Millennium Artisan Restaurant
The Millennium Artisan opened in November 2012 with little-to-no fanfare; a soft opening, if you will. Owned by Greg Carlyle who also owns The Millennium Center, which does events and events catering downtown.
The menu at Artisan features Smart/American Casual or Bistro fare. The dining room is small but quaint and has an impressive beer and wine list and also offers a fully stocked bar. The servers are friendly and inquisitive of your desires. It has a city neighborhood clientele while remaining inviting to tourists and out-of-towners; a place you'd drive into the city for. While the restaurant is busy, of course, the kitchen is slightly sluggish, but the quality makes up for that. The restaurant is affordable while remaining upscale-esque.
Here's the breakdown:
Reservations/Call-Ahead:
Not used but is available.
Ambiance/Appearance:
The ambiance is definitely city chic and gives the feeling of bigger city possibilities; comfortable, inviting. It's stylish with out being too pretentious.
Chopsticks: 4
Service:
Ashanti was the server and although she seemed a bit distracted, she was good with our orders and alterations. Drinks took a while to be served due to the fact that she was double-dipping as a server and bartender.
Chopsticks: 3
Appetizer:
The daily soup special is always called "Chef's Daily Whim" and is usually something concocted of unusual ingredient pairings. Stephanie likes to partake in the soups, often. Tim and Stephanie both also enjoy the parmesan oysters served with lemon-caper aioli.
Tim recommends the Humboldt Fog Bake which features a fabulous mixture of ash rind goat cheese and pistachios served baked with crostini bread. Also, you get app bread with a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. Tim prefers the bread soft instead of the crostini-style bread (it's the same bread, one baked, one toasted).
Chopsticks: 5
Entree:
Stephanie liked the Steak 'n Frittes. She thought it was good enough it wasn't necessary to dip it's medium-cooked cut in the au jus that accompanied it. The fries (frittes) were quite flavorful, baked in a truffle sauce with parsley flakes.
Tim liked the Pork Osso Bucco. It was braised in a special jus that was think and hearty. The meat fell off the bone and barely needed cut with the knife. Served with parsley smashed potatoes, this is a fantastic meal.
Both Stephanie and Tim have tried the Kobe burger. There is no beef like Kobe beef and this is a darn fine burger. If you have nothing else from Artisan, have this burger.
Chopsticks: 4.5
Dessert:
Artisan features 3 desserts: Chocolate Marquis, Lemon Tart, and Crème Brûlée. Tim and Stephanie shared a Crème Brûlée. We both judge an upscale dessert menu by its Crème Brûlée. It was very tasty with the candied braised top-crust and vanilla custard perfectly prepared.
Chopsticks: 3.5
Libations:
The list of craft beers and wines is extensive considering the size of the restaurant. Large bottles and high gravity beer is offered, and accepted at Artisan. Tim had the Double Chocolate Stout from Rogue while Stephanie had the J. Christoph Riesling. Both enjoyed both.
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| Artisan (Photo Camel City Dispatch) |
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Recap:
Reservations: N/A
Ambiance/Appearance: 4
Service: 3
Appetizer: 5
Entree: 4.5
Dessert: 3.5
Libations: 4
Overall:
Chopsticks: 4
Millennium Artisan Restaurant
310-A W. 4th Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-725-3900
www.artisanrestaurant.ws
Facebook - www.facebook.com/ArtisanRestaurant?ref=ts&fref=ts
Enjoy big city eats at small city prices.
