Best Restaurants in Charlotte - Summer 2016 Edition

Since we are famous bloggers now - at least to our parents - we often get asked difficult questions: What is your favorite restaurant in Charlotte? Where should I take my grandma who wants to go to a hip place that isn't too loud? When should I tell my boyfriend I'm pregnant and what restaurant should we go to after to cry? Well, without further ado, here are our top picks for summer 2016...

Best place for date night: Soul in Plaza Midwood

Salmon nigiri with fresh wasabi 

Salmon nigiri with fresh wasabi 

y, tho?: #Javon had their first date at Soul, so clearly this is our top pick for a romantic night out. The mood lighting is spot on, their food is good, and it’s the perfect opportunity to show how adventurous you are (Rocky Mountain Oysters, google it). No one likes a picky eater--do you want a life partner or do you want to eat chicken fingers alone for the rest of your life? Man up and get the bone marrow.

You might have to wait for a table, but this is your chance to have one of their baller cocktails and find out whether or not you picked a Tinder nightmare. If you’re lucky, you will share a first kiss in the CVS parking lot.

Top menu item? You can’t go wrong with their signature item, the Pork Belly Tacos. Shoutout to the sushi.

Best place for a lady date: Dean & Deluca

The spoils of a girl celebration or commiseration 

The spoils of a girl celebration or commiseration 

y, tho? My girls know I have to shout out our #squad’s favorite watering hole. Why is it the perfect spot to celebrate a good day or commiserate over a shitty day? You can linger for hours, munch your way around the store, laugh/cry a little, and you are likely going to want to drink away some feelings. Here’s one suggested itinerary: make two (minimum) rounds of all the free samples, purchase a bottle of wine and procure some plastic cups, eat a lot of bulk bin candy, buy a panini, buy another bottle of wine, buy more candy, call your significant other and tell them you are going to miss dinner and they shouldn’t wait up.

Do you feel disappointed that we picked a chain? Well, cheer up, buttercup, because we are lucky to have (count ‘em) three locations of this New York-based chain--the only others in the US are in California and...Kansas (we are as confused as you are).

Top menu item? A dry white wine paired with naturally colored gummy bears, obviously.

Runner up? Foxcroft Wine Bar in Dilworth (get the donuts). 

Best place for a man date: Seoul Food Meat Company

Chicarrones

Chicarrones

y, tho? Not to perpetuate a stereotype, but most dudes like meat. Most ladies do, too, but lest I digress from my category...Seoul is a nice place for the men in your life to bond over a platter of meat, soju, and K-pop. The atmosphere is chill and the food comes out quickly. Perfect opportunity to bond, eat, and get out to go home and watch sports in bed in your boxers. Livin’ the dream. Read our review of their soft open here.  

Top menu item? Green Tea Biscuits!!11!! We each shed a single tear over these beauties.

Best place to take your parents: The Summit Room

Deviled eggs, with flare 

Deviled eggs, with flare 

y, tho? Your parents want something safe. It’s true 98% of the time. Yvonne’s mom Bea likes Futo Buta, but it’s a long shot for a lot of parental types. Go for the sure thing. The Summit Room has a lovely atmosphere and patio, amazing cocktails, and sure-fire menu items that are guaranteed to please your parents’ sometimes picky palates. Read our full review here. 

Runner up? Roosters in Southpark or Uptown

Best place to go on a Sunday: TIE--Super G Mart & Ru Sans

Literally not going tomorrow YOU CAN'T MAKE ME

Literally not going tomorrow YOU CAN'T MAKE ME

y, tho? It is so nice to begin a week on a note of good sushi or bubble tea. Also, Ru Sans tends to not be as crazy crowded on Sunday, and who feels like cooking when you have the Sunday Scaries? Not me. I never cook on Sundays because I am too busy freaking out about my unfinished lesson plans and grading, so I have to lie in bed for a long time contemplating my life choices. Duh.

Super G Mart is where we go for #HoneyBunSundays. Inside of Super G Mart (an oasis located off of the wasteland of Independence) there is a cafe called Honey Bun’s. Here they have delights including taro buns, bahn mi, fried rice, pho, and other wonders. Wandering around a large Asian market and looking at foreign candy and durian is a great way to distract you from the fact that you have to go to FREAKING WORK the next day. Ew.

Top menu item? Ru Sans: Curry Rice Ball &  Honey Bun’s: Almond Milk Tea with Boba

Best place to go when you wanna feel healthy AF: Chopt

Oh dis beautiful 

Oh dis beautiful 

y, tho? Another chain, but seriously: Chopt is the best thing to come from New York since Jason moved back home from NYU. The salads are huge, actually healthy (unlike some takeout salads), and customizable. You can specify how much dressing you would like, just how chopped you want your salad, and all of the toppings. What is it about chopping that makes a salad so much more appealing? This place gets crazy busy with lululemon cult members around lunch time, so plan your visits accordingly.

Top menu item? The freaking tea! So good. Top off the organic green tea with the raspberry lemonade for a hint of sweetness.

Best place to go for brunch: littleSpoon

And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak

And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak

y, tho? littleSpoon straight up innovates on their menu. There is not another brunch place in town that offers such creative and delicious menu offerings. They serve a solid mix of standard brunch fare, southern favorites, and healthier items. And who doesn’t like a side of hardcore rap with their morning meal?

Top menu item? Cinnamon brûlée toast & pork belly bacon.

Best place for pizza: Blaze

y, tho? Yvonne is constantly on the search for the best pizza, because she loves pizza almost as much as she loves  saltines (#deathrowmeal). She used to be a devotee of Fuel (much to the chagrin of her friends), but Blaze blows Fuel out of the water, plus the chain is partly owned by LeBron James (Ohio pride + sportiness = win/win).

Runner up? Intermezzo in Midwood

Best place to take out of town guests when you want to prove that Charlotte is the shit: Fahrenheit

YAY FOOD AND PRETTY VIEWS

YAY FOOD AND PRETTY VIEWS

y, tho? If you visit Fahrenheit and don’t take a picture on their rooftop deck with the Charlotte skyline in the back, did you even go? No, definitely not. You were at home being friendless and hopelessly uncool, so for the love of god TAKE THAT COUPLE SHOT. Take two for good measure.

Oh yeah, the food is good, too. Our favorites include the Charlotte “Nachos,” the Kobe Beef Short Rib Steamed Buns, and the Lobster Mac.

Runner up?  Passion8 in Elizabeth

Best place to take Grandma: Nowhere. Literally no where.

Like, I'll go to The Punch Room, but I'm not gonna like it

Like, I'll go to The Punch Room, but I'm not gonna like it

y, tho? Actual Grandma quote: “You know, I was thinking, and there is really no place I like to eat anymore. There’s just nothing that's any good.” Solution? Grandma will just cook, and that’s the best cuisine in Charlotte/Ft. Mill, hands down.  

Top Grandma dish? Chocolate pie. Only available on birthdays.

Frankie’s Notes: Identity crisis: are we still allowed to have a food blog if we like so many chains?; Eating fried beef testicles will either cement your love and lifetime devotion to adventurous eats, or have you driving to an Olive Garden together ASAP; Sundays are for lovers & freaking out; #sundayscaries; LeBron can ball AND sell pizza--what do you do?; Yvonne does the saltine challenge just for fun; If you go to Grandma’s and try to "order" a chocolate pie, she will cut you and press her life alert. Unless it’s your birthday, of course.


 

Comida

Background: Comida, opened in March of this year, is the second Charlotte project from Alesha Sin Vanata, owner of littleSpoon. Comida is located in Plaza Midwood, in the old Penguin location. They have completely gutted and revamped the space, but they did leave the original penguin sign outside, which is a great nod to Charlotte history, as so many natives feel very nostalgic about this spot. Scallionpancake loves littleSpoon, so expectations were high for Comida.  

Eat This: Comida’s menu focuses on small plates, but the menu itself is rather difficult to read. Like littleSpoon’s menu, they use the clipboard format, but there are about 5 pages of items, which makes the search rather overwhelming.

What’s crystal clear? You must order the chips and guacamole. This typically goes without saying at a Mexican restaurant, but here the chips are aptly described as “chewy,” which, it turns out, is a delicious way to prepare them. Their refried “beans” are also quite good and healthier than the average fare--they are made with refried lentils and queso fresco. Not particularly healthy, but really good? The Chicharrones. Just make sure to ask for extra hot sauce. Note--these are the puffed wheat version of chicharones--no pork here.

The Nachos Jardin is also deliciously different--topped with crispy kale and cauliflower and melty queso. These make a great main dish, even though they are listed as an appetizer.

The tacos were passable; there was nothing stand-out about them, however. They do have a Nopales (cactus) taco, which is a nice and unusual addition. To be fair, on both of our visits, no one in our party got a main dish other than tacos--we made a meal of the appetizers, tacos, and delicious cocktails.

Bottom line: littleSpoon changed the brunch game in Charlotte, and Comida falls far below that bar. To compare it to another Mexican joint? We would rather have Sabor. Solid “mehs” all around.

Desserts: Oh yeah, we ate all the desserts on the menu, too. Would you expect anything less? We had a delicious chia seed ice cream topped with cubes of pumpkin bread pudding, and a custard with jellied fruit topped with popcorn. These were both fabulous.

Drink: The cocktail selection is large and in charge. My favorite is the Tamarind Margarita. I always feel like there is too little tamarind in my life, so I appreciated the option. Some of the cocktails were far too sweet, like the Paloma and the Watermelon Jalapeno Margarita.

Atmosphere: When we went, the patio was not yet open, though I am sure it is now. I think sitting outside would certainly help the atmosphere--inside was a bit cramped and freezing. Cool elements? Astroturf accents, an awesome bar, and an open kitchen. Totally revamped from Previous Penguin Style (PPS).

Mexican Hospitality: Eh. Our service on both visits, from the hostesses to the servers, was rather snotty. We often get this attitude at littleSpoon, too. Maybe that’s what the management is going for? #toocoolforschool

Frankie’s Notes: We would wait 30 minutes for littleSpoon, but not for Comida; Menus should incorporate more chia and tamarind; If you put kale on nachos you can call it a health food; Jason doesn’t really like Mexican food, but we promise he is anti-Trump; Snotty service doesn’t trick us into thinking your food is better; We are obviously on Team Diamond in the Penguin versus Diamond saga.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Et Cetera:
1205 Thomas Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28205

Here is a link to Comida’s wesbite, but it is still a shell...https://comidaclt.com/

 

Batch Craft

Background: Batch Craft was founded in 2015 by Zan Maddox & Tamara LaValla, a creative couple based in Rock Hill, SC. Their goal is to use their love of travel and their creative talents to produce small, limited edition "batches" of inspired treasures for our loving consumption. Their first few batches have focused on chocolate, which is a scallionpancake favorite! Their plans are to expand from chocolate to other treats and different arts and crafts.

Order This: Chocolate...duh! They are currently selling their 5th batch of chocolate bars with cacao sourced from Ecuador (limited edition of 200 bars for each flavor). They make all of their chocolate in house (literally in their house) with cacao beans that they source directly from farmers in the country which they are making their current batch. For $20 you get to pick 3 chocolate bars from their four different flavors - dark, coffee, vanilla, and salt. All the bars are 65% chocolate, which means they are considered dark chocolate, but not too dark that they taste like you're eating bitter earth. The extra ingredients - sugar, vanilla, coffee, salt, and cocoa butter - are all organic and sourced from the best places on earth. For instance, they  get their salt from Bull's Bay Charleston and their coffee from Pure Intentions.

But enough about the ingredients, let's talk about the taste! All of the bars were super creamy and nutty, with the 65% chocolate being the perfect amount to bring out the chocolate flavor without getting the crappy bitter aftertaste. We ordered the dark, vanilla, and salt. Our favorite was the salt, which had the perfect combination of sweet chocolate body, cooled off and balanced with the salt; however, we are splitting hairs as all of the bars were excellent.

Riverwalk Hospitality: The chocolates come in adorable packaging with personal notes from "Zammy." Each bar is individually numbered and comes with the following inscription: "Handcrafted with love & OCD in our Rock Hill, SC kitchen." They will also hand delivery the chocolate to you if you live in the area.

Frankie's Notes: I would eat all the chocolate in the world if it wouldn't kill me; "Love & OCD" would be the name of Yvonne's memoir; Sometimes if you close your eyes and eat chocolate you can pretend you are Willy Wonka; Javon's #1 fear is leaving the chocolate on the counter and coming home to Ollie having the ingenuity to open 3 layers of packaging and committing "death by chocolate."

Rating: A must buy!

Et Cetera: 

www.batchcraft.com

 
Source: http://www.batchcraft.com/

Asolare

Background: Asolare is located on top of Caneel Hill and overlooks Cruz Bay. It was originally a single family house that hosted some of the most famous St John residences - including Laurence Rockefeller. In 1994 Winston Bennett converted the home into the restaurant it is today. Asolare is considered by the locals to be one of the top two or three restaurants on the island.

Order This: The menu at Asolare is self proclaimed "Asian Fusion." I think it's more American with a kiss of asian and Caribbean flares. Yes they have spring rolls, gyoza, curry, and Japanese pancakes, but most of their dishes are classic American with subtle hints of Asian and Caribbean influences.

Take for instance our favorite appetizer of the night, the Japanese pancake. This pancake tasted more like a sweet american flapjack then a classic scallionpancake (#muffinsofchina), but it was filled with shrimp, calamari, pork belly, and other delicious random sea meats. It was also topped with a spicy chipotle sauce and mixed greens.

They had a special appetizer of the night, which was homemade barrata with local honey that comes from one of the chef's own honey colonies he has on his roof (#beecity). The barrata was excellent and not runny on the inside, which is the way scallionpancake thinks barrata should be made. Paired with the honey and delicious bread, this was one of the best dishes we had.

For entrees they have a variety of fish and meat dishes, including Shanghai Smoked Duck Confit Legs, Caribbean Conch Layered Mahi, and a Japanese Sous-Vide Filet. All of them were very good but none of them were "i'll remember this for the rest of my life or even next week" type of dishes. 

Dessert: This is where Asolare is pure gold. We tried two of their desserts: a lavender creme brûlée and a chocolate peacan pie. Our favorite was the lavender creme brûlée, which was had the classic creme brûlée texture and taste with a subtle hint of lavender. 

Drink: Asolare has an excellent bar just off the main dinning room with seasonal cocktails both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. They also make some of their own bitters and syrups here and are known for one of the best collections of liquor on the island.

Island Rockefeller Hospitality: One of the main attractions of Asolare is the view - probably the best dinner view on St John (see: Wayney's view above). Note that in order to get a prime sunset spot you need to make a reservation a few days in advance. The service provided by the staff is the best on the island, with all the servers being extremely knowledgable of the menu, St. John, and the history of the restaurant.

Wayney's Notes: Don't mess with a good steak by adding crap that no one likes - a good steak is a good steak! If a place doesn't have fireball, then you should probably burn that place to the ground. Never agree to go on a hike with Jason's dad unless you have trained for 3 to 4 months.  On St John, if it's 10am and you haven't had 2 shots of rum, a cigar, a nap, 2 shots of fireball, and a turkey sandwich you aren't living your life right. (Wayne - aka Wayney - is Yvonne's dad).

Rating: 4 out of 5

Et Cetera: 

6A Estate Caneel Bay
St John, Virgin Islands 00830
Dinner 6PM - Until

http://asolarestjohn.com/

 

The Longboard

Background: The Longboard was opened in April 2015 by restauranteurs Clint Gaskins and Tyler Beckstead, both with over 15 years experience each in high end restaurants in the states and Virgin Islands. The Longboard is located right on the main restaurant/bar corridor of Cruz Bay, which is the largest town on St. John.

Order This: The menu is hipster sushi bar mixed with traditional Caribbean delicacies. Instead of a traditional conch fritter which you find on almost any menu on St. John, you'll find the "Conch and Shrimp Lettuce wraps" at Longboards - served with Fire roasted bell pepper, red onion, lemon, lime, cilantro, avocado, habanero, and lettuce cups. Everything and anything on the menu is meant to be shared, so go with some friends and order a bunch of things.

Our favorites have been the sushi wraps, which are basically sushi burritos. This last time we got the Yellow Sub, which contains spicy tuna, avocado, tamago, tempura fried scallion, toasted sesame & sushi rice, wrapped in soy paper, served with teriyaki & sriracha. We also like the calamari (despite our fear of corn), which is your traditional fried calamari but prepared just right (not too fried but still crispy). 

A healthy option is to get one of their tacos and turn it into a bowl - all the cool kids from Plaza Midwood are doing this these days. We like the Ahi Tuna with roasted tomato-caper chutney, baby arugula, feta cheese, pico, cilantro, and meyer lemon roasted garlic aioli.

Dessert: There are no desserts on the menu, which hurts scallionpancake more than almost anything.

Drink: The Longboard has taken the traditional island drinks and made them frozen and on tap. Their most popular is their "World Famous Frozen Painkiller", which is dark rum, coconut cream, pineapple, orange and grated nutmeg. The Dark & Stormy is also popular, which is made with their house made ginger beer.

Atmosphere: It feels like a typical island bar - everything is outside with the bar being the main focus - but with a step up. Everything is very clean and white, with the focus being the green and white sea glass bar. There are no regular tables here - all the seating is at the bar or at high tops.

Island Hospitality: The first thing you need to know when visiting St. John is that most people are extremely nice but have little to no motivation to do anything quickly or at all. So if you're used to a fast paced, get in and out as quickly as possible lifestyle then it's going to take some getting used to. That being said, Longboards generally has some of the best service on the island.

Frankie's Notes: Make sure to ask Jason's dad the chances of dying on a hike before you agree to go with him; conch fritters are the new fried oysters, which are the new fried calamari, which are the new hushpuppies; Jason's brother and Yvonne's dad are now BFL (bros for life); if you don't get approached by a 'rastaman asking you to buy weed you probably aren't living your life right.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Et Cetera: 

1 Prince Street
Cruze Bay, St John USVI
Bar 3PM - Until
Kitchen 3PM -10PM
Daily Happy Hour 3 PM - 6 PM

https://www.thelongboardstjohn.com/

 

Momofuku Noodle Bar

Background: If you don't know about David Chang and his Momofuku empire, then I'm sorry because you haven't been living your life. Get started by reading this Wikipedia article and then read this interview on Food and Wine and then read this article on Time Magazine and that should give you an idea of how influential, awesome, and, dare I say, sexy Mr. Chang is. Fun Fact: Charlotte Chef Shortino and his team went to Noodle Bar to get ideas for Futo Buta.

But enough about him, let's talk about us. Back when half of scallionpancake (Jason) was living in New York I stumbled on Noodle Bar in the East Village. Coming from Fort Mill, SC, where the closest thing to real Asian food was one Panda Express on South Boulevard, I had never experienced anything like what Noodle Bar offered. It wasn't the noodles --which are out of this world, but it was the pork buns that changed my life. I had never tasted pork belly before (remember, this is circa 2008), with its melt in your mouth goodness, combined with the Momofuku flavors and the soft-as-a-baby's-bottom bun. This was my "finding Jesus" moment of food culture.

Order This: Really you can't go wrong with anything you order at Noodle Bar. The best thing to do is go with a few friends and order a bunch of things off the menu. But the BEST BEST thing to do is to get a reservation for the special fried chicken dinner for 4 to 8 of your best friends. You can get the fried chicken either American or Korean style. Get Korean style and put on your stretchy pants! If you can't do this here are a few of my other favorite things to order:

Buns: The pork bun is the greatest thing you'll probably ever put in your mouth (see "Jesus Moment" above), but all of their buns are fantastic. They rotate the buns a lot, but some of my favorites are the Brisket and the Egg/Bacon one, which is like the best McMuffin you've ever had.

Bowls: If it's your first time definitely go for the classic Momofuku Ramen pictured above. My second favorite is the Chilled Spicy Noodles with the Sichuan Chicken Sausage. 

Dessert: Momofuku has their own dessert store called Milk Bar which is two blocks away. Noodle Bar serves a limited amount of the desserts at the restaurant, but I would recommend walking over to Milk Bar and getting either the Cereal Milk soft serve ice cream or the birthday cake truffles. Again, you can't go wrong with anything at Milk Bar, but trust me the cereal milk soft serve and the birthday cake truffles are the best and will change your life for the better.

Drink: Sake, Sake, Sake! They have two specially made Momofuku Sakes which are great sharing drinks. They also always have two alcoholic slushies on rotation which are always delicious. My favorite is an alcoholic sweet tea slushie.

Atmosphere: I used to always take visitors to NYC here because it's has a quintessential energetic New York vibe. The decor is clean and modern, and the seating ranges from booths, to bar seating, to a community table. 

New York Hipster Asian Hospitality: There is definitely a "we make good shit here so don't ask us for too much" attitude from the servers, but, hey--they make good shit, so don't be so needy, k? 

Frankie's Notes: To get the feel of Jason moving from Ft. Mill to New York, just play the Green Acres theme song in reverse; Ordering the fried chicken for 4-8 people and showing up as a single diner is a straight baller move; Scallionpancake has most of its "Jesus moments" surrounding food and dining; Or should we say "Moses moments?"; Being an adult is hard; alcoholic slushies ease that pain. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Et Cetera: 

171 1st Avenue
Between 10th & 11th Street
New York, New York 10003
Monday-Friday 12-4:30 & 5:30-11 pm
Saturday-Sunday 12-4 pm & 5:30-1 am

https://noodlebar-ny.momofuku.com/

 

Toro

Background: Co-chefs and owners Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette, of the original Toro in Boston, opened up the Manhattan location of their restaurant in September 2013, conveniently located by the bustling High Line and Chelsea Market. We dined here with Jason’s NY buddies, Vishnu and Bravo Danny. Bravo Danny because he is to be differentiated from Charlotte Danny, and because he worked at Bravo. Yes, that means he has met Andy Cohen/he is one step from God.

Vishnu and Danny have a chicken wing club where they eat chicken wings all over NYC and then rate them, one through five. Their rating system is pretty clever--in order to keep their ratings from being influenced by others in the group, they put their rating number on their phones, and then all flip their phones over at the same time. They then create an average based on everyone’s number. I know what you’re thinking--how does one join this club? We are wondering the same thing, but in the meantime, we are considering starting a Charlotte chapter.

Eat This: The menu at Toro is overwhelmingly large, but we were lucky to have a nice server who directed us to some of her favorites, although it turned out that her favorites were not as well liked by the table as some of the other options we picked. Here’s what we went with:

Pimientos Del Padron: Spicy shisito peppers with sea salt. This is a dish that we have seen on a lot of menus recently, and while the preparation is similar everywhere, the quality varies greatly. These are the best version of shisitos that we have had--the heat is multi-dimensional, not just hot. The peppers are charred enough to add a smoky flavor, but not so much that they taste burned, and the salt is wonderfully generous.

Esqueixada de Hamachi: Yellowtail with sultanas, fish pepper, quail egg, and crema. We loved the addition of the yellow raisins (sultanas) with the tuna. The flavors were bright and this was a nice, light dish for early in the meal.

Bocadillo De Erizos: Pressed sandwich of sea urchin, miso butter, and pickled mustard seeds. Jason and I both agreed that this was our “must order” of the night, even though our table mates remained unimpressed even after it was served. Whatever, this was amazing. It was all about that delicious umami flavor, and we could have easily downed another order.

Navajas: Razor clams with piquillo pepper, garlic, and lemon. Our waitress highly recommended these, but we found them just alright. They had a flavorful citrus tang, but there just was not a lot to them. Since we only got a fairly small number of dishes for four people for dinner, we probably should have gone with something a bit more substantial.

Hamburguesas: Grass-fed mini burgers with smoked tomato, aioli, and pickled red onion. These were definitely the crowd pleaser of the night. Everyone at the table enjoyed the flavorful preparation, and it was so easy to eat and share.

Dessert: We tried the chocolate churros with a caramel dipping sauce, and while these were good, they were basically what you can expect anywhere from churros. The standout was the chocolate torte. It was a rich, dark chocolate sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs and served with ice cream.

Drink: We did not try any speciality cocktails, but the beer, wine, and liquor selection included a solid variety and had everything we wanted to order.

Atmosphere: Toro is housed in the former Nabisco factory: a loft-like, cavernous space. The raucous sound of diners, along with the bumping bass of rap music means that the restaurant was loud when we arrived at 8:00, and only got louder from there. It was a little difficult to make conversation, but the music selection was a steady stream of all of my favorites, so I didn’t mind.

Iberian Hospitality: The service here was slow in that it took a while for the waitress to come over initially (over 15 minutes) and then again to come back and take our food order. However, once our orders were placed, the kitchen had the dishes out super quickly. All of the staff was polite. We did order one dish we never got (the empanadas), but we were pretty full by the time we realized it, so we let it slide.

Frankie’s Notes: Javon is currently accepting applications for the Charlotte Chicken Wing Club; If you want to be in our club, you can’t eat chicken wings with your knife and fork and you have to drink the wing sauce; I am only good at one of these requirements; Bravo Andy is to God as Orange County is to Mecca; Bravo Danny has never met table-flipping Teresa; We are going to institute a more democratic voting process when dining with friends from now on; But, FYI: Ollie is a super-delegate.

Rating: Of course, we had to do the chicken wing rating system for this meal, and our table average was a:

3 out of 5

Et Cetera:
85 10th Avenue
New York, New York 10011
Monday-Wednesday 5:30-11 pm; Thursday-Saturday 5:30-12 am; Sunday 5:30-10 pm
http://toro-nyc.com/

 

The Mandrake

UPDATE--The Mandrake closed in the fall of 2016. I guess we called it, huh?

Background: Jose Garcia acquired The Mandrake in the fall of 2014, and he has worked tirelessly since to breathe new life into this uptown eatery that has undergone several different owners/chefs and identities in a rather short period of time. Now, The Mandrake has found its groove as the number one spot for tapas Uptown  under the creative management of chef Donnie Simmons (@thedonchef). Scallionpancake was recently invited to their media night to review their new spring menu. As Jason could not make it due to tax season, Amy and Nancy were my dates for the night.

Eat This: So, this night started off with quite a few hitches. The event time on the invite was slated as a 6:30 start time for cocktails and appetizers, and when we arrived at around 6:40 there was nothing happening. In fact, nothing happened at all until around 7:00 (the stated time for dinner to begin), when we were invited to the bar for cocktails and they started bringing appetizers around. We were not even offered water or welcomed by management during this time. We simply stood around waiting for something, anything to happen.

There was then some confusion about whether or not the cocktails and wine were complimentary. It made for some very awkward interactions between the guests and the servers (who were clearly given conflicting information, who, in turn, gave us information that conflicted with our invitation) and this hiccup definitely took away from the flow of this evening. However, it did not take away from the generosity of The Mandrake's hosting of the event and the invitation extended to us.

Passed appetizers:

  • Brisket and habanero cheddar rangoon. Uh, yeah, this was money in the bank. Especially after we had been standing around hungrily for a while at this point. These were little pillows of meaty, cheesy delight. I only ate one, but just because I didn’t want to look like a hungry savage.
  • Bacon wrapped alligator tails with Carolina mustard BBQ sauce. These skewers were good, but they were so large that they were a bit difficult to eat. The bacon wrapped alligator was staggered with sweet potato chunks. Pretty darn tasty.
  • Lobster risotto puppies. Yes, please. These were light, flaky, and fabulous. Although we could not taste much lobster, these had a great flavor. This was my favorite dish of the whole night.

The Main Event:

  • Mandrake Salad with pecans, red onions, grape tomatoes, goat cheese & bacon vinaigrette. I did not love this salad, as all I could taste was the super sweet dressing. My table mates also noted the sweetness, but they were not as bothered by it as I was.
  • Fried Green Tomato with wasabi aioli. I could not eat this due to my fake and made-up corn allergy, but my table mates really enjoyed this dish. Most said it was their favorite of the evening.
  • Airline Chicken with cayenne caramel sauce and grapefruit risotto. I had never seen airline chicken before, which is a boneless chicken breast with the drumette attached. It was a very beautiful dish, but it tasted like dessert. The sauce on the chicken and the risotto were both so sweet that it was difficult to eat. Most of us did not finish this dish. The chicken was cooked perfectly however, and it was not at all tough, as is so often the problem with chicken breast. I love dessert and sweet things (um, have we met?), but this entire meal was just too much sugar. As one of my fellow diners said, “I have to stop eating this or I am going to get diabetes.” Yikes.

Dessert: The final course was Key Lime Cheesecake. This dessert and their others are not made in house, but they all come from a man in Florida who produces award-winning cakes. I do not typically love citrus flavored desserts, but this cheesecake was delicious. However, at this point I was on serious sugar overload. I soldiered on and finished my slice though, don’t worry.

Drink: I know you are going to find this hard to believe, but I had a cucumber ginger margarita and it was, yes, so sweet. This could have been my personal preference, as I don’t usually order mixed drinks as I often find them to be too sweet/too weak. Usually you will find me drinking my own “signature cocktail,” a little something I call patron on the rocks. But, I wanted to try everything they were offering for us, so I took a chance on this. Nancy had a watermelon arugula gimlet that I tried, and it was much less sweet and very delicious.

Atmosphere: I really enjoyed the vibe in here. The lighting is so right; as loyal readers know I hate a place with glaring light; even if it makes the pictures better, it totally kills the mood. I also dug the artwork, particularly a picture of a turnip with a face. I liked him a lot.

Also, Chef Donnie (#thedonchef) came out after dinner and spoke to us about his vision for the kitchen and the restaurant, and he is a very lovely person who puts a lot of heart into what he is doing at The Mandrake. He is not merely cooking food, he is invested in creating a culture of inspired chefs who will invigorate the Uptown food scene. Also, congratulations to Chef Donnie on his recent glut of B.O.B awards (linked above). We will be back soon to try the regular menu to get a better idea of their offerings.

Southern Hospitality: I was really not impressed with the service we received. It could have been an anomaly at this particular event, but as previously stated there was a lack of communication between owner/management and his floor staff, which made for a very awkward interaction between guests and staff. There was seemingly no one leading this event to move us from the cocktail portion to the dinner, and we actually moved ourselves to the table at around 8:15, because it was an hour and fifteen minutes after dinner was supposed to begin and we all wanted to go home at some point (it was a Wednesday evening).  Again, this does not detract from how kind Chef Donnie and others staff members were, but the entire event appeared very disorganized from this blogger’s perspective.

Frankie's Notes: Turnip with a face is my new best friend; Getting diabetes from chicken is not the way I want to go; You have to be a real boss lady to drink my sig cocktail; I feel like we don't eat enough alligator and shark--maybe if we did we could all go back in the water again; Am I the only one who stopped swimming in oceans and swamps this year?; Seriously, don't go in the shark's house; Cheers to The Don Chef whose awesome hospitality made this event worthwhile--we will be back soon for a redux with their regular menu offerings. 

Rating: 2 out of 5

Disclaimer: Our meal was provided for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Et Cetera:

333 West Trade St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
11 am-10 pm; 12 am on Friday/Saturday; Closes at 4 pm Sundays

 

Evoke Redux

Background: We already reviewed Evoke back in the summer (yeah, that’s right, scallionpancake is basically a Charlotte institution now), and it’s now officially the first place scallionpancake got invited for a fancy pants blogger event! This was possible mainly through nepotism, as cousin Amy (amyonfood.blogspot.com) got us hooked up with the Charlotte Food Bloggers group. Thanks, Amy! So, to recap, Evoke, located in the recently revamped Le Meridian hotel, is headed up by Chefs Oscar LaFuente and Robert Reinken. The restaurant recently hosted a media night to showcase their new spring menu. Jason couldn't make the event because #taxseason, but Amy and I had a fabulous girls' night out. 

Eat This: This was such a standout restaurant for our first event. The night flowed very smoothly and the service was top notch. Here are the courses from the evening:

  • Crisp Pork Belly with white asparagus, morels, and pickled ramp salsa verde. Although no one in their right mind would complain about pork belly, this was not the best I have had. It was a bit tough/overcooked. The salsa verde was my favorite part of this dish. Also, please do not tell my Rabbi that I am still regularly eating pork belly. Conversion has been a dream, minus the Kosher bit. Ahem.
  • Sweet Onion Bisque with sourdough crouton, parmesan, egg yolk, and black truffle. Amy and I agreed that this dish was the best of the night! The soup was satisfying without being overly heavy, and all of the flavors really worked. It was a lovely spring soup. Also, you know we are about that truffle life.
  • Yellowfin Tuna Crudo with barolo pickled onions, caperberries, celery heart, and smoked olive oil. When this dish came out, I was even more gutted than I was previously about Jason being unable to attend this event due to that IRS life (TAX SEASON IS OVER, PRAISE ALLAH). Tuna is his fave. I thought this was just okay, but I don’t love chicken of the sea, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. The caperberries were my favorite part of this dish.
  • Mint Pappardelle with braised lamb, fava beans, morels, and ricotta salata. Evoke has incredible pasta, all made in house. This dish had great flavor, and it was everything a spring pasta should be (green, light, and herby). Amy and I also ordered pasta dishes from the regular menu to take home to the menfolk, and they both highly approved. Four enthusiastic man thumbs in the air.
  • Pork Tenderloin with ndjua, parsnip puree, Romanesco, and violet mustard. So, I learned what ndjua is, and I didn’t hate it.--in case you are similarly uninformed, it’s a spicy pork salami puree, and it’s amazing. That and the violet mustard made this dish. The pork was perfectly cooked.

Dessert: This was the only disappointment of the evening--the tasting did not include dessert! Quelle horreur! Amy and I remedied that by taking our drinks out to the bar and ordering a dessert whilst we waited for the boy’s pasta orders. We tried an olive oil cake with honey sorbet and it was awesome.

Drink: Complimentary wine was served with dinner, and the servers were amazing and let me have some sparkling wine upon request, because you know I’m fancy like that (read: terribly high maintenance).

Atmosphere: As we reviewed last time, the decor is decent and done in a 60s mod style. They have really done a lovely job revamping this space. 

Southern Hospitality: The service for this event was perfect and just the right amount of attentive without being ingratiating (a problem we had last time). 

Frankie's Notes: I think we all remember where we were when Jessica Simpson couldn't properly identify her tuna #neverforget; Tax season is over and I'm ready to have my man-friend back for dinner dates; Blogger events make you feel like you could really be somebody, someday; Ps--two more events and I quit my day job; Amy is the best cousin ever and we appreciate her helping us get our foot in the door of the Charlotte blogger scene! 

Disclaimer: Our meal was provided for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Et Cetera: 

555 S. McDowell St.
Charlotte, NC 28204
6:00 am-11:00 pm daily

http://www.evokerestaurant.com/

 

Freud

Background: Opened in Greenwich Village in February of this year, Freud is an Austrian restaurant opened by Eduard Frauneder, a Vienna native. Frauneder also owns two East Village joints, Edi & The Wolf and The Third man. In an incredible stroke of luck, they had just opened for brunch service on the day we stopped in. Kismet!

Eat This: We had just landed for our less than 48 hour visit in NY, and we had made sure to come hungry. On the other hand, we knew we had a lot of food stops left to make before flying out the next day, so we kept it fairly light. Jason had the Rhubarb Pancakes, served with whipped sour cream. Jason (thinks he) does not like sour cream, but even he was willing to take a chance on this one. He actually had ordered the bagel, but when we saw someone at the table next to us with these pancakes, he knew he had made a grave mistake. Luckily, they happily changed his order and the pancakes were divine--light and fluffy, not too sweet.

I ordered the Albacore Confit, served with cucumbers, dill, and crispy elephant garlic, along with some toast points. They have a similar option on their dinner menu, but this dish was just the perfect thing for a light lunch. It was very #norwegianfood.

Other options that looked delicious included the bread basket and the egg options (baked, sunny, scrambled, poached).

Dessert: No dessert here, but we did head to Rice to Riches immediately after.

Drink: Even though Jason was running the NY Half Marathon the next day, he still indulged in a Freudian Cocktail with me! I had the Tomatillo Bloody Mary, which was very different from any other bloody I’ve tried. It had chunks of tomato in it, which I know would not be everyone’s cup of tea (vodka), but I really enjoyed it. It could have been a tad spicier, though.

Jason had the Nirvana, a pink concoction (duh) with Pisco, Aperol and blood orange juice. His drink was the winner between the two. They also have a cocktail called the Libido. Psych jokes abound.

Atmosphere: The space is very zen and has a European cafe feel. It’s outfitted in wood paneling and lush greenery, and there are psych books scattered about. They tacked up current newspaper front pages to the wall, including some fun tabloids. The bathroom shelves were lined with tons of tea candles, which rather shocked me. I saw this practice several times on this visit, and I had second-hand anxiety over the potential lawsuit/fire hazard. It looks cool though, for sure. 

Viennese Hospitality: The servers were so kind and even asked us what we thought of the brunch, as it was their first day trying it out. There was not a big crowd when we went, but all of the staff was super attentive without being ingratiating.

Frankie’s Notes: I would like for Jason to keep running races in fabulous locales for the rest of our lives; People who think they don’t like things like sour cream or mayonnaise when they really don’t know what they like; Chunky cocktails versus pink cocktails is the new Batman vs Superman; It’s been hard to write blog posts during tax season, but we’re back, internet!

Rating: 5 out of 5

560 LaGuardia Place
New York, New York 10012

http://www.freudnyc.com/

 

Ru Sans

Background: The first Ru Sans was opened in Atlanta by chef Wataru Nagata. Per the newspaper clippings posted on the wall that I read one night while waiting for a table, Nagata's goal was to mold Ru Sans on the business model of Wal-Mart. That sounds really bad/we are not really sure what that entails, because our table was ready so I stopped reading. Anywho, there is one thing we know for sure, though, and it’s that Ru Sans has the best darn sushi in Charlotte. Disagree? We will fight to the death over it--with chopsticks, of course. 

Eat This: When we say “Best in Charlotte,” that doesn’t mean you can only go to the all-you-can-eat buffet and disagree based on that measure alone. You have got to go to Ru Sans for dinner, where you will see some truly incredible sushi chefs working at mach speed to turn out the freshest, tastiest sushi in Charlotte. Furthermore, you have to trust Jason to order you some rolls. His picks will vary, but the mainstays are:

-Always start with the Curry Rice Ball. Not to quibble over details, but it’s really more of a triangle than a ball, Mr. San. Either way, this little guy will start your evening out right.It’s crunchy fried goodness on the outside and sticky rice inside. Don’t get the teriyaki one, get the curry one. You’ve been warned. You are gonna want to start with something, though, as the appetizers are money. The house salad and seaweed salad are good options, as is the tuna poke bowl.

Our favorite rolls:

-Green Dragon Roll. Shrimp tempura and cucumber wrapped in avocado and topped with roe. The best roll on the menu.

-Atomic Salmon: Shrimp tempura and avocado wrapped in salmon, topped with jalapeno slices.

-A basic tuna or salmon roll with avocado is always a good choice. The fish will be fresh and delicious, and, one of the best things about Ru Sans: the rolls are a reasonable size for eating in one bite, just the way God intended. Tamago (sweet egg omelette) is also a great choice, either sashimi or nigiri style.

-Be adventurous and try a roll off of the specials menu. These can be hit and miss, but at least you can say you tried. A recent miss was a roll with big lemon slices on top--rind and all. Was it a garnish and we ate it? Are we supposed to be cool with eating a big bite of citrus rind? Insert that new emoji scratching its chin (best new emoji, hands down).

Dessert: We don’t usually do dessert here, but the grilled mochi cake with red bean sauce is awesome and not something you can find everywhere.  

Drink: Sake, obviously. You will also get a boisterous cheer for a sake bomb, if you are at the bar. Pro tip: if you sit at the bar, you will get a complimentary appetizer, like crab (krab) or cucumber salad. Yay!

Atmosphere: The feel here is fairly utilitarian--nothing fancy pants about it. This is not a bad thing, though. The prices match the ambiance. Ru Sans is great for a casual weeknight dinner or a quality and economical meal before a fancier night out Uptown. There is no sushi Uptown that matches Ru Sans. Sorry, Enso. Why would you want to pay more to eat lesser sushi? A funky bar and expensive light fixtures? Nah.

East Asian Hospitality: The service here is mostly great...except for one consistently terrible waitress who shall remain unidentified--at one time, her excuse for being terrible was that she had only been at that job for six months? Um...as someone who has worked in restaurants, I am going to put it out there that six months is what we might call...long enough. She is an anomaly though. Mostly the service is quick and polite.

Frankie’s Notes: If you go to a sushi buffet, lower your expectations; Another pro-tip: a 30-minute quoted wait at Ru Sans is usually only 15-20; Jason loves tuna even though it is slowly giving him mercury poisoning, a la Jeremy Piven; Bad game show idea: “Am I supposed to eat this or is it a garnish?;"  Wait, does this mean that Mr. Krab was made out of soy and artificial coloring?; The Epicentre does not have great food and is generally terrifying after 10:30 pm; If you have worked at a restaurant for six months, know that the rest of the world will view that as “kind of a long time.”

Rating: 4 out of 5

2440 Park Road
Charlotte, NC 28203
Monday-Thursday: 11:30-2:30, 4:30-11 pm
Friday: 11:30-2:30, 4:30-12am
Saturday: 12:00-2:30, 4:30-12am
Sunday: 3-11pm

http://www.rusanscharlotte.com/

 

The Pump House

Background: The Riverwalk area in Rock Hill is growing like crazy. The walking trail is busy every day and packed on a beautiful weekend. There are new apartments and homes going up at warp speed, a wine bar just opened (a second location of The Grape Vine--a Baxter staple), and a hair salon and a Brixx Pizza are coming soon. Not to leave out the pinnacle of Riverwalk, of course--the shiny, beautiful BNA building.  A close second, however, is the brand new restaurant, The Pump House.

The Pump House is the vision of Ell Close and Colby Mosier, who, along with Jeff Conway, the owner of Napa on Providence and Ruth's Chris Steakhouses in Charlotte, have turned the dilapidated Celanese Textile Factory pump house into the one of the most unique and best restaurants in York County. The restaurant sits directly on the Catawba River, offering 180 degree views of the river. It is a five story restaurant--the top story is the bar, the fourth floor is reserved for special events, and the third floor is the main seating area. The second floor is used for storage and the first floor is where you enter. You can even see the original pump sitting outside of the restaurant!

Full disclosure: Jason's parents are a 1% owner in the Pump House, so we got to go the investor dinner before their official opening. Riverwalk perks!

Eat This: The menu is what we'll call "Modern Southern." Their entrees average around $20 and include three types of shrimp and grits, steak, trout and catfish, and many other southern delicacies.

The calamari was light and tasty. Other appetizer options included a rock shrimp cocktail, tomato soup, and caesar salad. 

The filet and the trout were both served over pureed butternut squash and greens which were seasoned and sautéed to perfection. Also, the filet was cooked a perfect rare, as requested--only good restaurants are willing and able to cook rare steak, so that's a good sign. The southern fried shrimp and grits came with collard greens and house made bacon, and tasted like we imagine great-grandma used to make them (not a Jewish grandma, obvs). 

Dessert: We tried the Cheerwine molten chocolate cake, which might have been the best chocolate cake we've ever had. It was so good that the two of us ate it all and didn't save any for Bernie (The Bern), who was politely talking to the couple next to us while we ravaged it. We then convinced our waiter to let us have another one for the table. Alas, The Bern still didn't get to eat that much of the second one. Oops. You have to be fast with your fork when you dine with us. 

Drink: Some super awesome cocktail offerings--Jason tried the River Water, which was served in a mason jar and made with moonshine, blood orange syrup, and love. 

Atmosphere: Sophisticated country vibes abound. Modern seating and stainless steel combine seamlessly with wood panels and a taxidermy beaver under glass ("Justin Beaver"). It was not open on the night we went, but soon the patio will be open (fifth floor), which will be so lovely for drinks and watching the sunset and wildlife on the river. 

Southern Hospitality: Our bartenders and waitstaff could not have been any sweeter. The owners said that all servers would be attending training at Ruth's Chris restaurants in the next week to further hone their fine dining service skills. 

Frankie's Notes: BNA is where Jason Ackerman IV will work; Just kidding, Jews don't name their kids like that; We hope the seafood is not from Lake Wylie; If only the real Justin Beiber could be preserved under glass; We owe The Bern two chocolate cakes; Expect to find the BNA staff dinning al fresco on a Friday evening in the near future. 

Rating: 3 out of 5

575 Herrons Ferry Rd
Rock Hill, SC 29730
Hours: TBD

http://rockhillpumphouse.com/

 

Seoul Food Meat Co

On Saturday night, Seoul Food Kitchen had its soft opening. If you want some K-pop and Korean barbeque, then you have found the promised land. This place was jammin' for a little-publicized opening, which we think really speaks to Charlotteans desire for new and interesting cuisine (we do well, but we could do better). They were only offering one option on Saturday: a tray of foods, the variety dictated by the kitchen.

Our tray included two kinds of barbeque, a sweet pork and a smokey brisket. Both were fantastic and we could have easily eaten more, but we didn't want to hog (pun) the meat from our fellow patrons--not foodies, by the way-I detest the word foodie. It's like moist. Moist foodie. Shudder. 

The tray also included Sriracha slaw, pickles, sticky rice with chilis, and pimento corn cheese served with rice crisps. 

The full menu was teased, and it included wonders such as green tea biscuits, soju, and something called "potato swirl." We will definitely be back soon--they are opening for real sometime in the next couple of weeks, but they told us they couldn't give an exact day. The suspense makes it even more exciting! 

Very important linguistic query: What's a good alternative for the word "foodie?" Gastronomes? Culinarians? The fat kids inside of us all? Discuss. 

https://www.facebook.com/seoulfoodmeatco/?fref=ts

 

Kid Cashew

Background: Kid Cashew. So hot right now. (see also: Hansel). Kid Cashew opened on East Boulevard about two weeks ago and Scallionpancake is here to give you the scoop. The owner, Martin Sprock, also owns RuRu’s Tacos & Tequila and Leroy Fox. This spot is what I (affectionately!) term a cancerous location--it has housed two or three failed restaurants in a short period of time. Is this the restaurant that ends the losing streak? Well, in the words of Marcel the Shell…“read on!”

Eat This: The menu is a family-style affair with selections for small plates, salads, sandwiches and “from the butcher” items--meat cooked on the grill served with a selection of sauces.

We tried--

Small Plates--Hummus, tzatziki, & eggplant caponata dips served with grilled bread. We tried all three, and they were awesome. The hummus was super thick with a strong coriander flavor, the eggplant caponata was sprinkled with golden raisins, but my favorite was the tzatziki. Sometimes this iconic yogurt dip can taste anemic--like the chef threw some cucumber slices into a cup of Dannon and called it a day. Kid Cashew’s version was thick and had that distinct tangy greek yogurt taste. At this point, we were all feeling pretty good about the state of things. Then we got the Chargrilled Spanish Octopus, and our lovely dining companion Daniela wanted to know why the heck you would go out of your way to say “chargrilled” when the flavor was anything but. We didn’t even see grill marks. The roasty, crispy giangte beans served with this dish were our favorite part. Otherwise, bland and run of the mill: skip.

Salads--We unanimously agreed that the Passionate Beet & Arugula salad was the way to go when we were ordering; it’s served with whipped goat cheese and toasted pistachios. You had us at goat cheese. However, we were unpleasantly surprised that the goat cheese was a microscopic smear on the bottom of the dish, and we could barely make up the flavor. The beets were seemingly poached in a sweet, cinnamon broth, rendering the entire dish too sweet and not at all what we were expecting. Lots of other tables had the Farmer Greek salad, which looked really tasty.

Sandwiches: We tried the Lamb Burger on a brioche bun. This was our favorite dish of the night, but it’s a little difficult to split burgers/sandwiches between more than two people. The burger was cooked perfectly, but it was served with two awkward baby potatoes that were hanging out like a garnish. Either offer potatoes as a side or don’t--this was a weird tease (and the potatoes were undercooked).

We would have liked to have tried one of the meat dishes & more of the sandwiches--maybe next time. We left feeling pretty nonplussed, on the whole. This place definitely has room to grow, but we would certainly give it another shot after they have been open a few more weeks.

Dessert:  They have two options right now, a caramel ice cream and a sponge cake--we got the cake. With a dessert of this quality, it might be better not to offer anything at all. It tasted like a cake from a grocery store --bland and somewhat dry.

Drink: They have a Goat’s Breast Milk cocktail--but the name is just to shock you (uh, well played), this drink does not have milk of any kind. It’s a sweet and tangy mix of ouzo, amaretto, lemonade, and mint. We ordered a pitcher, and while the flavor was great--refreshing, and not too sweet, it was very light on the booze. It was basically mint lemonade. Still good, but not what we were expecting or worth the price tag ($30 for a carafe).

Atmosphere: This place is adorable. I couldn’t stop marveling at the details when we first walked in--water carafes in an antique bathtub, chandeliers, and cool knickknacks scattered about. My only complaint is that the lighting was harsh--why do so many dinner places insist on having lights like a supermarket? What happened to mood lighting? We are pushing 30--we need it.

Southern Hospitality: Our server was very personable, and someone else was quick to fix our wobbly table. The food came out quickly and with a smile. They were perhaps a bit too quick to try and take our plates away (before we were finished), but that’s a minor complaint.

Frankie’s Notes: Don’t take “Tax Season Jason” to dinner if you aren’t ready for him to throw expletives across the table at the top of his lungs; What does Daniela want? Grill marks. When does she want them? uh, yesterday; How do you measure the level of passion in a beet? Cinnamon, apparently; Only really good friends can split a hamburger into thirds; Restaurants that are about as romantic as a Wal-Mart on a Wednesday afternoon; We are not sure if this was worth missing Tuesday Trivia over--they need more Johnny & hot wings.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Et Cetera: 

1608 East Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28203
11 am-10 pm daily


https://www.facebook.com/KidCashew/?fref=ts  

 

 

 

 

Kindred

Background: Kindred was voted #7 on Bon Appetit magazine’s list of Best New Restaurants for 2015. Yep--Davidson, NC made the top ten list for the whole darn country. Husband and wife team Joe and Katy Kindred wanted to move back to Joe’s hometown after they met on the Chicago restaurant scene. 

Eat This: We’ve gotta come clean about our first visit. Back in August when we first ventured to the charming college town, we were less than impressed with Kindred. It wasn’t that we disliked it, we just didn’t get what the hype was about. Was it good? Yeah. Top ten in the country good? Calm down, bro.

But...maybe the problem was the hype and we needed to manage our expectations? Did they have an off night? Did we? With all of these super important life queries swirling through our heads, we decided to give it another shot before we reviewed it. We dined with our lovely friends Zander and Tamara. They are also: getting married this year and don’t care one bit about spoiling their appetites on bread before the meal. Twins!

Kindred specializes in small plates that rotate seasonally. Top picks this visit included the Wagyu Beef Tartare and the Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. The tartare was served with finely grated dried mushrooms and salty dried fish--absolute perfection. The Bolognese was a table favorite and we agreed it was like something your Italian grandmother would make, if you had one (if you do have one, will you share her with us?) Jason and Zander really loved the Pork Saltimbocca served with grits and red-eye gravy, but Tamara and I just wanted more bread. All the bread. Their bread is “milk bread” served in a round carafe with house cultured butter. The first loaf is free to the table, but you have to pay for additional loaves. Worth it.

Dessert: At dinner, we found out that Zander is kind of a health nut: he drinks bulletproof coffee every morning, engages in intermittent fasting, and eschews dessert. Tamara told us that her other half always acts super non-committal regarding dessert, until it is on the table, practically begging “EAT ME, ZANDER.” And, true to her word, Zander looked at the three of us like we were hungry barbarians when we suggested two desserts after we pretty much had eaten everything on the dinner menu. Then, when it was served he descended upon it like it was a death row meal (disclaimer: Zander is the thinnest of us all, so #judgementfreezone). What did we get, you ask? the Milk & Cookies (salted chocolate chip cookies with cinnamon ice cream) and the Chocolate Birthday Cake. The cookies and ice cream were pretty good, but the cake was the stand-out. On our last visit, we thought it tasted disappointingly similar to Baskin Robbins ice cream cake, but this time we were so glad we ordered it. Top notch.

Overall, we felt the food this time around was much more impressive than at our visit in August. We still aren’t sure it’s “top ten in the whole country good,” but it is definitely great food and easily among the top restaurants in Charlotte.  

Drink: Jason & Tamara each ordered the same girly cocktail (called the Santiago) and gave it high marks. We especially liked the aluminum straw that looked like a dental instrument.

Atmosphere: Kindred used to be a drug store, and they have maintained some original wood elements in the bar area (+ the dental-esque straws). The seating is both upstairs and down, and the kitchen is in the basement, so the servers certainly get a workout! The decor is charming, right down to the sign in the bathroom that says: “Employees must wash their hands...and moonwalk out of the bathroom.” The atmosphere at Kindred definitely feels special--perfect for date night or a fancy occasion.

Southern Hospitality: The service here is laid-back, but helpful. On both occasions, our waitresses have been more than happy to offer food and drink suggestions.

Frankie’s Notes: When you are planning a wedding, you become People Who Only Talk About Weddings--you can feel yourself doing it and yet you are powerless to stop it; Friends don’t let friends feel weird about ordering bread to-go; Dessert is casual until you turn into a T-Rex over some cake; Tamara is planning our honeymoon to Easter Island to see the alien statues; It’s normal to go through a stick of Kerrygold butter a week, right?

Ranking: 5 out of 5

Et Cetera:

131 N Main St.
Davidson, North Carolina 28036
Tuesday-Saturday: 11:00 – 2:30pm and 5:00-10:00pm

http://kindreddavidson.com/ 

 

Top Five Restaurants of 2015

We had a pretty darn good 2015, due in no small part to the things we stuffed our faces with. Without further ado, here are the top 5 places we ate this past year.

Jason

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1. Funky Gourmet

Athens, Greece

(Snails with fresh black truffle pictured above). A 2 star Michelin experience worth every penny. Each dish was perfect its own little way.

2. Rose's Luxury

Washington, DC

(Vadouvan Curry). There's a lot of hype to Rose's, but it is one of the few places that actually lives up to the hype. If you're in DC , it's a must visit.

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3. FIG

Charleston, SC

The best dish of the year goes to FIG - this soft shell crab pasta was one of the top things I've ever eaten!

4. Michael's Genuine

Miami, FL

Michael's was amazing, but this dessert was the best of 2015 - a smore ice cream pop with dark chocolate dipping sauce.

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5. Momofuku Ssäm

New York, NY

I've been wanting to get the duck at Ssäm for roughly 5 years, so in 2015 my dream came true! Shout out to Vishnu and Andrew for helping us devour this guy. 

Yvonne

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1. Funky Gourmet,

Athens, Greece

Everything about this meal was beyond any other dining experience I've had, and this dessert was so innovative and tasty. I couldn't stop freaking out about the fact that we were having our first night in Europe together, that Jason was running the marathon in two days, that we just got ENGAGED...and then I was served a potato filled with ice cream. All was right with the world. 

2. Eating House

Miami, FL

(Heirloom tomatoes with nuoc cham, peanuts, & coconut ice). This was pre-blog days, but it was definitely one of the meals that inspired us to start telling people about the specifics of the massive amount of calories we run off every week. This salad was molecular gastronomy done right--the coconut ice didn't detract from the fresh tomatoes and thai flavors, it only added. The different flavors and textures here were mind blowing, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about this dish since June (that's normal, right?). 

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3. Momofuku Ssäm

New York, NY

When we were in New York (sadly, also pre-blog), we spent the whole weekend eating, to the point where I felt kind of sick on the plane ride home. We had breakfast, lunch, and two ice cream places before 2:00 Sunday afternoon--but when we ate this duck on Saturday, I was actually hungry, and not only is hunger the best sauce, the sauce that came with this duck was the best sauce. Also the mint and the chive pancakes (AKA scallion pancakes!). Oh yeah, and the duck. Ya dig? 

4.  Det Lille Apotek

Copenhagen, Denmark

We ate this meal hours after we landed in the magical fairyland of Copenhagen. The streets were like a doll's house come to life, the people were beautiful, the night was crisp and sparkling with Christmas lights...I was so in love with everything that night, especially my wonderful fiancé who brought me there (and the sure promise of danishes the in morning). Our cab driver recommended this spot, and told us it was the oldest restaurant in Copenhagen. Due to that, this restaurant may have been a bit touristy, but what we ate was authentic Danish/Nordic cuisine. The sampler included so many delicious meats and pickled vegetables, but the standout was the smoked herring with onions and capers with warm rye bread and butter. I ate this several more times on our visit, and it inspired me to eat like this all the time. That definitely hasn't happened yet, but one day I will recreate this meal and imagine I am back in my favorite place, future spot of Javon's summer home, circa 2036. 

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5. Rose's Luxury

Washington, DC

Yes, the bread put this place over the edge onto my top 5 list. Like everything on their menu, Rose's rotates out the variety of bread and compound butter, and I am so glad that this was the iteration we got to try. I mean, you add potato to bread, and then make it taste even more like a potato? Shut your mouth. This list really made me come to terms with how much I love potatoes, and that I am much more long-winded than Jason. WHO KNEW?

Bonus Categories

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Best Cocktail

Lidkoeb, Copenhagen, Denmark

This winter wonderland magic was from a bar in Copenhagen called Lidkoeb. I don't remember what the liquor was, what else was in it...just that it had this cute little powdered sugar dusted piece of a pine tree in it and it tasted like hygge and happiness. Signature wedding cocktail inspiration? Le duh. 

 

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Best Non-Michelin Dessert

The Frieze, Miami, FL

The rum raisin ice cream from Frieze in Miami. This was the year I decided I loved this old lady flavor, owned it, and grossed out Jason with my adoration of it. Special consideration to the rum raisin at Bar Cocoa at The Ritz. (We didn't take a picture, so here's Ollie in his cone of shame)

Rose's Luxury

Background: Rose's Luxury opened in October, 2013 in the Capitol Hill district of Washington, D.C. by owner and chef Aaron Silverman, who previously worked with David Chang of Momofuku fame. Almost immediately after opening, Rose's became one of the hottest restaurants in DC. In 2014 it was listed by Bon Appetit as the hottest new restaurant in the country. The restaurant is so hot right now that side businesses that have been set up just to hold your place in the waiting line! There is a bar down the street that has a cocktail on the menu called 'Waiting for Rose's." 

Eat This: Here's the deal: there are only about 12 items on the menu at a time. You want to try everything on the menu, especially after you just waited 2 hours to have the privilege of eating here. In order to do that you need to either be super hungry or get a reservation for at least 6 people. So make sure before you go that you have a) 5 friends who like to eat good food and b) get there at least an hour and a half before they open to ensure you can get a table. PSA: If you don't have 5 friends you can pay Javon to come with you. You're welcome.

The menu changes regularly but slowly. Our waiter Patrick said that they rotate out a dish once or twice a month. It won't be uncommon for a returning customer to see familiar dishes for a few months. That being said, here's what we ate:

Bread: If Jesus knew that you could make bread this good he probably would have turned all the fish into these magical loaves. The loaf is a spin on a loaded baked potato: warm potato bread served with a bacon and chive butter. When you eat the bread it gives you confirmation that waiting in line for two hours was probably, no, definitely a good idea. 

"Cold" Small Plates: We started with Beef Ribeye Tartare with pickled ramps and crispy potatoes. We then had Fall Vegetable Panzanella salad.

"Warm & Grill" Small Plates: Charred Carrots served with harissa, housemade yogurt, & pearl onions; Pork Sausage served with habanero, peanuts, & lychee salad; and Grilled Quail with Brussels Sprouts, Caesar & apples.

"Other Goods": Crispy Pig's Ear Salad with mango & cabbage; Vadouvan Curry with sweet potato & caramelized banana; and Confit Goat with BBQ Sea Island red peas, rice ,& garlic breadcrumbs. These dishes really divided the table, what with 1.5 vegetarians and two culinary curmudgeons. Our server Patrick said the Pig's Ear Salad was his favorite thing on the menu, and Javon super enjoyed it--the mango brightened up the dish, and the overall effect was surprisingly light. The curry, though, was our favorite dish of the night. 

Pasta: Hand-Cut Chitarra with caramelized cauliflower & white wine soffritto; Penne "alla vodka" with squid & basil; and an off-menu bonus dish for our resident vegetarian: Truffle Pasta from the heavens.

Larger Dishes: They had two larger dishes, which were family style portions. The Smoked Brisket with white bread, horseradish & slaw was like your grandma's brisket, only 100x better. What really stole the show here was the Peruvian-Style Chicken with fried yuca, sweet potato ceviche, & plantains. The chicken might have been the best chicken we've ever had - extremely juicy with a perfect seasoning. It also came with three sauces, one of which was a spicy red mole sauce which was to die for. Jason almost made Yvonne stick the rest of that in her purse.

Dessert: The desserts were the only part of the menu that didn't completely floor us. We ordered all of the ones on the menu, and the standout was the Eggplant Tarte Tartin--we had never had an eggplant dessert! 

Drink: They have a selection of cocktails which looked good, but ultimately didn't tempt us. We knew were in for a long food night so we stayed with water and unsweet tea. 

Atmosphere: Rose's Luxury is located on 8th street near Capitol Hill, which is quickly becoming a hot food community. The interior was Southern Modern and extremely homey and welcoming. It felt from the moment you walked inside like you were eating somewhere special.

District Hospitality: The staff is overwhelmingly gracious. Any question or concern was handled with swift and upmost care. We mentioned to Patrick that we really liked Charleston for food, and he came back to us a few minutes later with a list from all the chefs, including Mr. Silverman, of the best places to go in Charleston and what to eat at each place. 

Frankie's Notes: Sometimes, you love food so much that it confuses your loved ones and almost makes them miss the Florida State game; Javon ate truffles twice in one month: #winning; Standing in line for food brings people together; Confession: we came here directly from standing in a line to eat at Milk Bar.

Rating: 5 out of 5 + 2 Michigan Pugs

 

Et Cetera:

717 8th St. SE
Washington, DC
Monday - Saturday: 5:00pm - 10:00pm

http://www.rosesluxury.com/