Village Tavern

 

Located at 1903 Westridge Road in Greensboro (with additional locations in Winston-Salem and Charlotte), Village Tavern serves American fare. It is open from 11-9 Sunday-Thursday and 11-10 Friday and Saturday. There is a full bar with daily drink specials. Patio seating, online ordering, and online reservations are available, and a brunch is offered on Sundays.

 

Since opening up shop in Winston-Salem forty years ago, Village Tavern has expanded to include eight locations. Perhaps because of its longevity, the impression I got of it was of a dated brunch/lunch spot patronized by well-to-do seniors, and so it never claimed a high spot on my to-try list. After paying the Greensboro location a visit, however, that perception has somewhat changed.

 

Village Tavern occupies a large building with plenty of seating, and though they keep busy, they seem set up to accommodate the volume. My wife and I showed up for lunch on a Monday and had no wait for a table in the bar area, which was nicely appointed. Think classy without feeling stuffy.

 

Just as the restaurant is sizeable, so too goes the menu. Apps, soups, sandwiches, salads, entrees, tacos, burgers, and pizzas are all offered here. There are gluten-free and vegetarian options, and you’d be hard-pressed to find something not to your liking. We ended up going with fish and chips and shrimp and grits. The food arrived quickly, and our server was polite and responsive throughout the meal.

 

Shrimp and grits is one of my go-to dishes, and no two places do it the same way. Village Tavern’s version uses white grits and bacon rather than tasso ham. Purists may quibble, but I found it excellent. The grits were creamy without being too heavily cheesy, the bacon added a hint of smokiness, they didn’t skimp on the shrimp, and the mushrooms were a nice touch. The fish and chips boasted crisp and generously battered cod. It wasn’t on par with what you’d find in a seafood bar, but it did not disappoint. The sauteed spinach – substituted in for coleslaw – was tasty as well though the fries were only so-so.

 

While I was wrong about Village Tavern’s décor (more appealing than I thought) and clientele (more diverse), I was right about its price point. Both entrees ran north of twenty. While the fish and chips offered a good amount of food for the money, the shrimp and grits felt like a dinner price for a lunch portion.

 

All told, Village Tavern is a solid jack-of-all-trades restaurant. It offers a little bit of everything and seems to execute well enough. It’s more likely to leave you satisfied than impressed, but the service and atmosphere make it worth your while.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

After most of Australia has been reduced to a desert wasteland, the Vuvallini of the Green Place maintain a patch of civilization. One of their daughters, Furiosa (Alyla Browne), falls into the clutches of the biker warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), who raises her as a daughter before trading her to rival warlord Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). Over the years, Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) rises through the ranks of Joe’s forces alongside veteran driver Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke). As tensions build between Dementus and Joe, Furiosa never loses sight of seeking revenge against those who wronged her and finding her way home.

 

A prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa bears many of writer/director/franchise creator George Miller’s stylistic flourishes: riveting action sequences, minimal dialogue, and a glimmer of hope amid brutality and despair. Though longer and gorier than previous Mad Max films, Furiosa avoids sinking under the weight of excess. There’s an urgency to the title character’s plight that sustains the film throughout its two-and-a-half hours of desert highway chases, sieges, ambushes, torments, and occasional moments of quiet contemplation. Composer Junkie XL (credited under his real name Tom Holkenborg this time) once again provides a suitably intense and ominous score.

 

The cast is a combination of returning performers and newcomers. Taylor-Joy steps in for the older Charlize Theron and matches her steely nerve and unflappable competence. Hulme, replacing the late Hugh Keays-Byrne, is every bit as sinister and imposing (albeit more rational this time around). Joe’s son Rictus (Nathan Jones), doctor the Organic Mechanic (Angus Sampson), and ally the People Eater (John Howard) are all played by returning actors, but the fact that they don’t look any younger is confusing given the film’s timeline (a good fifteen years before Fury Road). As Dementus, Hemsworth is a mixed bag. The character is bombastic with an overt goofiness (i.e. riding around in a motorcycle chariot like a would-be Roman emperor) that belies his cruelty. On the one hand, Hemsworth seems to be having fun hamming it up, and it’s refreshing to see the Aussie actor play an Australian character for a change. On the other hand, we’re meant (via the teddy bear he carries around) to see Dementus as broken by the loss of his family, but this construction of him as a cautionary tale for letting vengeance consume seems a bit ham-handed.

 

Perhaps because the two films are so closely intertwined, Furiosa inevitably invites comparisons to Fury Road. While its action sequences are on-par, it lacks the earlier film’s impact and power to surprise. As franchise prequels/spinoffs/origin stories go, however, Furiosa is still far better than those designations alone suggest.

Hakkachow

Located at 615 St. George Square Court in Winston-Salem, Hakkachow offers Asian fusion cuisine for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. There is a full bar as well as daily drink specials. Online ordering and online reservations are available.

 

Much like Phoenix Asian Cuisine in Greensboro, Hakkachow calls to mind a non-corporate P.F. Chang’s, only better. The restaurant is modern and spacious with plenty of seating to go around. The menu skews Chinese though there are Korean and Thai offerings as well as a sushi/poke menu as well. While there is something to be said for the comfort of familiarity, that menu, save for a few of the sushi rolls, offers no surprises. Everything you’ll find here, you’ve likely already had elsewhere.

 

My wife and I opted to start with one of the unique rolls (Cajun Revolution: tempura shrimp, cream cheese, and jalapeno inside/Cajun salmon, tuna, yellowtail, crispy shallot, aioli, and eel sauce outside), followed by a veggie fried rice (with homemade chili oil) and Singapore noodles, respectively. Our app came quickly, and we didn’t have long to wait for our entrees either though service slowed considerably as the restaurant got busier. However, our server remained courteous, apologetic, and unflappably professional through it all.

 

The kitchen proved to be on its game as well. On paper, the Cajun Revolution seemed almost too much, but it made for a tasty bite: spicy, crunchy, and flavorful. Singapore noodles are one of my go-to dishes for Chinese and Asian fusion, and Hakkachow’s version didn’t disappoint. While not the best I’ve had, the composition, flavors, and aroma were all there. The fried rice was likewise well-executed, and it contained a variety of veggies, but it wasn’t leaps and bounds ahead of what you can get elsewhere.

 

Hakkachow’s entrees run large, which helps take the sting out of the mid-teens pricing. On the one hand, that is hardly unreasonable for a nice meal out. On the other hand, depending on how you feel about your favorite Chinese takeout joint, the extent to which Hakkachow’s food surpasses it may or may not justify the extent to which Hakkachow’s prices do.

 

All told, Hakkachow promises competently made food in a pleasant environment. It might lack a distinctive “wow” factor, but it doesn’t seem likely to let you down, either. 

68 Bagel & Grill

 

Located at 1116 Eastchester Drive Suite 112 in High Point, 68 Deli Bagel & Grill serves breakfasts, bagels, and sandwiches. It is open from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Online ordering is available.

 

The newest addition to Centre Stage plaza, 68 Bagel & Grill is a bit of a headscratcher. The name suggests a location further up Eastchester past the Palladium, and a more established bagel shop is less than a mile away. This bafflement aside, 68 Bagel & Grill does have several things going for it. It’s spacious and clean, the staff is courteous, and there are more menu options than you’d expect. Like the other are bagel shops, 68 offers bagels with various spreads, breakfast sandwiches, and lunch sandwiches. To those, they add French toasts (including stuffed), pancakes, and omelets. The ability to get a more-than-a-sandwich breakfast without the bustle of a diner is a definite draw. The fact that they use Giacomo’s meats is another perk in their favor.

 

For my first visit, I picked up a Jersey Shore (Taylor ham/egg/cheese) on an everything bagel to go. The sandwich was prepped quickly, and the pricing was fair. The melty cheese/salty meat combination hit all the right flavor notes. The bagel, however, was chewier and breadier than a true New York style, and the texture seemed a bit off. They make them in-house rather than using New Garden as a supplier, so they get points for effort at least.

 

If getting your hands on a great bagel is your only concern, you’re probably better served going down the street. However, if you value ambiance, customer service, variety, or aren’t seeking bagel supremacy, 68 Bagel & Grill makes for an attractive breakfast or lunch option.

Inka Grill

 

Located at 214 South Elm Street in Downtown Greensboro, Inka Grill offers Peruvian cuisine for lunch and dinner. It is open from 11-9 Monday-Thursday, 11-10 Friday and Saturday, and 11-8 on Sunday. Alcohol is available, and tables can be reserved online.

 

Inka Grill had been on my to-try list for some time, but my wife and I ended up here almost accidentally when the last food truck festival proved to be too chaotic. I’m glad that we did as it made for a good though not outstanding meal.

 

Inka Grill’s menu boasts traditional Peruvian steak, seafood, and chicken dishes, chaufas (fried rices), and ceviches as well as a few Italian-inspired items. There’s a lot to choose from if you’ve an omnivore, but vegetarians may be at a loss here. A complementary offering of toasted corn for the table was a nice touch.

 

My wife and I went with a yucca starter, a frijol con seco, and a lomo saltado. The yucca came in rolls that were nicely browned and crispy on the outside. The accompanying huancaina sauce was creamy and added a welcome bit of spice (which was disappointingly missing from an aji verde sauce). The steak in the lomo saltado was perfectly cooked and flavorful, and its accompanying vegetables were vibrant and nicely grilled. The tacu tacu (a Peruvian take on refried beans) in the frijol con seco was a first for us, and we enjoyed it. However, the meat in that dish was more akin to pot roast than steak, which we were not expecting. Both dishes were also quite salty.

 

Our visit occurred at an off-peak hour (before 5 on a Sunday), and Ismael provided excellent service at the start of the meal. Once 5 p.m. arrived and the restaurant began to fill, however, staff began to seem a bit overwhelmed.

 

All told, Inka Grill, while solid, wasn’t quite the “wow” I was expecting. However, the steak at least did reach that level for me, and the breadth of the menu suggests that there are other dishes that can as well.

La Cocina de Mama

Located at 1002 Gardner Hill Drive in Jamestown, La Cocina de Mama serves Dominican cuisine. It is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 8 to 8 on Sunday.

 

I was thrilled to see La Cocina de Mama open up right near my work. Having tried them for both lunch and breakfast, I can easily see myself becoming a regular here. Like any brand new restaurant, they are still ironing a few things out, but on food alone, they are off to a very strong start.

 La Cocina de Mama’s offerings run the gamut from breakfasts (egg/fried cheese/salami paired with different sides) to sandwiches, empanadas, and mofongos (fried and mashed plantains) to beef/chicken/fish entrees and more. They offer several juices and coffees as well.

 

So far, the food has been very good. I stopped by for lunch to go on my first visit and had a Cuban sandwich and a morir sonando (orange juice, milk, and ice). The Cuban was not the traditional Cubano, and if you come looking for pickles and mustard in a sandwich pressed on a plancha, you may be disappointed. Taken on its own terms, however, the sandwich was still quite tasty. The pork was tender, and the thicker bread held everything in nicely. It came with a side of thin, well-salted fries that were miles ahead of a frozen offering. The morrir sonando was creamy and refreshing. 

For my second visit, I dined in for breakfast and went with a mangu (the aforementioned breakfast ingredients with mashed plantains and pickled onions) and a passionfruit juice. Though I might request eggs scrambled rather than fried in the future, everything on that plate was delicious. The plantains were hearty without feeling heavy. The Dominican salami reminded me of Taylor ham, only better (sorry, fellow New Jersians). Juices seem to be a house specialty here as the passionfruit did not disappoint.

 

The folks who run this place are friendly, and the pricing is quite reasonable given the quality and quantity of the food. That said, “good food takes time” definitely applies here, so you may be in for a bit of a wait. If dining in, you can at least take in some of the ambiance (interesting wall art and a pool table in a corner) while you do.

 

All told, La Cocina de Mama is a welcome change of pace for not only the cuisine that it offers but also the care with which it is made.