Don Julio Cocina Mexicana

 

Located at 405 East Dixie Drive in Asheboro, Don Julio offers Mexican cuisine from 11 a.m. to 9:30 (10:30 Fridays and Saturdays) daily. There’s a full bar, and lunch specials are available.

 

We ended up at Don Julio after an Easter zoo visit because it was open and supposedly offered elote. Housed in a strip mall, it doesn’t look like much from the outside. Inside is another story. There’s some well-appointed wall art, a surprising amount of space, and a comfortably casual vibe.

 

Don Julio’s menu helps it stand apart from the multitude of Mexican eateries in the area. It includes not only elote but several items not widely available elsewhere such as potato shrimp enchiladas and mango ribs. Of course, you can find the usual suspects (burritos, tacos, quesadillas, etc.) here as well. From vegetarian options to seafood dishes to a molcajete (sizzling meat bowl), Don Julio has something for everyone.

 

My wife and I split an elote starter and went with a vegetable quesadilla and a seafood stuffed poblano, respectively. The food came out astonishingly fast, and it looked and smelled great. While the poblano dish featured a sauce that was milder than expected, the pepper itself delivered a bit of heat, and the shrimp were large and well-cooked. The quesadilla paired well with a smoky chipotle sauce, and the elote satisfied a craving. The chips and salsa may have been fairly pedestrian, but everything else was quite good.

 

In addition to the aforementioned speedy service, Don Elote boasts surprisingly reasonable prices. The lunch specials are a steal, but even seafood entrees won’t run higher than mid-teens.

 

Don Julio’s location makes it easy to overlook, but its food, value, and service are too good to pass up. It’s a great option for a post-zoo lunch.

Baked

 

Located at 227 South Elm Street Suite B in Downtown Greensboro, Baked offers breads, pastries, and other baked goods. It is open 8-3 Tuesday through Thursday, 8-5 on Friday, 9-5 on Saturday, 10-4 on Sunday, and closed on Monday. There is no indoor seating, but limited outdoor seating as available. Decorated cakes can be ordered with one week’s notice, and specialty coffees rotate seasonally.

 

This small side alley spot off Elm has been home to a number of bakeries over the years, so here’s hoping that Baked manages to stick. From selection to quality to friendly service, Baked is a blessing.

 

While Baked is not the only place in town to offer croissants, it stocks several varieties, sweet and savory alike. Add to that homemade pop tarts, macarons, cupcakes, cookies, breads (day-old loaves are discounted), and coffee drinks, and you’d be hard-pressed to find something that doesn’t look good.

 

Across two visits, I’ve had a chance to try a number of Baked’s offerings, and there was nary a dud among them. For those wanting a classic French croissant, the pan au chocolat will deliver buttery, flaky goodness. The Full Monty (vegetarian sausage, cheese, and hasbrown) is a fantastic breakfast option and not nearly as heavy as it sounds. Even the Smores brownie was better than it had any right to be.

 

If you have the dollars to spend and the calories to spare, you won’t miss either after a trip to Baked. It's become a must for visits to Downtown Greensboro.