mdatwood13's Profile
Dinner recommendations near City Hall?
I'm coming to town for work and am staying at the Courtyard right near City Hall. I'll be there on a Tuesday and Wednesday night. I am open to all cuisine types. If possible, it would be great if there are good vegetarian options on the menu, but that is not crucial. I am limited by a per diem, so I don't have unlimited budget. I'd say I could spend $40 on dinner for 1 (including 1 drink, tax and tip). Would be great if recommendations are within a 15-20 minute walk of the hotel (assuming it'd be safe to walk by myself in those neighborhoods). I'd really appreciate any recommendations. Thanks in advance!
Asheville, NC - weekend breakfast reservations
I am fairly familiar with the Asheville dining scene - my three favorites in no particular order are Salsa's, Limones, and Early Girl. Anyway, I'm looking for a place that will accept Saturday reservations for a party of about 10 people that has good quality food. Ideally, this place will have local produce, eggs, and/or meat on the menu as well. I have been wanting to try Tupelo Honey, but they don't take reservations or sit parties of more than 7 people. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
One night in Charlotte/NC: On the hunt for BBQ
You might as well just head downtown - downtown is about 15 minutes from the airport via wilkinson blvd to 277. Not sure who will be serving food by the time you get down there, so I would call ahead to anywhere that peaked your interest in the above posts to see how late their kitchens are open. Good luck!
Charleston - rec for casual dinner near the Market
I'm pretty sure Sermet's Corner is on the corner of King and Wentworth. I've never been there, but I know lots of folks who would second the recommendation.
Coming to Charlotte, NC
Sorry, but I have to strongly disagree with the recommendation of Fenwick's. There is nothing good about this establishment. I wanted it to be good, as I live within walking distance, but no one in our party of 4 had anything positive to say about our meals there, and we each ordered something different off the menu - including chicken pot pie (bland bland bland), steak (ordered medium rare, arrived well done), the catch of the day (no seasoning whatsoever), onion rings (way overcooked and more greasy than acceptable, even for onion rings), side salads (included iceburg lettuce) - honestly, we might as well have been eating at Shoney's. No joke. The atmosphere is cramped with zero charm (the use of "quaint" above is laughable). The service was average at best. Sorry, but I had to chime in on this one - I just can't let an out of towner waste a meal at Fenwick's when there are so many other good offerings in town. I know everyone has their own tastes and opinions, but...
Charlotte- Customshop or Carpe Diem
RICKO - What niche is that? Just curious what you meant by that...
One night in Charlotte/NC: On the hunt for BBQ
Sorry, but I have to strongly disagree with your recommendation of Fenwick's. There is nothing good about this establishment. I wanted it to be good, as I live within walking distance, but no one in our party of 4 had anything positive to say about our meals there, and we each ordered something different off the menu - including chicken pot pie (bland bland bland), steak (ordered medium rare, arrived well done), the catch of the day (no seasoning whatsoever), onion rings (way overcooked and more greasy than acceptable, even for onion rings), side salads (included iceburg lettuce) - honestly, we might as well have been eating at Shoney's. No joke. The atmosphere is cramped with zero charm. The service was average at best. Sorry, but I had to chime in on this one - I just can't let an out of towner waste a meal at Fenwick's when there are so many other good offerings in town. I know everyone has their own tastes and opinions, but...
One night in Charlotte/NC: On the hunt for BBQ
For NC BBQ recs, take a look at this site: http://www.ncbbqsociety.com/trail_map.html - I've only been to two on the list; one was great (The Barbecue Center in Lexington), and one was not too great (Carolina BBQ in Statesville). True NC BBQ fans will tell you that Charlotte does not have anything that will satisfy your needs. The longer I live here, the more I tend to agree. If you can make the drive to Lexington, do it!
My favorite pulled pork sandwich in Charlotte is at Lupie's (http://www.lupiescafe.com/start.html), but it's not really "authentic;" it's just tasty. I've talked about Mac's on this site before, and it's a good spot for what it is, but it's not an authentic BBQ joint by any means - it's just a fun place to go enjoy some much better than average bar food and drink beers from one of the best beer menus around. I recommend the chicken wings, hush puppies, and chicken quesadillas - there burgers look pretty good too...
In Ballantyne, I can't recommend from personal experience, but trustworthy sources tell me that Table Restaurant & Bar (http://www.bluerestaurantandbar.com/table.html) is very good. Like Ratcliffe on the Green, the chef makes an effort to use local/seasonal ingredients. I don't believe Table is open for lunch. That's all I know about Ballantyne - I don't make it to that area too much.
I second the rec for Ratcliffe on the Green - they are open for lunch and dinner, but I recently discovered that the lunch menu isn't as focused on local as I would have hoped. There is usually a burger from local grass-fed beef producer Baucom's Best on the lunch menu though. I buy their beef at the farmers market and love it, so you wouldn't go wrong ordering that. Dinner at Ratcliffe is pricey but worth it, and the dinner menu is very focused on local ingredients. Lunch is more reasonably priced, but outside of the burger, there aren't too many special (or local) offerings.
I also recommend Mert's Heart and Soul downtown for a very good, reasonably priced meat and 2/3 - soul food experience... the collards are out of this world, and the fried chicken and blackened catfish are very good as well.
If the mood strikes you to eat Indian food while you're in town, Copper on East Blvd is outstanding modern Indian cuisine - pricey, but well worth it.
Hope this helps a bit... Good luck, and report back after your trip!
Charlotte - Best Food Neighborhood for Visit
The Westin downtown is your best bet for a hotel. Mert's Heart and Soul is great for a cheap soul food lunch or dinner. Ratcliffe on the Green is fantastic for a pricier yet delicious lunch or dinner with a strong focus on using local and/or organic ingredients. Both are walking distance from the Westin. There are also a couple locations of Caribou coffee downtown. Johnny Burrito is a good local lunch option downtown as well if you're in the mood for that sort of thing. If you take the free trolly into the Gateway neighborhood (red line), Town is a good spot with an interesting menu. I like all the Plaza-Midwood spots recommended by pinogirl above. Penguin is great for what it is - a total dive that is well-known for it's burgers, fries, and pork chop sandwiches. Dish is very cheap for the quality and quantity of comfort food with a southern accent. Lulu is pricier but worth it - classier, lighter "comfort" food with sort of a french and southern twist - also with a focus on local/organic ingredients. They are not as successful as maintaining this focus as Ratcliffe, but I appreciate any effort at all in this area.
Asheville, NC - Restaurants that host private parties/events?
Pisgah View Ranch is not closed. I just spoke with them. Their season is May - October.
We have looked at Taylor Ranch and Claxton Farm as well. Both have not been very good with communication, but both seem like very good venues.
My Charlotte Recommendations
hi there - i would recommend renting a car, especially if you will be reimbursed. charlotte is a typical southern city suffering from sprawl issues and not the best public transportation. the bus system is okay, but i would recommend renting a car if you plan on venturing outside of downtown...
two very good places to eat downtown are ratcliffe on the green and mert's heart and soul. if you're staying around "center city," you should be able to walk to both of these places... ratcliffe is pricey but worth it. mert's is fairly cheap soul food and very good... both have web sites... give 'em a google... outside of downtown, copper is very good for indian.
Ingredient shopping in North and South Carolina
Asheville, NC, would probably be your best bet for a store like this. Of all the cities that I've been to in the Carolina's, it has the most pedestrian friendly downtown area, and it is thriving with locals and tourists for most of the year. It has many good restaurants featuring a decent array of different cuisines, and the folks there are very conscious when it comes to consuming local ingredients. I think a spice shop would do very well there. I strongly recommend visiting Asheville to give it a try. I live in Charlotte and grew up in Charleston. I think Asheville would be better than either for such a store. Charlotte is a very new city with zero character and no population density as another poster mentioned. Charleston might work, but overhead would probably be higher, and you would probably rely more on tourists than locals for business. Good Luck. I hope you post something to let us know where you end up.
Ingredient shopping in North and South Carolina
I second Crosby's - load up on local shrimp!
Ingredient shopping in North and South Carolina
sadly, most of the carolina's peach crop was destroyed by a couple freezes not too long ago... so most of the peaches we see this year won't be local... we'll have to wait another year... same for blueberries... :-(
charlotte, nc
This lengthy post on Charlotte might be a good resource: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/328070
For very good Soul Food in downtown Charlotte, check out Mert's Heart and Soul on College St.
For a fun atmosphere and very good food, check out Mac's Speedshop on South Blvd, about 5 minutes from downtown Charlotte.
For that meat and potatoes kinda meal you might be looking for, and closer to lake norman, people really like Mickey and Mooch in Huntersville. I can't speak for it personally, but it is supposed to be good.
Weekend in DC-Ideas?
Since you're big on the ethnic, Labanese Taverna is another very good DC restaurant located in Woodley Park. I recommend sampling several of their appetizers to really get a feel for the variety of middle eastern delights that they offer.
Pat's Cheesesteaks
Speaking of Jersey, the best cheesesteak i've ever had was from The White House in Atlantic City. It's the best thing that city has going for it. One full cheesesteak from there is more than enough chow for two people.
Chow near Charleston plantations?
Right - I agree that Summerville isn't close to the plantations. That's why I'm confused. My parents live off of HWY 17 in West Ashley, and when we go to the Mustard Seed, we drive to James Island to the Maybank Hwy locale. I'm 90% sure there's no Mustard Seed that would be convenient to the plantations, unless there is another restaurant that shares that name and isn't related to the popular local chain we're talking about. If someone can shed some light on this, that would be great!
Pat's Cheesesteaks
Go to Jim's on South Street. Better cheesesteaks, a slightly friendlier staff, tables where you can eat inside, and as far as I know, you can put whatever you want on it and not get yelled at for not knowing the lingo. I get provolone, onions, and mushrooms... delicious...
And for future reference, the best sandwich in philly isn't a cheesesteak. It's the roast pork sandwich from DiNic's in the Reading Terminal Market.
Chow near Charleston plantations?
Where is there a Mustard Seed West Ashley near the Plantations? Is it in Summerville? I only knew of the James Island and Mt. Pleasant locations. I find the James Island location to be better than the Mt. Pleasant location, but anyway... Through a little research, I see there's one in Summerville... Is that the one you're referring to?
Six meals in Charleston ... recommendations?
fyi - Al Di La is upscale Italian, and is in West Ashley off of Hwy 17, about 5 minutes from downtown. I've never been there, but my brother and his wife love the place.
Weekend in DC-Ideas?
Gospel?! Really?! I don't think so. I have been 3 times, and it was a live, low key, not too loud jazz band performing. And their web site (www.gbrowns.com) says "Sunday brunches are spiced with live jazz..."
Chow near Charleston plantations?
If they're headed to Boone Hall Plantation, Charleston's Cafe could be an option...
Weekend in DC-Ideas?
Sunday Jazz Brunch at Georgia Brown's is great. I definitely recommend that, and it is a great value. They offer you a high quality southern spread including a chef making omelettes on the floor. Then when you're finished filling up on all those fixins, they let you order an entree from the menu (an abbreviated sunday menu). The entree is included in the brunch cost. The food is high quality and delicious. Reservations required a couple weeks in advance.
Caribou Coffee at 14th and Rhode Island Ave is a chain, but their coffee is superb. The also have little baked items, but why waste calories on something like that. Get a real breakfast!
I'm not sure if I'd call it "offbeat," but it's off the beaten path for breakfast spots in DC - that's the Florida Avenue Grill. It is a delicious greasy spoon that has a good reputation for a good reason. Down home breakfast at its finest.
I recommend stopping in to Heritage India on Connecticutt Ave right off Dupont Circle for Happy Hour. Sit at the bar and order some Indian "street food." I love Indian cuisine more than any other, and I've never found this sort of offering at any other Indian restaurant.
If you like greek food and you're looking for a weekday lunch, head to the Greek Deli on 19th St between L and M streets - a short walk from Dupont Circle. You will be able to identify it by the line out the door. It's a to-go only spot, but if it's a nice day, grab your food and find a nice spot outside to eat it. The line moves quickly and you get a lot of delicious authentic greek food for your money. The daily specials are always out of this world.
Let us know where you end up...
Six meals in Charleston ... recommendations?
Boulevard Diner in Mt. Pleasant off of Coleman Blvd is a very good breakfast spot, featuring local southern style cuisine. This would also be a good lunch option if you're in Mt. Pleasant.
Five Loaves is the best reasonably-priced lunch spot in town - they have a few locations, but i'm partial to the location on Cannon St. I recommend a half sandwich and soup lunch there. Their salads are also delicious.
I can not speak to this myself, but I hear very good things about Slightly North of Broad (SNOB), particularly their shrimp and grits, and I am happy to report that they use local shrimp. They apparently also focus on local and organic ingredients as well. I think you can survive in business casual attire here, so you won't have to get too dressed up.
Another dinner suggestion I have is FIG. Again, I have not eaten here, but a friend whose food opinions I place in high regard loved it. And again, I love that they focus on using local ingredients. From their web site: FIG is an intimate neighborhood bistro serving a “seasonally inspired menu”. FIG focuses on the resources of the area to create a daily changing menu featuring Dayboat Seafood, an abundance of Local produce, and farm raised meats and poultry.
Be on the lookout for boiled peanuts if you're looking for a regional food to try. You can find these at the saturday morning farmers market at marion square downtown. Boiled peanuts aren't for everyone, but everyone must try them. They are one of my favorite things.
Oh, if you're looking for BBQ, charleston doesn't really have a lot of great BBQ. Sticky Fingers is a chain, and it is okay, but if I only had 6 meals in charleston, I wouldn't waste one there. There are two places I can recommend: Momma Brown's on Mt. Pleasant on Coleman Blvd on your way to Sullivan's Island and The Hickory Hawg on John's Island. The Hickory Hawg actually smokes their pork with hickory wood and serves it Western NC style.
Also check out this lengthy Charleston chowhound post:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/138316
Good Luck. Make sure you report back!
Charleston, SC.........
I can also suggest checking out this hound post: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/138316
I agree with recs of Poe's on Sullivan's Island and Coast downtown. Kaminsky's I would only recommend for an after-dinner alcoholic coffee or milkshake drink.
Chow near Charleston plantations?
If you're headed out to any of the West Ashley Plantations in the morning and hope to grab breakfast on the way, I recommend stopping in at Marie Laveau's. It's right off of Hwy 17 (Savannah Hwy) on Magnolia Rd near Gerald's Tires. (The plantations are off of Hwy 61, but Magnolia Rd is a perfect cut through to bring you right on over to Hwy 61 and on your way out to the plantations.) Marie Laveau's is a very good quality breakfast spot. I can personally recommend the pancakes and the omelettes. Both are very good. Serving sizes are quite large, so you really don't need any starters, but if you do order a starter, try the beignets. One of those per person is more than enough. They have GREAT coffee as well and offer delicious freshly squeezed OJ as well. On a weekend, you'll encounter a 20-minute wait or so, so be prepared for that...
... and i've never seen any roaches there ;-)
Spring Salad so good it deserves its own post
That is one heckuva great looking salad... nice presentation... I am curious where you live, though. Where can you get local avocados and oranges at your farmers market? I was able to get the first of this year's asparagus crop at my Charlotte, NC, farmers market this past weekend, and it was some of the best I've had. Also found some beautiful carrots, "green garlic," and lots of greens. Are you in California? Thanks for the inspiration...
Charleston
Thanks for the props, sarahyla! I just feel bad that most of the recommendations on here are for places that are either very expensive or just not that good for all the hype they receive. I also realize that for someone visiting and staying downtown, it might not make sense to venture to james island or mt. pleasant. I did see someone recommend Basil (the thai place). Although it's not the best thai food i've had, it is very good and the food is high quality - also a very reasonable price. That and Coast are the two best sort of off the beaten path places I've been to in Charleston. Oh, and for all the Jestine's bashing that goes on in this post, I am somewhat surprised. While it's not worth a wait of more than 15 minutes, I think the food is good - you can get a tasty good quality lunch at a fair price, and that can prove difficult in that part of downtown. You'd think it was terrible though based on what some folks report on here - and that is not the case. At least no one is recommending Hyman's though!!! For anyone visiting Charleston, don't go to Hyman's. People all over town recommend the place to tourists, but it is not good food. Go there only if you want to escape the heat and have a drink at their bar...
Claxton Farm, near Asheville, NC
Have any hounds ever attended an event at Claxton Farm in Weaverville, NC (near Asheville)? I'm getting married in Asheville and considering hosting the rehearsal dinner at Claxton Farm. It seems like a great venue. However, we just learned that they won't let us set up a sample tasting of the food until we sign a contract and pay a deposit. So they want us to fork over a couple thousand dollars to host an event centered around food before we ever have a chance to taste that food. Am I crazy or does that seem unreasonable? My worst nightmare would be to pay for my closest family and friends to be bussed out to this farm on a beautiful spring evening to be served up overcooked, dried out chicken and pork slathered in sub-par bbq sauce served with nasty cole slaw and potato salad.
Anyway, I always (well, almost always) trust the opinions of fellow chowhounds. Has anyone been to an event here? Was the food good? They have offered to give us references, but of course they'll put us in touch with people who liked the food.
If anyone out there has any feedback here, we sure would appreciate it.
