Friendly Center Update: Pieology Pizzeria and Rise Biscuits & Donuts

Greensboro locations of these two chains opened beside one another late last year across from Whole Foods at the Friendly Center, increasing the number of options (and the amount of traffic) in an already bustling shopping area.

Pieology can best be summed up as the Chipotlefication of pizza. An $8.95 flat rate gets you an 11.5 inch pie with unlimited toppings of your choosing (house favorite pies are listed to aid the indecisive), usually in a matter of minutes. Salads are similarly customizable, and there are a few side and dessert items as well.

The two biggest upshots to this concept are flexibility and convenience, and to that end, Pieology acquits itself well. There are enough available crusts, sauces, and toppings for a gluten-sensitive vegetarian and a meat connoisseur to each be satisfied. While Pieology can get busy, the establishment is built to handle a crowd: there is adequate seating both indoors and out and enough caring, well-managed staff to keep the lines moving efficiently. The wait times for pizzas have been as advertised: minimal.

The pizzas themselves, however, are fairly pedestrian, definitely better than most freezer pies, but no real threat to the competition. The crusts are very thin, the flavors sometimes muted (the house red sauce more so than the Alfredo), and the pies can be rather greasy as well. Given the convenience and price, this is, perhaps, an inevitable tradeoff, but whether it is one worth making depends on how much of a hurry you are in.

7.25/10

Rise, Pieology’s neighbor, is very nearly its opposite. Whereas Pieology has plenty of seating, Rise is essentially standing-room only. It isn’t uncommon to see a line literally out the door (friendly staff and a dedicated lane for touchscreen/credit card ordering ameliorate the experience). And where Pieology’s pricing can be deemed a value, some of Rise’s specialty offerings – like the $6 pork loin biscuit or the $3 apple fritter – may invite some measure of sticker shock.

But for those who are willing to stand and to spend, Rise’s food is quite good. The biscuits are buttery and crumbly, and there is a wide range of condiments and toppings to choose from (as well as eclectic rotating specials). The decadent donuts are grouped into old school (glazed, iced, and old fashioned), new school (maple bacon bars, crème brulee, pineapple basil), and our school (rotating specials like a cookie dough bullseye or fruity pebbles). They are definitely on the very sweet side, but I’ve sampled from all three categories and have yet to find a dud. That Rise can be dinged for leaving us wanting more – more space, more hours (they close at 2 p.m.) – is a testament to everything it is doing right.

8.5/10

Cin Cin Burger Bar

Located at 1425 West 1^st Street in Winston-Salem, Cin Cin Burger Bar is a Prohibition-themed establishment that specializes in gourmet burgers and (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) shakes. Salads, sandwiches and entrees are also available. There is a full-service bar, and the restaurant is open seven days a week.

Craft burger bars no longer offer the novelty they once did. Customizable toppings have gone from deluxe to de rigueur, and if the ingredient quality and execution aren’t completely on-point, the $10-plus burger is not a justifiable indulgence but a disappointing mass of overpriced meat. This was the climate that greeted the Michael family (owners of Waldo’s Wings) when they opened Cin Cin last year. Having a well-defined concept -– a neo-speakeasy/juice joint – certainly helps, but a tantalizing menu with offerings that eat as good as they sound is what will keep Cin Cin from being an also-ran.

If our first visit was any indication, Cin Cin has gotten off to a strong start. The house was nearly packed when we went for lunch, but, miraculously, the wait for a table was very brief. Inside, Cin Cin is a funky mix of old and new. The red striped booths and old-timey wall art suggest a charming retro vibe, but the conspicuously placed TVs and modern dance music are decidedly at odds with the Prohibition-era aesthetic.

Cin Cin’s menu offers a surprising amount of depth. In addition to the expected burgers (go pre-fab or build your own), fries, salads, and sandwiches, you’ll find everything from chicken waffle pops and pierogis to steaks and fish to an assortment of Waldo’s Wings with a few vegetarian options interspersed. For the decadently inclined, the dessert section will send you straight into Homer Simpson-esque drool territory: sweet jars, cheesecakes, and various wet, dry, and artisanal shakes that make use of everything from butterscotch schnapps to frosted animal crackers.

For our first time out, my wife and I started with eggplant fries and a burger and a side apiece. Unlike some I’ve had, the eggplant fries here came out crispy and golden brown, and they held their batter well. The accompanying garlic aioli was satisfying, but if it hadn’t been, the tableside array of wing sauces would have made up for it. The “flapper” fries that accompanied my burger were crisp as well but rather oddly shaped: picture potato twists. The burger in question, a Bootleggers Bourbon (bourbon molasses glaze, caramelized onion, bacon, and pimento), did not disappoint. Cin Cin uses a chuck/brisket/short rib blend, and the meat was juicy. It also came at the requested medium: some establishments struggle with serving anything less than medium-well. My wife’s selection, the Fuh-Gedd-About-It (mozzarella, tomato, basil, roasted red pepper, and balsamic on ciabatta) was also a hit (the tomato and basil added some nice freshness) though neither of us would repeat the Asian noodle salad (fine in and of itself, odd as an accompaniment) as a side.

For as tasty as the food was, we certainly had to wait a while to receive it. It is difficult to ascertain whether Cin Cin was simply exceptionally busy that day or if their kitchen is normally slow, but either way, a quick meal this was not. At least our server, somewhat frenzied from the rush, was not neglectful.

If nothing else, CinCin is competitively priced. Our app was $6 for a good-sized plate, and our burgers (with one side each) were $12 and $11. Some diners will inevitably balk at paying north of $10 for a burger, but for the quality and quantity offered, Cin Cin’s rates seemed fair.

While the speed can be improved and the concept isn’t entirely consistent, Cin Cin’s deep and varied menu, competent execution, and creative branding make it appealing. It is likely too early to call, but Winston-Salem may have found its very own Hops: a boisterous, busy bar that serves up a damn good burger nearly any way you like.

Overall: 8.25/10

Live by Night

Joseph Coughlin (Ben Affleck), the son of a powerful Boston police officer (Brendan Gleeson), returns from World War I disillusioned and becomes a stickup artist. He is reluctantly drawn into a mob war between Albert White (Robert Glenister) and Maso Pescatore (Remo Girone) despite insisting that he is an outlaw, not a gangster. Following a doomed affair with White’s girlfriend Emma Gould (Sienna Miller), Coughlin agrees to head up Pescatore’s bootlegging operation in Tampa alongside friend Dion Bartolo (Chris Messina). It isn’t long before they establish a power base and Joe falls in love with Graciela (Zoe Saldana), the charitable sister of his Cuban importer. While Joe dreams of a casino and a position of comfortable security, disapproving locals, a still-vengeful Albert, and an increasingly demanding Maso all threaten to undo his success.

Ben Affleck’s ascendance as a director began a decade ago with another Dennis Lehane adaptation, Gone Baby Gone, so having him bring to screen another work by his fellow Bostonian seemed a no-brainer. Unfortunately, Live by Night seems a bit too content to coast on its pedigree. Though not a flop, it is also, given the talent involved, not all that it could have been.

As a director, Affleck maintains a sharp eye for detail. Tommy guns, fedoras, and sleek roadsters exude period-appropriate style while the Georgia coast fills in admirably for the Florida one. These sunny scenes contrast nicely with the urban grit of the film’s Boston-based beginning. All told, aesthetically, Live by Night does not disappoint.

The acting isn’t quite up to the same standard across the board, but there is no shortage of experienced hands here. Though a bit too old for his role, Affleck convincingly gets across Joe’s pragmatism and conviction that he can simultaneously be a criminal and a decent person (hence the sleep by day/live by night metaphor of the title). However, in their scenes together, he is clearly upstaged by Elle Fanning as the Tampa police chief’s drug addict-turned-evangelist daughter, a would-be antagonist that Fanning plays quite sympathetically. Saldana and Messina make the most of their underwritten roles, and Glenister makes Albert quite a loathsome thug. On the other hand, the miscast Miller’s Irish accent is distractingly inconsistent, especially compared to the authentic one sported by Gleeson (who is rock-solid as the stern, disapproving patriarch). Affleck, wisely, sticks to a standard Boston accent rather than affect a sure-to-be embarrassing attempt at a brogue.

Ironically, given Affleck’s screenwriting Oscar and Lehane’s Edgar awards, the writing may be the weakest element here. While the film and the book on which it was based both explore the nature of spiritual as well as financial and political corruption and provide Joe with an arc, there is quite a bit here that is formulaic or rushed. Live by Night is actually the second book in a trilogy, and had its predecessor, The Given Day, been filmed first, Joe’s disdain for authority and turn to crime would be better understood in context. Even without the added background, this film could have certainly done more to build its relationships. Joe and Graciela, a Boston crook and an Afro-Cuban-Floridian philanthropist, seem to fall a little too easily for one another, and that’s still more that can be said for how Joe (“lace curtain Irish”) and Emma (“shanty Irish”) end up together. Add to this some moments of canned sentimentality, and Live by Night loses some luster.

Were it brought to life by anyone else, Live by Night would be a perfectly serviceable gangster yarn, but as an Affleck film, it comes as a letdown. A longstanding element of comic book lore is that being Batman has caused Bruce Wayne’s social life and business dealings to suffer at times. Perhaps playing Batman (in the upcoming Justice League and a solo film) has taken a similar toll on Affleck.

7.5/10