West End Cafe: Fajita Fish Tacos

I am a big fan of fish tacos, and it seems like every restaurant puts its own twist on it. I found the fish tacos on the appetizer menu at West End Cafe. The menu describes them as " slaw, crispy jalapeno, and two sauces. The description doesn't do these fish tacos justice. They are simply amazing. Fresh grilled white fish topped with diced tomatoes, onions, crunchy cabbage, a spicy cilantro red sauce, a creamy sour cream sauce, and topped with lightly battered jalapenos. The textures are so diverse but compliment each other with every bite. The spicy sauce hgives it a little kick but is quickly cooled by the cream sauce. The fish is tender and full of flavor while the cabbage gives it crunch. It was enough for a meal and more. These babies are loaded and highly recommended. I may be spoiled for all others now.

Dioli's Trattoria: Asparagus Appetizer and Manicotti

In my humble opinion, Winston-Salem has been in desperate need for a good Italian restaurant and at last the folks behind Dioli’s have answered the call. I have been meaning to try them for a while and finally found the time and the perfect opportunity to pair dinner with a screening of the Italian film “I Am Love” playing at A/perture. The grilled asparagus appetizer was wrapped in perfectly crisp pancetta and drizzled with a red pepper pesto.

We all went with traditional pasta dishes and I had the Manicotti. They brought two of our dishes out first and it was a major act of will power to stop from digging in because it smelled so good. Tasted good as well--rich and cheesy. Definitely not a heart healthy dish, but a great treat. Also had bites of some fresh tagliatelle pesto and the pasta special which had tagliatelle with a Diablo sauce and clams. The sauces on both were very good as was the fresh pasta. Was particularly impressed with the Diablo sauce, which was actually spicy as it should be, rather than what I like to refer to as “North Carolina spicy” (i.e. not spicy at all).

-Contributed by Tari H.

6th & Vine: Chicken Skewers and Panini

From the Small Plate Menu:
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Skewers $8.99
Chicken skewers with roasted red curry coconut dipping sauce.

Smoked Turkey Panini $8.99

Sliced smoked turkey served with applewood-smoked
bacon, havarti and a pesto aioli; on grilled sourdough
panini bread.
Delicious!

-Contributed by Courtney T.

Diamondback Grill: Sandwiches and More

Taking advantage a restaurant gift card, we asked some friends to meet us for dinner at Diamondback Grill, located in the heart of the Buena Vista neighborhood. We met DG and MG at the restaurant and we chose the casual side of the restaurant. (There is a more formal dining room adjacent to the bar/grill area).

DG and MG ordered an appetizer, the steamed Prince Edward Island mussels with fresh ginger, curry, lemongrass, and coconut broth. They described the broth as being deliciously sweet and gave a nice flavor to the mussels. A crunchy crostini accompanied the mussels and was good for dipping in the broth. (DG is pictured, proudly showing off his mussels)

Joe had the Vegetarian Black Bean Burrito  with spinach, mushrooms, red peppers, corn, cheddar jack cheese, pico de gallo, sautéed asparagus, basmati rice, cilantro lime sour cream, pineapple salsa.

 From the appetizer menu, MG chose the Carolina Flounder fingers with lemon aioli. They were lightly breaded, tender and flakey. The lemon aioli was a refreshing change from your average tartar sauce.

I enjoyed the Monterey Grill, a marinated chicken breast with bacon, melted Monterey Jack, lettuce, tomato, avocado and purple onion on a toasted brioche bun. Lots of applewood bacon and the avacado makes this sandwich extra delicious.

DG had the Diamondback® Sloppy Joe, a masterpiece of a sandwich. made with lean freshly ground chuck that is pan sautéed with red peppers, onions and their homemade southwestern Diamondback® BBQ Sauce. It is served open face on a toasted brioche bun topped with blue cheese apple cole slaw and melted pepper jack cheese. DG highly recommends this sandwich, which his favorite item on the menu. It is unlike any Sloppy Joe you have ever had and it is magnificent.

Progressive Dinner: Mozelles, Bernardin's, and West End Cafe

When you start a food blog about eating out, you want to make sure that you have enough material to keep people reading and you want to showcase as many local restaurants as possible. Our friends MB and EB suggested a "progressive dinner" where we have one course at three different restaurants. They are also friends that are not afraid to "share" dishes so everyone can try what is on the table. Brilliant.

For this progressive dinner, we chose three restaurants that are within 200 feet of one another, in the West End area of Fourth Street.

Appetizers: Mozelle's Southern Bistro
We called ahead for a 7:30 reservation because we knew that there would be a wait on a Friday night. Mozelle's is one of those restaurants where it is hard to choose between the many choices on the menu. We chose four very different appetizers that were all delicious.

Top Left: Spring Vegetable Risotto: sweet peas, yellow zucchini, asparagus, shaved parmesan
Top Right: Fried Okra (Fried pickles was on the menu but okra was a substitution)
Bottom Left: Grilled Shrimp with fried Green Tomato
Bottom right: Southern Spring Rolls with pulled bbq, greens, shitake mushrooms, napa cabbage and three sauces.


The appetizers were delicious. The risotto (which was served with the Organic Chicken that I had as an entree last week) was cooked perfectly, again. The fact that they cooked the risotto perfectly during two visits, shows that they know what they are doing. The fried okra was a great substitute for fried pickles. Nice cornmeal breading gave this appetizer a nice crunch. The Fried Green tomato was cooked similarly, but topped with grilled shrimp, a sweet chow chow and garnished with a spicy red pepper coulis for that little "kick." The Southern Spring Rolls are a favorite of mine. Crispy and filled with sweet, smokey, and savory.


Our server, Tamara, was attentive and friendly. She suggested some nice summer wines and was knowledgeable about the menu. We were able to order, enjoy our appetizers and a bottle of wine, and pay our bill in forty-five minutes.


Entrees: Bernardins at the Zevely House
Bernardins is a new addition to the West End area of Fourth Street, having recently moved into the historic Zevely House. Joe and I had never been to their other location, so we were looking forward to trying something new; our friends had been to their Jonestown location in the past. We made a reservation for 8:15, requesting a table on their beautiful patio. (We were very thankful for a night with low-humidity.)


On to the food...

MB is a vegetarian but her choices were not limited on the Bernardin's menu. She chose the Goat Cheese Ravioli  prepared with fresh goat cheese, winter vegetables, with a truffle preserved Meyer lemon cream. The goat cheese was fresh and creamy, so perfect for a ravioli. Each of the The combination of flavors of the sauteed spinach, goat cheese, lemon, and fresh vegetables is magnificent. The portion is perfect for a pasta in a cream sauce, especially if you still have dessert on the agenda.

EB is not a vegetarian, and chose the Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon served with horseradish gnocchi, wild mushroom, wilted watercress, goat cheese. This is a hearty meal with a generous filet mignon and the gnocchi. Topping the steak with fresh, herbed goat cheese is just genius. The flavors in the cream sauce is a nice addition to the gnocchi, but adds a nice flavor to the steak if the two should run into each other on the plate. (Aren't you glad that there are photos so you don't have to imagine the goodness?)

I enjoyed the Brie Stuffed Chicken Breast that was served on a bed of mashed potatoes and topped with diced prosciutto, asparagus, caramelized pearl onions and topped thyme natural jus. Thinly sliced chicken with a brie filling that compliments the dish, rather than overwhelm the flavor of the chicken. The mashed potatoes were creamy and were enhanced by the natural juice. This is a comfort food where the different flavors of the chicken, vegetables, prosciutto, and potatoes work nicely together.

Joe ordered the Wasabi Mustard Crusted Ahi Tuna that is served over a soba noodle cake, baby Bok Choy, shitake, tahini sweet chili sauce. This dish is not only aesthetically stunning , but the taste is absolutely unbelieveable. Cooked medium-rare, the tuna was tender with a burst of flavor from the wasabi mustard crust and tahini sweet chili sauce. The soba noodles were tasty on their own, but made the texture of the dish interesting and savory. Simply put, Bernardin's puts the "Ahhh" in Ahi Tuna.


As may be expected, the service was very good with a delightful server and a manager stopping by the table to see if everything was satisfactory.


After finishing our meals, we had about 15 minutes to relax and finish our bottle of wine. We used this time to let our meals settle and enjoy some great conversation. We also noticed that the table next to us was taking pictures of their food with their camera phones. Awesome.


Dessert: West End Cafe
At 9:45 we walked into West End Cafe; they close at 10:00pm. We quickly explained to our server that we were only there for dessert and coffee, but he didn't seem phased by the time at all. (Very nice!)


We  chose West End for our dessert course because they are all homemade and they change everyday. The chalkboard reveals our choices for the evening: Chocolate layer cake, Mandarin Orange Cake, and Peanut Butter Cake. We decide to try one of each (as community service so that you, the readers, are able to experience the delicious dishes at these local treasures) of the cakes offered.

Coffee and cake arrived and after the required photo shoot of each plate, a battle of Dessert Twister broke out.  Independently, all of the cakes were SO good. However "the battle" also created some delicious combinations of cake and frosting.


We each had a favorite but it was close. The cake for each was moist and flavorful, but it was the frosting that was look-to-the-heavens-for-thanks good. Amazingly, there was very little left on each plate when the battle ended.


And so it ended. Three great courses, three great restaurants, four VERY full bellies. We were thankful for the walk home, although it wasn't quite long enough. I highly recommend a progressive dinner.

Willow's Bistro: Sunday Lunch for Brunch

I went to Willow's Bistro for the first time today for Sunday brunch with a neighbor. We arrived around 12:30pm, so the desire for breafast food had already passed. The place was very busy and we got the last table inside. Whew! To get some variety, we chose some items from the special board, the appetizer section, and the sandwich section of the menu.

From the specials board, my friend had the chicken, crab and sausage bisque. He said that is was creamy with a mild spice to it. He said that he would order the soup at every visit it was available. That's a pretty strong recommendation.

As his entree, he chose the Spicy Seasame Soba noodles from the appetizer menu. The dish includes noodles, shiitake mushrooms, scallions and cilantro. He was kind enough to let me sample the noodles and they were amazing. They were spicy, as the name suggests, but it was not overwhelming. The combination of flavors was very good. With the cup of soup, it made for a filling and satisfying lunch.

I ordered the Grilled Shrimp BLT which was grilled shrimp, applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce and tomatoes on a grilled french baguette with a sundried tomato and basil pesto aioli. You would think that there would not be that much of a difference between a toasted baguette and a grilled baguette, but trust me, there is a huge, delicious difference. The shrimp was sweet and the ailoi complimented it well. One of the best sandwiches I have had; I only wish it had been a little bit bigger.

Dioli's Trattoria: Italian Comes Downtown

My friend, Dieter, and I joined another couple, the Bray's, at the new Dioli's Trattoria downtown for dinner. The patio was full, even though it was a hot, June evening; we dined inside where it was a little bit cooler and got to enjoy the dining room that has wonderful family photos adorning the walls, several small tables, and the buzz of happy diners.

One thing that I really liked about the wine menu is that all of the bottles, Italian wines, were the same price: $25. All wines were also available by the glass or carafe, another nice touch.

We stared with two appetizers, Calamari and Pancetta-wrapped cheese. The calamari was lightly breaded, which gave the tender pieces a nice crunch. The fresh marinara was delicious. The mild, salty flavor of the pancetta was a nice compliment to soft cheese inside. (Sadly, we dug in as soon as the appetizers as soon as they reached the table so there are no pictures. I will go back very soon to remedy this situation, however.)

For the second night in a row, with competely different diners, the women ordered identical entrees, as did the men.

The ladies enjoyed the stuffed porkloin which was butterflied and rolled with polenta and mushroom stuffing, then roasted and served with mixed vegetables. The pork was so tender, you could cut it with a fork. It was perfectly seasoned and the mixed vegetables were delicious in the light gravy topped the porkloin. This is a very generous portion and could easily be split if you want to enjoy an appetizer and dessert.

The gentleman had the veal picatta which were three veal scallops, breaded and sauteed with a lemon caper sauce. A side of linguini in a garlic cream sauce substituted for the mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus. Both gentleman commented how delicious their meals were, which was evident when conversation slowed, ever-so-slightly, as we ate our entrees.



And then there was dessert. I am a lover of tiramisu and my friend agreed to share one with me. Our dinner companions ordered the same. Another waitress emerged from the kitchen with a tiramisu for the table next to us and I knew that I had made the right decision.  Our lovely server returned from the kitchen moments later to say that they just served the last tiramisu. My eyes immediately went to the next table where the couple eating the LAST tiramisu looked really, really happy. (Heavy sigh)

Our waitress recited the other choices available and Dieter and I decided to try the chocolate mousse torte. The Bray's chose a raspberry torte that they allowed us to sample and was quite delicious with a haint of almond in the pastry portion and a nice layer of raspberry puree at the bottom. (The picture that we took does not do it justice because I took the photo with my phone. I have learned that a proper camera is needed to take this photos and I will start carrying it around with me.) I will update with a much better photo, soon.)

The staff at Dioli's was very impressive for a restuarant that has only ben open for a couple of weeks. From the knowledgeable waitress, who helped us select a delicious red wine, to the bus boy who kept our table clear of clutter. The owners stopped by the table, which was a personal touch that we enjoyed. Dioli's is a welcome addition to Fourth Street and we look forward to our next visit.

6th and Vine: Baked Brie and Martini

My favorite dish 6th and Vine Wine Bar and Cafe. Baked brie!

I also recommend the Trade Street Tini: kahlua, Godiva chocolate, stoli vanilla & a shot of espresso

-Contributed by Kristi M.

Tate's Craft Cocktails: Small Plates

One of the great things about Tates Craft Cocktails is their small plates. Pictured is fresh goat cheese with a black olive tapenade under olive oil.

-Contributed by Carla H.