Buku

After our local food critic awarded four and a half stars (of five) to Buku, we knew we had to eat there. After having no chance to go there for well over a month, on Saturday night we finally made it to this downtown Raleigh hot spot.

We'll be going back.

The restaurant's theme is brilliant in its flexibility: global street food. Chef William D'Auvray offers a menu that draws from many parts of the world. We sampled small plates with traditional dishes from such countries as the Phillipines, Viet Nam, Japan, China, India, and Mexico, and every single one was delicious. As the range of cuisines suggests, D'Auvray is not afraid of spices, so many of the dishes had a delightful kick, but none went too far; you could always taste not just the spice but also the many yummy ingredients.

I'm also happy to report that the desserts here were uniformly good--and I should know, because our happy crowd of diners tried all of them. (Few things are as much fun--and as much sin--as studying a dessert menu and then telling your server that you'll have the lot.) The house-made pineapple sorbet, though a small dish among many, still has me wishing for more.

As I said, this won't be our last trip to Buku. In fact, it's now definitely on our frequent-visit list. Check it out.