The PorterHouse Bar & Grill

NOTE: Despite its shortcomings as a dinner destination The Porter House serves an above-average burger. Burgers are only $5.95 (with one side) on Mondays, and are also available via The Porter House's food truck.

Located at 4608 W. Market St. in Greensboro, The PorterHouse offers burgers, sandwiches, salads, and entrees. There is a full service bar, a different burger special each day, and $5 burgers on Mondays. Dinner entrees are available after 4 p.m.

Don’t be fooled by the moniker. While the PorterHouse does in fact serve steaks, the name comes from the couple who owns the establishment, and it’s far closer to a pub than a steakhouse. There are enough flourishes here to elevate it above typical bar food, but there are also enough inconsistencies to keep it from receiving a glowing recommendation.

The PorterHouse’s menu emphasizes the tried-and-true (steaks, chicken sandwiches, BLTs, pork chops, etc.) with a dash of the unexpected (pulled pork egg rolls). Like Hop’s, The PorterHouse offers boutique burgers with a bevy of intriguing ingredients (You can make your own with jalapeno cream cheese and peanut butter, for instance). Prices are moderate. Sandwiches and burgers run $7-9 and include a side while entrees are priced in the teens

Decked out in dark wood and deceptively spacious, The Porterhouse provides a comfortable atmosphere. Servers are very polite and professional, but the kitchen is not exactly swift. Interestingly, there was a longer wait for food during a lunch visit than there was during a dinner visit with a bigger crowd.

This would be easier to overlook if the food was less uneven. To the PorterHouse’s credit, much of the food appears to be made fresh in-house. Unfortunately, not all of it is made well. An order of fish and chips came with slaw that was bitter and vinegary and fries that were hot but limp. The fish itself was cooked and battered nicely albeit rather underseasoned. On a subsequent visit, I tried chips instead of fries and found them to be an improvement. A burger in the rye (griddle-cooked 8 oz burger with onions, Swiss, and thousand island dressing) came tucked between two very thick slices of bread. While they made the burger seem small by comparison, they effectively held everything together. The burger itself had a good flavor and was not too greasy.

The $5 burger on Mondays makes the PorterHouse worth a return visit for a leisurely meal, and hungry Greensboroians can do far worse on any day of the week. Beyond that, however, there just is not enough to make this place stand out.

7.5/10

Doctor Sleep

Thirty five years after a possessed hotel drove his alcoholic father to nearly kill him in a psychotic rage, Dan Torrance is himself a recovering alcoholic who makes penance as a hospice worker. His psychic powers, which he turned to drink to suppress, are awakened by twelve-year-old Abra Stone, a twelve-year-old girl with powers even greater than his own. As Dan and Abra strike up a telepathic friendship, they become aware of the True Knot, a cult of traveling immortality-seeking pseudo-vampires who kill psychic children to absorb their “steam” and prolong their lives. After Abra “sees” on of their murders, she and Dan must stop the Knot before she becomes the next victim.

Be it the book or the Stanley Kubrick film adaptation, The Shining is synonymous with iconic modern horror. In this long-awaited sequel, Stephen King manages to maintain a strong continuity with the original while simultaneously taking the style, setting, characterization, and conflict in very different directions. Though these departures will disappoint those hoping for more of the same, they make Doctor Sleep a compelling read it its own right.

One major source of The Shining’s trauma was its setting: the haunted, mountainous, snowbound Overlook Hotel. In Doctor Sleep, the Overlook is long since destroyed, but its malevolent specter lingers as a reminder. Much of the action instead takes place in King’s preferred milieu: small-town New England. While this seems at first like a letdown, it actually introduces a different wrinkle of tension – the idea that evil may lurk in the most mundane locales (small towns, RV camps, etc.).

Speaking of evil, King has taken a new approach to conflict as well. In the past, his supernatural antagonists embodied malice for malice’s sake. But here, we are allowed to see the True Knot in a somewhat more sympathetic light. The cultists grieve for one another and experience fear and pain. Conversely, Abra, the nominal deuteragonist, is possessed of a sadistic streak that is chillingly wide. These complexities don’t render the conflict “softer” or really all that ambiguous (a child-abducting vampire cult is still a child-abducting vampire cult), but they do represent a refreshing change-of-pace from the stale black-and-white morality that permeated many of King’s prior works.

Despite the appeal of these supporting characters, the novel is at its strongest when it focuses on Dan. In contrast to his child self, the adult Dan Torrance is a tragic figure, and his descent toward rock bottom and attempt to pull himself back up form the novel’s emotional center. He may have psychic gifts, but he is otherwise plagued by the same doubts and regrets as many of us.

Though it may mark a return to form (of sorts), Doctor Sleep is still far from King’s best work. For as fun as it is to read, there are plenty of chinks in the armor. Like much of his latter-day writing, King’s prose is workmanlike and occasionally slack. A major twist comes across as plausible, but a little too convenient. And while the predictability of the ending can be forgiven, the tidiness with which it is executed is a disappointment. A younger, bolder King would have inflicted more tragedy before wrapping things up.

All told, for a sequel 35 years in the making, Doctor Sleep acquits itself as well as can be expected. It does not top – or even equal – its predecessor, but then again, it isn’t really trying to. Take it as its own tale, and you will find a lot to like.

8.25/10

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Accompanied by the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), the company of dwarves under the command of deposed king Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) continues its quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and the treasure within from the destructive dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). Pursued by vengeful orcs, the dwarves must also deal with the elves of Mirkwood and the men of Laketown, all of whom want a share of the treasure. Meanwhile, their friend and guide Gandalf (Ian McKellen) must leave them to uncover a Necromancer’s sinister plot.

The second of three Hobbit films, The Desolation of Smaug is unlikely to win over anyone who found its predecessor unnecessarily long. Clocking in at 160 minutes, the film perpetuates Peter Jackson’s love-it-or-leave it approach to epic fantasy filmmaking. But those who found An Unexpected Journey at the very least tolerable will likely see this middle installment as an all-around improvement.

Though only a few minutes shorter than the previous film, The Desolation of Smaug passes the time much more quickly due to improved pacing. Giant spiders, giant dragons, elf fights, orc fights, evil spirits, and more create peril at every turn and lend a sense of urgency to the quest. However, this is not action for action’s sake. It shapes characterization as well. As Bilbo continues to use the ring he gained in the last film, he becomes more and more aggressive. And as Thorin gets closer and closer to reclaiming his birthright, he becomes more and more ruthless. While these developments risk turning the nominal protagonists unlikeable, they also provide complexity and set up the third installment fall from grace.

Another upgrade here takes the form of the chief antagonist, Smaug. Whereas the previous film’s orcs were a constant nuisance, Smaug is a menace on a much grander scale. Cumberbatch’s vocal performance is exaggerated at times but on the whole, quite appropriate for the character. Cunning, authoritative, and malevolent, the dragon is entirely believable as a force to be reckoned with. Again, this works to raise the stakes.

Of course, this isn’t a film without blemish. Even with better pacing, it still feels bloated in comparison to the source material. The addition of a romantic subplot involving young dwarf Kili (Aidan Turner) and elvish archer Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) is nothing if not contrived. And the increased prominence of the Necromancer (aka Sauron) as an attempt to strengthen Lord of the Rings ties is distracting. Overall, however, Jackson and company have not worn out their welcome. If anything, they’ve built considerable momentum for what one can only hope is the final installment.

8.25/10

Pastabilities

Located at 1726 Battleground Avenue, Pastabilities specializes in pasta dishes, but sandwiches and salads are also available. The restaurant offers a full service bar and daily specials. Catering is available as is delivery to a limited area.

Pastabilities may very well be Greensboro’s premier “looks good on paper” restaurant. The menu is enticing, but each of my few visits has been something of a disappointment.

Tucked into a Battleground Avenue shopping center, Pastabilities seems smallish from the outside, but it is deceptively deep. Inside, a wall of wine bottles and tasteful wood trim make for appealing décor, but the charm is somewhat undercut by the close positioning of tables. Even still, noise levels were not insufferable among a dinner crowd.

The biggest asset here is the menu. The pasta-with-a-twist concept may furrow the brows of traditionalists, but for those who want something creative, look no further. Classics like carbonara, cacciatore, and parmesan hobnob alongside various Cajun and Asian-inspired offerings. Want to mix things up? The Four Aces combines linguine, Anduille and Italian sausages, chicken, and shrimp in a mushroom and onion sauce while various dishes incorporate artichokes and pine nuts. And if you don’t see something you like, you can always build your own.

This versatility, combined with above-average service and delicious, fresh-out-of-the-oven bread gives diners every reason to get their hopes up, but within the first few forkfuls that hope is likely diminished. To clarify, the food here is not terrible, merely underwhelming. The Great Sea Caper (linguine, shrimp, scallops, capers, and clams in a tomato clam sauce) was reasonably portioned and adequately sauced, but the clams were tiny and the pasta was limp and overcooked. My companion’s Eggspecially Italian (linguine, peppers, sausage, and onions in marinara sauce) suffered from similar ups and downs. Admittedly, the Cajun-inspired dishes I had tried in the past were not overcooked – and looked great on the plate – but failed to deliver the anticipated big flavors.

At the very least, one can take solace in the fact that Pastabilities does not overcharge for this inconsistency. My entrée and a side salad rang up a reasonable $12.50 while my companion’s dish was a mere $7. You can feed yourself well here for $10 to $12, perhaps too well to enjoy the tantalizing-sounding desserts (Cheesecakes by Alex and various flavored poundcakes).

Despite the punny name, Pastabilities leans closer to tragedy than comedy. The menu, service, pricing, and décor all suggest a winning dining destination, but the food’s failure to impress makes Pastabilities worth only a rare visit at best.

7.5/10