Nothing But Noodles is located in the Stonecrest shopping center in South Charlotte, NC and requires diners to order their food at a counter before taking a seat and having their food brought to them.
I visited with a friend on a Saturday evening and the place was packed. The menu is up on the wall, next to the order counter. The problem with this being that while the people at the front are looking at the menu, nobody behind can see it so this causes a delay placing the orders.
I choose to order the Spicy Cajun Pasta, fettuccini pasta in a tomato cream sauce with onions and red bell peppers. I choose to add shrimp to mine but there is a list of other items you can add including chicken, extra vegetables or shrimp. My friend ordered the Spicy Japannese Noodles which was thick noodles with a soy, asian sauce with broccoli, mushrooms and carrots. She ordered chicken with hers.
We sat in a booth near the window which was spacious and clean. Patrons are expected to get their own drinks, silverware and condiments which is fine except the space provided for all of this is too small which caused a crowd to form which was annoying.
Our order came seperately by two different waitresses which was bizarre. My cajun pasta was creamy with a hint of heat and the shrimp were cooked just right. The onions were crunchy as were the peppers and the breadstick that accompanied it was delicious and light. However, my friends Japanese noodles were very salty. We asked to send it back and get another one to which the waitress replied that they would make another but it would have to be with less sauce as that is where the salt is. She accepted this and the next order was much more palatable.
Apart from the saltiness of the Japanese dish, the food was fine and the service was great. For the price, this is a perfectly fine dinner or lunch. I give this 4 out of 5 stars.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Erin's Restaurant - Rock Hill, SC
Erin’s is a small, locally owned restaurant located in downtown Rock Hill, SC. It has recently moved to a new location and shares the space with another eatery that uses it during lunch and Erin’s is using at night.
Erin’s has two dining experiences to choose from. The first is to dine Al a Carte which includes selections from a menu that changes daily depending on the local produce that is available at that time. Diners can also choose to dine Family Style involving everyone sat around one table and helping themselves to a number of courses as the bowls are passed around. We opted to dine family style.
I am going to split this review into two halves, the first will be discussing the food, the second the service.
There ended up being eleven of us around the table, which even though it is a large number was still comfortable. The tableware was made up of an assortment of porcelain plates with different colors and designs on them. I loved this idea as it sparked conversation at table comparing the different plates everyone had.
First to arrive were two salads, a bleu cheese coleslaw and an apple salad followed by a Asian-inspired cucumber salad and some other dishes (too many to remember). Unfortunately there was not enough of the apple salad to try but the other dishes I tried were superb, particularly the cucumber salad.
The starter courses were cleared and we were treated to roughly ten different dishes to try. These included chicken and dumplings, collard greens, pork tenderloin, squash in a cheese sauce, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, eggplant parmesan and boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce. All of these dishes were amazing. Particularly the chicken and dumplings, and the mashed potatoes. Everything was eaten and all at the table agreed that the food was fantastic. We were then treated to two desserts; apple pie and key lime pie. Both were divine and a wonderful choice to finish on.
As for the service, it couldn’t have been more opposite of the quality of the food. When we arrived, we were waiting for at 5 minutes before we approached and acknowledged. Once we had joined the table, it took at least ten minutes for the waitress to take our drinks order and give us plates and silverware. The drinks were hardly ever refilled and the empty food dishes ended up piling up at the end of the table. At the end of the meal we were waiting for the waitress to clear the table but she was texting in the corner.
I have to give this restaurant 3 out of 5 which is such a shame because the food was most certainly worth a 5 but the appalling service let it down considerably
Erin’s has two dining experiences to choose from. The first is to dine Al a Carte which includes selections from a menu that changes daily depending on the local produce that is available at that time. Diners can also choose to dine Family Style involving everyone sat around one table and helping themselves to a number of courses as the bowls are passed around. We opted to dine family style.
I am going to split this review into two halves, the first will be discussing the food, the second the service.
There ended up being eleven of us around the table, which even though it is a large number was still comfortable. The tableware was made up of an assortment of porcelain plates with different colors and designs on them. I loved this idea as it sparked conversation at table comparing the different plates everyone had.
First to arrive were two salads, a bleu cheese coleslaw and an apple salad followed by a Asian-inspired cucumber salad and some other dishes (too many to remember). Unfortunately there was not enough of the apple salad to try but the other dishes I tried were superb, particularly the cucumber salad.
The starter courses were cleared and we were treated to roughly ten different dishes to try. These included chicken and dumplings, collard greens, pork tenderloin, squash in a cheese sauce, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, eggplant parmesan and boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce. All of these dishes were amazing. Particularly the chicken and dumplings, and the mashed potatoes. Everything was eaten and all at the table agreed that the food was fantastic. We were then treated to two desserts; apple pie and key lime pie. Both were divine and a wonderful choice to finish on.
As for the service, it couldn’t have been more opposite of the quality of the food. When we arrived, we were waiting for at 5 minutes before we approached and acknowledged. Once we had joined the table, it took at least ten minutes for the waitress to take our drinks order and give us plates and silverware. The drinks were hardly ever refilled and the empty food dishes ended up piling up at the end of the table. At the end of the meal we were waiting for the waitress to clear the table but she was texting in the corner.
I have to give this restaurant 3 out of 5 which is such a shame because the food was most certainly worth a 5 but the appalling service let it down considerably
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Champions - Charlotte, NC
My friend and I visited this restaurant on our way to see the Carolina Panthers play on Sunday. Our plan was to grab a quick bite to eat at this diner themed restaurant before walking the short distance to the stadium. Unfortunately we missed to first 10 minutes of the game due to very slow service of this establishment.
When we arrived there was a sign that said to seat ourselves which we did in a booth right by the window. There was not a server in sight and it took ten minutes for one to come over and take our drinks order. Another ten minutes before they arrived and we could order our food.
The menu consists of standard American dishes, burgers, sandwiches, nachos etc. I ordered the turkey club sandwich and my friend ordered the chicken wrap. The food was slow to come out (I think you see a pattern here) and when it did come out they were huge portions. My turkey club consisted of 6-stacked sandwiches with fries. The fries were seasoned really well and were delicious. The sandwich was OK, not great and was so big I couldn’t even finish two of the portions.
The meals were not cheap as one would expect from a diner but for the location it was probably standard. The poor service meant we were running to the game, not good when you are full and as said before the missing of the first part of the game.
I would give it 3 out of 5 due to poor service and ok food.
When we arrived there was a sign that said to seat ourselves which we did in a booth right by the window. There was not a server in sight and it took ten minutes for one to come over and take our drinks order. Another ten minutes before they arrived and we could order our food.
The menu consists of standard American dishes, burgers, sandwiches, nachos etc. I ordered the turkey club sandwich and my friend ordered the chicken wrap. The food was slow to come out (I think you see a pattern here) and when it did come out they were huge portions. My turkey club consisted of 6-stacked sandwiches with fries. The fries were seasoned really well and were delicious. The sandwich was OK, not great and was so big I couldn’t even finish two of the portions.
The meals were not cheap as one would expect from a diner but for the location it was probably standard. The poor service meant we were running to the game, not good when you are full and as said before the missing of the first part of the game.
I would give it 3 out of 5 due to poor service and ok food.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Blue Taj -Charlotte, NC
The Blue Taj is an Indian restaurant located in the Ballantyne restaurant in South Charlotte. It is the sister restaurant to Copper, another Indian restaurant located on East Blvd near Uptown. The restaurant is located on the ground floor, near the stairs up to the movie theatre and is almost hidden away by its location. It has a small patio area and a large restaurant inside. There is a small bar with 3 stools and a small table area.
The décor of this restaurant is best described as bizarre. The small table area located at the bar is all white, almost like a children’s area with bubbles painted in different colors on the wall. A blue light shines down making everything a very clinical color and it is most unappealing. The rest of the restaurant is a similar décor style with what I am guessing is supposed to be modern fixtures and paint on the wall. It looked very odd to me, particularly for the theme of the restaurant and the harsh green lighting did no justice to the food.
As for the food, on the advice of the owner who came to see us, we ordered the mix vegetarian and the mixed meat platters. Each was quite small, we a only a taster of each. This would not have been so bad had they not served them on a huge plate which made them look even smaller. There was no introduction by the wait staff as to what each one was so we just had the guess. All were quite delicious though.
For our entrees, again at the advice of the owner, we each ordered a different entrée dish to share. As there were four of us, we had a chicken tikka, a seafood curry, a chicken jhalfrazie and a lamb saagwala. We got one portion of rice to share and mixture of naan bread. The entrees were not quite as large as we had hoped bearing in mind we have been advised to share, the naans were delicious but the rice was a little cool. Not many of the dishes, except the fish curry had my sauce and this was disappointing.
I would give this restaurant 3 stars out of 5. The food was just OK, and the service was terrible, no introduction of the food, dirty silverware and slow.
The décor of this restaurant is best described as bizarre. The small table area located at the bar is all white, almost like a children’s area with bubbles painted in different colors on the wall. A blue light shines down making everything a very clinical color and it is most unappealing. The rest of the restaurant is a similar décor style with what I am guessing is supposed to be modern fixtures and paint on the wall. It looked very odd to me, particularly for the theme of the restaurant and the harsh green lighting did no justice to the food.
As for the food, on the advice of the owner who came to see us, we ordered the mix vegetarian and the mixed meat platters. Each was quite small, we a only a taster of each. This would not have been so bad had they not served them on a huge plate which made them look even smaller. There was no introduction by the wait staff as to what each one was so we just had the guess. All were quite delicious though.
For our entrees, again at the advice of the owner, we each ordered a different entrée dish to share. As there were four of us, we had a chicken tikka, a seafood curry, a chicken jhalfrazie and a lamb saagwala. We got one portion of rice to share and mixture of naan bread. The entrees were not quite as large as we had hoped bearing in mind we have been advised to share, the naans were delicious but the rice was a little cool. Not many of the dishes, except the fish curry had my sauce and this was disappointing.
I would give this restaurant 3 stars out of 5. The food was just OK, and the service was terrible, no introduction of the food, dirty silverware and slow.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Eddie's Place, Charlotte, NC
Eddie's Place is a Cajun themed restaurant located in South Charlotte, next to Earthfare on Johnston Road. This is restaurant is middle sized with a large bar area with large TV screens that show sporting events.
We visited on a Sunday afternoon for lunch during the Carolina Panthers game. The place was fairly busy, particularly the bar area with fans watching the football. We had a booth and chose the following from the menu:-
I had a Po-boy, a Louisiana style sandwich with fried shrimp with a side of onion rings. My companion had the sausage and chicken gumbo soup with a house salad. The food was quick to come out and was very appealing to look at. The Po-boy was large with a a good number of shrimp as well as lettuce and tomato. The onion rings were numerous and had a good batter on them.
The soup was thick and filling but lacked a little spice, the salad though was crisp and the fresh. Both meals, although tasty were a little pricey for what they were.
I would give this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars because the food was good, the service was great but the cost was a little high.
We visited on a Sunday afternoon for lunch during the Carolina Panthers game. The place was fairly busy, particularly the bar area with fans watching the football. We had a booth and chose the following from the menu:-
I had a Po-boy, a Louisiana style sandwich with fried shrimp with a side of onion rings. My companion had the sausage and chicken gumbo soup with a house salad. The food was quick to come out and was very appealing to look at. The Po-boy was large with a a good number of shrimp as well as lettuce and tomato. The onion rings were numerous and had a good batter on them.
The soup was thick and filling but lacked a little spice, the salad though was crisp and the fresh. Both meals, although tasty were a little pricey for what they were.
I would give this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars because the food was good, the service was great but the cost was a little high.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Thai Taste, Charlotte, NC
For those of you who read this blog on a regular basis, you will know that Thai food is definite favorite of mine. I recently tried Thai Taste, located closed to uptown on East Blvd for lunch on a Tuesday.
When we arrived the place was packed with a whole range of different people. There were police officers, office workers, construction workers and others all crammed in eating delicious looking food.
The restaurant is fairly small, maybe with 15 tables but there were plenty of staff. The menu for lunch is limited to 7 options which at first I was slightly put off by, but thinking about it, with as busy as it was, limiting the menu makes sense. I chose Pud Prig Pow (number 2 on the menu) which was listed as “Your choice of meat stir-fried with chili sauce, carrots, green beans, mushrooms, cabbages, bell peppers and fresh basil leaves”.
Each meal came with a bowl of soup ( a chicken, vegetable combination when we went), a spring roll, Jasmine rice and iced tea included. You also have the choice of meat or seafood to add to your main course.
The soup was very light and flavorful. I very much enjoyed that as an appetizer. My main course though was stunning. The vegetables were fresh and a little crunchy, the chicken was seasoned just right and the chilli sauce was not overpowering. Looking around, a lot of other customer were eating a noodle based dish that looked amazing…I will try that next time!
I give Thai Taste 4 ½ stars out of 5 for excellent service and good quality food.
When we arrived the place was packed with a whole range of different people. There were police officers, office workers, construction workers and others all crammed in eating delicious looking food.
The restaurant is fairly small, maybe with 15 tables but there were plenty of staff. The menu for lunch is limited to 7 options which at first I was slightly put off by, but thinking about it, with as busy as it was, limiting the menu makes sense. I chose Pud Prig Pow (number 2 on the menu) which was listed as “Your choice of meat stir-fried with chili sauce, carrots, green beans, mushrooms, cabbages, bell peppers and fresh basil leaves”.
Each meal came with a bowl of soup ( a chicken, vegetable combination when we went), a spring roll, Jasmine rice and iced tea included. You also have the choice of meat or seafood to add to your main course.
The soup was very light and flavorful. I very much enjoyed that as an appetizer. My main course though was stunning. The vegetables were fresh and a little crunchy, the chicken was seasoned just right and the chilli sauce was not overpowering. Looking around, a lot of other customer were eating a noodle based dish that looked amazing…I will try that next time!
I give Thai Taste 4 ½ stars out of 5 for excellent service and good quality food.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The Big View Diner - South Charlotte, NC
The Big View Diner is located on the corner of US521 and Ardrey Kell Road in Charlotte and cannot be missed - the building stands out a mile. Open for breakfast, lunch and diner this place is always busy and I was determined to find out why. We went out for breakfast during the week and this is my review.
Inside, The Big View Diner is very comfortably furnished with plenty booths, a party room and a bar area. We enjoyed our breakfast in one of the booths. The menu consisted of a large selection of omelet, items from the grill, sandwiches and an option to pick various breakfast items individually.
I opted for the egg sandwich which came with a whole range of options. I chose the scrambled egg over fried, on a biscuit over a bagel or toast with bacon instead of sausages. I also opted for a side of grits for an extra 99c.
The sandwich was delicious. The biscuit was really moist and crumbly, tasted home made. The bacon was cooked nicely and there was good portion of egg. The grits came on the side in a bowl and although they were creamy, they lacked a flavor for my liking.
My husband had biscuits with sausage gravy which was delicious and my friend had an omelet which was huge!
The service here was excellent, very attentive and the servers were polite.
I give The Big View Diner 4 out of 5. I will certainly be back for lunch and diner!
Inside, The Big View Diner is very comfortably furnished with plenty booths, a party room and a bar area. We enjoyed our breakfast in one of the booths. The menu consisted of a large selection of omelet, items from the grill, sandwiches and an option to pick various breakfast items individually.
I opted for the egg sandwich which came with a whole range of options. I chose the scrambled egg over fried, on a biscuit over a bagel or toast with bacon instead of sausages. I also opted for a side of grits for an extra 99c.
The sandwich was delicious. The biscuit was really moist and crumbly, tasted home made. The bacon was cooked nicely and there was good portion of egg. The grits came on the side in a bowl and although they were creamy, they lacked a flavor for my liking.
My husband had biscuits with sausage gravy which was delicious and my friend had an omelet which was huge!
The service here was excellent, very attentive and the servers were polite.
I give The Big View Diner 4 out of 5. I will certainly be back for lunch and diner!
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