Jump to content

foodiehall

participating member
  • Posts

    144
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by foodiehall

  1. Wow....had no idea there were this many interesting places to eat in Greensboro. And here we were thinking that the Gate City Chophouse was the best thing going there....we've had some decent meals there but kept thinking that there must be something else in a place the size of Greensboro. Have nothing against barbecue; we're already set up for 'cue a couple of times during our stay. Too bad we only have 2 nights to work with on this trip; hub said we'll have to find reasons to go to G'boro more often. Anyhow....I had to start somewhere so I made reservations at Bistro Sophia and Undercurrent. And of course, I'll make reports upon my return. Many thanks for all the suggestions!
  2. One day about 30 yrs. ago (OK, so I'm hinting at my age here) I decided I wanted to bake my own bread. Sooo, after checking over the cookbooks in my neighborhood bookstore (I'd just moved into my own apt. and had no cookbooks), I came home with a Betty Crocker general cookbook geared toward just about anyone who can read and follow simple directions...I still use this cookbook altho it is literally falling apart. Anyhow, from that cookbook I learned to make bread. I started off with simple white loaf bread and went from there. After a few efforts, you develop a "feel" for what's right....or not....with your technique. Altho I don't bake professionally, I've won ribbons from NC state fairs for my yeast breads, rolls, etc. along with many praises, blah, blah. I've gone to more sophisticated cookbooks over the years, but why bother with something as basic as bread? There's just something about baking a good-looking loaf of bread that gives you such a feeling of accomplishment....to say nothing of the great aroma and taste. Make sure you get your yeast from a reliable source. If your yeast doesn't "proof" correctly after dissolving it in water, throw it out and start over because things won't go right with your bread no matter what else you do. The few times that I've been less than pleased with my bread have been when the yeast didn't act right in the beginning....and it was my own fault for proceeding on. My advice to a beginning bread-maker would be to have fun with it and don't get frustrated....it's not like you're working with expensive ingredients. Good luck!
  3. Thanks for your response. Yeah, I learned long ago to make reservations weeks in advance when coming to the ACC tournament in Greensboro or Charlotte. Looked at the website for Bistro Sophia and found it interesting....was this place known as "The Madison" or "Madison House" in another life? Some years ago, we ate there a couple of times....restaurant was in what had been a mid-size house on Dolley Madison Rd. in/near Guilford College, had quite an extensive wine list. I was not successful in getting info on Undercurrent....can you clue me in on this one? For Saturday (and maybe Thursday) night , we're interested in getting away from Coliseum area. Not that interested in Asian....on this trip. During last several years, have been to Leblon (sp?) a couple of times....it was fine, but would rather go elsewhere this time. Again, thanks for your help.
  4. Hub and I will be in Greensboro for several days in mid-March. Since we'll be attending basketball games most of our waking hours, we'll have only one--two at most-- opportunities to eat dinner away from the Coliseum area. Since we haven't dined in G'boro in at least a couple of years, we're looking for recommendations/links to fine dining establishments there....please, no barbecue places. Thanks for your help.
  5. Just returned from our first visit to Jibarra....found the food, ambiance, and service to our liking, plan to return, and hereby recommend it to others. We were impressed by the amount of business considering this place has been open less than a month. I'd describe the setting/decor as casual, understated elegance...very different from other Mexican restaurants we've been to in this area. Surprisingly---considering the number of people in the place---the noise level was no problem. Server was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. I'm kicking myself for not having anything to write with while there....not conversant in Spanish so cannot remember proper names of dishes. I started with appetizer of 3 small fried turnovers filled with shrimp and rice (?) accompanied by avocado salsa, some sliced radishes and anemic-looking shreds of iceberg lettuce (this would be my only complaint....iceberg lettuce is hardly better than nothing, IMO). For my entree, I had a braised goat shank (the other option was goat ribs) with potato confit (looked like regular ol' sliced potatoes to me). Meat was falling-off-the-bone tender, similar in texture to pork or lamb shank but flavor was milder, less distinctive than the other two. This also came with avocado salsa. Since this was our first time here, I broke down and had dessert: although menu called it bittersweet chocolate cake, the cake itself (actually in the form of two bars of cake) appeared too light-colored to be chocolate, was covered with a decadent bittersweet chocolate ganache, accompanied by a tomatillo jelly and whipped cream. Hub had sort of a "tapas dinner": had some tortilla soup and 3 other appetizers. Had the same fried turnovers I did (am embarrassed that I can't remember the name), ceviche, and flautas filled with shredded barbecued rabbit. All this plus a couple mojitos and coffee for hub came to a little over $80, a pretty good value IMO.
  6. This was my only point to posting to this thread in the first place: I do not want to wind up with hard-boiled eggs on my fork or, God forbid, in my mouth. When I am a guest in a home where any dish containing hard-boiled eggs is served, I simply pass on that dish. If I am pressed for an explanation, I simply state my aversion to hard-cooked eggs. As I stated earlier, I've always lived in the South and no one in my family put hard-boiled eggs in either gravy or dressing. Frankly my dears, I don't think this makes me less of a Southerner or a person with no class as a previous poster put it.
  7. Sorry, I beg to differ....my idea of a pleasurable dining experience and enjoying the company of friends does not include having to yell/straining to hear above the din in order to carry on a conversation. Must just be an age thing....don't worry, you'll be there soon enough yourself.
  8. Is there room in your curmudgeonly boat for hub and me? We have this same gripe. All we can figure is that management(?) assumes that this atmosphere/ambiance/whatever appeals to people, especially of the younger variety. Either that or they feel like this din gives off an aura of being "on the cutting edge"....of what, I'm not sure. Anyhow....faves which do NOT seem to have this problem are Nana's, Bloomsbury Bistro, and Four Square. Hard to say about Vin Rouge since we've always been seated on the patio, which is relatively quiet.
  9. I think that's what happens in a lot of cases where a restaurant and/or its chef/owner get so much good publicity for such a long time: people go there with such high expectations that they're almost bound to be disappointed with one thing or another. Just my brilliant observation for the day
  10. Huh??? What has happened to the wonderful bread I've eaten so many times at Nana's?! Maybe the baker/oven died? I hope this isn't a permanent change in the bread situation there. What they served in the past were moist, chewy chunks of whole wheat sourdough bread with a crisp crust which they doled out one chunk at a time....almost as soon as you finished your first chunk, here came someone with the bread basket to offer you another, and another and another....as long as you kept eating them. I had to restrain myself from filling up on bread so as not to ruin my appetite for the rest of my dinner. This was wonderful bread and the supply seemed to be endless. Something has gone wrong here and I'm going to find out what it is....I'd be dismayed if I went to Nana's and found the bread to be as you described. I could probably live on Nana's bread (that I've had in the past) and water alone.
  11. Sorry I wasn't able to access the Chronicle article on Nana's, but thanks for the post here on one of my faves here in the Triangle. You did a great job of describing the ambiance of the place. As for dessert, tell it like it is....I've had some good ones there and others that didn't quite make it for me. What the hey...for me, dessert is never the main attraction.
  12. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, I guess.... Admittedly, I haven't eaten at the OST in several years so maybe it's gone downhill. My hub grew up in W-S and OST was always one of his faves. I was always pleased with the Tavern's food, service, ambience, etc. When I read the original post in which the poster was describing a particular kind of restaurant, the Old Salem Tavern was what immediately came to mind.
  13. I think the Old Salem Tavern would suit you to a T, besides which it's in a beautiful, unique setting: Old Salem Village. But according to info, it's not open on Sunday evening. Neither is Zevely House, another good choice. Maybe you could juggle something around in order to get to the OST for lunch or dinner on another night.
  14. I'm glad you've confirmed this. We were in Charleston in late May for Spoleto and although we didn't eat at Carolina's this trip, I rode by there on my (rented) bicycle....but when I read the earlier post that it had burned a year ago, I thought Gee, maybe I'm losing my mind and I'm thinking about a couple years ago
  15. I wish I could post something original here instead of just echoing the praises of others who were at Casa Varmint this past weekend. Aside from the great food, it was such a pleasure to be among so many good people on such a lovely afternoon. It was truly a day when "....nothing could be finah than to be in (North) Carolina..." If you have the chance (again) to be part of a Varmint-organized Event, don't pass it up....this guy will see to it that you're well-fed and that you have the time of your life. Three cheers for the V-man and his clan!! Cheryl, pearl-wearing GRITS P.S.--....if only he hadn't invited all those bleeping flies
  16. Trust me...if you hated hard cooked eggs the way I do, their presence in potato salad (or anything else) would make a big difference. I guess I always assumed that putting the eggs in was a matter of personal preference, rather than being a "Southern thing". When I was a kid, if I knew my mom or my grandmother was making potato salad, I'd hang around the kitchen to be sure that no eggs made it into the bowl.
  17. Absolutely NO hard cooked eggs in my potato salad....or in anything else I make. I can spot (or smell) hard cooked eggs in any kind of salad and when I do, I don't touch it. I don't make a big deal of it, I just simply pass on it.
  18. Is your goal to reach a state of severe writer's cramp or profound inebriation? Guess you'll be putting in extra time at the Wellness Center to work off your pig pickin consumption.....ha, you and me both!
  19. I've enjoyed these posts and seeing the pix brings back many memories of our trips to Paris. We always stay in the vicinity of St. Germain and have eaten at Lipp several times. I have a particular interest in Hemingway's life in Paris and like to stop by places that he frequented during his time there. As to the No Salad thing....guess the Lipp was getting tired of those American ladies who consider "just a salad" a proper lunch?
  20. At the request of a hard-core hard-boiled-egg-hater, would it be possible for the potato-salad maker(s) to set aside some before adding the hard-cooked egg? Feel free to help yourself to my share of deviled eggs (apologies to Debbie M.). On the other hand, I could bypass the tater salad altogether and leave that much more room for pig and dessert!
  21. A big loud "AMEN TO THAT, BROTHER" from one of the natives here.... Sound like some people are getting a little carried away; after all, this is a pig-pickin !
  22. A field trip to FM....really? My only comment is that I hope this wouldn't be on a Saturday. Hub and I went there one sweltering Saturday a few weeks ago....after the parking mess and shuffling along cheek-by-jowl with all the other human furnaces, I said NEVAH AGAIN for me (on Saturday). I've been there from time to time during the week and had no problem. I regularly buy from one of the two vendors at City Market. They're there on Thurs-Sat. from 7 AM to 6-7PM. My guy always stops by the Farmer's Mkt first to pick up items to supplement what he grows himself.
×
×
  • Create New...