Go Triad Restaurant Reviewer - John Batchelor
Exotic decor includes great food - Thursday, December 3, 2009

As you might guess from the name, Level 2 is on the second floor of a three-story downtown building that spent most of its life as the Center Theater. The ground floor houses Much, an urban bar, and the top story is Heaven, an open roof bar and dance club. I consider this the most exotic-looking restaurant in the Triad. Access to Level 2, which passes a rock wall and a waterfall, requires a stair climb. Billowing draperies frame booths down one side. Fabric-covered light fixtures cast a soft glow. Swaths of fabric loop overhead, creating an exotic look and taking the edge off sound. In addition to the drinks and beers from a sofa bar at one end of the dining room, wines on this list create special attraction. The selection of Champagnes earns special praise. On Thursday nights, all wines are half-priced. Hot, crusty, flavorful bread arrives promptly, accompanied by a blend of good olive oil with dried herbs, shaved Parmesan cheese, and balsamic vinegar.

Mark Freedman, a CIA graduate, is executive chef. I have admired his work in the past, at Mark's on Westover and Marshall Street Smokehouse. I was delighted to note his return after a hiatus of a couple years. I will close with an acknowledgement of candor. I, and a number of readers, shared initially positive but subsequent not-so-positive experiences in this location a year or so ago. This is a different restaurant.

"John Batchelor is a freelance contributor who has been reviewing restaurants for more than 25 years. You can reach him at P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC 27420, or send e-mail to john.e.batchelor@gmail.com."

Appetizers Soup Du Jour 5 Cuban Pork On A Skewer with Black Beans and Rice 8 Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Spicy Marinara And Bleu Cheese Crumbles 11 Calamari Fries with Honey Chipotle Sauce 11 Conch Fritters with Mango-Papaya Sauce 8 Hummus with Tapenade and Pita 6 Grilled Vegetable Pizza and Goat Cheese 9 Margarita Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil 11	Salads House Salad 5 Caesar Salad-Tableside For Two (Add Grilled Salmon - 7) 12 Black and Blue Salad with Spicy Seared Beef Tenderloin, Gorgonzola Crumbles and Balsamic Vinaigrette 11 Fried Goat Cheese Baby Spinach Salad With Raspberry Vinaigrette 8 Greek Salad with Kalamata Olives, Broccoli, Feta Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette 7 Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Stack with Basil, Oil And Balsamic Vinegar 10
Entrees Sweet and Sour Cashew Chicken with Bokchoy, Sugar Snap Peas and Brown Rice 12 Cowboy Steak, A 16oz Rib Chop with Tempura Onion Rings And Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes 29 Shrimp and Scallops Sautéed with Mushrooms, Pesto, Feta, Sundried Tomatoes and Marinara Over Linguini 18 Grilled Filet of Beef with Potato Terrine and Truffle Butter 25 Seared Duck Breast with Bing Cherry Zinfandel Sauce and Manchego Tater Tots 22 Roasted Half Free-Range Chicken with Hoison BBQ Sauce And Shoestring Potatoes 14 Horseradish Crusted Scottish Salmon with Citrus-Mint Relish And Brown Rice 21 Rasta Pasta Tri-Colored Tortellini with Caribbean Spices, Andouille Sausage, Mushrooms and Chicken In a tomato-cream sauce 13 Grilled Kurobuta Pork Chop with Smoked Gouda Shells And Cheese and Pineapple-Mango Chutney 20 Kobe Beef Burger with Fresh Mozzarella and Homemade Fries 10 Roasted Rack of Lamb, Pesto Crust, Israeli Cous Cous And Balsamic Drizzle 27 All Dinner Entrees Include Your Choice of the Soup Du Jour Or a House Salad

Level2 Late Night Menu Chicken Fingers $6 Grilled Vegetable Pizza And Goat Cheese $9 Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Spicy Marinara $9 Spring Rolls $3, $5, & $7 Hummus $6 Shrimp Tempura $7 Manchego Tater Tots $6 Gouda Shells $7 Calamari Fries $7 Cuban Pork Skewers $8 Conch Fritters $7

One of Greensboro's favorite chefs, Mark Freedman has returned to take over the operations of the former Carmines Restaurant, now known as Level 2.

Mark Freedman, 51, was born in Akron, Ohio and received cooking inspiration from his grandmother. Chef Mark was formally trained at the revered CIA, Culinary Institute of America and went on to earn a Ph.D. in nutrition from the Holistic College of Nutrition. Freedman has worked with locally noted Georgios Bakatsias at the Agora Restaurant, as well as Chateau Morrisette, the City Club, Avila Country Club in Tampa, the well-known 5-star Marks on Westover and recently, Marshall Street Smokehouse in Winston-Salem.

Chef Mark brings to Level 2 an eclectic menu of continental cuisine and regional comfort food skillfully prepared. He has designed a menu that offers extensive appetizers that double as a Late Night Menu that is served from 10 pm to 2 am. Nice touch.

A sampling of appetizers are: Seared Scallops with Fennel Salad and Saffron Aioli, Mussels Fra Diavolo, Hummus with Tapenade and Pita, Grilled Vegetable Pizza with Goat Cheese, Shrimp Tempura Salad, Black and Blue Salad with Gorgonzola crumbles and spicy seated Beef Tenderloin, Fried Goat Cheese Baby Spinach Salad with Rasp-berry Vinaigrette and more. The late night/appetizer menu items run $5 to $12.

Entrees offered are served with Soup de Jour, House Salad, or Wedge of Lettuce and include: Cowboy Steak with Tempura Onion Rings and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Filet with Potato Terrine and Truffle Butter (the potato terrine rocks!), Seared Duck Breast with Bing Cherry Zinfandel Sauce and Manchego Tater Tots, Roasted Free-Range Chicken Breast with Pomegranate Molasses Reduction and Brown Rice, Teriyaki Salmon with Green Papaya Salad and Brown Rice, Sautéed Shrimp with Corn, Black Beans, and Southwestern Ravioli in a Tomato Cream Sauce, Grilled Australian Double Lamp Chop with Root Vegetable Terrine and Rosemary Chipotle Sauce to mention a few delights. Prices range from $10 to $29 (for the Cowboy Steak). Great atmosphere, wonderful food, lively music… and a good time is had by all. Let Chef Mark Freedman take your dining experience to another level... Level 2