Restaurants in Clemmons

Crafting each dish from scratch, Saffron's head chef Hari Kesavan marries the tradition of northern Indian recipes with Western fusion fare to deliver a diversely seasoned menu. Diners can prep palates with flavorful appetizers such as tandoori shrimp ($9.95), a poppadom basket flush with garlic-and-chili shrimp baked in a clay oven. The menu's Avant-Garde collection, named for its original font, boasts ensembles such as marinated lamb and portobello mushrooms simmering in lamb nazakat's almond sauce ($18.95), and the vegetarian selection supplies herbivores with spinach-laced homemade cheese in palak paneer ($12.95). Tossed in a rich tomato-and-butter sauce, tandoor-baked chicken tikka masala ($13.95) is among the most popular entrees due to its luscious taste and habit of shielding patrons' plates from stabbing forks and knives.

Now that we've entered the year where two-thousand is pronounced twenty, we've officially reached the future. Stay on the cutting edge of foodnology with today’s deal: for $12 you get $30 worth of tapas, drinks, and more at the tech-savvy restaurant known to its fellow machines as T1 Tapas. This futuristic marriage of technology, humanity, and tasty cuisine is located just a short 17-mile robo-datctyl trip from downtown Charlotte.

Though bagels were originally introduced to America in 1893 to eradicate cream cheese, bagels had no natural predator in the wild and soon began to overpopulate the land. Help undo the eco-damage of this deliciously doughy pest with today's deal: for $7, you get $15 toward all menu items at Owen's Bagel and Deli. Owen's is open every day in Dilworth's South End from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., so get there before the clock strikes four and all the bagels spontaneously lose their holes.

Founded by Jim Noble of Noble's Restaurant renown, the unassuming striped awnings and pale bricks at Rooster’s conceal an unconventional dining interior dominated by a wall of wine on one side and a wall of stuffed roosters on the other. The dinner menu offers Noble's tomato basil bisque ($7) as a soothing opener to a charcuterie sampler ($18) of chicken-liver mousse ($6), house-cured duck ($7), house-smoked salmon ($8), and other cured delicacies. Gourmands with a taste for heartier fare can skip ahead to sweet potato gnocchi with hazelnut pesto ($10), rib-eye filet ($22), or spitfire-roasted Carolina BBQ pork shoulder ($9) served with a side of Anson Mills grits with bacon ($6). All entrees pair well with assorted mushrooms fresh from the woods ($10), fire-roasted asparagus fresh from the garden ($7), artisanal cheese fresh from the artisanal cheese tree.

Housed in a quaint brick building with ample natural light, the welcoming café features buttery walls, chalkboard specials, and wooden rafters checked morningly for rafter goblins. Settle in the cozy dining room as you peruse the lunch or dinner menu for an appetizer. The grilled pita starter skates gracefully across hummus and a tomato-and-cucumber salad ($5.25), and chili sauce lubricates collard greens and smoked turkey for easy Crispy Soul Roll swallowing ($6.25). Greens run the gamut: try the Savor salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, and chickpeas ($5.50) or the iceberg wedge with candied pecans, applewood-smoked bacon and blue-cheese crumbles ($7). Co-owners Lisa Burris (a Johnson & Wales–trained chef) and Lori Pearson (a pastry chef) put a southern spin on classics like the 8-ounce ground-sirloin burger ($7.50), and Pearson keeps a rotating cast of delicious dessert bars in play.

Executive chef and owner Jim Alexander has created an upscale dining experience worthy of a world-class New York or London eatery, with a menu of contemporary French cuisine that remains accessible to all diners. Educated at New York’s Culinary Institute of America, Alexander has been widely recognized within the restaurant industry, including earning a stint on the 1996 gold-medal-winning U.S. Culinary Olympic Team. His mastery of the kitchen shines not only in the well-flavored meals, but also in Zebra’s characteristic, artistic presentation. Entrees include the flavorful tournedo of beef tenderloin, served with prosciutto roasted asparagus, rosemary-roasted fingerling potatoes, and a kiss of sauce ivoire ($28), as well as the popular Zebra Signature—a French take on surf and turf with beef tenderloin, lobster, shrimp, and scallops served over a bed of angel-hair pasta and tarragon white wine ($44). Endings come together sweetly with French flair in desserts such as house-made ice cream or the hot soufflé of the day.