Good New Restaurants

[Guest]

Sauceman, Macs or Midwood Smokehouse. from which should I get BBQ from on Thursday?

[tozmervo]

man up. all of them.

[grodney]

Midwood beats Mac's by a mile, in my opinion.  But you know how BBQ goes, it's an art not a science, so I'm sure it varies day to day.

 

Or what toz said.

[tozmervo]

More thoughtful response-I pretty much never recommend Macs anymore. Between saucemans and midwood you have two excellent joints with very different style. If you want the "screw life" gluttonous approach, saucemans. If you need a little more subtlety and nuance (and better beer selection), midwood

[ah59396]

I'd also throw Queen City BBQ in there.  It's solid.

[CLTProductions]

I'd also throw Queen City BBQ in there.  It's solid.

I second that. I love Queen City q

[Guest]

I second that. I love Queen City q

I'll have a 96 year old with me, otherwise I'd do Queen City Q

Looks like it'll be Midwood BBQ

[nonillogical]

Yeah I still go to Macs sometimes but its for the expansive beer list and the vibe more so than the food. I still like their ribs just not their pulled pork. Midwood Smokehouse's brisket is the best I've ever had (get some burnt ends) and being able to get bacon-wrapped jalapenos as a side won me over completely.

[atlrvr]

Queen City Q is great, my favorite actually, and really good fried okra too.  The only thing there NOT amazing is their Texas Toast.....if I'm getting take-out pulled pork (which I do quite often), Mac's tastes best of the above options scooped out of a container and reheated.

[ScottCLT]

None of them (not that they are bad). Bill Spoon's is the way to go.

[atlrvr]

I also ate at Futo Buta today..love the space and the murals, had the miso as well. My preference was to try the tonkotsu, which was on the menu, but the server recommended against it and said "the chef is still perfecting it". The miso was good, as were the pork belly sliders, but I have to cast my vote firmly with Yama Izakaya having the best ramen in town. It's absolutely incredible! The 2 restaurants are very different and will appeal to your different moods, and offer different selections on the menus. I'm just glad we have 2 great new options in town!

 

Ate here last night.  Had the Tonkotsu.  It was very good, and I don't really like ramen in general.  Also, had friend chicken appatizer which was amazing. 

 

It was also pretty crowded still after 9pm.  I was expecting it to be dead, given the difficult location, but it was a great mix of families, couples, and friends. 

 

Honestly, if this niche concept can thrive in this difficult a location, I think it says we've arrived as a food town.  Good food, and good execution, and you can make it because we have a strong enough urban population base.

[Guest]

My recommendation is Don't take your kids to Little Spoon. We were perplexed what to order for our nephews. 

 

 

 

[DEnd]

yeah 38 dollars for a pizza with toppings is ridiculous, even if it is big.

It is very good though. I'll frequent the place, but only for a quick slice.

 

Not really that is almost more than triple the size of a 16" pizza a Papa John's 16" is $14.50 or a bit over $0.07 per square inch plus tax, for the 28" from Benny Pennelo's it's a bit over $0.06 per square inch tax included. 

Edited July 11, 2015 by DEnd

[SouthEndCLT811]

Received an invite for the soft opening at The Cellar at Duckworths.  Checking it out tomorrow night, pretty excited to see how it turned out! 

[CLTProductions]

Received an invite for the soft opening at The Cellar at Duckworths.  Checking it out tomorrow night, pretty excited to see how it turned out! 

I am going 7-8

[SouthEndCLT811]

Really enjoyed myself at The Cellar last night.

Great speakeasy vibe from the big sliding door when you enter to comfy leather chairs, edison bulbs and waiters with bow tie/suspenders look going on.

I had two of the "East Village" Manhattan.  Probably the best I've ever had (not a connoisseur but my go to cocktail).  Sampled 4 different tapas, the brussel sprouts, truffle mac & cheese, truffle fries.  These were all really delicious and well done.  The fourth tapas was 3 home made waffle cones filled with various meats; ahi tuna, shrimp and honey sriracha chicken. Starting to sound repetitive but this was also delicious

For main entrees our table shared a filet and burger.  Cooked perfectly but holy salt.  Even heard someone at another table mention the salt on their food saying "a little goes a long way".  Minor issue for a soft opening that I'm sure will get corrected.

For dessert we tried the corn flake french toast that came with banana's foster on top.

I wish I would have looked at the beer menu more as I know they're going to be offering some unique options but I was locked in on the East Village.  Highly recommend this place!

Edited July 14, 2015 by SouthEndCLT811

[Niner National]

Angry Ale's opening a second location in UCity. Same shopping center as Flying Saucer.

[CLTProductions]

No review needed for The Cellar other than its far and away the best place uptown. Was absolutely blown away. 

[tozmervo]

No review needed for The Cellar other than its far and away the best place uptown. Was absolutely blown away. 

If I may expand somewhat on that:

• Atmosphere of Alexander Michael's
• Food quality/selection of Dandelion Market
• Beer and cocktail quality that sets a new bar in Charlotte (no pun intended)
• Far and away the best place uptown
• Absolutely blown away

 

[Miesian Corners]

Anyone know anything (including the name) of the new little cafe at the corner of S Church and Lincoln streets next door to Craft? 

[CLTProductions]

Anyone know anything (including the name) of the new little cafe at the corner of S Church and Lincoln streets next door to Craft? 

The Gallery. Check them out. It's awesome. 

[Miesian Corners]

The Gallery. Check them out. It's awesome. 

That's what I thought, but they have no web presence at all--well, none that I can find.  

[CLTProductions]

That's what I thought, but they have no web presence at all--well, none that I can find.  

yeah they're struggling getting their social media presence going. Here is their twitter

@thegalleryclt

 

[CLTProductions]

Not a new restaurant. But a new food truck:

I've been waiting for açai bowls to make their way to Charlotte and now their here. Rico's Açai opened and they'll be permenantly located in the Gantt surface lot (across from the mint museum). 

 

I give them kudos for their hours, hope they don't struggle as they can make a great case for Charlotte not being dead after 5. 

 

The bowls themselves were great but pricey but that was expected. Açai berries are expensive. 

[Xss]

Hello,

I almost never post, but I have been a lurker for years (I pretty much check these forums on a daily basis). Anyway, I am going to visit some relatives in Charlotte (for the first time in 7 years!).
I'll be of course stopping by the downtown, can't wait to check all the new stuff! Hopefully I am posting my question in the right section: any good places to eat there, maybe around Bearden Park, opened on Saturday? Also, any restaurants you absolutely do not recommend?

Thanks!

Edited August 12, 2015 by Xss