The Big Eat: Week One

I always look forward to the Big Eat. It’s that time of year when everyone has a little less money in their pockets after the holidays and dining out is a luxury that most choose not to partake. But the Big Eat makes it affordable to go out to dinner in January and February, and it gives downtown restaurants a boost in a time where sales are traditionally low.

I worked in restaurants for twelve years, and I know that I had to save tips from the holiday season to get by until Valentine’s Day. Monday and Tuesday nights were always the lowest yield for the service industry, but the Big Eat is out there to change all that.

Thirty downtown restaurants are participating this year (yes THIRTY) so there is surely something to please everyone. The menus for the Big Eat are posted about five days in advance so you have time to plan your strategy, and if the restaurant takes reservations, I suggest you make them as early as possible.

I should be in town each Tuesday until the Big Eat is over on Feb 26^th, so expect at least a weekly post. I know it’s been way too long, but I have been pinching pennies and the Big Eat is getting me out there again. Hooray!

Big Eat- Week One: Community Arts Café (CAC)

The Big Eat special was the Café Burger. At $3.49 this is one heck of a burger. (At full price of $6.99, this is one heck of a burger!) Served on a corn-dusted Kaiser roll, the 7 oz. burger is topped with Dublin Irish cheddar, and lettuce, tomato & red onion and a pickle on the side. You also have your choice of a side item: kettle chips, fruit salad, or roasted sweet potatoes with goat cheese.

The burger is cooked on a flattop which seals in the juices and cooks the burger evenly. The toppings are fresh and the Dublin Irish Cheese is rich, melted goodness that seeps into the nooks and crannies of the  beefy burger. The fresh lettuce, tomato and pickle on the side allow you to build your burger to suit your taste. The bun is flavorful and firm enough to hold all the goodness inside. (Very important!)

The signature side is roasted sweet potatoes that spend a minute on the grill to add a little extra crunch to the outside, and then topped with crumbles of fresh goat cheese. I never knew that sweet potatoes and goat cheese could complement each other so well, but man-o-man, it’s delicious!

The Cafe Burger will also be the Big Eat special in Week Two of the Big Eat at the CAC, but there are two other notable dishes you can try in the meantime. The Sweet Potato Quesadilla is made with roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, cilantro and cheddar cheese with a chipotle sour cream. It's sweet, savory, and spicy so your taste buds will be happy! Pictured here with a side of fresh fruit, this $6.99 meal is perfect for meat lovers or vegetarians.

  

Finally, I love the homemade Chicken Salad on a Croissant. A substantial portion, the chicken salad is made fresh and you can taste the difference. Freshly cooked chicken with just enough mayo to bind the chicken together. I think that chicken salad was made for croissants, it just gives it that little extra buttery flavor. Served here with the roasted sweet potatoes with goat cheese.

One of my favorite things about the Community Arts Café is that there is not a single item on the menu that is over $8.99. If you are looking for a great meal, fresh ingredients, substantial portions that is kind to your wallet, then the Community Arts Café is the place to dine.

The restaurant is located at the 411 W. Fourth Street

Vegetarian and Gluten Free Options

View the menu

Hours:

Monday – Friday 9am-2pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am-2pm
Tuesday Nights (during the Big Eat)-  5pm-9:30pm

Bone Appetit is Tonight! 09/11/12

On this one special day, area restaurants will contribute a portion of their sales to aid homeless and helpless animals in our area.

 

You can do your part by simply dining at one of the participating restaurants below:

(Please let the restaurants know you are dining for AARF)

 

B.L.L. Rotisserie Factory - 380 Knollwood Street, Suite A

Breakfast, of Course! Mary’s Too – 723 N. Trade Street

Burke Street Pizza – 1140 Burke Street

Burke Street Pizza – 3352 Robinhood Road

Café Arthur’s – 1416 S. Hawthorne Road

Cagney’s of Kernersville – 801 S. Main St., Kernersville

Diamondback Grill – 751 N. Avalon Road (off Robinhood)

Downtown Diamondback Grill – 101 N. Cherry Street

First Street Draught House – 1500 W. First Street

Foothills Brewing – 638 W. 4^th Street

Kimono Japanese Restaurant – 4910 Old Country Club Road

Kimono Japanese Restaurant – 324 Summit Square Boulevard

Kimono Japanese Restaurant – 6655 Old US Hwy 52, Welcome

Lighthouse Restaurant – 905 Burke Street

Mellow Mushroom – 314 West 4^th Street

New Town Bistro and Bar – 420-U Jonestown Road

Pizza Wings n’ Things – 1358 US Hwy 601 S., Mocksville

Plaza Restaurant – 806 NC Hwy 66 South, Ste. D, Kernersville

Sociale Gourmet - 380 Knollwood Street, Suite M

Stratford Station Grill – 828 S. Stratford Road

Szechuan Palace – 3040 Healy Drive

The Grapes of Half!

Have you ever wondered on which nights certain restaurants and bars had half price wine by the bottle or the glass?

Did you know that this list was simple to find by just Googling "Half Price Wine in Winston-Salem?" - yeah, me either.

So now I am sharing the list that with you, the community, because this is important information for everyone who loves wine and a bargain!

List of Half Price Wine Nights in Winston-Salem

www.localwinedeals.com is very helpful and includes not only the half price wine and a calendar of NC and VA wine festivals... but that's not all!
If you like them on Facebook, the will send reminders of half price nights to your wall.

Upcoming Wine Events:
12th Annual North Carolina Wine Festival - Clemmons, NC May 26, 2012 noon to 6:30pm www.ncwinefestival.com

7th Annual Salute! The North Carolina Wine Celebration - Winston Salem, NC June 2, 2012 www.salutencwine.com

Grapes and Small Plates

Some local restaurant owners have taken it upon themselves to promote local dining during traditional "slow" periods in April. They have been very busy adding locally-owned restaurants to their list of restaurants participating in the April Event.

Learn more about this grass-roots effort at http://grapesandsmallplates.com/

Like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grapesandsmallplates
Follow them on Twitter: @grapessmplates

Lots of AMAZING restaurants on this list. Please support your local restaurants whenever possible.

Beta Verde Preserves and Homemade Ice Cream

While not a local restaurant, last night's dessert was compliments of locals. Beta Verde is a local treasure that can be found at the Cobblestone Farmer's Market on Tuesdays. Last week I stopped by the market with tomatoes on my mind. However, I stopped by the Beta Verde tent and tried their variety of blueberry preserves. Is owned and operated by Beta Verde, Margaret and Salem Norfleet Neff, a mother-daughter team who have a local farm and create some of the most creative and delicious foods you can think of. After trying samples on fresh baked bread, I chose the blueberry mint preserves. I am not a huge jelly/jam/preserves fan but I thought it would be something that my husband would enjoy. Margaret and Salem suggested that I try it over ice cream and I was sold.

Something this good deserved homemade ice cream so I broke out the machine (easy peasy and idiot proof) and waited the 30 minutes it takes to have creamy, homemade ice cream. I topped it with some of the blueberry mint preserves and oh-my-heavenly-goodness it was amazing. So hopefully they will have more next week so that you can try this for yourself. Seriously, if you could taste summer, this is what it would taste like.

Hey Windsor, do you wanna go to...

Windsor is our furry kid and we love to take him as many places as possible. One of his favorite places is Old Winston Social Club, where he can sit outside and enjoy a breeze or take a nap on a lap on one of the large black leather sofas. They have a large water bowl and are very welcoming of well-behaved pets.

With so many furry kids in our area, we need to know the places that accept them on their patios or have special events just for them. We are adding a "Pet Friendly" tab to all of the Local Dish locations that allow our furry friends to enjoy a dining experience out and about in the community.

So Winston-Salem, where can Windsor go?

Note: Just because a place is listed as Pet Friendly, it is up to the owner to make sure that you have a Friendly Pet. Please only bring well-behaved pets to a restaurant, bar, or event.

Mozelle's Firecracker Salmon Salad

Today I had lunch with the #BWT (Broads Who Tweet) group at Mozelle's. We had a lovely lunch, catching up with each other in real life, rather than following each other on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. (It was also nice to communicate in more than 140 characters.)

It was a warm day, but very comfortable on the covered patio, still getting to enjoy the fresh air. A variety of dishes were ordered, but I decided to break from my norm of Tomato Pie and try the Firecracker Salmon Salad. The salad included a lot of my favorite ingredients: salmon, baby greens,  soba noodles, and a ginger dressing, but it also included cucumber kim chee (thinly sliced cucumber and onion in a sweet vinegar, ginger, and garlic) - which I had never tried before but will now add it to my list of favorites. Great blend of flavors in this dish and great for a late spring lunch.

I love a salad but hate that sometimes I am still hungry after eating one. This salad was the perfect blend of flavor, and sustanance and is highly recommended.