Restaurants – Page 6 – Fervent Foodie

Mama Ricotta’s—Charlotte, NC {restaurant review}

May 8, 2013 3 Comments

Shortly after moving to Charlotte, I fell in love with Mama Ricotta’s. I blame it on the goat cheese and mascarpone dip, which was my first bite of food on my very first visit to Mama’s.

Mama’s is the type of place where families feel equally comfortable as couples on hot dates. The dining room is cozy with large family-sized booths plus intimate tables for two, vintage family photos, and a large wood-fired pizza oven.

If you have any Italian friends or family, you know the importance of sharing food in the Italian culture. Food is love. This holds true at Mama’s, where most of the pasta dishes are available family-style and are served in deep dishes that are passed around the table, just like at home.

It didn’t take long for me to realize Mama Ricotta’s had common ownership with Bad Daddy’s (one of my favorite burger spots in town) and Midwood Smokehouse (my favorite barbecue joint). I’ve eaten at these restaurants dozen of times, and many of those meals have ended with toasts to Frank Scibelli, the owner and man behind the amazing food.

I’m a big fan of bread, and Mama Ricotta’s bread basket alone is worth a visit. The housemade rolls are served with olive oil sprinkled with crushed red pepper flakes for dipping. As for appetizers, there’s that amazing dip I mentioned–it’s a warm goat cheese and mascarpone dip served with grilled crostini and a warm tomato basil sauce, a steal at $8.50. I also highly recommend the new house made burrata ($12). Burrata is fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream, and Mama’s burrata is soft and supple and accompanied by olive oil poached tomatoes, basil, roasted garlic, and grilled ciabatta.

Restaurants

The Palm–Charlotte, NC {restaurant review}

May 6, 2013 2 Comments

When I think of The Palm, I envision a fancy New Yorker carrying shopping bags in one hand as she hails a cab with the other on her way to (insert pretentious voice here) “lunch at the Palm.”

So, when I first got the invitation to come in and try out the Palm, I ignored it. I’m in Charlotte, the Palm is in New York City. A couple of weeks later, I received a second invitation right when I was coincidentally preparing for a weekend trip to NYC. After mapping out the location of the Palm in Manhattan in relation to where I was staying, I began drafting a response email. But just before I hit send, something caught my eye. The invite was for the Palm in Charlotte. What the what? There’s a Palm in Charlotte??

Lesson #1: read emails thoroughly before archiving, deleting, and/or replying.

When people ask me for restaurant recommendations I often joke about avoiding four-dollar-sign restaurants. In my book, $$$$ means special occasions only. Luckily, I had a reason celebrate! My mom was in town for the weekend, and it was the perfect opportunity to get fancied up for a girls’ night at The Palm.

As we walked into the restaurant, I felt a little apprehensive. I still had the glamorous New Yorker image in my head, and I was wearing Gap flats after all, not Jimmy Choos. All these anxious feelings melted away as soon as I approached the hostess. From her smiling face, to the jolly restaurant managers, to the walls covered with caricatures of famous North Carolinians, it felt warm and welcoming, not the slightest bit hoity toity.

Lesson #2: never judge a restaurant by what you’ve seen in the movies

Once seated, we were promptly served one of the best bread baskets I’ve ever laid my paws on: a trio of breads locally sourced from Great Harvest Bread Company. There was raisin bread, whole white bread, and my personal favorite: the Dakota Bread with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and millet.

Mom and I were in the mood for some seafood, so we started with the Colossal Lump Crabmeat Cocktail ($24). After we both verbally affirmed our passion for horseradish, mom dropped a heaping spoonful into the cocktail sauce. I waited as she took her first bite. She was speechless, her eyes closed, her face quickly turning red. I waited for some sort of sign… Was it good? Was it bad? Was she choking??? When a smile stretched across her face, I took a piece of crab, dunked it in the doctored cocktail sauce, and popped it into my mouth. And that’s when I realized it wasn’t just any old horseradish. It was atomic. Breathtaking, nose-hair-burning, atomic horseradish. It was fantastic.

Along with the crab, we enjoyed the bacon wrapped scallops ($16). Though the bacon wasn’t especially flavorful, the balsamic and basil reduction served for dipping was the perfect tangy pairing for the scallops.

Restaurants

Restaurant Roundup: The Yolk, E2, & Hazelnuts Creperie {the week in food}

April 1, 2013 4 Comments

If you were to look through the massive accumulation of notes in my phone, you’d see my list of must-try breakfast joints near the very top. Me and breakfast? We go way back. From dad’s crispy skillet potatoes to mom’s buttery pancakes, with as much cereal as one child can physically consume crammed in between, breakfast has long been a love of mine. I’m always on the lookout for places to add to my list. Just two days after meeting Gregory Collier, Chef and owner of The Yolk Cafe in Rock Hill, SC, I made the voyage south to try out his breakfast wares.

From any seat in the family owned and operated restaurant you can see Chef Greg at the helm in the open kitchen and his wife, Sabrina, assisting customers. The restaurant has the feel of a diner with its vinyl booths and classic metal swiveling bar stools. The menu, however, rings a different tune. Take, for example, the Valencia omelet (my first choice), which is made with zucchini, squash, roasted tomato, and mozzarella or the fun-guy egg white omelet with mushrooms, herbs, and pungent asiago cheese. Just these two options alone include five ingredients you won’t find at a run-of-the-mill diner. A greasy spoon, the Yolk is not. We’re talking steel cut oatmeal, chorizo chili, and crispy capers here!

Restaurants

Cowbell Burger & Bar — Charlotte, NC {restaurant review}

March 28, 2013 3 Comments

Have you heard the breaking moos? There’s a new burger joint in Uptown Charlotte! Cowbell Burger & Bar will kick off its opening this Friday March 29^th. Located in the spot formula occupied by Nix Burgers, near the intersection of Tryon and 5th St, Cowbell will offer “artisanal burgers with a side of rock & roll.” The restaurant joins a growing restaurant family that includes Leroy Fox (a mix of southern food and a contemporary vibe) and Mortimer’s Pub, which is located in the Epicentre and serves great sandwiches (I’m obsessed with their veg-out grinder).

Last weekend, I stopped into Cowbell for their Gulp & Graze pre-opening event. The restaurant space has been revamped, and feels much larger than Nix. The bar was pushed back, further from the door, leaving ample room for mingling and table seating, and the vibe is hipper too, with tufted leather chairs and low red lighting.

Restaurants

Block & Grinder {Charlotte, NC–restaurant review}

March 19, 2013 7 Comments

Block & Grinder just opened in Charlotte, and its concept is unique: think full bar, wine shop, butcher counter, and restaurant all mashed into one location. The focus is on fresh ingredients, what the owners call a “back to basics” approach. Block & Grinder specializes in premium, all-natural meats and wild game. The meats are fresh and cut and ground in-house daily, giving patrons a “butcher block to grinder” experience. Even the corned beef and pastrami is brined, steamed, smoked, trimmed, and cut in-house.

Most seats in the restaurant offer a full view of the open kitchen, which is headed by executive chef Kent Graham (who previously served as chef for the Atlanta Braves). At any given time, you can see half a dozen cooks methodically knocking out orders as the line man calls them out.

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