The Miller's Market

 

Located at 116-A East Main Street in Jamestown, The Miller’s Market sells locally made specialty foods, grab and go meals, and fresh salads, sandwiches, coffees, and homemade breads. The market is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Patio seating is available.

 

A long-anticipated venture from the owner of Black Powder Smokehouse, The Miller’s Market is part specialty foods store, part café. It’s an interesting concept and a boon to Jamestown, but some may not see the appeal.

 

Housed in a former Edward Jones office in the heart of Jamestown, The Miller’s Market is a bright and airy space featuring handcrafted tables. The large coolers stock salads, butters, and grab-and-go meals while a number of locally made snacks and seasonings are on display toward the front. Places to pick up unique local items have been few and far between since The Budding Artichoke closed up shop, and so The Miller’s Market helps fill that niche.

 

As for the café, it’s the kind of place that charges $11 for a grilled cheese sandwich (with fig jam and a side included, but still). High as the prices for some items may be, there’s no arguing with the quality. A honey cinnamon latte was satisfyingly sweet pick-me-up, and the savory scones won’t let you down, but the flourless chocolate torte is next-level. It’s like a giant truffle (in the best way possible), and if you have one, you will be back for more.

As a café, The Miller’s Market is pricy, and as a market, the selection is limited, but as a place that offers a bit of this and that with local ingredients in a convenient location, The Miller’s Market is worth checking out.

Full Moon Oyster Bar

 

Located at 103 West Main Street in Jamestown, the Full Moon Oyster Bar serves seafood for lunch and dinner daily. There is a full bar including beers brewed in-house. Patio seating is available and specials change daily.

 

As a seafood fan, I’ve long been intrigued by Full Moon, but as someone who hates loud and crowded spaces, the setup (stools clustered around a large bar) kept me away. Figuring that 2:20 p.m. on a Friday would be as good a time as any to avoid a crowd, my wife and I finally bit the bullet and decided to give it a try. We were glad that we did.

 

While I wouldn’t relish the prospect of eating elbow-to-elbow with strangers when Full Moon is at capacity, it was decidedly not crowded when we rolled in for lunch. It offers a casual vibe, and the fast and friendly bartenders are great.

 

Though Full Moon’s menu boasts everything from grilled fish to heaping piles of steamed crab legs, I was on a quest to get one last sandwich in before going breadless for Passover. A half and half (oysters and shrimp) Po Boy seemed like a perfect fit. Fish and chips were available as a Friday lunch special, and my wife pounced on that. Both came with complimentary sides of slaw and potatoes, an unexpected but thoroughly welcome perk.

 

The food was, without qualification, phenomenal. If anyone is skeptical about finding a legitimate Po Boy this far inland, don’t be. The French bread was authentic, the shrimp were large, and both they and the oysters were a perfect golden brown. The fish was coated in a delicious crunchy beer batter, and the fries that accompanied both dishes were nicely salted. Even the free sides were a hit. The slaw was, mercifully, shredded rather than chopped to hell, and the roasted potatoes were addictively buttery.

 

Full Moon Oyster Bar made for one of the best lunch experiences I’ve had in some time, and I will almost certainly be back. The only question is whether or not I will try to wait for another off-hour to pay them a visit.

Frady's Taphouse and Eatery

 

Located at 1345 North Main Street in midtown High Point, Frady’s Taphouse and Eatery offers American cuisine, craft beer, and cocktails. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. until at least 8 p.m. every day except Monday. Patio dining is available.

 

Frady Family Farms built up a reputation during the past few years for selling top-notch smoked meats. Their recently-opened Taphouse in the former Tipsy’z Tacos location has some room for improvement but also a lot of tantalizing potential.

 

Housed in a somewhat compact space, Frady’s offers a casual vibe and amiable service. The menu, for the time being, is limited: a few apps, a few sides, a few sandwiches, a pair of salads, and several quesadillas. Playing to its strengths, Frady’s incorporates smoked brisket, pork, or chicken in most of these dishes though veggie or loaded cheese quesadillas are available for non-meat eaters. There’s also a full bar and an array of cocktails for anyone who wants to grab a drink.

 

For our first visit, my wife and I split a truffle fries starter and went with a grilled chicken salad and a brisket quesadilla, respectively. The food arrived promptly, looked good, and smelled amazing.

Execution offered more hits than misses. The brisket was tender and smoky and paired well with a verde sauce, but I wish there were more than three pieces of quesadilla. The salad balanced a bright vinaigrette, sweet blueberries, and sharp feta. The truffle fries – matchstick cut and seasoned with rosemary and parmesan – were plentiful but blander than expected. Compared to say Big Burger Spot’s equivalent offering, the depth of flavor simply isn’t there. Then again, neither is all the grease.

 

Frady’s pricing is slightly higher than you might think but not outrageously so. The salads, a simple cheeseburger, and most of the quesadilla offerings are $12 while the brisket quesadilla runs $15.

 

Given time to perhaps expand the menu and fine-tune a few offerings, Frady’s can grow into a very solid local option. The Frady family seems like good people, and their grilled and smoked meats are hard to beat.