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January 21, 2016 by Ron Wen 3 Comments

First Take: K&W Cafeteria for Tried and True Comfort Food

Front of K&W Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Front of K&W Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

When you say the word cafeteria, thoughts of college and hospitals come flooding to the brain. And normally it’s not always in the best perspective from a dining and culinary standpoint. But of course I couldn’t help but be a bit curious about the ol’ stand-by, K&W Cafeteria over in Cameron Village. An old-school Southern tradition, K&W offers up classic, comfort food and pies in a humble setting so off I go for lunch!

Buffet line at K&W Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Buffet line at K&W Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

First of all, K&W Cafeteria has been
at its location at Cameron Village for years in the back of the plaza near Smallwood Road. I normally see a steady trickle of families and seniors walking in. Inside you’ll find a small foyer area with cashier, I head around to the left to the waiting area which is empty at 11:45 am, woohoo! I scan the buffet line as I walk in to see what up. All down-home American eats on steam trays along with a nice selection of pies and desserts at the end.

Dessert area at K&W Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Dessert area at K&W Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

I grab a beige tray and roll of silverware and shuffle down the line with my cane (just kidding). There are about 8 or so entree choices but I spy some baked spaghetti which I’ve never tried before. Further down are the veggies and sides, I go with the yam souffle and broccoli with cheese sauce. At each food station there’s a nice lady who offers up a large portion of the K&W eats. At the end are the pies and of course I can’t resist and go with a large slice of dutch apple with crumble on top. There’s also sweetened and unsweetened tea as your beverage. They tally up my food and hand me a bill which is paid at the END of your meal at the K&W exit.

Seating at K&W Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Seating at K&W Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

Out in the dining room which is large and spacious, K&W has some attendants milling about but the tables are pretty much self-serve. I grab a smallish two-top on the side and get ready to eat all mah food! The dining room is decorated in a fairly innocuous beige (popular theme here) and the dining room is already partially filled with silver-haired peeps. I feel like a young pup eating here at K&W!

K&WCafeteriaCameronVillage-LunchTray

I dig into my sides first, the yam souffle is quite good and pretty sweet. Soft fluffy, yam mousse with a traditional marshmallow topping. Definitely there won’t be anything low-cal in this meal! The broccoli with cheese sauce is not quite as successful. Over-steamed to the point of softness, there’s not much texture left in this cruciferous green. But I’m trying to be sorta healthy here. The baked spaghetti is a large portion of soft pasta in a rich red meat sauce that has a chili-sweet taste to it. Topped with some melted cheddar on top, it’s a hearty portion of pasta, meat sauce and more but again, very soft. The food at K&W is definitely made for the senior crowd in terms of taste and textures, teeth are not needed to eat here!

K&WCafeteriaCameronVillage-ApplePie

And finally the dessert. I tapped out and brought it home with me but it was nicely done with a good filling and sweet topping, a very nice version of apple pie. Service in the dining room was fine and I was able to check out at the cashier really quickly. The whole meal runs $10 and some change with entrees at about $5, sides at $1.50 and desserts at $2 so it’s about average for a lunch at K&W but probably a good deal for dinner. I’m not sure if/when I’ll be back next but I was glad to finally try out this classic Southern cafeteria. It’s tasty, down-home food but a bit over-cooked for its audience. But if that’s what you’re pining for, K&W Cafeteria will be a great visit for you if your bar isn’t set too high. Enjoy it for what it is and isn’t, simple Southern comfort-food without any frills or style, just good eats!

 

K&W Cafeteria, Cameron Village

511 Woodburn Road

Raleigh, NC 27605

919.832.7505

Location on Google maps

K & W Cafeteria Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Filed Under: Raleigh, Restaurant & Bar Reviews Tagged With: Cafeteria

October 20, 2013 by Ron Wen Leave a Comment

D&S Cafeteria, Cary- An Old-School Cafeteria Serving Up Classics

Front of D&S Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Front of D&S Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

I admit that since I’ve lived in Raleigh, I’ve heard about this chain of restaurants called K&W.  But for some reason, I never checked the place out even though there’s one right down the street from me.  As luck would have it, a co-worker suggests checking out D&S Cafeteria in Cary which had been converted from a K&W so it’s game on!  I haven’t been to a cafeteria in ages so I have to confess that my curiosity was piqued.  I stalked the menu online to figure out what I wanted to eat and finally the big day arrives…

Service line at D&S Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Service line at D&S Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

First off, D&S Cafeteria is a non-descript brick building on the eastern side of South Hills Mall.  Senior citizens are streaming in when we arrive a bit before noon time, it’s the early bird special!  Inside you’ve got a long serving line with steam trays full of all sorts of Southern eats imaginable.  Salad, pasta, meats, veggies, dessert and more.  This place can get busy so you should have some idea of what you want to order before you hit the first server.  An LCD panel shows off what’s on the menu and you work through all the different stations where servers will either give you a plate or small bowl for your meal.  They’ve got traditional Southern fare like fried chicken, chicken fried steak, baked spaghetti and fried fish.  An array of sides and desserts finish off the serving area along with a smallish selection of drinks.  You get your bill at the end but pay on your way out.  Now comes the search for a table!  This place is popular with the church crowd so timing is everything.  Mostly booths and some slightly larger round tables, we find one that’ll seat five, take our meals off the tray and it’s time to eat!

Lunch tray at D&S Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Lunch tray at D&S Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

I went with a bit of everything: fruit salad, chicken pie, yam souffle, mac n cheese, corn bread, apple pie and unsweetened tea for $11+.  It was a LOT of food but I figured I wanted to try things out given it was my first visit.  The fruit salad was fresh and the cornbread solid but not quite as moist and sweet as I would have liked.  The chicken pie was a huge portion of pastry and dense chicken, peas and carrots.  Pretty much a chicken pot pie as a slice.  The yam souffle was fluffy, sweet and delish while the mac n cheese was over-cooked for me.  The pie was decent but probably from canned fruit given the consistency.  But nice crust, it was sprinkled with sugar and tender.  My overall take on the food at D&S was that it’s consistently over-cooked, soft and a bit bland.  But as I looked around the dining room, I totally understand.  We were pretty much the youngest people there and…  we’re not that young.

Chicken pie at D&S Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Chicken pie at D&S Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining 
Fruit, yam souffle, mac n cheese at D&S Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Fruit, yam souffle, mac n cheese at D&S Cafeteria in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

But I do think D&S is a great example of a classic Southern cafeteria and works well for people that enjoy this style of food.  Service is polite, efficient and fast, this place serves a LOT of people with large portions of decently cooked food.  But I also know that my tastes are a bit different and I’m not into soft, bland food which is sorta the deal here.  Would I come back?  Sure I would, but it wouldn’t be my first choice for my daily calories.  But I totally understand why D&S Cafeteria rocks for its primary audience.  So if you’re up for large portions of filling comfort food, stop by and check out this place in South Hills mall.  You can’t get much more traditional and family-friendly than this place…

 

D&S Cafeteria

1177 Buck Jones Road

Raleigh, NC 27606

919.462.8404

 

D&S Cafeteria Menu

Location on Google maps
D&S Cafeteria Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Filed Under: Raleigh, Restaurant & Bar Reviews Tagged With: Cafeteria, Pie, Southern Restaurants

May 7, 2013 by Ron Wen 1 Comment

Stylish Swedish Furniture and Savory Eats at IKEA in Charlotte!


As luck would have it, a business trip brought me down to Charlotte, NC and given I don’t get down here that often, I took a day off to hit up IKEA on the way back home.  I had already grabbed some sandwiches at Le’s Vietnamese but really wanted to do some shopping and eating at this Swedish big-box furniture store.  While IKEA is a huge chain in Europe, its presence here in the States is somewhat limited, they tend to be located in suburban areas of large, hip US metro’s.  This particular location is well-planned, right off the highway with easy access and egress to the parking lot.  The royal blue exterior and bright yellow lettering draws you in and plays off of the colors of the Swedish flag!


It’s been a while since I’ve shopped at IKEA so I was pretty excited.  The one thing you have to realize is that IKEA is a testament to Swedish pragmatism and efficiency.  In a country where everything is quite expensive, IKEA is about maximizing your space, materials and money.  Most everything is self-serve here so there’s minimal staffing.  Upon entering, check-in at the kiosk for a IKEA family card, grab a yellow bag and you’re ready to shop.   There’s an IKEA cafe right at the entrance but it’s not open right now at 11am. On the upper floor is all the showcases for your kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom.  The bigger furniture, they’re all set up as display models and if you like something, scratch it down on a paper  pad or take a photo of the tag.   You can shop and pick up all the items at the end.  Walking through IKEA is a bit like a maze, you get forced through on a path and stop and browse when you see something you like, very cool.


But it’s a big showfloor and you could spend hours here which is why they offer their patrons some eats!  At the halfway point is the second IKEA cafe and now that I’ve been shopping a bit, I guess it’s ok to grab a bite.  IKEA does it’s food all cafeteria-style, remember the self-serve mantra.  At the front are cash registers and the dessert case.  You can choose from traditional entrees like Swedish meatballs, salmon, ribs and chicken tenders.  I grab the meataballas with mashies for my meal, add in a drink and it comes to a little over $5.  Pay up at the register, grab your drink at the soda fountain and find a table.  As you walk around IKEA it’s odd to see so few employees in this big space but they run lean.  Again, think self-serve.  The dining room is light, airy and open with mod Scandinavian type decors, lots of white, chrome and organic shapes.  My meal is a nice pile of plump, browned meatballs, 15 to be exact.  A scoop of red-skin potato mashies and a spoonful of tangy, sweet and tart lingonberry which adds some acid to the meal.  And it’s tasty: meat, carbs and a little bit of fruit making for some Swedish comfort food.  Definitely a good deal for $5, it’s a lot of food.  I self-bus my plates and glasses, then it’s back to shopping!

The lower floor at IKEA is where you pick up all the smaller household items ranging from kitchen gadgets, vases, picture frames, rugs and bedding.  Once you’re done there, you enter the main self-serve warehouse where you grab your larger, flat-packed items.  Everything at IKEA is designed for efficiency, you grab an odd wheeled cart and pull the boxes off the shelves.  At the end, I hit a long line (not that many cash registers open) and there’s one final cafe where you can bring home a hot dog, ice cream similar to what you might find at Costco. And then it’s back home with your stylish and cheap Swedish shwag! While I wouldn’t come here on a weekly basis, shopping and eating at IKEA is a lot of fun.  It might be crazy to come visit on the weekends but if you can shop during off-periods, it can be a relaxing, fun and tasty outing!  And who can argue against a delicious plate of swedish meatballs?!

 

IKEA- Charlotte

8300 Ikea Blvd

Charlotte, NC 28262

888.888.4532

 

Location on Google maps

IKEA on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: Local Information, Restaurant & Bar Reviews Tagged With: Cafeteria, Shopping

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