68 Indian Bistro

Located at 3928 Sedgebrook Street off of 68 North in High Point, 68 Indian Bistro offers Indian and Indo-Chinese cuisine for lunch and dinner seven days per week. Delivery is available through Grubhub.

 

Taking over the former BBQ Nation spot, 68 Indian Bistro dispenses with some of that establishment’s novelty (alas, no watermelon skewers grilled tableside), but, by virtue of halal and Indo-Chinese dishes (think hakka noodles), still fills a distinct niche. Should you go the more traditionally Indian route, however, you’ll find food that satisfies far more than it disappoints.

 

I arrived on a Thursday evening to place a takeout order and found the restaurant nearly empty, not a good omen. That said, it’s a clean (if plain) space, and the sole front-of-house employee was very helpful. She answered the few questions I threw her way and brought my order curbside with less wait time than anticipated.

 

Seeking to get several meals out of this order, I picked up a vegetarian thali, a nonvegetarian thali, samosas, and keer. At under $50, this proved to be a good value though if you opt for a few different entrees (mid-teens each) rather than the thali samplers, 68 Indian could get pricey.

 

Not only was the food tasty, but it avoided a few pitfalls I’ve encountered elsewhere. First, everything was at the desired level of spiciness (2 on a 1-4 scale, in this case). Next, the consistency of the palak paneer was spot-on. Rubbery cheese has ruined some renditions of this dish, but 68 Indian got it right. The samosas were also considerably larger than I’ve had elsewhere, and they paired very well with the accompanying tamarind sauce. Strangely, the only thing that wasn’t up to par – or better – was the naan, which was thinner and chewier than expected.

 

I’d still give Taaza Bistro the nod as the best Indian eatery in the area, but for High Point folks who don’t want to make a trip down Wendover, 68 Indian merits investigation. 

Where the Crawdads Sing

 

When Chase Andrews, well-known in the coastal North Carolina town of Barkley Cove, is found dead in 1969, suspicion falls on Kya Clark, an infamous loner dubbed the “marsh girl.” Abandoned by most of her family and forced to care for her abusive father until his presumed death, Kya grows up with no formal education or social graces but plenty of self-reliance and awareness of her habitat. Tate Walker, a friend of her brothers, teaches her how to read and write, but their budding relationship ends when he departs for college. This leaves her open to the advances of Chase, a popular athlete, and puts them on a collision course that will alter their lives forever.

 

Delia Owens’ wildly popular 2018 novel blends murder mystery, natural history, and coming-of-age tale, a combination enticing to a broad spectrum of readers. That said, Where the Crawdads Sing is at its best as an exploration of time and, especially, place. North Carolina settings are often confined to Appalachia, but here, Owens, a Georgia-bred zoologist, gives us an immersive look at the state’s coastal marshes and the diverse life therein.

 

Unfortunately, the rest of the novel is marred by contrivance and wretched characterization. The “simp” label may be flung heedlessly by misogynists, and yet here, it fits Tate to a tee. He’s a Dream Boy of the Kindly Nerdy rather than Manic Pixie variety, but his existence seemingly revolves around supporting/appeasing Kya just the same. Chase, for his part, is so transparently and predictably dishonest and sleazy that he effectively robs the book of much of its suspense. Of course, he still gets more development than Jumpin, at times Kya’s only enduring friend and an exercise in racially crude tokenism.

 

All of these examples suggest that Owens can’t write male characters, but it’s more apt to suggest that she can’t write believable characters, period. Kya herself is wildly improbable. Could an unschooled loner be a lot sharper than judgmental town folk give her credit for? Absolutely. Could the same unschooled loner make the leap to highly accomplished writer/artist/naturalist in her early 20s? Give me a break.

 

Then again, this is not the type of book to let plausibility get in the way of hammering home trite themes. At one point, Kya’s lawyer harangues a jury about judging those who are different in a way that echoes store brand Atticus Finch, but his sermonizing is at least given context. The same cannot be said for heavy-handed dialogue.

 

Where the Crawdads Sing is a deeply flawed book that turns what should be a sympathetic character into a cartoon and squanders its beautifully rendered setting in order to tell us, often very unartfully, what we’ve already heard before.

Clutch Coffee Bar

 

Located at 1405 Sunset Drive in Greensboro, Clutch Coffee offers hot and cold coffee drinks, teas, shakes, juices, and snacks. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with other locations in Winston-Salem and Mooresville.

 

Turning a former bank branch into a coffee shop is bound to raise a few eyebrows, but Clutch has all the makings of an instant hit. For starters, the signature coffees turn what are often seasonal items (Irish cream or Smores lattes) elsewhere into regular features. My wife and I opted for a Cloud 9 (a coconut mocha) and a Campfire (Smores with extra espresso), and we were both satisfied. Neither drink was cloyingly sweet. Even better, Clutch was running a “first drink free” promotion at the time of our visit though if it has still lapsed, you’ll find the prices quite reasonable.

 

Customer service was also on-point. Clutch was set up for drive-through ordering only at the time of our visit, and their system is fast and efficient. A staff member took our order in the parking lot, directed us to a window, and we had coffee in hand in a matter of minutes.

 

Greensboro has no shortage of coffee options, but Clutch’s unique approach and quality brew set it apart.

OrganicAF Juice Company

 

Located at 120 West Lexington Avenue in High Point, OrganicAF Juice Company offers juices, smoothies, smoothie bowls, coffee drinks, and more. It is open seven days a week (7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends), and online ordering is available.

 

Let’s dispense with this place’s only drawback: OrganicAF is pricey AF. The ingredients are quality (and fresh), but you’re still paying $8 to $9 for a smoothie (or more for a bowl). For the budget-conscious, there are other local smoothie options.

 

That aside, OrganicAF has everything you could want from a local juice/smoothie shop. Staff are friendly, and online ordering is convenient. While you can customize with add-ins to your heart’s content, the preset smoothies are so good that you may not want to. The HulkAF (spinach, kale, mango, wheatgrass, banana, maple) inspires satisfaction rather than rage, and the coffee drinks (try the caramel-laced BlissedAF or the chocolatey RichAF) will stack up well against your favorite frappes (and at $4 or so, may actually be cheaper). The smoothie bowls, topped with fresh berries, granola, coconut, and chocolate chips, are delicious but can be a bit messy to eat (and should be handled/transported with care, as I unfortunately learned from experience).

 

Making OrganicAF a regular breakfast stop may be cost-prohibitive, but when you want something tasty, healthy, and refreshing in the morning, look no further.

Amalfi's Pizza Italian Restaurant

 

Located at 503 Nelson Street in Kernersville, Amalfi’s serves pizza and Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Food specials change regularly, and catering is available.

 

Amalfi’s is Kernersville’s iteration of a type of restaurant every town should have: the classic, midrange red sauce Italian eatery. True to form, it looks dated inside (latticework, brick accents, and a big wall painting are at least pleasant if familiar) and out. However, beneath the tired aesthetics lurks surprisingly competent execution.

 

Having been previously impressed with the pizza (it’s not Mario’s, but it’s legitimate New York style that reminded me of what I grew up with in New Jersey), my wife and I decided to give Amalfi’s a try for a Valentine’s Day dinner. We called in a pick-up order and hoped that the wait wouldn’t be horrendous. We arrived to find a long pick-up line, which, thankfully, moved fairly quickly: kudos to the hard-working staff for being able to handle the evening’s considerable demand. Our food was ready and still hot when we reached the front of the line, and it survived the drive back to High Point without any issues.

 

We ended up going with mozzarella sticks, linguine aglio y olio, fettuccini a modo mio, and tiramisu, and there wasn’t a dud in the bunch. The mozzarella sticks had a nice bit of crunch and paired well with the housemade marinara. The aglio y olio, surprisingly hard to find elsewhere, packed a garlicky punch while the fettuccini offered well-cooked shrimp in a slightly sweet pink crab sauce, another rarity. While tiramisu is a whole lot more ubiquitous, Amalfi’s rendition held up well.

 

None of Amalfi’s food is cheap, but it isn’t a poor value, either. The two entrees were $13 and $21, respectively, but both came with a choice of soup or salad as well as bread. Portions were generous, too. Only the mozzarella sticks, at $9.49, felt like a reach.

 

Amalfi’s is unlikely to be the best Italian food you’ve ever had, but if you’re looking for reliably tasty pizza or pasta, keep them in mind (especially if it happens to be a Sunday and you’re anywhere near Kernersville).

Bull City Ciderworks

 Located at 504 State Street in Greensboro, Bull City Ciderworks sells cider on tap and in bottles. It is open daily and offers indoor and outdoor seating as well as cider delivery. Food trucks appear regularly.

 

I prefer cider to beer and have long been a fan of Bull City’s products (their Lexington cidery is worth the drive), so when they opened up shop last month in the former Gibbs Hundred location, a visit was inevitable. It did not disappoint. With the main and back rooms open, there was plenty of space, and the outdoor area offers a fire pit. The bartender on duty was friendly and offered helpful recommendations.

My wife and I were in “try it all” mode and split a pair of flights. We were able to mix old favorites (Cherry Tart, Cardinal Cin, and Rhyze Up) with new seasonal offerings. Rico Guave (guava) was a hit, and though I am not always a dry cider fan, Brightleaf (a crisp and clean unfiltered) won me over. Spruce Bringsteen tasted like drinking a Christmas tree, and though some may find that offputting, Bull City definitely gets points for originality.

 

As with Trader Joes, I’m mildly miffed that Bull City came to Greensboro only after I resettled High Point, but as with several other Greensboro favorites, some things are well worth the drive.

The Little Things

 

Joe Deacon (Denzel Washington) is a Kern County sheriff’s deputy. Previously a Los Angeles homicide investigator, his commitment to his last case led to a heart attack and a divorce. Dispatched back to LA to collect evidence, Deacon joins Jimmy Baxter (Rami Malek), a LASD detective who is investigating a series of murders reminiscent of one of Deacon’s old cases. With the FBI poised to take over the investigation, Deacon and Baxter make one final push to solve it. Will Deacon’s mentorship give Baxter the boost he needs or lead him down the same self-destructive path?

 

Writer/director John Lee Hancock first conceived of The Little Things decades ago, and it shows. Not only does it have the feel of a 1990s crime thriller, but it also echoes several films in the genre. The opening cat-and-mouse car chase down a darkened California highway calls to mind a particular scene in Zodiac while pieces of Se7en, The Pledge, and Insomnia also seem embedded in this film’s DNA.

 

Given the cast involved, one can be forgiven for expecting the performers to elevate the material. Sadly, for the most part, they don’t. Washington, the lone exception, is excellent, as usual. When we first see Deacon, he seems affable enough and at ease with his new role, but the more time the film spends with him, the more apparent that he is still an obsessively driven mess. As Baxter, Malek is subdued to the point of blandness for most of the film before taking a turn toward the end. The third Oscar winner of the bunch, Jared Leto, shows up as prime suspect Albert Sparma, a long-haired weirdo who delights in trolling the investigators. It’s a distractingly showy performance, and the character comes across as an obvious red herring.

 

Derivative as it may be, The Little Things is mostly competently, if unremarkably, made. It’s atmospheric, boosted by a tense Thomas Newman score. The last third sees Hancock try to move beyond genre cliches to probe the psychological toll the investigations have exacted on the investigators, but the film does so in a rather convoluted way.

 

All told, The Little Things offers a few bright spots for genre fans, but it is also far more forgettable than its assembled talents suggest it should be.