Thai Taste

Thai Taste is just that... a taste of Thai cuisine. I have been a couple of times and have had good experiences each time I have been. Warmly greeted, I was seated quickly and was brought ice water. Hot tea was also offered - and I accepted - since it was a balmy 30 degrees outside.

The menu has many options in which you select a 'base' then add chicken, duck, pork, beef or seafood. There are also several vegetarian options. For a starter, I ordered the Poh Peah Tod, which are spring rolls stuffed with vegetables and served with Thai sweet and spicy sauce. The spring rolls arrived quickly and were fried hot. The rolls were not greasy and had a good flavor of the vegetables and the sweet and spicy sauce. There are four rolls per serving so it's an easy split between a party of two.

For my meal, I ordered the Pud Gra Pow with chicken (chili and basil leaves, stir-fried with mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and carrots). You have the option to order from mild to super hot as to the spiciness of the dish... and I went for medium. It's always to add more spice than take it away in my opinion. The dish arrived overflowing with veggies and meat. It was paired with a bowl of steamed white rice. I did ask if there was an option for brown rice but there is not (which I would enjoy more than the white rice but oh well). Back to the food - yes, it was brimming over with not only veggies and meat but with spice and flavor. I was glad I ordered medium as it was pretty hot... but that did not stop me from adding some more chili sauce. The veggies were nice and crisp and were plentiful and the chicken was tender. The portion of the dish is quite large and can make 2-3 servings depending on how hungry you are.

I give Thai Taste 3.5 ghosts. The service is top-notch and the staff was very friendly and courteous. Several refills were provided for both water and hot tea. Due to this, it bumps up from a 3 to the 3.5 score. The food was good but I have had a little better Thai food in the area. Overall, I was happy with my dish and plan to return for a nice spice kick in the pants.

Thai Taste has three locations - Matthews, East Blvd and University.

http://www.thaitastecharlotte.com/

Foskoskies

Foskoskies.... now say that 3 times fast! Anyways - before heading out on a night on the town, my friends and I decided to hit up Foskoskies - a small hole-in-the-wall place in the Plaza/Midwood area.

We arrived around 6PM on Friday and at the perfect time as 5 minutes later there was a line of people waiting outside the door (which means it has to be good....). We sat near the front of the restaurant right by the "Specials" wall. There were about 7-8 specials ranging from homemade meatballs to seafood to dessert and the menu overall carries a down-home Southern flare with fried chicken to turkey pot pies to crab cakes. Our server came and seemed down-to-earth and was part of our table. We gave our drink and meal orders - my friend and I both ordered the boneless fried chicken breasts served with a honey pecan sauce and our other friend ordered the homemade meatballs. While we waited, we were delivered hot yeast rolls with room temperature butter that melted and glazed over the rolls. The rolls were probably the best 'free dinner rolls' I have had in a long time.

Not long after, our food arrived. My plate was nicely presented - two chicken breasts nicely fried (no grease) with the honey pecan sauce, a broccoli casserole and rice. I cut into the chicken and didn't even need to use my knife. It was moist and hot and very tasty. The honey pecan sauce was good but became overpowering after the 4th-5th bite (I did ask for it on the side and it was not). The broccoli casserole was warm when I got to it - it has a perfect mixture of broccoli and cheese and no additional seasoning was needed. As for the rice - it was just regular white rice so I barely paid attention to it except to use it as a mop for the chicken and broccoli. My friend who ordered the dish also enjoyed it. The friend who ordered the homemade meatballs received about 5 huge meatballs (made of beef and Grateful Growers sausage) and served on top of the penne. The meatballs were tender and juicy and filled with the perfect mix of Italian-like seasoning and hint of the sausage. From the looks of it - there was way too much penne and the presentation could have been a little more but overall it was tasty. My friend did not finish her meatballs.

The service overall was great. The server came over, as well as the owner, on various times to ask about refills and how our meals were. 5 ghosts for them! The atmosphere was cute - an 'old bar/restaurant' look however it seemed hotter in the restaurant than outside and I was sweating while I was eating - 2 ghosts. As far as the food - I really enjoyed it. Again, the honey pecan sauce was a little overbearing near the end but I just scraped it away... and yes, I did ordered it on the side and it came out on top of the chicken. With this in mind, the overall flavorness of the food that required no additional seasoning and the melting texture - I give the food 3.5 ghosts - for a total average of 3.5 ghosts.

2121 Shamrock DrSte ACharlotte, NC 28205

(704) 535-2225

Wolfman Pizza

Some friends mentioned Wolfman's Pizza and said it was the greatest pizza ever... hmmmm sounds like a challenge. I went to Wolfman's on Sunday hungry hungry hungry. We were seated promptly and was greeted by a friendly server... ordered drinks and apps (Styx - which are breadsticks with their homemade sun-dried tomato pesto, artichoke dip and marinara sauce). From reviewing the menu, they had pizzas that pretty much covered any appetite and taste - regular pepperoni, chicken, veggies, cheeseburger, potato - as well as sandwiches and pasta. We decided to settle for the 12 inch Led Zeppelin (Italian sausage, roma tomatoes, roasted red peppers, red onions, fresh mushrooms, black olives, jalapenos, fresh garlic and mozzarella cheese) - might as well go big or go home!

Once we placed our order, the Styx (you get 6) arrived and they arrived HOT. The steam was coming off of these breadsticks which had seasoning (tasted like some garlic, oregano and some other hints of Italian seasons) baked on top. The outside of the stick was crisp and it was moist on the inside. Also with the styx, you have the dips. My favorite was the artichoke dip. This was a cup of cheesy goodness. You could taste the artichoke while you pulled yards of melted Parmesan cheese. The sun-dried tomato pesto was also good. The dip was nicely balanced between the flavor of tomatoes and not too oily. The marinara was also good and was set aside to be used as a crust absorber.

About 10 minutes of finishing the appetizer, the pizza arrived. This pizza appeared to be chock-full! I could tell right away it was bubbly, cheesy goodness but also noticed that the crust was wet and a fork would be needed. I took a slice and placed it on my plate - ready to dig in. I noticed that the slice had an abundance of the veggies... the tomatoes and red peppers were chopped similar and looked identical on the pizza. The only way to tell them apart was the tangy taste of the red pepper compared to the sweet tomato taste. The red onions and jalapenos added a nice 'kick' and a crisp to the pizza - which was needed since the crust was so wet and moist. The Italian sausage was good and the fennel could be tasted throughout. I was glad that the sausage didn't overpower the pizza as the meat sometimes does. The veggies were definitely the fore-front of this pie. The outer crust was crusty and flavorful as my pieces had garlic and some melted cheese on them. Pairing the crust with the left over marinara and tomato pesto - it was a treat. I still do not know why the pizza was so wet and soggy for the most part. I am assuming the pizza crust was too thin. It was not too 'saucy' so I am thinking maybe the veggies must have cooked and drained their juices... just a thought.

Overall, the service was great. They were on-top of things and provided many refills. They get 4 ghosts. As far as the food - the Styx app was great and the sauces were full of flavor. The pizza was good but not the best I have had - if only the pizza was not so wet. I give the food 3 ghosts. Overall, Wolfman Pizza gets 3.5 ghosts.

The price was reasonable - for the Styx, pizza and two drinks and tip ~$25.

Go check it out - http://www.wolfmanpizza.com/index2.html

Crepe Cellar

I finally made it to the Crepe Cellar in NODA. This hip, new restaurant/pub is where the Addie's Jamaican Cuisine used to be. Walking in, I noticed that the Cellar was a small, cozy place with a nice looking bar - as well as the friendly staff. Once being seated, our perky waitress came over and took our order - we started with nice cold Carolina brew and the pesto brie fries. All I can say about the fries - home cut - which means a good effort and a nice taste. The pesto and brie complemented themselves well.

For dinner, I ordered a crepe (obviously) - the Queen City crepe. This crepe has roasted chicken, cheddar, bacon and a tomato sauce served on top. For my side, I had to get the mac and cheese. This "crepe" cellar - has 5 dinner crepes and 6 dessert crepes. There are also other entrees that seem to outnumber the crepes! From the looks of other diners - it seems like they branched off from the crepe train and ordered the non-crepe items. I will say that the Steak and Guinness Pie looked tempting (and I will try it next time!).

Ok - so back to dinner - my crepes and mac and cheese have been delivered! The appearance was nice and simple... two crepes covered in the roasted tomato sauce - a nice size and not overly stuffed. As I took a bite - I was a little disappointed that the cheddar was not all the way melted. There were some areas that brought the chicken and bacon together through its gooey dream but the other half was unmelted shreds of cheese. The temperature was also not up to my liking - sub warm. Seems like the crepe was made and sat under the heating lamp while the mac and cheese was being dished - as this was hot! Yes - I did enjoy the flavor of the chicken and loved the sauce - but was hoping that the cheese was all the way melted and the crepes were warmer. The mac and cheese (as I mentioned) was hot. This was the best part of the dish - perfect noodles and a mix of melted cheese throughout. I will say that all this food made me pleasantly stuffed.

The service was exceptional - great staff that had a good vibe and made the Cellar a comfortable dining experience - I give them 4 ghosts. The food - it has potential! If the Cellar kicks it up just a bit - they will go from good to freaking awesome. I know its their rookie year too so they have some kinks to work out... so the food will get 3 ghosts - for an overall score of 3.5 ghosts. I will give them another chance for sure and look forward to it. Cost of meal was ~$25 with tip (inlcudes one $4 beer).

If you plan to go - go early - this place is small and it gets packed.

www.crepecellar.com

Dorian's Deli and Grill

If you are ever in Matthews and looking for an out-of-the-way place for lunch (or breakfast) - check out Dorian's Deli and Grill. Dorian's is a small, Greek family owned deli open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday (Sat is lunch only). It's a 'seat yourself' and usually grab your own menu type of place (before seating - check out the daily special near the cash register ~usually $5). The menu has the typical deli food (turkey sandwiches, burgers, salads) but also has some Greek dishes such as gyros and slovoki. The waitress came to the table pretty quickly after sitting and brought us some ice, cold unsweet tea - yum!

I ordered the chicken slovoki with the Paul's Chips (you get a choice of a side) and my partner ordered the pita cheeseburger. The meal was turned around in about 10 minutes - looking very delicious. My chicken slovoki was served in a warm pita with chicken tenderloins, onions, lettuce and tomatoes and slovoki sauce was on the side. The pita was warm and the chicken was moist. The slovoki sauce was very light and tasty when added to the pita. Now, on the Paul's chips.... these are homemade chips with a cajun/season salt on them. They are quite tasty! There is usually a mix of the real crunchy and some not-so-cooked ones - but even those are good. I also tasted of the pita cheeseburger, which was nice and hot. The burger itself was very moist and the cheese was nicely melted. The burger was also served in a warm pita. Once the food was brought, however, we never saw our server again (and I wanted a tea refill). I had to get it myself when we paid at the register. I guess a family owned business does not allow a full wait staff - but the food definitely outweighs this one con. My meal with tip was ~$8.

I give Dorian’s 3 ghosts in service and 4 ghosts in food, for an average of 3.5 ghosts. Don’t let the 3.5 ghosts scare you though as the food is a great quick-time lunch place.

1240 Matthews-Mint Hill Rd Matthews, NC 28105 (near the bowling alley)

Nikko - Ballantyne

Went to Nikko Sushi Bar in Ballantyne, which is a step-down on the 'hip' scale from the South Blvd location. I have dined here before - but I am going in with an open mind. We were seated promptly where the waitress came and took our drink orders. This place has some good martinis and I always order my favorite (an off menu item) - a plum martini. This is half plum wine and half sake... a nice balance of sweet and tart. This was shared by an appetizer of edamame.

For dinner, I decided to order sushi - the restaurant's namesake. From reviewing the menu, I wish there were some more options of sushi but it appeared to be primarily salmon and crab based items. I ended up ordering the dragonfly roll (a spicy, fried tuna roll with crab), the Philly roll, the scallop roll and the spicy crab/shrimp roll (the best sushi I have had is a place called Seito Sushi which is not in Charlotte - best roll - Sunset Roll that has salmon, a lemon wedge and crab).

Once I ordered, the edamame came out hot! It was as good as edamame gets. Good service so far but that soon changed. While sitting in the restaurant, I noticed that other diners were complaining about the lack of service. The dining room was not too full but it seemed like there were only 2 waitresses, which could have been the cause of the lack of service. Viewing the sushi bar, it had 3 'sushi artists' which did more talking then making sushi and this seemed to cause a break-down in the food serving. From the time I ordered, it took about 45 minutes to get the four rolls of sushi I ordered. During that time, the waitress did not come by the table to ask if I wanted another drink or refill the glass of water. Like I said -good service went down quick!

Finally - the food came. I can't complain about the sushi. The dragonfly roll is a larger roll with tuna that resembles more like chopped tuna (instead of the sushi grade tuna I am used to) but was still good and has a piece of crab. I believe it is the hot sauce they add to it that gives it the great flavor. The Philly and scallop rolls are the 'regular' rolls that you can get anywhere - but the fish tasted fresh and they were wrapped nice and tight. Finally, the spicy crab/shrimp roll was a 'salad' like roll with the same hot sauce used on the dragonfly roll. It too was good but I believe that the hot sauce gave it its flavor.

At the end of the meal, the waitress finally came and refilled the water. Too bad she did not do this while I was eating the spicy rolls!

Overall, the meal with two drinks, appetizer, four rolls and tip was ~$65.

Food = 4 ghosts, service = 3 ghosts for an average of 3.5 ghosts.

http://www.nikkosushibar.net/index.html