Food & Drink 

BEST NEW RESTAURANT (OPENED IN LAST 12 MONTHS)

Common House

While other contenders for this award set out with high marks, they fell short due to bellowing interiors or food prices which didn't meet the expectations of Charlotte's new lean reality. Since September 2008, when Charlotte's economy fell off the edge, dining has changed. High-end, chef-driven restaurants with mega-dollar upfits have made way for the new economic reality: solid, satisfying neighborhood (and wallet) friendly comfort food. Common House is a restaurant for the time. Co-owners Andy Robinson, Ryan Looney and Mike Fisher were smart to hire Chef Emily Hahn, a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, to man (so to speak) their kitchen. Hahn's enthusiastic cooking brings to the table unpretentious, straightforward food, and she continues to cultivate relationships with local farmers and coastal fishermen.

1101 Central Ave.
704-332-1010

BEST SPLURGE RESTAURANT

Noble's Restaurant

Locally owned Noble's Restaurant (named after self-trained chef and owner Jimmy Noble) has worked hard to be a SouthPark destination restaurant.

6801 Morrison Blvd.
704-367-9463

BEST CHEAP RESTAURANT

Rajbhog Indian Food Market and Cafe

The menu here offers snacks (chaats) and street food from a variety of regions in India. Not only are the prices easy on the wallet, but unlike traditional one-note fast food items, Indian cheap food has a sensibility of balance: crisp to soft, tart to sweet, creamy to spicy. One of the best chaats at Rajbhog is the puri: fried, golf ball-like spheres packed with a mix of cubed potatoes and onions sprinkled with bite-you-back chilies and spices, and then filled with yogurt, tamarind and mint sauces.

9539 Pinnacle Drive, Suite 100
704-909-7783

BEST LATE-NIGHT EATERY

Penguin Drive-In

A repeat winner. Charlotte's standard for late grazing.

1921 Commonwealth Ave.
704-375-6959

BEST RESTAURANT WINE LIST

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse

A repeat winner. People may not be ordering a bottle of Screaming Eagle, but Del Frisco's has quite a few of them on their novelette-length list, which ranges in price from $25 to $3,700.

4725 Piedmont Row Drive, Suite 170
704-552-5502

BEST SOUTHERN COUNTRY/SOUL FOOD RESTAURANT

Sadie's Soulful Southern Experience

Sadie's puts a new spin on old favorites. The concept here is Southern, but Southern in this century -- not the last two. You can eat healthy, or fried -- and in large portions.

5708-H N. Sharon Amity Road
704-532-5570

BEST GOURMET/SPECIALTY FOOD STORE

Pasta & Provisions

A repeat winner. Evoking an old town grocery store feel, Pasta & Provisions is filled with homemade pastas, freshly made mozzarella, Italian wines, breads and groceries. A helpful staff always makes you feel the love.

1528 Providence Road
704-364-2622

BEST BREAKFAST

Amélie's French Bakery

Forget eggs. Here, you'll find flaky, buttery and crisp croissants, pain du chocolat, sticky buns, luscious almond tea cakes and apple tarts. On the savory side are tartines, including an impressive ham and gruyere. Thankfully, Amélie's is open 24/7 for breakfast anytime -- no matter what your work schedule.

2424 N. Davidson St.
704-376-1781

BEST LUNCH

Crisp 7th Street Café

Best lunch with friends: a crisp Crisp salad made to order.

1971 E. 7th St.
704-333-9515

BEST BRUNCH

Café Monte French Bakery and Bistro

Crêpes, quiche, eggs Benedict, and French toast. Oh la la. Recently, Monte's initiated a liaison with Amélie's to sell their French pastries. Brunch starts at 8 a.m. on the weekends and ends at 2 p.m. Other items and the full lunch menu are added at 10 a.m.

6700 Fairview Road, Suite 108
704-552-1116

BEST TAKEOUT

Austin's Caribbean Cuisine

Want to be jerked around? Austin's has jerks and more - curries, oxtail and beef stews, and ackee and salt fish with plantains and dumplings, all for takeout only.

345 S. Kings Drive
704-331-8778

BEST BARBECUE

Old Hickory House

A repeat winner. This Carter family eatery is the only place in the region where diners can actually watch and smell pork shoulders slowly cooking in a barbecue pit right in the main dining room. If you like -- or know -- what outside brown is, Old Hickory is your kind of place.

6538 N. Tryon St.
704-596-8014

BEST BUFFET

No Winner

As CL food critic Tricia Childress states, "I think these are dangerous and should not be encouraged." Nuff said.

BEST COFFEE (SPECIFY LOCATION)

Julia's Coffee

A fundraising division of Habitat for Humanity.

1133 N. Wendover Road
704-295-4585

BEST COFFEE EXPERIENCE

A Cupping At Counter Culture

Bored with wine tastings? Tutored cuppings are offered with Brent Hall at Counter Culture Charlotte Regional Training Center every Friday at 10 a.m.

BEST STEAK HOUSE

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse

In a town that has a plethora of steak houses, Del Frisco's gets the high marks.

4725 Piedmont Row Drive, Suite 170
704-552-5502

BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

McCormick and Schmick's Seafood Restaurant

The grub is amazing -- even a staple entrée like the salmon served on a plank takes on super-savory powers. And be sure to join their club to receive incredible deals.

200 S. Tryon St.
704-377-0201

4335 Barclay Downs Road
704-442-5522

BEST PIZZA

Wolfman Pizza

Wolfman was a frequent BOC winner until the rash of new kids on the block took off. But make no mistake: Their pies are as satisfying as ever (the Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Pizza is simply delicious delicious), and if you haven't checked them out lately, now's as good a time as any to return to the fold.

Various locations.

BEST CHINESE

Bistro 88

This small Elizabeth outpost has a delightful selection of conventional Chinese cuisines. On the Cantonese menu is a glorious crispy roasted duck.

1620 E. 4th St.
704-335-0288

BEST JAPANESE

Mai Japanese Restaurant

See "Best Sushi" below.

7731 Colony Road
704-542-4222

BEST INDIAN

Copper, Modern Cuisine of India

Copper pairs high-end innovative Indian cuisine with wines.

311 East Blvd.
704-333-0063

BEST ASIAN (OTHER THAN CHINESE, JAPANESE OR INDIAN)

Ben Thành Vietnamese Restaurant

A repeat winner. This place may not look like much, but the flavors speak for themselves. Nothing will make you feel better faster than a large bowl of Ngan Nguyen's Pho, a Vietnamese beef soup.

4900 Central Ave.
704-566-1088

BEST ITALIAN

Fiamma Restaurant: A Taste of Italy

A repeat winner. A New York styled Italian restaurant owned by Ecuadorians in Dilworth. How Charlotte is that?

2418 Park Road
704-333-3062

BEST EUROPEAN (OTHER THAN ITALIAN)

Global Restaurant

OK, I fudged a bit since Chef Bernard Brunet is European and his menu is global, but his duck with French lentils is one of the best dishes in the city. Besides, Global has been offering "you're crazy not to go" specials since last fall.

3520 Toringdon Way
704-248-0866

BEST MEXICAN

Cocina Latina

A repeat winner. This place is inexpensive, consistently good, and the weekend lamb barbecue is addicting.

5135 Albemarle Road
704-531-5757

BEST LATINO (OTHER THAN MEXICAN)

Los Paisas Restaurant

Charlotte has a burgeoning Colombian community, and for five years, Los Paisas has garnered praise from this community for its inexpensive, straightforward dishes with a rural bent. On the menu are picada pequeña (fried plantains with beef and sausage), bandeja tipica Colombian (national dish), and beef tongue in creole sauce and rice.

5033 South Blvd., Suite G
704-527-5553

8318 Pineville Matthews Road, Suite 702
704-542-5477

BEST MIDDLE EASTERN

Aladdin's Eatery

It's a whole new world at Aladdin's, a fast and casual Lebanese eatery with loubie b'zeit (Romano flat beans, chopped tomatoes and onions), shish tawook and shawarma (beef and lamb brushed with a sesame yogurt sauce) sandwiches.

7900 Stevens Mill Road, Matthews
704-882-3036

BEST VEGETARIAN-FRIENDLY RESTAURANT

Zada Jane's Corner Cafe

A repeat winner. Zada Jane's disproves Kermit about the ease of being green.

1601 Central Ave.
704-332-3663

BEST SANDWICH

Cubana at The Tavern on Park

Everything about this sandwich works: flavorful mojo marinated roasted pork, thin slices of ham, the sharp notes of sour pickles, mustard, and Swiss cheese married into Cuban bread via a press.

1600 Woodlawn Road
704-519-4740

BEST SUSHI

Mai Japanese Restaurant

Mai first opened on South Boulevard in 1997, closed in 2006 and then reemerged in South Charlotte last fall. Owner Masanori was once a sushi chef at the fabled Charlotte restaurant Tokyo, so for me, the choice was relatively simple since what you want at a sushi bar is to establish a relationship with the Itamae.

7731 Colony Road
704-542-4222

BEST SMOOTHIE (INDIVIDUAL)

Mango Lassi at Sangam Indian Cuisine

A lassi is the best choice to offset the fire of vindaloo, but on its own this smoothie is creamy, sweet and smooth.

20910 Torrence Chapel Road, Cornelius
704-655-9600

BEST SMOOTHIES (OVERALL)

Carolina Smoothies

A repeat winner, time after time. The Floridays is particularly noteworthy, but really, you're not going to go wrong with any of their lip-smacking selections.

1408 East Blvd., Suite D
704-358-0006

4717 Sharon Road, Suite 1B
704-367-3425

BEST MILKSHAKE (INDIVIDUAL)

Apple Pie Milkshake at Big View Diner

Both the ice cream and pie are made fresh in house.

16637 Lancaster Highway
704-544-0313

BEST MILKSHAKES (OVERALL)

CookOut

A repeat winner. Having to choose between the flavors of Banana Pudding or Strawberry Cheesecake: priceless.

Various locations.

BEST APPETIZER (DISH AND RESTAURANT)

Sardinas en Escabeche at Las Ramblas

Sardines may be the emergency food in most pantries, but these are the large Mediterranean variety served hot, and they are the bomb.

2400 Park Road, Suite M
704-335-8444

BEST DESSERT (DISH AND RESTAURANT)

Pastry Chef Frank Kaltsounis' Creations at Big View Diner

Pastry chefs often get short shrift, but Chef Kaltsounis, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan, finds both children and adults in his fan base. Whether a modern take on Greek pastries or a fine slice of layer cake, his desserts at Big View, Ilios Noches and Nolen's make the finale memorable.

16637 Lancaster Highway
704-544-0313

BEST FRENCH FRIES

Terra Restaurant

A repeat winner, and a perennial favorite.

545-B Providence Road
704-332-1886

BEST FRIED CHICKEN

Price's Chicken Coop

A repeat winner, seemingly since time began. A local -- no, a national treasure.

1614 Camden Road
704-333-9866

BEST HAMBURGER

Mueller's Sandwich and Salad Company

Dave Mueller's tiny spot is tucked away on a side street in Myers Park, but his burgers are big in taste.

119 Huntley Place
704-940-6880

BEST HOT DOG

The One Off Your Own Backyard Grill

Are we right or what?

BEST ICE CREAM/GELATO

Dolce Ristorante Italiano

Italian natives Luisa Castiglioni and Rudy Amadio make gelato year round for their dessert menu, but during the summer, they offer mango, green apple, toasted almond, chocolate and an outrageous watermelon.

1710 Kenilworth Ave.
704-332-7525

BEST WINGS

Wild Wing Cafe

A repeat winner. The wings that are racking up awards all over the South take our top prize as well for the second year in a row. With 33 varieties, there's an option for every temperament from Virgin (for kiddies and the faint of heartburn) to Habanero Hots ("something special for the insane"). And while we personally can't claim to have sampled all 33, we've chowed down on enough varieties to designate this the chomping champion.

Various locations.

BEST ONION RINGS

Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q: Southern Kitchen

This Alabama chain came to town with perfect gargantuan yellow onion rings.

13840 Steele Creek Road
704-930-2290

BEST RESTAURANT THAT SHOULD HAVE Gotten TARP RELIEF

McIntosh's Steaks and Seafood

Greg McIntosh's locally owned steak and chop house (with famed scalloped potatoes) waged the good fight against the other steak house chains as they muscled into town over the past decade, but ended up dead in the water in April -- six months after expense accounts all but dried up. Other high-end spots have closed -- GW Fins, Morton's in SouthPark, and Oceanaire Seafood Room -- but we will miss McIntosh's and Restaurant I the most.

BEST FIND OF THE LAST 12 MONTHS

Jake's Good Eats

In an old gas station outside the beltway, Jake's excels in starters: crispy cornmeal-embraced oysters paired with a tartar sauce drizzled with Sriracha, and Southern fried green tomatoes urbanized by the bed of braised leeks. Yum.

12721 Albemarle Road
704-545-4741