Ah yes – ole reliable on the Wake Forest dining scene. If you’re tired of the Pit and don’t mind spending a little more on a good meal, Village Tavern is usually the first place to pop into your head. Many students consider it a parents-weekend, first date, birthday dinner staple. While I would strongly disagree that VT is the only good restaurant in town, the place is pretty darn good and has been consistently serving up delicious food for many years. Though technically a chain (they have locations in Greensboro, Charlotte, Birmingham, Atlanta, Denver, and Scottsdale, Arizona), Village Tavern is typically considered a “local place.” Village Tavern has two Winston locations – the original, close by in Reynolda Village and a much larger, newer version on Hanes Mall Blvd. at the corner of Stratford Road. Both restaurants usually have a good crowd for lunch and dinner. Friday and Saturday nights there are people hanging out the windows. By Winston-Salem standards, its popularity is unprecedented both on campus and around town. Take a patience pill and call ahead. The food is worth the wait.

I hesitated to write a review on the Tavern, given its popular, untarnished reputation at Wake. My opinion will not alter that success among Wake students but I figured I was well qualified once I stopped to ponder how many times over the last 7 years that I’ve eaten there. (Yes, I am a townie and no, I am not majoring in leisure studies).

Before getting down to the culinary details, I suppose I could cover a few bases for the very small group of you out there who have never had the pleasure of a VT meal. First of all, the name is a bit deceiving. It’s not really a tavern in the traditional sense. The atmosphere is somewhat austere and theme-less but it is thoughtful and classy. The dark wooden tables are somewhat close together and the booths are wide. I do not believe it to be a noisy restaurant but it’s not the best idea for a quiet, romantic dinner. The wait staff all wear white button down shirts and ties and are usually quite professional. On occasion, as with any restaurant, your server will appear unhappy and ill-tempered. To VT’s credit, I’ve never seen someone I’ve had trouble with twice and I can count the number of poor experiences with the wait staff on one hand. The chefs and kitchen are visible to the entire restaurant, placing the emphasis on the right place and reminding customers that it’s all about the food. This may be the very reason that the Tavern does so well.

VT is one of those restaurants where you should order an appetizer, a main course and a dessert to really have the true experience. The famous homemade, freshly-fried potato chips with ranch dressing dip do in fact live up to their irresistible reputation just make sure you leave room for the rest of the meal. Other starters like the Thai chicken skewers and the creamy crab dip are good options. My mom swears by the chicken quesadillas. They’re pretty tasty and are served with a classic salsa and cool southwestern sauce.

For the main course, they’re lots of choices. The difficult aspect of dining at VT is trying to decide whether you’re in the mood for a big sandwich, pasta, fresh seafood, a grilled steak, wood-oven baked pizza, or a big dinner salad. Sandwiches range in variety from juicy hamburgers, to marinated chicken grills, to original creations like the turkey sandwich with sautéed mushrooms. The pasta dishes are fine, but only average and probably the weakest link on the menu. I have a good friend from Florida that catches his own seafood but still rates the fish fare at VT very high. Outside of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Tavern has some of the best crab cakes I’ve ever eaten. There are better places in town for a steak, but VT serves up a mouth-watering, hearty New York Strip and Prime Rib. The marinated flank steak is also quite good if you can’t splurge for the more expensive cuts of beef. Tavern makes their own pizza dough from scratch. VT is one of those rare non-Italian restaurants where I would recommend the pizzas. For about the cost of a burger or sandwich you get a generous, individual pizza with fresh herbs and cheeses and very little grease. My favorite is the Roasted Chicken pizza. The entrée salads are huge and I have found they are harder to finish than most other main dishes. The vegetables are top notch and you always have the option of adding grilled chicken or shrimp.

The desserts at VT are typical offerings among American cuisine establishments. The apple cobbler is served warm with ice cream and is easily my favorite selection. The Key Lime pie pales in comparison to the homemade secret recipe under lock and key at my house, but VT's is pretty tasty too. The comforting feeling is knowing that no matter what you choose from appetizer to dessert, you’re likely to leave pleasantly satisfied.

My advice here is to expand your horizons. This applies two fold – go to VT and order something different every time. You’ll visit the restaurant many times before you have to repeat anything. The menu is strong top to bottom; don’t just order the usual dish every time. The same goes for other restaurants in town – don’t just go to Village Tavern every time you’re in the mood for a decent meal. VT is great, but you need to venture beyond the bubble every once in while!