kathleen purvis's Profile
Looking for Offal in Charlotte
Grand Asian also would be a good place to try. They have quite a variety. But since you're in the Ballantyne area, have you checked in with Vic at What's Your Beef just to see what he can do for you?
NC now allows rare burgers!
That's correct on the rare burgers. Sushi is a different kind of protein and is handled differently. And mpjmph is correct (my stories run in both The Observer and the News & Observer as part of a shared content arrangement).
While the burger controversy is getting the most attention, what's actually happening is a sweeping change in the N.C. food code that will affect a lot of things in food handling. My food-safety sources are very excited about it.
Moving to adopting a form of the FDA food code is something that many health experts have wanted here for a long time. It will simplify changing to adapt to new science, and it also gives N.C. access to the latest research.
By basing our state code on the federal code, our state health officials also become a part of the dialogue when the federal code is updated every two years.
NC now allows rare burgers!
Jerzee, I double-checked with South Carolina this afternoon just to make sure. South Carolina already has the menu-disclaimer option. If you are over 18 and the restaurant has a reminder that eating undercooked meat is a health risk, you can order a burger rare or medium-rare, even though the state's standard is 155 degrees.
Recs for Albemarle/Norwood NC area.
Thanks for posting that, Carolinadawg. I had the same reaction.
Calling on Hendersonville-ites
Sorry, Leepa. It was an attempt at wry humor. But humor, wry or otherwise, often does not translate online.
As it turned out, I wasn't able to make it to the Flat Rock Bakery. I spent my vacation at Kanuga working for the Episcopal General Board of Examining Chaplains. We were tied to our computers for 13-hour days to get through the pile of work.
However, once I was set free, I was able to make it to 12 Bones in Ayden and Curate in Asheville. Both were religious experiences unto themselves.
Calling on Hendersonville-ites
"Report"? What a concept. I'll have to try my hand at it.
Calling on Hendersonville-ites
Thanks, all. Flat Rock Bakery and West First will definitely be on my list. I've been to Purple Onion several times over the years, although it's always worth the drive. And don't worry, Jeff -- I do get to spend a couple of days on this trip in Asheville, so already have a long list as usual (if I can resist the pull of yet another visit to the Admiral).
Calling on Hendersonville-ites
Thanks, Scirocco. Haven't I heard that there's a Mexican restaurant that gets high marks?
Calling on Hendersonville-ites
I'm going to be hanging around Hendersonville, N.C., for most of an upcoming week, and will have time for a least one unscheduled lunch and possibly a dinner. Yes, I can search on previous H'ville threads and I've done so. But the most recent of those seem to be answered in summer, and all seasons are not equal in the mountains.
So: Is there any place open in winter that I should make sure I have on the list? Tryon, Flat Rock, Columbia and environs are fair game, too. But not Asheville -- I have a long enough list to keep me busy there for years.
Charlotte - downtown or near Ovens for Tapas type fare?
Soul would be a good choice in the closer-to-Ovens area. I recently had a good time with the small plates list at the Wooden Vine uptown.
Pizza in Charlotte
I'd second that, with the exception of the middle slice. Give me an edge -- you get more of the good crusty crust.
Annual 20 hours in Asheville: Cúrate, Sazarac, Tupelo
Actually, the Admiral is a casual jeans place. Not dressy at all. That's part of what makes it so interesting, the combination of divey atmosphere with the high level of the food. You'd definitely want to drive, though, and parking is always dicey.
Hot Dogs in the Southeast
Soft-cooked chili, slaw and mustard on a steamed bun in North Carolina, particularly in Eastern N.C.
Asheville for solo diner interested in local ingredients?
For local beer? Barleys! Definitely Barleys. One of the great beer selections of anywhere in the Southeast. They also have some interesting choices of their own. Last time I was there, I had their coconut beer, which sounds freaky (and is a little freaky). But it was bizarrely tasty.
Mexican Homemade Mecca (Charlotte)
The easy way to spot it: It's on North Tryon right next to where Eastway comes in, and it's next to a car supply shop (either a Pep Boys or an Auto Zone, can't ever remember which, but it helps me know when to slow down for the turn).
Asheville for solo diner interested in local ingredients?
Asheville is a great food town, and the list of good places is too long for one reply. But I'd highly recommend The Admiral. It's small and I'd suggest a reservation, but there is space at the bar if you're alone. And since the cooking is mostly done behind the counter, the skillet-dance is entertaining. (I did a blog post on a recent meal there. I'd include a link, but Chowhound doesn't like it when newspaper writers do that.)
Early Girl and Tupelo Honey both also focus on local ingredients with a more Southern-/mountain-inspired feel. There also are a number of tailgate markets that are worth trolling through for local ingredients, especially this time of year.
-----
Tupelo Honey Cafe
12 College St, Asheville, NC 28801
Rogers Barbecue on Atando in Charlotte
No, I get a lot of requests for this one and I think they are referring to a cornbread that was thin but square. Kind of like the tile-style at Skylight Inn in Ayden. At least, that's according to reader descriptions -- I ate at the old Eastway Drive location years ago, when I first come to Charlotte, but I can't remember much about the cornbread. Mostly I remember the lifesize Frankenstein inside the door. Sadly, no, I do not have the recipe. I've sent out calls for readers who might have it, but I've never had any luck.
-----
Skylight Inn
4618 S Lee St, Ayden, NC
New Diner Uptown Charlotte
Site administrators don't like links to news stories. But this is from Helen Schwab's Observer column in May:
Look for the Midnight Diner to open in about a month at South Tryon Street and Carson Boulevard, just down from the Uptown Cabaret. Brian Dominick, part of the Cabaret ownership, says he bought the classic diner in Kings Mountain "seven or eight months ago," then shipped it here. He'll turn it over in three weeks to an out-of-state operator who, he believes, plans a classic diner menu - breakfast 24 hours a day, salads, chicken, sandwiches, oversized portions - and will need a bit of time to tweak it.
Gaston County, NC - more than just RO's
Tony's fans have ravved to me for years about the grape ice cream. But no one told me about the Sweet Tea Slushies.
NC Barbecue and Fried Chicken near I-95
Fuller's in Lumberton. It's right off I-95 and has an AYCE buffet with Southern-style vegetables, pulled pork barbecue and fried chicken.
Shrimp burger in Wilmington?
I had the Dockside shrimp burger a few weeks ago. It's not a "real" shrimp burger, with shrimp chopped up and cooked like a patty. It's fried shrimp on a bun. But it is Dockside, and when I snag a table there overlooking the marina, I'm content to eat fried shrimp in any form.
Charlotte to Wilmington
Second the vote for Fullers -- it's owned by a Lumbee tribe family and always has a great lineup of country-style vegetables. We stopped in last week on the way to Wrightsville. Also at PeeDee, another traditional stop of ours, I'm always torn between the peach and scuppernong ice creams, so I get a scoop of each. A third option if you're willing to stop for longer than 30 minutes is Dale's Seafood in Lake Waccamaw. You turn right onto Lake Waccamaw Road from US 74 and follow the signs. The sight of the lake is startlingly -- hard to believe such a big body of water is hidden back there. Dale's is your basic fried seafood place, but it's a nice place to sit on the terrace and have a plate of shrimp. And finally, if you time it right (they usually sell out by 12:30 on Saturdays), Ward's in Whiteville does a classic rendition of the Carolina chili dog.
-----
Dale's Seafood
100 Canal Cove Rd, Lake Waccamaw, NC 28450
Concord, NC?
I've been spending a lot of time in Concord lately for University City magazine. Downtown Concord's Union Street area has several places worth checking out, including Gianna's Trattoria, Union Street Bistro and Havana Carolina Cafe, which recently added a small Cuban bakery. Also on that same strip: Chocolatier Barrucand, and Chef's Choice Bakery. If you drive a little east of Concord, to Mount Pleasant (yes, there's an N.C. one), there also is Marvin's Fresh Farmhouse. It's in a small fast-food building that used to be a barbecue restaurant, but Marvin and Debbie Bost are trying to make it into a home-style restaurant focusing on all N.C.- or Cabarrus County ingredients.
-----
Union Street Bistro
48 Union St S, Concord, NC 28025
Havana Carolina Cafe
8 Cabarrus Ave W, Concord, NC 28025
White Horse - Charlotte
Why don't I just post the recipe for Charley o"Chicken Sandwich? It ran in Helen Moore's column years ago. Helen got it from Cathy Coulter, who waited tables at White House in 1975 and changed the name to 300 East when she bought the place. She said at the time that the only difference was they used chicken breast salad and they called it The Usual.
Charlie O'Chicken Sandwich
Serves 1. From Cathy Coulter, 300 East.
1 (8-inch) hoagie roll
Butter
1/2 cup chicken salad
2 to 3 tablespoons Thousand Island salad dressing
2 frozen asparagus spears, thawed and drained
3 ounces mild cheddar cheese slices
6 to 8 mushroom slices
Garnish: Chopped parsley or chopped chives
SLICE lengthwise and flatten in half. Lightly brush the bottom piece with melted butter and put on a baking pan.
COVER the top piece with Thousand Island Dressing, then evenly coat with prepared chicken salad. Add an asparagus spear to each half of the sandwich. Completely cover the sandwich with cheese slices and top with the mushroom slices.
BAKE at 375 to 400 degrees until lightly brown. Sprinkle with parsley.
-----
300 East
300 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
White Horse - Charlotte
A nice guy named Harry Williams sent me a history of the White Horse years ago. I keep it tucked away because I get so many questions about it. According to Harry:
The White Horse theme was created by a fellow named Bob Dowdy. The original restaurant was located in Dilworth, on East Boulevard, in a building that was once a residence. Bob and some friends tore walls out of the house and installed beams to open up the interior of the house. The attic was turned into a nice balcony area that seated about twenty.
I don't know where the concept for the menu came from. We basically served deli-type sandwiches. Bob himself named most of them - from the Nittty Gritty Grinder to Ravin' Ralph's Reuben. We also served a popular cheese plate. We made Sicilian pizzas which were mostly ordered in the evenings.
The restaurant was successful from the beginning. A friend of Bob's approached him and asked if he would be willing to sell a franchise. At that time, two franchises were purchased, Eastway Drive and Monroe Road. I never went to any of these locations but people tell me they were not in the same league as the East Boulevard restaurant. It was probably due to location, but neither ever thrived like the Dilworth place.
In time, two Charlotte young men, Rick Touchberry and Ross McKee, purchased rights to open a restaurant in Rock Hill. Like the Dilworth location, the original building was a home. They also tore out walls and opened the main room up. The renovation took the two Charlotte friends almost eight months. They were in work clothes in the building when I went and asked for a job. They said sure and had me put on the crew at the Dilworth restaurant. As I said before, I never worked in the Rock Hill White Horse.
While I was working for Bob, he rented a location downtown on Second Street and opened up another place. The weekdays were pretty busy but in those days, there was nothing going on weekends and the place was always dead as a doornail. Bob implemented a Sunday Jazz Brunch that had excellent food and music and complimentary champagne, but the concept never really caught on. I did work a few shifts at this restaurant, but my heart was in Dilworth.
After I left the White Horse, I lost touch with Bob Dowdy. I don't know who he sold the place to but I'm pretty sure he's no longer the owner.
As to whether 300 (East) adopted the old White Horse menu, I couldn't tell. I've never eaten there and I'd have to look at their menu to see if they are similar.
The only White Horse left is the one in Rock Hill. Rick Touchberry sold his share of the business to his partner Ross a few years after they opened (circa 1978) and Ross ran the business for many years. He sold the business about ten years ago (about 1998), but I don't know the owner's identity. They still use the original logo, and the menu is surprisingly like the old one. Many dishes have been added over the years, and a few deleted, but all the old favorites I recall are still available.
A few years back, CVS pharmacy wanted to tear down the original White Horse and the house next to it to build a drug store. This site is on Cherry Road, a block before you reach the Winthrop campus. The owners sold the original and built a new restaurant on Camden Avenue less than a half mile from the original. It is still convenient to Winthrop students and the restaurant is always busy when I go there.
-----
The Second Street Cafe
495 2nd St, Ayden, NC 28513
Charlotte in a day...
My picks: Amelie's for breakfast, Mert's for lunch and Savor Cafe for dinner. Or Zada Jane's for breakfast, Penguin for lunch and Dish for dinner. Or Fran's Filling Station for lunch and Good Food for dinner.
Thai in Charlotte?
I'm curious why no one suggested Basil uptown, other than to mention the name confusion.
Looking for Charlotte Restaurants
Glad to hear Keaton's is alive and well, HGC. That is one of the great food road trips anywhere.
Looking for Charlotte Restaurants
You've got most of it. But you missed the Greek connection. Charlotte has a long history of Greek-owned restaurants that dates to early 20th century. George Couchell's family came later, after surviving WWII in Greece. He remembers Nazis burning their house, and tells an amazing story about the family getting lined up in front of a firing squad, but the squad got called away for some reason and they escaped. George was 10 when the family emigrated here. Now he owns almost 30 Showmars restaurants, all in and around Charlotte. And they do make some mighty fine ice tea.
