I flew into Raleigh with a drive ahead of me to Greenville and wanted to grab a bite before getting…read moreon the road. Carol's Kitchen kept coming up as one of the better options in the area, so I made the detour. What I didn't expect was that "tucked away" would mean tucked into a commercial business building, the kind of place you'd expect to find an insurance adjuster's waiting room, not lunch. Walking in, the only other person there was someone waiting on a to-go order. My first thought was that I'd made a mistake. The space felt sterile, stale, more office park than kitchen. I was wrong. Minutes from closing and not planning to come back through town, I asked the counter what people order. Buffalo chicken wrap, they said. I added a kolache -- they had an everything bacon version that caught my eye -- and a side of bacon potato salad. The order came out in brown to-go containers, and I walked back to the car bracing for disappointment. The kolache was a revelation. I'm not a connoisseur, I couldn't grade one against the platonic ideal, but if this is what they can be, then kolaches deserve a much wider audience. That pastry alone is reason enough to come back. The buffalo chicken wrap was right behind it: hearty, full flavored, well-balanced, in a tortilla with just enough toast to give it some structure. The potato salad looked, at first, like it was skimping on quantity, barely more than a dallop, but by the time I'd worked through the kolache and half of the wrap, I was full and grateful that half the wrap was still in the bag for later. My only real regret is that the leftovers won't taste the same when they're not at temperature. 4.6 stars, what not a solid five you ask? Here's where Carol's Kitchen breaks my brain a little. The food is warm, charming, careful -- the kind of meal that wants to be eaten slowly, at a table, with a conversation going. It's a country welcome. But the room is the opposite of that. It's a 30 Rock situation: Kenneth Parcell got dropped into a corporate office building and started cooking lunch for the suits. The food keeps trying to invite you to stay; the building keeps trying to push you back out to your car. The two are wildly out of sync. Service was on par with what you'd expect from a grab-and-go counter, helpful, not warm, doing the job. Nothing to complain about, but nothing matching what the food is reaching for, either. What I keep coming back to is that Carol's Kitchen deserves a different room. A table-service space with a slower pace, somewhere a community could build around what this kitchen is putting out. As it stands, the concept of the spot and the concept of the food are at odds, and the food is the one losing the argument. Still, if someone suggested going back later the same day, I wouldn't hesitate. I'd just be sad about the room again.

We ordered our food from Carol's kitchen today on toast. I've been wanting to try it for a while…read moreafter seeing the incredible yelp reviews.. I'm so glad it lived up to the hype! Upon arrival, our order was ready to go by its estimated time. Think simple, homemade food, but made with love. Today, my partner and I shared the tuna and chicken salad sandwiches, the sandwiches come with a side. He had a kale salad and I had the bag of chips. The sandwiches are definitely gourmet level, the bread and garnishes are all fresh and thoughtfully put together. For dessert, we got a brown butter rice crispy treat, which was absolutely massive and larger than my hand and two chocolate chip cookies. Everything was delicious and lived up to my high hopes. I'm excited to return and to try the other items from the menu.

If you are looking to volunteer, I recommend checking out the food bank. They provide gloves and…read moremasks, if needed. We bagged avocados and potatoes. It was so rewarding knowing that we were helping to feed families in need.

They are helping to feed thousands, and they do it with grace and civility. Thank you, Food Bankread more

The Poe Center is truly an incredible asset to NC children and familiesread more

From the owner: Visit us onsite to experience PlayWELL Park, the world’s first health education playground. Our…read more1.5-acre one-of-a-kind health education playground offers children the opportunity to learn about health experientially while having fun. Students are also able to enjoy an outdoor lunch under two covered picnic areas equipped with tables and trash cans. PlayWELL Park is open to the public Monday – Friday, 8.30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. (weather permitting) Closed on Holidays PlayWELL Park is wheelchair accessible.

Bailey's Fine Jewelry was very kind and accommodating with my initial return after my husband…read morepurchased gold and diamond earrings for Christmas. I decided that for the investment, I would prefer an updated wedding band instead and was looking at a two-tone style. The sales process started smoothly, and sizing seemed straightforward at first. However, the communication around ordering and sizing became confusing. I was initially told the ring would take 5-7 days to come in, then 12 weeks, then suddenly it arrived. When the ring came in, it was still too large. After returning to have it adjusted, I was told the wrong size had been ordered (a 5.5 instead of a 5), and that it would need to be reordered again -- potentially another 12 weeks -- with no clear confirmation whether it could even be sized properly once it arrived. Ultimately, I requested a refund, which I did receive, though there was some hesitation due to timing even though the delays were outside of my control. The staff was polite throughout, and I genuinely liked the ring, but the inconsistent communication and sizing issues made the experience more frustrating than it should have been for such an important purchase.

A+ customer service. Went here to get a new battery in my watch and to my surprise there was no…read morecharge. Donations are welcome but not required. Also had my earrings cleaned too. Thank you Emilia for your great service. I will definitely be back.

Chariot Creative, Inc is a great local web development team to work with. They are friendly,…read moreprofessional and easy going. Their web designs are clean, stylish and easy to navigate. On top of website development, they offer many other services you may need for your business including, but not limited to; branding, printing, e-commerce website design, hosting, and an internet marketing team to help with social media management, search engine optimization and more. Their graphic design skills are sleek with impact. They created our Artist Collaboration Group's website as well as all the branding, printing, collateral, and photography for our high profile events. Chariot Creative's impeccable taste coupled with a business mind makes this Raleigh web design team the perfect company to make your vision a reality.

Chariot Creative provided outstanding guidance and creativity when they created our website. We…read morehad never designed or managed a website before. Naturally, we had a lot of questions. They had lots of patience and promptly responded to all of our inquiries. Their web development team made it easy for us to tap into multiple social networks to ensure our brand is highly visible. Don't go anywhere else, this is the team you need!

My name is Nelson Scott. I am a small business owner. On May 17, 2021, I hired Vraiment Financial,…read moreLLC. After having a friendly phone consultation with the owner, Dalaine Waller aka, Laine Bradley, I paid her, her husband Vincent Dale Bradley Jr., and their assistant, who goes by the name Darlesha P., $4,500 for a 6 months contract of service (Please find contract attached). In the contract, I was promised the following items per month: - 5 grants per month (totaling 30 grants). - A copy of the grant research proposals. - Prepared and submitted grant applications, letters of intent, and/or proposals for grants that were researched on behalf of the business. - A copy of the letters of intent and proposals. - Vraiment Financial, LLC will consult with the point of contact once a month. - Monthly coaching calls. - Monthly reports sent.   I never received any of the above mentioned. After months of inactivity and broken promises on their part, In August, I requested a conversation with the owner. She refused. It was then agreed that the contract would be terminated, my money would be returned, and for the inconvenience Vraiment caused, 10 grants would be applied to on the behalf of my company. Attached, please find the email sent by Vraiment promising to apply for 10 grants on the behalf of my company and process my full refund by 08-23-21. Since August 18th, 2021, I've been trying to get my money back from The Bradleys and Vraiment. They've ignored every email and DM, their phone number is disconnected, and they've blocked me on all of their social media accounts. As of 10-04-21, I HAVE NOT RECEIVED MY REFUND!. Vraiment told me they sent the refund, but would not tell me when or by what method. I was forced to file a claim with my bank due to the refund never being credited to my account. Vraiment was referred to me by someone I trusted. I checked references, I googled, and before I made the decision to work with them, I prayed. I thought I did everything right. Now, I feel stupid. They're a black woman owned business that I desperately wanted to support and instead of telling you how happy I am with their service, I'm left having to file complaints against them. I have filed complaints with the SBA Inspector General, North Carolina Consumer Complaints, The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, The Better Business Bureau, The Georgia Department of Law's Consumer Protection Division, and The Federal Trade Commission's Fraud Division. I've also filed a complaint against Vincent Dale Bradley Jr. with The Office of the Naval Inspector General and have consulted with the Cyber Crimes Division of the District Attorney's Office. As far as I'm concerned, Dalaine Waller aka Laine Bradley, Vincent Dale Bradley Jr., their assistant Darlesha P., and business partners, Tranika Warner, and Cyntoni Miller, are all frauds. I trusted them and they have taken advantage of my kindness and trust. Also, please take note of the 12 companies they've opened within the last two years: Black ON the Business, LLC PoBox 45433 Phoenix, AZ 85064 Bradley Tax & Associates Inc. 421 Fayetteville Street, Ste. 1100 Raleigh, NC 27601 Bradley Venues Inc. 421 Fayetteville Street, Ste. 1100 Raleigh, NC 27601 Bradley Warner Academy Inc., 3105 Corners Mill Drive Peachtree Corners, GA 30095 Elnora Adrienne Transportation Inc 421 Fayetteville Street, Ste. 1100 Raleigh, NC 27601 Emerald Peak Cleaning Inc. 421 Fayetteville Street, Ste. 1100 Raleigh, NC 27601 Emerald Peak Investment Group 421 Fayetteville Street, Ste. 1100 Raleigh, NC 27601 Margaritas And Manis Beauty Bar LLC 4302 Springs Creek Lane Apt 4302 Sandy Springs, GA 30350 Munchkin Munchies Vending Machines Inc. 421 Fayetteville Street, Ste. 1100 Raleigh, NC 27601 The Laine B. Brand Inc. 421 Fayetteville Street, Ste. 1100 Raleigh, NC 27601 Vraiment Financial LLC 4302 Springs Creek Lane Apt 4302 Sandy Springs, GA 30350 Vraiment Financial LLC 421 Fayetteville Street, Ste. 1100 Raleigh, NC 27601 I entered into this situation with very high hopes for success. I paid $4500 upfront and believed that my company would be treated with dignity and respect. Instead, I got cheated and ignored. This entire situation could have easily been settled with a simple conversation between myself and Dalaine, but because I don't have a large social media following and they already had my money, neither my company nor my grievances with Vraiment were ever taken seriously. My advice, don't work with Vraiment Financial. And never pay full price upfront.

From the owner: Need help with tax planning? Before the 2024 tax season…read moreapproaches, it is time to start tax planning and saving the most money from the IRS with your business. We can help. Give us a call or submit an application on our website.

This is a beautiful and well stocked independent bookstore. The staff was really friendly and…read morehelpful when I arrived for an author event the other night. I saw Olivia Muenter speak about her new book Little One, and the seating and organization of the whole event was handled flawlessly. I thought it was very kind of the event to offer free tickets in addition to tickets that came with a copy of the book, as I had preordered from another store. I appreciated the consideration, and it made me want to stock up on other books from them. I didn't have any issues with parking at all- I got a spot in the large lot right out front. I was also able to choose from a variety of options for quick dinner stops before my event. All in all, a great addition to North Hills!

I love that Quail Ridge have an abundance of Black Authors where we can come out an support and get…read moreautograph copies.