JonLowder.com

Discovering Greensboro, cont.

Now that I'm working in Greensboro every day I have ample opportunity to sample local eateries.  Today I had a two-fer for lunch.  First I met my cousin Marley and her two girls (my second cousins or first cousins once removed? You tell me) at First Carolina Delicatessen on Spring Garden near UNCG and there I had a most excellent sandwich with a side of carrot sticks and ranch dressing.  I also got to hold my littlest second-cousin-or-first-cousin-once-removed and really enjoyed it.  It's been a while since I've held a four month old and I have to say it's something that should be done regularly.

After bidding Marley and the girls adieu I went back to the office for a 1/2 hour and then scrambled over to Mimi's Cafe at Friendly Center for a working lunch with our TAA committee that's putting together the food drive to benefit Second Harvest.  I was semi-good and got a very good salad.  What made my behavior semi-good was that the salad had chunks of fried chicken on it.

I know what you're thinking: "What a gluttonous pig that Lowder dude is!"  In my defense I am a rather large man with love handles to feed and that really is the first time I can remember doing two lunches in one day.  And hey, the sandwich wasn't that big and it's not like it came with fries, and those carrot sticks will only take you so far.  That salad was reasonable too, so cut me some slack.

Both places were great, but I must warn you not to park in the lot next door to the First Carolina Deli.  After lunch number one I got to my car and found a note telling me the next time I did it I'd be towed so I'm guessing they regularly have a problem with that.  Is it just me or do most of the restaurants on Spring Garden have like four parking spaces in their lots?  

New Krispy Kreme Opens a Week from Tomorrow

A new Krispy Kreme location is opening next Tuesday, March 31 at 5912 University Parkway in Winston-Salem.  There will be a kick-off event at 10 a.m. featuring KK execs and Pattie Petty of Victory Junction when they'll announce a charity promotion for the children's charity. 

View Larger Map

An Idea for Valentine's Day Pre-Game in Winston-Salem

Wine Merchants Gourmet is hosting a tribute to Aussie winemaker Chris Wingland this Saturday February 14, otherwise known as Valentine's Day.  If you're looking for something to do as a warmup for your romantic night out this might be the ticket.  They are offering seven of his wines for a tasting and it runs from 11 am to 5 pm.  Good on ya!

Wine Merchants Gourmet

1901-B Mooney Street

Winston-Salem, NC  27103

(336) 765-8175

View Larger Map

Foothills Brewing's Valentine Beer

At the Dishing it Out blog Michael Hastings has a Valentines gift selection if your dearly beloved is a beer lover.  It's a limited edition brew from Foothills Brewing called Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout.  If you like beer it sounds like there's a lot to like about this brew, including the 9.75% alcohol content.

Sexual Chocolate is being sold on tap starting at 6 p.m. this evening and they will start selling 600 hand numbered bottles tomorrow (Saturday the 7th) at 11 a.m.  Hastings says that last year they sold 500 bottles in 49 minutes so you may want to get there early.

Update on the Big Eat

A quick update to the Big Eat page. Somehow I'd missed Camel City and someone pointed out that I had and they emailed me to ask to be added.  Of course I'm happy to do so and I've updated the page accordingly.  I've re-pasted the Google Map with all the Big Eat location below.  FYI here's Camel City's info:

Address: 401 W. Fourth Street

Phone: 734-1797

View Larger Map

The Big Eat, Tuesdays in Winston-Salem

The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership is sponsoring The Big Eat: Tuesday Nights Downtown an event that features 15 dowtown restaurants offering 50% off of a signature dish every Tuesday night between February 3 and March 31.  A list of participating restaurants and a Google map I threw together is below; more details, including a list of signature dishes, and printable PDF versions of downtown maps for the restaurants and parking are available at the Partnership's website.

• 6th & Vine: 209 W. Sixth St. - 725-5577
• Bayberry Bistro: 420 High St. - 397-8302 
• Celtic Cafe: 924 S. Marshall St. - 703-0641 
• Chelsee's Coffee Shop & More: 533 N. Trade St. - 703-1503
• Downtown Thai: 219 W. Fourth St. - 777-1422 
• Foothills Brewing: 638 W. Fourth St. - 777-3348 
• Hutch & Harris: 424 W. Fourth St. - 721-1336 
• Mellow Mushroom: 314 W. Fourth St. - 245-2820 
• Meridian Restaurant: 411 S. Marshall St. - 722-8889 
• Noma Urban Bar & Grill: 321 W. Fourth St. - 703-5112 
• Quiznos Subs: 310 W. Fourth St. - 725-3423
• Sweet Potatoes... a restaurant: 529 N. Trade St. - 727-4844
• Wolfie's Frozen Custard: 420 W. Fourth St. - 245-2400
• WS Prime Steakhouse: 425 N. Cherry St. - 722-5232
• The Garage: 110 W. Seventh St. - 777-1277
  
• Camel City:  401 W. Fourth St. - 734-1797

  

View Larger Map

I Might Help Medical Science with My Quest

Talk about kismet; just after posting my question about the best cup of joe in Forsyth County and my intention to check them all out and create a guide to local java shops (tough work, I know) I find this item over at Esbees.  The WFUBMC Department of Radiology is doing a study on people who drink more than six cups of coffee a day and they say that people who participate will be compensated for their time. My initial thought was, "Only six?" quickly followed by, "SUWEET!"  Esbee mentions that when she used to work fulltime, pre-kids, she would have qualified twice and I have to say that I'm amazed that she drinks less coffee post-kids than she did when she was working fulltime.  If I didn't have coffee I don't think I'd have made it through year one of kid number one, much less sixteen years (and counting) of multiple kids.  As it is I'd probably qualify for this thing three times over.

Best Cup of Joe in Forsyth?

Brian Leon has a post about the coffee situation here in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County.  He points out that the Moby's in the Liberty Plaza building is under new management and is now called the Sands Coffee House.  He also writes about Confluence Coffee House in his neck of the woods near the intersection of Peters Creek Parkway/150 and Old Salisbury Road in South Winston, and he seems to like it quite a lot.

This got me to thinking: what's the best coffee shop in Forsyth?  Yes it's a highly subjective question, and I also think that it depends on what you're looking for and what particular mood on any given day, so maybe a better question is "What is your favorite coffee shop in Forsyth and why?"

Anyone that knows me knows that I L-O-V-E coffee so I'm going to sacrifice here and do my own research.  If you know of a great place to get a cup of joe just let me know and I'll check it out, and some time in the next couple of weeks I'll publish a guide to the great coffee joints in Forsyth.  I'll also write up each experience as they come along.  Yep, it's a sacrifice.

Not a Good Time to Be in the Restaurant Biz

Two weeks ago I posted a rumor I'd heard about South by Southwest, closing its doors (I had a VERY reliable source) and that post was picked up by Smitty who confirmed that the restaurant had indeed closed.  Today I read in a post by Laura Giovanelli on the Journal's food blog that in addition to South by Southwest the Cotton Mill had also shut down. I never made it to the Cotton Mill, but based on Laura's opinion of it I'm truly sorry I missed it.

The restaurant business is brutal any time, but during tough economic times restaurants, particularly higher end restaurants, struggle even more. When money is tight the first place most people will cut their expenditures is eating out, and when you have the combination of higher food prices and higher gas prices like we have now a restaurateur has to work very hard to get people through the door.  As Laura says in her post:

Sometimes, I try to brush off all the economic gloom and doom. Maybe I’ve listening to too much NPR, I’ll think. But it’s been obvious for months now that local restaurants are struggling, particularly the higher end ones, the ones with white tablecloths and the like.

I'm fairly certain we're going to see quite a few more "white tablecloth" restaurants close their doors in the next year or two.  Of course others will eventually replace them, but that doesn't help the many owners who have worked so hard to build their businesses and develop a loyal fan base.  From a selfish point of view it also doesn't help the customers who lose their favorite dishes, or the places that house so many cherished memories like anniversary dinners, graduation celebrations, etc.

To end on a positive note I recommend that you check out the Journal's food blog Dishing it Out.   It's coauthored by Michael Hastings and Laura and they do a great job of keeping it fresh. Personally I think it's the paper's best blog now (sorry Ken).

South by Southwest a Goner?

Rumor I heard at the kids' swim meet on Tuesday: South by Southwest, a great little restaurant on S. Marshall Street in Winston-Salem, is closing its doors.  Not sure if it's true, and if it is I'm not sure what the reason is, but I will say that if it's true I'm really bummed.  I loved their fish tacos.

If you have any info on this please feel free to leave it in the comments of this post or email it to me at jon.lowder AT gmail.com.