Dinner at the Goat Lady Dairy

A lot of my dinners start off with chickens.

But never have I had a dinner that started off … meeting chickens.

My friend Kate found about the dinner at Goat Lady Dairy, and told us about it and as soon as I read about it on the website, I was in.  Actually, all I had to read was “goat cheese truffles” and I was in.  So last night, Kate and Charlie, Anne and I (husbands were working, sadly) and Anne & Kate’s parents, Linda and Eddie, packed ourselves into the car and made the 50 minute drive out into the country (and it was indeed) to have dinner at the Goat Lady Dairy.

Our evening started off, as I mentioned, in the chicken coop.  Steve Tate, one of the owners of the 15-year old goat farm, assured us that we would be better off not looking down at our feet while he chatted.  We happily complied.  Steve gave us a little history of how Goat Lady Dairy came to be, but more near and dear to my heart, he waxed poetic about sustainable farming.

If you’ve seen Food Inc, you know we’re in a tad bit of trouble – food wise – in this country.  And I’m not just talking about the stuff that I usually talk about – weight loss, obesity, health.  We’ve got totally disconnected from where our food comes from… and what our food is – and what that is doing to all of us.  There’s a whole heckuva lotta stuff in the grocery store that your great-grandma wouldn’t even know how to identify, and I don’t think that’s a good thing.  Cheap food comes at a great cost.

Oops, guess who else can wax poetic about sustainable farming?  Sorry, I’ll just to keep myself in check here… Anyways, the point I was going to make is – I liked Food, Inc.  I thought it was informative.  But it was also a little bit IN YOUR FACE, YO and I know a lot of people had a hard time stomaching the film.  Steve was pretty much the opposite, but with the same message.  He spoke from a place of passion and purpose.  Here we all were to have a delicious farm fresh meal, and he had recognized an opportunity to minister to a captive audience about a simple idea: “Food is the problem, but food can be the solution.” (His direct quote, but I loved it.)   And we were a captive audience – indeed, we were in the chicken coop.  See if a bunch of us city folks can figure out how to work that pen latch.

Genius.  But genius delivered with a side of earnest, heartfelt truth about our food.

Oh and the food!  The food we had for dinner last night was one of the best meals I’ve ever had in my life.  Everything served came from the farm we were on, or a nearby local one.  Considering March isn’t exactly known to be the most generous garden month of the year, I was a little curious as to what we would be served up.  Here’s the blow by blow:

A cheese tasting platter, all the cheese coming from the goats on the farm.  (They are, after all, a goat dairy.  Their cheeses can be found at Reynolda Farm Market year round, as well as I think the Krankies market in the summer.) 

The top cheese was a chevre mixed with carrots and a little bit of, I think dill?  It was called the “spring garden goat cheese.”  Amazing.  And then the next one was called “Farmer’s Cheese” – a bit similar to a feta.  The bottom one was called the “Smoked Round” which I will be buying in mass quantities to dollop generously on top of a tomato-basil-salad.  I bit into that piece of cheese and my mind went “mmmm, summer.”  The fourth one was a sweet chevre with honey and fig, and could pretty much have been dessert.

Course two was a roasted sweet potato soup with a hint of thyme.  I hadn’t had enough wine to throw my manners out the window yet, or I’m certain I would have tipped the entire ramekin up and slurped it clean. 

The third course was a cold kale (although previously sautéed?) salad with a sundried tomato lemon vinaigrette.  This wasn’t my all time favorite, but that’s because I’m still learning to like greens.  Not being a natural born Southerner, my palate still doesn’t quite know what to make of collards, kale and turnips.  But I want to like them – hello, nutritional powerhouse – and this was certainly a step in the right direction.  Fortunately Anne, Southern born and bred, finished off my plate for me.  I informed her that she had gotten her fair share of vitamin K and her blood would be clotting well.  “Uh huh, okay, but did you try the flower?  It tastes like PURPLE!” was her response.

It did, surprisingly, taste like purple.  (And yes, we checked.  It was okay to eat them.) 

The main event was venison and pork ragu served over a bed of polenta.  Funny enough, we often had venison at my family Thanksgivings thanks to uncles who were handy with a shotgun and had a few too many Bambi’s in their backyard.  It amuses me that I now see venison on some nicer restaurant menus as a “delicacy.”  But, you can’t argue with good tasting meat right?  Right. 

The next course (I know, right?!) was the infamous goat cheese truffles.  Oh my souls.  Goat cheese and chocolate?  Amazing. 

And then finally….

Pound cake with dark chocolate sauce and an orange whipped cream.  I was too full at this point to actually eat much of the dessert, but I do love me some real whipped cream.  I now pledge this: I shall forever add orange zest to my whipped cream. 

The food was amazing.  I wish I could go back weekly, because the menu changes each week with whatever is in season.  The setting was perfection – simple, rustic and wholesome.  It’s obvious that everyone who works there believes in what they’re doing and why they are they, and it shows.

And the goats!

How could I forget to tell you about the goats?  Well, for starters, they were all pregnant.  Like, due any day now pregnant!  After our session in the chicken coop, we were introduced to the goats.

I am quite certain Locke is going to have to buy his wife a goat this summer or else she is just not going to ever be happy again. 

Although, I believe she said she’d be okay with a few chickens, too.

SO!  If you live in Winston-Salem or Greensboro, make yourself a date with some goats and chickens and truly amazing meals.  Gather up some friends, bring a couple bottles of wine (it’s BYOW) and don’t wear your favorite shoes.

If you don’t live here, read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  Watch Food, Inc.  Find a Farmer’s Market.  Cook seasonal.  Get a goat.  Do what you can do – I think a lot of people get stuck because they feel like if they’re not going to go 100% organic, local, whatever, then they shouldn’t do it at all.  I’m a far cry from eating “ideally” all the time (I’m certain the “Pirate’s Booty” I’m eating as I write this is neither local nor organic nor…gasp… nutritious…) but whatever small steps you can make towards eating in a way that supports your health and yup, the planet’s health, count. 

And I mean, if eating sustainably means eating goat cheese truffles for dessert from time to time, well I’m sorry, that’s just the price you’ll have to pay. 

Happy diners – Kate, me, Anne.

Rebuilding Year

Fall weekends in Winston mean one thing: TAILGATES!

Tailgating combines many of my favorite things: good friends, heaps of delicious food and beverages and being outside in the sunshine (at least through most of October!)  I love my alma mater, and I am so happy that Matt and I live in our “college town.”  I am proud to be a Demon Deacon!

Now actually watching those sporting events…well…  On one hand, I did sit through a massive downpour last game to watch us have our 11th straight victory over Duke.  But, I also wasn’t disappointed yesterday when my friend Anne texted me after the first quarter to ask if I wanted to meet back at the car (yay for re-entry this year!) and we ended up staying out the rest of the whole game chatting.  Besides, it’s a rebuilding year this year… I can miss a few games, right?

We had a great turn out for tailgating yesterday… one of those rare weekends when most of the guys didn’t have to work!  Those are few and far between, so we try to take advantage of them when they happen! 

Salute!

Let’s see… time spent with good friends, in warm weather with delicious wine?  Check.  Pretty sure that’s a recipe for a perfect weekend day.  Matt and I spent Saturday at the Salute NC Wine Festival with friends – Mike, Anne, Locke, Crystal, Donna, Kim and Crick.  I’m not sure we tasted everything there but we definitely put a good effort forth.  I’m totally shocked to report that my absolute favorite wine was the Cellar 4201 Sangiovese.  Yes, moi, who pretty much only started drinking, nay tasting, red wines a month ago.  It seems like white wines from NC are just super sweet.  I’m a fan of semi-sweet wines, for sure, but I don’t want a sugar buzz along with my vino buzz.  Other faves were the Raffaldini Fiore, Divine Llama Chardonnel and McRitchie Sparking Niagara. 

After our (sugar) buzz, we headed to dinner at Downtown Thai.  Afterwards we headed across the street to a new bar.  It’s called Tate’s Craft Cocktails… I guess craft means hand-made and hand-made means really, really, REALLY slow service?  I’d give ‘em a 2nd chance, since apparently they have just opened, but it took an hour and a half for 8 of us to have one round of drinks. 

And then we stood in a street and danced to an 80s cover band and I thought about how much I adore life in this city with our wonderful friends, the end. 

The Dash

Last Sunday, Jamie and I had plans to go peruse the new shops along Burke St – Gusto and Re-Tale.  However, our plans were a diverted when we got there and realized both were closed on Sundays.  Girl Scouts that we are, neither of us thought to look online or call ahead for hours.  We scrapped our shopping plans, and decided instead to go chill at BrewNerds and catch up over some coffee.

As we zig-zagged our way from Burke St over to Fourth St, a little thought popped into my head: I love this city.

I’m surprised to say this, but I think I’ve fallen in love with Winston.  I was not very excited to leave DC in 2006 to move down here and had there not been a handsome, funny and lovely medical student residing here, it’s safe to say I would not have relocated to the Dash.  I didn’t have the fondest memories of the city from time at WFU, but then again I rarely left the “Bubble” except the rare venture to Daytona’s (now gone) and Burke St.  Not exactly Winston’s finest.

And, in my defense, many of the things that I love today about Winston didn’t exist, or are even still “in the works.”  I adore 6th and Vine and Noma – both of which are new additions since I’ve moved back here.  I’m excited about a/perture, and Barnhills (wine + bookstore, opening soon on Burke St) and the gorgeous baseball stadium that will have opening day in just a few weeks.  I love that tonight’s agenda includes a for-charity fashion show (at Level 23), a Prosecco tasting (at Cafe Pradda) and boutique shopping (at Gusto and Re-tale).  Excuse me, fashion shows and Prosecco?  This isn’t the Burke St Pizza and Rose’s Deli Winston I remember from college.

(Although, to be fair, I still love Rose’s.  Give me those seasoned fries and a chicken fajita wrap on a sunny Saturday morning on the deck anytime.) 

I love the small-town feel in a city with, arguably, many things that bit cities have – arts, sports, awesome restaurants.  (My only major complaint: incredibly poor cab services and bus services.  Leaves no choice but to pick a DD every weekend, and often means we’re more likely to convene at a friends’ house than try to coordinate multiple cars going downtown.)  

I love that after 8 years of driving and running here, I finally get how downtown, West End and Ardmore all connect.

I love the white office that’s been restored on the corner of Reynolda and Northwest Blvd.

I love the Krankies airstream coffee place, Reynolda Farm Market and Mostly Local Market.  I love that the slow food movement is gaining speed in Winston. 

I love the plans for The Olio.

I love that half the people I follow on Twitter are local Winston-Salem businesses – and when I mention that I’m visiting them, they respond like a good friend would.  I love that Southern hospitality can be found anywhere you look.

I love that every time I drive by Corpening Plaza I remember pulling up there in a big limo and seeing a huge white tent, my smiling groom and all my favorite people in front of the waterfall backdrop.  I love that we decided to get married in “our” town.

I love that the gorgeous modern looking ISP building is diagonally across the street from my creaky floor, exposed pipes ceiling yoga studio.

I love that where tobacco once thrived, now vineyards flourish.

I love that I live “out in the country” but it still only takes me 25 minutes to get downtown – with bad traffic.

I love running through Buena Vista, and seeing the variety of architectural styles, time periods and new construction built to look like old.  I love that it has sidewalks, and big trees, and dogs being walked every hour of the day.

I love coming back from the Greensboro airport on business 40, and seeing the most infamous building of the Winston-Salem skyline.  It’s always at that moment I think “I’m home.”

It’s a good place to call home.

(Photo by Ryan Bumgarner, my wedding photog.)

Old Salem

I love walking around Old Salem, a the “living history museum” of my city.  Walking around there, you can almost imagine yourself back a hundred years.  Last Saturday, Jamie and I went to romp around Old Salem with our camera to just snap whatever caught our eye.  Some of my faves… and I think I have an addiction to macro shots.  I just can’t resist obscure close-ups.

The One in Which We Learn I Am Bad At Darts

Did you know that you actually have to aim the darts?

Lexington Barbecue Fest

The Pig Reigns

I have to say, I expected a little more from all the hype. Don’t get me wrong – the barbecue was delicious (as it always is), but the festival was just your typical blocked off street fair: vendors selling everything from local honey to purses made from John Deere fabric (who keeps these vendors believing there is a demand for such product?) to handmade bird cages. And of course, there was the usual plethora of fair food – giant turkey legs, gyros, bacon wrapped scallops and fried candy bars. (Welcome to the South, ya’ll!)

One Happy Customer

Turkey Legs, Of Course.

Lexington is one of those small Southern town that still has a Main St with mom-and-pop owned businesses tucked in besides CVS and Arby’s and other chains. Donna and I tucked into an candy store along Main St and poked around in the bins that were full of old timey favorites – Mary Janes, butterscotches, bit-o-honeys, and those little foil-wrapped strawberries with the gummy insides. They had an awesome collection of antique children’s toys and books in the back that I perused/snapped pictures of while D scooped out her loot.

Choosing Carefully

Despite angry skies early in the morning, it ended up being a postcard perfect afternoon to wander the streets, people-watching and sampling the wares at the different vendors (beware the habanero sauce at the Sticky Fingers booth, yall….). I’m still not entirely sure how this festival, compared to all other festivals in the country, made it on the top ten food list… but I’m thinking it has to be the John Deere fabric purses.

It was a gorgeous afternoon to be out and about, and most importantly to share a big part of what we love about North Carolina with our friends. Although apparently, we’re going to have to go get Matt a slaw-free sandwich next time. Hmm. I guess that’s okay.

You never forget your first time!

Rana Loca? Claro que si!

A few Fridays ago, we headed out to dinner at Xia’s – a small Asian fusion restaurant tucked away on a side street (Spruce St) in downtown Winston. On our way to Xia’s, we drove down 4th St which was packed on both sides with restaurant and bar goers. There was a ton of foot traffic too, ranging from workers with gym bags slung over their shoulders headed to Rush to a bachlorette party all gussied up headed to Noma’s to those in jeans and t-shirts headed for a bite of pizza at Mellow Mushroom to families grabbing custard at Wolfies. Downtown was busy, and looked like a real city should on a Friday night. Matt and I both looked at each other and went “Is this Winston?”

We are both so excited to see the changes that have happened in our little city over the 9 years we’ve been living here. Truly you can see that people are investing time and money into making downtown a desirable place to be. For a moment, we even pondered to each other whether should we have spent a few years in one of the new lofts on 4th St or the newly renovated Nissan Building.

Living in downtown Winston? It would have been unheard of, pointless, just a few years ago.

(For the record, we both agreed we love our country bumpkin locale more than the lure of being able to walk to the gym and/or custard shop. And let’s be honest, we both know which one we’d walk to more often.)

For our anniversary, we tried out one of the new restaurants on 4th St, called Rana Loca. It’s a Mexican restaurant, which to any Winston-Salemite sounds pretty blase. I mean, we’ve got La Carreta, El Torero, Monte Del Rey, El Dorado, Tequila’s, El Mague, La Botana…. let’s just say, that is one genre that is well established.

But our friends had given it a thumbs up and we went. I was delighted by the menu – empanadas, ceviche, fried yucca… this is not your typical Mexican menu here.* (No “combinacion numero dos” available here.) Their build your own menu is fantastic – you get a big magic marker and check off burrito, taco, quesadilla; the type of meat you want, all the veggies, the sides – guac, different types of salsas, etc.

What I loved about the food was how fresh everything tasted. I tend to find most of the dishes in the Mexican restaurants I’ve been to all sort of taste fairly similar and bland and rather salty. I usually just go to munch on chips and drink a ‘rita, and then I always complain that there’s no tequila in my ‘rita.

There was definitely tequila in the ‘rita here. And wine in the sangria. Heck yea.

Needless to say, I’m excited about the most recent addition to our little city and I can’t wait to go back. Delicious foods, yummy drinks, great location? What more could you ask for? Hope you are here to stay, Rana Loca.

*Come to find out after a little Google research the restaurant is owned by John Cahoon, owner of Finnegan’s Wake, the Irish bar on 6th St. When I asked the waitress for extra guac, por favor, she just laughed and said “Yea, no one speaks Spanish here.” So, as I said – not your typical Mexican restaurant. Is it authentic? I don’t know, and truthfully? I don’t care. It is delicious. Eso es todo lo que importa.

Reynolda Farm Market

When I lived in Capitol Hill, one of my favorite Saturday morning excursions was to Eastern Market. Before green-bags were even remotely adorable and trendy, I would go with all my ugly canvas bags gleaned from 5k races and pharmacy techs and load up on my week’s worth of produce – gorgeous ears of corns, blueberries that still had a little bit of farm dirt on them, and zucchini that would roast to such perfection you could cry. I may or may not have a love affair with vegetables. The cheese vendor – oh the cheese vendor. I could have married him for his sage spiked cheese. (If you are reading this and live in DC, GO NOW and get you a hunk.)

I have always been a Farmer’s Market girl. There’s something that just feels right about handing over your money to the person whose hands may have actually been responsible for planting the seed or turning the soil where your broccoli came forth. Call me a agro-romantic if you will, and I’m sure every Farmer’s Market vendor isn’t the bushel and peck stand I’m picturing but HEY. I like to eat off the land my zip code is remotely close to, what can I say?

Today I took my mom and my sister to Winston’s newest spot for locals who like locals, and I was in produce paradise. I started getting twitchy the moment we walked up and there were just piles of big ol’ honeydews stacked outside.

The Reynolda Farm Market is open in the space that used to be Pink Mink (Reynolda Rd, across from The Children’s Home) right in front of the Krankie’s Airstream. (The airstream should be a pretty good reference point – there aren’t many retro-rv’s-turned-coffee-shops are there?) They just opened this weekend, but the goods were plentiful already.

I walked out with a big bushel of peaches, a bag full of teeny mac apples (I love little apples), and a huge bunch of broccoli. I know my husband is super excited about that last one. They also had tons of bread and granola from Ollie’s Bakery, fresh coffee from Krankie’s, goat cheese and chicken from a nearby farm. And even, get this, 5 cent candy pieces. I mean, come on. Play on my nostaglia a LITTLE more.

I dare you to click on this picture and make it full screen.

Tonight’s dinner menu: 2 mini apples, a hunk of broccoli with cilantro-lime ranch (that I made, not from RFM), a peach and a big chewy slice of olive oil & sea salt bread from Ollie’s Bakery.

North of Marshall

It’s 10:38 pm, the sun has set on the city. The crowd is well-dressed, martini glasses or Pilsner glasses in hand. Dates lean over Anthropologie-esque oil candles on two-top tables while a bachlorette party collects on a leather couch, stacking up one empty shot glass after another. The crowd is noisy but not overbearing, and the music a perfect complement. Photographs of the city reflected in windows and caught by the eye of the artist adorn the walls, but the rest of the decor is sparse, urban and clean.

Noma, thank you for coming to Winston. You make Fridays a little bit more lovely.