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.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
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!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Andrew Blair's - Charlotte, NC
Andrew Blair’s is a medium sized restaurant located at the intersection of Park Road and Woodlawn in Charlotte, NC. With a large patio and a bar area, Andrew Blair’s has a variety of places to sit and eat.
I visited Andrew Blair’s as part of Charlotte Restaurant Week during which a whole host of eating establishments around the Queen City present a limited choice menu for only $30 per person. Bearing this mind, the selections I made were chosen from this menu and may not be available at other times of the year.
When we arrived at Andrew Blair’s, the parking lot was very full and it was apparent that a lot of patrons were also taking advantage of the offer. We were seated in one of the many spacious booths and were served a plate of pita chips with hummus and white bean dip to share. Both dips were delicious and the pita chips were a nice accompaniment.
As a choice of starters, of which there were four, I chose the Pulled Pork BBQ Stack. This consisted on a small square of corn pudding (almost the consistency of bread) with a heap of pulled pork in a sweet BBQ sauce topped with 2 rashers of bacon. The BBQ and corn pudding were delicious, the BBQ sauce had a hint of mustard that was divine, and although the portion size was small, along with the hummus dip earlier it was not insufficient.
For my choice of entrée I chose the North Carolina flounder served with a tasso grit cake, local corn and lima bean succotash with a white lemon sauce. The portion size for the entrée was bigger but not huge which was welcome. The fish had been pan-seared but lacked any real flavor. It was not overly cooked however and had a nice texture. The vegetables were disappointing as they didn’t taste very fresh and lacked any exciting flavor. As for the grit cake, it was quite oily, and although fairly tasty by itself, was unable to carry the rest of the quite boring entrée.
For dessert I ordered cookies and milk which were very good. Obviously homemade and still warm enough that the chocolate chips melted when the cookie was pulled apart. My fellow diners however were not as lucky with their desserts. The warm chocolate brownie was so hard it took all us with 3 spoons to break a piece off to eat it! The strawberry shortcake had beautiful strawberries but the cake was stale and lacked any flavor at all.
I think it is a shame that a restaurant, which is choosing to show itself to a new collection of diners during Charlotte Restaurant Week really failed to take the opportunity to shine by producing some adequate food. The service was also pretty poor as our waitress had a rude attitude and was in such a rush she wouldn’t even slow down for a drinks order.
I give this restaurant 3 out of 5 stars, which is a shame because it could have earned more.
I visited Andrew Blair’s as part of Charlotte Restaurant Week during which a whole host of eating establishments around the Queen City present a limited choice menu for only $30 per person. Bearing this mind, the selections I made were chosen from this menu and may not be available at other times of the year.
When we arrived at Andrew Blair’s, the parking lot was very full and it was apparent that a lot of patrons were also taking advantage of the offer. We were seated in one of the many spacious booths and were served a plate of pita chips with hummus and white bean dip to share. Both dips were delicious and the pita chips were a nice accompaniment.
As a choice of starters, of which there were four, I chose the Pulled Pork BBQ Stack. This consisted on a small square of corn pudding (almost the consistency of bread) with a heap of pulled pork in a sweet BBQ sauce topped with 2 rashers of bacon. The BBQ and corn pudding were delicious, the BBQ sauce had a hint of mustard that was divine, and although the portion size was small, along with the hummus dip earlier it was not insufficient.
For my choice of entrée I chose the North Carolina flounder served with a tasso grit cake, local corn and lima bean succotash with a white lemon sauce. The portion size for the entrée was bigger but not huge which was welcome. The fish had been pan-seared but lacked any real flavor. It was not overly cooked however and had a nice texture. The vegetables were disappointing as they didn’t taste very fresh and lacked any exciting flavor. As for the grit cake, it was quite oily, and although fairly tasty by itself, was unable to carry the rest of the quite boring entrée.
For dessert I ordered cookies and milk which were very good. Obviously homemade and still warm enough that the chocolate chips melted when the cookie was pulled apart. My fellow diners however were not as lucky with their desserts. The warm chocolate brownie was so hard it took all us with 3 spoons to break a piece off to eat it! The strawberry shortcake had beautiful strawberries but the cake was stale and lacked any flavor at all.
I think it is a shame that a restaurant, which is choosing to show itself to a new collection of diners during Charlotte Restaurant Week really failed to take the opportunity to shine by producing some adequate food. The service was also pretty poor as our waitress had a rude attitude and was in such a rush she wouldn’t even slow down for a drinks order.
I give this restaurant 3 out of 5 stars, which is a shame because it could have earned more.
Cafe Nirvana - Charlotte, NC
Café Nirvana is located in a small shopping area on Old 521 just inside the North Carolina border. It is a medium sized restaurant serving Indian cuisine, including a lunch buffet served on Saturdays and Sundays.
We arrived for the buffet on a Sunday, the place was packed and we waited about 15 minutes for a table. I don’t mind waiting for tables in restaurants as long as I am given a reasonable time frame of the wait and am reassured they haven’t forgotten about me.
When we sat down in one of the booths located around the edge of restaurant, we were brought glasses of ice water and a basket of freshly baked naan bread. This bread is like a pita in texture but a little thicker and is delicious. We helped ourselves to the buffet, starting with a selection of fried delights such as samosas (fried pastries with filling), crispy pastry discs and a variety of dips and sauces to go with the naan.
Once we had worked our way through those, we returned to take our pick of entries which included a couple of different types of rice (one plain, one mixed with vegetables and spices) as well as a range of different curries, both vegetarian and including meats. My personal favorites were the chicken tikka masala, a slow cooked chicken a mild sauce along with the vegetable mix and the lamb curry. None of the sauces were particularly spicy; a common misconception with Indian cuisine and all had a lot of flavor.
We couldn’t leave without sampling the small range of desserts on offer. We tried a small selection including a fruit salad in a very light cream sauce, a small fried doughnut type dessert in light syrup and some kind of cake with was delicious.
This restaurant provides a great mix of authentic Indian dishes and for those who have not eaten a great deal of this genre I would highly recommend the buffet so you can try a little of everything. The desserts are worth saving room for.
I would also praise the staff who despite being very busy, were attentive and pleasant.
I give Café Nirvana 5 out of 5 stars.
We arrived for the buffet on a Sunday, the place was packed and we waited about 15 minutes for a table. I don’t mind waiting for tables in restaurants as long as I am given a reasonable time frame of the wait and am reassured they haven’t forgotten about me.
When we sat down in one of the booths located around the edge of restaurant, we were brought glasses of ice water and a basket of freshly baked naan bread. This bread is like a pita in texture but a little thicker and is delicious. We helped ourselves to the buffet, starting with a selection of fried delights such as samosas (fried pastries with filling), crispy pastry discs and a variety of dips and sauces to go with the naan.
Once we had worked our way through those, we returned to take our pick of entries which included a couple of different types of rice (one plain, one mixed with vegetables and spices) as well as a range of different curries, both vegetarian and including meats. My personal favorites were the chicken tikka masala, a slow cooked chicken a mild sauce along with the vegetable mix and the lamb curry. None of the sauces were particularly spicy; a common misconception with Indian cuisine and all had a lot of flavor.
We couldn’t leave without sampling the small range of desserts on offer. We tried a small selection including a fruit salad in a very light cream sauce, a small fried doughnut type dessert in light syrup and some kind of cake with was delicious.
This restaurant provides a great mix of authentic Indian dishes and for those who have not eaten a great deal of this genre I would highly recommend the buffet so you can try a little of everything. The desserts are worth saving room for.
I would also praise the staff who despite being very busy, were attentive and pleasant.
I give Café Nirvana 5 out of 5 stars.
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