Watch Dogs: Legion

 

In the near future, London runs on cryptocurrency, augmented reality, and automation, made possible by a powerful cTOS (Central Operating System). Private military contractor Albion has assumed police duties and seeks to impose an increasingly restrictive surveillance state while criminal syndicate Clan Kelley has turned to the Dark Web to facilitate its nefarious schemes. Both are opposed by the London branch of DedSec, a global hacker collective dedicated to stopping abuses of technological power. But when a mysterious group called Zero Day frames DedSec for a terrorist bombing, the hacktivists are left to regroup and clear their name.

 

The third entry in Ubisoft’s surveillance-themed open-world action-adventure series, Watch Dogs: Legion is both an evolution of and significant departure from the two preceding games. DedSec is back as is the ability to hack everything from security cameras to traffic cameras to enemy coms. While the action moves to London after previous entries took place in Chicago and San Francisco, the biggest change is to the main player character: there isn’t one. The Legion of the title refers to the fact that nearly the entire in-game populace of London can potentially be recruited as DedSec operatives. Characters are randomly generated during each new single player campaign and assigned different appearances, backgrounds, strengths, weaknesses, and skills. Some are former soldiers and spies and come equipped with superior firepower; others are drone operators who have more sophisticated hacking tricks. Doing favors for potential recruits and raising a neighborhood’s resistance by sabotaging Albion will net rewards while story missions pit you against Albion, Clan Kelley, and British intelligence as you get closer to unmasking Zero Day. Along the way, you are aided by Bagley (a wonderfully snarky A.I.), mission control Sabine, sympathetic police officer Kailtin, and others.

 

The lack of a central protagonist here is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, the ability to swap between team members with different skills supports a variety of playing styles (i.e. stealth vs. assault), and you may end up with some memorably amusing operatives. You may, for instance, get a chance to sick a swarm of bees on an Albion grunt or have a grandmotherly retired police officer unload a pistol clip on a Clan Kelley thug. On the other hand, despite the relevance of the game’s themes (living under an increasingly authoritarian regime in a world where technology has eroded privacy), the brief amount of information you’re given about each character keeps you at arm’s length.

 

There’s a similar trade-off in game mechanics. Drones play a bigger role this go-around. You can hack enemy combat drones to automatically target foes, and you can ride cargo drones around the city like personal air taxis. However, a few features from previous games (such as the “detonate a grenade” hack) are missed. Also, for all of the game’s possibilities, some of the operative recruitment missions (rescuing a recruit’s friend, retrieving a vehicle containing supplies, or breaking into a secure facility to hack or wipe data) can feel repetitive.

 

Watch Dogs: Legion falls short of reaching its fullest potential, but it’s still a timely outing that offers a new take on the open-world adventure experience.

Mandalay Asian Fusion Cuisine

 

Located at 3793 Samet Drive in High Point, Mandalay offers Chinese-influenced Asian fusion cuisine for lunch (every day except Sunday) and dinner (daily). Online ordering and catering are available.

George Takei brought me here…sort of. I was playing Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and a character voiced by the Star Trek alum described the joys of eating Peking Duck. This inspired a craving for a dish I hadn’t eaten in years, and Mandalay is one of the few area restaurants to offer it.

I had previously tried the restaurant under its former names Tasty 100 and Full Kee, and each time, I had decidedly mixed feelings On the one hand, it’s a well-appointed space and the food is, generally, several cuts above takeout-grade Chinese (credit chef/owner George Yu’s many years of experience). On the other hand, some offerings were (and still are) decidedly overpriced.

Peking Duck is listed as a signature dish and crispy Hunan fish is a specialty as well. We opted to try them both along with crab rangoons and pork buns. This was not a cheap endeavor, but it’s a lot easier to justify north of $20 for duck than it is $12 for basic fried rice or lo mein.

I ordered online for pickup, and everything was ready upon my arrival. The food was hot, plentiful, and mostly satisfying. There was plenty of meat in the Peking Duck, and it was nicely crisped without being dried out. It paired well with the accompanying plum sauce, but the generic tortillas were a bit of a letdown. The fish came with a brown sauce that delivered a welcome bit of spice, and the pork buns (pulled pork + hoisin) were excellent. On the other hand, the crab rangoons were more like overly chewy ravioli.

The rule of thumb for Mandalay, as with its previous incarnations, is to choose your dishes wisely (hint: avoid the dumplings) and be prepared to pay. The things that this place does right make it worthwhile, but it may take some trial-and-error to find what those things are.

 

NOTE: If they decide to do cold sesame noodles and pull them off well, all will be forgiven.

Rockin' Moroccan

The Triad's first Moroccan food truck is a marvel to behold for reasons that go well beyond the novelty of the cuisine. Food trucks typically run with a limited menu offering a few easy-to-prep items. Not this one. Rockin' Moroccan rolls with a full menu that would put some restaurants to shame. Salads, sandwiches (including a decked-out burger), platters, sides, and desserts are for the taking, and there are options for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

Ordering is a breeze thanks to friendly owners and an efficient system. Mike is usually set up outside the truck with menus, buzzers (for when your order is up), and sauces at the ready. He seems genuinely glad to see all of his customers. Amina, his wife, turns around tickets with speed verging on culinary wizardry.

Of course, this would be for naught if the food wasn't up to par, but it is. We've tried the truck twice, and, unable to decide from among the assorted offerings, opted for combo platters both times. The Everything Platter (Saffron Chicken, Gyro, Kefta, Falafel, Rice, Pita Bread, Pico, and Slaw) is a generous amount of food, and while you can get better gyro meat elsewhere, everything here is fairly flavorful. The Saffron Chicken especially is a standout. The Veggie Platter swaps the meats for Moroccan spring rolls and grape leaves for a fresher, but no less filling take. At $13 and $11 respectively, both platters are good values for the portions.

With so many good Mediterranean and food truck options in the area, it would be easy for Rockin' Morrocan to be swallowed up by the competition. However, the combination of customer service, variety, value, and taste make Rockin' Morrocan a must. Consider this truck a must-try if you catch it out and about.

First Watch

 

Located at 4520 West Wendover Avenue in Greensboro, First Watch offers breakfast, brunch, and lunch from 7-2:30 daily. Cocktails are available, and specials rotate seasonally. There is an online waitlist check-in for dine-in patrons and online ordering for take-out.

 

When this chain opened in the ever-expanding Wendover Commons plaza at the beginning of the year, it managed to carve out a unique identity – fast casual breakfast/brunch – despite the abundance of eateries in the immediate vicinity. This lack of direct competition is both a blessing and a curse: First Watch is welcome for what it brings to the table and yet another restaurant of this type nearby would likely present a more attractive alternative.

 

While First Watch does offer sandwiches and salads for the lunch crowd, its menu skews toward early-day offerings. You can find a classic platter, gigantic pancake, omelet, or hash, or you can mix it up with a frittata, a fruit-laden Floridian French toast, or a quinoa power bowl. There are also health-conscious options and a juice bar yet strangely no breakfast burrito.

 

For my first time out, I used the restaurant’s Web site to order a Power Breakfast Quinoa Bowl (quinoa, Italian sausage, Crimini mushrooms, tomatoes, kale, Parmesan, and eggs) and a Kale Tonic (Kale, fuji apple, cucumber, and lemon) for pick-up. The food was ready within a few minutes of arrival, set on a table marked for take-out orders by the front entrance. By the looks of things, First Watch seemed to be going for a rustic chic vibe. It also seemed like the kind of place that crowds easily, which made me thankful that I wasn’t dining in.

 

The food proved to be a mixed bag. The sausage was nice and zesty, and it paired well with the tomatoes and mushrooms. The “basted” eggs, on the other hand, were rubbery and unpleasant, making this dish an unlikely re-order. At least the juice, equal parts tangy and refreshing, was an unqualified hit.

 

At $15 after taxes, this was not a cheap breakfast. It was certainly filling, but given the pricing relative to Scrambled or a good local brunch spot (think M’Couls), it still felt like a bit of a reach.

 

All told, First Watch’s better-than-fast-food breakfast offerings merit a look, but you may find yourself wanting more for less.

The Nomad

Located at 122 West King Street in Hillsborough, The Nomad offers globally influenced small plates and craft cocktails. It is open from 4:30-9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 12-9:30 p.m. on Saturday. Indoor (via reservation) and outdoor seating are available as is online ordering.

 

A relative newcomer to the Hillsborough dining scene, The Nomad is the latest establishment from the team behind the Viceroy in Durham and the TanDurm food truck. As the name suggests, it features foods that tend to wander from one cuisine to the next (i.e. Indian meets Latin). It’s an ambitious concept, but the folks here have the chops to make it work.

 

They also happen to be friendly and welcoming people. We happened to wander by shortly before lunchtime opening on a Saturday just to check out a menu, and one of the owners offered a warm greeting. Our server was attentive and provided several helpful food and drink suggestions.

 

At a place like this, those suggestions can come in handy as the vast majority of The Nomad’s offerings sound appealing. Though the menu isn’t large, it offers a little bit of everything, including vegan and gluten free options. You can embrace the familiarity of a classic chicken pakora or masala or battered fish taco branch out into one of the fusion dishes like Thai chimichurri steak or paneer pimento.

 

We opted for a few small plates for our first time out, and though it was a tough decision, we settled on sweet potato-stuffed kolaches, fried yuca poutine, and Korean esquites. Food came out quickly and did not disappoint. The kolaches were thick and pleasantly doughy with a warm, curried filling. Yuca sticks made for an excellent potato substitute in the poutine, and the mushroom gravy was rich and savory even if the mushrooms were a bit chewy. The esquites (de-cobbed Mexican street corn) brought heat from its Gochujang sauce and dusting of chili lime, but the refreshing crema kept it from overwhelming the palate. While Korean tacos/burritos are nothing new, this particular Korean-Mexican combination was like nothing I’ve seen elsewhere. My wife also enjoyed the Salted Fig cocktail.

 

Hillsborough being Hillsborough, The Nomad isn’t exactly cheap, but it also is worth the money spent. You’re looking at $8-$10 for small plates, and three were enough to feed two hungry adults. Entrée-sized rice bowls run in the teens.

 

Opening amid the COVID pandemic has undoubtedly been a brutal experience for many restaurants, but from innovation to food quality to service, The Nomad has all the looks of a keeper. I look forward to returning the next time I’m in Orange County.

Seafood Destiny

 

Located at 4705 West Gate City Boulevard in Greensboro, Seafood Destiny serves Low Country seafood cuisine for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. There are lunch specials available Fridays and Saturdays and a brunch menu on Sundays. Food can be ordered online for pickup, and delivery is offered through GrubHub.

 

Once a rarity in Greensboro, the seafood boil concept has taken off during the past two years, and Seafood Destiny is a good exemplar thereof. An outgrowth of owner Anthony Knotts’s backyard boils, the restaurant offers various combinations of crab, shrimp, corn, turkey sausage, lobster, and potatoes. Many of these items are also available a la carte, as are shrimp mac and cheese and green beans, and there are a few fish and pasta offerings as well. There’s even a George Floyd Boil, whose proceeds partially go toward a college scholarship for African-American men.

 

As tempting as a full-blown boil was, I opted for something better-suited for one person: the George’s Seafood Hoagie. A lunch-only offering, its price tag seemed ridiculous ($18.95 for a sandwich?!), but the pictures shared via the restaurant's social media made it too tempting to pass up.

 

While Seafood Destiny does offer online ordering, it doesn’t operate in the way that you’d expect. Instead of selecting a pick-up time, you select a check-in time, and your food is made-to-order upon your arrival. While this ensures freshness, it is also likely to try the patience of the hungry, and I can only imagine what the wait times are without the order-ahead option.

 

Fortunately, I didn’t have a particularly long wait (maybe fifteen minutes after arrival), and the sandwich that I was handed by the friendly, hard-working counter staff was worth every penny. The best way to describe George’s Seafood Hoagie is a po boy on steroids. It's a roll generously stuffed with shrimp and crab and lobster and pickles and slathered with spicy-sweet house-made red “Errythang” sauce. It comes with an equally ample portion of thinly sliced herbed potatoes. Hyperbolic as it sounds, every bite was bursting with flavor. This is not an easy sandwich to eat – you’ll need two hands and several napkins – but it is well worth the endeavor.

 

When you’ll actually get your food is a guessing game best not played when hungry, and cheap eats these are not, but for the seafood connoisseur, Seafood Destiny is a must-try.

The Claddagh Restaurant & Pub

 

Located at 130 East Parris Avenue in High Point (with a sister location in Asheveille), The Claddagh serves Irish pub fare for lunch and dinner seven days a week. There is a full bar, food specials change daily, and a brunch is offered on Sundays.

 

Named for a traditional Irish ring and boasting an equally traditional (for the most part) menu, the Claddagh has the Gaelic pub look down cold, an image solidified by the tricolours displayed amid the wood-and-brick interior. Whatever its bonafides, however, the Claddagh offers a fairly underwhelming experience.

 

My first visit here was to place and pick up a takeout order. The hostess who greeted me was amiable, but none of the front-of-house staff seemed to be wearing masks. The food also took a few minutes longer than estimated though it wasn’t an unreasonable wait by any means.

 

I went with fried green tomatoes, a half-order of fish and chips, and a half-order of shepherd’s pie to feed two. Though the half-orders were billed as enough food for anyone who wasn’t starving, portion sizes skewed small. Prices also seemed inflated for the restaurant’s concept. Our half orders were $10 apiece with full orders starting in the mid-teens. The fried green tomatoes, an app, ran $11.49. A good value this is not, but it would be pardonable for top-notch food.

 

On that account, The Claddagh is a mixed bag. The fried green tomatoes, thickly battered and accompanied by a deliciously zesty smoked gouda pimento, were very good and well worth it. The fish, a beer battered cod, was likewise battered well and nicely crisped without being dry inside. The shepherd’s pie was heartily satisfying though the flavors were a bit understated. On the other hand, the sides ranged from forgettable (slaw) to bad (flavorless, freezer fry-grade chips).

 

The Claddagh’s menu appeal and the meal’s high notes were enough for me to not write this place off completely, but if I return, it will be with lowered expectations.