Good New Restaurants

[wilmore]

5 hours ago, Jayvee said:

Superica: food is good not great. Pacos Tacos is better. Vibe is excellent. Decor is excellent. Service is excellent. 

Superica location is 1000x better (and I'd rate the food as equal but haven't been to Pacos in a while, it was def my previous favorite) 

[grodney]

I hate that a chain (Superica) is getting such good press (here and elsewhere),  especially when there are pure local joints that are competing.  But damn does it sound good.

[KJHburg]

^^^ Almost every chef owns a couple of restaurants but I would not call Superica a chain.  There are 2 in Atlanta, 1 in Charlotte and 1 opening in Houston Mr Fry's hometown.  That is not a chain my book. 

a chain would be something like Shake Shack that the local media was ga ga over. 

Edited May 30, 2018 by KJHburg

[grodney]

14 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

^^^ Almost every chef owns a couple of restaurants but I would not call Superica a chain.  There are 2 in Atlanta, 1 in Charlotte and 1 opening in Houston Mr Fry's hometown.  That is not a chain my book. 

 

Oh, huh, I didn't know that it was a chef owner thingy.  Definitely less chainy even though one could argue some of my money is still going out of town.  But now I can go there with a semi-clear conscience, hahahaha!

 

[Vitamin_N]

On 4/26/2018 at 12:18 PM, CTiger said:

^^ Goodness Gracious, they're just burgers people . . . The hype surrounding this place is unreal.  

I finally made it to Shake Shack over the weekend. This was around 9:30 pm, the line was maybe 10-15 people deep and took about 10 minutes or so to get through.

My review: I don't get it.

The food wasn't bad, it was perfectly fine as fast food goes. We had cheeseburgers, fries, and a shake, no complaints about any of them. What I don't understand is why was there so much hype around this place when it opened? The food wasn't noticeably superior to, say, Smashburger across the street. And it's certainly no Bang Bang.

(Also: why can't they move people through the line more quickly?)

 

[InSouthPark]

39 minutes ago, Vitamin_N said:

I finally made it to Shake Shack over the weekend. This was around 9:30 pm, the line was maybe 10-15 people deep and took about 10 minutes or so to get through.

My review: I don't get it.

The food wasn't bad, it was perfectly fine as fast food goes. We had cheeseburgers, fries, and a shake, no complaints about any of them. What I don't understand is why was there so much hype around this place when it opened? The food wasn't noticeably superior to, say, Smashburger across the street. And it's certainly no Bang Bang.

(Also: why can't they move people through the line more quickly?)

 

IMHO, Bang Bang is THE most over-rated place in Charlotte.    Never been more under-whelmed at a place with so much hype.  So much so that I wouldn't go back, especially at their prices.

Edited June 6, 2018 by InSouthPark

[KJHburg]

Take LYNX to the new Sabor at the bottom of the parking garage at the JW Clay station.  Great news for University city residents and students. 

 

[ScottCLT]

I checked out Superica on opening day and completely agree with the reviews here - it’s awesome! I really went in expecting an expensive (for lunch) meal and small portions with no free chips and salsa. I couldn’t have gotten it more wrong. Free chips, 2 delicious salsas, unlimited beans and rice, and a couple really damned good enchiladas. It was all delicious, and at $11.99, maybe a little more expensive than my every day lunch, but still a good deal.

Speaking of openings in South End, I’ve been to The Rosemont  (in the old Wu’s/Nan & Byron’s/Vinnies location) twice now, and I was impressed both times. I tried their French Dip on my first visit (if you know me, then you know I can’t turn down a French Dip sandwich) and the Philly Cheesesteak on my second visit. I know you can get both of these sandwiches at plenty of other places, but the execution here is just very solid. Both have a 1/2 pound of meat (medium rare shaved prime rib for the dip) and are served on a nice, chewy sub roll. I’d go so far as to say that they could be contenders for for best French Dip and best Philly in Charlotte. They offer several french fry options (regular, waffle, seasoned crinkle cut, or sweet potato) for sides. At $15 each, they aren’t cheap sandwiches, but I think they were worth it. There’s nothing fancy or adventurous (or healthy) about this place, but the food was just plain damned good. I think this concept will stick, and do well here. I know I’ll certainly be back. Bottle Cap Group got it right here.

[Guest]

I checked out Superica on opening day and completely agree with the reviews here - it’s awesome! I really went in expecting an expensive (for lunch) meal and small portions with no free chips and salsa. I couldn’t have gotten it more wrong. Free chips, 2 delicious salsas, unlimited beans and rice, and a couple really damned good enchiladas. It was all delicious, and at $11.99, maybe a little more expensive than my every day lunch, but still a good deal.

Speaking of openings in South End, I’ve been to The Rosemont  (in the old Wu’s/Nan & Byron’s/Vinnies location) twice now, and I was impressed both times. I tried their French Dip on my first visit (if you know me, then you know I can’t turn down a French Dip sandwich) and the Philly Cheesesteak on my second visit. I know you can get both of these sandwiches at plenty of other places, but the execution here is just very solid. Both have a 1/2 pound of meat (medium rare shaved prime rib for the dip) and are served on a nice, chewy sub roll. I’d go so far as to say that they could be contenders for for best French Dip and best Philly in Charlotte. They offer several french fry options (regular, waffle, seasoned crinkle cut, or sweet potato) for sides. At $15 each, they aren’t cheap sandwiches, but I think they were worth it. There’s nothing fancy or adventurous (or healthy) about this place, but the food was just plain damned good. I think this concept will stick, and do well here. I know I’ll certainly be back. Bottle Cap Group got it right here.

Yessssss, was so excited to see you post in new restaurants! I’ve been ambivalent about rosemont, but you being someone I’ve chowed down on steaks with in nyc, I know I could trust your opinion!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CLTProductions]

He seems to be in a minority on Rosemont

[ScottCLT]

I had to look at the reviews, and 13 of the 24 reviews were 4 or 5 stars. Most of the negative ones were for service alone, not food quality. I didn’t experience any service issues myself, but I was there both times for a late lunch, so it wasn’t crazy busy at the time. Hopefully the service gets better with time, but food-wise, it’s a winner. Just don’t go in expecting a really adventurous/exciting/creative menu, because you won’t find it - it’s staple bar food, executed very well.

[CTiger]

3 hours ago, ScottCLT said:

I had to look at the reviews, and 13 of the 24 reviews were 4 or 5 stars. Most of the negative ones were for service alone, not food quality. I didn’t experience any service issues myself, but I was there both times for a late lunch, so it wasn’t crazy busy at the time. Hopefully the service gets better with time, but food-wise, it’s a winner. Just don’t go in expecting a really adventurous/exciting/creative menu, because you won’t find it - it’s staple bar food, executed very well.

Unfortunately, poor service has been my main criticism of all of the Bottle Cap restaurants.  I have had awful service at Hot Taco, All-American, and Brazwells.  I remember waiting 20 minutes for a beer at Hot Taco when it first opened and thinking it would get better with time.  It hasn't.  If you look at the reviews for any Bottle Cap restaurant, no matter how long they have been around, the drawback is going to be the service.  It doesn't seem to be a priority for management.

[dylansukkert]

4 hours ago, CTiger said:

Unfortunately, poor service has been my main criticism of all of the Bottle Cap restaurants.  I have had awful service at Hot Taco, All-American, and Brazwells.  I remember waiting 20 minutes for a beer at Hot Taco when it first opened and thinking it would get better with time.  It hasn't.  If you look at the reviews for any Bottle Cap restaurant, no matter how long they have been around, the drawback is going to be the service.  It doesn't seem to be a priority for management.

I have always treated the Bottle Cap restaurants as drinking only places and I think this is where they make the bulk of their profit. 

[KJHburg]

 new Asian concept coming to Design Center of the Carolinas.  Asana is really pulling in a variety of dining options then including Superica, Barcelona, Jenni's and now this place. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/06/27/ceo-asian-street-food-concept-in-south-end-to-be.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2018-06-27&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1530128006&j=82396031

[Vitamin_N]

24 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

 new Asian concept coming to Design Center of the Carolinas.  Asana is really pulling in a variety of dining options then including Superica, Barcelona, Jenni's and now this place. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/06/27/ceo-asian-street-food-concept-in-south-end-to-be.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2018-06-27&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1530128006&j=82396031

Menu looks pretty good. I guess it's kind of like Sabor, except Asian?

https://eathawkers.com/menu/

[wilmore]

20 minutes ago, Vitamin_N said:

Menu looks pretty good. I guess it's kind of like Sabor, except Asian?

 https://eathawkers.com/menu/

Looks like way more of a sit-down restaurant than Sabor. I'm skeptical of the "all Asian styles in one" but reviews in other cities seem strong, should be an exciting addition. 

[KJHburg]

PF Changs and Pei Wei are basically Asian fusion this is somewhat like that with some unique offerings.  That menu looks very interesting.  

[CLT704]

I remember begging the owner of Hawkers, back in 2013, to open one in Charlotte after I had just ate there. Seriously it is so good! This might be one of my most anticipated openings ever!

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

14 hours ago, KJHburg said:

PF Changs and Pei Wei are basically Asian fusion this is somewhat like that with some unique offerings.  That menu looks very interesting.  

PF Changs and Pei Wei are very Americanized though.  Hawkers is def more authentic.  Have friends in Orlando and they absolutely love this place.  Menu looks kind of similar to Deejai in Noda. 

[KJHburg]

^^ agree about Pei Wei and PF Changs just examples of Asian fusion from many areas of Asia which seems like what Hawkers will be but Hawkers sounds more authentic.   I think this place will do good in that location.   Asana is really making DCOC a destination place for dining.  

 

[kermit]

It hardly needs to be said at his point but count me as another Superica enthusiast.

[KJHburg]

Papi Queso is among 3 more food tenants in Thompkins Hall.  The place is really coming together.  https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/06/28/60m-optimist-park-project-adding-three-more.html

[sclark]

and it looks like another Superica is coming https://www.mpvre.com/2018/06/28/strawberry-hill-renovations-continue/

[go_vertical]

Just a quick question for everyone on here. Can anyone recommend a really good meat and three place? Something down home and old school southern. I'm an OK cook, but can't quite replicate those grandma recipes. Thanks in advance.

[deleted]

3 minutes ago, go_vertical said:

Just a quick question for everyone on here. Can anyone recommend a really good meat and three place? Something down home and old school southern. I'm an OK cook, but can't quite replicate those grandma recipes. Thanks in advance.

Not sure if this fits what you are looking for but King's Kitchen works for me.