Recs for High Point, NC (Greensboro too?) A little odd...

[Morganna]

We're going to High Point the beginning of February and we'll be there for about eight days. The gotcha on this is we'll only be eating one typical dinner, one breakfast, one lunch, and a light dinner the first two days we're there. We're getting abdominal surgery the third day in order to treat our type II diabetes, so we'll be on a strict liquid diet for about two weeks or so after our third day there (the rest of the time there will be spent recovering from the surgery and probably some sight seeing because we're expected to be out of the hospital and up and about the day after surgery). We'll be able to drink broths, clear soups, and some clear fruit juices after surgery.

So I'm looking for recommendations for the few regular meals we'll be having, one of which will have something of a "last meal" feel about it, along with thoughts on if there's anywhere that has really nice broth or clear soup. :)

We're very much meat eaters, and a good barbeque would be very nice indeed, but we're pretty flexible. Not too awfully fond of anything Asian but we've had some very good authentic Chinese food in the past that we really enjoyed, and sometimes a Chinese buffet can be fun, but I don't know if my husband would really care for that as his "last dinner" sort of thing... He's Italian, and so some great Italian might go down a treat.

Anyway, suggestions appreciated, and thanks! :)

[Morganna]

Ok, so here's my dining experiences in High Point. :)

We ate at Wendy's for lunch the first Sunday, no surprises there. :) For dinner we ate at Jack's Steakhouse, the restaurant in the hotel. The prices were high, but the food was good, though perhaps not up to the standard the prices would suggest it should be. My husband got penne with grilled chicken and a chipotle cream sauce with roasted peppers. It was very flavourful and I loved the cream sauce but the piece of chicken was small, especially considering the price was $16.95 and that's all you got. Still, it was very tasty, and our waiter brought him some toasted bread to sop up the sauce with since it didn't come with any (and didn't charge us for it). I had a plain romaine salad with caesar dressing and shaved parmesan ($5.95) and a nice big bowl of white bean soup with bacon and shaved parmesan ($4.95). The romaine was fresh and crispy, the dressing was tasty, but the parmesan had been shaved a while ago, and was a little dry. The soup was wonderfully satisfying, and mixing in the parmesan made it melty so it didn't matter that the cheese had been shredded much earlier. Our friend had the chicken pesto wrap ($8.95 I think) and he said it was wonderful. He didn't finish it (he already had the surgery we got so he couldn't eat it all), so we took the rest of the chicken from it and put it with my husband's pasta.

The next morning we had breakfast at Jack's again because I couldn't be arsed to figure anything out yet. I'd been craving poached eggs with toast. I had that, with a slice of ham and cheese grits and decaf coffee. The coffee was eh. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the toast was nothing special, it did the job. The ham was a nice sized slice of city ham, fried on the flat top for a few mins. The cheese grits were yummy, and very different from how I do grits, but then, I'm a yankee. :)

In both meals at Jack's the service was wonderful. It was very empty, because we're talking Sunday night and Monday morning of the low season in a place that doesn't get a lot of tourist traffic. But they were very attentive, willing to go out of their way to fetch things for us, and I felt like they were interested in serving.

For Lunch on Monday we had a lovely chicken curry salad on tossed greens served with chunks of poppy seed bread and a mug of black bean soup, all of which were fantastic. This was the lunch special ($4.95 IIRC) at Grateful Bread out on Main Street in High Point. Wonderful bakery cafe and I wish I lived nearby so I could go there again and again.

For dinner, our last meal before surgery had to be light, we got take out from Jersey Mike's sandwiches which was near the SuperWalmart (where we'd had to stop for a few supplies). My husband had a buffalo chicken wrap and his comment was "pretty good, it was what you'd expect from a place like that". I can't recall the price, but I think it was $5 or less. I got a chef salad ($4.50). It was shredded lettuce like they put on their sandwiches, sliced tomatoes, sliced onion, (and any other sandwich toppings I would have liked, I'd have gotten mushrooms but I didn't see any) sliced banana peppers, and then many slices of turkey and ham and provolone cheese (they cut those up, but it was just what they'd use on a sandwich). It came with Ken's thousand island, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The vegetables were fresh and crisp, and they put a little extra turkey on at my request without any quibble. The woman behind the counter was very nice. :)

Just tonight, I decided I wanted to try wonton soup broth, so we went to Asian House in the Oak Hollow Mall. Very empty place, but it IS a Monday night. We ordered hot and sour soup and wonton soup ($1.95 each), our friend had a four seasons meal ($10.95). He said it was really very good, and it looked good to me. ;) Our soup was wonderful (considering the yucky broths I've been having the last few days, it was an utter delight), and I bought some more broth just to bring back with us. The soups were exactly what you'd expect, the service was OK enough, and I was fine with the prices. I'd go back if I lived in the area, it was perfectly adequate chinese take out like I"m used to (not like you'd find in NYC, I'm sure). :)

We're flying out tomorrow and it'll just be more broth and yogurt for us before our flight. :) Though I'll be getting more wonton broth when we get home, that was a lovely solution to the broth problem.

[Morganna]

Or, barring pho, what's a good chinese place with good wonton soup in High Point? :)

[Morganna]

The only Pho place we've been able to find is in Greensboro, and is farther than we're comfortable driving given our less than great health at the moment. :) So I was wondering if anyone knows of a pho place in High Point proper? :)

We are otherwise doing well, recovering, and should be going home Tuesday. :)

[callmeacab]

If you're interested in venturing into Winston-Salem for that "last meal" Milners (upscale and modernized low country) and Fabian's (prix fixe, five courses, four are set courses and you choose one of 5-6 entrees) are memorable. Definitely are comparable to Bistro Sophia, which is also quite fabu. Good luck with the surgery.

[carolinadawg]

Can you tell me how much Fabian's prix fixe costs? Thanks!

[callmeacab]

$50 per person plus tax and gratuity. One seating per night at 7:30. Fabian Botta (owner/chef) comes into the small dining room and introduces the menu for the evening and talks about the origins of the food...all locally grown and seasonal. There's also a bar, The Mona Lisa Room, upstairs and behind the restaurant that opens at 6:30 for pre dinner cocktails. Truly an evening of great food as entertainment.

[Morganna]

Sounds lovely, though I've since gotten our pre-op orders and we have to eat lightly two to three days before surgery. I'm going to get pushing that by eating at a great chinese buffet (with a sushi chef and mongolian grill, that has been reviewed in the new england section) in Manchester NH the Saturday night before we fly down. So soups and salads once we're in High Point. Oooh well. :) At least I'll be able to have juices (diluted) post op. :)

[Sarahgraci]

I love Emerywood for lunch (never been for dinner- it's close to where I work, so it's a good choice for a sit-down lunch for me). The "Been there done that" sandwich sounds very strange, but is SO delicious. All the food I've seen there look good. My co-workers often get the Rose Beast. http://www.emerywood.com/

[Morganna]

Thanks for the suggestion. The sandwiches look good though the names are annoyingly punny and the site has music on it you can't turn off! :)

[Sarahgraci]

Yeah, the names are odd, but the sandwiches are great. Mute buttons come in handy when sites have annoying music.

[SCgal]

We just returned from High Point and had a wonderful dinner at Noble's right next to the Radisson Hotel. Great french onion soup and the pork tenderloin was delicious. Homemade bread and a nice menu where several entrees you could order a smaller size in order to have room for the soup, dessert or whatever.

[Morganna]

This sounds good for lunch and maybe dinner before the surgery.

Post surgery we'll be only drinking clear broth and gatorade, possibly some V8, and watered down juice. Two small sips at a time for quite a while. :) We'll also be allowed to have a single pringles chip, very well chewed, to add a few calories and salt. :)

But a nice light dinner the night before surgery will be the order of the day. :) Fortunately we don't have to -not- have dinner the night before. :) Might be able to do some french onion soup broth, I wonder if they'd sell us that. :)

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

[kendracooks]

One of the best meals I've had was at Crush 1345 in High Point (1345 N. Main St.). It's an American tapas bar but also has a great regular menu. The wine list is wonderful, the prices are remarkably reasonable for what you get, and everything my family ate (five of us) was delicious. Nothing even close to average. It's also labeled as "creative cuisine," meaning the chef loves to create things upon special request. You can substitute different ingredients in already existing dishes or even ask for something made to order. For example, your husband might want a pasta dish with a specific protein added. The chef will almost certainly create something special. The atmostphere isn't stuffy, and the food is some of the best around. It's a new restaurant, so not many people know about it... but they will! www.crush1345.com

[meatn3]

During recovery if you want fresh juiced fruits/veggies you might want to try Earth Fare. This is a natural foods store. I'm not familiar with the Greensboro location, but the locations I have been in have all had cafe/juice bars. There are a lot of tasty combos that will give you some variety!
http://www.earthfare.com/storeinfo/12...

[TSQ75]

Jake's diner in Greensboro is one of my favorite places for breakfast ever...just a cheap diner.

[megabytes]

Bistro Sophia is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere, including Charleston. The ambiance and food are top notch without any sign of being pretentious.

[carolinadawg]

Bistro Sophia is excellent, and they are currently running this special:

Bistro Sofia (616 Dolley Madison Road, Greensboro) is starting off the new year with a $20.08 comfort menu that includes three courses. The menu is offered from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

The restaurant also will offer a beer dinner at 7 p.m. Jan. 16 that includes four courses of fowl paired with beer, plus dessert. For a complete menu, visit http://www.bistrosofia.com. For reservations, call 855-1313.

Also in Greensboro is a great hole-in-the-wall italian place with wonderful food called Bianca's. Its near the Coliseum, at the corner of Spring Garden Street and Chapman Street (I think!).

Table 16, located in downtown G'boro, is supposed to be really good, as is the Undercurrent, also downtown (same ownership).

[lilyanna]

Definitely try Gicamo's in Greensboro for house-made sausages, salami, roasted veg, sandwiches...you'll find a lot here on these boards.

[Morganna]

Thanks! :D I did do a generalized search for High Point but everything was pretty old, and I know restaurant quality can decline with the economy. So I was hoping for some recent experiences or thoughts. :)

[quazi]

definitely try giacomo's. only item to skip is the pastrami. everything else is terrific.
after surgery I would recommend on of the Vietnamese Pho shops. I think they would be more than willing to do a bowl of only broth. In fact you could add all the herbs then just sip the broth.

for cue try a swing through lexington which is only 15 minutes away. do not do stameys in gso.

Bistro sophia is also a good idea as well - great atmosphere(if its warm sit outside)

[Morganna]

Oh a pho shop, that's a good thought. :) My husband's going to have to do broth as well, even though he doesn't like it, but maybe the pho broth would be just the ticket! Thanks!

[Morganna]

How fatty is the broth from a pho shop?

[quazi]

does not seem to fatty especially if they don't put any of the meat cuts in when they serve it to you