Brought To You By The Letter B

It's been a weird, busy, not altogether nice week, but Miss Vinegar did visit three establishments for capsule reviewing.

Bruegger's Bagels
Battleground Ave., Greensboro, NC

The Food--At brunch-time on a day trip, a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a salt bagel was washed down with (mediocre) sweet tea. The sandwich was excellent, with nice firm egg and what appeared to be pepper bacon, but the bagel is the strong point here, as it should be.

The Service--It's fast food, of course, but they were very nice about giving time to scope the menu before ordering (translation: they have more patience than Miss Vinegar does).

Ambience--Upscale fast-food place, with lots of pretty wood. Considering the view is of one of the busiest streets in Greensboro, surprisingly restful.

Overall: *** (three stars out of five)


Baja Burrito
Raleigh, NC

After lamenting the demise of Baja Fresh in her general traveling area, a friend--call him Our Man In Raleigh--took Miss Vinegar here with the intention of proving there were superior offerings to be had. Well...maybe.

The Food--A steak taco deluxe: flour tortilla with marinated steak, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and guacamole. It was excellent, but made a big mess: Baja Burrito is an adherent of that school that embraces burritos bigger than your head. The salsa roja was NOT as good as Baja Fresh, and Miss Vinegar's nose didn't run at all. As for the tea, notices on the wall gave one to understand that their tropical blend had been replaced by black tea. A pity they didn't sweeten accordingly.

Special Touches--The takeout menu has "beer" and "good beer" on the price list.

Ambience--Distinctly collegiate.

Overall: ***1/2 (three point five stars out of five)

Roanoke Bagel Co.
Electric Road, Roanoke, VA

Honestly, Miss Vinegar has been known to go a year without a bagel, so this week has definitely been strange.

The Food--The 12 O'Clock Knob sandwich, named after a local geological formation and hiking attraction, features sliced turkey and Boar's Head ham, cheese, and an excellent honey mustard. Usually one gets to choose the bagel, but for some reason Miss Vinegar was presented with sesame. Oh, well.

The Service--Other than the sesame bagel thing, excellent. One of Miss Vinegar's particular hatreds is dill pickles, and Roanoke Bagel obligingly double-checked the carryout to make sure she was spear-free.

Ambience--Informal, with the hallmark of a Roanoke local business: custom-designed wrought-iron chairs from Twist & Turns.

Overall: **1/2 (two point five stars out of five; would have been more but for the seeds)

Two bagels and a Baja Burrito: next week Miss Vinegar and Big Bird dine out?