Disappointment at the Moose Café

Having written and reviewed many experiences in this space, giving applause to most, now is the time to offer constructive criticism. It was Sunday morning, stirring in downtown Winston-Salem, the day after experiencing a wonderful, huge wine-tasting: Salute! The North Carolina Wine Celebration.

Hopefully, there would be a neat little morning eatery within walking distance of the Marriott (good choice if you go Salute! next year), something outside the hotel not including the breakfast area at the across-the-street Embassy Suites, to have a morning meal, drink coffee, read the local newspaper and relax the morning away before driving back to Cary, at the most an 80-minute direct drive.

Nothing. After walking a few blocks around the neighborhood, a return to the hotel to check-out was in order. But a quick check of the internet on the Blackberry confirmed the thought of an eatery at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market, exit 208 on Interstate 40, less than a 15 minute drive from the overnight location and on the way home and halfway across North Carolina on that highway.

The Moose Café is the place, and going there, visiting the Farmers Market, would kill those proverbial two birds with one stop: A hearty country breakfast and a chance to purchase fresh vegetables and fruits. It was the first time at the Café and a return visit to the Triad Market. Disappointment came on two fronts; pleasant-surprise on another.

With visions of the wonderful breakfast offered at the State Farmers Market Restaurant in Raleigh, the Moose Café disappointed. Two eggs over easy; country ham (they only offer center cut, the menu says), grits, a piece of French Toast (had a choice of a Moose Cake which is a pancake), and coffee. The other plate was similar but with hash browns, fruit and a biscuit.

So here’s the letdown: the country ham was very thin, over-cooked and tough. Good country ham has substance to it, is lightly heated through and through, and is tender. The coffee was just fine but the waitress seemed to forget a cup was there and never asked if a refill was desired until it was time to leave, though she added water to those glasses often. The hash browns were somewhat flavorless, and the fruit, which when reading the menu brought to mind a fresh selection of melon and berries, was sweet, stewed apples with a nice taste but a not expected. The homemade apple butter was pretty good as were the biscuits. For the two-person price of $23.00 with a tip, food and the experience were not the want-to-return-to-the-Moose-Café kind.

Next stop was across the parking lot at the Farmers Market where delicious strawberries and blueberries and the season’s early peaches courtesy of an orchard in Candor were found. (On the other hand, the early peaches are still un-cut, requiring a little more ripening.) And there were many other vegetables and lots of flora, especially many beautiful hanging baskets. It was mid-morning on a Sunday, so all the spaces were not set up but there was ample selection.

The disappointment: Smoke! Not fire, but smoke as many farmers were puffing on cigarettes, blowing the results of inhaling onto the items they were selling. It’s a bad habit which maybe can’t be stopped but it’s not good for business. Most were trying to blow the smoke in another direction but one selling his wares seemed not to care. Going in another direction was the decision as well when passing his spot. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture should work with the famers to encourage a smoke free atmosphere at the Farmers Market, even if it’s outside.
----------
The Salute festival itself was more than just sipping and buying wine. Harris-Teeter sponsored a cooking exhibition; there was a four-hour after-party in front of Foothills Brewing, a micro-brewery bar and grill, with music by Absolute 80’s, a high energy group playing music only from, well, the 1980s. Duh!

Visiting the various wine exhibitors, interested in selling bottle and bottles of their fermentations, was like visiting with old friends, even those with who it was a first time conversation. Talk was interesting, informative, light, funny, and serious. Each winery wanted more than to sell a bottle or two to the patrons. The wineries desire winery visitors.

Even one owner, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who knows of my NC State preference, invited us back but misspoke when he said, “We (UNC grads) make really good wine,” he said. After reminding him that NC State offers the agriculture experts, I returned, “NC State makes wine; UNC makes whine.” Good return, he said.
---------
The drive home was interesting as well, as we drove old roads instead of the Interstate, passing through Level Cross and Randleman (Richard Petty wasn’t home; he was in Charlotte for his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame), Worthville and Grays Chapel, Liberty, Snow Camp and Eli Whitney before entering Carrboro and Chapel Hill from the west, leaving the thoughts of over-cooked country ham and smoke covered vegetable behind. Until now.

Wine Tasting in Downtown Winston-Salem

We are by no means experts at wine tastings, but there is that proverbial method to our madness which includes meandering through the process, asking about the winery—history, does it grow its own grapes, does it make its own wine, ownership, winemaker, and so on—sipping most if not all of the available samples and making notes such as likes and dislikes.

It’s not a process as much as it is a total experience, absolutely necessary when you’re about to make a purchase, especially of North Carolina wines which are usually priced a little higher than similar brands shipped to our state from California, Oregon, other parts of the USA and from throughout the world.

Touring North Carolina wineries has become a nice hobby, not something of every day scheduling mind you, but one that has taken us to all parts of the Tar Heel State, allowing us to meet some very nice folks, both those who offer their delectables and other who are there for the tasting. We know when to squeeze up to a tasting bar and then we also know when to back away.

“Give me some of that sweet stuff” is when we back off and let the drinkers move in. “Please tell me about how you aged this particular wine” is when we stick with it, wanting to know more.

This past weekend—Saturday primarily—took us on a one of our most interesting and thorough tours of North Carolina wine yet. Not wine country; just North Carolina wine. With all due respect to the Got To Be NC mini-State Fair in Raleigh, if you were looking for a nice sampling of this growing agricultural product, downtown Winston-Salem on a five block run of 4th street was the place to be.

It was the 5th annual Salute! The North Carolina Wine Celebration, featuring at least 30 wineries and samplings of their products. It was a six hour orgy of wine tasting, promptly starting at high noon and ending at 6 p.m., just enough time to casually visit as many exhibitors as you wish, listen and learn and taste.

From the sweetest of sweets to the driest of dry wines, the tasting brought us face-to-face with many owners and operators promoting their wares. We renewed acquaintances, sipped some familiar wine and got to know other fermented beverages and those who enjoy the same.

It would have been easy to purchase some our favorite wines from some of our favorite wineries, but this time, selections were made from two wineries not visited but soon to be on our list of travels, from two where purchases were made too long ago for remembering, and from one toured just last fall.

Never Visited:
Divine Llama Vineyards, East Bend: 2007 Merlot; 2008 Cabernet Franc; and, 2007 In A Heart Beat, a off dry blend (1% residual sugar) of 2007 Merlot and 2007 Franc and named for one of the 40 llamas owned by the vineyard owners. No sampled but offered by Divine Llama is Rita Red Rosé, made from 90% Chardonnay and 10% Cab Franc with 3% residual sugar and named for the llama herd (there’s at least 40 llamas on site) matriarch. This place is due a visit if just for the llamas. By the way, llama do not have a real purpose in life, we were told except to look cute and to once be used as caddies on a golf course in the Southern Pines NC area.

Rocky River Vineyards, Midland: Cabernet Sauvignon; Scarlet, a blend of (primarily) Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. It is not our policy to purchase wines sans dates such as 2007 Name The Grape or 2004 XYZ Blend, but when tasting at this display, we enjoyed the wine and wanted a kindly reminder to visit the winery. While buying dated wines is preferable, these wines were exceptions but not necessarily exceptional, just good enough to want at a later date.

Visited Long Ago:
Hanover Park Vineyard, Yadkinville: 2004 Michael’s Blend, a delicious mixture of Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes of that year, aged in oak for four years and then bottled in 2008; 2005 Mourvedre, a blend which includes less than 20% Merlot with the Mouvedre grape; and, 2009 Viogner which also includes a bit of juice from Marsanne and Rousanne grapes. Hanover Park is located in a neat house in a beautiful setting. It’ll be scheduled soon for a return visit also instigated by a little sip of an unnamed red blend which sells for $42 a bottle. Not that it’ll be purchased but it will be sampled again.

Uwharrie Vineyards, Albermarle: Cabernet Sauvignon; Merlot; Noble, and, Red Velvet Noble, a port style wine blend with Cabernet Sauvignon and Noble that’s nearly 17% alcohol. These bottles do not list dates and our earlier visit to the winery was not very informative. While it’s a showcase of a facility that’s used much for receptions, weddings and parties, the tasting, as we recall was fast and lacking. This time in Winston-Salem, the presenter made a better and more informative presentation. So, selections were made even without the dates (though the website lists 2007 for these).

Recently Visited
Sanders Ridge, Boonville: 2007 Big Woods, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah; and, 2008 Roundhill, a sweeter red wine, the only really sweet wine purchased. The last visit to Sanders Ridge included a nice lunch. The setting is nestled in a cool, wooded area; the facility is beautiful.

There’s much more to tell about this festival, but please be of no worry about tasting and driving. In addition to the many wineries lining the streets, Salute! was just a block from the Marriott which offered a very affordable rate, allowing us to park the car and enjoy the day. Salute! is already on our calendar for next May.

For more, visit these websites:
SALUTE! http://salutencwine.com/new
DIVINE LLAMA: http://divinellamavineyards.com/
ROCKY RIVER: http://rockyrivervineyards.com/
HANOVER PARK: http://hanoverparkwines.com/
UWHARRIE: http://uwharrievineyards.com/
SANDERS RIDGE: http://sandersridge.com/