Mellow Mushroom

This is the last post of our Charlotte visit.  We had a great time in the South and it was good see a new city.  I was a bit disappointed in the southern accents though.  I know a couple of hours further South everyone is speaking with a twang.  I guess Charlotte is a bit more refined.  I was hoping for more accents. 

After eating so well during our other meals, we decided that we wanted a somewhat lighter fare and decided pizza was the way to go.  Plus the place was called Mellow Mushroom.  How could we not go?  Apparently many others had the same idea and we ended up waiting for a table and the food for a while.  The atmosphere was quite lively and there was a half a bus painted hippie style inside. 

Coming from New York and Connecticut we had some pretty opinionated pizza eaters.  It was good pizza but not New Haven style or New York style.  I think I am going to have problems for the rest of my life if I ever move somewhere away from the area I live now.  We have a family owned Italian restaurant every other building.  Pizza is a big thing here and super good. 

The crust here was a bit sweet and coated in Parmesan cheese.  It was almost like bread sticks wrapped around the pizza.  I got mine loaded with veggies.  With a pretzel appetizer, just cause we wanted to see what they were, and three slices of an individual pizza and I was beyond stuffed. 

Good news is these pizza joints are located across the south and into the west.  Check out if a location is near year.

Have you ever had pizza in different locations across the USA?

What was your favorite?

BLT Charlotte

What did I learn this weekend in Charlotte?  They have lots and lots of good restaurants to check out. So many that we had trouble picking which ones we should check out with such a short time see them all. 

One of the restaurants we chose was the steakhouse BLT.  Although not unique to Charlotte this restaurant was a place we definitely wanted to check out.  The building itself was just cool to be in...it is located right in the middle of Uptown in the lobby of the Ritz Carlton. 

BLT, which stands for Bistro Laurent Tourondel, has redefined steakhouse dining with its modern décor and infusion of classic French techniques. This unique Charlotte steakhouse integrates traditional elements of a cozy French Bistro with those of a stylish, urbane boîte. 

 The meal starts out with complimentary popovers. I am not too fond of popovers but these were really good.  I think the outside portion was a bit more hardier than the typical popover so it actually felt like you were biting into something.  The inside still melted in your mouth.  These are considered a signature part of the BLT experience.  

Mr. J started out with raw East Coast oysters.

The table shared Brussels sprouts and potato gratin.  The Brussels sprouts melted in your mouth and left a sweet taste from the perfect caramelized bottoms.  The potato gratin was made with shredded pieces of potatoes and combined with a blend of cheese.  That was my favorite part of the whole meal.

Each of the steaks came out in their own cast iron skillet.  I got the smaller portion of a filet.  It was so good I don't even know where to begin.  It has got to be one of the best if not the best steaks I have ever eaten.  You get to pick one of 12 sauces to go with your steak but seriously I barely used one drop.  The steak was just so good on its own.

Charlotte, NC

This weekend we took a little trip to Charlotte, NC.  Sadly, when we arrive a cold front came through and we were there during their coldest day of the year thus far.  We weren't so lucky with the temperatures but the sun was shining brightly.  We were able to get out and see a lot.

Our first night in town we ate at The King's Kitchen.  They are a not for profit restaurant that serves a variety of classic Southern cuisine.  It was good.  We started with an appetizer of fried oysters.  Very rich, and very good.  They basically just melted in your mouth and there was no need for the two sauces that came with the dish. 

I ended up with fried catfish.  I think I had more fried food in this meal than I ate in the last year. I would not say I am expert in fried catfish but this was great stuff.  I ate it right up.   The best part of the meal was the sides.dishes.  Mr. J and I both ordered in the section Meat + Three.  You picked your meat then got to pick 3 sides from a great list.  Let me tell you about a hard choice.  I could have had one of each.  Well maybe not the black eyed peas; they creep me out a bit but the rest all seemed like marvelously delicious options.  I got the stewed tomatoes, mac n cheese, and green beans.  Yum, yum, and double yum.  Everyone laughs about Southern food adding on the weight but now I can see why.

Mr. J got the pan fried chicken with potatoes and gravy, collard greens, and cabbage.  He had the same reaction I did.  It was all delicious and we wiped our plates clean.  Everything was very reasonably priced and it went to a good cause.   

I was surprised to learn that Davidson, NC was so close to Charlotte.  Sunday morning we decided to take a little trip to visit.  The campus was gorgeous and the town was so quaint.  I could see myself growing old there.  My favorite thing was the health food store just around the corner from Main Street.  There was a great selection of foods, the largest bulk bin selection I have ever seen and they had frozen herbs.  Have you ever seen such a thing...you could buy little ice cubs of parsley, basil, garlic, ginger, peppers...the list goes on.  Love it!