Spring House Restaurant Kitchen & Bar and Quanto Basta to Remain Open

Chef Tim Grandinetti

From the fingers of Chef Tim Grandinetti:

A Note From The Chef:

A note from Chef Timothy Grandinetti, Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen & Bar and Quanto Basta: Italian Eatery & Wine Bar, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.

As the COVID-19/coronavirus has been identified in Forsyth County, NC, it brings with it an uncertainty about safety, our health and of course, the decision whether to venture out into public places.  At all times, and especially during this current situation, we want to assure you that the safety and wellbeing of our guests and team members is our highest priority.

You have my word:

We promise that as part of our commitment to providing a clean, safe and welcoming dining experience that we have extensive cleanliness policies and procedures in place to protect our guests and team members.  Handwashing is paramount; this is and has always been the best defense against any illness. We will continue to consistently complete regular and thorough cleaning and sanitizing of all our equipment, surfaces and dining areas.

We have never, nor will we ever, ask a team member to work who feels ill and/or is caring for an ill family member.  Team Members are required to stay home if feeling unwell.

Although, the present situation presents a challenge, our leadership team and dedicated team members are committed to a proactive and thoughtful approach, as we continue to provide an amazing dining experience in the safest possible manner.  We will remain steadfast in our commitment to provide every guest and team member with the highest standard of safety, service and gracious Southern hospitality.

If you would prefer to enjoy our award-winning, signature dishes in the comfort of your own home, we are prepared to accommodate telephone orders for pick-up and take-away.  Take-Away options are readily available and incredibly affordable for those guests who prefer to enjoy our delicious style of Southern and Italian-inspired foods and hospitality.

ALL Take-Away orders will benefit from a 10% discount.

I am keenly aware that the decision of where to dine during this challenging time can be daunting…  We do ask that you decide to support ~LOCALLY-OWNED~ Winston-Salem restaurants and small businesses.

And, as always, THANK YOU for your continued support and confidence!

Kind regards,
Chef Timothy Grandinetti
Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen & Bar
Quanto Basta: Italian Eatery & Wine Bar

Reminder: The Big Eat is tonight!

Just a reminder for you all that tonight is The Big Eat! Here’s a list of who’s participating, once again. I included the special for those that weren’t listed the last time:

6th&Vine
Bernardin’s
Bib’s Downtown
Bleu – Shrimp & Grits with Andouille Sauce, Creamy Grits, Spinach & Cherry Tomatoes – $11
Camel City BBQ Factory – BBQ Sandwich Basket and Tea, $4
Camino
Hutch & Harris
Jeffrey Adams
Krankie’s – House Butchered Pork Chop with garlic green beens and mashed potatoes– $11
Local 27101 – 50% Off all Burgers, Sandwiches, and Salads
Mellow Mushroom
Mooney’s  – Garden Chicken Pita OR Garden Pita w/ Choice of Hummus or French Fries: $5.50
Mozelle’s – Tomato Pie and Cheese Grits $8.50
Quanto Basta – Chicken Parmesan – $6.50
Senior Bravo – Pollo Chicken (no price listed)
Spring House (has changed since I last reported) – BBQ BISON MEATLOAF with creamed Spinach, Roasted Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Applewood Smoked Bacon Demi-Glace – $10
Thai Harmony
Old Fourth Street Filling Station
The Porch – pending
Tre Nonne – RIGATONI Y VODKA – $7 Our smooth homemade tomato vodka sauce seasoned with herbs, heavy cream and cheese, served over fresh homemade penne pasta.”
Twin City Slice – 2 for price of 1 slices.
Willow’s Bistro

Check my previous post or call the restaurant for more info. Reservations are recommended. It’s only for dining in and it’s while supplies last; when they’re out, they’re out. Support your local establishments and enjoy!!

Winston-Salem and Hot Dogs: A Love Affair

When it was announced, several weeks ago, that the local restaurateurs were going to reopen Skippy’s Hot Dogs in Winston-Salem, for just a week (actually eight days) and try to raise money for Skippy’s owner, Mike Rothman, the goal was to bring in a few, possibly a few tens of thousands of dollars to send to Pennsylvania and help Mike get back on his feet and pay some of the medical bills and incidentals he’s amassed since having surgery to remove tumors from his brain. That goal was met. That goal was met in a really, really big way.

Eight days of hard work, dedication, sweat and tears (we don’t like to think about blood with food, usually, right?) and 13,009 hot dogs later, the Winston-Salem community, its citizens and its neighbors helped to raise over $111,000.  Read that again: One Hundred Eleven THOUSAND Dollars!

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Photo ©Skippy’s

I had the pleasure of capturing each shift, albeit just seconds at time, for a private video I’m making, on behalf of the organizers, just for Mr. Rothman and I saw an awesome sight. All these different restaurants, ordinarily, all doing their own thing, in their own worlds, standing shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip behind the counter of this small venue, working together for a wonderful cause. Not only that, I watched a 5 gallon water jug (the kind that you put in an office water cooler) fill to the top with money. This was not a one-time thing. It filled to the point that they had to push it down to allow more money to go in. Then, they’d empty it and start all over again. There weren’t just singles, either. There were $5s, $10s and I saw plenty of $20s. There were also some very big orders. I don’t have solid numbers so I’ll not put that out there, but a few companies ordered sizable quantities of “dogs.” And, although, I’ve no confirmation of this, either, there’s a rumor that I’m trying to verify, that someone paid $1000 for one hot dog.

This community, all aspects of it, came together. They did good; for good, for Mike.

I love this city. I have always loved this city. I have always loved and supported the restaurants in this city, especially the downtown establishments. But, now? I am absolutely in love with my city and its citizens. In this time, when tensions are always high, over both important issues and trivial ones, we came in and showed one person – a person that many (I’d venture to say “most”) have never even met – an all-inclusive and unconditional demonstration of love and respect.

“Mike’s Week” wouldn’t have been possible without a plethora of volunteers, not only from the area restaurants, but from the community, as well. The thank you list is quite extensive and I won’t list them all here, however, their time and care made this the success that it is. My thanks, as a member of the community, especially being in there to observe not only from the front of the counter but behind it, goes especially to Dana Moody (West End Coffeehouse), Vivian Joiner (Sweet Potatoes) and Will Kingery (King’s Crab Shack, Willow’s Bistro and Silo Bistro). They were there everyday, making sure all was set and running well. This is not to diminish anyone’s time put in; everyone was immeasurably essential to the cause. I personally thank each and every one of them. And to anyone who bought a hot dog, put a bill of any kind into the water jug or purchased any of the swag, you’re awesome as well.

There is a separate GoFundMe page that is still open and you can still donate to (it’s raised over $15,000 of a $10,000 goal so far) by following this link. Thank you, again, Winston-Salem. And Mike, here’s hoping for a very speedy recovery.

Quanto Basta Holds VIP Gala to Celebrate Opening

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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