This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to The Tavern in Old Salem in Winston-Salem, NC.  This 1816 historical two-story building still has the design of years past with the kitchen in the basement and intimate dining rooms on the first and second floor.

Dora here. Such a cool building! Food is cooked and prepared in the basement and transported to the dining areas on dumbwaiters. We discovered that tidbit from our fountain-of-information server. Ya’ll, I snapped several pictures of the crowd hanging around the porch outside and our server dressed in historical costume, but unfortunately, none of them turned out. I’m blaming it on my new phone. 🙂 If you’d like to see photos of the restaurant, click on the link above. Here’s the view from our second story table.

We chose the Snowflake Biscuits and Pumpkin Muffins appetizers served with warm apple butter. Now I really do not know why they call the biscuits “snowflake” because they were huge and did not look anything like snowflakes. They were light and fluffy and tasted great and did I say they were huge. Dora here. YUM! And this whole basket was less than $3!

For my meal, I chose the Local Beer Boiled & Grilled Bratwurst served with house made sauerkraut, green beans, mustard glaze, and a side of hot German potato salad. The bratwurst was great, and the sauerkraut was surprisingly not vinegary because I learned they use mineral water in the cooking process. The hot potato salad was some of the best that I have ever tasted, with bacon and sliced red skin potatoes, just a touch of sweet.

Dora here. The Chicken Pie is just as the name implies. I half expected a pot pie –and, truthfully, I’m not a fan of pot pies unless it’s cold outside. And it was cold. lol. So, I was surprised and more than a bit intrigued with this plate. The pie crust was handmade, not too thick and not too thin. Just right. I read a review that said the chicken pie was a bit dry. Mine wasn’t, not at all! I’ll admit to carb overload, but every once in a while, it’s okay to indulge, right? This is one of those comfort dishes perfect for a wintry day. When I finished, this plate was clean!

Folks, when we arrived roughly ten minutes after they opened for a Saturday lunch, already a crowd loitered on the front porch. The hostess couldn’t/wouldn’t give us a timeframe, and some frustrated people left. But, it wasn’t ten minutes and they escorted us to our table, so don’t give up! Also, you’ll find a parking lot behind the restaurant, but if that’s full, there’s another lot directly behind it. No worries. 🙂

What’s the last dish that surprised you?

We rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.