goTriad.com

This is the second installment in a two-part series addressing value menus at area restaurants.

 

Café Pasta and Grill (305 State St. #A, (336) 272-1308) is offering "336 Tuesdays": $3 for drinks using house liquors, $3 wines by the glass and $6 entrees. On Thursdays, half-price wines and martinis are the lure. Prices on the regular menu (which is not limited to pasta) make this one of the area's lowest-priced quality dining experiences, and banquet rooms are available at no extra charge for private parties, receptions and the like.

The most recent list of Tuesday night $6 entrees: chicken Alfredo with penne pasta in cream sauce; homemade meatballs and mozzarella cheese over penne pasta; pasta pomodoro with roasted vegetables in tomato cream sauce; chicken cacciatore with roasted peppers and Tuscan marinara sauce; and lemon chicken salad with sautéed vegetables and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Rim (219-A South Elm Street, 230-2055, www.rimtapas.com) is under new management. Catherine Chauvin is proprietor, Greg Brown is chef. Brad Semon (also of The Painted Plate catering, highly recommended) is now the consulting chef. From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., any two tapas selections cost $10 (for the pair), or 3 for $20 anytime.

On our most recent visit, my wife and I really enjoyed Fricando de Langostinos, shrimp with mushrooms dressed in almond sauce; Shrimp Tostados, pan-sautéed with scallions, Serrano peppers, and pineapple mango salsa; Wagyu Sliders, very high quality ground beef with garlic aioli, mushroom and brie onion confit, and gorgonzola cheese; Albondigas Caseras, veal and sirloin meatballs with tomato sauce; and vegetable selections of roasted beets and baby greens with candied pecans and gorgonzola cheese as well as grilled asparagus with herbed olives and feta cheese.

Solaris (125 Summit Avenue, 378-0198, www.gettapas.com) has been a personal favorite for quite some time. On Thursday nights, tapas orders entered before 7 p.m. are priced two-for-one, and 11 wines are half price as well, along with cut rates on their great Sangria.

Among my personal favorites: Grilled Portobello ($7.95) with tomato and olive bruschetta, drizzled with zinfandel vinaigrette; Potato Croquettes ($6.95), fried mashed potato cakes with a spinach cream sauce; Spicy Black Bean and Corn Cakes ($6.95) with both roasted red pepper pesto and spicy Russian dipping sauce; Cashew Crusted Trout ($11.95) with mustard butter served over crackers with cream cheese with cucumber confetti; Salmon ($9.95) stuffed with lump crabmeat and feta cheese over fresh greens; and Mediterranean Tuna ($12.95) with tomatoes, olives, basil, and olive oil.

The Madison Park Café (1310 Westover Terrace # 107, 336-275-3755) provides three courses for $20 for orders placed between 5 and 6 p.m.: Soup du Jour or Salad Maison; followed by a choice of Grilled Chicken Breast stuffed with spinach, pecans, caramelized onions, and chevre cheese, finished with a chicken veloute; boeuf Bourguignon; or grilled Alaskan salmon with English cucumber, capers, and lemon beurre blanc; finishing with a choice of three desserts. A glass of house wine is included.

These rank among the best deals as well as some of the most enjoyable food you are likely to encounter. Quality dining does not have to be expensive!

John Batchelor is a freelance contributor who has been reviewing restaurants for more than 20 years. You can reach him at P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC 27420. E-mail: john.e.batchelor @gmail.com. Visit gotriad.com and click on Dining for previous columns.

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