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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Mouthful / Priscilla Tsai Pics from Taco Mac
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 5:36 PM
Taco Mac is officially now open to the public at Piedmont Town Center, down in SouthPark.
They've got big salads, an assortment of burgers, some pretty awesome chicken wings, and much more.
The Chili Poblano appetizer comes to the table accompanied by a carafe of salsa and a giant platter of fresh tortilla chips and wedges of soft tortilla. It was pretty hard to resist not eating the entire bowl of dip, which consists of warm melted queso mixed with poblano peppers, ground beef, and cilantro.
You can wash it all down with a beer ... just from the huge selection of beers they have. (Check out the pics below to see the rainbow of tap handles on the wall.)
With over 80 TVs (one being a 103-inch plasma), it's the perfect place to eat and watch a game.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Best I've Had All Week Best I’ve Had All Week: Lamb Barbecue Torta at Sweet Union Flea Market
Posted By Tricia Childress on Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 9:20 AM
Eating the food from the red food truck that fronts Highway 74 within the Sweet Union Flea Market in Monroe is an experience everyone should have.
Their $6 lamb barbecue sandwich – listed as Barbacoa de Borrego Torta - is enough to feed two. The sandwich is made on a long and wide white flour hoagie roll (pan telera) and then layered with lots of tender lamb, shredded iceberg lettuce, slices of avocado and tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, crumbed white farmers cheese, and then slathered with crema. It’s a messy sandwich and really can not be eaten on the run or in a car, but there are a number of tables beside the truck.
On Sundays the wait can be as much as 30 minutes. Order numbers are written on post-its and numbers are called out in Spanish. If you go, grab a big stack of napkins.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Food News Common House closes
Posted By Tricia Childress on Sun, Aug 29, 2010 at 3:45 PM
The Common House, the Plaza Midwood restaurant located at 1101 Central Avenue, closed last Wednesday, but the owners plan to re-brand and open by September 10. More to come later ...
Friday, August 27, 2010
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai / Dessert Mocha cupcakes
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 11:49 AM
So this week's recipe is a mocha cupcake with coffee buttercream. Surprise! Another cupcake!
With a half cup of coffee and a few teaspoons of instant espresso in both the cake and frosting, these can pass as a breakfast food and take the place of your morning coffee.
I found this recipe floating around on food blogs recently. Garnering great reviews and looking very photogenic in all its foodie photo shoots, I thought I'd give these cupcakes a spin. The cake is chocolate and coffee flavored (duh, they are "mocha"), and the frosting is a basic buttercream flavored with vanilla and espresso.
I thought these cupcakes were only okay ... nothing spectacular. The cake wasn't as rich and dark chocolately as I had hoped, and the crumb was too loose – I like a dense cupcake with a tight crumb. These were more fluffy.
The frosting is whipped so that it's soft and deceptively light. As it melts on your tongue, you'll get a hit of some more coffee flavor.
Check it out for yourself.
I frosted the cupcakes three ways: rosettes dusted with cocoa, the traditional swirled top, and a flat-topped mound with sides rolled in chopped chocolate.
Read on for the recipe.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Mouthful / Smorgasbord / Priscilla Tsai New Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt now open in Carolina Place Mal
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 2:48 PM
Located in the food court at Carolina Place Mall, Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt allows customers to self-serve multiple flavors of frozen yogurt from wall-mounted machines, and add customized toppings, similar to Yoforia. Also similar, they both charge 39 cents per ounce.
Orange Leaf offers both tart and non-tart flavors, which to me, seems more like the frozen yogurt of the TCBY variety in both flavor and texture.
Customers can choose a waffle cone in addition to the paper cup. A few of the more unique toppings include Asian jellos and waffle cone pieces.
Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt
11025 Carolina Place Parkway
Pineville, NC 28134
(704) 839-1705
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Smorgasbord / free food Grand opening: Blynk Organic at SouthPark
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 4:06 PM
Blynk Organic is celebrating the official grand opening of its kiosk in SouthPark mall with some specials for you. See press release below:
CHARLOTTE, N.C.- after a test phase the blynk kiosk, located in the food court of southpark mall, will celebrate its official opening in the week of September 13 -18, 2010 and feature a whole week of specials like e.g. half-price sandwiches, half price salads, etc. (details will be also announced on blynk organic’s webpage and facebook page).monday, september 13: first 30 customers eat free – hurry to be there at 11:00 am (limited to one sandwich or one salad per person)
tuesday, september 14th: salad zest - all large salads half price
wednesday, september 15th: souper bowl - free soup with the purchase of one sandwich
thursday, september 16th: smoothie love - all smoothies 75% off
friday, september 17th: sandwich buff - all sandwiches half price
saturday, september 18th: free $5 gift certificate for your next purchase - for all purchases over $5 (limited to one per person)
monday - saturday, september 13th - 18th: free organic coffee 2:00 – 6.00 pm
the kiosk has an eco-friendly, modern design with a local made, wooden counter as its center piece.
the kiosk menu will feature: a variety of made from scratch soups, fresh, chef-crafted sandwiches with artisan bread, custom-made wraps, and paninis - hot from the press, as well as some healthy kids’ choices. the fresh offerings are made from mainly organic, all natural and/or local ingredients.
Mouthful A sneak peek of 15 North
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 12:07 PM
15 North Roadside Kitchen opens on Montford Drive tomorrow night, Thursday, Aug. 26.
Get ready for some good grubbing because they have some of the tastiest items in town. I'd highly recommend the fried green tomatoes and the cobb salad with fried oysters (best cobb I've had in Charlotte). Their strawberry mojito, requested to be put on the menu by Panthers player Tank Tyler, is great too. I heard Tank can down 15 in one visit ... It must be the drink of champions, right?
Take a look at what they're serving up:
See the menu and read more about 15 North here.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Food News / happy hour Kids eat free at Noodles & Company tonight
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 12:23 PM
Take those munchkins out on the town tonight ... for free.
Noodles & Company is hosting "Tuesday family nights" tonight (and also Aug. 31, Sept.7, and Sept. 14), which means kids 12 and under get to eat free, from 5 to 9 pm.
Kids will get a free meal of noodles and a drink, and perhaps also a cookie or Rice Krispy Treat, as Noodles & Company will be sampling those items during family nights.
2201 South Blvd
Charlotte, NC
(704) 334-2980?
8016 Providence Road
Charlotte, NC
(704) 752-7803?
Monday, August 23, 2010
Mouthful / Smorgasbord / Brunch Take a look at the scenery from Big View Diner
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 2:57 PM
Big View Diner is certainly big, and you'll certainly have a great view ... of their baked goods on display when you first walk into the restaurant. The south Charlotte diner starts serving breakfast at 7 am everyday, and goes on to offer lunch and dinner until 10 or 11 pm.
Don't be fooled by the "diner" in it's name. You won't find an silver prefabricated restaurant with kitschy booths here. Big View is modern with high ceilings, wood accents, white web-like globe pendant lights, and just a few persimmon-colored retro accents around the restaurant.
On the menu you can find egg platters, an assortment of variations of egg benedict, buttermilk and buckwheat pancakes, two types of french toast, and also breakfast sandwiches. See the entire menu on their website.
Read Tricia Childress' review here.
16637 Lancaster Hwy
Charlotte, NC 28277
(704) 544-0313
Mon-Thu, Sun 7 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 7 am - 11 pm
Friday, August 20, 2010
Priscilla Tsai Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 4:26 PM
If you're looking for a simple side for a summer meal, try this Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad from Bon Appetit. It's a great summer dish because it's mayo-free and isn't fussy about what temperature you serve it at.
You'll only need 6 ingredients for this clean and flavorful dish. I think you'd be surprised how easy and tasty it is.
Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad
Courtesy of Bon Appetit
Makes 4 -6 servings
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 5 medium), unpeeled
1/4 red win vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian Parsley
Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain. Cool to just warm, 10 to 15 minutes; peel potatoes. Cut each potato in half, then cut into 1/3-inch slices.
Place warm potatoes in large bowl. Stir red wine vinegar and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves, then drizzle over potatoes. Toss to coat. Mix in onion slices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature.
Add olive oil and parsley to potatoes. Toss well and let marinate at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours at room temperature.
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Photos: Mint Museum's Allure of Flowers After Hours
A peek into a fancy foodie fundraising event that incorporated flowers into, well, everything.
