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Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Mouthful An almost-gluten-free restaurant: Chima Brazilian Steakhouse
Posted By Kelly Davis on Wed, Feb 27, 2013 at 5:19 PM
Some say gluten-free (GF) is just another diet fad, while many GF eaters claim that it isn't a choice at all - nature chose it for them. While it's true that some choose to eat gluten-free because they like how it affects their figure and their overall health, others have Celiac's disease or a sensitivity to gluten that makes omitting it a necessary lifestyle change.
Even so, it is still fairly difficult to dine out and avoid gluten entirely. But behold, there is a restaurant offering a 50-percent-plus gluten-free menu right at our back door.
- CHIMA CHARLOTTE
Chima Brazilian Steakhouse in Uptown has been discreetly serving an almost completely gluten-free menu since it opened. However, they don't market themselves as an "almost" gluten-free restaurant, so it's no wonder that most people aren't aware of this.
Some of you might be thinking, "Of course, they're gluten-free! Most of their food is meat!" But if you familiarize yourself with GF cooking, you'll soon find that many of the glazes, sauces and marinades that make meat so tasty contain gluten.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Liquid Diet The gift that keeps on fermenting
Posted By Graham Odom on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 10:00 AM
I am dangerous. I am that most lethal of men. I am an Irishman who learned to make his own alcohol.
OK, so two quick things: One, that's not really as "dangerous" as it is "self-destructive." Also, I may not be so much "Irish" as I'm just a ginger, and like all gingers, I have a self-declared spiritual connection to Ireland that allows me to excuse a love for potatoes, shade, Celtic punk music and hating people who wear green on St. Patrick's Day.
I've taken up brewing as a hobby; it compliments my love of cooking and my love of drinking beer. Also, I have vague suspicions that my fiancé did it to get me out of her hair. I received my homebrew kit a few years ago for Christmas after I showed her I possessed three basic skills: enough cooking skill to be able to not burn down the house when left unsupervised by a grownup; a passable ability to follow directions without Ikea-like androgynous figures to guide me through the process; and too much time on my hands.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Events Upcoming: Sugar Rush
Posted By Laura Camilo on Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 1:08 PM
- http://www.apairofpantiesandboxers.com/2010/05/26/a-francophile-in-a-french-bakery/
- A smörgåsbord of sweets from one event provider, Amelie's French Bakery
Scientists may have pretty much debunked the "sugar high" theory, but as anyone who's ever been around a bunch of kids hopped up on colorful confections can attest, anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. Nary a grown-up can escape the siren song of his or her own sweet tooth, and the Q.C. is home to quite the creative cluster of drool-inducing insulin-uppers. Personally I've never been too crazy for candy, but show me, say, a perfectly executed puff pastry and I will show you the deed to my first-born child (I kid, I kid. Mostly.)
So when I heard about Sugar Rush, the "candy-coated competition" presented by Nfocus Magazine, I immediately felt the familiar pull of the old sweet tooth once again. It's not a cavity either. I checked.
Liquid Diet Today is National Margarita Day
Posted By Kimberly Lawson on Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 11:00 AM
A day dedicated to this tequila-based cocktail? We can get behind that.
Feb. 22 is National Margarita Day. How are you celebrating this very important holiday?
- Courtesy BLT Steak/Green Olive Media
- Rosemary Margarita available at the bar at BLT Steak
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Recipe Recipe: Seafood Risotto
Posted By Kelly Davis on Thu, Feb 21, 2013 at 1:21 PM
Risotto is my go-to fancy dish. Even though the time required may make it seem overwhelming, trust me when I say that when you've made it once, you've got it down. Every recipe for risotto is practically the same except for a couple of ingredients (unless you're making fritters or cakes).
- Kelly Davis
- Yum ... seafood risotto.
If you're like me, you adore seafood and can eat it pretty much any ol' time. The marriage of seafood and risotto is a perfect combination for me, and I hope it is for you as well.
In this particular recipe, I used a frozen seafood mix I bought at Trader Joe's, but you could buy the shellfish fresh or even just include one or two of your favorite types of shellfish.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Events Upcoming: Dish Crawl in South End, NoDa
Posted By Kelly Davis on Wed, Feb 20, 2013 at 2:19 PM
What's this Dish Crawl you speak of? Is it like a bar crawl only you're expected to wash dishes?
Nice try, but no.
- Dish Crawl Charlotte
Dish Crawl is a one-night event that offers you the chance to dine at four different restaurants. The experience may have just come to Charlotte, but it currently has a presence in more than 50 U.S. cities and even a few in Canada.
For $45, participants get a trio of each of the four restaurants' chef specialties - the dishes that embody what the restaurant is all about. Often, a dessert course and/or a food truck is thrown into the mix to add some variety. Charlotte's Dish Crawl "ambassadors" (i.e., organizers) choose restaurants by researching Yelp.com and choosing those that are most popular. But Dish Crawl does not inform diners what restaurants they will be visiting until two days before the event.
There are two upcoming opportunities to participate in Dish Crawl.
- Dish Crawl in South End, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.
- Dish Crawl in NoDa, March 6 at 7 p.m.
I have it on good authority that Revolution Pizza will be one of the stops at the NoDa Dish Crawl and Zucca Pizza Tavern will be a stop on the South End Dish Crawl. The rest of the itineraries have not been disclosed.
Tickets are limited and can be purchase on the Dishcrawl's Charlotte website.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Food News Mellow Mushroom in Myers Park now offering brunch
Posted By Kelly Davis on Tue, Feb 19, 2013 at 10:58 AM
Now pizza lovers in Charlotte can enjoy more than just the leftover pizza that has been sitting out on the counter overnight for breakfast. Mellow Mushroom in Myers Park now offers brunch at their Selwyn Avenue location from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sundays.
The brunch features two premade breakfast pizzas: The Rising Sun and The Morning Glory.
- Mellow Mushroom
- The Rising Sun
THE RISING SUN
Egg base, spinach, mushroom, onion, green peppers, mozzarella, diced tomatoes
- Mellow Mushroom
- The Morning Glory
THE MORNING GLORY
Egg base, sausage, bacon, ham, onion, green pepper, mozzarella, cheddar
The pizza palace will also feature a build-your-own breakfast pizza option. Beginning at noon, patrons can enjoy $4 mimosas and Bloody Marys.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Events Upcoming: S&D Culinary Challenge
Posted By Kimberly Lawson on Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 10:49 AM
While the upcoming S&D Culinary Challenge 2013: Extracts Edition isn't your classic, fun times food fight per say, it will be a fight involving food.
- S&D Coffee Facebook
From the press release:
The event is a recipe competition for the S&D Culinary Challenge. Ten culinary student finalists are presenting their original recipes to a panel of judges and live audience. It will be a great show with students doing live demos and the winner receiving $2,000. We have some wonderful judges and Chef Jim Noble is acting as mentor to the students.
Considering all of the contestants are students at Johnson & Wales, I think it's safe to say the aromas in Hance Auditorium will have you salivating.
When: Feb. 19, 2 p.m.
Where: Hance Auditorium at Johnson & Wales University, 801 W. Trade St.
More info: www.facebook.com/sndcoffee
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Recipe / Dinner Recipe: Creamy Goat Cheese and Red Pepper Sauce with Chicken & Linguini
Posted By Kelly Davis on Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 12:28 PM
Maybe it's the baby growing inside of me or maybe it's just a phase, but I've been loving pasta lately. And even though I'm perfectly happy some nights with some ground beef or turkey and some jarred sauce topping my pasta, this recipe was developed one night when I wanted something a little more interesting. That, and I had a couple red peppers on their last leg wasting away in my fridge.
Necessity truly is the mother of invention.
This simple but delicious dish comes together effortlessly because your blender does all the hard work for you. Feel free to use a food processor if you don't have a blender on hand.
Liquid Diet Featured Cocktail: Heist Old Fashioned
Posted By Lauren Blake on Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 9:00 AM
Found: Heist Brewery (2909 N Davidson St. #200; 704-375-8260; www.heistbrewery.com)
Ingredients: Bulleit Bourbon, Angostura bitters, orange, house-brandied cherries and simple syrup muddled together and served over ice.
Most breweries focus on one thing, and they do that well. But in addition to its obvious craft beer selection, Heist is a hidden gem for handcrafted cocktails. Everything from Bloody Mary mix to sour mix and fresh lime juice is made from scratch. One of its specialties is the Heist old fashioned, a twist on the traditional whiskey classic. Whiskey is the not-so-secret ingredient in much of the drink menu at Heist, which has more than 40 different variations. "We're a pretty whiskey-driven joint," says cocktail sensei Stefan Huebner. "Whiskey is an American spirit. Just about everything else comes from somewhere else, but whiskey is American. All those guys on that shelf up there, that's American money. In a bad economy, you want to keep the money here, right?"
Heist is the official location for the Yelp Drinks 2013 kick-off party, a week-long happy hour held across metro-wide locations. From Feb. 18 to the 24, patrons will enjoy up to 50 percent off beers, wines and cocktails. Yelp Charlotte community manager Benjamin Getz says the goal is to highlight the different drink menus of bars and restaurants across town. "A lot of people might not know what a good old fashioned is, or that they can get a really great craft cocktail at Heist, for example. And you know that's what Yelp is all about: connecting people with great local businesses."
For a list of the 16 participating locations in Charlotte, visit bit.ly/YelpDrinksCLT.
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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.
