Mobile
Friday, July 26, 2013
Liquid Diet Featured Cocktail: Carolina Peach
Posted By Lauren Blake on Fri, Jul 26, 2013 at 12:01 PM
Found: Pisces Sushi Bar & Lounge
Ingredients: McLeod Farms, S.C., peach juice, homemade sweet basil simple syrup, Lillet Blanc, Cardinal Gin. Carbonated and garnished with a grilled peach round.
If you thought the summer of '69 were the best days of your life, the soundtrack to your summer is about to change. "Generations to come will refer back to this one as the summer of carbonation," Pisces bartender Bob Peters jokes. He recently started experimenting with bubbles and the outcome is delightfully effervescent.
Pisces is, to our knowledge, one of the first joints in town to don and use a carbonator system. The geek chic cocktail device churns out some of the best summer sips you can imagine, with a little sparkle to excite the palette. From what started as something Peters found "fascinating, terribly interesting and fun," is now available for the taking in a highball glass at Pisces. The Carolina Peach is the epitome of a poolside sip and is almost too easy going down.
"I think it screams summertime. It screams summer drink, summer cocktail. I'm not sure how it's going to work in the winter but I'll figure something out," Peters added.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Events Upcoming: Rural Hill Food Truck Rally
Posted By Bo McMillan on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 12:59 PM
Amid the rusticity of lush, rolling pastures, grazing livestock, cornfields and cottages comes an out-of-place sensual barrage. There is the hum of motors and the sound of sizzling flat-tops, occasionally drowned out by live music resounding over the pastoral quiet. The smell of oil, spices and browning meat, edged by a slight odor of gasoline, hangs over the fields. People have arrived, grazing on paper-plated noshes as they wander like the resident sheep, taking in the site now peppered by rattling trucks, vendors and a holler-filled kids' zone. This setting, this confusingly delightful smash-up of past and present, can only be one thing - the Rural Hill Food Truck Rally.
Due to the outpouring of positive response to the last two incarnations of the event, Rural Hill is bringing the free admission food fest back to its rustic grounds again on Friday, July 26. Like before, it will feature live music, activities and merchants to complement the eateries. And, due to the popularity of the previous events, the truck roster has expanded and strengthened.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Food News Gaston County's The String Bean celebrates winning a Wine Spectator Award
Posted By Erin Tracy-Blackwood on Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 9:23 AM
North Carolina boasts its fair share of Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence, but there's never been one awarded to a restaurant in Gaston County until The String Bean Fresh Market & Deli in Belmont received the honor this month.
Gaston County may not have much to offer in the way of culinary prestige, but the String Bean is a delicious place to start. The restaurant offers about 300 types of wine from Europe, South Africa, Australia and the U.S. Owner Chad Hutcheson said they plan to add 100 more within the next year. And, in addition to an amazing wine selection, the restaurant boasts a large variety of craft beers, an on-site butcher shop, fresh seafood flown in daily and a menu utilizing fresh local ingredients.
Hutcheson announced The String Bean had received the Award of Excellence Monday night during a VIP wine tasting at the restaurant where guests were treated to an array of wines from around the world, poured by experts eager to share the history of each one.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Food News Jamie Lynch, Marc Jacksina will be like Kanye and Jay Z
Posted By Bo McMillan on Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 1:39 PM
He's cooked at the James Beard House in New York City, churned out high quality fare from the kitchen of Andrew Blair's and brought approachable French cuisine to Charlotte via his former co-ownership of Lulu. At his most recent tenure with Halcyon, Flavors of the Earth, he used local geographic, historic and culinary inspirations to draft a unique and acclaimed menu. He's a published poet, a food writer and, along with the MAP Management team that brought the hit 5Church to Charlotte, Marc Jacksina is about to bring his seasoned cookery to South End.
Enter Nan and Byron's.
While the hype behind this coming establishment has already been mounting due to sister restaurant 5Church's success and a slew of recently released menu tasting photos, the arrival of Jacksina as chef de cuisine alongside executive chef (and MAP partner) Jamie Lynch creates a new and far deeper fold in the anticipation.
Both Lynch and Jacksina are fans of using locally-sourced, seasonal produce to construct menus, a feat resulting in a plethora of fresh, creative dishes for their patrons. Both are known to routinely browse - and occasionally, cook - at local farmers markets, and both have served time in New York as well as in the high-end Charlotte dining scene. The hype behind his joining, therefore, is justifiable - a local culinary equivalent to the collusion of Jay-Z and Kanye.
Events Upcoming: Pop-up cocktail party at Letty's
Posted By Keia Mastrianni on Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 10:08 AM
This Friday, the alluring Haunt Bar, a mysterious liquor-soaked entity made up of cocktail nerds Heather and Kevin Gavagan, will make an appearance at Letty's on Shamrock (inside the old Pike's Pharmacy) for Haunt's first pop-up cocktail party. What began as a hobby creating sophisticated adult beverages at parties for friends has turned into a rather intoxicating obsession for classic cocktails and whimsical, yet intelligent, creations deserving of a wider audience.
The Gavagans are in the process of finding a forever home for Haunt Bar in hopes of reviving the lost art of the cocktail and providing an elegant space to stimulate the senses and inspire conversation. Until then, they have chosen to host pop-up events where you can sip on a Sazerac or an original creation like the Gaffney's Folly, a cocktail infused with peach shrub, cognac, rye, lemon and cinnamon syrup. Haunt Bar promises to leave you in good spirits.
Letty's is located at 2121 Shamrock Drive. Drinks will be served 9 p.m.-1 a.m. and Letty's will offer a full menu until 10 p.m.. To learn more about Haunt Bar events, follow them on Facebook and Twitter or visit www.hauntbar.com
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Recipe Recipe: Strawberry Cake
Posted By Scott Greenberg on Thu, Jul 18, 2013 at 9:31 AM
When you make a cake, you're not just making dessert. You're making a monument of sugar, flour and glory.
Sure, you've made batches of cookies or a few cupcakes before. And they were good, right? Delicious, even. Betty the old, crotchety neighbor down the street raved about them for weeks! People bought them in droves at the bake sale! You're gonna save town hall and have that parade after all!
Or something like that.
But admit it. The minute someone puts one of your measly handfuls of frosting next to a towering, three-story-tall chocolate-coconut masterpiece, you just feel ... inferior. And it's not a matter of flavor, either. You know those cupcakes are good. You had five of them last night at 3 a.m. over a cup of coffee and a rousing game of "c'mon man, seriously don't call your ex this time." Of course they're good.
They're just not impressive. Not the way that cake is. A cookie is something you make because you're sad and you want something warm and chewy in the general vicinity of your mouth. A cake is a magnificent Machu Picchu made of fudge. Know the difference.
So, because it's been rainy and hot and gross as all hell this week, and I know you all probably feel like garbage, we're gonna make a big-ass cake. We're gonna make a Strawberry Cake. And we're all gonna feel glorious together.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Food News Charlotte Restaurant Week returns July 19-28
Posted By Bo McMillan on Wed, Jul 17, 2013 at 1:26 PM
Outside, the call is ringing from Lake Norman to Steele Creek, "Let the bikini bod be damned!" Forget your vanity, diets and workout regimens and gather your hungry desires. Charlotte Restaurant Week is coming.
Restaurant Week offers a release for Charlotteans' pent-up cravings and curiosities, as participating restaurants of all types from the city and its suburbs will be offering three-course meals for the bargain price of $30 from July 19-28. At restaurants like Villa Antonio and Upstream, such a price would usually cover the cost of an entrée, but now, with Queen's Fest Charlotte Restaurant Week, diners can try multiple items at those places for that same cost.
"I think it's a good thing ultimately, and it gives people that don't usually get to eat at more expensive places the chance to try them out," said Upstream manager Hiram Ramirez.
The influx gives eateries a viable opportunity to bolster their clientele, as residents tend to cross neighborhoods, on top of pricing limitations, to eat outside of their typical (to-go) box.
"It drives a new dynamic of guests to the restaurant that maybe would not think of coming to SouthPark," said Peter Schrank, the general manager for George's Brasserie."It's just great for business."
Rob Nixon, owner of the Peculiar Rabbit, is a veteran of the Charlotte dining scene (he also owns Jackalope Jacks) well acquainted with the power of Charlotte Restaurant Week. The Rabbit had only been open for a few months when this January's Restaurant Week rolled around. Even as a fledgling participant, the restaurant picked up around a thousand new customers that week, Nixon said. George's, according to Schrank, experienced a similar boost in covers, too.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Events Save the Date: Michael Pollan to speak at Queens University
Posted By Keia Mastrianni on Mon, Jul 15, 2013 at 10:31 AM
- Photograph by Alia Malley
Food friends and forward thinkers, mark your calendars for Oct. 10. Michael Pollan is coming to town and that's all you need to know. The Learning Society of Queens University will be bringing best-selling author and acclaimed thought leader, Michael Pollan to speak on "How Cooking Can Change Your Life."
Pollan is the author of five New York Times bestsellers and most recently published the Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation. He is best known for his eye-opening book, The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (2006), which was named one of the 10 best books of 2006 by The New York Times and The Washington Post. Pollan was also named to the 2010 TIME 100, the magazine's annual list of the world's 100 most influential people.
For the love of food, this talk is not to be missed.
Tickets are $40 and are on sale now at Carolina Tix and through Queens University of Charlotte . The talk will be held at Dana Auditorium, 7 p.m., at Queens University of Charlotte.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Mouthful Local Discovery: The Yolk Cafe offers great breakfast
Posted By Keia Mastrianni on Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 9:36 AM
I like to fancy myself a breakfast connoisseur, and though Charlotte's got some choice brunch spots and a few greasy spoons, I didn't have a place to call "the spot." Enter The Yolk Cafe, a small breakfast joint located in an unassuming strip mall in Rock Hill.
The Yolk is doing breakfast right, with just the right amount of greasy comfort and culinary refinement. Greg and Subrina Collier, husband and wife, opened the restaurant in March 2012 after finding the space on Craigslist. The Colliers pride themselves on serving up classic favorites and unique specials, inspired by the fresh, local produce they source.
The Yolk recently launched a brand-new menu over the holiday weekend featuring standouts like the Jerk Shrimp & Grits with smoked gouda and Coffee Rubbed Steak Hash with over-easy eggs and a charred tomato salsa. For sweets lovers, there is the Sweet Potato Waffle with homemade pecan butter and for the borderline brunch crowd, the killer chicken salad sandwich on sweet potato brioche.
Keep an eye out for the specials, which are usually a vegetarian selection. They are outstanding and sell out fast. Be sure to try the addictive twice-cooked home fries and creamy grits cooked low and slow in milk. Most of the time, grits are an ancillary breakfast item for me. At The Yolk, they are necessary, if not imperative. This breakfast is totally worth the 30-minute drive south. Trust me.
The Yolk Cafe is located at 1204 Mount Gallant Road, Rock Hill 29732. Hours: Monday-Tuesday 7 a.m.-12 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday 7 p.m.-2 p.m.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Events Mama Ricotta's celebrates its Wine Spectator Award... with wine
Posted By Tori Wright on Sat, Jul 13, 2013 at 1:02 PM
On July 17, Mama Ricotta's in Midtown is hosting a wine dinner based on authentic southern Italian food to celebrate its winning of Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence. How better to celebrate a wine award with more wine? (Is there any other way?)
For $60 a ticket, you get an appetizer, three courses and a dessert, and each are paired with its own wine. All of the wines for the evening were chosen by the guest speaker Ashli Cohen of Charlotte's Vino Vino.
-Fausti Passerina Blanco 2012
-Villa Matilde Falanghina 2011
-Cocci Grifoni Pecorino ("Colle Vecchio") 2011
-Pentri Piedirosso ("Kerres") 2009
-Feudo DiSisa Syrah 2010
Chef Dan Davis has prepared a menu inspired by cuisine from south Italy, like pancetta-wrapped monkfish, grilled octopus and cavatelli pasta. For the full menu for the event check it out Mama Ricotta's Facebook page.
The event takes place Wednesday, July 17 at 6:30. To reserve a seat, call 704-343-0148. Mama Ricotta's is located at 601 S. Kings Drive.
-
Braised Chicken with Shallots 2
I don't think I'll be making this again, but hey, if you like shallots more than a fat kid likes cake, then go for it.
-
Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake 9
It looks so sophisticated, this cake's got me feeling like Miss Fancy Pants baker girl.
-
Dorie Greenspan's Tiramisu Cake
This layered cake is definitely a "pick-me-up" with a little booze and caffeine.
