I do love that line: “Locavores’ Delight.©” We might have coined it, but obviously we used The Omnivores Dilemma as our inspiration. Locavore was the 2007 Word of the Year for the Oxford American Dictionary. In our lingo, it means a person who likes to eat food near where it was grown or made. It also describes a movement that “encourages consumers to buy from farmers, farmers’ markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh and local ingredients are more nutritious and taste better.” We think that these are good ideas. We’ve long felt that the nearer the farm to the fork, the better the flavor©. Most also say that this local idea is better environmentally because it uses less transportation, and thus energy, to ship the food from further away. We have been playing this Locavore thing big time in our restaurants for years. About six years ago, we went so far as to buy a truck to run around and pick food up from local farmers and markets. But it just didn’t make practical sense. It wasn’t sustainable from a business perspective. (It ain’t sustainable to go broke!) Now we are buying even more local food by using some of our outstanding local friends and vendors like the Goat Lady Dairy, Giacomo’s, Red Oak Brewery, Carolina Classic Catfish, Chapel Hill Creamery, North Carolina wineries and a really cool outfit called Eastern Carolina Organics. ECO brings us wonderful local veggies most of the year from a network of farms across North Carolina. We wish that we could buy more things like chicken and beef from local growers. We do buy some, but so far the availability and price still don’t make it practical.

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• Now open for lunch and dinner…and creekside!
  • Our “soft opening” is complete. We now have an expanded menu, and we’re open for lunch and dinner every day with weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday starting at 7:30 a.m.
  • The bar is great! It’s an honest drinking bar, smoke-free, with an übercool outdoor creekside lounge area.
  Open late: 1 a.m. most nights, 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday and midnight Sunday.
  • Operating Partner and Chef Bart Ortiz and GM Martin Hunt are busting their cans (and doing a fine job of it, I must say) to get beyond the opening jitters and take good care of their guests and staff members.
  • Read all about it and make reservations quick like at printworksbistro.com.

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• “Lucky’s collard greens are better than your Mama’s!”Well, if that isn’t the pinnacle of audacity, but Chef Jay Pierce and GM Karen Walker claim it is so. This writer grew up in Montana, so my Mama is not offended, and yours might not be once she tastes these.
  • Join us for “Fire Up the Fourth in Lucky’s Backyard” on July 4th, 5 p.m. until… At Lucky 32 in Cary and Greensboro, you can get a great view of a fantastic fireworks show nearby. The Independence Day menu will have the requisite burgers, hot dogs, pulled pork and banana pudding. Bring your lawn chair for our special fireworks viewing area. Enjoy family entertainment outside 5-9 p.m. Plus, we’ll have a fire truck at the Greensboro Lucky’s for children to explore. After the fireworks, have dessert or a drink (bar is open until midnight) and miss the traffic jam. See lucky32.com for the full scoop.
• Who doesn’t love fresh fruit pies?Lucky’s Executive Chef Jay Pierce is turning out some delicious pies, and he wants even more recipes, so he’s having a Pie Recipe Contest!Offer up an authentic fruit pie recipe and you might win a prize. The top five pies will be featured on the Fox 8 morning news in the Triad on July 9, and the big winner will receive a luxurious retreat to the Proximity Hotel or O.Henry Hotel and other goodies, including recognition on Lucky’s menu! The four runners up will also get some good prizes. Simply email your fruit pie recipe to [email protected] by June 16. Go to lucky32.comfor all the details.
  • Summer Picnic! Or just don’t want to cook but want to eat good at home? Take advantage of Get Lucky & Go! Pick up normal menu selections, boxed lunches and family style dinners to take to picnics, festivals, family reunions or wherever. With the program, we also have some impressive value priced wines.
  • Are there any dishes or culinary traditions of the Piedmont that you feel are dying or forgotten and would love to see on the menu at Lucky’s? How about liver pudding, pickled shrimp, pickled peaches, watermelon rind, purloo or rabbit? Chef Jay Pierce is on an adventure to learn about our culinary history and to possibly add some heritage recipes to his menu. Email him with your menu suggestions at [email protected].
• At our Lucky’s in Cary,we now have a semi-private dining room for more intimate lunch and dinner events for groups up to 70 guests. General Manager Shane Garrity and Chef Russell Shinn have also come up with an expanded selection of boxed lunches because of all the office buildings nearby. Contact him at 919-233-1632 or [email protected].
  • Garden dining at both Lucky 32s is in full swing! The gardens are beautiful and smoke-free. Brunch outside on the weekends is an extra special way to enjoy these gardens. It starts at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday.
  • We’d love to let you know about special happenings via email. If you sign up at lucky32.com, we’ll bribe you with $10 gift vouchers and special email offers.

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• In addition to being an amazing wine director, Julia Schiavone is now the General Manager. Julia won yet another prestigious award
by being named one of the top 40 sommeliers in the whole USofA with the Trefethen Family Vineyards “Passionate Wine Service” award.
• You’ll find Australian-born Chef Leigh Hesling, who trained in traditional apprenticeship culinary programs and has led this kitchen for four years, in just a few places this summer: GVG, with his wonderful wife and two children, or at the Piedmont Triad Farmers’ Market. As well as getting a lot of fresh local food from ECO, Leigh scours this market for the best stuff.
• Dine alfresco! The Courtyard dining garden is beautiful. We can even do small catered events in this garden or the Cloister Garden off the Pavilion at the O.Henry.
• A long-time favorite, the chicken salad croissant, is back on the menu. This time, the croissant is made from scratch right here.
• We’ve really revved up our pastry kitchen! You’ll be knocked out with what Scotland native Pastry Chef Christopher Smith-Thomas is cranking out. Brunch on Sundays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. is a good time to taste some of this good stuff. He is also doing some amazing chocolate truffles for overnight packages at the O.Henry.
• The award-winning wine list now includes 60 jewels on the reserve list that are selected for their quality and value by the affable aforementioned Sommelier Julia.
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• The Eastern Music Festival brings a huge variety of world-class music and musicians to Greensboro every summer, mostly in July. (See easternmusicfestival.org for this year’s complete lineup.) We are thrilled to be the “official” hotel for the Festival. After a concert, make it an extra special occasion by spending the night at the O.Henry. Our Eastern Music Festival Package includes one night’s gracious accommodations for two, $30 voucher for Green Valley Grill, complimentary transportation to the concert, a hot buffet breakfast and a late check out for only $259. Please call reservations at 336-854-2000. Available from July 5 to August 3, 2008 (blackout dates may apply).
• Celebrate the 4th at O.Henry! The Independence Day Celebration Package includes one night’s accommodations, a welcome amenity in your room and a hot breakfast buffet for $189 plus tax and gratuities. The Room with a View Package includes all of the above amenities, as well as one of the limited rooms with a spectacular view of the fireworks (weather permitting) for $209 plus tax and gratuities. Stay the second night with either package and receive
  a $30 voucher for Green Valley Grill. Please call reservations at 336-854-2000.
• For a great getaway any night of the week, enjoy the Elegant Escape Packageat O.Henry with one night’s gracious accommodations, afternoon tea upon arrival or breakfast in bed, a bottle of wine, handcrafted Belgian truffles, O.Henry Cheese Trio, $30 voucher for Green Valley Grill, hot breakfast buffet and a late checkout for $279 plus tax and gratuities.
• For our Best Rate for any night, go to ohenryhotel.com. Often on weekends and holiday periods, you can save up to $70!

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• We are really excited that the Proximity has received so much attention from the press. Visit proximityhotel.comand see what the New York Times, Metropolitan Home, USAirways Magazine, Travel + Leisure, Organic Spa, Global Innovation Report, Outdoor Magazine, Smart Money.comand North Carolina Signature have to say about the wonderful new hotel! If you only have time to look at one thing, glance at the National Geographic Traveler video on our sustainable practices page. It is well done, informative and comical.
• Extraordinary Events are the norm here. The event spaces are amazing with huge windows, wonderful vistas, and direct access to the outdoors. For a meeting or an elegant soirée, this place has the venues, the food and the service to knock your socks off.
• Be the first to know about new packages and great deals by signing our guestbook at proximityhotel.com.
• Proximity’s Fireworks Package for July 4th includes one night’s accommodations with a welcome amenity in your room in a Loft King Room or Double Queen for $179 plus tax and gratuities. The Deluxe Fireworks Package guarantees an in-room view of the fireworks (weather permitting) for $199. The Ultimate Fireworks Package is in a Loft King Center or Corner Room with a spectacular view of the fireworks for $239. Plus, make a weekend of it by staying an extra night and receive a $30 voucher for Print Works Bistro. There are a limited number of packages available, so please reserve now by calling 336-379-8200.
• The Dress for Dinner Rendezvous package is fun! Check in around noon with that special someone and enjoy a romantic rendezvous that includes champagne, romantic music, candles, a snack and bubble bath in one of our sexy Loft Spa rooms where the shower is adjacent to a large “Tea for Two” soaking tub and both open directly to the sleeping room. Check out by 8 p.m. for dinner reservations at the Print Works Bistro. It is a tremendous value ($129), and for some folk that think like us, you won’t have to pay for an overnight babysitter! (Fine print: Sometimes rooms are available to check into as early as noon and… if it is just too wonderful and you decide to spend the night, we can let you know about availability and an adjusted package price.) To reserve, call a reservationist at Proximity at 336-379-8200.
• To get our Best Rate for any day of the year, please go to proximityhotel.com. We’ll have some extra special rates on many weekends and during the week of July 4th.

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Do you see stars when you visit one of our restaurants or hotels? You might, because we recognize and affirm staff members who consistently focus with us by giving them prizes, plus stars that they wear on their hat or lapel. We call them “Lucky Stars.” The longer a team member is a Star, the more stars they gain. To make the Galaxy 32 five-star level demonstrates that they played their roles with a genuine interest in their guests and fellow staff members’ experience for more than 2 1/2 years. If you know someone that would like to be a Lucky Star, please send them our way by suggesting that they apply at qwrh.com.

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from Chef Bart Ortiz at Print Works Bistro

• 1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream (Homeland Creamery is locally the best)
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Sugar, granulated
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 pound Chocolate, Semi Sweet Block 60%, chopped
• 6 Egg Yolks

In a sauce pan, whisk together cream, milk, sugar and vanilla. Bring to a boil.  Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, beat egg yolks. Slowly add chocolate mixture in a steady stream while whisking until smooth. Divide mixture into 6 – 7 ovenproof ramekins or cups. Place cups in a 2 inch deep pan and add water to pan creating a water bath (water should rise about half way up the ramekins). Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Custard will jiggle slightly in center. Allow to cool.

Yields 6-7 four ounce portions

©This recipe is property of Quaintance-Weaver, Inc. Unauthorized commercial use is forbidden.

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Pre-Ordering

When you are in a hurry, you can pre-order and we’ll have the food ready lickety-split. Go to the Hours/Reservations section of the relevant restaurant’s website.

Reservations & Call Ahead Seating

All of our restaurants offer these services and you can book a table on the website for GVG and PWB

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This is a great take-away service. Look at the Lucky 32 menus online and give us a ring. When you arrive, we’ll bring it to your car. It is really slick.

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