Monthly Archives: February 2015

Quanto Basta Holds VIP Gala to Celebrate Opening

Posted on by
chef-homephoto

Chef Tim Grandinetti (Photo courtesy of chefgrandinetti.com)

Super Chef Extraordinaire, Tim Grandinetti, is at it again. And, again, he’s got a gem on his hands.  Grandinetti, who is chef/partner of one of the Triad’s premier restaurants, Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen and Bar, hosted a few handfuls of friends, family and VIPs to celebrate his new venture: Quanto Basta.

Quanto Basta takes it home to momma’s Italian cooking, with traditional Italian dishes, pizzettes (smaller-sized pizzas) and a long list of meat and cheeses, just to name a few things.  It’s located in the now-booming 4th & Broad/Spring area where a lot of construction and a lot of awesomeness is popping up.

20150226_171745

Cheeses at Quanto Bosta

The new eatery is located at 680 W. Fourth St and is only a block away from Spring House Restaurant, separated only by the new 751 W Fourth building that houses the Winston-Salem Foundation.  Quanto Basta is housed in a magnificently re-imagined setting with stone and wood and a wondefully stained floor that shines for days and creates the great ambiance that will only help make this restaurant great.  I say only help because what is going to make this restaurant great is the food.

For the VIP party they had much of the fare on showcase including at least 3 different pizzettes, an Italian sausage with peppers and onions pasta, eggplant parmesan and a delightful meatball slider.  Tuscan ham, soppressata, capicola and mortadella were on the meat display as fresh mozzarella, pecorino, parmigiano and a most delicious gorgonzola bleu was on the cheese plates.  Crostini and olives round out the antipasto selections.  I tasted almost every bit of the food and thought it was spectaculicious!  They had desserts, which I’ll admit, I am not sure what they were. I asked about other things but missed that.  I’m a horrible reporter, I know.

20150226_171737

The Salumi Selection

The kitchen staff are well-knowledgeable and were there to please.  The servers and bar staff were also on point and if our glasses were empty, they brought more of what we needed.  They had a white, a red and Peroni for the beer drinkers.  Tim told me that they’ll have in addition to Peroni, Moretti and the full line of Samuel Smith brews from England as well as other international beers. I’m excited about that.  Also, a fixture that will wow a lot of customers is the wine tower. Nestled in a stone facade, this enormous structure will eventually hold up to 1600 bottles of wine.  Quanto Basta will also have craft cocktails.

20150226_171720

Pizzettes

Another great point about Quanto Basta is that while it gives you an upscale elegance, it’s more down-to-earth in pricing.  That was a very pleasant surprise.  $5 spaghetti, $11 sausage with peppers and onions, $14 fire roasted chicken, $14 chicken marsala, $15 shrimp arrabiata.  These are very reasonable and affordable prices.  In fact, the most expensive entree is the beef short ribs barbaresco at $17.

I went to the restroom and even it was in pristine condition. Granted, yes, this is a brand new facility from the inside out, but it’s well thought out.  The details in which they put into the bathrooms, the bar, the kitchen, the food!!!  These details are going to be the ingredients to help Tim Grandinetti, his partners Lynn and Lynnette Matthews-Murphy and those who back them, realize the dream that they have for Quanto Basta.  Most likely, the dream isn’t even close to the apex the restaurant will attain.

Quanto Basta is set to open on March 5, 2015.

T

Honey Pot to Halt Lunches

Posted on by

According to their Facebook page, The Honey Pot on Fourth Street in Downtown Winston-Salem will no longer be serving lunches, choosing to focus on its dinner and wine menus instead.  This move, so the page states, will enable them to start dinner service on Monday nights; something that is somewhat of an anomaly for downtown.  Here’s wishing them much luck on the new direction(s).  Click here for the post on Facebook.

Grandinetti Instagrams Projected Opening Date for Quanto Basta

Posted on by

So Super Chef Extraordinaire Tim Grandinetti posted a picture on his Instragram account that indicates the projected opening date for Quanto Basta: Italian Eatery & Wine Bar on the corner 4th and Spring Streets in downtown Winston-Salem.  The building has been under construction for some time now and we can’t wait to see and taste what magic Chef Graninetti’s latest culinary endeavor brings come Thursday, March 5, 2015.

See the photo here.  Follow Chef Grandinetti on Twitter and Instagram.

Caramel Coloring Bad For You?

Posted on by

Tim: While I am always skeptical of these “studies,” I do at least check into them.  The logic for me is that they’ll say one day this is bad for you while this thing is good for you, then a year later, their roles are reversed.  I’m still waiting to hear that drinking antifreeze will be good for you.  But, still… judge for yourself.

According to this Science Daily article, caramel coloring in your soft drinks is bad for you.

Smitty’s Reports Las Estrellas Mexican Restaurant Closed

Posted on by

Jeff Smith, of Smitty’s Notes, has posted that Las Estrellas Mexican Restaurant has closed its doors, for good.  I know many of my friends have stated that they really loved this restaurant.  My only experience with it, my one and only, was not very good.

It was about 7 years ago and, while I forget what it was I ate, I haven’t forgotten the experience.  I was having something, most likely a quesadilla or a combo or something, and in it there was a long hair in it.  That wasn’t all. There was also a hair in the margarita that I had ordered.  I’m glad it was on the rocks and not frozen. I reported both of them to the manager (owner?) that was there and they gave me and the person I was there with’s food for free.  That was nice of them.

Hair in my food has always been a fear and reality of mine, remind me one day to post about a Hardee’s experience.  And, I’ve had a hair in my food before and have gone back if the restaurant handles it correctly; they did here. However, when two items were ruined by hair, I can’t stomach that.  I swore I’d never return and I didn’t.

While I hate to see any business, especially a restaurant, go out of business, I can’t say that I’m surprised, upset, or even care.  For those who did like it, I feel for them.  It’s my understanding that Senior Bravo on Marshall Street is owned by the same family and from what I can tell, that place is rocking all the time. Maybe they’re going to be in good shape.

Thanks, Jeff, for the info.

T

DWSP Presents Restaurant Week 2/15-2/21

Posted on by

Did you know that the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership is presenting Restaurant Week from Sunday, February 15 through Saturday February 22?  Well, you do now!

restaurantweek

DWSP Restaurant Week

What is Restaurant Week?  We’re glad you asked.  Restaurant Week is a food event where many of the downtown Winston-Salem restaurants offer special prix fixe menus of $20, $30 or both.  For example: a restaurant can offer an appetizer, an entree and a dessert (chosen to form a combo) for $20 per person or they may offer a double portion for $30.  Make sense?  Maybe not.  Let’s give some real examples:

Bib’s for example has the following:

 

$20 Special for 2
3 Rib Bone Plate: Each person gets a plate that comes with 3 Rib Bones, Choice of Red or White Slaw, 1 side item, Hush Puppies and Toast
Choose 1 dessert to share

$30 Special for 2
Half Rack Rib Bone Plates: Each person gets a plate that comes with 6 Rib Bones, Choice or Red or White Slaw, 1 side item, Hush Puppies and Toast
Choose 1 dessert to share

They can also offer extras such as this: Beverage Pairing Suggestions (Additional Charge)
WINE: Our ribs pair nicely with the Michael David Freakshow Cabernet Sauvignon or North Carolina’s Childress Pinnacle
BEER: Our ribs also pair nicely with the Olde Hickory Ruby Lager or the Highland Gaelic Ale which are both North Carolina brews

Let’s look at another restaurant’s offerings.
Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen and Bar offers this:
3 Course Dinner $30 per person
BOOM! M-80 Crispy Shrimp: texas pete voodoo sauce
Filet Mignon: cabernet franc butter, oyster cornbread dressing & gorgonzola fritter
Ooey-Gooey Chocolate Nutella Cake: hibiscus cherry infused sweet cream

$20 Special per person
Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Pan Gravy: atop smoked tomato and pimento cheese grits, M-80 sauce, ‘Bama BBQ sauce, Sriracha aioli
Spring House Bread Pudding: caramel Kahlua sauce and sweet cream

So these are only examples.  Here is a comprehensive list of participating restaurants…

6th & Vine Wine Bar & Cafe
Augustine’s Bistro
Bayberry Bistro
Bernardin’s
Bib’s Downtown
Black Mountain Chocolate
Camino Bakery
Di Lisio’s Italian Restaurant
District Rooftop Bar & Grille
Downtown Thai & Sushi
Foothills Brewing
Graze
Hutch & Harris
Jeffrey Adams on Fourth
Kabobs on Fourth
King’s Crab Shack & Oyster Bar
Mellow Mushroom
Meridian
Mooney’s Mediterranean Café
Mozelle’s
Mission Pizza
Old Fourth Street Filling Station
Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen & Bar
Twin City Hive
Wen Hwa Asian Fusion Cuisine
Sweet Potatoes…a restaurant
West End Coffeehouse
Willow’s Bistro

We could have saved you reading that and just sent you to the website, but what fun would that have been?  We recommend calling ahead for reservations and remember that these are dinner specials only and, of course, they’re subject to availability and all that jazz. Also, the restaurants are subject to change and more could be added or some may drop out; it happens.  Go, eat, have fun, take friends, enjoy and tell us what you think. Even better, let DWSP and the restaurants know what you think.  Help make this Restaurant Week a success.

Have fun!

Washington Perk & Provision Company Becomes Sponsor of Tart & Tangy Triad

Posted on by

Tart & Tangy Triad are proud to announce that Washington Perk & Provision Company have become the newest sponsor of the popular food podcast.

WashingtonPerk_logo_250px

Washington Perk & Provision Company

The Johnstons brought their unique little neighborhood grocery and deli to the Washington Park area (228 West Acadia Avenue) in 2010, to great success and have now filled that need in downtown Winston-Salem at 301 W 4th Street.  This area is what we like to call “Our Little Block of Awesome” because there are a lot of great merchants and services in this little narrow passageway.  Washington Perk is also part of the Second Sundays on Fourth festival that happens on the second Sunday from May through October with Tim on Tart & Tangy Triad’s sister show, The Less Desirables (yes the same Tim from this food blog).

They have food, canned goods, household goods, meat, dairy, organic stuffs, Wolfie’s Custard, a coffee shop that serves Larry’s Beans from a local roaster, biscuits in the morning and a sandwich shop and deli.  They have daily lunch specials during the week. What specials?  These specials:

  • Mon: Meatball Subs
  • Tue: 2 for $2.22 Hot Dogs
  • Wed: Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich
  • Thu: Breaded Chicken Sandwich (which rivals a certain “we did it first” chain) OR Meatloaf Sandwich
  • Fri: Philly Steak

Tart & Tangy Triad is excited that they’ve come on board and look forward to a long relationship.  Stop in and have some sandwiches or coffee and show them you’re glad they’re in your neighborhood.

The Man Who Ate the Town: A Food Blog Switches Formats and Address

Posted on by

Guess who made the jump to WordPress from Blogger?  That’s right, Tim & Stephanie did.  We were able to drop the annoying “I’m” on the front of the web address, as well.  So what used to be “ImTheManWhoAteTheTown.blogspot.com” is, for now, “TheManWhoAteTheTown.wordpress.com”

We’re keeping the format that we chose at the end of January, we’re still doing restaurant reviews as we get to them, but we’re going to focus more on the “Tart & Tangy Triad” aspect and let it be “Food News & Views” based.  Keep an eye out for posts and interact with us, that’s why we’re here.

Have a great day!