There’s no sense in beating around the biscuit–let’s get down to the nitty gritty on  four Charlotte restaurants I’ve eaten at recently:

PURE PIZZA:  Located uptown in the 7th St Public Market, Pure Pizza is quickly becoming one of my favorite spots for lunch.  They specialize in farm to fork pizza, and their toppings are seasonal and sourced straight from the market.  You have your choice of dough:  sprouted ancient grain (which includes quinoa), classic Neapolitan  or gluten-free.  My favorite pie is the chorizo, which comes with organic radishes, onions, cilantro, and lime.  Each pizza is served with a small container of honey for dipping the crust, which I found surprisingly tasty.  Recently, PP expanded their menu to include several sandwiches.  For lunch last week, I tried the caprese sandwich, which comes panini style, pressed and oozing with fresh mozzarella cheese.  I am in love with their balsamic dressing—it’s tangy, sweet, and super thick, almost spreadable.  Pure Pizza also sells adorable half bottles of wine and beer, there is plenty of seating available, AND the market validates parking.

JACKALOPE JACKS:   by appearances alone, this place is incredibly deceiving.  From the outside, it looks like someone scrapped an arcade and a miniature golf course and repurposed the parts into a  restaurant. If you can look past the fake grass, you’ll find several holes-in-one on the menu (the golf analogy ends here, I promise).   Their house chili is one of my favorites in town and their salads are surprisingly large and fresh.  My top picks on the menu include the southwestern wrap with corn and black bean salad, teriyaki chicken skewers, and the jalapeno mac and cheese (if you like things extra spicy, that is).  Jackalopes offers more than just standard bar food, though they do have awesome tater tots.  They also serve brunch on Saturday and Sunday, with everything from “garbage plates” to crepes.