Lulu and Blu

Located at 2140 North Main Street in High Point, Lulu and Blu offers upscale Italian-inspired fare for lunch (weekdays) and dinner (every day except Sunday). There is a patio, a full bar, and risotto/soup/beef specials that rotate daily.

Like its former corporate cousin Magnolia Blue, Lulu and Blu takes on a well-known and well-loved cuisine, adds its own flourishes, and wraps everything in a classy package. A classic red sauce joint this is not, but if your palate permits a touch of gentrification, this is a damn good place to have an Italianish meal.

Though smaller than expected inside, Lulu and Blu is a comfortable and well-appointed space. Both the wine room and the long bar stand out albeit not ostentatiously so.

Lulu and Blu’s menu runs the gamut from apps, salads, and flatbreads to entrees, filled pastas, and Italian classics. You can go as simple as linguine and meatballs here or as indulgent as cioppino.

For our early Valentine’s Day meal, my wife and I split an order of fried fungus (portabellos, shitake caps, and oyster mushrooms with marinara) and went with pasta primavera (cavatappi, mushrooms, yellow squash, spinach, artichokes, vodka sauce, and grana Padano cheese) and duck cacciatore (cavatappi, guanciale, cremini mushrooms, tomatoes, peas, and red sauce), respectively. The fried fungus offered an interesting play on the typical breaded mushrooms, presenting earthier and more varied flavors. Both pasta dishes were excellent. The cavatappi was perfectly cooked, ingredients were fresh and flavorful, and the sauces were present enough to act as complements without overwhelming either dish. An order of bread pudding (taken to go) wasn’t on the same level, but it was still satisfying in its own right.

Neither pricing nor service left room for complaint. You know going in that this isn’t going to be a cheap meal, but nothing here felt like a reach. While the $21 paid for the cacciatore would have raised eyebrows were it the traditional chicken, duck – prepared well – made it worthwhile. Service was pleasant, and we didn’t have long to wait for our food.

With risotto, cioppino, and an intriguing sweet potato ravioli (with duck, blueberries, and kale) left unexplored, Lulu and Blu commands a return visit. From food to service to atmosphere, this place has everything needed for a great meal.

Intown Donutz

Located at 508 East Mountain Street in Kernersville, Intown Donutz serves donuts, coffee drinks, and sweets. The business is open seven days a week.

No one expects a local donut shop to be cavernous, but even by that standard, Intown Donutz is small. Despite the presence of a few tables, you’re best served grabbing your donuts and fleeing before limited standing room causes a pileup of people behind you. This lack of an inviting atmosphere was abetted by the lone employee on duty who, while not exactly rude, seemed like she would rather be anywhere else.

So why come here? The donuts, man. They are varied, and they are good. Intown offers everything from cake-style and old-fashioned to glazed to fritters and bear claws and more. They will even fill-to-order (jelly, custard, lemon, or cream) their long donuts. Everything was billed as made fresh daily and looked the part.

I picked up a large caffe mocha, a custard-filled maple glazed stick, a jelly-filled glazed stick, and an apple fritter for under $10 to share, and there wasn’t a bad decision in the bunch. The apple fritter especially was one of the best that I’ve had in quite some time.

Moral of the story: come for the donuts and leave quickly before the (lack of) service and space sour you on this place.

Tipsy'z Tacos - Urban Cantina

Located at 1345 North Main Street in Time Square in High Point, Tipsy’z Tacos offers tacos and other Mexican-inspired cuisine. There is a full bar featuring original margaritas and cocktails.

A taco-centric spinoff of burger haven Tipsy’z Tavern, Tipsy’z Tacos opened recently to an auspicious start. Day two of operations saw a continuous line to the door at dinner time despite the roadwork on North Main greatly limiting the location’s convenience and appeal. This popularity made for a loud and somewhat chaotic atmosphere, which was more than mitigated by a hard-working, hospitable staff and tasty food.

Tipsy’z offers apps, burritos, salads, and bowls, but just as the burgers stand out at their original/bar location, tacos are the star attraction here. They come two to a plate, in corn or flour tortillas (or a lettuce wrap if you prefer) with one side included. The styles available range from classic (carne asada, chicken, beer-battered fish) to creative (veggie chimichurri, Hawaiian pork, crispy brussels sprouts) and more. Carnitas, pastor, and chorizo were sadly missing, but they may end up being future additions.

My wife and I decided to go the more conventional route: beer-battered fish with chips and queso and carne asada with spicy red cabbage slaw. Despite the restaurant’s business, we didn’t have long to wait for our food (both the kitchen and front-of-house staff seemed well-equipped to handle the opening weekend rush). Both orders of tacos came well-dressed (greens, cheese, salsa, sauce) and attractively plated, and both tasted as good as they looked. The fish was crisp without being dried out, and the steak was nicely seasoned and none too chewy. The sides were satisfying but weren’t standouts: roasted sweet potato hash may be our go-to in the future. My wife also gave high praise to the pineapple-infused margarita and its chili-lime rim.

Dining at Tipsy’z isn’t as cheap as the casual atmosphere suggests. Most of the taco plates run north of $10, and ours were $13.50 apiece. There are Mexican markets in the area that provide more authentic offerings for a fraction of that, but the counterpoint, as is the case with Greensboro’s Crafted, is that you don’t come here expecting a typical taco.

Time will tell if Tipsy’z Tacos loses some of its opening momentum or if lines to the door become the norm. Even if the latter holds true, if a taco craving hits, these are worth waiting for.