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Thursday, March 19, 2015
Beer Discovering a pretty enjoyable blonde at Sycamore Brewing
Posted By Jonathan Wells on Thu, Mar 19, 2015 at 11:57 AM
Editor's Note: Our beer writer is embarking on a self-imposed Charlotte brewery tour, visiting one a month. Here's his second report. In January, he checked out Olde Mecklenburg Brewery.
A funny thing happened after my February visit to Sycamore Brewing: I lost my notebook with my writeup. I then became engrossed in sketching out an upcoming article, so I’m just now getting back over there. As an act of contrition, I will now insert this carnivorous earwig into my brain. Or, better yet, I’ll double up and turn in two brewery reports this month to get back on schedule.
Let’s cut right to it: there’s beer to be found at Sycamore (2161 Hawkins St.). On this visit, I’m counting 12 different in-house beers on tap, plus three wine varietals. That’s down from the 16 beers available during my last visit. Of these 12, four are brand-new to my eyes. Obviously, rotation is the word of the day here. Alcohol content runs manageable too, which seems to serve the ping-pong-playing, pitcher-drinking crowd just fine.
Beer styles on offer skew slightly British, but not exclusively so; Germanic wheats and Belgian strongs feel at home here. I’m fighting the urge to order the hits, like Peak Farm Double Pale or Southerly Oat Pale. No, it’s a Deep Cuts kind of night, and I’m opting for what I might otherwise skip in order to expand my own horizons.
- Jonathan Wells
- 'Take a pitcher it'll last longer.'
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Food News Could it be? A ramen house is coming to Charlotte?
Posted By Kimberly Lawson on Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 10:03 AM
Although a press release says it'd be more appropriate to call Futo Buta a Japanese bistro, the new restaurant opening in South End May 1 will offer authentic ramen, with noodles made in house. Chef Michael Shortino, formerly of Baku, will be manning the kitchen.
If ramen isn't your thing — what's wrong with you? — the menu will also include steamed buns, fried dumplings, Japanese fried chicken, sushi and more. And we're excited to hear that the restaurant plans to have local beer on tap, in addition to sake.
Did South End just get a little more cooler? I think so.
Futo Buta will be located at 222 Bland St.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Food News Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives returns to Charlotte
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Mar 13, 2015 at 11:38 AM
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives has hit Charlotte this week. On Tuesday, Pinky's Westside Grill posted a photo of owner Greg Auten in front of the restaurant with show host Guy Fieri and NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer:
Mouthful Celebrate Pi Day with pie from one of these 5 local bakers
Posted By Kaila Burtch on Fri, Mar 13, 2015 at 9:00 AM
We’ve all suffered through — or, for the masochists, enjoyed — a few mandatory years of mathematics classes. There is always that one teacher who drops cheesy math jokes on the regular in hopes of infusing a little flavor into the dry daily equations. “Gee, I’m a tree” and “Because 7 8 9” are true classics, but did you know that 3.14% of all sailors are Pi-rates?
Saturday, March 14, or 3.14, is a day dedicated to celebrating π, “Pi.” Pi is an irrational mathematical constant with an unending decimal taught to most gradeschoolers using the adage “Pies are square, not round.” This year also makes the date include the first five numbers of the unending sequence. To help with the festivities, we’ve put together a list of local home-grown bakers to fuel some beautiful minds at work.
• Seeing how we’re a proud city of the South, visit The Charlotte Pie Authority for a sweet taste of some old fashioned Southern style mini-pies. They offer buttermilk, crumb, truffle and their most popular, chess styles. (We wouldn’t recommend using their pies in lieu of a board for your pawns.) (Mecklenburg County Market: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 7th Street Public Market: weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Liquid Diet Drink This: Ida from Pint Central
Posted By Lauren Blake on Wed, Mar 11, 2015 at 11:00 AM
Found: Pint Central (1226 Central Ave.)
Ingredients: Smooth Ambler Old Scout Rye Whiskey, Cynar, Ariston Raspberry Condiment, lemon garnish
- Henry Schmulling
A few simple ingredients come together to create Ida, a beaut of a cocktail named after the Grecian nursemaid to Zeus, said to have changed the color of raspberries from white to red by pricking her finger on a thorn. Other than the name, nothing in the drink hails from Greece. Both Cynar, the bitter liqueur made from 13 herbs and plants, and the raspberry vinegar are from Italy and join Smooth Ambler Old Scout Rye, which comes straight out of West Virginia.
In addition to these essential ingredients, there is one more element that’s vital to the drink’s flavor — the absinthe-rinsed glass.
“I wanted to do a light absinthe rinse to kind of bring out a little more contrast between the flavors,” says bartender Henry Schmulling. “The cocktail itself is very simple, very easy to make, but with a couple of extra additions to the process you can completely change the structure of the cocktail.”
Stirred and served straight up, it offers a boozy sip characterized by the beloved taste of whiskey highlighted by herbal notes like licorice, the sweetness of raspberry and the citrus-y scent of the lemon garnish.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Food News SouthPark Eats Alternatives takes food to the streets for spring kickoff
Posted By Sara Workman on Tue, Mar 10, 2015 at 2:54 PM
The food trucks are back full swing in SouthPark, and the sun is out full force (well, kind of). Hello spring.
Southpark Eats Alternative, Charlotte’s local food truck rally at Fairview Plaza every Wednesday, will be hosting its Spring Kickoff this Wednesday, March 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
So what’s the big deal? Well, S.E.A. is now boasting a lineup of six food trucks compared to the previous two trucks that braved the winter.
On the line-up for this week are some local favorites, including Tin Kitchen, Papi Queso, Ooowee BBQ, Maki Taco and Cupcake Delirium, to name a few.
Plus, King of Pops is back too. Tomorrow’s upper 70s weather and the contagious spring fever going around are the perfect combination to try an icy treat, and not one that resembles Elsa’s big freeze.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Keia Is Hungry Eat This: Burger at Fenwick’s
Posted By Keia Mastrianni on Wed, Mar 4, 2015 at 11:00 AM
In Charlotte, there are things that our culinary scene lacks. An abundance of good Korean food and ramen joints, for example. What we don’t lack is a hunk of ground beef slapped between two buns. Burgers. The Queen City has as many burger joints as there are stars in the sky. Actually, we probably have more than that.
Every time I turn a corner, a new burger spot opens with the latest iteration of grassfed beef, artisan toppings or new and improved bun technology. I made that last one up, but you get my drift. When the market is soaked through with choices, it’s easy to forget about the old guard, places that serve a burger that’s just plain good — which is why I want to talk about the hamburger at Fenwick’s.
The tiny family-owned structure on Providence bearing a neon sign of its namesake has been serving the well-to-do neighborhood of Myers Park since 1984 and still manages to fill seats. Heck, I even had to wait for a table.
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Dorie Greenspan's Tiramisu Cake
This layered cake is definitely a "pick-me-up" with a little booze and caffeine.
