Ironically, in the middle of one of Raleigh's most metropolitan districts sits one of the capital city's most rural components. Former tobacco planter and country-boy-to-the-core "Big Ed" Watkins brings the farm to us with his City Market eatery. Bits of vintage farm equipment dangle from the ceiling amid a lively cluster of tables cluttered with baskets of cornbread and from-scratch biscuits. Dessert arrives first (usually fruit cobbler or banana pudding), and, as if it could get any better, it's complimentary! But at Big Ed's, breakfast is the real treat ... and the real thing. We're talking pure Carolina country cooking with all the fixin's: red-eye gravy, country ham, grits and the like. A rotating list of meats (including fried catfish, chuck steak and roast pork) paired with country-style veggies round out a smaller yet significant lunch menu. Fervent vegetarians should ask if their vegetables have been flavored with meat. It is the South, after all. For the full Southern experience, come by on a Saturday morning when an authentic Dixieland band serenades the dining room. Reservations not accepted. No alcohol available. Cash only. Serving breakfast and lunch Mon–Sat. Closed Sun.