On the Prowl: Strawberries on 903 in Greenville, NC

 

Though strawberry season is quickly coming to an end, locals in the Greenville, NC area should, you haven't already, make it out to Strawberries on 903 for berries and fun. Usually around early April to mid-to-late May, strawberry season may be one of the best times of the year in East Carolina, with plenty of fresh, delicious strawberries growing around much of this side of the state. Strawberries on 903 may be the most accessible for locals in Greenville, and also the most family friendly with all the attractions on the side. 

If you haven't gone picking before, it's pretty simple: pick up a box at the front, and dig right in. Prices are relatively reasonable, I usually walk away with half a box - easily a couple of quarts - for less then four dollars. And the strawberries are AMAZING. Coming straight from the farm really ensures you get the very best, and with some careful searching you should always be able to find some really terrific, ripe berries to chow on. Strawberries on 903 is also a certified farmer's market stand, featuring some nice produce on the side as well, sometimes for pretty great prices too. Asparagus, squash, tomatoes and potatoes were all around on my last visit, along with farm-raised eggs and some organic meat if you inquire about it.

Not only can you get some extraordinary strawberries, but you can also easily spend a good morning here enjoying both delicious, velvety homemade ice cream and the animal farm, featuring everything from chickens to goats, pigs, bunnies, and even a pair of peacocks. Definitely family friendly and a lot of fun, make sure you check out Strawberries on 903 before the season's over. If you can make it this year, they still have other exciting fruits to look out for this summer, including blueberries and peaches in July and August, so definitely keep an eye out here.

Where:  If you drive out towards Kingston on Memorial Drive, just outside of town you should be able to spot some signs to lead you there.
4064 NC 903 South
Winterville, NC 28590

Hours:
Monday thru Friday: 8am to 6pm
Saturday: 8am to 4pm
Sunday: 1pm to 5pm

To find out more, you can check out their website here:
 http://www.strawberrieson903.com/

Greenville (NC) Eats: Plum Tree Bistro

I tend to avoid upscale eating both because I'm a poor grad student and because, well mostly because I'm a poor grad student. It was graduation weekend though, and being the forgetful person I am, I failed to reserve seats at Starlight Cafe and Chef and the Farmer in Kinston for my family. Fortunately Plum Tree Bistro was only doing walk-ins, and is a relatively unknown restaurant tucked in a strip next to Japan Inn, so finding a table was easy enough. And fortunately, they aren't too bad for what they do. In fact, they were quite good in many ways to my surprise.

Being an American bistro, Plum Tree followed the book to a tee and started off with hot, crusty bread and a light salad. The bread was warm, crispy and actually really satisfying. The house salad was simple: lettuce and mixed greens, sliced red onion, minced carrot (which I like and don't mind seeing more of), cherry tomato, and some sliced cucumber. A no frills salad, exactly what you expect it to be.

For my entree, I decided to order the duck breast, which came with a blueberry port wine sauce. Though a bit on the expensive side for what it was, this was still easily some of the best duck I've had in awhile. Cooked perfectly medium, it was tender and succulent, and the sauce was finely balanced with sweet and sour notes that accentuated the best aspects of the duck nicely. The smashed red potatoes were also nice and buttery, and the steamed vegetables, which I would normally cast aside, actually helped tie everything together nicely, adding some freshness to the rich duck and potatoes and forming a very composed entree. I would order this again if I had the opportunity.

 

My family ordered around the menu, taking in some of the special seafood orders. This swordfish, topped with tarragon butter looked attractive, but had a bit of a frozen taste that wasn't too appealing. The red snapper with a lemon caper sauce was a huge improvement though, and came with a nice sear that really crisped up the fish. The lemon and capers really cut through the snapper nicely and was a hit at the table. The rice pilaf that came with both dishes was kind of forgettable however, something you will want to consider subbing out if you are in the mood for seafood. We also had a ribeye steak, which despite being ordered well-done came out not only well rested but quite tender. Anyone looking for a nice medium, medium-rare ribeye will likely really enjoy their steak.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with my meal at Plum Tree Bistro. There were a few hang-ups, particularly the relatively high price - upper $20s - of some of these dishes. You are definitely also paying for ambiance here, and not just fine dining. If you are looking for an upscale place for special occasions and/or meetings though, I think you'll be hard-pressed to find many other options in town that rival PTB and their bistro fare. While you won't find any exotic dishes like you may at Starlight or Chef in the Farmer, you will find some really solid, no-fear classics to satisfy your carnivore needs.

Charleston Eats: EVO Pizza

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Life's taken me to the Holy City quite often in the past year, so I decided to start taking the opportunity to talk about some of my favorite eats that I've encountered there, particularly those outside of historic downtown Charleston which has been well-covered by locals and visitors alike. 

EVO Pizza, located in Park Circle on the outskirts of North Charleston, may be one of the best bites outside of downtown, and for great prices as well. I've been many times, not only for their great pizza, but consistently rotating menu of seasonal soups and sandwiches, something that would be quite ordinary sounding elsewhere, but at EVO a real pleasure and something I look forward to every visit. This last stop may have been the best, with their local strawberry gazpacho, featuring pureed strawberries (which have been amazing this season), cucumbers and herbs along with a drizzle of balsamic reduction and a pile of blue cheese on top.

 

I would not have thought of the blue cheese in something like this, but the aromatic crumble was pretty dynamite with the super smooth gazpacho. A little tart, and entirely as refreshing as it sounds, this was well-worth the trip alone.

For the entree, I decided to go with one of their signature pizzas, the pistachio pesto. Topped with three cheeses and a smooth, nutty pesto, this was a pizza to die for. The crust at EVO is just spot on. Crusty, crispy, and chewy, but just the right amount of chewiness so it's not a workout. Great. The pesto had a really great nutty quality that didn't make me miss meat at all. I added crushed red pepper and parm, but really this didn't need a thing. Just delicious.

If you're not in the mood for pizza, their panini's are pretty outstanding. Their foccacia tastes housemade and is a beautiful buttery bomb perfect for their cheesy creations. The use of super fresh ingredients at EVO helps them stand a notch above the competition. It's a limited menu, but you'll likely always find something you are in the mood for here. Completely worth a visit, and if you a local, a perfect venue to hideaway from incoming tourists invading downtown this summer.

Local Food News - April '12

It's been kind of a crazy time for this busy blogger, but there's been a lot of good local news going on in Greenville, North Carolina that needs to be talked about asap. Perhaps most exciting for local foodies is the return of the farmer's market! The Pitt County Farmer's Market kicked back into action in recent weeks with the first produce of the Spring. Head over on Saturday's for some delicious fruit empanadas while shopping for local produce!

What's currently in season at the market:
Sweet Potatoes
Beets
Tomatoes
Green Onion
Asparagus
Onions
Lettuce
Cucumbers

Also, the Umbrella Market is kicking back into gear May 2nd. Every Wednesday this summer starting around 5 PM, locals can find more great local produce right in downtown. Make sure you stop out by for some food and fun in the sun Wednesday's this summer if you are in the Greenville area!

Restaurant Buzz
A few new local restaurants have started to come up in town recently, specifically a couple of bar and lounges. The first is Skyy Bar off 10th St, which features live jazz music and the recently hip trend of chicken and waffles. The Quarry Restaurant and Bar also opened its door not long ago, adding a fresh new face to the ECU area.

On the Prowl: Baltimore, Take Two

I returned to Maryland recently for another round of conferences and adventures in Baltimore. This time, hitting up the downtown district my fellow comrades and I decided to find some of the best affordable eats in the area, hitting up a variety of locations between historic Charles St. and the University of Maryland. The following were some of the best finds in my most recent trip to Charm City.

Alewife
Just a few blocks from the Sheraton Hotel, Alewife serves up hip, trendy food to the college crowd while also featuring a great beer list including local and national microbrews. On my visits, I had their truffled mac and cheese, a crispy, cheesy small plate with some Earthy pieces of shaved truffle on top, and the oh-so-sinister kobe beef hot dog, with pickled red onions, a mustard trio, pieces of chopped, tender kobe beef and dog on a pretzel roll, served with a side of duck fat fries. Indulging much? For a decently priced, varied menu and good beer selection, downtowners will need not look any further.

Lexington Market
A staple of Baltimore culture since 1782 (!), Lexington Market holds everything one's fast food heart could desire, and more. On the surface, it just looks like a lot of sausage and random food court shops, but a deeper walk into the trenches of the market reveals a great variety of both produce, meat, seafood and food vendors. Perhaps my favorite was a Japanese vendor in the heart of the market, making arguably the best Asian food in there. I had three giant rice meatballs along with a side of noodles for an incredible price, well worth a visit for their more unique dishes compared to the average Asian stop in the market. And it happens to be just across from the bakery there, where I got an equally amazing, heaping piece of apple strudel which made for a wonderful breakfast the next day. It's kind of hectic inside the market, but if you are feeling adventurous and are looking for a huge, but affordable meal, this is the place to be.

Trinacria
Easily my new favorite establishment in Baltimore, the Trinacria is oddly located a long distance from Little Italy, just a few blocks from Lexington Market. Featuring fresh Italian food including bread, olive, meats, and more, all either imported or made in house, the grocery features a deli and bakery of astonishing quality. This prosciutto sandwich for instance, with a giant cut of mozzarella and house made pesto was one of the best things I had all year, let alone in Baltimore. Also delicious was their stuffed peppers, a mildly fiery pepper stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella, bathed in fresh olive oil. Simple, but bold and delicious. It's all about quality and tradition here, both of which Trinacria does well.

Columbia Eats: The Whig

There are local bars, and then there are local bars. The Whig is most definitely in the latter category, tucked down the stairs with nothing more than a platform sign hanging on the wall of the ABC news building. By spread of most word-of-mouth and the occasional press from the Free Times however, the Whig's lived off of its college locals who mostly survive off the extremely generous beer list and 50 cent Taco Tuesdays.

Behind the beer and cheap tacos, however, is one of the best guilty-pleasure menus in town. The starters in particularly are devilish and perfect for splitting with a crowd after a few rounds. A couple of friends and I decided to go for broke and hit the highlights last week, ordering a deathly trio of gouda mac and cheese, pizza fries, and poutine. The gouda mac and cheese is kind of a thing of legends at The Whig with penne pasta covered from top to bottom in gooey gouda. The pizza fries sound like a random night of mistakes gone wild, but the pile of sausage, pepperoni, and cheese on top of steak fries is kind of brilliant, especially with the light marinara sauce. It's the kind of dish so blindingly insane that it sparks a touch of genius, actually making perfect sense a few bites in.

And then there was the poutine. Traditionally, a Canadian dish consisting of fries covered in gravy and cheese curds, the Whig's poutine doesn't quite hit the mark with the kind of cheese curds you'd normally find on Canadian poutine, but it's still a devastatingly good pile of crispy steak fries covered in gravy and cheese nonetheless, something our table had no trouble gouging down. The gravy kind of touches on a lot of Southern sensibilities with the fries and cheese, making for a kind of ultra-comforting dish. If you're just looking for a snack to eat while drinking with friends, throw caution into the wind and give these dishes a whirl for sure.

After taking some time to recover from the storm that was the three starters, we decided to grab a handful of Whig burgers; insane behemoth burgers piled with melted gouda, local bacon, gravy (!) and a sriracha aioli. Totally killer bites of guilty pleasure. The flavors meld well and pack a punch going down. An order of sweet potato fries and sauteed zucchini and broccoli also hit our table as the sides. Sweet, crispy, and flavorful, the sweet potato fries were some of the better I've had in recent memory. The zucchini and broccoli were also fine, sauteed in a bit of butter but still firm and keeping their character. A nice side to help curb some of the carb insanity.

No Reservations, the Downlow on The Whig
Atmosphere: Casual, local bar.
Costs: Very reasonable for starters, fair prices for entrees.
Between $5-6. to lower tens at most.
Mondays are $1 slice pizza for anyone with light wallets.
Try: The Whig burger and gouda mac and cheese.
Don't: Wait up at the table. Orders come in and out at the bar.

If you decide on a night at the Whig, make sure you get your exercise in beforehand because you'll be in for a heavy, but insanely satisfying taste of the good life. They also feature some interesting pizza choices along with a few other comfort dishes that cut back on some of the guilt for those seeking less daring adventures. Going to The Whig is an adventure in itself for first-timers, being down a narrow unmarked stairway in the middle of downtown and behind a rusty graffiti covered metal door. It might be an adventure getting there, but trust me when I say there are no risks when it comes to The Whig. Everyone needs a hideaway after a rough day at work, in class, or life in general. If you live in the Columbia area, The Whig might just be yours.

Columbia Eats: Mezza's Lebanese Bistro and Hookah Lounge

There's oddly not necessarily a shortage of Mediterranean/Lebanese food in Columbia with places like Al Amir, Elie's and more floating around, but the Vista somehow was one place that missed the boat on the ethnic flair until Mezza's opened. Just down the street from Publix in a strip, Mezza is a pretty trendy little place with a small, but neat menu of classic Lebanese fare such as falafel, shawrma, and kebobs along side some not so normal eats you would expect in a place like this.

I visited the restaurant just past lunch time with a friend and immediately ordered a Turkish coffee (because really, how often can I?) along with a plate of Phoenician fries, a behemoth of heavily rosemary and thymed out potatoes covered in lemon, garlic and feta cheese. While the fries could have been crispier, we still mopped this monster up in a hurry. The salty feta and herby fries were a nice pairing that was hard to resist, with the lemon in particular balancing everything out. It's a touch on the oily side though, so make sure you have someone to share this with. The Turkish coffee was served in a neat vessel along with two miniature cups. Strong, robust, and heavy on bitter, it's definitely not a beginners coffee, but one worth trying out for the novelty alone.

While the side menu features some interesting choices like the Phoenician fries, the entree menu is a tidy choice between, falafel, beef or chicken shawrma, and some kebobs - all in wrap variety. Eaters can get an option between just the wrap or plate with sides like fattouch, hummus, salad, yogurt and more. As fun and interesting as the fries were, the entrees were somewhat more forgettable. I had a falafel wrap, which was crispy, flavorful and attractively packaged with red onion, lettuce, and beets, but leaned more to the dry side. My side of hummus was also a pleasure to look at, but rather thin and lacking the savory punch of a good hummus. My friend ordered a kafta kabob with a side of tabbouleh and yogurt. Also dry, but the kabob was saved with spoonfuls of yogurt to help down the wrap. The tabbouleh was different, to say the least, with incredibly green accents that wasn't bad, but not necessarily what either of us was expecting.

No Reservations, The 411 on Mezza's
Atmosphere: Leans much more toward the bistro side, upscale casual.
Costs: Mostly fair for the area. Appetizers range from $5-7 and are significant enough to be shared. Entrees are $5 for individual wraps, $8 for platters.
Try: Phoenician Fries.
Skip: Entrees. Snack and go.

Overall, for a first experience Mezza's was a little on the uneven side. They have a fun, interesting menu of appetizer and snacks that are certainly worth revisiting, along with a decent listing of drinks to try while enjoying the latter portion of the restaurants namesake. Their entrees and sides don't quite make the cut though. However, if you are still aching for some falafel, order the individual wrap and tag on one of the appetizers for a filling meal. Worth a visit, but unless you are into hookahs, this may not be the place to curb your Lebanese needs.