The Foodlog is aimed at those who want an easy-to-use guide to easy-to-eat food in the Twin City. The way we organize the section and the restaurants we choose to feature is based around three key concepts of how we search for our own gastronomic choices. In addition to limiting our selections to non-chain or family-owned places, we categorize them by food type and location:

Cuisine:

• Mexican/Latin American (incl Cuban, Salvadoran, Columbian)
• Asian (incl Chinese, Indian/South Asian, Japanese, Vietnamese)
• Italian/Pizza
• Diners/Family Restaurants (incl most Greek, "American" and "Southern")
• Splurges and Special Occasions
  

Location:

• Downtown (incl West End)
• Southwest (Hanes Mall, Stratford, Peter's Creek, Hospital areas)
• Northwest (WFU area, Reynolda, Country Club, Sherwood Forest)
• Northeast (Liberty St, Walkertown Rd)
• Southeast (Waughtown, WSSU area)
• Clemmons
• Kernersville
• Sidetrips and Hinterland
  

First, we have categorized the entries and reviews based on the food type. Food type primarily means the ethnic or cultural identity of the restaurant's cuisine. Therefore, we have Mexican/Latin American, Asian, Family Restaurant/Diner and Italian/Pizza as our primary divisions. We also have made a category for the more expensive options that we still think are worth exploring, since by and large these are places you go when there is a special occasion worth splurging for, and also because we tend to focus so decidedly on the lower-end restaurant market that we want these ones to stand out (and we want in all other reviews to avoid categorizing by price).

Second, we have categorized the entries by location. The location categories are of three major types: the city of Winston Salem and its immediate unincorporated hinterland is divided into 5 sections. Four of these sections are the "quadrants" formed by slicing the city according to the four compass divisions displayed on city street signs throughout Winston Salem. We also have a separate location for "downtown" which is bounded by US-52 and US-421 to the south and east and enclosed by Northwest Blvd to include West End. Incorporated towns and major communities in Forsyth county have their own categories as well.

"Sidetrips" on TwinCitySentinel will explore both the larger cities one can qualify as a "day trip" such as Greensboro, Charlotte, Galax and Roanoke, as well as smaller towns in the hinterland of Winston Salem and beyond. By and large, we will include only locations which can be visited from the Twin City as a round trip in one day.

Finally, the Foodlog focuses on locally-owned and family-run restaurants which are not chain operations. This isn't a political statement; on the contrary, we actually like many chain restaurants and regional or national success in the gastronomy business usually means you churn out a good product. We may even cheat when we feel like it with the inclusion of a K&W here and an Elizabeth's there. Our real purpose in having this guideline at all is that we know we're not the only ones who are thoroughly disappointed every time we do an AOL CitySearch or Zagat lookup for a new and interesting dining experience, only to be flooded with Applebee's, Panda Express and Red Lobster. Wading through this is a huge labor when all you want to do is quickly find a good diner you've never been to before.

Since large, successful chains tend to have their own websites with locations and menus listed, and since their menus tend to be standardized and since you probably already know what they serve and how good it is, by and large we will not include them here.