Chow Down with John Batchelor at Downtown Grille

from YES! Weekly - June 21, 2023

hot pour

BY JOHN BATCHELOR

Downtown Grille is the ﬁrst venture outside Virginia from the Parry Restaurant Group, which owns over a dozen properties in that state. Managing partner Stephan Parry started in the business by owning and operating a college bar in Harrisonburg, where he attended James Madison University. His career subsequently included management in several high-end establishments, including Vice President of Operations for Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses.

In both ambiance and style, this is a true white tablecloth restaurant. Panoramic windows look out from the ground ﬂoor of a downtown o ce tower. Patio seating is surrounded by the chef’s vegetable and herb garden, growing from planter boxes around the perimeter.

Two other criteria give rise to compliments I hardly ever pay. Background music is unobtrusive, but pleasant and actually interesting if you choose to attend to it. Some of Miles Davis’s more mellow compositions are characteristic. And I found myself actually looking forward to various wine selections from this exceptionally well-constructed list. Although prices in-house do not always precisely match those posted online, even with moderate discrepancies factored in, some outstanding quality and value are available here.

Of course, none of that matters unless the food meets similar standards. It does. I cannot recall enjoying any series of meals this much in years. Hardly ever, in fact.

Take, for example, the Smoked Salmon Pate’, an o -menu but frequently featured starter. The Triad is pate’ deﬁcient. Any good pate’ would be welcome, but this one is exemplary, noteworthy for subtle smoke and salmon ﬂavors from the primary ingredients, as well as brilliant colors from fresh green herbs and sliced red and purple daikon.

Bright colors are further evident in Beets Three Ways. Raw, crisp, red and white interiors generate the ﬁrst impression, followed by deep red from roasted red cubes, rounded out by deep gold from pickled yellow slices. These rest in stracciatellamellow mozzarella cheese soaked in sweet cream — scattered with toasted Marcona almonds. Arugula dressed in light lemon vinaigrette, plus perfectly charred baguette slices, complete this striking presentation. My wife forbade me from licking the plate.

Scallops are seared in a cast iron skillet, yielding a deep brown crust, yet still buttery-tender, oozing their own natural ﬂavor well served by a bath of celeriac puree. Deep red pickled apples plus pancetta bites lend color as well as complementary ﬂavor. Pea shoots lightly doused with vinaigrette further decorate the plate.

Deep crimson Piquillo Peppers are slightly charred, stu ed with merguez sausage, made in-house with ground lamb. These produce exceptionally robust flavor, surrounded by two aioli swirls, one of roasted corn, the other espellete, flecked with smoked paprika. Springs of fresh green cilantro accent both color and flavor.

Bread service is listed among the starters, at extra cost. Usually, I would skip this sort of arrangement. Sourced from Bobby Boy Bakeshop, however, these breadsbaguettes, sesame-spelt slices, and sea salt buns — are worth it. This is the best bread I’ve ever had in a restaurant, and some of the best, anywhere. The kitchen here blends butter with ramps, a novel treatment, executed with a gentle touch that is not overpowering. I’ve never seen this member of the onion family, native to

North Carolina, on area menus before. It’s a welcome addition.

Moving on to the entrées, the fish in Carolina Catch varies according to fresh availability. The evening we ordered it, amberjack was the feature. The white flesh tilts naturally toward mild firm texture, in this case seared brown and crusty, topped with grated tru es, resting in ramp orecchiette pasta (pastas are made in-house), blended with chicken stock, butter, preserved lemon, and maitake mushrooms. Green pea shoots surround the fish.

Grilled Salmon bears just enough crust to create some texture and enhanced ﬂavor, laced with sauce verte — uncooked herbs blended with lemon juice and olive oil. It is plated over Carolina Gold risotto, ﬂanked by grilled asparagus shoots, charred lemon slices alongside.

The Crabcake is noteworthy on several counts. First, the primary flavor emerges from high-quality, real lump crabmeat. Remoulade sauce, flavored with ramps, sharpens the crab flavor but does not interfere with it. Purple and white potatoes alongside gain texture and flavor from lemon, olive oil, and oregano. Leek gratin is a special treat unto itself. The kitchen ought to consider making this mild, oniony casserole a vegetarian entrée.

The vegetarian entrée on the menu is well worth ordering, however, and not just for vegetarians. The Farmer’s Plate consists of fresh mushrooms, ramps, caramelized shallots, and spring peas in Carolina Gold rice risotto. Unindicted coconspirator Jerry wanted more ramps.

I would term Green Eggs and Ham Carbonara a southern variation on an Italian classic. The “green” comes from Gemelli pasta and pureed spring peas, plus pea shoots, with egg yolk blended in. The ham is sliced pancetta. Finely grated

Reggiano cheese covers the top. To some extent, Downtown Grille also implements a steakhouse concept, with all the traditional cuts o ered, in addition to the otherwise stellar menu o erings. My wife and I have tried two meats here. The Steakburger is made from a blend of ground chuck, short ribs, brisket, and knuckle, sourced from Apple Brandy Beef, a North Carolina mountains farm of superior quality. (I have written about them in one of my books.) A soft, tasty brioche bun hosts the deeply ﬂavorful patty, augmented with arugula, aged cheddar cheese, and applewood-smoked bacon. Crisp fries are the accompanying vegetable. I seldom categorize anything with an unequivocal “best” label. But I’ll make that declaration on this, right now.

The Pork Chop ranks in the upper echelon, too. It’s an ample cut- almost a pound- beautifully seared and crusted on the exterior, moist and tender inside. Roasted tomatoes and a small salad of pea shoots rest alongside. The acid of the tomatoes marries particularly well with the ﬂavor of the pork.

The vegetables cited above are included with the entrées. Most, however, are priced a la carte. I am a big Brussels sprouts fan, so I had to try them here. They are flash-fried to a crisp exterior, but their natural flavor still comes through. The “pork cotton candy” on top is unique, however, a dry confetti that lends an exquisite supplementary flavor, along with a bit of garlic and chili crunch. My current weight limit notwithstanding, my party ordered dessert. The Hazelnut Molten Cake oozes a liquid chocolate center, topped with vanilla ice cream, surrounded by raspberry puree. Cheesecake is prepared from cream cheese and crème fraiche, flanked by fresh strawberries, topped with strawberry coulis. This is a lush, rich preparation. All desserts are made in-house by the resident culinary team.

Harrison Littell, the Executive Chef, is a Winston-Salem native who grew up in the professional kitchen of Five Loaves Catering, his mother’s business. His professional background includes the Honey Pot (RIP) in Winston-Salem, Lantern in Chapel Hill, as well as time in Vermont. He graduated from New England Culinary Institute. Brian Gebhard is Chef de Cuisine. Giovanni Brown is Sous Chef. Michael Caudill and Michael Fisher are line cooks. This is quite a crew! The Manager is Dan Todd. He has about 30 years of experience in restaurant management, mainly in Virginia with the Parry Group. He moved to Winston-Salem to take over this new property.

Downtown Grille clearly earns the designation “destination restaurant.” !

Greensboro, North Carolina

JOHN BATCHELOR has been writing about eating and drinking since 1981. Over a thousand of his articles have been published. He is also author of two travel/ cookbooks: Chefs of the Coast: Restaurants and Recipes from the North Carolina Coast, and Chefs of the Mountains: Restaurants and Recipes from Western North Carolina. Contact him at john.e.batchelor@gmail.com or see his blog, johnbatchelordiningandtravel.blogspot.com.