Nothing says holiday spirit like chocolate peppermint. You could be completely clueless about the time of year, walk into a Starbucks and see Peppermint Mocha on the menu, and know winter is upon us.

To help you really get in the mood to finish your shopping, head over to Tasty Yo. Through Friday, they'll have their newest flavor on tap: chocolate peppermint. Special, limited time holiday toppings include homemade candy cane powder and crushed up candy cane Joe-Joe's from Trader Joe's (pictured below). Yum!

And let's be real — frozen yogurt is completely OK right now, because it's not like it's freezing outside.

NoDa location
3116 N. Davidson St., Suite 130
704-333-4551

7th Street Public Market location
225 E. 7th St.
704-650-0226

The middle of the afternoon tends to provide restaurants with pretty slim pickings, crowd-wise: many people have already taken their lunch and the dinner rush has yet to begin. Fern, Flavors from the Garden is hip to this trend, and is enticing potential customers with a tasty bang for their buck.

• Fern's "Indian Taco"

For $12, guests can choose up to three items from the new Sundown Sampler menu, which offers the following choices:

·OM Burger Slider
·Indian Taco
·Three Sisters Cake
·Squash Blossom Hush Puppy
·Quinoa Salad
·Spiced Root Veggie Chips
·Local Vegetables
·Roasted Potatoes

For those who have yet to visit the restaurant, the Sundown Sampler is a great way to become familiar with Fern's gourmet vegetarian cuisine.

You can enjoy the Sundown Sampler Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 2 p.m.-5 p.m.

1323 Central Ave
704-377-1825

7th Street Market is now open. Go forth, buy fruit and multiply.

• Grant Baldwin
• City leaders cut the ribbon, declaring the market is now open.

Remember when I blogged about being followed by Queen City Q on Twitter?

Well, here's some more information, courtesy of a recent press release. Boom!

Charlotte Entrepreneurs to Create Jobs With Great BBQ

Teams With Award Winning Restaurateur to Open Queen City Q

Charlotte, NC (November 30, 2011) — Bryan Meredith and Sue Johnston have partnered with Award Wining restaurateur, John Duncan, on Queen City Q (The Q), an exciting new BBQ restaurant slated to open January 2012 in Uptown Charlotte at 225 East 6th Street in the former LaVecchia’s location.

Having recently been displaced by corporate changes, Bryan and wife Sue began to look for opportunities not only for themselves but to also create jobs for other locals. “While we of course need to take care of ourselves we believed that if we could create 40-50 jobs we’d be able to make a real impact on our local economy in more ways than one. Having lived in the Charlotte area for over 20 years, that is a real important goal for us” said Meredith. “And making the best Q while providing extra personal service is how we’re going to do it.”

John Duncan is a 35 year restaurant veteran and owns Bonterra Dining & Wine Room, one of Charlotte’s most awarded restaurants. He also created the Mac’s Speed Shop concept as well as Icehouse in Southend. John sold his interest in Mac’s in 2009 and has been looking for the right opportunity with another BBQ concept. When introduced to Bryan and Sue he knew the time was right, especially in Uptown. Said Duncan “with everything going on Uptown and this great location, I’m extremely excited about The Q.”

Headlining in the kitchen will be Dan “Boone” Gibson, the opening Pit Master at Mac’s Speed Shop and creator of all the recipes used. A CPCC Culinary graduate, Boone has been Sous Chef at Bonterra and chef at Dilworth’s Sunset Grill. Also helping out in a consulting role is longtime local restaurant general manager Thomas Wickham. In John’s words “we’re getting the band back together.”

Queen City Q will feature fresh Q smoked daily and served hot along with an extensive list of fresh sides, innovative salads, appetizers and scratch desserts. A full array of meats including brisket, ribs, chicken and house made sausages. Also expect exciting features and daily specials along with everyone’s favorite beverages. Live music will entertain guests and free parking will be available to diners. Hours are scheduled to be 11:00am — 12 midnight, seven days a week.

You know what would make today a tad bit happier? If I had a cold glass of white — any white will do at this point — to sip on while I finished this day out at the office.

But alas, I know that's not going to happen. Instead, I'll tell you about the grand opening of a new wine bar in Uptown. Vintage Wine Lounge will open its doors on Friday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. Located at Brevard Court (isn't that little area so cute?), Vintage will offer a diverse menu of artisan cheese and charcuterie with a wine list to match. There'll be live music and drink specials all night.

317 S. Church St.
704-332-3273

Regular hours will be Tuesday through Saturday, 4 p.m.-11 p.m. (which will likely be extending later on).

If you currently stake out Montford Drive for its food and drink scene, you're probably acquainted with Jet's Pizza and their signature “deli boats” and square, deep dish pizzas. Fans of the Michigan chain's carb-happy cuisine will now have the opportunity to order their favorites from two new locations. Jet’s will open a store early this month at 2712 W. Mallard Creek Church Road in Charlotte and a second store at 920 Park Center Drive in Matthews in late December.

This is in addition to the five other Jet's locations in the state, as well as to the additional spots being planned in Raleigh and in Cary. “North Carolina has been an excellent market for us,” said John Jetts, vice president of marketing. “We’ve had an incredible response and we’re looking forward to further expansion in the state.”

Jet's also offers salads, subs, wings, breadsticks and “Jet Boats” available for carry out or delivery.