Bringing August in with a bang | QC After Dark

Friday, August 5, 2016

Bringing August in with a bang

Posted By on Fri, Aug 5, 2016 at 2:01 PM

As my coworkers and I piled in to a room for a meeting, one of them proclaimed, “Champagne cures all.” I nodded my head in agreement, which was weird considering champagne had dominated my previous weekend in Durham. It was there that I discovered another drink to add to the list, things you can still drink even after it comes back up. Per usual, we spent the first portion of the meeting recapping the weekend’s excitement and for the first time in a while, we had a company event to discuss.

Our company finally hit a goal we’ve been focusing on for months. Our reward? An all-expense-paid trip to 204 North Kitchen & Cocktails. Talk about #winning. We wrapped up the work day a couple hours early, 3 p.m. to be exact, and walked up the street to one of my newest fave Q.C. spots. Decked out in exposed brick, piping and natural wood, it’s yet another great place for grabbing appetizers and cocktails in the heart of Uptown. (Sidenote: It’s quite hilarious that it’s situated between RiRa and Prohibition because 204 North gives off the “I’m adulting today vibe” while the latter tend to be where I end up when I’m re-making poor college decisions.)

If you happened to pick up a copy of Creative Loafing last week, then you know I was planning on hitting up 204 North for Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week. Last Tuesday, a few coworkers and I snagged a reservation for dinner. I had planned on getting the classic burger, fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese and a dessert. But after we arrived, my eyes landed on something I couldn’t resist: wine and lobster mac and cheese. I weighed my options, and decided that since I’m not a huge dessert fan and since more wine and the mac and cheese dish would equate to the $30 restaurant week three-course deals, I’d go with the new choice. Not to mention, they gifted us a charcuterie board for a delay in seating, so I wasn’t as hungry as I thought I would be.

Needless to say, after an excellent meal with great company on Tuesday, I was more than happy to accommodate my peers and head back for round two on the company’s dime. This time, however, we completely took over the upstairs bar area. As soon as we crossed the street, the hostess was already opening the door to greet us. I thought to myself, “If they can immediately distinguish a few underdressed young professionals crossing the street and assume we’re heading that way, they must be able to tell what they’re getting into.”

I avoided the large crowd that gathered and went straight to find a space at the bar. The smart cookies that coordinated the event knew that free liquor was a bad idea, so that limited our options to wine and beer. There was a loophole, however, Prosecco was on tap. Score! I grabbed a flute and headed to a table full of familiar faces — I know, I know, I should have been mingling, but honestly large crowds can be a bit overwhelming for my taste.

Two and a half hours later, the president of our company couldn’t wait to close the tab and disappear before stragglers began begging for more. We packed up our things and headed around the corner to Connolly’s on Fifth. It wasn’t until I realized I had cried with not just one, but two, of my coworkers that I was a bit more tipsy than I was supposed to be. My boyfriend and I had a triple date planned in honor of restaurant week and he’d only asked for one thing, “Aerin, don’t get wasted before dinner.” Oops.

I knew it was time for me to make my Irish exit as we walked to the last stop on the pregame tour: Fitzgerald’s. The unamused boyfriend came to pick me up and we stopped by my house so I could get changed for dinner at Upstream.

By the time our reservation rolled around, I wasn’t even hungry but I knew I’d better eat something. Remembering this spot was a popular seafood destination in Charlotte, I kept it simple and ordered the crab cake appetizer which ended up being the best decision of the day. And after munching on my boyfriend’s meal — spicy shrimp lettuce wraps and Wagyu flank steak — I felt full and satisfied.
Now that’s what I call a recipe for restaurant week success and a pretty great way to wrap up July.
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