The Biscuit would like to avoid straight-up reviews of restaurants, but it looks like that’s what we’re in for this week with the newly opened Noodles & Company.

The original intention was to go in with a video camera and film (in first person) ordering food for the first time. It would have been pretty cool, The Biscuit thinks, but apparently that’s against the chain’s corporate policy - no filming without contacting their Colorado headquarters. Luckily, we had a camera and a notebook on hand to document the eating experience anyway.

From the get-go, The Biscuit has to laud Noodles for updating the old rainbow monstrosity that once stood at 214 W. Franklin St. Although the renovated structure looks a little too prefabricated for Franklin, it’s better than what stood there before. The inside is cool, as well, with vaulted ceilings, nice wooden architecture and lots of room for tables inside and out.

After the initial appearance, however, the food is a welcomed, but not celebrated, addition to the college town’s thoroughfare. The chain claims to have “fresh global flavors sauteed to order and served fast,” which is partially true.

A colorful menu overwhelms first-time diners with items broadly categorized as Asian, Mediterranean and American. “Tell us what you’re in the mood for,” a sign reads, but everything is either noodles, soup or salad. You can customize each item with a different protein like chicken, shrimp or tofu and add vegetables and cheese. The Biscuit thinks Mediterranean should be switched to Italian because the only thing not from the boot-shaped peninsula is a salad with some feta and yogurt thrown on top to make it Greek. Anything that doesn’t make it under Italian or Far-Eastern is labeled American.

The prices aren’t bad at all. Regular-sized noodles go for $5.25 or $7.25 with a protein. The Biscuit recommends ordering the trio, which is a small portion of noodles with meat and a side salad or soup for $7.25, because there is no discernible difference between the large and small. In addition, you get to try another item. Beware, however, that you cannot order the entree salads that sound a lot better than tossed green or Caesar.

The Biscuit decided to try the Indonesian Peanut Saute with organic tofu and a bowl of the tomato basil bisque. His companions opted for the Penne Rosa pasta with Parmesan crusted chicken breast, Caesar salad and Wisconsin Mac & Cheese, with the same chicken, to cover all the menu’s bases. Although Noodles puts out a “Guide to Good Balance” describing the nutritious options, none of the dishes we ordered fell under the “Watching Calories” or “Watching Carbs” tabs. The saute was the only one managing to be classified as “Watching Fat.” The Biscuit was at least intrigued that they described their food as “healthful” instead of “healthy.” Good work, Noodles.

As for being fast, Noodles wasn’t. They claim to be, but it took 10 minutes to get each person’s order, and we ordered separately. Because of that, every dish was cold, which was perhaps the worst part of the eating experience.

Here’s the breakdown on the dishes:

The tomato basil soup, er bisque, was as good as any other tomato sauce labeled as soup. It had a nice texture with little pockets of garlic and herb, and the base was creamy without being too heavy. The Biscuit would have really enjoyed a slice of bread on the side so that he didn’t feel like he was eating Marinara. Considering side dishes, the Caesar salad was a Caesar salad, and it tasted fresh.

Shining above all, the Indonesian Peanut Saute satisfied The Biscuit. The thick noodles had a good bite without being too chewy. Fresh broccoli, carrots and bean sprouts added a good crunch and contrast to the tofu, which was unappetizingly thick, almost meaty. The creamy sauce may have made the noodles feel a little slimy, but it had a good spice-to-sweetness ratio with a strong peanut taste. For the relative size and price, the saute was worth it.

The Wisconsin Mac & Cheese wasn’t bad either. There were two layers of texture: one soupy, melted blend of cheese and cream on the bottom and a thicker, chewier strata of Cheddar-Jack. Elbow macaroni made it easy to eat, though The Biscuit’s grandma and yours too, most likely, does it better. The chicken was unnecessary.

The remaining Pasta Rosa, however, was quite disappointing. Too-chewy pasta and bad tomatoes, in addition to the chicken, which was some amorphous glob of cold, white could-be-any-kind-of protein, turned The Biscuit off. At first the spiciness was a welcome addition, but in the end, The Biscuit could only describe the dish as tasting like heartburn. Really.

We finished it off with a huge snoodledoodle, the chain’s version of a snickerdoodle, which is no different from the original cookie besides the name. It was soft and flavorful, except - The Biscuit has no idea why - water seemed to leak out of the dough with each bite as if it had been injected with fluid to appear more plump.

All in Noodles & Company wasn’t too bad. The ability to try flavors from around the world at a low price pleased The Biscuit. With each menu item, however, you know you’re eating fast-food. It might not be served quickly, but it’s prepared with mass-production in mind. Even the tasty saute was obviously some corporate recipe - it wasn’t much different from the microwavable bowls you can get at the grocery store.

The Biscuit appreciates the upward direction that new fast-food chains are going, but he’ll head to a Chinese restaurant when he wants anything off Noodle’s Asian menu, an Italian restaurant when he wants anything off the somewhat inaptly named Mediterranean menu and to every other kind of eatery when he’s in the mood for something American.

Drats. Looks like The Biscuit won’t be writing about spicy-food eating competitions (it was an idea) anytime soon.

Turns out an unlucky eater died after he challenged his sister’s boyfriend to a duel to see who had the most invincible mouth. Although doctors have not verified the cause of death, the man complained of unwavering itchiness after he ate super-hot chili and died during the night.

The Biscuit wonders what kind of peppers he used.

There is a never ending duel on Greensboro Street in Carrboro. Two loncheras, or taco trucks, are fighting for business, and The Biscuit thinks it’s time to step in as a mediator.

This past weekend, with friend Steven Chu, The Biscuit visited both and tried to figure out who could call itself supreme.

Latin Grill, as the owners call it, is across the street from Harris Teeter in the Fitch Lumber lot in a jazzed up ice cream truck. Down the street, at the intersections of Greensboro and East Main in a gravel lot next to Cliff’s Meat Market is a nameless trailer that we’ll refer to as “Comida Mexicana” for the words scrawled across the top of the mobile kitchen.

From the start, The Biscuit noticed that there were a lot more people at the Latin Grill. There, patrons get white ticket stubs as they wait for their food.

We tried to order the same things at each eatery so we could compare them, but that proved difficult when both were only serving certain items from the menu.

At Comida Mexicana, the $1.25 barbacoa taco was tender and greasy. Chu thought the meat could use some salt, while The Biscuit agreed it lacked flavor. All in all, not bad.

Latin Grill served up tacos for the same price. After asking Hispanic immigrants for the past year their favorite dish, The Biscuit knew it was time to try beef tongue. The texture was not bad, very soft and light. Its appearance, however, all yellow and hairy and bumpy and tubular, was enough to outshine, maybe darken in this case, any satisfaction. The lengua tasted more like the cilantro and onions suffocating the meat than anything.

The Biscuit is reluctant to order tamales because they always sound better than they are. For the most part, this notion was right when it came to Comida Mexicana’s $1.25 creation. The chicken inside was plentiful, the salsa verde had some zing, and the masa was warm and moist. Each bite still, however, filled our mouths with too much cornmeal relative to meat and sunk straight to our stomachs like lead.

Unfortunately, the Latin Grill did not have any tamales, so we got a barbacoa quesadilla for $3.00 to compare it to the meat in the taco we had already eaten. The crunchy, gooey tortilla and cheese combination was good - it always is. The pork, though more flavorful than the Comida Mexicana’s recipe, was so similar to N.C. bbq that The Biscuit would have preferred a trip to Allen & Son for a better take on the dish. It was smokey and sweet and sour, all good, but not what The Biscuit expected.

Both places offered tortas, a sandwich stuffed with meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, beans, onions and avocados, so we could finally compare the same dishes bite by bite. We opted for al pastor, which is pork roasted with spices and pineapple.

Chu preferred the Latin Grill sandwich, $5, because the bread was toasted. The Biscuit liked Comida Mexicana’s $5.50 torta because the bread was lighter and its onions were less overpowering than the competition’s. The bread seemed unnecessary in both cases.

For many people, a torta may be a refreshing change from the usual Mexican fare, carne and queso encased some various way in a tortilla. The Biscuit thinks they should leave the sandwich to the delicatessen. Tortillas just work better than bread when they’re holding a slurry of meat and beans.

The verdict: It’s tough making this decision. Both loncheras had their strong points and their weaknesses. The prices were nearly the same. They’re both open from around 6 p.m. to midnight. Neither had a completely unique dish or crazy take on a recipe.

The Latin Grill does have a larger selection of food. In addition to everything on Comida Mexicana’s menu, they have sopes, burritos, enchiladas (they were quite good when The Biscuit had them this summer, perhaps better than any of the food this weekend), tripe and lots of unique beverages. Some of the options were better than the others. They’re also open Thursday. This really just suggests to The Biscuit, however, they have better resources or management.

One man standing in line at the Latin Grill who said he comes for dinner multiple times a week said he liked its food too much to eat anywhere else.

“I won’t try the other place,” he said. “I’m in love with this one. The food is wonderful.”

On the other hand, The Biscuit liked his meal at Comida Mexican just as much.

In the end, there was only one way to settle this: salsa. The sauce is a staple of the cuisine, a way to stand out and have a voice, and if you can’t do it right, it’s not worth trying anything else.

The taco trucks both put out two salsa, one green, one red.

At Comida Mexicana, they produce a medium-spiced roja that balances well with the flavor. The verde, on the other hand, is quite spicy and sour, bringing no other wonderful sensations to the palate.

The Latin Grill shines in the salsa department where its competitor fizzles out. The red salsa is smokier, but not as good, while the green beats them all. It’s thicker, perhaps because of an avocado presence, spicier and very complex when many greens are more tangy than anything else.

Yikes. Unfortunately, this is still a draw. Nothing wowed The Biscuit. When we need a Mexican fix, either place will suffice. Every place has its good and bad days, and maybe because of the nature of a lonchera, these places can be quite inconsistent.

Chu, not The Biscuit mind you, had a very surprising reaction when the tasting was over: “Don Jose is just better.” The Biscuit would have to agree. The Carrboro convenience store might be stationary, but it’s just as cheap with an even larger menu. If it’s a late night taco you crave, you might want to head over to Greensboro Street and take your pick; if you’ve got the time, Don Jose still doesn’t disappoint.

Though North Carolina might be in the South, there is a lot more land below it than above it. So if you think the ‘cue gets better as you move towards the equator, what happens if you head from the 35th parallel to the 18th, way down, all the way to Caribbean?

You get damn good Southern cooking - with a twist. There are surprisingly many dishes in the Caribbean similar to those in the American South, though each location has interpreted the foods differently to create their own cuisines.

At a recent trip to to the U.S. Virgin Islands, The Biscuit tasted many island treats and couldn’t help but notice these similarities, so we’ve put together the small gallery below to compare them to the N.C. fare we’re all used to. Enjoy!

So this summer has been slightly dissapointing, full of apologies, from The Biscuit. All the travel and work and especially the lack of camera have made keeping a good blog a nightmare.

But we promise, really mean it, that this year is going to be more fun than ever once The Biscuit returns to Chapel Hill. There are already lots of ideas on the backburner (yes, a 6 pound burrito might be one of those) that will surely come to fruition within a month or so. Perhaps there will be a recap of D.C. cuisine and maybe a review of Buns that was done - but lost - right when it opened.

In the mean time, The Biscuit needs your help. If any readers have any suggestions on cool places to eat or adventures to be had, please let us know! We beg you, because this site is about you, the reader, too.

Enjoy the rest of the summer. And if you’re curious about food in the Triangle, be sure to check out Carpe Durham, Eat at Joe’s and VarmintBites.

Those blogs are good for the area, but The Biscuit is going to keep its hold on Chapel Hill.

Well, well, The Biscuit has been doing some writing on the side lately and got a little piece published in The Georgetown Independent. It’s a student paper, but the school is home for the summer.

The Biscuit analyzes why we all (do we?) like chain restaurants: predictability, branding, affordability and reputation. The beginning is intentionally facetious, full of snobbery, to get the readers hooked, but it gets better. (Apologies if you have to give your email to read the article. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don’t.)

On another note, The Biscuit recently dined at D.C.’s Oyamel, which Esquire Magazine called one of America’s Best New Restaurants. Not to be a food snob (ha), but the meal was very disappointing. The idea of upscale Mexican doesn’t seem to work too often. Nobody can cook carnitas like they do in the favorite Don Jose’s or any little taco stand in Durham. And their hit cerviche? Tasted like salty rubber.

This makes The Biscuit wonder, then rant and criticize - two things not usually done on this site.

Are the delicious little roadside shacks never going to get the big rave reviews the super expensive city dwellers get? There is no way Oyamel was close to the top, oh, 80 restaurants where The Biscuit has ever eaten. But it’s got the location, the decor, the style, the money. It’s trendy. Yet its chefs still couldn’t produce anything close to home cooked al pastor or truly amazing guacamole. Big time restaurant reviewers need to slum it more often, as they say, venturing to places they would never guess to have some surprisingly mind blowing eating experiences.

Because of this, The Biscuit is going to stay away (or at least try to) from reviewing establishments. The goal here will be to recommend places that we think you’ll like where there are fun experiences to be had and great people to meet. Food should be fun!

Keep coming back for more and share your thoughts.

Last week, the New York Times featured an article that means a sad future for biscuits from the south.

White Lily flour, which has been made in Knoxville since 1883, is going to be made in a new plant in the Midwest. There has already been speculation via blind taste-tests that the once supreme ingredient in biscuits has lost its oomph. Many people think the best biscuits will never be made again.

Truly a tragic event in the baked good’s history.

On another note, with the summer heat at full blasts, many North Carolinians may be heading east to the beach. If you happen to be in Wilmington, The Biscuit recommends the Dock Street Oyster Bar on Dock Street, of course, near the riverfront for a tasty and not overpriced meal.

Greetings finally!

The Biscuit has been all over the place, eating and traveling, finally settling down in D.C. for the summer.

Unfortunately, with such a tight schedule and not so much money to eat out, posts might be a little more sporadic. But don’t fear, there will certainly be many adventures to be had in a city with such a melange of people.

For now, enjoy this slideshow with some music from a recent trip out West. You can see just how the cowboys used to cook.

Still don’t count The Biscuit out for cool content this summer, but come fall, when we’re back in Chapel Hill, this place is going to be better than ever.

Oh, anybody know any good biscuits in the District?

Hey everyone out there, I know the idea of a blog is failing right now for The Biscuit. The problem is, we’re caught up in the move to DC this week so times are tough and it’s hard to get things written.

But The Biscuit promises to have everything doing just fine in several days. Everything should be running smoothly and updated much more frequently.

Expect in a day or two, a little documentary about food in Oklahoma City (just got back from there, who would have thought) and a write up on the new burger joint in Chapel Hill, Buns.

As always keep looking for good biscuits and expect (we’re serious) a lot of fun things to pop up this summer.

More talk of the namesake. This week The Biscuit and friends went on a stomach-stuffing eating excursion from one end of Franklin Street to the other in search of the best biscuit. Each eatery offered something different from the next, and, with a few exceptions, they were all pretty good.

We went from upscale with Crossroads at the Carolina Inn to standard with Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe to chain with KFC to try to find the most delicious one, visiting 11 different places in all.

It was hard to choose the best one, but check out the gallery (starting at the bottom of Franklin and moving up toward Carrboro) for commentary on each and then scroll down to see the winner.

The decision was tough but the battle’s victor is ::ahem:: Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen.

All in all, their biscuit tasted the way we thought the baked good should. It was simple, but delicious, the gold standard. A few other places, like Time Out and Elmo’s were very good, but they didn’t prepare the ideal kind of biscuit you think of when reading a southern tale or watching the Food Network.

There may be a few places we didn’t stop by because they were closed, so let us know if you have any other favorite places, or if you like a biscuit not offered on Franklin or living somewhere in Durham or Raleigh.

And one last thing, The Biscuit mentioned a few weeks ago that Bojangle’s puts out a mean biscuit. Although it’s not on Franklin and The Biscuit doesn’t like to support chains, when Bojangle’s does everything right, it’s a formidable opponent for any of the above biscuits, even at Sunrise.