Eats

With the Cheesecake factory becoming almost ubiquitous in most medium sized cities, there aren't as many opportunities for competitors... unless they are really really good.

You wouldn't necessarily expect that Greensboro would have an extraordinary cheesecake store - I wasn't expecting much when I found the little store in Downtown, near UNC-G.... but I was pleasantly surprised.

Cheesecake by Alex - simple name - and no question has to what they specialize in. About 10 different offerings were available in their display case. More unique flavors, such as Creme Brule sparked my person interest. For just under $4 a slice - the cheescake was smooth, flavorful, and just right. The crust added just enough texture, without being overwhelming - I was a bit disappointed that I didn't have more stomach to have more. For those in a similar situation - they offer a sampler that works out to about $2 something a slice... which we will definitely get next time. The brownies, muffins and cookies looked wonderful also!

Cheesecakes by Alex
315 S Elm St
Greensboro, NC 27401
(336) 273-0970

Have you ever dreamed about a wing's place that made you feel like they fried each wing individually - with such a care that it was not the quantity of wings, but the quality, for once?

It's hard to believe that there would actually be such a place, but we've found one in Greensboro, NC. Greensboro isn't famous for a whole lot - High Point is just near by, plus a couple of universitities... but we've found some very special gems, that make it worth a trip from the Triangle.

In a small ethnic mall, next to a large shopping center is a little storefront with bright green, red and yellow colors. The name, "BBQ Chicken", doesn't quite do the fried chicken justice. Each little wing actually feels like it was fried in its own little vat of fresh oil - none of the old oil taste at the places that churn out chicken. The flavors are a bit shifted for Asian tastes, primarily Korean... but they are delightful. The hottest wings are a more subtle burn then the tongue searing flavors... but burn, it does.

We didn't have a chance to try the rest of the Korean offerings - but with the care the restaurant owners put into their wings - we have to think everything else will be just as good. Yum!! - Roadtrip!!

Hammer's BBQ Chicken
4929 W. Market St #2107
Greensboro, NC 27407
(336) 235-2607

Fried gizzards - move on if you don't like them or are unwilling to try them. I grew to love fried gizzards at a place across the street from a lab I used to work in Kansas City, Go Chicken Go. While obviously not the healthiest of snacks, the hot sauce at that place was delicious... and it goes perfectly with fried gizzards. I don't try them every place I go, but seeing that JJ Fish had them, I had to try them.

Fried "fresh" and served hot, the gizzards are a great; their hot sauce is more run of the mill Tabasco type sauce. Their fried fish is solid, but we generally go there just for the gizzards.

JJ Fish.
2726 Guess Rd
Durham NC
(919) 471-9400

In NC, Krispy Kreme generally reigns supreme in the donut wars. Dunkin donuts, generally are a far second; I can only think of a few store locations off the top of my head, and none that I would be willing to drive any distance to get to. The Fractured Prune is always fun - but one can only have a limited number of "artificially" flavored cake donuts. Enter Daylight donuts. I wasn't aware of this chain until we were brought a box - of the largest donuts that I had ever seen, especially relative to the KK size.

Daylight donuts remind me of the donuts I grew up on - large, minimally artificial (not that a donut isn't artificial to begin with, but this is to contrast the Fractured Prune, which has closed). The standard basic flavors and types are all available - cinamoon, long johns, etc.

Limited hours - but yummy in the morning!

Daylight Donuts
http://www.daylightdonuts.com/
1244 NW Maynard Rd
Cary, NC 27513
(919) 388-0150

We've tried to avoid going to Brasa for a while now - unfortunately most of the reviews from friends didn't put it in the best of light, especially as compared to Chamas. However, we were recently in the Briar Creek area, and to our dismay, found TQ Zheng closed (a reasonable Chinese restaurant). Searching for a quick lunch, we found that Brasa had a buffet lunch for around $12 for hot and cold bar; $18 or so with four cuts of meats; $20+ for the "full" experience. As we were early, only a few others were seated.

The salad/cold bar was mildly above average; some reasonable pastas/ potato/ chicken salads; nothing extraordinary. The hot bar was not unreasonable, with a few different chicken dishes. Probably the best dish was the chicken stew... and the others were a bit bland, though probably sufficient for a good lunch.

I was excited about the four types of meats - in particular the bacon wrapped filet. The sausage was reasonable. But, the other meats all were a bit tough and just had an old, not very fresh taste to them. As one might guess, I was rather underwhelmed by the experience. Any steakhouse lives and dies by the quality of the meats that they serve - and it was clear to me that Brasa was unwilling to serve meats that would live up to its name.

Try it for lunch if you'd like... good luck on dinner. There are many other choices in the area - and for that price with that poor quality - I'd rather just buy a steak and grill it myself.

May is Soft Shell Crab Month in NC!

Unfortunately, my favorite soft shell crab place closed about a year ago... so I'll let you know if I find another great one!

Blue crab in NC