Alivia's Durham Bistro

When Fergus Bradley and Jason Sholtz opened Alivia's Durham Bistro in February, I was eager to check the place out. Bradley and Sholtz also own the enormously successful Federal, after all, and their new restaurant promised to be a more ambitious undertaking. In fact, it's no exaggeration to say that Alivia's is unlike anything else in the Triangle: It's a combination coffeehouse/bar/bistro in a converted bicycle shop, which, when two large garage doors are rolled up, morphs into one big sidewalk patio.