Winston-Salem restaurants

[stephw1]

We are going to be in Winston-Salem this Saturday evening, and we need to find a good restaurant for a combo Father's Day/birthday dinner, including a 10-year old (who eats off the adult menu-with very mature tastes), a 5-year old, and a 3-year old. Any suggestions?

[carolinadawg]

Does it matter if the restaurant has a kid's menu?

[stephw1]

Not necessarily, just that it has kid-friendly food. My daughter, the 10-year old, will devour a filet mignon or fish (medium-rare, thank you) along with a starch (baked potato, rice, etc.) and a veggie (steamed broccoli, zucchini, spinach). The other kids, however, are used to eating chicken fingers and pizza, so it's a dilemma going out with them. If you have suggestions for somewhere that has good food including burgers or pizza, that would be great. Thanks!!

[jlwnc]

Not overly chowhoundish, but the Village Tavern is usually a solid meal and service and has sandwich options for the kids. Saturdays there are usually crowded. I like South by Southwest, but not sure about kid options.

[carolinadawg]

I agree with jlwnc that Village Tavern serves acceptable food and would have kid friendly options. Bonefish Grill would be another good choice...its a chain, but a good chain and has mac 'n cheese and chicken tenders for the kids. They also take reservations. Milner's is excellent, but I'm not sure they would have anything for the younger ones.

[stephw1]

Yes, my husband and I are what's known in Asheville as "bar regulars" at Bonefish, but we kind of want to go somewhere different. Thanks for the tips; I think we'll probably try Village Tavern.

[stephw1]

Okay, we've definitely decided on Village Tavern for tomorrow night's dinner, but since we're staying overnight, where's a good breakfast/brunch spot for the three of us on Sunday morning? Nothing too frou-frou, just good, simple food, but not Waffle House or Cracker Barrel. A buffet would be ideal. Thanks.

[jlwnc]

The K&W Cafeteria used to do a good breakfast; there are several locations. Duke's on Country Club Road. If you aren't from the south, I would head to Bojangles. Seriously, Bo does some goooood biscuits.
edit: sorry, just saw you are from Asheville, so never mind on the Bojangles.

[quazi]

I would not recommend k+W. I would consider it similar to cracker barrel. I have not been but everyone I know who has compliments Mary's of Course. check their menu at Triaddiner.com. I would also recommend Milners instead of village tavern. THough their chips are wonderful I think you may be bored by the menu check it at villagetavern.com

[stephw1]

Village Tavern was okay, not great, but decent; we had a very nice server, but my filet was very overcooked, and the baked potato wasn't completely done. The crab dip was excellent, as was my husband's prime rib. I'd go again and try another dish.

As for breakfast, we finally found Duke's, only to discover that they are closed on Sundays. We ended up at a place called, I believe, the 4-Star Diner. It was very good, and very reasonably priced. I think it only cost the three of us around $20, including tip, so we were pleasantly surprised.

[jlwnc]

I was going to ask for an update. Thanks. Sorry about Duke's; I had no idea of their hours. Glad it was a success after all.
If you return to the Tavern, the marinated flank steak and the grouper are usually what I go with. FWIW, their desserts are nothing fancy, but dirt cheap, so I usually order something. If you are back in W-S, try South by Southwest. I haven't live in W-S in a number of years, but it was always solid. Also, New Town Bistro was good. Other hounds may update on their current status.

[stephw1]

My MIL had the grouper, which is what I would have ordered had I not had tilapia for lunch, and she said it was great. I also thought about the flank steak, but usually a filet is so good that I can't resist. We did have the chocolate/plain cheesecake, MMM!!! My MIL had the creme brulee (which she pronounced "cream brulay"-LOL) and my SIL had the key lime pie. All in all it was a nice visit, except for the nasty storm that came along just as we finished eating-on the patio, I might add.

Question: Is Botta Bing Pizza as good as it sounds? We passed it (or Botta Boom) on Country Club Road, near some humongous church that had about ten cops directing traffic. What's up with that?

[jlwnc]

Ah yes, the God Squad of Calvary Baptist. They own that corner on Sunday. I used to live nearby. I don't know Botta Bing; It wasn't there when I was 7 years ago.
There is East Coast Wings not far from that intersection and it is pretty good for what it is. Also, Little Richard BBq is near there and without going to Lexington, it is as good as it gets. Pizza in W-S, I liked Franco's on Jonestown and there is a place (mario's?) near Kohls (by VT) that is good. Sounds like you're in my boat: family in W-S, with a mix of kids and meat and potatoes people. It usually lands me cooking or getting BBQ take out

[quazi]

Botta Bing is run by the owner of the now closed Fabians. Better than average ingredients make his pies a winner. Stick with the smaller thin crust pies. to my tongue the larger pies just do not have a good crust. There is a branch on Reynolda at the old Fabians as well