Midtown Cafe and Dessertery: Dinner and Dessert

We have been to Midtown Cafe and Dessertery many times for breakfast and dessert (not during the same visit), but thought that we would try it for dinner. Our eyes have never diverted from the breakfast menu so it we took a few extra minutes with the menu.

Our server, Jessica, was very helpful and helped me choose the Grilled Grouper Sandwich, which is covered with melted Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and homemade tarter sauce and served with house-cut fries. The grouper had great flavor and was tender.  The house-cut fries were cooked perfectly, lightly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I am not sure what kind of oil they use but the flavor was excellent.

Joe enjoyed the the chicken quesadilla, which is one of the September specials. It had diced, grilled chicken with a mild Mexican spice, Monterrey jack cheese, fresh black beans and crisp white corn. The crunch from the corn and the fresh black beans gave the quesadilla a wonderful texture and crunch. A side of salsa gave it some extra spice and complimented the flavors.

I made the mistake of sitting on the side of the table that faced the chalkboard that listed all of the desserts. Cakes, pies, cookies...how was a girl to choose? Joe helped me decide on the German chocolate cake. Chocolate and coconut together is a wonderful combination. I'm not sure which German created this particular cake but danke schoen. The cake was moist and had a great cocoa flavor. The frosting was to die for, all coconuty and carmelly, and pieces of pecans. We made the right choice, but we will have to try the others on future visits...just to be sure.

151 S. Stratford Road

Stratford Village Shopping Center

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.

Sweet Potatoes: Spaghetti with a Drawl and Catfish NOLA

It was one of those Saturdays where all I had eaten by 4pm was a cup of yogurt and some granola. Needless to say, I was pretty hungry for an early dinner. We knew that Sweet Potatoes (on Trade Street)opened at 5pm and we took advantage of getting there early to get a seat right away.

Danielle, our server, greeted us, described the soup of the day and brought us our beverages right away. Since I had eaten so little today, everything on the menu looked good. I always get the Catfish NOLA (which stands for New Orleans, LA) because it is light and delicious. However, I feel like the blog should make me try new things, photograph and describe new things...but not tonight, I got the catfish. It was delicious as usual, lightly breaded, cooked perfectly, just the right amount of creole sauce for flavor, without taking away from the flavor of the flaky fish. My appetite was satisfied without being uncomfortable. I needed to save a little bit of room...but I'll get to that in the next post.

Joe was more adventurous with his dinner choice. He tried the Spaghetti with a Drawl, a bowl of spaghetti tossed in a creamy creole sauce with smoked sausage and country ham topped with fried chicken tenders. They creatively add a whimsical wall of crispy spaghetti for additional flair. The dish was absolutely sensational. The creamy creole sauce was creamy and full of flavor from the fresh vegetables. The sausage had a smoked flavor and added additional texture and flavor. Chicken was cripy from the cornmeal breading but tender inside. A sweet potato muffin made a tasty garnish. (I love a tasty garnish.)

We have always had good service at Sweet Potatoes and tonight was no exception. Even though Danielle's entire section filled up during our visit, we were well taken care of for the duration of our meal. The couple at the next table gave us a strange look as we took pictures of our food, but we are pretty used to that after ten years of doing it.

Ted's Kickin Chicken: Upper Basket

Lunch at Ted's Kickin' Chicken on South Main St. Upper (Breast and wing), basket of seasoned fries and coleslaw. {Note: Photographer purposely did not include pictures of the aftermath that later ensued.]

-Contributed by Jeff S.

Diamondback Grill: Salmon, PoBoy and BLgT

Last night Joe and I met our friend, Smitty, at Diamondback Grill to check out their new menu. Diamondback Grill is almost two restaurants in one, with a more casual bar area with several tables and TVs showing the local news or sporting event. The other side is more classic dining that gives you the feel of a more upscale restaurant. Both sides have the same menu, you just choose your dining experience.

Known for their wonderful Seafood dishes, Diamondback has many to choose from on their new menu. Smitty chose the Grilled Salmon, but made a couple of substitutions to meet his personal taste. Our waitress, Julie, was happy to assist him with possibilities and thier combined creation was a Grilled Norwegian Salmon served over grits, steamed spinich, grilled scallop & shallot thyme jam. There was a bit of jealousy from my side of the table. It looked amazing and Smitty confirmed and he cleaned his plate.

Joe had the Shrimp PoBoy from their new Sandwich Menu.  It is had flash-fried shrimp, served on a sourdough panini with shredded lettuce and homemade remoulade. The bread for the sandwich was great for a Po Boy, lightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The shrimp was lightly breaded which brought out the flavor of the shrimp (more shrimp are hidden under the baguette in the photo). On the side, Joe chose the black bean salad that came with multi-colored corn chips.

I had the BLgT sandwich made with applewood bacon, organic mixed greems, fried green tomatoes and buttermilk mayonnaise on panini. Again, the bread for the sandwich it fantastic. (I would like to have these at home for my own summer tomato sandwiches.) The bacon was meaty and was properly cooked. The fried green tomatoes were double stacked and made the sandwich a real meal. The french fries were a nice indugence, but many were left behind so I could eat more of the sandwich.

Summer time means desserts made with fresh fruits and Diamondback did not disappoint with this wild blueberry and cherry cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream. The three of us shared the dessert which was incredible. The fresh fruit, and crumb topping were warm and inviting and the vanilla ice cream cooled the fruit slightly so that you could enjoy every bite.


Another thing that I learned about Diamondback Grill is that they participate in the Slow Food Piedmont Triad. From the SFPT Website:

"Diamondback’s menu offers a variety of cuisine showcasing local and organic produce from Minglewood Farm, fresh seafood, and all natural grass fed Beef. Everything here is made from scratch. From our regular menu to our seasonal specials, we offer tasty and inventive, yet healthy food."

Willow's Bistro: Ribs, Banana Bread Pudding, Salad and Sandwiches

Great dinner at Willow's Bistro Winston-Salem tonight. Pork Ribs with wasabi sauce. However, the roasted corn with stalk added to the presentation and worth taking a picture.

Let's not forget polishing the Pork Ribs off at Willow's Bistro Winston-Salem with some Banana Bread Pudding which was quite tasty.

-Contributed by Smitty

More from Willow's:

A special birthday lunch for Sadie C. was a delicious success on the shaded patio of Willow's Bistro Winston-Salem today!

I enjoyed a delicious Grilled Saku Tuna & Pineapple Salad - and yesthe pineapple was also grilled - decadent with red curry and roasted mango vinaigrette!

-Contributed by Michelle S.

Sadie C. and Crystal N. both had the Bacon, Lettuce and Fried Green Tomato sandwiches. (Applewood-smoked bacon, goat cheese, balsamic sundried tomato aioli and lettuce on wheat berry bread.) One was served with french fries, the other with home made chips

-Contributed by Sadie C. and Crystal N.

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.

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.

Mozelle's: Two Dinners, Two Desserts

I went with some friends to Mozelle's for dinner tonight. It was 8pm on a Friday night and the place was packed. The sidewalk tables, covered patio, and inside tables were buzzing with happy diners.

Our waitress came to the table and told us the specials, which all sounded good. The guys ordered the special grouper, which came atop "red grits" made with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and red peppers then topped with a Chardonnay cream sauce and a side of okra. Both guys cleaned their plates and expressed how good the meal was, the "red grits" were the perfect compliment to the grouper. Highly recommended.

The girls both ordered the Organic chicken breast with spring vegetable risotto. The chicken was cooked perfectly with a light crunch of the skin, yet tender inside. The spring vegetable risotto was excellent. Cooking risotto properly is an art; slightly al dente with the yellow squash cooked to just the right tenderness in the cream sauce with a touch of broth.

I was dining with friends who share my love for dessert; these are my people. Of the several choices offered, we chose two desserts, to share, that were very different in composition but both had chocolate in common. The first was described as an Oreo cake, which our server said tasted exactly like an oreo cookie. Once we tasted it, we understood exactly what she meant. We thought there must have been some kind of magic involved, or the chef spent an hour scraping the filling out of a dozen or so oreos to make the filling for this cake. The cake was covered in oreo crumbs.

The second dessert was everyone's favorite. I kept expecting a fork fight to break out but everyone held their composure. (If I had been dining with my spouse, instead of friends, it would have been ON!) The flourless chocolate cake was dense but was not overwhelmingly rich. The dollop of whipped cream was enormous but the thing that impressed me the most was the number of whole raspberries. They were not just a garnish, but a very generous contribution to the dessert. Spectacular. Really.

-Contributed by Susan M.

Hutch & Harris: Crab Cakes and Malbec

This entree from Hutch & Harris is two sweet lump crab cakes broiled in lemon butter over angel hair pasta & served with lemon caper sauce and fresh spring vegetables. The crabcake is more crab than cake and is both light and delicious. The tatar sauce was not needed with the lemony flavor from the caper sauce.We split the entree and a bottle of Gouguenheim Malbec (I know, seafood "should" be served with white wine, but we prefer red and the bottle was 1/2 price on Wednesday). The patio is great for running into friends on Fourth Street or just watching the action.

-Contributed by Susan M.

Noble's Grille: Entree Salad with Seafood

This amazing salad from Noble's Grille is made with organic mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, onion, fines herbs, sherry vinaigrette and topped with a lightly breaded softshell crab.

-Contributed by Sadie C.

Sweet Potatoes: Creole Catfish

Creole Catfish from Sweet Potatoes. The catfish is lightly breaded and topped with a savory creole sauce made with sweet tomotoes and onions. Served over a serving of white rice, this dish is light and delicious.

-Contributed by Susan M.