Township Grille

My friends suggested we try Township Grille last Saturday after our annual garage sale. This suggestion due to that none of us have been (we try places we haven't been... last year being Kaskav - RIP) and heard of the great wings there. So hungry and sun-tired, we headed on over.

We went in and found a table (seat yourself) and the waitress came up and took our drink orders right away. I ended up ordering jalepeno poppers as a starter. The poppers came out about 5 minutes and came out hot. There were 4 in the basket and served with salsa. They were pretty good but definately were the poppers from the frozen food aisle.

Our main order was:

Friend 1: 15 wings and fries

Friend 2: Chicken pita and fries

Spouse: Appetizer platter (wings, chicken finger, potato skins, mozz sticks, poppers)

Me: French dip and fries

Our food arrived about 10 minutes later and again - hot (you know me and my love for hot food). My french dip was served on a hoagie roll, topped with melted provolone cheese and served with a side of au jus. The flavor of the beef and au jus was average. I was expecting some salty/pepper taste or some other seasoning but nope. The fries were good - you can't go wrong with crispy, crinkle cut fries with season salt.

The spouse's plate looked bland and boring. Yes, it was a mess of fried food. The chicken fingers looked like tiny, burnt pieces of leather and didn't have much chicken and the potato skins lacked appearance and flavor (and does not compared to the best ones in town - Kristopher's). Again, the items on this dish all looked as if I could get them from the frozen food aisle. I guess it's the spouse's fault to order the appetizer sampler but usually you get better looking - and tasting items. I also snagged a couple of wings and YES - they were good. Nice and crispy and the sauce very flavorful with a slight hint of bite.

As for the friends' dishes, Friend 1 couldn't get over the wings. I thought that he was going to jump out of the chair and dance on the table as to how much he loved them. For Friend 2, I noticed that she did not eat all the pita but took a few bites then ate the items inside. She said it tasted good but usually if it's good - you eat the whole thing.

Leaving stuffed (and with heartburn), I didn't have to eat dinner that night.

I give Township Grille 3 ghosts. Mainly due to the frozen food aisle food and unseasoned french dip... but redeemed by the taste of the wings and fries.

10400 East Independence Boulevard
Matthews, NC 28105-4612
(704) 847-2480

Maria's Mexican Restaurant

My friend and I went to Maria’s the other day for the first time. A bright, colored place on the corner of Tyvola and South…

Upon entering we were seated quickly and given a basket of hot tortilla chips (nice!) and a small bowl of salsa (ahhh man). The chips were great and had a good crunch – nothing better than fresh chips. The salsa – however – was a little watery but did have a nice ‘bite’ to it. I only wish the bowl was bigger and the salsa had more veggie chunk (I had several refills since the bowls were tiny).

For my meal, I went with the lunch special – beef burrito, beef taco and cheese enchilada. My friend ordered the rojo burrito. Our food came out rather quickly (within 5 minutes of ordering) and plates were hot. I dove into the burrito first. A nice size for a combo lunch plate special. The beef was good and had flavor and there was a good layer of cheese on top. The red sauce on top of the burrito was also tasty and did not over power the beef. Next, the taco. I have been eating tacos like crazy lately and this ranks in the top 3 – nothing like a taco loaded with beef and cheese. Finally, the enchilada. Sometimes when I order enchiladas, they are not too hot and the cheese is not fully melted in the middle. This enchilada had enough melted cheese it was oozing out of the ends (leaving even more melted cheese to sop up with tortilla chips). The enchilada was good but the sauce on top was ok. I rather would have had the red sauce from the burrito on the enchilada as well.

My friend enjoyed their rojo burrito. This was a regular burrito with the rojo peppers – a good little kick.

I would go back again when I am on that side of town. Plus, it’s a quick drive from work to get a good, cheap lunch. I give Maria’s 3 ghosts… mainly due to the watery salsa. And I believe it is a step below my El Valle (which is four ghosts).

Go give it a try – don’t let the bright colors outside distract you away…

5234 South Boulevard

Charlotte, NC
28217-2711
(704) 525-5075

Arooji’s Wine Room

My spouse and I decided to go to Arooji’s Wine Room last week for a little celebration. We ended up going around 6PM on a Friday night to the South Charlotte location and it was pretty empty (maybe 4 other tables filled). We were glad there was no wait so we gladly accepted a booth. The waiter was friendly and attentive but also laid back. He took our drink orders and gave us time to review the menu.

The menu has several different pasta options and entrees as well as the regular ‘Italian’ type appetizers. The wine menu was a nice size and you could clearly see why it is a ‘wine room’. We settled on the calamari and I ordered the Lasagna all' Emiliana – which is lasagna with bolognaise sauce, parmesan, and provolone cheese and the spouse ordered the Ravioli Miramonti – which is lobster ravioli served in a light wild mushroom cream sauce. As we waited for our appetizer, we were brought some fresh bread and olive oil/balsamic vinegar with some white limas and tomatoes.

The calamari came out shortly after receiving the bread and it was plentiful and hot. The calamari was served with two dipping sauces – the traditional marinara and a roasted pepper aioli. The calamari looked pretty bland and when I tasted them, I knew I wasn’t going blind. There was really no flavor and I had to rely on the salt and pepper and the two sauces to eat them. The sauces were good though and was very glad I had them.

Once the appetizer was finished, our main dishes arrived. My lasagna was huge and hot. It had several layers of pasta and sauce and a nice serving of cheese. This is what I came here for – a good, hearty portion of comfort food. The bolognaise sauce had nice pieces of meat and was full of flavor and was more of a creamy tomato/vodka type sauce which was real good. The spouse’s lobster ravioli were also tasty. They were plump and had a nice amount of lobster. The wild mushroom sauce was also good and added a nice balance to the lobster ravioli.

The waiter was very good. He kept our glasses filled and was prompt and friendly. The restaurant started to get more crowded as we were leaving (~7PM). If I had to base it on the calamari alone, it would be 1 ghost but since the meal was delicious and service was good, I will give Arooji’s 3 ghosts.

Arooji's has two locations - one in South Charlotte at 485/Providence Rd and in South Park.
www.aroojis.com

Encore Bistro

I have been to Encore a few times – even after running the SouthPark Half-Marathon banking on some good food and drinks.

We went to Encore last week while finishing last second gift shopping and looking at lights (a great house is nearby that has lights timed with music…. Anyways back to the food). The restaurant was fairly crowded for a holiday week. Note that on Wednesdays, martinis are half-off. That’s a good deal considering their martinis start at $10/drink. The best appetizer on the menu is the Feta Dip. It comes out with a nice portion and the cheese is melted and mixed with sun-dried tomatoes – served with parmesan covered flat bread. For this visit, I ordered the Chicken Napoleon (chicken breast with prosciutto, roasted red bell pepper, and provolone over vegetable orzo with marsala sauce). The spouse ordered the special, which was lollipop lamb chops with mashed potatoes, steamed veggies and a chimichurri sauce. The food that night was served rather quickly and very hot. I had to wait to start to seriously eat my meal. The chicken breast was sliced in half and stuffed with the prosciutto, bell peppers and cheese. The prosciutto added a super salty flavor to the chicken and the cheese could have been more melted – but the chicken itself was tender and pretty good. The orzo was good nicely with some large mushrooms (a plus) but the marsala was also over-salted. The spouse’s lamb was good nicely (medium) and tender and nicely flavored. The item not that rememberable was the chimichurri sauce. My favorite dish on the menu is the Asian Salad (noodles, broccoli, mushrooms, green onion, red bell peppers, wonton crackers, and soy sweet chili). I add-on the ahi tuna with the salad.

The service overall is good… if you sit in Nick’s section – it is excellent. Overall, I give Encore 3 ghosts. For this visit, my meal (chicken napoleon) was too salty and the cheese was not melted even though the food was piping hot. The food is also simple – I can copy cat these meals and make them at home. The reason why I ordered the chicken and not the Asian salad was that I actually made it at home the night before. It’s a good place to go if you want a simple meal and cheap drinks (again – go on a Wednesday) and don’t mind paying a little more than you would at Chili’s. Our meal was about $80 with tax and tip. Give it a try.

A side note for you charities – they participate in ‘celebrity bartending’ and all cash tips are donated to you. Info is on their website.

9824 Rea Road
Charlotte, NC 28277
Phone: 704-341-3651
Fax: 704-341-7956

www.encorebistro.com

Big Daddy's Burger Bar

Ok – so here is the Big Daddy’s review (like I said – I have been swamped!). The spouse was craving a burger and fried pickles so we found our Sunday meal at Big Daddy’s. We were seated pretty prompt (surprisingly) and put our order in for the fried pickles. We debated on which burger to get as there are quite a few… between the basic burger, veggie burgers, Southern (with cheese, slaw and chili) and a blue cheese burger – just to name a few. We settled on splitting their other namesake restaurants – the Mama Ricotta burger (housemade mozzarella, tomatoes, and pesto) and the 1511 Cantina burger (black bean patty, green chilies, avocados, cheese and chipotle ranch – I upgraded the black bean patty to the buffalo meat). The order was placed (both medium) and the pickles arrived… The fried pickles here are sliced long versus the ‘chips’ you can get at other places like the Penguin and the Counter and served with ranch dressing. From appearance, it looks like a lot of pickles – but when you bite into them, I tasted only a salted fried matter. One slice of the pickle can give you your sodium allowance for the week. I ate a few more to see if it was just that slice – but these badboys were saltier than the Dead Sea – at least the ranch dressing helped mask it. The pool of grease was not that appetizing either. I will note that these were saltier and greaser than what I have had at other places in the Queen City area.

Our burgers arrived about 10 minutes later nice and hot. We both halved our burgers and began to dig in. I started on the Mama Ricotta burger first. I noticed that the bottom of the bun was completely soggy – but oh well – I guess that means one nice, juicy burger. Wrong. This burger seemed over cooked and was very dry, the tomatoes were overripe and super mushy, and the pesto was not very flavorful (here is where an actual dash of salt and pepper would have worked). The housemade mozzarella was actually pretty good and helped the overall burger taste. I shutter to say that I could have gotten a better cooked burger at Five Guys. Next – to my main event – the 1511 Cantina burger with buffalo meat. This meat was super flavorful and moist… another reason to ‘upgrade’. The avocado and chilies also added to the flavor and was complimented by the chipotle ranch dressing. This was the burger I was wanting – a juicy dream with a slight kick. We both had the tater tots with the burgers – nice and crispy and hot!

The service was pretty good… much better than it has been in the past. For the overall experience, I will give Big Daddy’s 3 ghosts. The 1511 Cantina burger carried the rating due to the dry and unseasoned Mama Ricotta burger and the overly salty and greasy pickles. I know this is a Charlotte hot-spot… but a dry burger is like walking across the desert with no water. They also have grilled chicken and salads for healthier options. The overall price of the restaurant is up there ($11.50 for the Cantina burger with the buffalo). I plan to visit again in the future (for some more buffalo) but will have to save some coin.

Two locations - Dilworth and Ballantyne - http://www.bigdaddysburgerbar.com/Home/

Eddie's Place

If you want a place that serves breakfast all day and some NOLA influence...and have time to spend... Eddie's is your place...

We went to Eddie's later in the day after the regular Sunday church crowd and took a seat near the bar (because football was on, of course). Eddie's had several drink specials and we settled on the $1.50 Miller Lites. From the first glance of the menu, it had just about anything anyone could possibly want... from all-day breakfast, Po'Boys, to Low Country fare. I ended up getting the She-Crab Soup and the half Muffalatta (being the NOLA theme). The spouse settled for the egg breakfast platter (with sausage patties, grits and biscuit). Not to forget - we started with fried pickles.

The pickles came out fast and they were hot. They were sliced in chip form and were cleanly fried. Not overly greasy like I have had before but super salty. The soup was next. I am a big fan of She Crab soup and order it anywhere I can. I have only found super great She Crab in Charleston and nothing that compares. I will say that the She Crab soup at Eddie's was good but not comparable to Charleston's She Crab. It says that its award winning... but I found that I needed to add some salt and pepper and the crab was lacking. It did not have the big crab lumps that I am used to when I order the soup in Charleston. Finally - our meals came. My Muffalatta was big! For those who don't know - a Muffalatta is a NOLA born sandwich, made with genoa salami, mortadella, ham, swiss cheese and olive tapenade salad. The sandwich was flavorful and piled with meat. The olive was suptle but gave a nice after-bite and complemented the spices of the meat. The sandwich was on ciabatta bread that was nicely toasted and not overly hard and crunchy. You can also get this sandwich 'cold.' The spouse's breakfast dish was filled to the brim. I took a couple of bites of the grits - which were nice and creamy - and especially good with pepper added. The biscuit was good and I will plan on ordering the healthy biscuits and gravy on the next visit.

I will mention that the service is slow and if you are in a hurry, then I would plan adequate time and pack your patience. The food overall was good. I only wish the She Crab soup was better. I give Eddie's 3 ghosts for the combined food and service.

There are two Eddie's locations - one near Cotsworld and one in Ballantyne.

http://www.eddiesplacerestaurant.com/index.html

The Counter

The Counter is a hip, Southpark burger bar (and a small nationwide chain). I went during lunch and it was actually pretty empty (I have been on weekends and you usually have to wait). I was seated promptly and ordered an unsweet tea. The waitress explained that you 'build your burger,' which is a trend now throughout the burger business (as well as Five Guys, Big Daddy's, Red Robin). From the looks of the menu I noticed two main things - 1) the price - pretty steep and 2) no fries or other sides offered - you have to get those separately. You basically build a burger with a choice of cheese and 4 toppings and a sauce and bread. Anything more costs extra.

I settled on a 1/3 lb beef burger with jalapeno cheese. This was topped with more jalapenos, tomatoes, pickles and grilled onions on a wheat bun and roasted garlic aioli sauce on the side. I also broke the bank and ordered the 50/50 basket of onion strings and fries. The burger came out and it was stacked high... I knew this was going to be messy. The garlic aioli sauce was on the side and I took a single taste prior to using on the burger - it was smooth and not overly garlicky. I then thinly spreaded this on the burger (saving some for the fries). The burger itself was pretty good - a little dry but the sauce and toppings helped. Oh the toppings - there were a lot - so much so they fell off the burger. The fries were McDonald's like with some seasoning (Lawry's maybe?) on them. The onion strings were thin slices of onions (surprise!). I did finish the burger though and was full the rest of the day. Overall, the burger was pretty good but a little dry and not as juicy as a burger can be.

I give the Counter 3 ghosts. This is because the burger was good but not great. The price is steep, esp when you have to order the sides separately. The waitress was good though - esp keeping my glass filled with tea. The meal with tax and tip was almost $18 (yes, for lunch).

Feel free to go build your burger and try it out - http://www.thecounterburger.com/charlotte/

Zapata's Cantina

I was feeling a little festive with the Holiday weekend approaching so I took myself to Zapata's Cantina in Ballantyne. The server came right away offering chips and salsa and bringing my non-alcoholic tequila (i.e. water). The chips were served with two sauces - a mild and a hot. I noticed that one of the sauces had pieces of tomato and onion, while the other was a simple looking sauce. Both tasted the same temperature to me - I preferred the one with the tomato/onion pieces because of some additional flavor. I also ordered some queso, which was hot and served in a large 'soup bowl.' Tasty.

For my meal, I ordered a beef burrito from their Pronto Lunch Menu (a little smaller portion at a good price). The burrito soon arrived (pronto!) and was gigantic - it took up the entire plate. It had ground beef in the inside and topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and guacamole. My first bite of the burrito was okay - nothing spectacular. I was disappointed that the plate the burrito was served on was hotter than the burrito itself... also I thought that the flavoring of the beef could have been more (like the salsa) and less greasy. I did finish the burrito and was stuffed - which is always good. The burrito was $7 plus tip. I will note that the service was excellent as the waiters were very considerate and constantly refilling the chips and salsa and water.

Based upon the temperature of the burrito and the lack of flavor (show me some heat!), I give Zapata's 3 ghosts as I could have made a better burrito at home (or another Mexican restaurant to be named later). Overall, if you are just in the mood for some fast-served Mexican food - then Zapata's is your place... and kids eat free on Sundays.

www.zapatasrestaurant.com