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Went to Murphy's Kitchen and Tap at Trade and Graham Street yesterday. One of the best Ruebens I have ever had and their desert was delicious. I definitely recommend this new restaurant. They also have a great second floor with a deck. Gonna have a great vibe before Panthers and Knights games and it is an even better location if Gateway Station is ever built.

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Went to 204 North Kitchen and Cocktails and it was amazing. Cocktails were on point, being some of the best I've ever had (I haven't had many so take it for what is worth). Food was jamming as well. I love that the bartenders knew their drinks beyond the menu. Amanda and Allen were tending to us and they were great. Charlotte needed this badly, a great cocktail bar. I honestly have nothing to say bad about this place. Everything Jayvee said about this place is true.  Truly a great place with a chill atmosphere. 

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10 hours ago, 11 HouseBZ said:

Went to 204 North Kitchen and Cocktails and it was amazing. Cocktails were on point, being some of the best I've ever had (I haven't had many so take it for what is worth). Food was jamming as well. I love that the bartenders knew their drinks beyond the menu. Amanda and Allen were tending to us and they were great. Charlotte needed this badly, a great cocktail bar. I honestly have nothing to say bad about this place. Everything Jayvee said about this place is true.  Truly a great place with a chill atmosphere. 

Make sure you try cotton room. Admittedly the music was was too loud for a cocktail bar, but literally some of the best cocktails I've had, and I drink cocktails way too often.

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Does anyone know what's going on with Rai Lay Thai on South? I tried to go there Friday night, since their menu was up online and I recalled seeing this Agenda article back in April about them opening that week. There was a rough handwritten note on the door about not being open yet, and there was a lot of torn up work and insulation inside even though tables were out. I'm looking forward to this place a lot, but it felt like a big red flag. 

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Went to 204 North over the holiday weekend. I'll echo what 11HouseBZ mentioned. The cocktails were awesome. I had the Banker. That was one of the better bourbon drinks I've ever had -- so good that I had a second. Food was solid. We had the shrimp and grits, calamari and the hamburger plates. All well done. The interior decor was pretty cool too. I've already recommended it to several friends. Definitely will go back. 

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I tried 204 on Saturday and really liked it! The space is nothing overly unique but very tasteful and well done, but I particularly love what the new facade and signage looks like. It is a significant improvement to what is already one of our nicer looking blocks uptown (especially after RiRas took a bit of a step backwards when they repainted theirs). The drinks were all really great and even though there's plenty of variety, they seem to be carving out a bit of a niche overall, mostly falling more in the refreshing/summery camp vs. the boozy prohibition style cocktails that dominate at most cocktail bars.

I do have one complaint...the food presentation was pretty bad. Every appetizer and entree that came out looked rather unappetizing, lacking color or garnish, a lot of beige basically. I was surprised when they tasted good, which is an odd feeling obviously. 

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53 minutes ago, nonillogical said:

The space is nothing overly unique but very tasteful and well done, but I particularly love what the new facade and signage looks like

You kidding? It's one of the more unique and well designed places in the entire city. there's almost nothing else like it. It's adds a new standard to uptown, ESPECIALLY uptown

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47 minutes ago, Jayvee said:

You kidding? It's one of the more unique and well designed places in the entire city. there's almost nothing else like it. It's adds a new standard to uptown, ESPECIALLY uptown

When I saw the renderings, I was hoping it would turn out a little more like Swine in Coral Gables.  Very similar space, but Swine just feels more "complete" than 204 North, and I also feel like I'm seeing this same repurposed/semi-industrial/exposed brick/reclaimed wood/faux vintage lighting/metal chair design concept everywhere now.  http://www.runpigrun.com/category/gallery/

Also, while the cocktails were fantastic, the food was rather disappointing.  I joined three friends for dinner on Friday (I got home from work late, so I didn't get to try any of the appetizers which they all said were good but not great), and three of us had issues with our proteins.  My salmon was overcooked, one friend's mahi mahi was undercooked (almost raw), and the other friend's pork chop was flavorful but VERY tough.  It was busy, and I understand there are still kinks being worked out, but I was underwhelmed, especially given all the praise here.  That said, I will and do plan to give it another shot.

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1 hour ago, Jayvee said:

You kidding? It's one of the more unique and well designed places in the entire city. there's almost nothing else like it. It's adds a new standard to uptown, ESPECIALLY uptown

I find that to be a bit hyperbolic...its executed extremely well but I've been in plenty of rooms like it before, Charlotte included (kind of reminded me of some design studios I've been in actually). I wouldn't necessarily change anything at all, but my impression was "this is really nice and understated" not "wow!"

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  • 3 weeks later...

I tried Moo & Brew on Central Friday and really enjoyed it. Very reasonable prices, cheaper than Bad Daddy's, though the burgers are a little bit smaller I guess. You can get lots of different toppings on the fries for an upcharge and they are fantastic. Really good beer list and well-designed space (I never went to Joe Hooper's so I'm not sure how different it is). 

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15 hours ago, nonillogical said:

I tried Moo & Brew on Central Friday and really enjoyed it. Very reasonable prices, cheaper than Bad Daddy's, though the burgers are a little bit smaller I guess. You can get lots of different toppings on the fries for an upcharge and they are fantastic. Really good beer list and well-designed space (I never went to Joe Hooper's so I'm not sure how different it is). 

The interior didn't really change much. I think they added some windows behind the bar, but they didn't really change the layout of the space.

 

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Went to Rai Lay Thai Cuisine today on South Blvd, and holy $#%t, it was DELICIOUS. I had the Thai basil chicken...outstanding. I am a lover of spicy food, but their default of 3/5 stars is perfect. Not too hot, but not too mild. Just enough to get you nose running when you leave, but damn it was delicious! But the guests beside us order Kao Soy and it looked equally delicious (I'll get that next time). Happy to have  new Thai joint in SouthEnd. I love Thai Taste, but I can only do Pad Thai chicken every so often (their menu is pretty limited at lunch). Rai Lay is Awesome!

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  • 1 month later...

OK, so this isn't Stoke or Essex, etc, but I just ate at Taziki's today for the FIFTH time since they have opened, which hasn't been that long (maybe a month?). I've had the lamb and chicken gyros (the marinated and grilled chicken is insanely delicious and reigns supreme IMHO), the lemon chicken soup (also delicious!), and their Greek salad. Everything I have had there has been awesome. Tonight I picked up a family meal for takeout - $32 for Greek salad, pitas, meat of choice, Tzaztiki sauce, and a side. This was supposed to be for 4 people, but I swear I could've fed 8 easily. The amount of chicken and sides you get is insane. I mean really, I think we could be eating their grilled marinated chicken for the next few days. I'm already planning on using the chicken in other recipes just because there is so much of it left over. And did I mention that it is frickin' delicious? Hot or cold, in a pita or by itself. I love this place and it will likely continue to be a weekly stop for me.

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11 hours ago, ScottCLT said:

OK, so this isn't Stoke or Essex, etc, but I just ate at Taziki's today for the FIFTH time since they have opened, which hasn't been that long (maybe a month?). I've had the lamb and chicken gyros (the marinated and grilled chicken is insanely delicious and reigns supreme IMHO), the lemon chicken soup (also delicious!), and their Greek salad. Everything I have had there has been awesome. Tonight I picked up a family meal for takeout - $32 for Greek salad, pitas, meat of choice, Tzaztiki sauce, and a side. This was supposed to be for 4 people, but I swear I could've fed 8 easily. The amount of chicken and sides you get is insane. I mean really, I think we could be eating their grilled marinated chicken for the next few days. I'm already planning on using the chicken in other recipes just because there is so much of it left over. And did I mention that it is frickin' delicious? Hot or cold, in a pita or by itself. I love this place and it will likely continue to be a weekly stop for me.

I'm glad one of us liked their food. I personally don't. It is such a misrepresentation of Greek food. The avgolemono tasted so salty I couldn't even eat it. The scordalia tasted nothing like scordalia. And the chicken was so dry. If you want real Greek food go to Mad Greek on South Blvd or Little Village Grill. Owned and operated by Greeks and the food is way more authentic. Since I'm Greek I guess maybe my standard is higher. But seriously, try the places I recommended :)

Edited by Temeteron
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Have you tried the the greek cart at trade and Tryon? I dont know if it's authentic but it sure hit the spot. 

Nice addition to downtown to have him there at night. He told me it took 3 years and tons of inspections to get permission to open. 

Is the health department anti food cart? 

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47 minutes ago, elrodvt said:

Have you tried the the greek cart at trade and Tryon? I dont know if it's authentic but it sure hit the spot. 

Nice addition to downtown to have him there at night. He told me it took 3 years and tons of inspections to get permission to open. 

Is the health department anti food cart? 

I think the Charlotte permitting department is woefully understaffed and backlogged.

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Forgot to mention that I finally tried Rai Lay last week. It is fantastic. I love that its a very different sort of Thai menu, with more street food options for appetizers and lesser known main dishes, and so is not stepping on the toes of our other Thai restaurants. I tried several dishes that immediately triggered my nostalgia for my Thailand trip, and a pork dish that tasted exactly like something I had in Malaysia. The atmosphere is kind of nondescript; it's nice, but it could honestly be any new Southend bar/restaurant. Don't be turned off by that, as this is the real deal. 

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On 8/20/2016 at 8:12 AM, Temeteron said:

The avgolemono tasted so salty I couldn't even eat it. The scordalia tasted nothing like scordalia. And the chicken was so dry.

Hmmm...I enjoyed both the avgolemono and the chicken. I can make better avgolemono at home (just did the other night in fact, had leftovers for lunch today), but I didn't find that soup at Taziki's to be overly salty at all - and I'm not a salt fiend, typically go low sodium on soups. And the chicken I've had there has always been very moist and juicy basically to the point that you can squeeze it and the juice runs out. It might not be the most authentic place, but I have enjoyed every meal. I must admit my lamb was a bit dry the first time I went, but still not horrible. Growing pains maybe? I've been to Little Village Grill and the Mad Greek, both of which are very good also, but just on par with Taziki's from what I've had (minus that first experience). But then again I'm not Greek, so I may be missing the more subtle details. Just saying it might be worth giving it a second try.

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I'm currently having a pretty delicious sausage and egg on rye toast from Phil's Deli Express in Latta Arcade.  I had a reuben for lunch Wednesday (it was good, not change-my-life, but good) and they were crushed...and it was only 11:15.  I asked Phil this morning if they've had a good week, he sighed and said "oh my, yeah, too good.....I wasn't prepared....and I wish I had twice the space".  He asked where I worked and said he had 3 deliveries there yesterday.

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1 hour ago, grodney said:

I'm currently having a pretty delicious sausage and egg on rye toast from Phil's Deli Express in Latta Arcade.  I had a reuben for lunch Wednesday (it was good, not change-my-life, but good) and they were crushed...and it was only 11:15.  I asked Phil this morning if they've had a good week, he sighed and said "oh my, yeah, too good.....I wasn't prepared....and I wish I had twice the space".  He asked where I worked and said he had 3 deliveries there yesterday.

That good ole Agenda bump ;)

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