Belle's Bites

By: Laura Giovanelli | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: May 14, 2009

Turmeric

3088 Healy Drive.

Phone: 794-8282. $$. S/NS. ABC.

Come here to feast. Dosas and uttapam are specialties from India's southern states, thin crepes stuffed with potatoes and spices and their thicker cousin, topped with vege-tables, chilies and onions. To drink, I love the spicy, milky Indian tea.

Meridian

411 N. Marshall St.

Phone: 722-8889. $$$$. NS. ABC.

A constantly changing, heavily seasonal menu makes the hefty prices a little easier to swallow. This restaurant has also jumped on the local-food movement Most of the food is solid if not inventive.

Zaytoon

301 N. Elm St., Greensboro

Phone: 336-373-0211. $. NS.

There's no refreshment quite like this informal Mediterranean cafe's small, spicy red peppers stuffed with almonds and goat cheese, or its lemonade, perfumed with lemon oil and orange-blossom water.

Xia

134 N. Spruce St.

Phone: 723-1400. $$. ABC. NS.

"Asian fusion" is what Xia is going for -- it's not quite that innovative, but still helps close a huge gap in the quality of Asian restaurants in Winston-Salem. Reasonably-priced lunch specials, a respectable Asian beer list, and it's gorgeous, too.

Sweet Potatoes

529 N. Trade St.

Phone: 727-4844. $$. ABC. NS (except at bar).

Sultry Southern cooking in downtown's Arts District. Jazz, lazy ceiling fans, fried okra and green tomatoes, and sweet potato everything.

Full Moon Oyster Bar and Seafood Kitchen

1473 River Ridge Drive, Clemmons.

Phone: 712-8200. $$$. BW. NS.

Oysters on the half shell, steamed shrimp, Alaskan king crab, snow crab, scallops and clams, by the dozen, peck and pound.

Ollie's Bakery

300 S. Marshall St.

Phone: 727-0404. $. NS.

Does Ollie's technically count as a restaurant? No. Does it mean you shouldn't go there and try every type of deliciously crafted foccacia, pain au chocolat, bread, broiche, bun, brownie, cookie, cake and tart possible? No.

Athena Greek Tavern

680 S. Stratford Road.

Phone: 794-3069. $$. ABC. NS.

Think Greek food is all moussaka and spanakopita, souvlaki and tzatziki? Try keftedes (meatballs), scordalia (potato dip), pastitsio (macaroni and cheese), galaktoboureko (milky custard pastry) and melitzanosalata (eggplant puree). Opa!

Diamondback Grill

751 N. Avalon Road.

Phone: 722-0006. $$$. ABC. S/NS.

A sports bar, a seafood restaurant and a spiffed-up diner all in one. Food to-go and daily drink specials.

Caribbean Restaurant

1345 Lockland Ave.

Phone: 722-9001. $$. ABC. S/NS.

Family cooking from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba includes ropa vejia (Cuban beef stew), paella, ceviche, mahi-mahi in coconut milk, flan and tres leches cake.