SPEAK EASY'S

Centrally located in Greensboro's Irving Park Shopping Center, is a gem of a tavern called Speakeasy's.  Not only is it adorned with one of the coolest pub names in Greensboro, but it has a lot to offer a mixed clientele as well.  Such as, good menu times that are a great value for the price.  I have listed a few of my favorites down at the bottom. In addition, their walls are decorated with the hottest Pinups in Greensboro, as is proven in the picture above.  Tell me that girl is not sexy.  

Good menu items include:

*Tuna Sandwich: Tuna Steak cooked to your desired temp, topped with lettuce, tomato, wasabi\cucumber aioli

*Shrimp Boil: Boiled in Old Bay.  Can be ordered as a pound or half pound, and is a great deal.

*Wings:  Their Buffalo sauce is a little different in that it does not taste like straight butter and hot sauce, and they are cooked just right.

Also, Speakeasy's offers cheap, competitive drink specials, like $2.00 domestics.  As well as affordable domestics, Speak's offers a decent selection of Crafts and Craft seasonals.  Beyond it's menu's selections, the tavern has a really nice atmosphere,that can range from quiet and cozy, if you want to relax and unwind, to a busy atmosphere, for those who want more of a party atmosphere.  For the sports demographic, you can enjoy the NFL Package, Cornhole, pool, or golf games. In addition, Speakeasy's offers free reservations on their outdoor covered patio, and upstairs lounge, where you can host a catered, private event, separate from the rest of the bar crowd.  For instance, if you want to watch the game with some friends, while having wings and beer served to you, as if you were in the living room of your own home, reserve the tavern's upstairs lounge, which includes couches and a TV.

Outdoor heated patio

*Large TV
* Bar

* Heated smoking section

* Can be reserved for free

Upstairs

* Reserve for free

* Couches and tables

* Private
* Large TV for game day

Entertainment
* 2 Golf games (front and back)
* Pool
* Corn Hole
* Trivia
* NFL package 

Cleopatra's

CLEOPATRA'S RESTAURANT

Style: Mediterranian

Location: Westover Terrace.  Greensboro, NC.

Website\Menu: http: //www.cleopatrasrestaurant.com/#/Home/

Every time a new ethnic place opens in town, I like to try it out, mostly because Greensboro does not have enough foreign food establishments that serve great food.  Out of all the ethnic food choices, Mediterranean, to include Greek, Middle Eastern, and Baltic,  is my favorite.  I like the blends of herbs and spices that are utilized to create food from this area, and the use of alternative meats, like lamb and goat.  Due to my never ending desire to be WOWed by an exotic dish, and the appealing nature of their menu, I decided to dine there with a co-worker of mine.  The waiter was extremely welcoming and skillfully sociable, with no hesitation in his speech, as he introduced us to the menu and restaurant.  Both my buddy and I decided to go with a sampler, which had some grilled chicken and beef as the main components.  On the side were two different kinds of rice, one yellow with raisins and spices, probably colored by Saffron, and the other a white rice cooked with herbs. The meats had a good flavor, though they seemed a little cold; they may not have been freshly prepared.  Also the chicken was a little dry, one because it was white meat, two it may have been overcooked, and three it may have lost its moisture, due to premature preparation.  The side, rice and grilled veggies were really good with no complaints; they were perfectly seasoned and cooked.  Over all my first experience at Cleopatra's Restaurant was pretty good; though,  I think having freshly prepared kabob meats would have took it up a level.  Needless to say, after having an initial good impression of the place, I decided to go back a second time.  What I discovered was nothing like my first experience, in that the service was horrible and the Buffett\Sampler Platter ($8.50) was mediocre.  Again, the chicken was dry, but one of the beef and vegetable accompaniments was pretty tasty, with good seasoning and it actually tasted fresh.  Another disappointing factor of this plate were the 2 rices, and a center piece spinach bowl, that seemed as if someone poured it in there from a can, without even seasoning it.  Between the service and mediocre quality of the food, I will not go back.  Not only was my second experience bad, but so were the experiences of others that I know.  This feedback makes me feel as if it were not a fluke, which curbs my desire to give them a second chance.  Anyone who feels that one waiter is enough, either A.) Does not feel like they are going to be busy, which probably tells you what they think of their own food, or B.) Is too cheap and does not care about providing there customers with a great dinning experience.

Summary:

-Dining room is kind of small, but it is not exactly a whole in the wall.

-Food offers something different than other Mediterranean restaurants, but for the most part lacks the WOW factor.

-The due not employ enough wait staff, during the busy lunch period.

-Regular dinner plates are expensive, and with experiencing the quality of  their other plates, I have not desire to pay more, only to be disappointed.

- I give them 2 stars, due to service, and food quality\freshness.  If they improved their service, and I heard more positive feedback, I would give them another try, and boost their rating.

Burger Spots Milk?

HOPS BURGER BAR

Located : Spring Garden in Greensboro, NC

Pros:  

-Burgers are just as good as Burger Spot

-Unique Toppings

-Good atmosphere

-Good beer selection

-Nice presentation

-Multiple bun selection

Cons: 

-Fries could use improving; The Burger Spot probably has the best around, especially with a splash of malt vinegar.

-Expensive beers

Most Over Rated Food Joints In Greensboro

Mellow Mushroom: Horrible pizza that gets pawned off on its patrons by sprinkling the crust with flavored dust.  If I wanted that, I would just eat some Doritos. 

Filling Station

Sticks and Stones:  Definitely better than "Mellow", but it does not live up to the hype.

Crafted: I have had some better tacos (Asian style shreaded pork, cilantro, slaw) from the "1618" food truck.

Smith Street Diner:  Not the worst restaurant, but not good enough to warrant all the rave.

* If you would like to add your vote for "most overrated restaurant in Greensboro,NC just reply to the post with your selection and reason.

I have been salivating to try the Whole Foods black bean burger ever since I saw them in the prepared foods  section.  They look just like a meat patty, in that they are thick, and not a thin disk shape, so naturally I thought they would be excellent.  While I was at Whole's, I grabbed a black bean burger, HF brand jalapeno\cilantro hummus, vine ripe tomatoes (2.99/lb), and a six pack of Goldmine Lager cans, which is a decent deal, but more on that in the reviews at the bottom.  Back at the house, I unpack my groceries, and search the fridge for extra burger toppings.  There, I find some yellow onion, mushrooms, a Serrano chili, and half a lemon.  So, I slice the tomato, yellow onion, and Serrano, which were sauteed lightly in a cast iron skillet with salt and pepper.  At the same time, I cook the black bean burger in the same pan, after seasoning lightly with salt and pepper, as I figured they had already been seasoned.  When, the burger is done I placed it on a burger bun, spread the hummus on top, stacked on the sauteed the mush\onion\Serrano, then placed the tomato on top.

After taking a bite, the burger kind of squeezed out of the sides, seeming a bit too squishy for my taste.  Also, it tasted a little too bland; they probably could have used beans with salt, instead of unsalted canned black beans.  The spices in the patty mixture seemed fine, but could have used a little more brightness too it, via a little cilantro, parsley, lime, etc.  I did squeeze some lemon juice on it while it was cooked, but the flavors did not seem to be that pronounced.

To summarize my  experience, I was a little disappointed; it could have used more brightness, saltiness, and firmness.  Whole Foods could probably play around with the recipe a little bit.  Maybe I can send them this review and they would be willing to do so.

Gold Mine Lager Beer:  Your typical cheap light beer.  I prefer Miller Light in that category, but I guess you get what you pay for.
http://goldminelager.com/

Inspired at Damien’s Chicken and Waffles.
This is not indicative of how slow their service is; it is actually pretty good, and the atmosphere is nice as well.  The restaurant is hosted in a French Quarter style building, in a revamped area of downtown.

33 EXPORT

33 EXPORT

Origin: Vietnam
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Lager
Color: Golden color, with a hint of malt.
Rating: 7.5
A crispness presented by a hat of hoppiness, littly sweet, with a hint of berries on the back of your throught.  Refreshing. When consumed from a glass, the patron will also experience a nose of hay. Goes well with spicy food because the beer’s light, subtle flavors do not over power your food.  In addition, you could also probably pair this Lager with a cigar, wrapped in a light Connecticut wrapper; the toaster flavors of both the beer and stogie, should compliment each other very well. 33 is not very complex, but sometimes more is less.  It is like any other lager from a tropical area, but with out the skunkiness of Mexican beers.  A great brew to sip, right after you step off your riding lawn mower.

THE BIG BURGER SPOT

 

 

                                Out of all the burger joints in Greensboro, I would have to say that the best resides, unfortunately, in the North West Corner of Greensboro, in an unsuspecting spot next to a gas station.  I say unfortunate because it is not in the most central of locations, but it does not seem to hurt their business any.  Just so that I am being a little less subjective, I am going to provide you with some damn good reasons for why I rank them as the best in Greensboro.  First they cook their burgers on an infrared grill that sears the meat at 500 dergrees Fahrenheit, which locks in all the juices, keeping the hamburger extremely moist.  Before hand I was skeptical of the infrared setup because I did not feel it would provide that flame broiled taste, but not only does the grill lock in all the patty’s juices, it also caramelizes the sugars in the beef, giving it a hint of rustic sweetness.  This is the predominate reason that I think their burgers are the best, but there are also quite a few others.  First, they probably have the best topping assortment in town, which includes everything from hummus and Tzatzilki sauce, to a delicious homemade pimento cheese. I could sit here all day and explain the whole menu, but I will just provide a link to their menu and website instead.  By the way, about 98% of Burger Spot’s ingredients are made in house. All burgers come in “Almost Big”, “Big”, and colon crushing “Colossal”, made from Angus beef, turkey, or made-in-house black bean and chick pea patties.
Another appealing aspect of this restaurant, is their amazing customer service, and friendly attitude.  To be honest with you, I do not know of many places that can match it, and they deliver that service while they bust their a%*’s in front of a hot grill.
If you want a sandwich and are craving something other than a burger, you can order a Smoked Beef Brisket sandwich, which is actually pretty damn tasty.  Also served are salads, soups, chicken sandwiches, and other tasty items.  Furthermore, they provide a kids menu for the rug rats that may be in tow.
To go along side your brioche bunned burger, or smoky sandwich are an assortment of fry setups, that are homemade and crispy unlike the limp fries of most competitors who also make theirs homemade.  By the way, do fries have to be limp and greasy to meet the prerequisites of being “homemade”?  Top those off with some malt vinegar and you have the perfect compliment to an already perfect patty of seared Angus beef.
If you are on your way to Bur-Mil Park, and find yourself starving after being out on the trail, or if you happen to live in the area, check out The Burger Spot.  Hell even if you have to go out of your way, it is worth it.
http://www.bigburgerspot.com/
*Imagine that, they even have their own website; if only other small restaurants were that smart.