Fans of Iron Chef America, you probably want to hit up Mimosa Grill for a reservation. Recent winner Chris Hastings will be a "guest chef" this Saturday, March 10.

Call 704-343-0700 for more information or to make your reservations.

Uptown may be a jewel on the Q.C.'s crown, but when it comes to the down-home, meat and potatoes staples our state is famous for, dining options have been surprisingly limited. Fans of all things finger-lickin', your prayers have been answered- Queen City Q is open for business.

The brainchild of seasoned restaurateur John Duncan, Queen City Q has pit master Dan "Boone" Gibson serving up cherished family BBQ recipes. “It’s a very exciting time in Uptown," says Duncan in a press release "And this is a fantastic opportunity to bring great BBQ to center city in a highly visible location."

The menu offers traditional favorites like hand-pulled pork, collard greens, and pimento dip, along with more contemporary fixings like Corn & Edamame salsa and Asian slaw, as well as an assorted taco menu. Best of all, your BBQ plates come with homemade sauces served on the side so you can sauce them in whatever style you want, East or West or not at all.

225 E. 6th St.
704-334-TheQ (8437)

Out with the old, in with the new — Leroy Fox is now open for business, taking the place of former landmark eatery Hotel Charlotte.

When Hotel Charlotte closed last January after 30 years, regulars at the Cotswold haunt were left jonesin' for the Cajun and Creole fixins' the eatery famously served up. Leroy Fox keeps some of that old school feel, including the original Hotel Charlotte doors and some retouched photographs. "The neighborhood's been very supportive," says manager Brandon Foster. "I've had some of the same people in here every day so far."

The restaurant is still tweaking its menu, offering downhome, Southern-inspired cuisine. While the fried chicken is the menu item du jour, be sure to try the "Foxslaw"-coleslaw, made with ramen noodles, and the Steak and Cheese nachos, which Foster calls simply "to die for." Foster hopes to "perfect the dinner menu soon" and start offering lunch in three weeks, as well as weekend brunch in four or five weeks.

Leroy Fox opens for dinner at 5 p.m. every day.

705 S. Sharon Amity Rd.
704-366-3232

Folks keeping a 9 to 5 schedule know braking for the midday meal often means employing a "grab and go" method to feeding yourself: grab the best grub you can find, gulp it down, and get back to work. If your daily grind lands you near Uptown, you now have a new option for dining in instead of dashing out. The Capital Grille is offering a customized “Plates Menu," set to satisfy your appetite and get you back to work on time.

CG guests choose from nine “plates” selections that will vary with the seasons — three soups or salads, three sandwiches and three sides. The winter menu includes a Wagyu Cheeseburger with Fried Egg and Crisp Onions, Roasted Pepper Soup and Roasted Root Vegetables. Meals run $18. Sure, maybe that's a little pricey for lunch, but come on — this is Capital Grille we're talking about. How many of us ladies have wished our man would take us there and splurge a little for dinner?

You can make your reservation by calling 704-348-1400 or by visiting TheCapitalGrille.com.

Once upon a time (actually, a little more than a year ago), I used to live in South End — right along the light rail track, in fact. Oh, how I miss it. And not just because a whole WORLD of beer is making the neighborhood its home, either.

Coming in February, World of Beer is opening up at the corner of Bland Street and South Boulevard, at the Circle of South End.

• Facebook

Beer aficionados, here you'll find a selection of 500 beers to choose from. I can already picture the brave souls now, making it their life goal to drink every beer. Luckily, the location is right between the Bland Street and Carson Street stop for the light rail, so no drunk driving allowed.

If you're wondering why a tavern is opening up at an apartment complex, here is some info from WOB's website about what they call the WOB Culture:

The World of Beer Guest Experience is the cornerstone of what we call WOB Culture. WOB Culture is about being a part of the neighborhood. It’s about being surrounded by good people who enjoy awesome beer, great music, and sports. When you walk into World of Beer, we want you to feel like you’re hosting a party in your own living room.

World of Beer has more than 20 locations throughout the country.

(Shout out to the South End blog for the heads up!)

Nothing says holiday spirit like chocolate peppermint. You could be completely clueless about the time of year, walk into a Starbucks and see Peppermint Mocha on the menu, and know winter is upon us.

To help you really get in the mood to finish your shopping, head over to Tasty Yo. Through Friday, they'll have their newest flavor on tap: chocolate peppermint. Special, limited time holiday toppings include homemade candy cane powder and crushed up candy cane Joe-Joe's from Trader Joe's (pictured below). Yum!

And let's be real — frozen yogurt is completely OK right now, because it's not like it's freezing outside.

NoDa location
3116 N. Davidson St., Suite 130
704-333-4551

7th Street Public Market location
225 E. 7th St.
704-650-0226

The middle of the afternoon tends to provide restaurants with pretty slim pickings, crowd-wise: many people have already taken their lunch and the dinner rush has yet to begin. Fern, Flavors from the Garden is hip to this trend, and is enticing potential customers with a tasty bang for their buck.

• Fern's "Indian Taco"

For $12, guests can choose up to three items from the new Sundown Sampler menu, which offers the following choices:

·OM Burger Slider
·Indian Taco
·Three Sisters Cake
·Squash Blossom Hush Puppy
·Quinoa Salad
·Spiced Root Veggie Chips
·Local Vegetables
·Roasted Potatoes

For those who have yet to visit the restaurant, the Sundown Sampler is a great way to become familiar with Fern's gourmet vegetarian cuisine.

You can enjoy the Sundown Sampler Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 2 p.m.-5 p.m.

1323 Central Ave
704-377-1825

7th Street Market is now open. Go forth, buy fruit and multiply.

• Grant Baldwin
• City leaders cut the ribbon, declaring the market is now open.

Remember when I blogged about being followed by Queen City Q on Twitter?

Well, here's some more information, courtesy of a recent press release. Boom!

Charlotte Entrepreneurs to Create Jobs With Great BBQ

Teams With Award Winning Restaurateur to Open Queen City Q

Charlotte, NC (November 30, 2011) — Bryan Meredith and Sue Johnston have partnered with Award Wining restaurateur, John Duncan, on Queen City Q (The Q), an exciting new BBQ restaurant slated to open January 2012 in Uptown Charlotte at 225 East 6th Street in the former LaVecchia’s location.

Having recently been displaced by corporate changes, Bryan and wife Sue began to look for opportunities not only for themselves but to also create jobs for other locals. “While we of course need to take care of ourselves we believed that if we could create 40-50 jobs we’d be able to make a real impact on our local economy in more ways than one. Having lived in the Charlotte area for over 20 years, that is a real important goal for us” said Meredith. “And making the best Q while providing extra personal service is how we’re going to do it.”

John Duncan is a 35 year restaurant veteran and owns Bonterra Dining & Wine Room, one of Charlotte’s most awarded restaurants. He also created the Mac’s Speed Shop concept as well as Icehouse in Southend. John sold his interest in Mac’s in 2009 and has been looking for the right opportunity with another BBQ concept. When introduced to Bryan and Sue he knew the time was right, especially in Uptown. Said Duncan “with everything going on Uptown and this great location, I’m extremely excited about The Q.”

Headlining in the kitchen will be Dan “Boone” Gibson, the opening Pit Master at Mac’s Speed Shop and creator of all the recipes used. A CPCC Culinary graduate, Boone has been Sous Chef at Bonterra and chef at Dilworth’s Sunset Grill. Also helping out in a consulting role is longtime local restaurant general manager Thomas Wickham. In John’s words “we’re getting the band back together.”

Queen City Q will feature fresh Q smoked daily and served hot along with an extensive list of fresh sides, innovative salads, appetizers and scratch desserts. A full array of meats including brisket, ribs, chicken and house made sausages. Also expect exciting features and daily specials along with everyone’s favorite beverages. Live music will entertain guests and free parking will be available to diners. Hours are scheduled to be 11:00am — 12 midnight, seven days a week.

You know what would make today a tad bit happier? If I had a cold glass of white — any white will do at this point — to sip on while I finished this day out at the office.

But alas, I know that's not going to happen. Instead, I'll tell you about the grand opening of a new wine bar in Uptown. Vintage Wine Lounge will open its doors on Friday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. Located at Brevard Court (isn't that little area so cute?), Vintage will offer a diverse menu of artisan cheese and charcuterie with a wine list to match. There'll be live music and drink specials all night.

317 S. Church St.
704-332-3273

Regular hours will be Tuesday through Saturday, 4 p.m.-11 p.m. (which will likely be extending later on).