Sweet Potatoes - 529 North Trade

I received a tweet from my niece on Thanksgiving Day, shorty after she tweeted photos of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, as she watched with her three children (one of the highlights of living in New York). She included a link to an article in the New York Times titled Sweet Potatoes Step Out From Under Marshmallows.

With a husband on Wall Street, living on the outskirts of the big city, the New York Times is a must read at her home. It appears that New York, and the rest of the world, might finally be figuring out the great North Carolina secret of Sweet Potatoes. According to the article 47% of the Nations Sweet Potatoes are grown in our North Carolina with many farmers moving from Tobacco to Sweet Potatoes. “Stanley Hughes, a third-generation farmer, has shifted some of his acreage from tobacco to sweet potatoes. This year, he put 28,000 plants in the ground. Next year, he said he would increase that number to 40,000.”

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — After generations of being smothered by a blanket of marshmallows on Thanksgiving and then forgotten for another 11 months, the irrepressible sweet potato is having its moment. American farmers expect to harvest a record two billion pounds this year, almost half of that here in the nation’s most prolific sweet potato state. Sweet potatoes have achieved a status that just a few years ago would have seemed laughable.

They may even be hip. New York Times 11/25/10

It’s about time to feature our own award winning Sweet Potatoes culinary delight. In our Salem we have not only been enjoying Sweet Potatoes in our homes but have our very own very special mouth watering Sweet Potatoes restaurant located at 529 North Trade Street in the Arts District.

Where do I begin? Bubba, Forest Gump and Shrimp come to mind:

This is Gooooooood!!!

I like to begin my meal with Pimento Cheese served with celery and stuff (the stuff is awesome)


Of course then a house salad is in order followed by my favorite Drunken Pork Chops (sorry, I don't have a photo). Twin center cut pork chops with sweet potato cornbread dressing and apple brandy gravy served with the vegetable of the day.

Is your mouth watering?

 Followed up with mouth watering Sweet Potato Pie!







Other Sweet Potato choices for dinner are:

• Build your own Sweet Potato…with butter and brown sugar.
• Red and White Fries…Basket of seasoned sweet and white potato French fires. Add bacon, white cheddar or blue cheese crumbles.
• Sweet and roasted garlic smashed potatoes.
• Sweet potato corn bread. 
• Candied sweet potatoes.
• Mashed sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato Lunch Choices:

• Sweet Potato aioli
• Sweet Potatoes’ Hot Brown – Their version of Kentucky favorite. Sliced turkey with mushrooms and cheddar cheese sauce on a toasted sweet potato biscuit and topped with crumbled bacon. 
• The “Hansome” – Pan fired county ham on a ‘Big Ole’ Sweet Potato biscuit with Brie and molasses Dijon mustard. 
• House Salad with julienned sweet potatoes.

I’m done, let's go eat!

Do you desire to know more about Sweet Potatoes? Visit the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission.

Mellow Mushroom - 314 West Fourth

One of the best draws bringing hungry folk to our downtown on a daily basis? Mouth watering  

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers!

Mellow Mushroom House Special Pizza

My personal pizza evolution: As a child and young person didn't care for it at all, learned to tolerate it, began to like it, son went to NC State, we shared a Mellow Mushroom House Pizza and I was hooked. It had to have been the best pizza on God's Earth. Mellow Mushroom came to our Salem, I moved nearby - Heaven on Earth! You haven't experienced a pizza if you have failed to experience a Mellow Mushroom pizza. No other pizza even comes close. I try my best to not have more that one a week. It is a difficult task. Even better with one of their awesome salads. The freshest ingredinats and the best crust you will ever put in your mouth.

Checkout the Menu

Don't blame me if you feel the need for one NOW. 

314 West Fourth In the Nissen Building