It’s beginning to taste a lot like the holiday season in the Innovation Quarter, thanks to iQ restaurants and bars that have added seasonal items to their menus this month. There’s lots of delicious holiday food in Winston-Salem this season! And did we mention the drinks?!
From seasonal savories to gingerbread garnishes, iQ establishments are making their menus merry and bright. We asked a few iQ restaurants and bars to share details about their special menu items, and they are certainly delivering on festive! If you want to get into the holiday spirit by enjoying special food or a fun cocktail, be sure to add these iQ spots to your list of places to visit in December.
Holiday Bites
When you find yourself in the mood for some holiday food in Winston-Salem, keep both Cugino Forno and Six Hundred° in mind. They each have limited-time menu offerings that deliver on seasonal flavors in unique ways. You could even start off with dinner at Six Hundred° and then head around the corner for dessert at Cugino Forno for the ultimate experience in festive food.
Six Hundred°
Six Hundred° is the recent winner of the Triad Restaurant Week’s Best of Winston award, a badge of honor that speaks to their thoughtfully prepared food and drinks, as well as their welcoming atmosphere. With that award under their belt, Six Hundred° is serving up some unforgettable holiday menu items.
Pork Collar with Plums, Braised Red Cabbage, Fondant Butternut Squash, and Port-Plum Demi
Holidays are all about comfort, and with this dish, Six Hundred° is bringing the comfort of fall food and giving it the sugar plum treatment. The pork collar is served with fermented plums, adding a tangy sweetness. Flavors like allspice and port make this tender, flavorful pork dish–and the accompanying side dishes that add to its depth and sweetness–one you’ll definitely want to add to your holiday meal line-up. And did we mention that it’s gluten-free?
What Makes It Tasty: Six Hundred° dry rubs Cheshire Farms pork collars for this indulgent dish and slowly cooks them in pork fat for 12 hours. The result? Fall-off-your-fork tender meat that’s seared to perfection before it’s served to a lucky diner.
What Makes It Special: This limited-time dish will only be offered through December, so make time in your holiday schedule to give it a try. If you’re really wanting to up the festive-levels, double-down on the plums and order the Sugar Plum Fairy cocktail to sip alongside.
Cugino Forno
Cugino Forno, part of the Bailey Power Plant group of businesses, is known for their authentic Neapolitan-style pizza baked in a wood-fired brick oven. Cugino Forno co-founder Joseph Ozbey spent eight months in Italy learning the perfect pizza-making technique, and now he’s using those skills to bring a sweet treat to Winston-Salem this holiday season.
The Nutella Pizza
The name says it all: It’s a pizza topped with the chocolate hazelnut goodness of Nutella along with other toppings, including pistachios, berries, and powdered sugar. Whether you have it for dessert or as a meal, the Cugino crew promises not to judge!
What Makes It Tasty: Cugino Forno bakes the dough for their Nutella Pizza first, but since they don’t want to cook the Nutella fully, they put ice on the dough before putting it into the oven. The ice ensures that the dough cooks on the bottom and sides, but that the center remains nice and soft. The water from the ice prevents the dough from rising and keeps it moist and soft.
What Makes It Special: Cugino Forno has served up their Nutella pizza before, and it was a huge hit! It’s a lot of work, though, so it didn’t make sense to keep it as an evergreen menu item. In Italy, the Nutella pizza is a common holiday tradition, so Ozbey thought now was the perfect time to bring it back to the Cugino Forno menu for a limited time.
Seasonal Sips
No matter your drink preference–hot or cold, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, spiced or sweet–you’re guaranteed to find something right up your alley on these iQ holiday drink menus. Alma Mexicana, Dram & Draught, and The Dutch Light have each created seasonal beverages that help make the season just a bit brighter!
Alma Mexicana
Alma Mexicana is known for their delicious Mexican fare and legendary margaritas. It’s been a beloved staple in the iQ since 2018, and a big part of its mission is to celebrate Mexico’s culture, cuisine, and history. That mission–coupled with their Winston-Salem roots–comes through loud and clear in their holiday drink line-up. Here are a couple of the beverages you’ll find at Alma this season:
Mexican Hot Chocolate
For a rich, chocolatey, sweet-meets-spicy experience, say “yes” to the Mexican Hot Chocolate that Alma is serving up this December. You can order it “naughty” (a.k.a. with alcohol such as tequila or vanilla vodka) or “nice” to keep it non-alcoholic (and still every bit as tasty).
Moravian Gingerbread Martini
Holidays meet Old Salem in a glass with this drink, which features flavors of espresso, vanilla, and gingerbread and is garnished with a Moravian gingersnap.
What Makes Them Tasty: Alma uses locally made Moravian cookies from Dewey’s Bakery to garnish their Moravian Gingerbread Martini, making the drink both delicious and local. Purchasing this drink helps to support two local businesses, a definite win.
What Makes Them Special: While Alma Mexicana’s bar is open year-round and serves a tasty margarita, the Mexican hot chocolate is a special treat because Alma only offers hot drinks during the winter months. Get your spice fix before the weather heats up!
Dram & Draught
Dram & Draught is known for a casual, comfortable atmosphere, as well as a knowledgeable team of bartenders who can help you find your perfect drink. Whether you’re in the mood for a beer and a shot (which is known as a dram and draught), a cocktail, or a thoughtfully crafted spirit-free beverage, Dram & Draught has you covered. This December, the bar is serving a surprise menu, starting with:
The Breakfast of Champions
The Breakfast of Champions is a whiskey-based cocktail featuring flavors of coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon. It can be described as nostalgic and creamy, with a dash of cinnamon sugar.
What Makes It Tasty: Get ready for a holiday hug in a glass. This tasty cocktail will be sure to warm you from the inside out, featuring some of the comforting flavors we associate with this time of year. The Breakfast of Champions is made with house-made syrups (as are all Dram & Draught cocktails), which adds a unique, delicious twist to every pour.
What Makes It Special: This December, Dram & Draught is celebrating the 12 Days of Cocktails. For the first three weeks of December (Monday through Thursday), they’ll be offering one cocktail special per day. This Breakfast of Champions cocktail is a sneak preview of the first day of the 12 Days of Cocktails! Keep an eye on Dram & Draught throughout the month to see what other holiday cocktails they’ve got planned.
The Dutch Light
The Dutch Light wins the award for the best-named holiday cocktails this year. With smile-inducing monikers like “The Polar Espress” and “Make The Mule Tide Gay,” the hardest part might be choosing a drink from their extensive holiday menu. Meet a couple of The Dutch Light’s merry drinks here:
Not the Gumdrop Buttons
With delightful, wintery flavors like vanilla, gingerbread, and molasses, this cocktail delivers big time on both festive and nostalgic. We can’t wait to visit The Dutch Light on a cold December day to warm up with this tasty seasonal special.
Cotton-Headed Ninny Muggins (Non-Alcoholic)
So admittedly, this cocktail first caught our eye thanks to its Elf-themed name, but it can stand on its own even without such a clever title. With flavors of toasted marshmallow, cherry, and orange, it’s a great option for anyone looking to sip on some festivity-in-a-glass while also saying “no thanks” to the alcohol.
What Makes Them Tasty: In addition to their clever holiday-themed names, these cocktails are crafted with house-made syrups. If you’re on the hunt for some holiday food in Winston-Salem to complement your tasty beverage, the cocktail lounge also has mini pancakes available year round, but to make them extra special for the holidays, they’re available with chocolate syrup and crushed peppermint topping.
What Makes Them Special: The Dutch Light also has a sister company–a hydroponic farm in Lexington, NC–and many of the ingredients for their cocktails and food are grown there. This “farm to cocktail lounge” element makes The Dutch Light feel extra special within the Innovation Quarter.
This time of year is always busy, but amidst the hustle and bustle of the season, do yourself a favor by tasting some of these holiday dishes and drinks for yourself. Use them as an excuse to slow down a bit and savor the season with friends, colleagues, or loved ones.
If you want to learn more about the food scene in the innovation district, check out our Restaurants and Bars page for more information.
