Paleo Dishcrawl Greensboro

Last week, I got to attend a Paleo Dishcrawl Greensboro event! Although Greensboro is only 30 minutes away, I rarely get over there. I don’t know the restaurant scene in Greensboro at all, so I was excited to check out a few out. 

The way a Dishcrawl works is that all the restaurants are kept a secret until the night before your event, when they give you the location of the first stop. On any given Dishcrawl, you’ll visit 3-4 restaurants enjoying small dishes at each one. (But not too small! I also leave stuffed.) Some Dishcrawl events are themed, and others are not. I’ve always thought they sounded cool but never was too interested given my dietary restrictions. But when I heard about the Paleo Dishcrawls, I was super excited! 

Our local Dishcrawl ambassador, Kristi, offered to give away a free ticket to one of my readers. Leslie Ann from LAQ Fitness, whom I met a few months ago, was the lucky name drawn. I was so excited that we were going to be able to hang out at the event! 

Our first restaurant was Imperial Koi Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar. There was a big crowd gathering at the bar – nearly 50 Dishcrawlers came out to this event!

This was definitely my favorite stop. The Citirus Spice Roll was amazing! I wish it was a regular on their menu.

Next up was Reel Seafood Grill, a simple, no frills seafood restaurant. They specialize in non-fried seafood (I love that they have to make that distinction – welcome to the South), and try to source as much from NC as possible. When we were there, 50% of the items on their menu were fresh from the NC coast.

The oysters in the stew were massive! Bu other than that, the soup was just meh.

On this dish, you could tell the shrimp were very fresh and I think the arugula must have been local. Definitely tasted like garden-fresh arugula, not store-bought. 

The smoked trout with the root veggies and apple mixture was interesting. People loved or hated it. I was iffy at first but ended up liking the smokey sweet flavors by the end.

Our final stop was Gia, which had the coolest interior for sure. The owner described it as a place to share good food (i.e. small plates) sip excellent drinks (i.e. great wine list and fancy cocktails!), and just enjoy the company of friends. It’s definitely set up in that fashion with lots of cozy nooks and tables that make mingling easy.

 

At this point, the Dishcrawl was running a bit behind and then Gia was very slow at getting our plates out. It was too dark to really take pictures of food, other than dessert. The food was decent, but the dessert (a Paleo flan) was pitiful. Especially since there are so many great Paleo desserts out there!

I wasn’t wowed by their food, but it’s possible they just didn’t know how to deal with Paleo. I would give them another shot, if only to meet up with friends (cough, Leslie Ann, cough) for a glass of wine! 

Overall, it was a really fun night, albeit a late one for a work night! 🙂 Definitely look for Dishcrawl events in your city – they are a lot of fun and a great way to meet people who love good food. And if you’re local, be sure to follow our local Dishcrawl (WS Dishcrawl / Greensboro Dishcrawl) for updates! There’s going to be a Mardi Gras Dishcrawl in Winston-Salem’s West End in a couple months – can’t wait! Also check out Battledish happening on Feb. 8! Winston-Salem is one of just a few cities in the country who is competing in the event that crowns the ultimate chef. It sounds like it’s going to be a fun and super tasty event! There are still tickets left but I have a feeling it will sell out in the next week.

Big thanks to Kristi of Triad Foodies and our local Dischcrawl ambassador for the free ticket and for giving one away to one of my readers!