Sweet Potatoes (well shut my mouth!!) a restaurant

Six years ago, Vivian Joiner and Stephanie Tyson opened a restaurant in the Arts District of Winston-Salem and changed the look and feel of downtown. With a seriously Southern menu, everyone was clamoring to dine at the small, well appointed restaurant on Trade Street. I was one of those folks and I was thrilled to have real Southern cuisine right there with easy on street parking. Born in Alabama, I couldn't wait to get some fried green tomatoes and any kind of sweet potato. I was certainly not disappointed!

Now, Stephanie the chef, is changing her menu 2 or 3 times a year with seasonal produce and new ideas. They're open for brunch now and do Stephanie's version of Eggs Benedict, but all of them start with a sweet potato biscuit. The Big Benne is a stack of the sweet potato biscuit, sliced rib eye steak, poached eggs, country ham bordelaise, tomatoes and hollandaise. Stephanie footnotes it with (It's okay, it's only once a week!).

At lunch you can even get a Sweet Potatoes Hot Brown. If you're not in the Kentucky know, that's a very popular dish around Kentucky and the Derby. Stephanie's version is sliced turkey with mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese sauce, all atop a sweet potato biscuit.

A lot has happened in the Arts District in the last 6 years. Not only has ISP Sports opened their headquarters across the street but above that are condominiums. Vivian says they see the residents from the neighborhood on a regular basis, some daily and some weekly, but they see them all in this great neighborhood restaurant.

Stephanie called me yesterday to tell me what she's planning to bring for Taste of the Town and I hope I do it justice here: She's preparing succulent roasted pork, country ham with her country ham bordelaise gravy over sweet potato stuffing and she's even bringing dessert. I can't wait to try her mint julep tarts! Sounds like Derby fare to me!

You had better get to the Taste of the Town early (4pm) because I imagine there will be a line at the Sweet Potatoes booth. This is their first year attending and we are thrilled to have them! Check out their website at www.sweetpotatoes-arestaurant.com to see everything on their menu. And of course stop by their restaurant for a delicious Southern meal.

Look for my update on the Kentucky Derby coming Friday as well as the results of our Kentucky Style Pie contest! I'll see you in 3 days!

Village Tavern

Only four days until the greatest food event in the Triad! Everything is falling into place and our Kentucky Style Pie Contest will be underway Thursday the 30th! Everyone will be dropping off their sumptuous chocolate-nut pies at Family Services for judging.

Be sure to watch WXII Friday morning-early to see the morning news crew judge the top three pies. They will determine the Win, Place and Show of the contest. I know they love their jobs! And don't forget, you'll have a chance to take home one of those top three pies at our silent auction so bring your checkbook, credit card or of course cash!

You're probably tired of hearing about how bad the economy is but I never get tired of hearing how businesses are giving us good deals as a result. Chef Anthony Bonner at the Village Tavern on Hanes Mall Blvd. tells me they are all about good deals this spring.

Deals like the "Tavern Twosome" that costs $25 for two includes 2 entrees and 2 salads. For $20, the "Pizza Deal" for two includes 2- 8 inch pizzas or 2 flatbreads plus 2 salads. And for a special occassion, the "Five for Five" serves two for $50 and includes one appetizer to share, two salads or soups, two entrees, two glasses of wine and one fabulous desssert to share. Now those are great deals. What makes them really good deals is the consistent outstanding quality of the Village Tavern's food.

Personally I enjoy Village Tavern's patio. They have live music on the patio during the summer at their Wednesday night Wine and Dine with half price bottles of wine.

With so many wonderful things to choose from on the menu at Village Tavern, I asked Chef Anthony Bonner what his favorite dish was. Without hesitating he said it was the crabcakes, plump with jumbo lump crab meat! Chef Anthony has been at the Village Tavern for three years next month and sounds very happy with his position. He's really looking forward to Taste of the Town on Saturday afternoon. I can't wait to see what he brings for us to sample!

If you want to check out the menu for the Village Tavern, check out their website by clicking on their name here on our blog (in the right column) or go to www.villagetavern.com.

Caffe Prada

5 days and counting, that's all the time we have before Taste of the Town arrives Saturday, May 2nd at 4pm! We're training the volunteers, making the last minute preparations for the restaurants, and organizing the silent auction while selling lots of tickets. If you would like to volunteer, there is still time. We do need help the day of the event. Contact Delaine Weddle at 722-8173 or dweddle@fsifamily.org. We'd love to have you!

You'll be hearing from me daily this last week and probably for a week or two after the Taste, giving you the wrap up, all of the restaurant awards, and let you know how Family Services did as the beneficiary of this fundraiser. Be sure to tell your friends about our blog. You can check it out anytime in the future to read all about the restaurants, so put it in your "favorites".

If you haven't been down to Caffe Prada on the corner of Broad St. and West Fourth, you should try it out. I recently chatted with Alex Prada, who along with Ken Hart, owns Caffe Prada, a friendly neighborhood hangout. Since they are in the first floor of a condo building, made up of 54 condos, they see their neighbors a great deal.

Caffe Prada is the first green coffee/wine bar in the Triad; they are active members of PEA, the Piedmont Environmental Alliance. They serve organic fair trade coffee, Italian Espresso and make wonderful gelatos and sorbets with all natural ingredients, including local milk from Julian, NC. They use natural ingredients from Italy and local fruit from the farmer's market. The favorite flavors are chocolate, pistachio, plus strawberry and lemon sorbets. You can also grab wonderful breakfast pastries, Greek yogurt, and sandwiches.

Wines are under $20 a bottle for the most part and they have a terrific selection. Alex, being from Argentino, carries some tasty Argentinian wines including their Carrascal at $15.99. It's a Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon blend by Bodega v. Cavas Weinert from Mendoza, Argentina. This Friday, May 1st, is the monthly wine tasting so stop by, grab a class of wine and take a seat on their lovely patio. And don't forget to introduce yourself to their wine consultant Lucinda. Caffe Prada also offers Bellinis, a cocktail made of Proseco, an Italian sparkling wine, and white peach nectar-Yum! What a great summer cocktail.

Saturday, May 2nd of course we'll be hosting the Taste of the Town at the Benton Convention Center beginning at 4pm. But if you get up early and participate in the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure, you'll see Alex down there in the Survivor's tent serving his Pink Ribbon Sorbet that he has donated for the occasion. I tried it and it is wonderful! I can't wait to see what he makes for Taste of the Town!

Sponsors of Taste of the Town

Family Services, Inc. would like to thank each and every one of our sponsors for helping to make Taste of the Town a reality.

Zevely House

Recently I received a history lesson from Margaret Merrell, one of the owners of Zevely House. I didn't realize the house was not built on West 4th Street where it is currently. Built in 1815 on Oak St., near 8th, the house was moved to its current location, on the corner of Summit and West 4th Street in 1974. It is on the National Registry of Historic Homes. Zevely House features fine dining and an extensive selection of wines and is the sight of numerous wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners. At dinner or brunch you can dine on two different versions of shrimp and grits, one of their specialties of the house.

Zevely House is only open for dinner and brunch currently but the plan is to have a juice bar and coffee bar out on the patio at lunchtime this summer. They will probably add sandwiches and Wi-Fi to appeal to just about anybody on a beautiful Carolina day. Their patios, amongst the flowers and trees, feel like they're out in the country, even though they sit in the city. The juice bar should be very interesting, giving any lunch a nutritious punch.

Chef Thomas Alexander and Margaret have been working at Zevely House for over 20 years and several years ago they each became part owners of the historical restaurant. Tom is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and his cooking is inspired by Bill Neal of Crook's Corner (the birthplace of Shrimp and Grits) and La Residence in Chapel Hill.

There seems to be something going on at Zevely House all the time lately. They enjoy helping out their friends with causes such as the upcoming Itipini Benefit Dinner for a community clinic in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa this Sunday, April 26th. It will feature South African food and wine as well as a silent auction.

Every 3rd Thursday of the month there is a buffet at the Zevely House featuring a selection of wines by wine consultant Erin Aycock of SIP Consulting and select wine distributors.

I'm thrilled that Tom is bringing a Burgoo to Taste of the Town this year. You might ask, "What is a Burgoo?" I have not actually had Burgoo but have heard much about it on Alton Brown's "Feasting on Asphalt" (Food Network). I do know the easiest place to find Burgoo is in Kentucky,which would be the reason to bring it to the Taste of the Town. Yes, you will see all things Kentucky and horseracing at the Taste of the Town, since we'll be showing the Kentucky Derby live on giant screens!

But back to the Burgoo, it sounds a lot like Brunswick Stew but can have many different variations. So I look forward to tasting it as well as the Brown Sugar Pound Cake Tom's promised!

Hours of operation at the Zevely House are Tues through Sat. 5:30-9pm and Sunday 11am to 2pm for brunch. Their website is under construction currently but you can get them at 725-6666.

Cake Ladies

It's only 12 days and counting to Taste of the Town! We're all so excited to have this incredible event right around the corner. Last year we didn't get to hold the Taste because we moved into our new building the last week of April. By the way, if you haven't seen our new "green" building at 1200 S. Broad St., stop by and take a look. It's the first commercial, green new construction in Forsyth County and we are loving working in this terrificl space!

In 2003 we brought Taste of the Town back for the first time since 1999 and we have made so many friends as a result. Between all of our wonderful sponsors, the generous restaurants and the patrons, Family Services' circle of friends has widened immensely. Our programs are so appreciative for the funds raised from Taste of the Town.

One of the many new friends we've made, Nancy Donnelly of Cake Ladies has been coming to the Taste since 2005 I believe. She became involved in an unconventional way. We had a silent auction that year and her husband had bid on a giant stuffed Sponge Bob Square Pants for their 1 year old granddaughter. They had to leave before the bidding was over so she came by Monday to pay for and pick up "Bob".

Nancy raved and raved about what a wonderful event we had held. They had a great time. She told me she had this little cake company and wondered if she could possibly become a participant. Well, not only did she become a part of the Taste, but in 2006 she took home a silver medal and in 2007 won first place in the Dessert Category, voted on by all of the patrons! I don't think I've ever seen anyone quite that happy! We love Nancy's cakes, whether French Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, pineapple or raspberry filled. They are all fabulous! And she's the most exhuberant Taste of the Town fan ever!

When you get to the Taste, don't forget to say "hi" to Nancy. You might notice when you talk to her, she's not from around here. A New York (Queens) native, her husband is from Long Island, and they love it here! You will have your chance to vote for your favorite dessert, non-dessert, best booth and best all around restaurant. These restaurants are competitive!

Nancy doesn't have a website right now but you can call at 771-3050 or email her at cakemaker47@aol.com to learn all about the fabulous wedding cakes and special occasion creations she'll make for you. You won't be disappointed!

NOMA Urban Bar & Grill

We are getting so excited about Taste of the Town coming up May 2nd! It’s 17 days and counting and we’re all running around with our hair on fire wrapping up all of the details!

If you haven't been to NOMA Urban Bar & Grill at the corner of Fourth and North Marshall Streeets, be sure to stop by. Currently a two story, beautifully decorated grill, it's where you can get fabulous mac n' cheese (their best seller) and meatloaf that'll take you right back home. That's real comfort food. Described as a contemporary approachable bar, it is all that and more.

They will open the new basement area May 8th, the night before Salute! That night there will be a winemaker’s dinner so get your reservations in for that. The room will seat 30 and will be available for private parties. Set with a wide screen TV, you can reserve it for your own sports event or Oscar Party. NOMA will be holding parties there on a regular basis as well.

Stop by NOMA when you're downtown and say "hi" to Chuck King, Operations Manager of NOMA and Sixth and Vine. He and Michael Johnson, the GM, along with the rest of the friendly staff will be there to make your visit delicious. You can see their menu at www.noma-ws.com also.

Finnigan's Wake Pub and Kitchen

I dropped by to see Opie (Philip Kirby) at Finnigan's Wake Pub the other evening after work. It was a relaxed friendly crowd with some watching the Masters and some watching soccer, but most just chatting. Opie was tending bar and serving food to the customers. He knows nearly everyone that comes through the door at Finnigan's Wake.

Opie and John Cahoon are the owners of Finnigan's Wake and I have to say, they are a very community minded restaurant. It seems they are involved in every event going on around the city, including our upcoming Taste of the Town, plus the Celtic Festival and Salute! Opie has been involved in Taste of the Town since it came back in 2003. We appreciate his community spirit!

Finnigan's Wake always has their own party going on as well. If it's not their unbelievable St. Patrick's Day celebration, it's the St. Baldrick's celebration in September (9-12-09 this year) where they encourage everyone to have their head shaved right out in front of the restaurant with proceeds go to children's cancer research.

With summer coming fast and furious, be sure to check out the new patio out back. It's under the canopy of trees and is a great place to eat in good weather. In fact in May they'll be having oysters on the halfshell Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays on the patio. Not into oysters? If you're a vegetarian, this is also the place to go. They feature numerous dishes that would suit you like my favorite, Opie's Arti-cakes. They are wonderful little patties of artichokes fried to perfection and served with a roasted red pepper aoli. I have to say though that my favorite entree on the menu is the Guinness Stew served over homemade mashed potatoes. This is not a light meal, anything but. But if you're looking for comfort food, this will fill the bill! It is so full of flavor with beef, onions, potatoes, turnips, carrots, and of course the Guinness; you can't beat it.

If you haven't been for a while, you can check out the menu and the goings-on at their website at www.fwpub.net/dnnhome/. Trust me, this is not just pub food!

Blue Ridge Ice Creams

Do you remember when Blue Ridge Ice Creams used to be over on Coliseum Drive? I think K&W was still on the second level at that time. Blue Ridge opened over there about 20 years ago. It seems like they've been at 135 Stratford Road, next to Schiffman's Jewelers, forever.

Around Winston-Salem, it's hard to talk about really good ice cream without thinking of Blue Ridge. Deb and Scott do such a great job of creating flavors, it really seems like a science.

If you are unaware, we have two competitions for the restaurants at the Taste of the Town. One is determined by the patrons, voting on their favorite dessert, non-dessert, booth design and best all-around restaurant. Additionally, we have three professional chefs who judge their top three favorite all-around restaurants. I had no idea how competitive the restaurants were before we started giving the awards.

In 2007, Deb made two new flavors for Taste of the Town. Since, after all this is a Kentucky Derby party, she brought a Mint Julep Sorbet plus a chocolate-nut-caramel ice cream that for lack of a better term we'll call Kentucky Pie (due to copyright infringements, we can't use the real name). More on this another day.

The judges that year were Michael Hastings, Food Editor for the Winston-Salem Journal; Al Romano, instructor at GTCC's Culinary Arts Program; and Don McMillan, long time Winston-Salem chef and GTCC instructor as well.

They got up on stage to announce their three best restaurants. They explained how ice cream NEVER wins any culinary prizes but that they had to make an exception because Debbie's new flavors were so extraordinary. They awarded her a special prize for her Mint Julep sorbet and "Kentucky Pie" ice cream!

Debbie makes Italian gelato at her shop as well; it's a lower fat ice cream, a European version, and it is delicious. I asked what some of her new flavors were and she said the Honey Lavender and Strawberry Balsamic were new and soon she'll have a Hummingbird flavor, like a Hummingbird Cake.

Music on the courtyard beside Blue Ridge begins this year on Thursday, May 21st at 6:30. Opening that evening will be the Triad Youth Jazz Ensemble, followed by Martha Bassett! By then the weather will be perfect for eating ice cream and listening to some smooth sounds. Every Thursday during the summer you'll hear music on the courtyard beginning at 7pm, so check it out.

To find out what else is new at Blue Ridge Ice Creams, check out their website at www.blueridgeicecreams.com. If you come to the Taste, you can try Deb's new flavor!

Sociale Gourmet

I stopped by Sociale Gourmet the other day to say hello to Donna Harris, the owner, and found things have changed since my last visit. Sociale Gourmet is not just a "make and take" establishment anymore, they're now a restaurant.

Located at 380 Knollwood St., Suite M, Sociale Gourmet has been doing "make and take" really well for a few years now. You can run in there and pick up already assembled dinners to take home and cook for 2-3 or 4-6 people. They are very reasonably priced and very tasty.

Your other option was to make an appointment to come in and put together the meals you want yourself. There are usually 20 meals to choose from and if there are ingredients in the recipe that you don't like, you leave them out. This works for me because my son really dislikes onions.
If you forget to make an appointment, there's the third option; go on Wednesday for "Walk-in Wednesday". You can walk in and prepare your meals at your leisure, no appointment.

Now you have the option of stopping by for breakfast or lunch. Breakfast consists of sweet breads and muffins, bagels and cereals. A box lunch is prepared for you to take or eat on the premises. The best news to me is they use Boar's Head Brand meats and cheeses for sandwiches. You can also get tasty salads like Spinach-Strawberry Salad or Maple Honey Waldorf Salad. It's all fast, good and reasonably priced. Oh, and they deliver too.

Donna will be at the Taste of the Town again this year. She always has a great time! This year she's dressing up like a pirate and has some great surprises in store for everyone who attends.

If you want to make an appointment to make your dinner or just check out her menu, go to her website at www.socialgourmet.com or call 837-0661.

Thank you to our sponsors

If you are not aware, Family Services, Inc. is a private non-profit, United Way agency. We are celebrating our 104th birthday currently and experiencing a difficult economy for raising operating funds.

Taste of the Town is our one big fundraising event of the year, the funds from which are used to support our very important programs. When it came time to find sponsors for Taste of the Town, you might expect that we weren't very optimistic.

That's why I want to use this space to thank those companies who have stepped up to support this year's Taste of the Town and let them know how much we appreciate their sponsorships. Please consider giving your business to these companies as well as to the restaurants participating because they are all good community supporters.

The sponsors are: Keller Williams Realty, Versa Technologies, Inc., Starbucks Coffee Co., Truliant Federal Credit Union, Southern Community Bank and Trust, Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership, Young Chefs' Academy, Salute-the North Carolina Wine Festival, ADP TotalSource, Tarheel Paper Co., Butler & Burke, Certified Public Accountants, Frame Gallery and Paul C. Spanos/Community Employee Benefits. You can see a list of the participating restaurants on the right side of this blog along with links to their websites.

Thank you to all of our supporters, both for financial contributions as well as inkind gifts. Thank you for helping Family Services, Inc. build strong families in healthy communities.