I thougt it fitting to write my last post before Thanksgiving on one of my last meals in Charlotte. I’m finding this bittersweet–sweet because Mario has now made a permanent move back to Atlanta, but bitter because I was actually kind of liking Charlotte and my monthly trips there. On this trip, Mario was being particularly generous in letting me pick restaurants I was interested in blogging about. After taking in a Bobcats game with friends, we decided to check out a new-ish addition to South End, The Liberty.

The Liberty

We decided to stop because of their sign outside the gastropub touting “Best Burger in Charlotte.” Aside from now-closed The Counter, we hadn’t found any much to go in Charlotte’s Best Burger category. Mario of course ordered The Liberty Pub Burger (natural beef, sweet grass cheddar, apple smoked bacon, herb aioli, hand cut fries), while I decided to order from the small plates menu and try the pork belly sliders (apple-vanilla butter, tomato jam, soy-ginger glaze, spicy slaw):

Liberty Pub Burger

Pork Belly Sliders

Mario decided his burger was good, but wouldn’t stand up to any of his favorites in Atlanta. The cool pretzel-shaped (but not pretzel-tasting) bun was a nice, buttery touch. While Mario’s burger was average, my pork belly sliders were heavenly. The pork belly was nicely done, retaining both its crispy skin and moist meat. When you read the ingredient list for the slider, one thing that stands out is the plethora of condiments. You would think it would be condiment overload…but their mixture is what took the sliders to another level. The hint of apple and vanilla mixed with the glaze on the pork belly was literally finger-lickin’ good. Mario even tried to dip his fries in the drippings. I’ve been thinking about those sliders since I visited and am quite sad I don’t have any scheduled trips back to Charlotte to taste them.

Aside from the two menu offerings we tried, The Liberty has a number of gastropub-style small plates and appetizers to choose from. Larger dishes like salmon and roast chicken are available, and they’re even now serving brunch. But I suggest you just get a few plates of sliders and call it a day.

www.thelibertycharlotte.com

Every time Mario and I visit Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood (kind of a littler Little 5 Points, Atlantans), Cabo Fish Taco has a crowd milling outside and a wait time of an hour-plus. To me, this says, “must be good.” It could also be due to the fact that the place was recently featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (although I really don’t think that it would qualify for any of those monikers):

Cabo Fish Taco

We waited patiently for hour hour-plus wait, alleviated slightly by the opportunity to peruse the gallery crawl held in NoDa on the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month. When we were finally seated on the patio, we quickly made our choices for dinner. Mario went for the signature beer battered shrimp tacos (cheese only, yawn) and I had the BBQ Mahi Tacos (Grilled mango BBQ Mahi-Mahi tacos stuffed with Cabo slaw, tomato, avocado, mixed cheeses & finished with cilantro white sauce):

Signature Shrimp Tacos

BBQ Mahi Tacos

Mario’s shrimp tacos look at little boring in the picture, but they didn’t taste boring at all. The shrimp batter was crispy and delicious, and the shrimp were juicy. My bbq mahi tacos were AMAZING! They were stuffed to the brim with not just toppings, but delicious (and not dry) fish as well. The slaw and white sauce were especially flavorful and made the whole taco pop. One comment I had about my tacos was that the “mixed cheeses” included were really not even necessary–with all the other “stuff” going on, cheese didn’t add anything to the taco. Overall though, the tacos were fantastic, and I’m going to try and recreate them sometime soon.

Despite the weekend evening wait, Cabo Fish Taco is a great part of the Charlotte food scene (with another location in Blacksburg, VA). I so thoroughly enjoyed my meal, I even tried convincing Mario to return the next day!

www.cabofishtaco.com

Chick-fil-A is pretty much my favorite fast-food restaurant, so I was excited I got the chance to get an “advance” taste of their new spicy chicken sandwich, which is being debuted for real on June 7. All you had to do for a free sandwich was visit getspicychicken.com and reserve a time for May 24-June 5. A great gimmick for Chick-fil-A, I think. But on to the sandwich:

The anticipation is killing me

The Sandwich

Basically, if you like Chick-fil-A’s classic chicken sandwich (which I do) and you like spicy (which I do), you’ll like this sandwich. The chicken is the same juicy stuff that CFA is famous for, and the seasoning has a slow, creeping heat. By the time I was halfway through I wasn’t sure I’d finish the whole thing without another cup of lemonade.

I’m not sure whether I’d order the spicy chicken sandwich over the original, but I am looking forward to the spicy chicken breakfast biscuit that AJC Food Critic John Kessler mentioned is in development. Check out his experience at CFA headquarters for a taste of the sandwich here.

www.chickfila.com

I was back in Charlotte last weekend and Mario and I got a chance to meet up with some of my high school buddies that are new to the area. I’ve been debating on whether or not to do some name-dropping in this post, but I think I’m gonna go ahead and drop away One of my besties just moved to Charlotte to be with her longtime boyfriend and my old friend, recently acquired Bobcats player Tyrus Thomas. They requested a soul/Southern food spot, and after some debate, Mario and I decided to meet them at Boudreaux’s Louisiana Kitchen in NoDa. Obviously Boudreaux’s is not the name of this post, and that’s because I didn’t feel motivated to write a full post after our disappointing meal. The crawfish and spinach dip appetizer was the highlight. I had an oyster po’boy that was unseasoned and borderline gross. There was one interesting point on the menu–their selection of hurricanes. We couldn’t decide whether it was in poor taste or kind of funny/clever that they named their different hurricane concoctions after actual hurricanes. The Hurricane Katrina was made up of spirits from locations that followed the course of the hurricane. Hmm…

Anyway, toward the end of the meal, my friends asked if we had heard of Amelie’s French Bakery, also in the NoDa area. When we said no, they both insited we go right away. Tyrus, usually a pretty goofy guy, got extremely serious when he started to describe a fruit tart they serve. “Jessica. Ok they have this graham cracker crust. And then this custard that is really, really good. Then on top are these perfectly sliced strawberries and berries and stuff, gracefully arranged and topped with this apple jam….ok we have to go right now.” And so we did:

Amelie's French Bakery

Fruit Tart

Salted Caramel Bar & Eclair

Honey Bun

Macarons

The tart and its “graceful fruits” were as delicious as promised. The custard was sweet and cream cheese-like, but lighter. The fruits were all super fresh and juicy. I was happy with my selection. I sampled the salted caramel and honey bun, which were both quite sticky. I liked the flavor of the salted caramel and that it was on a slightly crunchy (possibly cookie or chocolate graham?) base. We all agreed the honey bun would have benefited from a zap in the microwave. The macarons, which I had talked up to everyone, were kind of a disappointment. They didn’t have quite the right crunchy-dense-creamy consistency and the flavors weren’t as intense as I was expecting. I’m considering sending my friends a box from Sucré so they know I wasn’t just gushing over nothing

Amelie’s serves a ton of items outside the pastry realm, including quiches, sandwiches, and soups (which I’m told are also very good). They also sell par-baked (so you can take it home and eat it hot) and fresh breads (must try their baguettes). The icing on the cake, however, is that they’re open 24 hours a day! So if you want a fruit tart at 3am, they’ve got it. I definitely think this will be a regular stop when I’m in Charlotte. I know I’m a sucker for dessert, but trust me, even non-dessert people will like Amelie’s!

www.ameliesfrenchbakery.com

www.boudreauxs.com

I’ve been searching for a “user-friendly” place to get my feet with with Vietnamese food because I feel like I’m missing out on so much of Atlanta’s food options. Though it’s actually in Charlotte, Vietnam Grille, was just the place I needed for an introduction. Charlotte bloggers and Yelpers were singing its praises, so Mario and I decided to check it out one gorgeous weekend in the Queen City.

Our server was super friendly and apparently recognized the slightly perplexed looks on our faces, as he asked if it was our first time eating Vietnamese and gave some suggestions. I decided to try the phở with flank steak and brisket, and Mario got the broken rice (which I believe was Cơm tấm, but correct me if I’m wrong) with chicken:

Phở

Cơm tấm

Our dishes came out literally within 5 minutes and we dug in.

We both really enjoyed our meals. The enormous bowl of phở, while probably not the best idea for a hot day, was comprised of a heap of rice noodles, in a deliciously seasoned broth with slices of meat floating around. I also got a plate of basil, lime, bean sprouts, and peppers to mix in at my leisure (I did end up trying the phở with the additions of the first 3 ingredients). Mario’s cơm tấm was one of the “safer” items on the menu, and what the waiter recommended when we asked about “something chicken-y for a first timer.” He liked the seasoning on the chicken and even ended up pouring most of the accompanying fish sauce over the rice and chicken (but don’t tell him that’s what it was).

Toward the end of our meal, the owner of Vietnam Grill, Ricky Lai, came out to speak with some of the front of the house folk, and ended up stopping by our table to see how we liked our food. He commented that the place is full of Johnson & Wales culinary school students on weekdays, and pointed out a customer that comes in every day and always gets a double order of the chicken cơm tấm (which we witnessed him inhale in 10 min flat).

If I can convince Mario to visit again I definitely think we’ll be back. I’m also taking recommendations for Vietnamese spots to visit in ATL!

no website

Mario and I found a newly opened (October) and judging by the number of people seated, apparently as-yet undiscovered dining gem in Charlotte. Terrace Cafe is located in the Southpark area near the mall (I’m not up on my Charlotte geography enough to be more specific than that). We were looking for a brunch spot one Saturday morning and I surfed a few reviews, browsed their interesting-looking menu, and made the choice. Man, am I glad I did.

Terrace

Though I can only speak for the breakfast items, I can’t imagine that the rest of Terrace’s menu would disappoint either. I ordered the Red Velvet Waffle topped with cream cheese drizzle (can’t believe no one in Atlanta has done this!) and Mario threw together a meal from the sides menu of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon:

Red Velvet Waffle

Pancake Breakfast

A red velvet waffle! How creative! Though it tasted more “waffle” than “red velvet”, this was a fantastically made Belgian waffle. I also had a side of berries, which I subbed for the regular fruit cup (or choice of hashbrowns or grits) because cantaloupe makes me nauseous. Mario’s pancakes were something special, I mean literally, there was something special in them. The first thing that came to mind was orange zest, but I thought if it were there you would be able to see it, so I’m not sure what the flavor was, but it was really working.

Terrace Cafe has some really great decor and a very open space, including an open kitchen you can take a look at as soon as you walk in the door. They don’t skimp on the tableware either; from linen napkins and wood-paneled menus to curvy flatware and glassware, they added a touch of class to breakfast. Some of the other yummy-sounding breakfast creations include S’mores French Toast and Eggs Benedict Florentine. They also have YMCA nutritionist-approved breakfast and lunch items. I took a glance over the lunch menu (not open for dinner) and was pretty intrigued as well, so I would love to return at a later hour to try more!

www.terracecafecharlotte.com

Mario and I visited hip-looking burger joint The Counter last weekend in Charlotte (there is also a location in GA in Roswell). We’ve been scoping it out for a while and decided that the fact that it was packed was a good sign. Surprisingly, we were seated immediately (larger groups should expect a longer wait) and were given the run-down on the order process.

The Counter

We were given a half-page menu and order sheets on a clip board. The Counter’s order process reminded me of a sushi place where the table checks off their orders for the server. You can choose your patty protein and size (1/3 lb, 2/3 lb, or 1lb), cheese (1 incl), toppings (4 incl, with “premium” toppings like bacon or mushrooms running $0.50/each), sauce (1 incl), and bun (English muffin, regular, or honey wheat). Whew! There are also “signature” burgers, the burger of the month, and non-burger sandwiches.

Mario and I ordered a “fifty-fifty” (half regular fries, half sweet potato fries), a bacon cheeseburger + bbq sauce, and a bleu-bacon-mushroom-pickle burger + roasted garlic aioli:

Fifty-fifty

Bacon Cheeseburger

Bleu-bacon-mushroom Burger

Both of us LOVED our burgers. Their standard cooking temp is medium, but we both asked for medium well. They were very nicely cooked but not too dry. I could have done with a little more seasoning in the patty, but the great toppings made up for any lack of flavor here. The bacon was thick and perfectly cooked, mushrooms well seasoned, and bleu cheese added the perfect tang. My garlic aioli, which I was slightly disappointed with as a sauce for my pub frites at Leon’s, was fabulous. The garlic flavor was rich and (rightly) overpowered any mayo-yness.

We were both fans of our “fifty-fifty” as well, Mario was in love with the sweet potato fries and I was quite happy with the regular ones, which were cooked just how I like (crisp but not crunchy). I’m not sure what the sauce on the side was (maybe horseradish mayo?) but it was soo yummy and went perfectly with the regular fries. The sweet potato fries were also well cooked and had that perfect sweet/savory balance.

To top everything off, I also ordered a milkshake that took me the rest of the evening to finish. I was a little disappointed with their lack of flavor variety, but I was VERY pleased with the combo I decided on, Caramel/Apple Pie:

Caramel/Apple Pie Milkshake

Such a yummy milkshake! I’m pretty sure there was a whole slice of apple pie blended in too, because I got some chunks of crust and apple stuck in my straw.

The Counter was a fun environment for groups or just for two. There were a lot of families dining in when we visited, but they also boast a full bar and a few flat screens tuned in to various sporting events. It’s no H+F burger, but I think I can safely say we’re both looking forward to a return visit!

www.thecounterburger.com

I was visiting Charlotte a few weekends ago and Mario took me out to Zink American Kitchen downtown. Food, not bad. Service, lacking. We went in and were quickly seated in the main dining room. Oddly, you only get a drink menu when you sit down and no food menu, so we couldn’t even see what they had to offer in the 15 minutes we were sitting there without even a glance from a waiter. A group of 5 was seated next to us not long after we arrived, and were brought water and menus within 5 minutes. After that, we decided it was time for us to leave.

I guess at the same time we decided our wait was unacceptable, the manager did too, because he caught us about halfway to the door, apologized profusely, and offered us a free appetizer for being ignored. Apparently the person normally assigned to our table was helping with a large party in another room and none of the other waiters in the area noticed. Mmhmm. Whatever, we were hungry. I ordered us the Streetside Tacos (beef shortribs, mango, red onion slaw, chipotle crema) as our on-the-house app:

Streetside Tacos

For entrees, Mario ordered the Eden Farms Pork Chop (mac ‘n’ cheese, swiss chard, peach salsa), and I got the Chef’s menu, which included 3 courses: “Strawberries” (a salad: feta cheese, arugula, pistachios), a bacon-wrapped filet (“steak fries” caramelized blue cheese, shallot demi), and an ice-cream sandwich dessert (peanut butter ice cream). A lot of stuff, and a lot of yummy:

Porck Chop & Mac-n-Cheese

Strawberries

Bacon-wrapped Filet

Mario’s pork chop was HUGE and really moist and well seasoned. The mac-n-cheese was made with shell noodles (a little strange to me) and a blend of cheeses Mario didn’t care for. My strawberry salad was pretty tasty, the strawberries were really juicy to say they’re out of season and I liked the contrast with the feta cheese. My bacon-wrapped filet, which I ordered medium-well (I just can’t eat bloody meat!) was fantastic. I have accepted the fact that eating medium-well beef often means that I end up with a slightly tough cut of meat, but this filet was still super tender at my requested temp. I’m also a sucker for blue cheese and bacon on anything, so that didn’t hurt at all. The steak fries were a disappointment; they were basically just huge seasoned potato wedges, but they seemed overcooked for my taste. Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of the ice cream sandwich, but it was gigantic. Two chocolate cookies with a generous helping of peanut butter ice cream in between, covered with chocolate sauce. Mario and I definitely didn’t have room to finish it.

Zink was a so-so dining experience, but the bad service left a cloud over our whole meal. However, the food was good, and I understand it can be a happening after-work spot (there is a large bar area). I’d be willing to give it another try, but one slip-up would make it my last.

www.harpersgroup.com/zink

I spent last weekend in Charlotte and got to do some shopping, participated in a 5K heart walk, and visited New South Kitchen & Bar. I basically decided on this place based on some online buzz and a promising-looking menu, and I was expecting it to maybe be Charlotte’s version of JCT Kitchen. That it was not, but I wasn’t disappointed.

New South Kitchen

Mario ordered the Crispy Chicken Sandwich (honey mustard, grilled apples, cheddar cheese) and I had the Shrimp and Grits (housemade sausage, mushrooms, white cheddar grits).

Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Shrimp and Grits

Mario only enjoyed parts of his chicken sandwich. He said the bread was oddly buttered and toasted like a grilled cheese sandwich, and he wasn’t a fan of the grilled apple rings either (and he loves apples). I’ve seen apples paired with chicken before, usually along with chicken salad, but typically raw, not grilled. I think the grilling gave them an unpleasant texture when matched with the fried chicken.

My shrimp and grits were really good:

Jessica's First Bite

The dish was not my first choice, I wanted the fried oyster salad, but they were out of fried oysters (to be fair, we came in 30 min before closing). The additions of savory gravy and mushrooms elevated the shrimp and grits firmly out of the breakfast category. The housemade sausage was flavorful and abundant in the dish. My one complaint is that the shrimp weren’t very well seasoned, but their size and natural flavor along with the seasoning in the rest of the dish made up for it. I also would have been a little happier with creamier grits, but these were fantastic either way. It was a pretty small plate, but VERY satisfying and filling!

As far as New South Kitchen’s ambiance goes, it is located in a strip mall in South Charlotte. I felt they could have done more with the decor to make it feel not so strip mall-y. It was like they had thrown a bar and a few booths and tables into an old retail store (and maybe they did). There was live music on the evening we visited, a guitarist covering alternative rock songs, and he wasn’t bad, but waay too LOUD. We [barely] heard the couple seated behind us make the same observation.

I enjoyed my meal at New South Kitchen & Bar. If they turn down the music a bit, this could be a cozy, romantic spot with excellent “new South” cuisine.

www.newsouthkitchen.com