Tom "Winston-Salem's lone beatnik" B.'s Profile

Tucked away on West 4th Street, I feel like the West End Cafe can be overlooked at times. But every time I've eaten there, I've been very impressed with the food. It's nothing too fancy or elaborate, and the term "casual American" does seem very apt. They have very good sandwiches and hamburgers, things like that. I generally have their chicken caesar salad when I'm there, and it's very good if not terribly fancy.

Strangely enough, the restaurant closes all day on Sunday. This seems like a restaurant that would be perfect for a Sunday lunch or dinner. But it works just as well on Monday-Saturdays as well. The times I've gone, which has included right in the heart of the dinner rush, there has been ample seating and no real wait. The staff was very quick and very,very friendly.

Again, not the restaurant you want to go to if you're looking for something very fancy and elaborate. But if you want a very good and solid meal, I'd definitely recommend the West End Cafe for lunch or dinner.

Not a bad place to go for drinks on a Friday or Saturday night. It's generally pretty crowded, and seems to be a popular bar for Wake Forest students.

The drinks were pretty good, though I think the layout of the restaurant/bar is problematic. The "regular" tables and the high bar tables are kind of far away from one another, and those tables are RIGHT next to the bar so it gets crowded very easily.

Also, it gets really smokey inside but that's always going to be a problem if you have trouble with smoke and you're in North Carolina, so I won't let it take away. It's not my favorite bar in town, but it's definitely a place I don't mind going for a drink.

I was in Albuquerque for a conference and was looking for a good place to eat and maybe do some work that was close to my hotel downtown. I was lucky enough to find the Flying Star cafe one day and I found myself going back there repeatedly during my time there.

It's a great restaurant- they have a very diverse menu . But while sometimes that means the food will be substandard, that was not the case. Every meal i had there was great. Burgers, salads, sandwiches and soups- everything was great.

They also have great coffee AND desserts. I had a slice of Key Lime pie and it was outstanding. It's nice because Flying Star is not just a restaurant, but it is also like a coffee house/shop and thus you can do work there. When I'd want to get out of my hotel room and go somewhere to work over a warm beverage, I'd head to the Flying Star.

The wireless could, at times, be inconsistent but that was a minor inconvenience as far as I was concerned. It's definitely a great restaurant and a great place to sit and do some reading or writing, and very few places can boast that.

I've been to Tequila's a few times, as it is exceptionally close to my apartment. I've spent most of my life in places famous for their Mexican food- California and Texas. I knew that I'd be a fish out of water in North Carolina when it came to that. But I knew I couldn't completely abstain from Mexican food, so I looked around to find some places to try out.

Tequila's is a pretty good Mexican place, or it's one of the better one's you'll find in North Carolina. The environment is nice; clean, comfortable and the waiters and waitresses are very helpful and ready to take care of you. The interior is really a shrine to Wake Forest athletics- there's dons of Demon Deacons paraphernalia on the walls.

The food is delicious- I haven't had anything to eat there that I wouldn't recommend. I recently had the Special Burritos- two enchilada-size burritos with spinach and mushrooms- and it was pretty good. It's pretty standard Mexican fare, so you know what you're getting into. Their food will definitely fill you up, so I recommend bringing your appetite. Like most, if not every other, Mexican restaurants, you get chips and salsa to start out your meal. With the chips and salsa, you get a white sauce/dip as well. I don't know what exactly it is, but it's delicious (a little spicy) and something you don't get at other Mexican places.

It's definitely a restaurant work checking out- If you're in the mood for Mexican food in Winston-Salem, it doesn't get a whole lot better than Tequila's.

DISCLAIMER: I am a huge HUGE fan of Jack Kerouac, so I might be slightly biased towards Vesuvio. Just giving you a warning.

I'm not really big on modern clubs and "bars." I find I generally go to places that draw a good crowd, but also allow for sitting to enjoy drinks and have good conversation. That's the kind of atmosphere you'll find at Vesuvio. It's a popular destination, for both locals and tourists. The drinks are pretty good as well. Aside from beer and wine, I've tried the Kerouac drink (that probably surprises nobody). It's rum, tequila, cranberry and orange juice with a slice of lime. It is a fantastic drink- it doesn't taste too strong but it packs a punch. I would definitely recommend ordering it if you happen to be there. After my first time having it, I found myself saying "this is the best drink I've ever had" and my friend agreed.

But, aside from the good drinks and atmosphere, it's also a literary and historical landmark. You can drink in a bar that hosted some of the most famous and celebrated authors of the 20th Century. I don't think a lot of people realize that. This isn't just a bar, or a popular bar, but a piece of history. It's worth at least one visit, so you can say you did. Plus, you can pay a visit to City Lights either before or after and leave with an armful of books as well.

I've been eating at Viva Mexico for almost 10 years now. It was one of the regular places I would go for lunch during my days at Alameda High. It's been pretty consistent over those 10 years. The food is generally good. Their burritos are a little big and often poorly wrapped, so you have to eat them with a knife and fork. The salads are also good and pretty filling. Also, you get free chips and salsa with your meal. The chips are pretty good, but the salsa isn't very fresh but it is pretty spicy.

The two things I love there are the tacos and the horchata. Two tacos make for a perfect meal- I often get the carne asada. Also, they have horchata everyday, and it's pretty good though it's a bit... chalky (I'm not sure if that's the best way to put it). But those two things are what I usually order when I go there, and it's generally pretty good.

But, it's that generally, that tells me something. There are lots of great Mexican places on Park St. Though Viva Mexico is very consistent, and I've never been really underwhelmed by their food, I've also never never been pleasantly surprised either. If you're looking for a sure thing that's consistent and good, but not exceptional, I'd go to Viva Mexico.

Well, they deliver, I'll give them that. And it wasn't terribly expensive, and did I mention they deliver?

The food was.... sub-par. My favorite dish is Kung Pao Chicken- when it's done good, it's great. When it isn't.... it's pretty bad. And No. 1 did not do a good job. It was more peanuts and peppers and celery than chicken. And it ended up being fairly soupy, as there was a lot more sauce and juice than there was actual meat and food.

Maybe I should have tried ordering something a little easier to handle the first time out, or maybe I should have lowered my expectations. But, if a restaurant is claiming to be "No. 1," shouldn't all their dishes be pretty good?

For Winston-Salem, it's about as good as it's going to get when it comes to non Borders/Barnes and Noble places.

That being said, I'm not totally sold on the place, and I could use some improvements to become a stronger and more viable bookstore. I thought it could have been organized better, as the lay out didn't make that much sense or seem that logical. Some people liked that aspect, that it was like stumbling into something different around every corner. Not me though.

Also, the way they laid out the fiction was a little strange, between "classic" and "contemporary." I think that's a risky strategy, because those definitions can be fairly hazy. I think having one, all-encompassing fiction section, would be best. Also, though I know they can't really help this, maybe try and get more philosophy texts. That one section has been picked pretty clean every time I've gone in.

Though, as I said, it's pretty good for Winston-Salem, I think it could be a lot better. Maybe it's because there isn't as big a demand for these types of places in Winston-Salem, but I was expecting a little more.

One of the best sushi places in Alameda (which is saying a lot, since there are lots of good sushi places in town) but in the Bay Area altogether. I've been eating here since it first opened and I've never been disappointed.

I've head that the tempura is really great but, to tell you the truth, I've never had it. I've always just had the sushi and that's been good enough for me. The miso soup is also delicious as well. The lunch specials and the tuna salad also are highly recommended.

The atmosphere is very nice, lighting is neither too bright or too dim. The owners are very nice as well, and will sometimes be out and about making sure you're having a good time.

The price is a little steep, but you're really getting what you pay for. If you want good, nay, GREAT sushi, go to Angel Fish. Though it may seem like a lot, it's worth the price.

Definitely a café worth going to in North Beach. The coffee is great, the atmosphere is great as well and it's loaded with history! Many of greatest creative people of our time worked there- from Kerouac to Ginsberg and Francis Ford Coppola.

It's a tiny place and sometimes it's tough to get a table, which is a pain especially when you want to work.

But, it's worth checking out for the history alone, but the coffee is great too! It's a win-win!