Triad City Bites — December 2018

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DECEMBER 2018

Jerusalem Market Christmas at the

Curated By:

Also featured in this month’s Issue: Pancake French Toast

Dinner Guest

Rewarding good service, lamenting bad

P

eople and pundits alike complain about the sad state of “service” in the service industry. Some trends back it up. The talent pool for all restaurant positions is at an all-time low, partially

by Jay Pierce because the proliferation of food outlets all along the price spectrum has exhausted the supply. Since Gordon Ramsay, David Chang and “Top Chef” burst into our consciousness, the industry has rediscovered technique and quality, and not just “eating with the eyes first.” But a corresponding back-to-basics movement in the front of house, heralded

by Danny Meyer’s hospitality-driven empire, failed to materialize nationally to any degree.

Really good service centers on eye contact, anticipation and concise communication. Most guests want to be attended to, but not fussed over. They want efficient transactions with the staff, whether that is a beverage refill without prompting, not being interrupted mid-conversation, understanding non-verbal cues indicating the need for an increase or decrease in attention, or knowing how to expedite a brisk meal or facilitate a leisurely experience.

It is human nature to remember events more favorably than perhaps they existed, so I asked a few food-industry friends: What gives? Does service just suck everywhere, or have we grizzled industry veterans become too jaded?

Mary, who has owned and operated restaurants in the Triad for a few decades, thinks it has to do with our hectic modern lives. Our industry can’t quantify hospitality and therefore doesn’t value it as much as measurable “controllables” like food cost, pour cost and payroll.

“Everything has gotten so automated and basic manners have been lost,” she said.

“Employees are trained on how to work the point-of-sale systems but not trained in the basic niceties, how to interact with the guests who walk through the door and support the business in which they work. There is no time for the extra. It’s all about taking the order and then moving along to the next customer, who is in a hurry. We all need to slow down. But I think America in general is always on a fast track. How fast can I get food? How fast can I make dinner? It’s all about convenience. Manners and mindfulness have been lost. I hope it circles back around.”

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Triad City Bites

Justin, a seasoned server and an avid homebrewer, relishes his role of helping guests navigate the restaurant’s offerings to tailor their experience for that particular visit. Guests love to sit in his section because his tableside manner is always engaging and comforting. His positive outlook shines through the “Groundhog’s Day” aspect of waiting tables — the sometimes-maddening feeling of repetition that the work demands.

“I get to see people on their best days,” he said. “I have friends that have gone to law school and medical school, who routinely see people on their worst days. How is that a way to go through life? Working weddings is the best. Everyone is dressed up, in a great mood to be there. I didn’t realize that until I got a job as a valet and the company sent me to work at a hospital. The finest cars I’ve ever sat behind the wheel of. But no one wants to be there.

No one wants to be bringing in an injured child or an ailing parent or visiting a critical patient.

Waiting tables is so different. How can you not find the joy in that?”

John has manned every position possible in a restaurant through his six decades, most of those years tableside or behind the bar.

He attributes today’s culture of lackadaisical service to the dearth of empathy in our modern society. Most food-service employees in small- to medium-sized cities are itinerant; they transition through on their way to careers in other fields, and are not invested in the idea of service. Cash is their motivation, instead of refinement of a craft. The clearest tell of a lack of hospitality is the response of, “No problem” when presented with a service request. That rejoinder is far too casual to be comforting and is less preferable to the “My pleasure” service of the chicken-and-pickles chain.

Hospitality is about reception, entertainment and the communication of goodwill. In great service, commerce is secondary to the experience.

Feeling that our grievances have been heard by sympathetic ears is not enough. It is incumbent upon us to support businesses and institutions that embody and employ values we hold dear, and that treat us in a way that reinforces the feeling that we are having our best day by choosing to drink or dine with them. Reward the most hospitable businesses with your patronage, as they reward you for your choice.

1618 Midtown $$-$$$

1618midtown.com 1724 Battleground Ave. GSO 336.285.9410

The 1618 family of restaurants keeps getting bigger. This fall, 1618 Midtown announced the arrival of new Manager Casey Clanton. Casey is a familiar face in the Greensboro restaurant scene, and now brings her expertise to the growing cocktail list she’s compiling with awardwinning bartender Max Barwick. In the kitchen, almost a year ago Steven “Rooster” Jones became the new chef de cuisine after several years at Liberty Oak. The new menu is a collaborative effort among the skilled chefs on staff and is rolling out this week. Stop by 1618 Midtown for a taste.

FOOD+DRINK December 2018

Burger Batch $-$$

Melt Kitchen & Bar $-$$

Sweet-toothed novelty seekers can’t look away from Burger Batch’s playful milkshake menu.

These aren’t the shakes of romantic Norman Rockwell paintings; the decadent concoctions tower over classic milkshake glasses like charming parodies of 21st Century intemperance with ingredients as far ranging as Nutter Butters, caramel corn, fudge, Froot Loops, Graham cracker and marshmallows. The It’s a Surprise shake is the belle of the ball: a cake-batter shake rimmed with rainbow sprinkles and topped off with cotton candy and a slice of birthday cake. Customers looking for something slightly more traditional will find Banana Time, a banana pudding shake sporting Nila wafers and Captain Crunch, and the Black & White, a classic Oreo shake donning a crown of cookies. Looking for something sweeter than the brunch crew? Try the Breakfast Club, featuring just about every multi-colored cereal on the market and a Rice Krispy treat. There’s something for everyone, even the peanut butter devotee in the group.

Melt’s big space on New Garden Road pushes beyond the panini — and was listed as one of John Batchelor’s 10 favorite restaurants in Greensboro. A long list of burgers, sandwiches and wraps maintains the quality — including the award-winning BAT, a bacon-arugula-tomato sandwich that relies on Rudd Farms tomatoes, local bacon and the peppery bite of arugula. A short slate of tacos keeps it simple with fish, steak, shrimp or avocado. All the salads are signature items, unique to Melt. They still carry the Sunrise salad — with portabella mushrooms, artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, bacon and a fried egg — that became a favorite among the regulars at the old location. They’ve still got the duck-confit flatbread and duck fries, the pulled-pork nachos and the almost-famous sprouts too. And, of course, everyone loves the panini.

6th and Vine $-$$

Mission Pizza $-$$

burgerbatch.com 2760 NC 68 HP 336.875.4082 237 W. Fifth St. WS 336.893.6395

6thandvine.com 209 W. Sixth St. WS, 336.725.5577 6th and Vine, nestled in the heart of Winston’s downtown Arts District, has always been more than a wine bar, known for its cozy, comfy atmosphere complete with vintage couches and walls adorned with local art. Its famous appetizers — puff-pastry baked brie, spicy crab and artichoke dip, or antipasti and cheese platter — have been on the eclectic menu for 13 years, joined by new additions like the sesame crusted tuna with sweet chili and green-tea wasabi or Korean meatballs with Asian slaw.

You may be surprised that the menu also boasts entrées such as blackberry duck, mocha sirloin with a white chocolate cognac cream sauce and curried cauliflower rice bowl. The bar keeps a variety of beers, many from local breweries, and an extensive cocktail list including a cucumber gimlet, coconut-macaroon martini and the Dirty South, complete with pimiento cheese-stuffed olives. This wine bar has almost 40 wines by the glass including a NC blend from Jones von Drehle vineyard and many interesting varietals, such as Verdejo, Macabeo, Cabernet Franc, and of course, Malbec, Merlot and your typical favorites. For the holidays reserve a spot in our sofa lounge. Have your party in our living room, not yours!

December 2018

meltkitchenandbar.com 1941 New Garden Road # 116 GSO 336.763.5445

missionpizzanapoletana.com 707 Trade St. WS, 336.893.8217

Finally, a reason to stop eating commodity pizza.

Proper pizza Napoletana. Classic Italian pastas. Fresh salads and wood-fired veg. NC craft beer. Italian wine. Local food, handmade with integrity. That’s all there is to it.

Triad City Bites

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Christmas at the Jeru

On a chilly December afternoon in downtown Greensboro, Easa Hanhan stands behind the counter at Jerusalem Market on Elm. He’s always standing behind the counter — lunch and dinner, every day — to keep his eye on the food, the ingredients, the customers.

Today he’s explaining the day’s special: white-bean stew with roasted lamb shoulder, as prepared by his brother Omar.

“It’s American lamb shoulder,” he explains. “It gets a very light seasoning — black pepper, allspice and salt — and we roast it in a 200-degree oven overnight. It cooks for 13 hours like that.”

The result is a traditional, falling-off-the-bone cut that pairs magnificently atop the white-bean stew, which Easa explains is vegan when taken on its own.

“We use those Greek white beans,” he says. “They’re gigantic. It’s like a lima bean but it’s much creamier, and it doesn’t break down in the stew; it stays nice and whole.”

And on a day like this, with Christmas fast approaching and cold weather bearing down, it’s just perfect.

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Triad City Bites

In some ways it’s business as usual at Jer Street and its predecessor near Adams Far like tabbouleh, baba ghanouj, grape leave and yogurt sauce. But technique and prese The shawarma comes as charred chunks ground or shredded product some are acc served sliced.

“It’s like the burnt ends on a brisket,” Ea The bulk of their produce is local — thro which rely on ingredients like dried beef an made sauces, are completely unique. Thei their hummus is the best in the world.

But J-Mart is a grocery as well, and that’s time.

As the holiday draws near, the side shelv from the Middle East and Europe: Turkish D

December 2018

usalem Market

rusalem Market — both the one on Elm rm: a solid menu of Middle Eastern classics es — “dolmathes” on the menu, tahini, feta entation lifts their menu above the rest. of actual cuts of lamb and beef, not the customed to, which by necessity must be

asa explains. ough Gate City Harvest; their slate of wraps, nd sausages, imported cheeses and houseir vegetarian selections are ample. And

’s never more evident than at Christmas-

ves fill with unique ingredients, imported Delight candies in flavors from pistachio to

December 2018

Jerusalem Market on Elm $-$$ 310 S. Elm St. GSO jerusalemarket.com/on-elm

rose petal, dried figs and fig jam, Icelandic chocolate, grape molasses, honey with caraway seeds in it — said to ward off the flu — and English biscuits to pour it on.

Behind the bakery case, an array of pastries and cookies need constant replenishment as customers come in looking to leave with a taste of home.

Easa points them out one by one.

“They’re Middle Eastern recipes, so they use a lot of nuts and butter,” he says.

“The pistachio baklava is probably our best seller — it’s not quite as sticky and sweet as Greek baklava — and we have it in walnut and a vegan variety as well. Mamoul are those filled cookies. We do nuts or dates or something. Namoura is a cake made from semolina flour, and we soak it in orange-blossom water. We make boorma with shredded filo dough – we take like one big piece and cut it up.”

And then there’s barazek sesame-pistachio cookies, ghouribeh butter cookies, kolosh-kor mini roses and, for the health-conscious, Saliba’s Harmless Cookies, made without butter, using honey, sesame and anise for flavor.

Easa is happy to explain it all to anyone. And he’s really easy to find.

Triad City Bites

5

The Quiet Pint $$

Local 27101 $

Geeks who Drink Tuesday night Trivia ends for the season this month, to resume in March.

In its place come holiday festivities, starting with a costume contest for dogs on Oct. 27 and a for-real costume contest on Halloween night.

New wines and fall cocktails are coming soon, and the Oktoberfest and pumpkin beers are already pouring. Follow the beer menu in real tim with Untappd. Follow the Quiet Pint on Facebook and Instagram for updates and announcements.

Local 27101, located in the heart of downtown Winston-Salem, balances a casual ambiance with local classics re-imagined by Executive Chef Patrick Rafferty, and with the savvy of the management behind the Millennium Center. They feature fresh food made fast, and there’s fare for everyone: Burgers with seasoned crinkle cut and sweet potato fries. A legendary hot dog. Fresh shrimp and oysters for po-boys — grilled, fried or sautéed — and made-to-order salads that go beyond the basic house with Caesar and a Cobb. Local 27101 has local wine and beer, free delivery throughout downtown Winston-Salem and the West End. And they cater, as well — either on location, on site at Local 27101 or one of the many chambers of the Millennium Center. Closed Sundays.

Mozelle’s Fresh Southern Bistro $$

Bites & Pints Gastropub $

Although you can get fried chicken in some shape or fashion at just about any restaurant in town, the dish is still impressive when executed well.

At Mozelle’s Fresh Southern Bistro, this country classic has been the centerpiece of the menu for more than 10 years. Their rather refined take on the Southern staple is dipped in buttermilk and Texas Pete, dredged in a glutenfriendly, seasoned “dust” and crisped in 100 percent non-GMO canola oil. All day long, it is nestled atop a mound of the creamiest mac and cheese and a handful of sautéed haricots verts.

The final touch, to send the whole enterprise heavenward, is a hint of peach chutney. You could get fried chicken anywhere, but after tasting the rendition in the heart of West End, why would you?

Chef Kris Fuller, queen of the Crafted empire in Greensboro and WinstonSalem, joined with longtime Westerwood Tavern owner Mike Bosco to create Greensboro’s only true gastropub. Fuller’s menu takes bar food to the next level, with an eclectic slate of delectables suitable for sharing or grubbing down solo: boiled peanuts, shrimp tempura, chicken and waffles, melts, salads, a full component of burgers and hot dogs and even a kids’ menu. Bosco’s bar has all the necessary accoutrements. Open every day in the Lindley Park section of Spring Garden Street.

facebook.com/quietpinttavern 1420 W. First St. WS, 336.893.6881

mozelles.com 878 W. Fourth St., WS, 336.703.5400

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Triad City Bites

thelocal.ws 310 W. Fourth St. WS, 336.725.3900

bitesandpintsgastropub.com 2503 Spring Garden St. GSO, 336.617.5185

December 2018

Flash in the Pan:

Not to be confused with crepes

N

ecessity may be the mother of invention, but I am the father of two young necessities. That is why, in the foggy hours of a recent morning, I invented pancake French toast.

They wanted French toast for breakfast, but we were out of bread. I wondered if we had any other bread-like materials in the house that could be soaked in egg and fried in butter. I decided on pancakes.

by Ari LeVaux Making French toast out of pancakes involved an extra step of making blueberry pancakes first, but disaster was averted. After the school bus left I got back to work. Though I rarely eat breakfast, I was curious about those golden-brown disks of French toast pancakes. I’m not a sweet breakfast person; I like my eggs salty and spicy. I saw no reason why pancake French toast couldn’t be savory.

Crepes, after all — those beloved French pancakes — come with both sweet and savory fillings. So savory French toast pancakes made sense, at least on paper. I began my experiments. A mushroom and garlic version was lovely, as was the tofu scallion. My favorite so far, which I will tell you how to make, is ham and cheese.

One thing they all have in common so far is their supple, spongy-yet-toothy texture. A brown, crispy, French toast-like exterior guards an eggy batter below the surface, and a dry puffy pancake in the middle. At the table, they are formidable adversaries: fat, rounded and heavy. Unlike most pancakes, which leave you hungry a few minutes later, these won’t abandon your belly.

I don’t have a waffle iron, so I haven’t explored French-toasted waffles. I suck at making gravy, so I haven’t smothered a pancake with it. Surely there are more winning variations to discover.

They will all taste great with coffee, I’m quite certain, which is my definition of a truly great breakfast, regardless of the time of day it is served.

Ham and Cheese French Toast Pancakes In this recipe, pancakes are dipped in beaten eggs, as if they were slices of bread. For lovers of sweet breakfast, the same technique can be used to make sweet pancake French toast, with berries in the pancake mix and cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in the French toast batter.

I hate to sound like a shill, but the best pancakes I’ve ever made have been with Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix. I first tried it in Alaska as a breading for deep-fried halibut, mixed with beer instead of water. It’s magical stuff.

December 2018

Makes 3 large pancakes, serves 2 (with one extra to fight over) 1 cup prepared pancake batter, preferably Krusteaz, in a medium bowl 1 slice ham, ripped or cut into half-inch shards (or mortadella, prosciutto or bacon) 2 tablespoons Swiss cheese, in quarter-inch cubes (or other melting cheese, like asiago fresco) 2 tablespoons butter, divided, plus more for serving 1 egg 2 tablespoons milk or cream Black pepper, chile flakes, hot sauce or other hot and spicy materials, if you wish 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley Let the pancake batter sit for at least 10 minutes. Stir the ham and cheese into the pancake batter.

Heat a stovetop griddle to medium high. Coat it with 1 tablespoon butter, and pour in 3 pancakes. Don’t worry about any protruding chunks. They will fall in line when you flip the pancakes. Cook for about two minutes per side; don’t overcook them, which would create an impermeable skin that won’t soak up the French toast batter.

Remove the cooked pancakes and let them cool on a plate, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, crack the egg into the unwashed vessel in which you mixed the pancake batter. Add the milk and optional spices and beat. You want to incorporate as much of the leftover pancake mix as possible, which gives body to the French toast batter and helps further blur the line between pancake and French toast.

One at a time, dip them into the batter. The art is to let them soak for just the right amount of time. Too quick, and the pancakes don’t absorb enough French toast batter. Too long and they can disintegrate. About 30 seconds should do it.

Turn the pan turned down to medium heat, add a tablespoon of butter to coat, and fry the battered pancakes. Pour any remaining batter on top of the pancakes. It may run down the sides and start cooking into scrambled eggs on the sides. That’s fine, because those sputtering puddles of egg are your indicator of when you need to turn the toast.

When the egg around the sides looks cooked (about 2 minutes) flip the pancake, and cook for 2 minutes on the other side, like a normal piece of French toast, Serve with salsa, mayo, or gravy. And coffee, of course.

Triad City Bites

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Burke Street Pizza $

burkestreetpizza.com 1140 Burke St. WS, 336.721.0011 3352 Robinhood Road WS, 336.760.4888 A traditional New York pizzeria with all the trimmings, open for lunch, dinner and latenight feasts. The menu goes beyond thin-crust pizza with salads and subs, specialty pies and appetizers. Both the Burke Street an Robinhood Road locations deliver — order online at burkestreetpizza.com or call the restaurant. Look for upcoming renovations to the Robinhood Road location. Find them on Instagram at @BurkeStreetPizza, or stop by either place for the Halloween special.

Uncle Buzzy’s Fried Food $ Find them on Facebook.

1510 First St. WS

Uncle Buzzy’s specializes in carnival food: burgers, hot dogs, ice-cream tacos and the sort of deep-fried experimentation for which the genre is becoming famous.

Owner Dave Hillman partnered with Chef Brian Duffy, best known as the kitchen guy from the television show “Bar Rescue,” to flesh out the carnival-food concept and add classic American street food. A new menu is in the works, but it’s sure to include classic favorites such as the Nashville chicken, smoked pork shoulder and the famous roast beef sandwiches. Uncle Buzzy’s is open now on First Street for takeout only, but you can order online at unclebuzzys.com, at the Facebook page or the ChowNow app.

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Don’t see your business? Call Brian at 336.681.0704 to get listed.