The Fast and the Furious...and the Food

A recent stint on jury duty hearing a case about fast cars and street racing got me reminiscing about my teenage years of muscle car fascination and the adrenalin thrill of punching the gas pedal of a prized powerhorse.

What does this have to do with food you might ask? 

Hearing tantalizing details of NOS (nitrous oxide) powered muscle cars racing at speeds in excess of 120 mph somehow triggered the craving for large platters of comfort food.  Luckily for me, thanks to a tip from the old-timer working at the courthouse entrance, I found a gem of a restaurant that I never even knew existed. 

Crossing the street as the cold wind and rain whipped around me, I suddenly found myself face to face with a cafeteria line of good old-fashioned Southern comfort food.  Chicken n’dumplings, mac n’cheese, and fried okra warded off the chill of a rainy Wednesday. 

As I sat in shock at my first bite of pillowy dumpling and rich-but-not-lumpy sauce strewn with tender chicken, I checked my iPhone for info on this place.  Why had I never heard of it, and did they have a website?  I knew I was in good hands when I found a simple website with a short list of daily offerings describing the chicken n’ dumplings with: “Yes, we make it all from scratch.  We boil the chickens, remove the bones, skin, and fat, and serve the best of the chicken to you.  The dumplings?  We start with plain flour and make each little dumpling in house.  It’s hard work, but somebody’s gotta do it.”

Thursday brought pan fried pork tenderloin (cooked the old fashioned way: breaded with seasoned flour and sautéed in a cast iron skillet), smoky black-eyed peas, and corn bread (although I could have opted for a very popular meat loaf option.)

Friday brought an end to my jury duty and a celebratory déjà vu lunch of pan fried pork tenderloin and creamy mac n’ cheese, although I was really jonesing for another chance at those chicken n’dumplings.

I started to wonder: Now that I’ve gone from muscle cars to an eco-conscious Prius, have I replaced that feel-good rush with down home comfort food?

Scientists say that so-called comfort food (hi-carb meals) can significantly raise serotonin levels.  On the other hand, racing and fast driving have been shown to trigger high levels of dopamine.  Both are, in essence, natural feel-good drugs.

As Dom says in The Fast and the Furious , “I live my life a quarter mile at a time. Nothing else matters… For those ten seconds or less, I'm free.”  That sums up how I feel about good food, too.  For the time it takes to enjoy the pleasures of good food, the rest of the world fades away and all that matters are the flavors and the enjoyment.

All I know is that I’ll be here next week for my fix of good ole’ creamed, fried, or infused-with-fat meat & veggies (& I use the term “veggies” loosely.)

REVIEW:  Courtside Café

102 W. 3^rd Street

Winston-Salem, NC 27101

www.courtsidecafe.com

336.761.8910

Hours: Monday – Friday 7 am – 2 pm

Whether you want great comfort food or interesting conversation eavesdropping, you’ll find it at the Courtside Café. 

Situated steps away from the back entrance of the Forsyth County Courthouse, it’s a favorite of lawyers & courthouse staff (hence the fascinating conversations you’ll hear all around you.)

The Courtside Café offers both cafeteria options and menu options, but stick with the stick-to-your-ribs cafeteria options. 

Recommended: Chicken n’ dumplings, pan fried pork tenderloin, mac n’cheese, black-eyed peas, fried okra.

- Jodi