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Column written by Robert Duke

Was messing around in Tuscaloosa again the other day and shook free of responsibility right after noon. We were talking about someplace we would like to eat and thought we could make it to one of our favorite local restaurants in Greensboro before they closed. Lots of places close right after lunch at 1 or 2 to clean and prepare for the supper meal or only serve lunch. Well, we made it at about 1:45 but were disappointed to see they were already closed. I had forgotten that since they have open hours on the weekend, they close on Mondays. Guess what? It was Monday.

So, we decided it was high time we visited another relatively new place in Greensboro that we have heard good things about. “The Stable”. They are open until 3:00 on Mondays.

Several years ago when I started writing this column I told myself I really didn’t want to write anything negative. Sometimes though, I just can’t help myself.

I will admit right up front, I was terribly disappointed with this place. It is my fault though. I was hungry or maybe even “hangry” as they say and I was in the mood for a good, fresh, chef prepared, hot meal. What I didn’t know was “The Stable” is a coffee shop. They do have food and what looks to be pretty good food. However, most of their fare is cold sandwiches and deli-like preparation. There was a good selection of homemade pies which looked great. But that too was not what I was looking for. They do have a long list of pizza types though so that’s what I chose. Otherwise, we would have had to settle for fast food as that was our only other choice between there and our house. We also ordered some of their homemade chicken salad to take home for supper.

On the one hand, this is a cool, trendy, Barista-type coffee house with a top-end, state-of-the-art, espresso machine. They have some awesome coffee blends from all over the world and also offer espresso, cappuccino, latte’s, and more. I will keep that in mind as I pass back and forth through Greensboro. When you’re in the mood, there is nothing quite like a good hot cappuccino and a freshly made slice of your favorite pie.

On the other hand, today, I wanted good, hot, well-prepared food. The pizza we got was okay. I was however, less than impressed with it. There was nothing wrong with it at all, but it just wasn’t something I will order again. Too bland for me.

My wife and I both ordered teas to drink as we saw they had the “bins” of pre-prepared sweet and unsweetened over on a bar for you to get what you want. We ordered our pizza, got some tea, and sat to wait on the pizza. When the pizza came, we were both out of tea and got up to get some more from the bar. To my chagrin, both containers and the ice bucket were gone. I asked where the tea went but was told they were out, and it was too close to them closing after lunch and that they weren’t going to make any more. Firstly, they were not nearly out when we got tea and no one else there was drinking tea. Secondly, by my watch, they were open for more than another 30 minutes and the server did not offer us anything else. It was one of those situations where you are afraid what you might get if you demanded some water or something. Noted. If only I could have turned water to wine. Oh yeah, they didn’t offer any water.

When we sat back down to choke down our pizza with no drinks, they started cleaning up around us getting ready to close very near our table. Seemed like they really wanted us to leave. So, after eating enough pizza to stop my stomach growl, we did just that.

The website says they didn’t close until 3:00 and it was only 2:30 when we were looking for tea. I was so mortified I will likely never even drive by this place again as it will conjure feelings best left alone.

I know they were ready to close but I came in long before closing time. I would not have squeezed in 5 minutes before closing and demanded an hour’s food preparation. But what if I had?

If I had realized they were an upscale, trendy, coffee shop with snacks, finger foods, and cold sandwiches, I would not have come in looking for a hot meal. I can tell you that I will not do that again. If I do go there again, I will eat before I go and will have a pinkie finger in the air and plan to sip on some Barista coffee concoction.

At supper, we cracked open the chicken salad and were again disappointed with it as it was very bland and relatively dry. We added chopped onion and jalapeno, garlic, black pepper, and avocado mayo. It was much better then.

All-in-all, this place has a lot going for it and I guess I am just too picky when Eat’n Out!

You can check out their menu and offerings at www.thestablecoffeepub.com.