A couple of us walked over to the new restaurant in the city center district of Downtown Durham called Revolution. Great place.It brought to mind one of the early visionaries for fine dining in the City Center. Downtown has had nationally reviewed restaurants for many years down in the Brightleaf District. But in the early ‘90’s, after a stint with Ben and Karen Barker at the Magnolia Grill, Walter Royall created and launched the Crescent Cafe, also on Main Street and in the Durham City Center district.
Walter was a man before his time but he was and is a visionary. He saw possibilities and took a chance, long before others gave it a thought. He had a great location, great presentation, and great food but just much too early. The Crescent would probably be an instant success today, but for several years now, Walter has been executive chef down in Raleigh, NC at the Angus Barn, one of that city’s most recognizable restaurants.
But as we enjoy all of the new restaurants and bars in the Durham city center, we need to raise a glass to Walter for having guts, having vision and being a pioneer.
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