Dining Choices in Greensboro Vary from Basic Fare to Haute Cuisine
christian reynolds, culture, food, greensboro, michael holt, solaris, solaris tapas restaurant and bar, wisdom aydelette, yum yum better ice cream co.,
If variety is the spice of life‚ then Greensboro is a tasty place to be. The city offers a smorgasbord of restaurants‚ from the simple to the sublime‚ sure to satisfy any taste and budget.
Several restaurants evoke the nostalgic feel of days gone by‚ but Yum Yum Better Ice Cream Co. is the real deal. Started by Wisdom Aydelette in 1906‚ Yum Yum is owned today by Wisdom’s son Bernard‚ who is 84.
Adjacent to the campus of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro‚ Yum Yum is a natural hangout for students and other nearby residents who crave hot dogs and ice cream‚ which is all the shop serves.
“We’re the only place in North Carolina that makes ice cream from scratch that does no wholesale business whatsoever‚” says Michael Holt‚ who has worked at Yum Yum for 21 years and is the chief ice cream maker.
“I don’t use ice cream mix. I start with cream‚ sugar and water.”
Holt makes 70 flavors‚ about 20 of which are available at any one time. Favorites include chocolate chip‚ banana‚ lemon‚ black cherry‚ and seasonal flavors such as eggnog and peppermint at Christmas and watermelon in the summer.
For a different sort of Greensboro dining experience‚ there’s Solaris Tapas Restaurant and Bar. Tapas‚ which originated in Spain‚ is a variety of small‚ savory dishes that can be served individually as snacks or in concert as a whole meal.
However‚ chef and owner Christian Reynolds says Solaris’ offerings are not exclusively Spanish in origin.
“We’ve modernized it by making it more of a world cuisine‚” Reynolds says.
Of the 36 varieties of tapas on the menu‚ popular favorites include a Spanish cheese plate‚ “drunken shrimp‚” and a Grand Marnier duck. Solaris also offers a full menu with entrees and salads.
The setting is another big draw at Solaris. Located downtown in an old warehouse built around 1910‚ the space once housed a Chrysler showroom. It has huge windows‚ a 40-foot-long bar‚ and a roomy lounge area with an ever-changing display of local artwork.
The orange and green façade at another downtown restaurant‚ 223 South Elm‚ isn’t the only eclectic aspect of the location. Regular customers return again and again to sample the innovative southern cuisine of chef Jason Jones.
Known for a fusion of traditional Southern favorites‚ such as collard greens and chicken‚ with French and Asian influences‚ 223 South Elm takes pride in original gastronomic creations and its extensive and constantly changing wine list.
Among notable menu items is The Chef’s Shindig‚ a five-course meal that’s not only different every night but different for every table.
“The chef makes it up every night depending on what ingredients are available‚” says Steven Harrison‚ wait captain at the restaurant.
“We have a great atmosphere and live jazz three days a week. It’s formal in that we have beautiful service‚ such as crystal wine glasses‚ but it’s a relaxed atmosphere.”
Other popular dining spots in Greensboro include upscale restaurants such as Bert’s Seafood‚ Cheesecakes by Alex‚ Ganache and George K’s. For more casual dining‚ check out Almalfi Harbor‚ Tex & Shirley’s or Jan’s House.
Story by Kimberly Daly
Photo by Brian McCord
