ickymettle's Profile
Where to eat in Charlotte, NC this Tuesday - Saturday
For one of your dinners I highly recommend Customshop if you're looking for something fairly nice, but still fairly laid back.
Soul is a fun place that locals love. Dish has been mentioned, which I would recommend if you're looking for something inexpensive and very casual.
Pio Pio is a great hidden gem that serves delicious Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken.
Alexander Michael's is close to where you'll be staying, and while the food isn't great (it's decent, however) the place has a great atmosphere and is a fun place to hang out and have dinner.
Smalls Food and Spirits, Charlotte
I've been there four times so far (all for dinner) and have really enjoyed it. I only have two complaints: (1) the music they play when I've been there has been pretty bad and louder than I would like to have a conversation (and it's not like I'm some old dude); and (2) the last time I went, they were out of about half 1/3 of their menu and several of their wines. I think it was more crowded than usual that night, and we were there on the later side, so I don't think they were prepared at the time to accommodate all those people throughout the night.
But the food has been delicious and I love the space. The first time I tried some scallops over some time of puree (I'm blanking on it now) and it was very good. The scallops were cooked nicely. Their charcuterie plate was delicious when I had it. The chicken and thyme waffles are amazing, but very rich. The chicken was fried to perfection. I have also enjoyed the espresso braised short rib. And the Korean BBQ wings are nice appetizer, but make sure to ask for extra napkins.
NY hound heading to Ocean isle beach- recomendations
Sugar Shack for ribs and crab fritters. Make a reservation, and make it for earlier in the evening than you may typically eat dinner.
Places for rehearsal dinner in Charlotte
Thanks, lynnlato! I'm up for a celebratory lunch.
We did speak to the folks at Halcyon, and that's when we learned it's above our budget.
We're continuing with our research...
Places for rehearsal dinner in Charlotte
Thanks for that link. I totally forgot about that, too.
Places for rehearsal dinner in Charlotte
It's not so much that I think it won't last, I just have my concerns. I was there a few weeks ago on a Thursday night just for cocktails. It was about 7:00 and there were only a couple tables occupied. I do hope they stay open, and maybe that night was an anomaly. Of course the DNC is probably going to give every restaurant in town a little boost for a little while. My understanding is that every decent restaurant in town is booked up for that week.
Places for rehearsal dinner in Charlotte
Gracias, southernitalian! We looked into Halcyon but believe it will be above our budget. Carpe Diem was of interest, but it is too small. We would love to do it in Bistro La Bon, but we're not entirely confident it will be open for another year. Vivace is also a possibility depending on the price and whether they can accommodate a party of 70.
The rehearsal dinner will be almost exactly a year from now, on April 19. We plan on having the dinner indoors, but if there are options that have access to outdoor balconies or patios, that is always a plus.
Places for rehearsal dinner in Charlotte
My fiancé and I are starting to look for places for our rehearsal dinner. We have some ideas, but want to see if anyone has any suggestions we have not thought of yet. We expect about 70 people for the dinner.
Asheville - Kid friendly pizza joint with good selection of local brews.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Asheville Pizza and Brewing Co. yet.
ny chounder visits midwood smokehouse and thai house university area (Charlotte)
I, too, had an experience at Midwood Smoke house where the pork and the chicken wings were waaaay over-salted. It was not quite to the point of being inedible for me, but it was for my fiance. I've eaten there numerous times, however, and while I I always find the food salty (and usually not in a bad way), it's never been as salty as that one time.
Moving to Charlotte and would like some shopping help
Also near the South Park area, there is Reid's, which specializes in gourmet foods and has a great butcher. There is a Fresh Market. There is Clean Catch, a high-end seafood store. And there is New York Butcher Shoppe.
Moving to Charlotte and would like some shopping help
Where you'll be living, you should have several decent options not too far away. Earthfare, a grocery store selling organic products, is in the SouthPark area (Whole Foods will soon be there as well). On South Boulevard, not too far from Pineville or from the South Park area, are numerous ethnic grocery stores, mainly Asian and Latin American. There is also a fairly large farmer's market not far from that location ( I'm blanking on the name of it, but I'm sure somewhere here can give it to you), and there are numerous other small farmer's markets around.
Pizza in Uptown Charlotte
Villa Francesca is the best pizza I've had in town. The Grandma's pizza is amazing.
Best lunch in downtown Asheville?? (Weekday)
I really like Lexington Avenue Brewery (LAB). Last time I went I had the Korean reuben, which was really good.
Charlotte: Winestore, anyone been? What are your fave deals?
I did the same tasting at the SouthPark location. I thought every wine they offered was good, except one didn't quite have the depth of flavor that the others had.
The Rockus Bockus was the overall favorite, according to an email my girlfriend got (I highly recommend joining their email list). My favorite was the Clio (unfortunately not one of the less expensive ones), but there were about 4 others that I thought were fantastic (including the Rockus Bockus).
That was my first time there, but after looking at their prices, quality of wine, and set up, this may be about the only place I go from now on to buy wine.
Charlotte - downtown or near Ovens for Tapas type fare?
Soul Gastrilounge is fairly close to Ovens (and between Ovens and downtown) and serves some very good tapas/small plates.
Downtown there is Dandelion Market.
Looking for good food in Mooresville, NC. Specifically fresh seafood.
Well, you can find plenty of that in Charlotte (about a 40-minute drive away), but I doubt, with the exception of Mexican and maybe Thai, you'll find any of that in Mooresville or immediately nearby.
Celebratory dinner in or around Charlotte
Yeah, Customshop is fantastic. I had dinner there a couple weeks ago, and it was amazing. Customshop is a place that has gotten better and better through the years, unlike most restaurants. And Fig Tree is a great place for a romantic dinner; just be prepared to pay about 40-50% more than he other options.
Celebratory dinner in or around Charlotte
Those are both excellent options. You can't go wrong with either.
As far as atmosphere, Lulu is the cozier of the two, as it's set in an old house and has a very quaint dining room. Halcyon has more of an open dining room with a great view of downtown.
As far as the food, Halcyon is probably a little more adventurous, and I would probably give it the edge as far as taste and presentation go. Lulu isn't far behind in taste, however, and is certainly some of the best food you'll get in town.
Halcyon also serves great, creative cocktails.
One night in Charlotte -- Halcyon or Harvest Moon Grill?
This is the correct answer. Between the two, it ain't even close.
Three Left-Handed Half-Italians Went To Krazy Fish (Charlotte)...
Yeah, I actually had excellent service there once and then it's been either mediocre or pretty bad. They haven't screwed my order up yet, however.
Three Left-Handed Half-Italians Went To Krazy Fish (Charlotte)...
The menu's crazy (or should I say krazy?), but that's what the place is going for and what I like about it for a place like this. It''s a place that could be very hit-or-miss food-wise, but you're generally going to get something you don't usually have and it won't cost you too much. The fact that it's so close to me and my girlfriend also makes it a nice place to stop in and have an inexpensive meal. I probably wouldn't drive across town to go there. But it's very representative of the part if town it's in.
Now their service, while friendly, is almost always an adventure, and I don't mean that in a good way. But it's never ruined my experience. In fact, we always end up laughing and joking about it. It's the kind of place where you might expect that.
I've probably been there about 5 or 6 times, and I'd say my food was, at worst, decent on one occasion, then good on several occasions, and great on two occasions.
Every now and then K.C., the owner, will be experimenting with some new dish and will just bring it out to you for free, saying, "I just came up with this idea, have it and tell me what you think." One time he handed me a plate of some spicy shrimp tacos that were pretty tasty.
In a nutshell, I think to best appreciate Krazy Fish, you have to approach it with a stoner-like mentality.
Three Left-Handed Half-Italians Went To Krazy Fish (Charlotte)...
I've been there numerous times. It's one of my favorite places for a cheap, somewhat unconventional dinner. The tacos are quite good. I really like the pork tacos with a blueberry chutney. They'll usually have a fish taco on special that's quite good (often mahi mahi). One time they had a kafta taco special that was out of this world.
The most recent time I went, I ordered a 1/2 rack of ribs, also a special. They were perhaps the best ribs I've had from a restaurant in Charlotte.
The sides are pretty good too, such as the jalepeno cheese grits.
Best Downtown Charlotte Barbeque
I copied and pasted this response from mikeh to another topic (but asking for similar types of recs). I hope he doesn't mind, but it's probably the best answer to your question:
"NC's bbq tradition is chopped pork, either western-style (vinegar-tomato-based sauce on smoked chopped pork shoulder), or eastern-NC-style (straight vinegar sauce on a chopped whole hog), both smoked over oak, hickory, or a combination of both, with no help from gas or electricity. You'll find neither authentic tradition in Charlotte. The best place to get a more generic-style disneyland tour of BBQ, and BBQ that's actually cooked over wood, is at Midwood Smokehouse, as mentioned previously. I would really try to go there as it's not too far without a car. http://www.midwoodsmokehouse.com. There's no place in downtown that does BBQ (good or bad) within walking distance, unless you're literally talking about roasted meat smothered in BBQ sauce. But as the locals know, that's not bbq, that's meat with bbq sauce. Big difference."
Authentic NC BBQ is just more of a rural thing.
"Low country" food in Charlotte and local specialities
Dish is very good and is a great example of traditional Charlotte cuisine, if there ever was such a thing.
"Low country" food in Charlotte and local specialities
Those are all great suggestions by Notaslavetofashion and hazardnc. I don't have too much to add, but if you're looking for a pimiento cheese sandwich, you can take the lightrail to Common Market in the Southend (there's another in Plaza Midwood near a couple places mentioned in the other posts), which is right near Price's (mentioned by hazardnc) and order the Pimmy D-luxe, a delicioius pimiento cheese sandwich, grilled with bacon and tomato.
Gastropubbiest thing in Charlotte?
Sadly most of the places in Charlotte that serve good, creative food don't have great draft beer selections, and most of the places with great draft beer selections don't serve the best food. That being said, of the places you mentioned: Halcyon has very good, creative food. I don't know about their beer selection; they may or may not have a great beer selection. They do serve some very good and interesting cocktails. Last time I went, I had a squid ink martini that was very good. Soul also has some good, creative food, particularly their daily specials. They don't serve draft beer, but a few decent bottled beers (not a wide selection, though). If you do go to Soul, however, before and/or after dinner you can walk downstairs to Twenty-Two, which has an excellent draft beer selection (no food), or walk around the block to Common Market, which always has about five interesting beers on tap and an amazing selection of bottled beers. As for Growler's, it has some good draft beer, but I wouldn't go there for a meal; it's mainly snack food. i have not been to Kalu but have heard the quality has dipped since the chef who opened it left.
Another recommendation I have that my provide what you're looking for in terms of food and drink is Table 274 ( http://www.table274.com/dinner.html ). It's not much for atmosphere, but it has some really good, fairly creative dishes and has a decent selection of regional beers on tap.
