Mercedes-Benz and Smart are currently touring the country to give eager fans of the Smart Fortwo an early look. Various models of the automobile have been a hit in Europe since it debuted in 1998. Its micro size gives the car an ability to park almost anywhere, which tends to come in handy on the narrow streets of European capitals. The “StreetSmart” tour, as is being called in the U.S., finally came to Greensboro this weekend, and so my friends Talos & Rachel Tsui and I packed up and headed out to the Shops at Friendly center to get a good look and test drive the Fortwo.

The sign-up and waiting period for the test drive lasted 2 full hours. Thankfully the weather was cooler than it’s been in recent memory, with gray skies that kept the beating sun off of us and the hundreds of other people waiting to get their hands on the wheel. We queued up through a high-tech trailer lined with safety videos and technical illustrations of the car as we wound our way out back, closer and closer to the car. The entire event reminded me of being in line for Space Mountain at Disney World, except there were no screaming kids and it was free.

The Fortwo has what Smart calls “automated manual transmission”. If that sounds confusing, that’s because it is. Once inside the car, the Smart representative informed me that the transmission does more work for you than a manual, but I quickly found it isn’t an true automatic either. With the push of a button, you can leave the car in “automatic” and it will shift in and out of the appropriate gears. However, at any time, you can begin to shift manually using either of the paddle shifters nested on the steering wheel, or via the more traditional shifter on the floor. I quickly found that shifting manually was not only more fun, but resulted in a smoother drive as well. I’m told the car is still geared for European roads and the shift timing will be improved for automatic mode prior to its official launch.

Overall I was surprised at how roomy the car was. I’m a big guy, and yet I had enough space to be comfortable, and was able to see out over the ultra-small hood and side windows easily. I had the pleasure of driving the cabrio convertible, which was especially fun on the streets behind the Shops at Friendly. According to Smart, the car will start at prices under $12K and should get an average of 40 mpg in the city, which is pretty good. The European market also has the option of a diesel engine, which I’m starting to get keen on thanks to more info from my friend Corey. No telling yet if the diesel version will be available in the United States.

All in all, the Smart Fortwo was a pleasure to drive and look at. Although the visual design of the Smart can’t help but bring a toy to mind, the car itself does not feel toyish in any way. The controls, materials and handling are all what you would expect from Mercedes-Benz. As an in-town commuter car, I think it would be ideal. Trips to work, the grocery store, and errands would all shine with the Fortwo. Obviously I’m not sure how it would hold up on long trips, or extended drives on highways crowded with impatient drivers. It was encouraging to see so many people waiting in line to test drive the Smart. Given the ever climbing price of gas, and the U.S.’s seemingly endless need for huge SUVs, the Smart may very live up to its name and help bring Americans, driving stylishly, into the 21st century.

Twice this week, my friend Talos spotted a Google Car cruising the Greensboro streets. The first time was at the intersection of Wendover and Penny, and the second was further up Wendover near Spring Garden. Both times he managed to snap picts of the high-tech automobile thanks to his trusty iPhone. The gadget blog Gizmodo first reported on Google’s picture-snapping auto fleet some time ago. The company has been criss-crossing the nation to document street views of major cities for its online mapping site.

So if you’re driving in the Triad and spot a car with a strange looking periscope thing strapped to its roof, make sure you smile nice and pretty for the camera. You never know, you might be immortalized forever on the pages of the world’s most popular search engine. Remember, no road rage people!!

Tonight after work I swung down Friendly Ave. to pick up dinner from P.F. Changs at the Friendly Center Shopping Plaza. The good news is the road work that has been going on for the better part of a year two years seems to be coming to a close. The bad news is the section of West Friendly from Westridge Road down to the Shops at Friendly Center is a classic example of civil planning gone horribly wrong.

Although the city technically widened Friendly by 2 full lanes, driving on it actually feels more cramped and crowded than it did before. This is because of the new median divider the size of the Neutral Zone that somehow made its way smack-dab into the middle of this once beautiful thoroughfare. Left turns can only be taken at certain points along the median, creating an almost one-way street effect that is anything but pleasant. God help the poor folks who live along this stretch of Friendly. Getting to and from their homes must now be a little slice of paved hell. If I was in their shoes, I’d be down at City Hall raising cain like there’s no tomorrow.

Sometimes I just don’t understand why cities decide to alter roads, change traffic flows and generally screw things up for us little people. If Friendly had simply had one lane added to either side, and left the center turn lane alone, the new construction would have been quite welcome. Instead we have confusion and bottlenecking. I was looking forward to the completion of Painter Blvd., but now I’m not so sure.

This was going to be a nice, in-depth post about the brand new Fresh Market that opened today at Jefferson Village on New Garden Street. The store completed its move from Quaker Village and had its grand opening this morning. I was looking forward to taking loads of great, colorful pictures to show off how awesome this new location was and expounding on the wonderful customer service that the Fresh Market is known for.

Two things conspired against this. The first was a manager who seemed more interested in speaking with Fresh Market big-wigs and employees than customers, told me she’d “prefer that I not take pictures”. This was only after I told her it was for my local blog. Had I been an employee or a member of the press, then I could have snapped away I suppose.

The second was that after wandering for a good 45 minutes, I simply wasn’t that impressed. Sure the store is brand new, and has much more space, has better parking and looks wonderful, but there was nothing new. I was really looking forward to the market expanding their meat offerings to include venison and bison, having new fresh salad recipes, and some new exotic produce. None of this materialized however, which was disappointing to say the least. For selection, Whole Foods in Winston Salem seems to have the Fresh Market beat. Its distance, price, and tiny isles work against them however and I’ll most likely stick with my FM.

Taken as a whole, The Fresh Market really is a wonderful place to shop. It might be a bit more pricey, but the quality is well worth it. Plus, it is staffed by some of the nicest people in Greensboro (with the exception of the afore mentioned manager). The sushi lady and elderly bagging gentleman (wish I knew their names!) bring a smile to my face each and every time I walk in. I’ll be back, I just wish I could have shown you the place. I suppose you’ll just have to go visit it for yourself, which I guess is the point.

On Saturday, Mindy, Rachel, Talos and I, had fun joining thousands of North Carolinians checking out the Greater Greensboro Builder Association’s 2007 Parade of Homes. We visited many impressive houses during the day, but the jewel of the parade was the 8600 sq. ft. property from R&K who’s listing price was $1.5 million. Houses in this range are always impressive, but this one stood out from all others in recent memory.

Obviously $1.5 mil. for a home is much more than 95% of us can afford. The house at Toscana Trace featured three full kitchens, a basement “playground” including a movie quality home theater, home gym, full bar, billiard room, wine cellar and a patio that was both huge and beautiful. Hundreds of people were filing in and out of the house admiring every aspect of it. We heard “ooohs” and “aaahhs” the entire time and left in a state of amazement. $1.5 million dollars evidently gets you a heckva lot of very cool house these days. That is unless you live someplace like, oh say, California.

I had been posting some picts of the house on Twitter Saturday night and friend Arlo Rose responded that the price tag of $1.5 mil. barely gets you a foot in the door in California. I knew prices there were high from Craig, who lives in Laguna Beach. But after a bit of research, I really wasn’t prepared to learn just how much the people of California pay just for the privilege of living on the west coast.

This 1040 sq. ft. home in sunny Palo Alto that Arlo sent me lists for almost the exact same price at the 8600 sq. ft. mansion in Summerfield. Yes, you read that right, this 2 bedroom home is only 1040 square feet. Its kitchen is about the same size as the Toscana home’s screened-in porch. If you’d like to see what passes for a “Patio” in California, just click here. Step out the back door, take 12 paces and you’re nose to nose with your neighbor’s fence. Not exactly the sprawling back yard one had hoped for. Click the image to the left to get a detailed view of the house’s “master bath” where the toilet is evidently 3 inches from the jetted tub.

People who live in California will tell you they wouldn’t trade it for the world, but I think all that sunshine is starting to go to their head. How else do you explain people wanting to live where wild fires and mud slides happen at the drop of a hat? Who cares about the high cost of living when you’ve got earthquakes to worry about? Sure NC gets the occasional hurricane every now and then, but the Triad itself is far enough from the coast not to have to lose any sleep. North Carolina may not be nearly as glamorous as sunny CA, but our beaches are just as pretty, we’ve got wonderful mountains and friendly people. I might just be a crazy “hick”, but if I actually had $1.5 mil. burning a hole in my pocket, I’d rather have a house like the one on Toscana Trace. Maybe that’s just me.

This past Saturday, Anthony and I headed toward downtown Greensboro and Tate Street to check out the submarine offerings of Manhattan Pizza and Subs. The shop was recommended to me a couple of times and I finally decided to check it out. I was looking forward to visiting a sandwich shop that was outside my normal hunting grounds, but I’m sorry to report that what I found left both of us less than enthusiastic.

The Location

Manhattan Pizza and Subs is located practically on top of the University of North Carolina Greensboro’s campus in the heart of Tate Street. Being so close to the college, Manhattan seems to have a clientele built in, which might help to explain how the place stays in business. When we arrived, we actually almost missed the restaurant completely. Manhattan’s street sign is faded and worn, with only a single large neon “Subs” sign on the building itself. If I had not been looking for it, I think we would have driven right by. This isn’t something a restaurant owner wants to hear, but I’m afraid it’s the truth.

Like the sign, the interior of Manhattan was a bit worse for wear. Its obvious the shop has been around a while and the seating, while spacious, was a bit on the run-down side. It seems as if the “high traffic” location next to UNCG has taken its toll on the little sub shop over the years and for some reason, the owners have not kept up with renovations. The entire dining area could use an update or at the very least a good scrub down. This, plus the fact that the dining room seats both smoking and non-smoking customers, lowered my expectations right away.

The Subs

As usual, I spied the classic Italian deli style sub on the menu and ordered an 8″ hoagie along with the Manhattan Special. The only difference between the Italian and the Special was the addition of roast beef on the latter. The size of the sub and its appearance seemed decent, especially considering the price. Both subs were just $4.29 and had a good amount of meat and cheese. Compared to the $6.00 sub I ordered at Giacomo’s from my previous review, I thought I was in for a bargain.

Unfortunately, unlike the fresh ingredients at Giacomo’s, the meats and cheese used by Manhattan were not particularly flavorful. The roast beef wasn’t very rare and didn’t pack a lot of that herby flavor you expect from a good deli roast beef. In fact, the addition of the roast beef didn’t seem to make any difference in taste from the Italian Sub and the Manhattan Special, both came with lettuce, tomato, onion and house dressing. The dressing itself tasted like a store bought Italian salad dressing and definitely over powered the natural tastes of the sub. When all was said and done, I would have gladly paid a bit more to have higher quality meats and cheeses on my sub instead of the rather bland fare we received. On the bright side, the bread Manhattan offers was indeed nice. I dare say it was homemade and was crunchy, fresh and just right for a sub roll.

The Wrap Up

There is a big part of me that would just like to report that Manhattan was a decent place to eat this past Saturday. The owners were pleasant and friendly, and seemed to care about the food they served. Manhattan has continued to offer up sandwiches and pizza to the good students of UNCG despite the fact that there is both a Subway and a Jimmy John’s Subs not half a block from their front door. I would have no problem recommending them and looking past the decor of the shop if the food had been outstanding, but it just wasn’t.

While Anthony and I ate, several students came and went. Many seemed to be ordering slices of pizza or munchie foods like cheese sticks and onion rings. Manhattan is what it is – a college joint. It caters to students on a budget and offers quick, standard food fare to those on the go. Due to its proximity to the campus, I suspect it will do brisk business into the future, but its simply not good enough to travel more than a mile or so for. As we were leaving Tate Street and heading back home, we drove past a place called Yum Yum’s that was packed to the gills with people. I’m told that its “the place” to eat for UNCG. I wonder if they have subs…

Think I’m off my rocker about Manhattan? Wanna send me to your favorite Triad sub shop? Post your suggestions in the comments thread and give me the low-down!

This week we’ll be looking at Giacomo’s Italian Market (North side) on New Garden Road. But before we get into that, I just wanted to share something special that happened in the two weeks in-between. Two of my longtime friends from college, Anna & David, visited Greensboro this past week, and they were good enough to bring sandwiches from our favorite eatery – Dibella’s Old Fashion Subs. I’ve mentioned them before, but I had forgotten just how good they were. For the price of $7.50, you get a sub that is as long as your entire arm! The sub is packed with the best quality meats and cheeses and the bread is simply the most wonderful sub roll you’ll ever eat. All of us at the Iconfactory were all amazed that even after a two day journey in a travel cooler, Dibella’s still kicked the butt of any sub we have here in the Triad.

It is unfortunate that Giacomo’s subs are being reviewed after the Dibella’s visit, but that’s the breaks. Since I’ve decided to use Dibella’s as a yard stick for all reviews, I don’t feel I’m being unfair. On with the review!

The Location

Even before Hugh recommended Giacomo’s in the comments of the Penn Station review, I had wanted to try their subs for some time. I visited the High Point Road location when I first moved to Greensboro over a decade ago and remembered the market offering the freshest ingredients, although I don’t remember actually having one of their subs. So when I visited the New Garden location a total of three times this week, I had high hopes.

Giacomo’s is exactly the kind of small, mom and pop operation you might expect to see anywhere in New York or New Jersey. The New Garden Road Giacomo’s has several tables out front for fair weather dining, and the interior is warm and inviting, if a bit cramped. The deli itself proudly displays all forms of delicious looking fare including home made mozzarella & tomato salad, marinated egg plant, and a wide range of stuffed olives. Giacomo’s is probably best known for their traditional Italian sausages, meatballs, breaded cutlets and other staples. I’ve personally had several of the salads, various olives and even cooked up their meatballs. All of them are very good and worth a try if you get a chance.

The Subs

Unlike Penn Station, Giacomo’s offers a wide range of cold, deli subs to choose from. During my various visits, I tried the Italian Stallion (salami, capicola & provolone), the Nicoletta (salami, hot capicola & fresh mozzarella) and the Paesano (marinated eggplant, salami and provolone). At Giacomo’s one size fits all, so any sub you order is an 8″ hoagie on a crusty roll. All subs come with lettuce, tomato, onions and oil & vinegar. I didn’t see any additional toppings I could ask for, which was disappointing.

Both the Italian Stallion and the Nicoletta were similar in appearance and taste. The deli meats are top notch and unlike Subway or other sub shops I’ve been to recently, they are not shy with the amount they pack into the sandwich. I have to say that the bread is some of the best I’ve had anywhere. Its crunchy, but gives when bitten and does a great job of containing the sandwich without being overly doughy on the interior. My only complaint here is that the rolls themselves are small. When they say 8″, they really mean 6″ since the ends taper drastically and the contents usually don’t spill out from the edges. The small size makes ordering a sub from Giacomo’s seem more like an actual sandwich, which I was a little let down by.

While the meats and cheeses used on their subs are top notch, the oil, spices and dressing they use don’t seem unique and vary greatly from order to order. The Italian Stallion was heavy with dressing to the point that it tasted like commercial Italian salad dressing. By comparison, the Nicoletta had barely any oil and spices and allowed me to enjoy the fresh Mozzarella that they make on site. All three subs however, even the eggplant based Paesano, tasted similar to each other. It would be difficult to tell them apart in a blind taste test. I also did not get an opportunity to try one of their hot subs, like the Meatball Parmesan sub that Hugh recommended so whole-heartedly. Next time I visit I will give these hot sandwiches a try.

The Wrap Up

Its obvious from my few visits to Giacomo’s that the owner(s) care a great deal about what they do. They have gone out of their way to provide their customers with top notch food that is both delicious and authentic. If there is a down side, its that to get this official taste of Italy, you pay a premium. The subs are all priced at $5.95 and while they do contain a good amount of meat and cheese, they are small and do not come with chips or a drink. Many people would say however that the extra price is worth it if for no other reason than to help support an independent Italian market in the Triad.

The two locations in Greensboro are convenient to get in and out of, and are pleasant to visit. The establishments are clean and friendly and constantly busy (always a good sign). I suspect however that Giacomo’s is more appreciated for their behind the counter offerings such as sausages, salami, veal and cheeses than their subs. I give them full marks for baking their own, nearly perfect bread, as well as their homemade deli meats and cheeses, but something is missing. Since all subs come only with L,T,O O&V, most of them end up tasting nearly identical. This would definitely get old after only a short time. Standing head and shoulders above many other sub shops in the Triad, Giacomo’s is a great Italian Market and a solid sub shop. Its not however, the hoagie nirvana I was hoping it would be, and so my search continues.

Have a special place in the Triad that you think serves up the best subs? Hugh sent me to Giacomo’s and you can send me to my next destination! Post your suggestions in the comments thread and get my feet moving!

I’m starting a new set of posts on a subject that is near and dear to my stomach, submarine sandwiches. Some call them hoagies, some grinders but most people call them subs. Ever since I moved to the Triad in 1994 I’ve been looking for somewhere that offered sub sandwiches at least as good or better than the place I fell in love with them – Dibella’s Old Fashion Subs in Rochester NY. In over 10 years of looking around the Triad, nothing has even come close. So to try and help my fellow denizens, I’m going to review sub sandwiches from various eateries around the Triad. The first in the series is a new place that just opened off of 68 called Penn Station East Coast Subs.

The Location

The Penn Station restaurant I visited is located off of highway 68 in High Point, NC near the Deep River shopping center. Its currently only one of two shops open in a new plaza so traffic to and from the restaurant was no problem. The restaurant itself is quite small with tables lining one side and a few booths in the rear. This makes moving around inside Penn Station rather cramped with no real places to wait if you have placed a “to go” order. The number of subs to choose from was rather small, so I ordered the signature “Philly Cheese Steak” sub as well as a standard 10″ Italian as a good baseline for the review.

The Food

The heart of any great sub is its bread. You can usually tell how good a sandwich is going to be by the freshness of the hoagie roll it comes on. Since you can’t specify a type of bread with your order, you have to hope the standard white roll is good. Penn Station’s bread was fresh and crunchy, but not something you’d write home about.

The meats on the Italian sub were hearty and flavorful. The sub itself was packed with ingredients, although way too many onions for my liking, but good overall. The oil and spices used brought out the nice flavors one would expect from an Italian sub and didn’t make the bread soggy or overly greasy.

Since the cheese steak sandwich is the selection that the chain is supposedly famous for, I also ordered a regular 10″ cheese steak with no extras such as mayo, mustard or (eegad) pizza sauce. The result was adequate, but not overly wonderful. A bit greasy and heavy on banana peppers, I’m sure that true Philly residents would balk at the notion of this hoagie being a real “Cheese steak” sandwich. If I returned to Penn Station again, I would like to try their Reuben or Artichoke subs just to see how the less popular subs stack up. Their french fries were nothing spectacular, although the fresh squeezed lemonade was indeed quite good. Not too sweet and not too tart.

The Wrap Up

Overall my visit to Penn Station East Coast Subs was enjoyable. I got in and out with my food in a timely manor. The staff was courteous and the subs themselves were better than average. The price of each 10″ sub was $6.49, which is about what I would expect to pay. On the downside, the food selection is rather small, and the dining area is tiny and cramped. Lastly, although I noted that the restaurant received a 96.5 health rating as of February 2007, I did see some troublesome spots both in front of and behind the counter. Spilled drinks, unclean trash areas and several messes in the kitchen didn’t inspire my appetite as I was leaving.

All things being equal, I would return to Penn Station again and try some of their other subs and I would definitely recommend them over Quizno’s almost any day of the week. Perhaps my largest disappointment was the lack of “true” sub-type sandwiches. Most were the toasted, heated, types of gourmet sandwiches that seem to have taken over today’s sub shops. Even the Italian sub I ordered came toasted, and while not really a bad thing, it made Penn Station seem like just another Quizno’s. My search for the perfect Triad sub continues…

What about you? Have a special place in the Triad that you think serves up the best subs in town? Post them in the comments thread and point me in their direction. I just might review them here!