bellyspeaks's Profile
Spekuloos spread
Yes, that's where I had it. After putting it in my mouth I lost the presence of mind to ask where to get it.
Spekuloos spread
Had some of this stuff on a waffle at the Union Square holiday mkt today...amazing. Who carries this stuff in the city? Help!!
Skate Wing
Agreed! I remember hearing this one when cutting my teeth in NYC kitchens in '94. There's a story: how did this stupid myth get started and why won't it die :)
Pastrami in Charlotte
Delancy Street Deli in S. Charlotte. Not as good as Gliebermans but better than the grocer.
Here's What We've Picked for 1st Trip to Nag's Head
Tortugas Lie for Dinner, really, don't miss it.
Righteous Indigestion
RE: Charlotte and BBQ
Don't do it. Don't have BBQ in Charlotte. Go to a place like The Penguin or Mert's (for lunch). Whatever you do please don't go to Mac's for BBQ. Here's the deal: I like Mac's, i can eat there, and 3 out of 5 times it's good. HOWEVER, their BBQ has nothing to do with NC BBQ. And I hate the idea of people coming through town, eating at Mac's, and thinking the've tried NC Que. It's a disservice to the BBQ shops that are still carrying on a NC tradition. Good NC BBQ is the endeavor of multi-generational family businesses. One of these families is the Bridges. Stop at Alston Bridges in Shelby an hour short of Charlotte:
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=620+grover+st+shelby+nc&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&ei=04tLSp7CI8vBtweW0ZicDQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1
Another is run by the Monk family. If you stop at one place to eat BBQ in NC stop here, Lexington BBQ #1:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&ie=UTF-8&q=lexington+bbq+nc&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&cid=15584442706414187679&li=lmd
These places are the real deal. They have woodpiles in the parking lot and pits "out back".
Bakeries in Charlotte
Here comes the voice of dissent. Amelie's is weak, very weak. I have tried very hard to become a fan. What with all the accolades as evidenced here. But I can't do it. I applaud them for their efforts, and I give them props for being the only game in town, more or less. However, a quality pastry shop they are not. They have "the look", but it ends there. The aforementioned item, the macaron, is a perfect example. Go in and order one of each flavor. You will inevitably find ( as i have on more than one occasion) several grades of freshness or lack there of. Another culprit is their tart shell. Regardless of what's in it, it has been soggy and with an overwhelming "old" flavor. Now, those tarts along with everything else look great in the case, but nothing ever sings when it gets in my mouth.
In all fairness, i don't believe Charlotte can support a quality pastry shop. It's too niche, and people are too happy to buy stale macarons, rather than having none at all.
Upon reading this post I have decided that it's a bit harsh. I'm posing it anyway.
Best Wings in Charlotte
Agreed on crispy skin. Again, any type of breading/dredging is an automatic disqualification :)
Charlotteans RE: Holeman & Finch
I'll be in Atlanta for a Braves game and I'm thinking about grabbing lunch at Holeman & Finch. I'm putting the word out to anybody but am looking for some direction from the Charlotte community that tends to circle around common posts...you know who you are :)
So...have you been? What say you.
Finally, is it even advisable to lunch on charcuterie and offals before having a dinner of hotdogs, cracker jack, hotdogs, and cracker jack?
Thanks!
Best Wings in Charlotte
Thank you all for your replies!!
I've had a hankering for about a week now. It all began ( in a pinch) with d.d.peckers (!!?!!) Nothing to write home about but for $0.49 a piece, really not bad. Onward to days later and Wing Stop on 51. lynnlato I know you have good taste, and the sauces (teriyaki, hot) were very good. Unfortunately, the wings themselves were tiny, and in my opinion, way overcooked. Which brings me to tonight and Steamers. Wings were biggish and perfectly cooked, the sauces (teriyaki, hot) were lame. There was nothing remotely "hot" about the hot sauce. The teriyaki had good flavor but was too globby and thick to be enjoyed. So, to my surprise, d.d.peckers (i friggin hate that name) holds the midground, so far. Should the hankering persist I shall head over to Moosehead and put theirs to the test.
While we're at it:
What are your criteria for good wings??
Disclaimer: I'm by no means a wing expert. "Authenticity" means nothing to me in this arena. I look for medium-ish sized, perfectly cooked, un-battered/dredged wings with tasty sauces on the drier side. Blue cheese must have chunks :)
One Chance
I've got one shot for good crabcakes on a road trip next week. I've ben reading a bunch of threads and I'm stuck between Cantler's or The Narrows. In an ideal world i'd have plenty of time to explore and make it down to Crisfield, but I can't.
So, please guide me in the right direction Chowhounds....Cantler's OR The Narrows?
Help! Lewes to DC via 404
i'll be driving 404, coming from Cape May (the ferry of course) and going to DC. Need some Chow-worthy place. hopefully closer to the Chesapeake side. Looking for local/dive/casual/quality :) Annapolis area too...basically, anywhere along that route. If you know anything please share. Thanks!
Chow-worthy between Raleigh and Beaufort
Headed out to Ocracoke via Beaufort need a lunch spot past Raleigh.
Any suggestions?
Chinese food - Charlotte NC
Let me clarify. I do Dragons Court for dim sum only. I haven't eaten off their regular menu though, IMHO the dim sum there is pretty good and not really amricanized. When you rec. Dim Sum, are you speaking of for dim sum or for their regular menu as well?
Chinese food - Charlotte NC
For Vietnamese I have been true to Lang Van since a friend introduced me in '99. Lately I will stray over to Ben Than, essentially the same, but the dinning room is a little sunnnier at lunch :)
Chinese food - Charlotte NC
Haven't been to Dim Sum, the restaurant, in years. I hooked onto Dragons Court and have been faithful for sometime now. I keep hearing that Dim Sum is better these days, just haven't made it over there.
Barley salad ideas
Hope this helps!
My Barley Salad "formula":
Barley - toasted and cooked in plenty of salted water a la pasta, rinse in cold running water, drain well.
A nut - pecan, walnut, almond, etc...toasted, cut in pieces larger than the barley.
A bitter green - arugula, kale, dandelion...raw and left whole or cut to manageable size.
A dried fruit - cranberries, golden raisins, apricots, etc.
An herb - parsely, thyme, rosemary, sage...i prefer to highlight just one
An oil - extra virgin olive, walnut, neutral, etc.
Ratio 60/40 barley/everything else
Toss all with oil, S&P, lemon juice
Chinese food - Charlotte NC
Where are you going for good chinese food?
I've been in Charlotte since '99 and have long given up my search for good Chinese food in this town. We've got great Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, and even Korean. But where the hell is the good Chinese? I hit up Dragon's Court for Dim Sum, and Great Wall on 51 but that's about it.
Tell me Charlotte, where is the good Chinese food?
Naples and around - restaurants/markets
I'm gonna be in Naples next week and need some help.
I 'd appreciate any tips on:
-quality casual dinning especially great seafood
-good markets of any type e.g. farmers, ethnic, seafood, etc.
-specialty food shops
-a few options for higher end dinning
I'm mostly looking for info on Naples but I'm happy to know about anything from Ft Myers to Marco Island.
Thanks!
Philly Cheesesteak in Charlotte, NC
Possibly named Plan C.
sorry...couldn't resist :)
Charlotte Spanish Food & Drink
I've met one of those brothers when i used to go to Sole. Fong I think it is. That dude has been talking about opening a Pan Asian place for years.He was eyeing that spot next to Caribou on East just across from Sole which lay vacant for while but is now Breuggers Bagels(?) Where is Zen Asian Fusion? And what a horrible name.
A Simple Stock-Simmering Question . . .
Uncovered for temperature regulation. A covered pot will eventually gain heat and your simmer will go beyond a simmer
Charlotte: Tria Terra
Eastway was the first location and I started out there. It is very Jersey. I mean, low-rent strip mall, tacky cheap decor (are those dusty plastic grapes?), pictures of the Italian National team next to pictures of the local little league team that the kids play in and that they sponsor. You know where I'm coming from. The hot subs (meatball or chicken parm) are perfect, specifically when you get them to go and they sit for a while, wrapped up tight in foil, where they kind of steam a little and soggify to perfection. You can get a slice to go - put on a paper plate then in a paper bag. Retarded but straight up Jersey.
Then Park opened and it was newer, nicer, though still a little tacky (clean plastic grapes). Park is where I go now. The pastas are good and meet my expectations. I'm particular to the linguine with white clam sauce. The pizza, not the most amazing stuff, but is exactly what I grew up on. I go plain or pepperoni, that's it.
lynnlato- I hear you on the "back home" sentiment. There's a weird thing about Italian American food if your from NY, NJ, or PA. All three states have generational Italian populations. As such, I think things like pizza, or lasagna, or spaghetti and meatballs evolved regionally. I mean take pizza. NJ pizza is not NY pizza which is probably not PA pizza. Yet the three as a group represent something different (and better, hehe ) than pizza in the other 47 states.
Like Portofino. I recommend it because i think people will like it. But, I don't expect them to *really* like it unless they're from Jersey. So I'd say, try Portofino on Park. I think location makes a difference. I've never eaten at the Gastonia location. In fact, I've never eaten in Gastonia :)
Charlotte: Tria Terra
Ok. I'm not even being dramatic when I say the "veal" looked like lunch meat. I mean it was literally cut on a slicer, thin, like deli meat. The sauce, yes, should be beige. It's basically a tuna mayo with capers and lemon juice. And I agree, "beige sauce" isn't the most appealing looking thing in the world. And to be honest, the whole dish is intuitively unappealing. Right? Cold slabs of meat smothered in a cold fish mayo? But then you bite into it and (when it's good) the texture of the veal plus that robust sauce...the thing should just scream rustica. That's what I mean about proper execution. It's a very specific dish that's not really open for interpretation. I liken it to souffle. There's generally a very clear and high expectation of what you should receive when you order it.
The pesto spread rocked (at both restaurants), the intermezzo sorbet i only got at Tria Terra. At Terra I'd say "You had me at fresh cured sardines" and after I got the intermezzo I was pretty much shopping for ring.
Charlotte: Tria Terra
I ordered a vitello tonnato app and it was really bad. The "vitello" was like sliced lunch meat and the "tonnato" was like pink (why it was pink I don't know) flavorless mayonaise. Now, thats the kind of classic dish that you really don't put on the menu unless you can execute it properly. It's the kind of dish I won't even order unless I've been to a place a couple of times and am confident they can pull it off. However, Fiamma has been praised by so many, my dinning party included, I figured I'd give it a shot. Mistake.
My entree was a pasta dish that was OK. I don't even remember it (was there in august), just that I ate it but wasn't very enthused about it. I drank a Gavi di Gavi that was ordered for the table. Now, I'm by no means writing the place off. Any kitchen can have a bad night. But it will take some time and cajoling(sp) to get me back.
As far as my baseline for Italian, in truth, there are two. The first is the one formed growing up in Jersey. That is a particular "type" of Italian, e.g. linguini and clam sauce, putanesca, etc. For that kind of Italian I am loyal to Portofino (specifically, the location on Park), whose owners are from my hometown in Jersey.
After that, the second is, for lack of a better term, "highbrow". This is the regionalized "authentic" Italian which in Charlotte is marketed as "Tuscan" be it actual Tuscan cuisine or not. Mind you, despite my use of the term "highbrow", I do view this second type as a style as opposed to a check average. Fiamma, I was led to believe, was of this style, evidenced by their inclusion of vitello tonnato on the menu as opposed to say, shpagetti 'n meetbalsz.
Now, when craving this second "type" of Italian I go for Augusto Conte's places say, Luce or Coco or Toscana, take your pick. (Toscana is a little gem of a place that in springtime, may have the best patio dinning in town.) Therefore, when I really need to get bloated on osso bucco or whole roasted branzini, I'll hit up those places. Not to mention, their wine lists rock.
Charlotte: Tria Terra
Thats really a shame. Though everybody raves, I had a very mediocre experience at Fiamma, so, the prospect of "Fiamma South" is less than exciting.
Baconnaise
It would break. You can maintain it at a higher temp if you wanna get crazy. I once had a duck fat Bernaise coming off my station...what a hassle. If your thinking of a commercial application, a good immersion blender will will smooth out cooked bacon with ease. At home you'd need a really good blender to smooth it, like a vitamix.
