The Man Who Ate the Town Podcast Episode 192

In Episode #192, proudly recorded in The Less Desirables Studios (South). Zoom sponsored by Bull’s Tavern:

We are now featured on the Triad Podcast Network!

Tim, Ray talk about:

  • Tim visited Mr. Barbecue and Papa Lee’s Grill on the same opening day.
  • Tim visited Pfafftown Kitchen and gives a quick overview of the experience.
  • Krispy Kreme gives away a free donut to all vaccinated customers.
  • A new California-themed cafe and Bistro, Melrose Cafe, is coming.
  • Butcher and Bull announce an April 2021 opening.
  • 6th & Vine to reopen as soon as this week.
  • Dough-Joe’s launches a new menu today.
  • Crafted: The Art of the Taco is closed until at least Wednesday.
  • Burger Tour ’21 news.
  • Other local restaurant news.
  • Tim and Lea talk about “List” updates.
  • Winston-Salem Strong. This website includes the food and beverage list that we have been forging and resources for businesses and individuals that are needed at this time, including unemployment, SBA loans, tips for servers, and many other services. All this in one place. Winston-Salem Strong!

Don’t forget our sponsors:

Carrabba’s Italian Grill Healthy, grilled meats, wood-fired pizzas, fresh ingredients, and phenomenal wine dinners. Those are just some of the offerings of Carrabba’s. And, Daniel Butner, the local proprietario, is salt of the earth and a pillar of good in the community. Go taste the goodness that is Carrabba’s and see why Tim and Ray are always talking it up!

Washington Perk & Provision Company. Better than a convenience store but not quite a grocery store, in the heart of Washington Park and Downtown WSNC.

Mojito Latin Soul Food is creating scrumptious Cuban-inspired, Latin-infused street/soul food. Welcoming atmosphere, delicious food, robust cigars, and good times await.

Diamondback Grill. A lovely farm-to-fork eatery nestled in the heart of Buena Vista. Murphy and Kimberly Gregg and company offer fine dining in a casual atmosphere complete with a 20′ wine bar, expert craft cocktails, televisions in the bar area to watch the game or candlelit dinners in the formal dining area. This gem is waiting to be discovered!

The Man Who Ate the Town is part of The Less Desirables Network. Give it a listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Audible, basically anywhere you can listen to podcasts. Or you can listen here (at the bottom of the post).

Bon Appetit!

The Man Who Ate the Town Podcast Episode 177

In Episode #177, proudly recorded in The Less Desirables Studios (South). Zoom sponsored by Bull’s Tavern:

Tim, Ray talk about:

  • Hatasha Carter is on to talk about Sistas4Change-WS.
  • Village Juice Closing Downtown, temporarily.
  • Butcher & Bull closed until at least Q2, 2021.
  • Mojito Closed this week.
  • Tim’s birthday meals.
  • Other local restaurant news.
  • Two of the three co-hosts celebrate birthdays this week!
  • Tim and Lea talk about “List” updates.
  • Winston-Salem Strong. This website includes the food and beverage list that we have been forging and resources for businesses and individuals that are needed at this time, including unemployment, SBA loans, tips for servers, and many other services. All this in one place. Winston-Salem Strong!

Don’t forget our sponsors:

Carrabba’s Italian Grill Healthy, grilled meats, wood-fired pizzas, fresh ingredients, and phenomenal wine dinners. That’s just some of the offerings of Carrabba’s. And, Daniel Butner, the local proprietario, is salt of the earth and a pillar of good in the community. Go taste the goodness that is Carrabba’s and see why Tim and Ray are always talking it up!

Washington Perk & Provision Company. Better than a convenience store but not quite a grocery store, in the heart of Washington Park and Downtown WSNC.

The Humble Bee Shoppe is challenging your perception of scratch made and leaving you with an experience you couldn’t possibly forget! With inventive flavor combos and a sense of artistry, The Humble Bee Shoppe isn’t your average bakery.

Mojito Latin Soul Food is creating scrumptious Cuban-inspired, Latin-infused street/soul food. Welcoming atmosphere, delicious food, robust cigars, and good times await. Welcome to TMWATT family!

The Man Who Ate the Town is part of The Less Desirables Network. Give it a listen on iTunes, Stitcher, Podcast Addict, and TuneIn, basically anywhere you can listen to podcasts. Or you can listen here (at the bottom of the post).

Bon Appetit!

The Man Who Ate the Town Podcast Episode 122

Shrimp Cocktail from Butcher & Bull

In Episode #122 proudly recorded at The Lab at Industry Hill:

Tim and Ray talk about:

  • Little Richard’s Bar-N-Que opens on Stratford.
  • Tim gives reviews of Butcher & Bull and Skrimp Shack.
  • Abbott’s Frozen Custard and The Habit Burgers to open in Clemmons.
  • Hot Dog Tasting Trolley Tour is rescheduled for October 5. You can purchase discounted tix using the code “Man5” on this link.
  • Update on Summer of Burgers Tour.
  • Food holidays and history.

Don’t forget our sponsors:

DiLisio’s Italian Family Restaurant Italian food like you’re sitting, eating in Naples. Wonderful Italian dishes from traditional spaghetti and lasagna to contemporary delights. Rich, flavorful sauces, a variety of pasta options, seafood, meat and more. Just south of Downtown and Business 40 (SOB40).

Washington Perk & Provision Company. Better than a convenience store but not quite a grocery store, in the heart of Washington Park and Downtown WSNC.

The Humble Bee Shoppe is challenging your perception of scratch made and leaving you with an experience you couldn’t possibly forget! With inventive flavor combos and a sense of artistry, The Humble Bee Shoppe isn’t your average bakery.

The Man Who Ate the Town is part of The Less Desirables Network. Give it a listen on iTunes, Stitcher, Podcast Addict and TuneIn, basically anywhere you can listen to podcasts. Or you can listen here (at the bottom of the post).

Bon Appetit!

Better Late Than Never – Butcher & Bull

A few months ago, when Butcher & Bull opened their doors, they had a media preview night and while I try to always get to those, I had a prior commitment that night and couldn’t make the event at the Marriott in downtown Winston-Salem. But, thanks to Chef Richard Miller and Meagan Byrne at Bolt PR, Stephanie and I finally got my tasting, so we made it a date night.

Arugula Salad

The decor is more straight-lined and gray than I expected but it was modern and welcoming. I thought it looked great in there. While there were some “standard” restaurant fixtures, they remodeled the restaurant into a destination. We liked it a lot, especially the focus on the “bull” aspect. But, other than what to expect whilst eating there, you didn’t come here for interior design lessons. You came here for the food. Let’s do that!

Bison Carpaccio

Chef Richard started us off with a salad. Yeah, a salad. This was the “Arugula Salad” and had baby kale, toasted almonds, shaved fennel, beets, feta and a brown butter miso vinaigrette. I generally do not eat beets as I feel they taste like I’m eating dirt. But, I ate every bite of this salad. I tried to get all of the feta, all of the miso dressing, the almonds, everything. To me, it had a lovely nutty/earthy quality that was very appealing and mixed with the umami miso, the peppery arugula and toasted almonds made this a savory-like salad. I really enjoyed it. Stephanie did as well. It went well with her red wine and my salty gose.

That’s when the fun really started. You know when I say fun that usually means meat! And, since this is a twist on the modern steakhouse, you’d expect meat. How about Bison Carpaccio? Very thinly sliced extra rare bison topped with a quail egg, “Everything Bagel” seasoning, more arugula and Manchego cheese. It also included caper berries which I’ve never had before. I have had, and love, capers but never one of these beauties. The bison was so thinly sliced that they wilted around the fork as I placed it on Stephanie’s and my plates. So, delicate, so tender and so delicious. Mixing the cheese and quail egg around it was tangy and semi-sweet all at the same time.

Smoked Shrimp Cocktail

Next was the Shrimp Cocktail. Boring, right? Not!!! It comes out on a plate with a glass cover and you can barely see what is inside the glass dome because it is so smokey. Cold smoke, actually. When Chef Richard removed the dome, the aroma of the smoke attacked the senses and it was amazing. These shrimps were anything but. They were rather large, drizzled with preserved lemon and sitting on a housemade cocktail sauce mixture of not ketchup like many generic cocktail sauces can be but a tomato jam with horseradish mixed in. And, if you’ve ever read my reviews before you know that Stephanie and I are both fans of pea shoots. The crunchy, earthy greens were the perfect topping for this dish. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and smoked. There was much rejoicing.

Spanish Octopus

Then came the Spanish Octopus. I love octopus. When we have sushi, I like “extra” octopus. It can be chewy, yes, but I really enjoy it. So, this came to us with crisp-yet-tender cauliflower, chorizo bits, a creamy sauce and a tangy chimichurri sauce. The octopus itself was not tough. Its texture was somewhere between a scallop and shrimp. Not mushy and not chewy. It was just right. All the flavors made a delicious plate of goodness. I had to point out the chorizo bits to my girl as she was skipping them, mistaking them for pieces of the cauliflower and octopus. Delicious.

Wagyu Shoulder Tenders

The “real meat” was on its way, next. The Wagyu Shoulder Tenders had their turn. Chunks of pure perfection. They were all done medium rare and had a crusty outer layer that was perfectly seasoned. Very earthy, salty, peppery and was like a hug for the shoulder. You could see the juices between the fibers of the meat and that made it even more appealing. Like most of Butcher & Bull’s steaks (from what I can tell), they come with blistered cherry tomatoes. These things were on the verge of popping but, man… the flavor burst when you bit into it was amazing. Because I was savoring the taste of the beef, I was neglecting the tomatoes but put a bulb on one of the last pieces of this I had and it was a party in my mouth. Acidic. Juicy. Tangy. Savory. Divine. Should I keep coming up with descriptors?

The Bone-In Dry-Aged Ribeye was the last of the big stuff. Although, Chef did ask if we

Bone-In Dry-Aged Ribeye

wanted more meat. I assured him that we had had our fill after this plate. Again, prepared medium-rare, If you’ll remember back when Chef Richard was on our podcast he talked about the dry-aged beef. Dry-aging allows for more flavor and tenderness to permeate through the meat. This plate arrived with a huge bone with the meat morsels already cut for us, more for presentation, I believe. Chef explained that usually it comes intact but he cut it up for us. So tender and being a ribeye, there was a good bit of fat on it. But, as we know, fat equals flavor. It wasn’t so much fat you couldn’t eat it. It was enough fat to make the flavors burst, plus the seasoning on it was making it even better.

Cheesecake

Finally, after we had had enough of heavenly meat, we were treated to the no-frills Cheesecake. It was “plain” (a misnomer, of course), nary a compote to be found, on a graham cracker crust and served with house-whipped cream. It was anything but plain, but it had no “toppings.” And, it didn’t need any. Truth is, we ate the cheesecake with only a bit of time paying any kind of attention to the whipped cream, and even that was delicious. I just didn’t think the cheesecake needed anything but its own volition to make my palate happy. And it did just that.

Chef Richard Miller

There’s a reason why Chef Richard Miller won the NC Competition Dining championship a few years back. That reason is that he’s that darned good. He has great culinary ideas and the culinary skills to back those ideas up. That, and he has an amazing team that he can depend on. The flavors were lightyears beyond ordinary. They were adventurous, experimental, subtle, bursting, everything rolled up in one. A true culinary delight. This is a premier location in this city and if you haven’t tried it, or you haven’t booked your own dinner there, you are doing yourself a disservice. It isn’t often that I attend a tasting where every plate is on par with the one before it. Usually, there are fluctuations, but not this time. Trust me.

Visit their website. Give them a call at 336-722-5232. Use Open Table or any other reservation apps. Just get over there. Sooner than later. Butcher & Bull is located in the Marriott downtown, 425 N. Cherry Street.

Thank you, Chef Richard, Butcher & Bull, Meagan Byrne, Bolt PR, for a most fantastic meal and evening.

Spirits of Summer is Back!!

My favorite wine/food festival of the year, the only one that really matters as far as I’m concerned is here!

Tomorrow, Spirits of Summer, the festival that took Salute! and The Texas Pete Culinary Festival and paired them nicely, will be on Fourth Street in downtown Winston-Salem between Marshall and Spring streets from Noon until 6p. If you haven’t gotten your tix yet, well shame on you! You can get them for $25 but you have to go right now! (before 5pm Friday). If you wait until you get there, that’s okay, too, but the tix are then $30. Still, six hours of all the wine you can taste and food to purchase and the cool shops and bars along Fourth will be open. All that is hard to beat for $30.

It features the best music, food, wine and beer from the region. NC-based wineries and breweries will have tastings that you can then purchase if you like what you taste and local restaurants will be cooking up their goodies for you to purchase. Many local shops and bars along the street will be open and welcome you in for a respite from the heat as well as have things to see, do and purchase.

The big music stage will be set up outside of Foothills Brewing which will also host the after-party that happens, well, after the event around 9p.

The Lowes Foods Demo Tent will be highlighting chefs from WSNC all day. I am hosting two events one at 130p (Chef Richard Miller of Butcher and Bull) and the other at 230p (Chef Tony Dilisio of Dilisio’s one of our sponsors!).

To purchase your tix visit the Spirits of Summer website.

Come have a great time tomorrow. Eat. Drink. Be merry. But, as always, be responsible.

 

Guest at the Table: Butcher & Bull

I have decided that I have a “street team” and that I will let them describe some of the fantastic foods and/or restaurants that I haven’t been to, yet, I haven’t been to in a while, they go on my recommendation, they find something new or anything else that pertains to “food news and views.” They may venture out beyond the confines of good ol’ WSNC. Seems like a good idea to me. 

Butcher & Bull
by Steven McDowall

I went to Butcher & Bull last Tuesday, at around 6 PM.  Not very crowded (alas).  My cohort in crime was having a drink in the bar and we grabbed our table. The service was prompt and friendly!

I’ll get the one negative thing that I didn’t like out of the way now — the atmosphere is… odd.  It’s sort of austere and very very open.  It did not (to me) resonate with a “steak/chop house” as I have come to know them around the US,

especially not Chicago or NYC.  I wish they would have closed the restaurant from the hotel side with a wall and a door .. and maybe more wood or something.  Oh well.

 

Okay, on to the food!

Overall? Solid A-/B+.

Bone-in, dry-aged ribeye

The shrimp cocktail was an awesome presentation, presented under a smokey dome. There were four very large shrimp and some truly good cocktail sauce.  The shrimp had just a wee bit of smoke flavor; not overpowering at all. In fact, the only complaint was that these did need the cocktail sauce.  Once the smoke flavor dissipated, the shrimp didn’t have much flavor to them by themselves.  However, they were perfectly cooked and did I mention they were so large I think they were probably eating small animals as they were growing? B+

We then had the Gem Salad (with Avocado) and added some lardons, because they had lardons on a different salad (the wedge) so why not every salad, I mean… BACON!! right?  Solid salad. B!

Mac-N-Cheese

The main course was the 22 oz bone-in dry aged rib-eye, which we split.  Thank goodness.  This was a perfect thing of art. The 40-day dry-age was perfect and made the steak so tender and flavorful.  It was cooked absolutely perfect!  Great char, great flavor!  Maybe the best steak I’ve had in W-S.  A+

We also had the Mac & Cheese — they have a nice selection of sides, but 2 people can only eat so much. This was spot on the style of Mac & Cheese I love. All it needed was some fresh black pepper which was easily obtained.  Of course, I think all Mac&Cheese needs more/any black pepper.  A-

Cheesecake

I also appreciated their wine selection.  They have a nice range of wines that are really not that horribly expensive for the quality. We were able to find a very nice bottle of Rodney Strong, one of my favorite guys, for $35 or so.

And dessert!?  Again, simply the best cheesecake, other than my wife’s, that I’ve had in W-S, as well.  A!

So yes, this is a legit and great restaurant. Chef Richard Miller came by to say hi and mentioned that, in the future, he plans to build his own dry aging facility down in the basement where he could do other things too!  Should be pretty exciting.

Butcher & Bull is located 425 N Cherry Street, in downtown Winston-Salem, in the Marriott Hotel.


To be clear, the writers for Guest at the Table posts are not compensated by me. They just love food and they like talking about it. Whether or not they gain their own compensation from outside sources, that is up to them. Also, the views and opinions of each writer are theirs and do not necessarily reflect mine, Stephanie’s or Ray’s thoughts or opinions of said establishments, events or activities. All pictures included are © the specific Guest at the Table.

The Man Who Ate the Town Podcast Episode 107 Redux

I reposted this to update the picture. The last was with “the old” place and this is the shiny new place. Great conversation with Chef Richard, too! He’s a swell dude.

In Episode #107, proudly recorded at The Lab at Industry Hill:

Tim and Ray talk about:

  • Chef Richard Miller from Butcher & Bull restaurant talks about the new decor, the restaurant, and more.
  • Pan Asian closes at Pavilion Shopping Center.
  • Rockin Roller Sushi – conveyor belt sushi, to open at Burke Mill Village.
  • Ray and Whitney eat at Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse for their anniversary.
  • Food holidays and history

No poll this week!

Don’t forget our sponsors:

DiLisio’s Italian Family Restaurant Italian food like you’re sitting, eating in Naples. Wonderful Italian dishes from traditional spaghetti and lasagna to contemporary delights. Rich, flavorful sauces, a variety of pasta options, seafood, meat and more. Just south of Downtown and Business 40 (SOB40).

Washington Perk & Provision Company. Better than a convenience store but not quite a grocery store, in the heart of Washington Park and Downtown WSNC.

The Humble Bee Shoppe is challenging your perception of scratch made and leaving you with an experience you couldn’t possibly forget! With inventive flavor combos and a sense of artistry, The Humble Bee Shoppe isn’t your average bakery.

The Man Who Ate the Town is part of The Less Desirables Network. Give it a listen on iTunes, Stitcher, Podcast Addict and TuneIn, basically anywhere you can listen to podcasts. Or you can listen here (at the bottom of the post).

Bon Appetit!

The Man Who Ate the Town Podcast Episode 107

In Episode #107, proudly recorded at The Lab at Industry Hill:

Tim and Ray talk about:

  • Chef Richard Miller from Butcher & Bull restaurant talks about the new decor, the restaurant, and more.
  • Pan Asian closes at Pavilion Shopping Center.
  • Rockin Roller Sushi – conveyor belt sushi, to open at Burke Mill Village.
  • Ray and Whitney eat at Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse for their anniversary.
  • Food holidays and history

No poll this week!

Don’t forget our sponsors:

DiLisio’s Italian Family Restaurant Italian food like you’re sitting, eating in Naples. Wonderful Italian dishes from traditional spaghetti and lasagna to contemporary delights. Rich, flavorful sauces, a variety of pasta options, seafood, meat and more. Just south of Downtown and Business 40 (SOB40).

Washington Perk & Provision Company. Better than a convenience store but not quite a grocery store, in the heart of Washington Park and Downtown WSNC.

The Humble Bee Shoppe is challenging your perception of scratch made and leaving you with an experience you couldn’t possibly forget! With inventive flavor combos and a sense of artistry, The Humble Bee Shoppe isn’t your average bakery.

The Man Who Ate the Town is part of The Less Desirables Network. Give it a listen on iTunes, Stitcher, Podcast Addict and TuneIn, basically anywhere you can listen to podcasts. Or you can listen here (at the bottom of the post).

Bon Appetit!

The Man Who Ate the Town Podcast Episode 100

In Episode #100, proudly recorded at The Lab at Industry Hill:

For this Extra-Large show, Tim and Ray talk about:

  • Brantley Norris, the GM of Yamas Mediterranean Street Food talks about the restaurant’s impending opening.
  • Tim reviews his Uncle Buzzy’s tasting experience.
  • First Watch, a breakfast restaurant opens on Stratford Rd.
  • Graze to become Butcher & Bull.
  • West End Cafe to have a “Spay-ghetti Dinner” to support Humane Solutions Spay-Neuter Program
  • Food holidays and history

No poll this week!

Don’t forget our sponsors:

DiLisio’s Italian Family Restaurant Italian food like you’re sitting, eating in Naples. Wonderful Italian dishes from traditional spaghetti and lasagna to contemporary delights. Rich, flavorful sauces, a variety of pasta options, seafood, meat and more. Just south of Downtown and Business 40 (SOB40).

Washington Perk & Provision Company. Better than a convenience store but not quite a grocery store, in the heart of Washington Park and Downtown WSNC.

The Humble Bee Shoppe is challenging your perception of scratch made and leaving you with an experience you couldn’t possibly forget! With inventive flavor combos and a sense of artistry, The Humble Bee Shoppe isn’t your average bakery.

The Man Who Ate the Town is part of The Less Desirables Network. Give it a listen on iTunes, Stitcher, Podcast Addict and TuneIn, basically anywhere you can listen to podcasts. Or you can listen here (at the bottom of the post).

Bon Appetit!