Hyatt Summerfield Suites is the building on the right. St. Alban’s is the first building on the left …