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Sweet Spots
50 In August, when we were all sweating and the days did not dip below 90 degrees, I found the mango frozen yogurt at SouthPark's Pinkberry (6908-C Phillips Place Court, 704-552-8552 www.pinkberry.com). Soon after opening this summer, the line was out the door — actually out both doors, front and back.
51 Chef Kristin Bou Zeidan trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and is now making artisanal chocolates in a small strip shopping center in Cornelius. All the spectacular chocolates in the case at her La Parisienne Fine Chocolate (20700 N. Main Street, 704-892-8070) are made by hand and are quite good. Some flavors are wildly inventive. My favorites include the hot chocolate and the Lebanese mint.
52 The recipe for baklava varies throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean area. Most people in Charlotte associate baklava with Greek style, which has a solid dose of syrup. The Lebanese baklava (or baklawa since Arabic does not have the letter "V") is the quintessential treat. To be clear, baklawa in Lebanon refers to an entire family of pastries. For a few years many types of Lebanese pastries, including bird's nests and nammoura, have been made in-house at Cedarland (4832 Central Ave., 704-535-9662), a Middle Eastern grocery store and deli. Check out the trays to the left of the front door.
53 For high-end Greek pastries and any dessert for that matter, I rely on Chef Frank Kaltsounis. I think it started with baklava at Ilios Noches, but then I found loukoumades and apple pie at Big View Diner (16637 Lancaster Highway, 704-544-0313, www.bigviewdiner.com).
Drinks
54 Finally, while I could write at length about my favorite wines, space is limited. But if you have not tried locally made — OK, regionally made — cider, you must. A girl's drink? Maybe, but cider has a higher alcohol content than beer, so what does that say? I enjoy the local cider that winemaker Sean McRitchie makes at McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks (336-874-3003 www.mcritchiewine.com), in North Carolina's Yadkin Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area). His dry cider has a clean, fruit-forward taste profile that goes well with most comfort foods.
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Calendar
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Haw River Wine Tasting @ Carolina Beer Temple.
- Wed., April 24, 5-7 p.m.
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Haw River Wine Tasting @ Carolina Beer Temple.
- Wed., April 24, 5-7 p.m.
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TRIVIA THURSDAYS!!! @ Elizabeth Parlour Room
- Thursdays, 7-8:30 p.m. Continues through June 27
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LIVE MUSIC FRIDAYS: TRACE CASANOVA @ Elizabeth Parlour Room at Hooligans FC
- Fri., April 26, 8-11 p.m.
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Charlotte Grilled Cheese Festival @ SouthEnd Station.
- Sat., April 27, 1-4 p.m.
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Bernardin's celebrates 1/2 year anniversary
A glimpse into this upscale Uptown location, complete with photos.
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Vegan CEO Talks Meatless Mondays and Learning the Lifestyle
Planting the seed
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Back of the Box: No Boil Classic Lasagne 5
Not having to boil the noodles rocks!
