If you are looking for a fun place to watch football or soccer, Big Ben Pub in Charlotte is the perfect place. They have several TV’s and a bar upfront and in the back.
On the weekends they have drink specials. When I recently visited, they had a $18 carafe Mimosa special. It was a bottle of champagne and a carafe of orange juice. It was a great deal.
They offer all the classic English pub fair like fish and chips, bangers and mash, and chicken pot pie. They also had some unique dishes on the menu that sounded absolutely delicious.
We started with the Sausage Rolls. These were a classic English sausage that were wrapped in puff pastry and baked until the pastry was crispy. They served mustard on the side along with a homemade relish. Their relish is apparently pretty famous. It had carrots in it along with what tasted like apples. It was tasty on it’s own, but really paired well with the sausage. I felt that it brought out the flavor in the sausage. These sausage rolls were perfect for sharing.
The Steak and Mushroom Pie came highly recommended. We decided to share this dish because we knew we wanted to order something else off the menu a little later. When you order this dish you have to give it 15-20 minutes to cook because they make them to order. They used tender pieces of steak and mushrooms with a savory brown gravy. Then they placed this mixture into a puff pastry and baked it till it was golden brown. They served creamy mashed potatoes and gravy on the side, along with seasoned mixed vegetables. This dish was savory and was perfect comfort food on a cold winter afternoon.
We also ordered the Cottage Pie. They used fresh ground beef, peas, carrots, and onions and mixed it with some beef gravy. Then they smothered this mixture with cream mashed potatoes. They sprinkled a generous amount of cheese on top and then baked it. The cheese melted and came out slightly crispy. The meat and vegetable mixture was savory and creamy. I could not get enough of it. The mashed potatoes were extremely fresh and it help make this dish stand out.
The food was amazing at Big Ben Pub. The staff was very friendly and always checking on us. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the Charlotte area. Check out their menu at www.BigBenPub.com
Chicken wings are a great food to share with friends or snack on when watching a game on the big screen. I love my wings extra crispy and with lots of sauce. I have to get bleu cheese on the side. This is my typical order from Buffalo Wild Wings. No matter which location I visit they are always consistent. This is why I visited them for National Chicken Wings Day.
After a long day of work while in Charlotte, I was taken out to dinner at South Park Grill (SPG) downtown.
I started off my meal with the French onion soup. This ceramic soup crock was filled with caramelized onions, broth, and sour dough bread. On top they melted gruyere cheese until it created a crispy crust.
I loved breaking into the cheese with my spoon. The salty
cheese complemented the salty onions. The broth of the soup was sweet. This was
good because it balanced out the salty taste from the cheese and onions. It was
a great starter.
For my dinner I got their tuna that was the chef’s special that night. The tuna was seared on the outside. It was peppered with cilantro and a mango pure. The cilantro did add a peppery taste while the mango calmed it down with sweetness.
There were a few sides that were ordered to pass around the table.
The creamed corn was my favorite. I was not able to get a photo because that
dish was pretty popular, and it went fast. The corn was sweet and cheesy. It
was not your typical canned cream corn.
The Brussel sprouts were sautéed and steamed with bacon and onion. The flavor was good because of the bacon but they were not crispy. They were somewhat soft.
The sautéed mushrooms had a great savory and earthy taste. It’s as if they were in their own sauce.
The final side was the truffle fries. These were show string style, so they were extra crispy. The truffle oil that they sprinkled on top was the right amount. It was not an overwhelming flavor. It was the right amount of earthy and salty taste.
I had a nice dinner at SPG. The service was fast, and we got all of our dishes quickly. It was a nice way to end a busy day. Check out their menu at www.southparkgrill.com
There was a small Japanese restaurant near my hotel in Charlotte. I was not too hungry and thought this would be a good spot to get a quick meal.
They were not very busy when I walked in. I think I was in-between
the dinner crowds. This was good for me because I was able to get a seat
quickly.
I ordered the Hibachi dinner, which came with the
traditional Miso soup and salad with ginger dressing.
The Miso soup had shredded chicken in it. This made it unique for a Miso soup. I really enjoyed it and could have eaten a large bowl as a meal.
The ginger dressing was perfect on the salad. They used a
generous amount, which I appreciated. Every bite had that delicious ginger
taste.
I ordered the shrimp hibachi. I love how the shrimp are cooked with hibachi. They take on a nice grilled taste and texture. They gave me a ton of shrimp and I was not expecting that. They were delicious. I did dip a few in the creamy Yum Yum sauce for additional flavor.
I also got a generous amount of fried rice and grilled
vegetables. It was almost too much to eat. Good thing I had a refrigerator in
my hotel room. I was able to have lunch for the next day.
I am glad that Mai was near my hotel. I was able to get a nice
dinner, pretty quickly. It pays to
explore what is around you when you travel.
There is a hot restaurant in Charlotte that won several awards in 2018 called 5 Church. I was looking forward to having dinner there on my recent visit to the Queen City.
When I walked through the door I was blown away by the décor. There was a big tree at the hostess stand that lead you over to the bar. Hanging above the bar were feather lights that seemed to be floating in midair.
There were interesting light fixtures throughout, as well as a beautiful carved wood wall.
We started off with drinks for the table. After looking over the menu, everyone wanted to try the Rose flight. They brought out 4 different Rose wines on a slate tray. They were laid out driest to sweetest.
Venve Devienne Brut Rose (bubbly)
Twelfth Night Rose (Pinot Noir)
Dornier Rose (Merlot)
Whispering Angel Rose (Garnache/Syrah)
It was fun to drink these and see what everyone thought about the taste. Everyone had their own favorite. It id not seem like anyone could agree.
We ordered several appetizers to share around the table. The homemade black bean hummus was the first thing brought out. It had a creamy texture and went well with the fresh made crackers that came on the side.
The crispy calamari were out next. They were breaded and lightly fried. These were a different type of calamari that I usually find on the West Coast. These were in strips and were thick, but extremely tender. A lemon aioli, a sriracha cocktail sauce, and a sweet chili sauce were drizzled on the plate. This allowed each piece of calamari to have a little of each sauce. There were also some sweet mini peppers tossed with the calamari for added interest.
The last appetizer was everyone’s favorite – the Yellowfin Tuna Sushi Tots. They took sushi rice and shaped it into the size of a tater tot. Then they lightly breaded them with panko breadcrumbs and fried them up. Then on top they placed yellowfin tuna drizzled with sriracha mayo, unagi, nori, and toasted sesame seeds.
These did taste like sushi that was just sitting on crunchy rice. The flavor was fantastic. They could be eaten in just one bite. I could have eaten an entire plate of these all by myself.
For my dinner, I ordered the pan seared salmon. The salmon came with a charred scallion chimichurri on top. It was almost like a pesto sauce. The salmon was cooked great. It was moist and flakey. On the side there were roasted broccoli and a corn & lobster succotash. The corn was sweet, but I did not see enough lobster. They finished off the presentation by dusting the plate with black trumpet mushroom dust.
The sides all came a la cart. So, a couple were ordered for everyone to share. The braised collard greens came chopped up into nice small pieces, which made them easier to eat. They cooked the greens with smoky bacon, which tasted wonderful with the slight bitterness of the greens.
The mac and cheese could not be passed up. This was a white truffle mac and cheese with cheddar cheese. I could smell the earthy aroma from the truffles as soon as the dish was placed on the table. The truffles paired so well with the saltiness from the cheese. It was also extremely creamy.
The final side was the southern street corn. The corn was roasted so it had a slight hint of smokiness, but it was the corns natural sweetness that shined through. They sprinkled a little parmesan cheese over the corn. However, the fun element was the crunchy onions that they placed on top. It did add nice crunch and the saltiness of the onions complemented the sweet corn.
Now no dinner would be complete without sharing a few desserts around the table. The Pretzel Bar was something unique. This was constructed with a layer of crushed up pretzels to create the base. Then there were layers of caramel and milk chocolate and then topped off with dark chocolate. This really tasted like a candy bar. The pretzel was a little tough to cut through, but we managed. It was the perfect blend of sweet and salty. Plus, they served a homemade vanilla gelato on the side, which to me was a bonus dessert.
The second dessert was the Lemon Brule Tart. The tart shell was filled with a lemon curd and custard. It was topped with a blueberry Greek yogurt mousse and a chocolate disk for presentation. They also added a blueberry compote on the side. The compote was sweet and went well with the tartness from the lemon in the custard. The mousse was also sweet and creamy which also was another perfect complement to the lemon.
I had a fantastic meal at 5 Church. Every dish I tried was
prepared perfectly. I would visit again the next time I am in Charlotte. It was
a great experience and the staff was wonderful. They all really seemed to enjoy
working there.
The city of Charlotte, North Carolina has been growing rapidly for years. Because of this growth, the suburbs have been growing too. Gastonia is one of those suburbs. It was time for lunch when I was in town and rather than eat at a chain restaurant, I decided to check out Sakura. It is the original Japanese Steakhouse in Gastonia and has been serving up sushi and Japanese dishes for over a decade.
I started off with a house salad that came with a choice of dressing – either ginger or a shrimp sauce. Naturally I chose the ginger dressing because it always has amazing flavor and is perfect with fresh, crispy lettuce. This was a pretty big salad compared with the small bowl that I usually have with a Japanese lunch.
Since it was cold outside, I went for the Japanese ramen soup. This homemade chicken broth was loaded with tender ramen noodles, fresh mushrooms, carrots, and spinach. Sliced up on top was a chicken breast. The chicken was thinly sliced and breaded with panko breadcrumbs and fried till crunchy. The flavor of the chicken complemented the salty taste from the broth. This soup was very filling and extremely hearty.
I am glad I stopped by this local Japanese restaurant. He staff was extremely friendly and waited on my every need. You should check out what they have to offer at http://www.sakuragastonia.com/
I went to the cutest BBQ restaurant when I visited Concord, North Carolina. R&R Bar-B-Que has been serving fresh Carolina style BBQ for 20 years.
As soon as I walked in I noticed a theme to the restaurant, it was all about trains. They had several trains running on tracks that were mounted to the ceiling.
The also decorated all the walls with railroad signs. These signs were from all over the country.
I was looking forward to having some good Carolina BBQ. What makes Carolina BBQ different from what you get in Texas, Memphis, or Kansas City? The sauce used on the BBQ is vinegar based and Carolina BBQ focus of pork. This is why Carolina style is my favorite, I love pork BBQ.
I ordered the Engineer’s BBQ Plate. This apparently is their most popular dish. I for the slow cooked pork shoulder that was hand chopped rather than pulled. I like it this way because it chops up the bark from the edges into every bite of meat. Their pork was extremely moist and had a wonderful smoky taste. I made sure to eat some plain before I tried their BBQ sauces.
There were three sauces that I tried:
Bar-B-Que: A classic sauce
Sweet Sauce: This was my favorite because of the sweetness. It paired well with the smokiness from the meat.
Sweet & Spicy: This did have a slight sweetness but that was overshadowed by the kick of heat that filled my mouth as I continued to eat the pork.
To accompany the pork BBQ I got three homemade hush puppies. These were fried to a crispy brown on the outside. As I took a bite, the cornmeal flavor came through the soft center. I enjoyed these plain, however, they did taste great dipped in some BBQ sauce.
My BBQ plate also came with two sides. Naturally I got the baked beans. They are a must have when I am enjoying BBQ. The beans were sweet and cooked till they were nice and tender.
The other side I ordered was the fried corn on the cob. The main reason I ordered this was because I needed to know what this really was. As soon as I saw the corn it reminded me of something I could get at a state fair (just minus the stick).
The ear of corn was dipped on a batter that had a little pepper mixed in. Then they deep fried the ear of corn until the batter was crispy. When I took a bite there was a little crunch with a salty taste. That went well with the sweetness of the corn itself. This was a really interesting take for a corn on the cob.
I love trying local restaurants when I am visiting a town or city. R&R Bar-B-Que fit the bill. They had amazing food and a cute theme. The staff was also very friendly. You should check them out if you are in the Concord area. Visit their website at http://rrbbq.net/
I found another hot spot serving mouthwatering Southern fried chicken. This time I found myself in Charlotte, North Carolina. Price’s Chicken Coop is a small hole-in-the-wall place that had a line out the door. I visited them on a Saturday so that added to the craziness (just know that are closed Sunday & Monday – so plan accordingly).
I got the quarter chicken of all white meat, plus it comes with several sides including cole slaw, tater rounds, and hush puppies. It was indeed a full meal. Since there is no place to sit in the restaurant I ate in the car, which I noticed many people were doing. I wanted to make sure I ate my chicken while it was still hot.
The chicken was cooked perfectly. The breading was immensely crispy. When you bite into the chicken you hear that crunch and you are overwhelmed by the juiciness of the chicken. They do a phenomenal job at locking in the moisture of their chicken. Every bite was truly enjoyable.
One note I need to make about this fried chicken is that it is cooked in 100% peanut oil. So if you have a peanut allergy, please be careful. They do have other items on their menu – burgers & BBQ that you can try. Also note that they are a cash only, so hit the ATM before you get there.
