This dog had rabies.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina sits at the feet of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the hills before the plain. It's a town of about 180,000, with an arts college, a peppy downtown, and a bunch of good restaurants. Beyond that, people here are weird and great. There are eccentrics by the dozen, and plastic surgery ladies to gaze at. There's a Whole Foods, but Krispy Kreme was invented here. If it weren't for the extremely high crime rate, constant stormy weather and hordes of marauding zombies, it would be a great place to live.
1) Mary's, of Course
Mary tried to open for dinner when the restaurant first came into being, but soon discovered that no one wants to eat dinner where they can't also get drunk (no likker, kiddos). As soon as she realized that simple fact, the place switched to brunch and lunch and WS has never been the same. Mary herself is in the kitchen (except while she's on her honeymoon thins next two weeks) and squirts everything leaving the flat top with copious amounts of European buuuuuuuuuuuuh-ter. Probably the most popular item on the menu is her breakfast burrito, stuffed with too many local eggs, spinach if you want it and cheese. Salsa and sour cream come on top, and the side can be one of several options: veggie sausage, real sausage, or the best grits in town. Her specials are nothing to sneeze at, either, though. Today, three of our 7 ordered the biscuits with veggie gravy. You'll swear its pork, but it ain't. I had the cornmeal griddle cakes with lavender stewed granny smith apples. Holy jeebus, I almost dies. The cakes of fried grits were so crispy and salty, that the only way they could have been improved upon was by breaking my poached eggs all over the top then chasing with pure maple syrup. Above and beyond the food, Mary is a font of love, and you can feel it radiating out of the kitchen, all over the room, and infusing the food with the stuff money can't buy.
2) Art-O-Mat
Clark Whittington scours the country for old cigarette machines. In his basement, he rehabs them into dispensers for cigarette-sized pieces of art. You'll find that original machine (which lives at Mary's, of Course) is rather plain, compared to the array of masterpieces you can check out on their website. That said, I bet you will still find yourself at the counter buying handfuls of tokens so you can take home a new art collection for $5 a pop.
3) Salem Lake
Bring your bike and ride the miles around tranquil Salem Lake on the East side of town. You may get infected with a flesh-eating virus, or get mugged by some ne'er-do-wells, but it's worth it for the tree smell, the shine of the sun off the water, and the chance to work off some of Mary's cookin'.
4) Reynolda House
The Reynold's family manse is open to the public as an art museum and a luxurious park in which to let the kiddies run wild. If you are lucky, you'll be here in the summer, when local group Clare Fader and the Vaudvillains pack the lawn for an evening concert.
5) Hordes of Marauding Zombies
True, they are not the greatest to have around, but they make the top 5 because they keep away the hipsters and diaspora of job-seekers from the north. They also drive up the property values magically with their zombie powers. Have I mentioned everyone here is on crystal meth? If it weren't for that, this would be a nice place. See?
