This new life has been injected into the area largely due to the passage of liquor-by-the-drink legislation which allows for beer and wine to be sold and for alcoholic drinks (including mixed liquor drinks) to be sold in restaurants and bars in a formerly dry part of the county. Being a college town, this is a boon for local business owners who can now expand their offerings to include alcohol and for restaurants to rake in the cash of college students (and probably their harried professors) with drink menus.
I had intended to make this post a positive triple review of three new local eateries: Sazon, Tuck's Tap & Grille and Cullowings. However, after trying all three (two of which I tried on multiple occasions), only one stands out as being a great deal, a beautiful restaurant, a unique find and offering numerous delicious dishes - Sazon.
Cullowings, as you can infer, is a sports bar-style wing joint. They offer burgers and sandwiches, but their premature claim to fame is their wide selection of beers and wing varieties. I've tried four of the wing flavors and they were all decent. Of the four I tried, I'd highly recommend their Polynesian flavor which offers a subtle pineapple-y sweetness with the smokiness of teriyaki sauce. However, this restaurant isn't particularly cheap (I go for wing nights that boast a less-than-50-cent wing) or fast (after 15 minutes of waiting, several of my wings were still pink) and I have no desire to ogle a foot-long beer menu or spend time with raucous frat boys watching a series of sporting events. But in a pinch, it's pretty good take out so I can drink my own cheap beer at home with only one boy and one tv.
Tuck's Tap & Grille has the same bar-feel as C-wings but with what I'm sure they consider to be more "elevated" dinner options. Like many casual dining restaurants, I would argue that Tuck's needs to find it's niche. A menu boasting salads, cold and hot sandwiches, pizzas, calzones, Stromboli and comfort food specials like meatloaf and lasagna desperately needs pared down - there are few Renaissance restaurants, more often they're Jacks of all trades and masters of none. Since our spectacular splurge at Ruth's Chris, I've been wanting chunks of bleu cheese all the time. I debated over Tuck's variety of sandwiches but couldn't resist their bacon and bleu burger that's "made from black angus beef." I will say the brioche bun was great with it's signature buttery sweetness, but apparently I ordered gray angus (that can't be what they mean by aged...can it?). The group I went with said they were satisfied with their food, but I won't be the one suggesting we ever return.
Sazon is located in "old Cullowhee" which is highly contested as in dire need of renovation, improvement and new life. Many businesses have moved out, buildings have fallen into disrepair and there are other easier and faster ways into campus. The space Sazon occupies has been a Mexican restaurant since...well, forever. In the '80s El Gato's was my pregnant mother's restaurant of choice. Throughout the past 25+ years, it's undergone many changes in name and ownership but has remained triumphantly a source of Mexican cuisine. I can't remember going to any of these restaurants and always thought that strip (with The HairPort, Red Skull Tattoos and now a package store) looked like a dive. However, I was pleasantly surprised the first time I entered Sazon.
It is brightly painted with beautiful Khalo-esque paintings with a Mexican folk art flair (including the most beautiful traditional calaverta and the picture below). The chairs are beautifully upholstered and the spacious tables leave lots of room for the ample portions of traditional Mexican fare. Being the mooch that I am and the people I dine with who allow me to eat off of their plates, I've been able to try a variety of dishes including vegetarian burritos, chile rellenos, salsa verde taquitos and more. All of the food is undeniably fresh - from the salsa with a pinch verdant chopped cilantro (normally my least favorite herb) to the creamy pinto beans - everything has the taste effort, precision and flair. And they pass my true test of quality Mexican restaurants - they have perfectly balanced, refreshing horchata. Horchata is a traditional drink in Latin America (and Spain) made of rice milk, vanilla and cinnamon; its one of the many aguas frescas you may see at Latin markets or restaurants in large glass vats. There are horrible powdered mixes and pre-packaged attempts at horchata but it's best made fresh (think fresh-squeezed orange juice vs. Sunny Delight). The horchata at Sazon is what I remember from trips to tiendas with my best friend in college. I have considered ordering horchata to-go from here for the nights we make Latin food on our own.
I highly recommend visiting this restaurant that offers refined plates of the semi-familiar but is much less Westernized than some other local restaurants or national chains. For $10 you can get a filling and flavorful meal that is presented beautifully in an equally elegant space.
But even beyond these three options, if you're in the area, explore our local restaurant scene - food service within campus buildings notwithstanding, there is only one chain restaurant in Cullowhee, everything else is locally owned and operated. So take a trip up to campus to visit the library or Mountain Heritage Museum or hit up the Cullowhee farmer's market on Wednesday evenings (5 p.m. behind The Mad Batter) to work up an appetite before trying the best eats around.
