mrwaterslide's Profile
Has anyone been to the new Penguin yet? (Charlotte)
we went by the Penguin tonight. very few cars in a parking lot that was once jammed. someone on the street had told us that no locals were going there. there was one sad couple dining in a restaurant that, at six o'clock of an evening, would once have been jammed. we walked around the corner to the rehabbed Diamond Restaurant, to find an interesting freshened-up space, a spacious fun menu, a good juke-box, an eclectic welcoming crowd, and excellent draft beer. Our waitperson told us he had formerly worked at The Penguin, as had many others working there. The vibe is the Penguin vibe, in a fun, not-too-fussy space that is only slightly less funky (if a tad brighter) than the Penguin of old. Forget about the Penguin. it's not coming back. Go to The Diamond and make some new memories.
Need Winston-Salem Variety
My mother's in the ICU at Forsyth Medical, and I've been driving up there everyday for a week now. While I've eaten well, I can't afford Milner's all the time, and though PB's and Pulliams satisfy the three food groups, I don't want to end up in the ICU myself. I know Lexington BBQ is on the way home (and going there), but the other night it was way crowded, and I realized, Ohio boy that I am, that I would just as soon have a bacon, lettuce, & tomato sandwich six nights a week as chunk brown six nights a week.
I need some leads for a decent hamburger (cooked to temp, American cheese, no pimento), pizza, red sauce Italian, and ethnic of various sorts. I will drive a few miles out of my way. Open late would be great, as I leave the ICU some nights at 9:30.
Rare Burgers in Durham?
One of the things I most dislike about North Carolina (along with the tax on newspapers) is that the state mandates that all hamburgers be cooked to a temperature that translates to well-done (probably 165 degrees). It may be that you can go to Watts Grocery store and get a rare burger, but I wouldn't advertise that fact too much---they may get a visit from the State Health Inspector, and everybody's fun will end.
Charlotte---Lang Van----Owner's Name---Help
I did look there. Thank you. Is her name "No"? We had a favorite waitress, Vin, who was the owner's sister, but she graduated from UNCC and went back to Viet Nam to be a hospital administrator. So I'm kind of in the dark.
Charlotte---Lang Van----Owner's Name---Help
I'm taking a friend to Lang Van tonight, and, as always, I will be treated royally by the lady who runs the restaurant. I never have exactly known her name, though she has told us in the past.
Can somebody help me, so I can properly introduce my friend, without requisite embarassment?
Thank you.
Sunday night in Charlotte - looking for suggestions
Please note that if you are not from North Carolina, and like your hamburgers anything other than well-done, you are out of luck. Restaurants here are legally required to cook to a temperature that will leave any rare or mid-rare burger loving folk sad beyond belief.
Can Anyone Help Me Out With The Hagerstown, Maryland Area?
I reposted it on the D.C. at the suggestion of one of the responders and the Chowhound moderators moved it back.
Can Anyone Help Me Out With The Hagerstown, Maryland Area?
Something, anything. Will be there Saturday night. Sandwich would be fine, if it were very good to excellent. Local, ethnic, whatever. Traveling solo, prefer down market than upscale.
Thanks in advance.
Hagerstown, Maryland, Anything Worth Checking Out?
I'll be there Saturday night. By myself, down market, preferably, not upscale. Would eat a great sandwich were one to be found, or ethnic, seafood, anything that's decent. Suggestions?
Asheville Brewpub--Food and Beer
I'm going to be driving through Asheville Thursday P.M., and I wondered, if I've got just one place to go, for food and beer (I had great Belgian draft in Cambridge, Mass this spring and ever since then been on a beer search) where should I go?
Prefer no lame atmosphere, btw---want the whole package.
Fayetteville, AR?
What i should have said was that it was there the last time I was through there, which was perhaps more years ago than I want to think about.
Where Buy Whole Bean Coffee In Charlotte?
I will try that. Thank you. Still going to have to check out the Counter Culture cupping.
Heads Up: Evoo In Raleigh
I went up to Raleigh last week end to go to the Flea Market. I would have liked to try Poole's Diner which I had heard about, but because I had been outside all day on a hellacious hot Saturday, I went to Evoo instead to sit at the bar and have my favorite Raleigh meal (admittedly, I don't have a tremendous amount of Raleigh eating experience).
I just had this one meal at Evoo's that I really liked: the Greek Salad and the Lamb Sausage pizza. So hot and sweaty as I was, I ordered a beer and the salad. The bartender had already informed me that the pizza oven was out of commission (I think it is a wood-burning oven), so no pizzas for the time being. When the Greek salad came, it was awful, swimming in dressing that would have been a lot better if it had been Kraft's.
I informed the bartender about the salad---I didn't really want them to try again, but she took half off, and explained that the salad guy was "out of olive oil, so he tried something else."
I'll just leave it at that for your delectation.
If you are a restaurant owner or a chef with a pizza oven, a lamb sausage pizza with feta and mozzarella is a great idea. Let me know and I'll come and try it.
Where Buy Whole Bean Coffee In Charlotte?
I will try to this out if I'm ever down that way. Am up here in Concord, unfortunately.
Where Buy Whole Bean Coffee In Charlotte?
Where is the Counter Culture office in Charlotte? It sounds kind of fun to go to the cupping, rank amateur that I am. I ended up getting some good answers, and more flak than I had anticipated, but I like flak, so what the heh.
Thanks everyone.
Fayetteville, AR?
Is "Restaurant On The Corner" still there. It may not be any good, but it was definitely an institution.
Where Buy Whole Bean Coffee In Charlotte?
I've been to the Dilworth Coffeehouse in Matthews. To be honest, if they're all like that, I'd rather hold out for something with a little more pizzazz.
Where Buy Whole Bean Coffee In Charlotte?
Well, the South board seems to have the Triangle covered, but there's nothing about Charlotte.
I need to buy some coffee, and I'd prefer to not get it at a grocery store. Is there a decent coffee shop that sells a variety of beans?
Question re atmosphere at Highlands B&G, Birmingham
I'm an outlander who has only been to Highlands once, some years ago. I ate there by myself, and think I had a table on the bar side. It's what I would call a relaxed club for the people in the know.. It was neither stuffy, formal, or elegant, more like an upscale bistro.
I did not feel at all unwelcome, and can't imagine that anyone reasonably dressed would feel otherwise. I would highly recommend it.
Dining near Hilton Charlotte University Place
I don't get it---this fellow is staying at Hilton University Place, out near UNC-Charlotte, but most of these restaurants are a drive into the city. Is nearness to the hotel a consideration, or are we talking about two different hotels?
Concord NC: Anything good?
I ate @ Gianni's on a Sunday night because the K&W was already closed and that Italian place, Costello's, is out of business. The food was serviceable, but by that I mean serviceable for Concord, not serviceable for Charlotte, much less a bigger city. The problem is that the prices are, I don't know, more like Boston or New York prices than Concord, North Carolina prices. I could have eaten six times at K&W for the money I spent, and been a whole lot happier with more honest food. I will say that the owner, who may or may not be Gianni, was very nice to my mother, who is an elderly woman.
The decor is appalling---if Al Capone were to open a bordello in Concord, and really try to make the design appropriate, given the best of his ability, he might come up with something like this. I do think he would put up a few pictures, however, and not just go with distressed stucco in erotic swirls of blushing pink.
Lake Norman, NC - Dinner for 40th B-Day celebration - large group
I had breakfast @ The Egg and was not impressed. Not much atmosphere, and the omelet was one of those diner style grill omelets, with not much air or volume. My mother made the ludicrous mistake of ordering the eggs Benedict. I could have stopped her, but, well, it's her life. Suffice it to say the hollandaise was from a mix---and maybe not even a top-draw mix. Toast does look more interesting, but haven't been.
Concord NC: Anything good?
Thanks for the heads-up, Cyberjag. It is fair to say that this place just opened, so perhaps in six weeks or so (if it's this bad, they may not last much longer than that) someone will venture back for a second engagement. It does seem that Concord is a black hole of dining mediocrity. The hot dog I get at the stand outside of Lowe's is still my favorite meal in town.
Restaurants (not BBQ) in Salisbury, NC
I was just up in Salisbury today. Had my usual couple of dogs at Hap's Grill, but there are a number of restaurant options that look promising, and seemingly more on than way. There was a place called Warren's or Winchester's or something in an old house that looked interesting, and a restaurant called the Salty Caper (what other kind is there?) in a new building that seemed to have promise. Can anybody give me some guidance?
home style southern restaurant featured on cbs sunday morning
Mrs. Wilkes was still there holding court when I went there a few years back. It was a lot of fun, and well-attended. I might have mentioned to Mrs. Wilkes that I was a chef, and she got somewhat indignant when I subsequently refused to buy her cookbook. I mean she was unpolite about it, but her disappointment was evident.
The food was very good, but no better than an off-day meal at my grandmother's house, and not in the same league with my aunt, who once made a pan of baking powder biscuits, and another pan of yeast biscuits, for lunch, with no company coming, when I bragged about how much I liked her biscuits.
As a cook, my proudest achievement is that I can make decent biscuits without measuring any of the ingredients. I bet in the old days, everybody on the block coulda done that.
Sunday Morning Breakfast in Charlotte (Not Brunch)
Sam at Novas and one and all:
Thanks for all the tips. I had forgotten about Zadajanes. My sister owns a house near though (though she doesn't live in it) and I had promised to take her out for breakfast sometime. And Eddie's and Hotel Charlotte sound good too.
However, I had decided not to drive in to the big city, and, because it was more on our way, I went to a place in Davidson called Egg at Davidson Cafe. I found this place not here (I sheepishly admit) but on Citysearch. I figured, with Egg in the name of the restaurant, how could they go wrong?
Let me count the ways. I've cooked my share of omelets, but I've always liked the upscale saute pan omelet, not the downscale griddle omelet (it comes out square as it's folded into a package). Egg at Davidson serves the griddle-style omelet, with the shoeleather consistency. My mother ordered Eggs Benedict (I should have warned her, but I like to let her make her own mistakes) and I could see from across the room that the Hollandaise was the kind that comes out of a mix (Knorr is the Mercedes-Benz of Hollandaise mix makers). It had that lumpy dull sheen to it; not the gleam of real homemade Hollandaise.
The kicker was the hash browns. They had the taste and character of nicely browned shredded cardboard. There was not a speck of grease, shortening, butter, whatsoever.
Now I will give them their due: the orange juice really did taste fresh-squeezed. I don't mean fresh-squeezed as in squeezed that morning, on the premises, but fresh-squeezed like you can buy, i.e., not from concentrate. If I'm ever in the area, and want a glass of fresh-squeezed tasting orange juice, I'll go back.
Again, thanks, one and all.
Sunday Morning Breakfast in Charlotte (Not Brunch)
I see that there are two Original Pancake Houses in Charlotte. Are they decent, or over-priced and not worth the trip. I have experience with Walker Bros. in Chicago, which is kind of the gold standard for a breakfast house. Is there anywhere in Charlotte (more North and West than East and South) worth of trip? It doesn't have to be upscale. Is John's Country Kitchen open on Sunday? Where else? Need something in the 7 Am to 9 Am timeframe.
How does Napoli Pizza in Charlotte rate?
Hormel makes a sausage pizza topping that looks like rabbit pellets. I would bet a used cardboard pizza box that that's what their using (am a chef and more-or-less know what I'm talking about).
