Here are a couple of options:

RiRa-upstairs??? Oh wait, someone already recommended that. Upstairs at Aria is nice though I don't believe there's any outdoor space. Wooden Vine Wine Bar on N. Tryon -- you could probably take over the whole place. Rooster's in South Park has a smaller wine area across the atrium from the main restaurant.

Look into Foundation for the Carolinas too. I was just at a meeting there and it looks like they have some really nice rooms. The room we were in had doors leading to a rooftop patio with views of the city.

Roosters in South Park has a separate wine bar area across from the main restaurant that maybe you can rent out?

Concord Mills is one of the most depressing places I've ever been to. There is an Indian restaurant across the street from the mall that's decent but I think the OP said nothing spicy.

Ha, yes I did. I guess I was dizzy from trying to decipher that press release!

I'm looking at a 19 page Press Release from the DNC security people and it looks like street closures on that Sunday start at 9am, mostly around Time Warner Cable Arena. I-77 only closes on Thursday until 2am on Friday. Still, I'd avoid the heck out of the area if I didn't have to be there. The "protest" area is on that side of Uptown and things could spread out to who knows where, even Elizabeth.

Oh...and Carpe Diem on the Restaurant Week list is an excellent choice.

Also in Uptown is Rooster's which features (to copy C-dawg) southern food with a twist and uses lots of locally sourced ingredients. Same owner as King's Kitchen.

Second the rec on Midwood Smokehouse as I am currently addicted to the brisket there.

I wonder if it's a weird variation of Cincinnati chili (invented by Greeks) which is thin, served over spaghetti and also contains nutmeg!

Lots of drama: http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local...

Now, now...you know I'm MUCH too dainty for something that sloppy.

Is the sloppy joe just meat and sauce or is there something else like slaw on it?

I tried Queen City Q a week or so ago after work for apps and beer. Nice place, good beer selection, good happy hour appetizer menu. I didnt sample much but the pulled pork tacos ($2 each until 7p) were tasty. There's a large patio in front for good people-watching. And free parking after 5p in the 7th St. Station garage upstairs.

As for that brisket at Midwood, I was at Mac's (Cornelius location) last night for a quick meal and tried their brisket again. It was dry, tough and doused in sauce. It was fairly awful especially after just having had the Midwood version.

Is the La Unica out on Wilkinson near 85 still open? (I think it was Wilkinson, but maybe Freedom?) I went there years ago and it was pretty good. Pretty funky though and cash only.

Another vote for La Unica but I don't like the South Blvd. location. The salsa isn't like the Central Ave. and Huntersville locations and it doesn't have the world's best chicken soup either. At least not on the lunch menu.

Carnitas Guanajuato is good too.

In Uptown Charlotte (which is close to where you're staying) there's Vida, Rooster's, Halcyon, Dandelion Market. Not too far from you is Lulu, Smalls, Midwood Smokehouse.

Speaking of Midwood, I was there for lunch yesterday and had the brisket again. It really is remarkable. Tender with a big, fat smoke ring.

The special yesterday (this week?) was an east vs. west bbq plate with pulled and chopped pork. Both were really good.

There's a Roosters in Uptown (downtown) now too. It meets your criteria of local ingredients and chef + not stuffy. If you choose your wines carefully, you can get out of there within your budget.

I had lunch at Smalls on Elizabeth Ave in Charlotte yesterday and was impressed. The space is stark and fairly small but I liked the look. I don't know if noise would be a factor if all the tables were full but we were the only people eating except a couple at the bar.

Granted this review is based on one visit and a very small food sample but the place has real promise! The menu had a bunch of things I wanted to order. Our very capable server told me that everything but the ketchup is made in house.

My lunch mate and I shared the “Mulled Pear, Arugula, Butternut Crème Fraiche, Roasted Walnuts, Spiced Citrus Vinaigrette” salad ($8.) The pear was stuffed with about a tablespoon of the crème fraiche and acted as a nice compliment to the slightly bitter arugula.

I ordered the “Smalls Steak Burger: House Ground Hanger Steak, Leidys Double Smoked Bacon, Blue Cheese, Amish Potato Roll with Pommes Frites” ($9.) The burger was delicious and cooked perfectly. The roll was soft enough to chew but firm enough to hold the juice from the meat. I’m not sure I’ve had a hanger steak burger before but it works great and you end up with a burger with real beef flavor. The accompanying fries were fabulous, crispy with herbs and grated parmesan on top of the pile.

The beer list features North Carolina brewers. I’m looking forward to trying more from the menu.

http://www.smallscharlotte.com/

Might I suggest RiRa for Irish pub food, southernitalian? It's very good! :-)

I'm sorry to disagree about Kennedy's but I had one of the worst meals there recently. It's an Irish place so I ordered the corned beef plate. The meat was bizarre, like carne seca or a slightly less dehydrated beef jerky. The plate came with cabbage and mashed potatoes, except mine was missing the mashed potatoes. Since the service was so excruciatingly slow and I needed to get back to work, I didn't bother to ask the server to bring the missing food.

The deck is nice though!!

What's about Small's on Elizabeth? The menu has something for everyone.

I can't think of any restaurants that have separate areas for kids.

Right near the Raptor Center is an outpost of Lancaster's BBQ, not exactly "nice dining" but accomodating for kids.

Otherwise, you could try any number of the restaurants in Birkdale Village. They all seem to handle crowds of kids quite nicely. Some suggestions are eeZ for Asian/fusian, Big Daddy's Burger Bar, or Red Rocks. A list of Birkdale restaurants is here: http://www.birkdalevillage.net/go/dir...

I wouldn't call it "stalking." Oh wait, nevermind. We were.

Ding ding ding on the lunch thing -- I'm in.

Has anyone eaten at Zink in South Park lately? Size-wise would fit plus they have that great outside area.

Rooster's has that small wine bar area across from the main restaurant -- I wonder if they can set up tables in the atrium just outside that space?

Hmmmm...odd about the pork. The stuff I sampled wasn't salty at all. Hopefully it was just a mistake in the kitchen.

I will say that our server was really awesome -- when a friend debated about the pork vs. cuban sandwich, the server offered to bring him the other dish if he wasn't satisfied with his choice. That said, I'm sure if you mentioned the saltiness, they would have made it right.

I ate at Bentleys years ago and was not impressed. I'd compare it to a mediocre hotel restaurant. The view is very nice though and might be a good place for a pre-dinner drink.

I haven't yet been to the 7th Street Market but I can't imagine it's anywhere near the level of the Ferry Building in S.F. at this time (especially the Saturday market there.) From what I understand, there are many vendor spaces still available. I would be in heaven if it could come close to the S.F. market.

I went to Midwood Smokehouse for lunch the other day and thought it was really good. I got the brisket (part lean/part fatty) and it was excellent! A million times better than the brisket at Mac's. The fried pickles were not good and the BBQ slaw was just OK but I'd go back in a second for that brisket! I sampled the housemade sausage plate -- good sausage but nothing out of the ordinary.

The Three Lunch Hounds tried Chef Mark Hibbs’ new place in Ballantyne, Blackthorne Restaurant, recently for lunch. The interior space is dark but warm with some beautiful tile work. Service was professional with very small misses – but the restaurant was nearly full so the crowd may have not been anticipated so early after the opening.

The lunch menu has small and large plates with a lot of interesting choices from short rib lettuce wraps to venison meatloaf to soups, salads and sandwiches.

I ordered the speck, brie, and arugula panini with balsamic glaze. The sandwich came on a good rustic baguette with a heaping portion of crispy thin fries. The quality of the speck was good but it was piled too high. A meat as strong as speck needs only a thin layer, especially going up against delicate brie.

Overall, I liked the place and would definitely go back. Lunch Hounds: your thoughts?

I second the recommendation for Compare foods but for the produce only. Many of the grocery items are not a bargain except for some Mexican products like masa, tortillas, dried chilis and hot sauces. "American" products can be more expensive than Lowe's or even Harris Teeter!

That's interesting about the clove taste. I've had Mexican chorizo that has a slight clove/cinnamon flavor. Was this typical Spanish chorizo?

These two blogs alone + emails to SI and LL have eaten up a good portion of my work productivity in the past 2 days.

So that we don't get the Denver Boot put on this thread, are there any new "good" Charlotte blogs? (Although personally, I don't trust blog reviews anyway until I can determine if the blogger and I have similar taste. Just like CH I guess.)

Aria is in that Blumenthal link offering 3 courses for $30. That's a great deal and the service I've had there has been very good.

Vida in Epicenter (sorry southernitalian -- I said the "E" word) is OK but it might be too loud for an opinionated 80 year old.