Fine Dining in a One Horse Town

I'm from what you call a "one horse town," make that county. The county refused to allow the railroad line to go through in 1871, 1885, and again in 1908 and we've been a little behind the times ever since. Restaurants are one of the things we are severely lacking in, especially nice restaurants. As a transplant from NYC once told me, "popcorn shrimp ain't exactly fine dining." As our wine region continues to grow, however, we are beginning to see some improvement in our dining options as well. (What kind of wine does go with popcorn shrimp, I wonder?)

Tonight, Mom and I had dinner at Sanders Ridge Vineyard & Winery and we found it a delightful evening all around! Enjoying something other than a hot dog (or fried seafood) in a beautiful log building nestled in the woods is a great treat for us one-horse-towners. The menu is not extravagant, in fact in mainly involves salads and sandwiches, but there are some intriguing entree specials as well.

View from the porch at Sanders Ridge

We began with a cheese course that featured blueberry Stilton, granny smith apple, candied cashews and grilled foccacia. It was simply wonderful. I could have stuffed myself with bread and cheese and been perfectly content.

For the entree course, I ordered the grilled rib-eye smothered with bleu cheese, grilled onions and overnight tomatoes. I'm sad to say I did not take a photo, but it was a sight to see! The steak was huge! My boyfriend will be extremely jealous when he hears about it, he does adore a rib-eye! I think he would probably have enjoyed the dish more than I did. While it was good, I have come to the conclusion that rib-eyes are just a little too fatty for me and I found the bleu cheese a tad overpowering to the dish. The garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus were seasoned perfectly, however!

I was jealous of Mom's entree. She ordered what they were calling a "stuffed chicken" which was actually a very unique interpretation of chicken cordon bleu. It was a fried chicken breast stuffed with honey ham and pimento cheese! We (yes, that's the royal we!) love pimento cheese! 

Being at a winery, we naturally chose to enjoy a glass of wine with our meal. Mom had the Carlos Muscadine wine. If you grew up in the south, and ever had a fresh muscadine grape right of the wine, you will certainly identity with this wine. Of all of the muscadine wines I have had, theirs tastes the most like a fresh muscadine! 

I had a glass of the chambourcin (ok, I had two!) I plan to do a future post all about chambourcin soon, because it is one of my favorites. The Sanders Ridge chambourcin has a very intense smoky flavor and a very unusual tartness, reminiscent of rhubarb! It paired nicely with both the Stilton and the steak. 

Sunset at Sanders Ridge

Having such a restaurant nearby is such a joy for us and the lovely setting is really the best part. This evening as we were leaving, there was a beautiful full moon rising over the vineyard. As much as I love my iphone, it really couldn't capture the true beauty of the scene. 

Moonrise over the Vineyard

If you are in the Yadkin Valley area for any reason, you should definitely plan to do a tasting and dine at Sanders Ridge. If you are the adventurous type, you can also go zip lining as well! Let me know how you enjoy it if you do get a chance to go.

Cheers!