i ate at this adorable, quaint, delicious restaurant while i was in chapel hill, nc, over labor day weekend. i fell in love with this place the moment i saw it. my friend zola and i were walking down franklin street, and stumbled on cypress on the hill. zola is a lot like me when it comes to food. she likes it. we had just finished a late lunch at one of our old stomping grounds, 411 west, and immediately started talking about what our dinner plans would be. we came upon this stand alone building, pressed our faces to the window, checked out the menu, and decided right then and there, this would be the place. later that evening, we grabbed our men and headed to the restaurant. we decided to eat at the bar because we were just going to have cocktails and graze. plus the corner of the bar was open, perfect for 4 to enjoy each others company. first off, the place was beautiful. very modern, clean, straight lines, black and white. secondly, the bartender was fantastic. i don't think he cracked a smile or engaged in any conversation with any of us. he was incredibly efficient, professional, and shook a damn good martini! i hate when a server tries too hard. just do your job please. and this guy did. after our first round of drinks, we (ok, me and zola) ordered for the group. both our guys are good like that. (truthfully, they don't have much of an option when zola and i are together). we started with a local farmers market cheese plate, with house made lemon cucumber bread, and bread and butter pickles. we also had a fried okra salad. good lord it was good. another martini, please! for dinner we ordered a goat cheese risotto cake on a bed of arugula with a lima bean stew. awesome. we also had the day boat grouper with grits, collards, and wild mushrooms. heaven. the four of us split all the food and we were completely satisfied and content. i rarely go out to eat. not for any reason really, i just prefer to stay home and eat. i hate the disappointment after a bad meal. to go out, spend the money, and have a bad experience. just hate it. but, with that being said, nothing is more exciting to me than to have a fantastic, memorable, delicious, well served meal. with great company. chef alex gallis, puts thought and consideration into the food he prepares. he cares about his guests, and wants them coming back. i know i will.