No, I’m not paleo, but when I found out that Winston-Salem was going to be hosting a paleo-themed dish crawl I was immediately interested. Spending a Tuesday night hopping around to downtown restaurants (with each stop a secret until you arrive) and devouring interesting dishes at each location? Sign me up! So I did. (Sign up, that is.)
It was a great decision.
While we were driving to the event last night, Kevin and I were speculating as to what kind of folks we’d be dining with. Was it going to be a CrossFit crowd? Super strict paleo peeps? We were thrilled to learn that, for the most part, our fellow dish crawlers were just like us: curious about the event and interested to try some new, creative food at some of Winston’s best eateries.
Not only was the food a highlight (and the friends we ended up running into at the event — BONUS!), but it was also great to hear from the chefs at each restaurant. They talked about why they were interested in being a part of the paleo dish crawl (some had dietary restrictions of their own, others wanted to be able to meet the dietary needs of diners, and some were just up for a fun challenge) and we got a feel for each location that you probably wouldn’t achieve as a typical diner.
We began the night at W-S Prime (I’d never been before), and it ended up being my favorite stop. Kevin and I can’t wait to go back! Chef Christian Froelich and his team came up with a plate consisting of a deviled egg sampler (one salmon, one bacon, and one traditional), a seared scallop, and a venison “carpaccio” with citrus marinade and cilantro (that venison got my vote for best item of the night).
Next up was Millennium Artisan, where we enjoyed a butternut squash soup, a portobello mushroom with heirloom tomato and artichoke, and an amazingly tender cut of beef topped with asparagus and pickled onions. (We also had a wonderful wine at this stop — a Cabernet from Mollydooker vineyards.)
At this point, we were starting to get a bit full, but traveled farther down 4th Street to Mundo, a relatively new place in town that I hadn’t tried yet. They served us skewered chicken, asparagus, and roasted eggplant.
Last stop: Spring House for dessert. Creating dessert options that meet paleo criteria can be a bit tricky, but Chef Timothy Grandinetti didn’t shy away from the challenge. He wowed us with a trio of desserts: a chocolate pumpkin square, a pear tart, and — best of all, by far — a cashew “cheesecake” with coconut oil, lime, and strawberries. (I can’t wait to try to recreate that dish at home. Yum!)
If you’re into good food and a little bit of mystery, I’d definitely recommend giving a paleo dish crawl a go. If you’re in the Triad area, you can follow the group’s Facebook page to keep up with the latest news and see what events are on the horizon.
Okay — time for me to start researching how to make that cashew “cheesecake” I can’t stop thinking about…
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