Black Mountain Chocolate

Located at 732 North Trade Street in downtown Winston-Salem, Black Mountain Chocolate offers chocolate bars, drinking chocolate, gelato, baked goods, and more. The chocolate is made on-site, and factory tours are available.

When it comes to food, “artisanal” typically conjures one of two images: the impeccable efforts of a skilled craftsman or overpriced pretension peddled to status-seeking rubes. Thankfully, Black Mountain represents the former tradition.

First and foremost, the chocolate here is outstanding (and this comes from someone who typically prefers milk or white chocolate to dark). Stop in, and you’ll get to sample different varieties (sea salt, cocoa nib, espresso, etc.), each with its own complex flavor. This diversity extends to liquid form as well: the drinking chocolate comes in three strains. I opted for ginger-nutmeg with a marshmallow and was not disappointed: the chocolate was rich and smooth, and the ginger notes added a welcome kick.

This excellence isn’t limited to just chocolate, either. The baked goods are spot-on as well. A banana cream macaroon had real banana flavor (as opposed to the overly sweet synthetic cousin), and a moonshine macaroon won high praise from my companion. The available offerings may rotate, but you’re bound to find something that catches your eye among the macaroons, pies, cookies, and pastries on any given day.

It also helps that everyone at Black Mountain is exceptionally friendly. They will answer questions, offer recommendations, and put up with your slack-jawed gawking at all the delicious desserts. They even held a chocolate bar that I had purchased but left behind during a previous visit.

At $5 a bar, Black Mountain’s chocolate will seem exorbitant compared to store-bought Hershey’s, but such is the difference between a bespoke suit and one grabbed off the rack at Wal-Mart. Besides, the rest of the goods – drinks, pastries, etc. – are far more in line with the competition, and those products that aren’t made in-house come from local businesses.

Whether you have a sweet tooth or not, as long as you can appreciate something tasty done right, Black Mountain Chocolate is worth your time.

9.25/10

Hutch and Harris

Located at 424 West Fourth Street in downtown Winston-Salem, Hutch and Harris offers soups, salads, sandwiches, and entrees for lunch and dinner. There is a full service bar, outdoor seating, brunch on the weekends, and daily food and drink specials. Take out is available.

Trying to find dinner in Winston on a Saturday night without a long wait proved to be quite a challenge, so Hutch and Harris won out by virtue of having seats open at the bar. The meal that followed made out stumbling in here out of desperation a stroke of good fortune, but there were still a few nagging inconsistencies that would preempt a glowing recommendation.

Conveniently located at the corner of Fourth and Spruce, Hutch and Harris offers an inviting atmosphere: classy without being stuffy and comfortable without feeling cheap. Despite a full house and a college football game on TV at the bar, the noise level never rose to the point of agitation.

The menu here is eclectic bordering on schizophrenic. Influences include Asian (Siracha Stirfry Salad), Southern (Shrimp and Grits, Kentucky Fried Chicken), Cajun (a shrimp/crawfish/chicken platter) and more. This makes for some wonderful variety; however, it also makes it hard to pin down H & H’s culinary identity.

During our visit, my companion and I opted to sample some soups and split an order of nachos. The nachos featured the standard accoutrements (cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream) elevated considerably by tender marinated pork. Among the soups, the crab bisque was creamy with excellent flavor. Unfortunately, it also contained a few bits of shell. The white bean chicken chili was hearty and satisfying, but the flavor profile didn’t really fit that of a chili (I found myself missing the tomato). Some savory, crumbly jalapeno cornbread made for a welcome addition.

Given the location, pricing at Hutch and Harris could be a lot steeper. Our soups came out to $4 apiece, and our app was $10. Sandwiches (with a side) start at $9 and entrees are mostly in the teens.

In terms of service, the bartenders on duty were great – fast, friendly attentive, and knowledgeable – but the kitchen certainly could be swifter.

All told, Hutch and Harris gave us a good meal and a good evening when one was needed. It has a few shortcomings, but it also has enough going for it to merit a return visit.

7.5/10