Allow me for just a moment to get on my high horse.

Ahem…It is absolutely unacceptable that the restaurant that is about to be foodied was NOT filled to capacity on a perfectly beautiful Friday night at 8:30. 1703 Restaurant & Catering should be slammed. As in busy slammed. So, we are going to make it our mission to give you a reason to get out to the West End in Winston-Salem and not miss out on this oft forgotten area of the Twin City. Located at Robinhood and Reynolda Roads, 1703 is coming off a month-long hiatus and immediately jumped into a holiday weekend so that could be a reason, but I figure what’s really happening is a lot of people are heading into happening downtown and some of you (and you know who you are) are hitting up some chains, maybe?  Stop doing that…the chains anyway.

Mr. foodie and I decided on 1703 for our anniversary after some high recommendations and because if you could see some of the pictures that they post on Instagram (CurtisHackaday1703) and on their Facebook page, you would not delay in having brunch, lunch or dinner there. I mean, it is food art. But edible. The kind of jump into it food that is so fun to find when you are dining out. It’s not fussy. It’s just remarkable.

So when we walked in, there was one table. Of two. Yikes. Our server blamed the holiday. It was pleasant and quiet and another table was sat while we were there. They looked like regulars (good!). Now I did not worry too much because I’d heard from others that this place was totally a score.

We ordered a glass of wine each and started on the Spinach salad which was topped with poached pears, sugared pecans, crumbled stilton, and brown sugar vinaigrette. The kitchen split it for us to share. It was the perfect beginning.

Lots of yummy creations are on the menu. Some of the selections had a Middle Eastern slant with delicious sounding curries and chutneys as sauces and toppings. Then we had a few Southern choices like trout with three-cheese grits. Or NY Strip with potatoes and mixed vegetables. I chose the Rack of Lamb with a pumpkin seed cranberry butternut squash hash, asparagus and blueberry demi-glace. Wow. Is all I can say. That lamb was perfection. Seared beautifully. Cooked just the way it should be, medium-rare. And the racks were lollipopped, if that’s a word, but I stayed ladylike (for the most part) and used my fork and knife. At the end, I picked that baby up!

Mr. foodie ordered the special which was a flank steak that they allowed you to pretty much pair with any of the items on the menu so he grabbed the accoutrements from the duck entree to go along with (roasted sweet potato purree, grilled asparagus and fig bordelaise). Awesome. But I still won. 😉

1703 is not very big so there’s no way it can get noisy. It has a comfortable bar area and it’s tastefully designed. Of course, the owners, Joe and Molly Curran are known for catering. Lunch and dinner are served daily, with brunch on Sunday. And they change their menu often. Their chef, Curtis Hackaday, knows how to plate some food. He’s been back and forth between Roaring Gap and here but fear not, his chef in the kitchen has it down. So, let’s not let this delicious spot in the West End have any more empty seats, okay, foodies? And when you go, tell them we told you it was awesome!

What restaurants in Winston-Salem are you surprised isn’t more “slammed”? Let us know and we’ll check them out.

1703 Restaurant & Catering
1703 Robinhood Road, Winston-Salem, NC
(336) 725-5767
Open for Lunch and Dinner (closed Monday)
Sunday Brunch