Good New Restaurants

[voyager12]

Southend Brewery was mediocre too in my opinion and never seemed all that busy. Maybe it's the location...they are set far back from the road.

[atlrvr]

The space is too big....it will be hard for anyone to make it there, just as the old Patou space is too big...speaking of which, has anyone ate at its replacement?

[ScottCLT]

The space is too big....it will be hard for anyone to make it there, just as the old Patou space is too big...speaking of which, has anyone ate at its replacement?

Yes -- I've eaten at 131 Main a couple times. It's actually a small chain -- other locations are in Lake Norman and Blakeney. I'd say the concept is similar to Red Star...it's like fancy casual dining. It seems like sandwiches and salads dominate the menu, but there are also 8 or 10 entrees. I've had a great meal there both times -- food is flavorful, fresh, and well-presented, and the atmosphere is great.

Both times (once in April and once a couple weeks ago), it has been packed when I ate there, including the outdoor terrace. I think this might be the type of spot that actually could use a space like this.

[SmellyCat]

Yes -- I've eaten at 131 Main a couple times. It's actually a small chain -- other locations are in Lake Norman and Blakeney. I'd say the concept is similar to Red Star...it's like fancy casual dining. It seems like sandwiches and salads dominate the menu, but there are also 8 or 10 entrees. I've had a great meal there both times -- food is flavorful, fresh, and well-presented, and the atmosphere is great.

Both times (once in April and once a couple weeks ago), it has been packed when I ate there, including the outdoor terrace. I think this might be the type of spot that actually could use a space like this.

I can also vouch that my several eating experiences at 131 Main have all been excellent - I've been there for both lunch and dinner. I've also eaten there before when it was both Red Star Tavern and Patou, and for some reason the atmosphere is much better now. Perhaps is something as subtle as the addition of dimly lit lamps at the bar which create a nice mood.

[Raintree21]

My friend's dad (around 65 years old) also ate there and loved it. Of course, I think he was also mentioning some beautiful waitress serving him so who knows if he was motivated by the food or the server.

[swampfox43]

Does anyone know why Moondogs closed in NoDa? Got a little surprise when I went there for lunch today....

[Raintree21]

Does anyone know why Moondogs closed in NoDa? Got a little surprise when I went there for lunch today....

They talked about it on page 33 of the Noda Thread.

[Charlotte_native]

Does anyone know why Moondogs closed in NoDa? Got a little surprise when I went there for lunch today....

It was originally a Mellow Mushroom pizza place (small chain). The owner here didn't mesh with the frachise owners and from what I was told by local employees was not pleasant to work with at all. He also didn't manage the business well -- he is a constrution GC by trade. He owned a handful of Mellow Mushrooms in town, they all closed one by one, this last one in NoDa he kept open, really didn't change the place or menu from a Mellow Mushroom but renamed it Moondog, and now I've been told he is bancrupt.

Edited July 8, 2008 by Charlotte_native

[charlotteguy14]

decided to check out Andrew Blair's on Montford last night with my roommate and it was fantastic! It's in the building next to angry ale's that used to be tsing tao, then some other chinese place after that. apparantly the owner of ale's is the owner here as well. the dining room is great, they totally redid everyhing. if you had been there when it was the chinese place, the dining room is located to the left and there's a private dance club to the right which is open on the weekends and available only to diners at the restaurant. they also have a separate roomoff of the main dining area to accommodate a large group (the hostess told me up to 14).

the food was great, and the service was excellent. i had a "steak and crabcake napolean" which was a 3 oz crab cake sandwiched between 2 4 oz sirloin filets, served with 3 kinds of mashed potatoes and asparagus. the chef and sous chef are both recent grads of johnson and wale's and it shows with the quality of the food. the waiter told us that tuesdays are 1/2 price bottles of wine, so that's a nice perk too. i'll definitely be going back, and encourage you to check it out as well.

[Guest]

decided to check out Andrew Blair's on Montford last night with my roommate and it was fantastic! It's in the building next to angry ale's that used to be tsing tao, then some other chinese place after that. apparantly the owner of ale's is the owner here as well. the dining room is great, they totally redid everyhing. if you had been there when it was the chinese place, the dining room is located to the left and there's a private dance club to the right which is open on the weekends and available only to diners at the restaurant. they also have a separate roomoff of the main dining area to accommodate a large group (the hostess told me up to 14).

the food was great, and the service was excellent. i had a "steak and crabcake napolean" which was a 3 oz crab cake sandwiched between 2 4 oz sirloin filets, served with 3 kinds of mashed potatoes and asparagus. the chef and sous chef are both recent grads of johnson and wale's and it shows with the quality of the food. the waiter told us that tuesdays are 1/2 price bottles of wine, so that's a nice perk too. i'll definitely be going back, and encourage you to check it out as well.

The Owner of Angry Ales is Andrew, and his second youngest brothers name is Blair, so I guess we know where the name comes from. I love Angry Ales, and having Andrew Blairs only adds to park road's mini bar district that i love so much.

[ScottCLT]

I ate at 1300 Southend Tavern today. It was completely dead, but the food and service were quite good. I never made it to the Original Pancake House here, so I can't give a comparison of the interior. But now, this is definitely a bar. Nothing fancy...just a nice little hole in the wall joint. There are plenty of plasma TVs. Only 4 beers on draft, though.

I went a little crazy on a bleu cheese kick today. I got a bleu cheese wedge ($4) and the black and bleu burger ($8). The wedge is something that's hard to mess up, but the bleu cheese itself was great and the portion was huge. Then, the burger...it was stuffed in the middle of the patty with bleu cheese crumbles. The meat was obviously not frozen and you could tell that it was a hand-made patty. The size of the burger, like the salad, was huge. The fries are noticeably freshly cut with good seasoning.

The rest of their menu was most bar fare -- wings, pizza, crab cake sandwich (which my girlfriend had and said was awesome), etc. After 5:00, the entrees on the menu are offered, which get a little fancier.

Hopefully, business will pick up at this place. I don't see it as a destination spot in the least, but I have a feeling that once people in the neighborhood find out about it, it will become a great spot for locals for some casual beers and good food.

[ScottCLT]

Two posts in a row...but I have another one to tell you about...

I went to BlackFinn on Wednesday night. It was one of the best surprises I've had in a restaurant in a while. The place was packed, with a 30-minute wait for a table. We had a beer at the upstairs bar first. The whole place has a warm feel -- like a modern take on an Irish pub. Plasma TVs and projectors everywhere. Most all of them were recessed behind wood and seemed like just part of the bar rather than a TV hanging on the wall. Plenty of beer on tap, and quick bar service even though it was their official 3rd night of being open as a restaurant (last weekend was bar only).

We were seated after half an hour and I got a buffalo chicken sandwich. When they say hot here, they mean hot. It was awesome, though. The standout part of the evening was the service. Our waiter was just really on top of things -- a drink never got less that 1/4 full, and he was just extremely attentive. Even the people beside us, who were from out of town, were going on and on about how they had the best service they'd ever had. The manager even stopped by the tables and chatted for a bit. We gave him some feedback (all positive) and he gave us a $25 gift cerficate for our opinion.

I really like the feel of this place, the service, and the food (even though I didn't exactly have anything fancy). I think BlackFinn will do quite well without a doubt.

[tozmervo]

I ate at 1300 Southend Tavern today. It was completely dead, but the food and service were quite good.

LOL, I didn't even know it was open! Their sign was up for so long I just kind of forgot about it, even though I work just a few blocks from it. I'll have to check it out after work one day. (It has to stack up against Gin Mill or its going to be a lonely place.)

[ScottCLT]

It has to stack up against Gin Mill or its going to be a lonely place.

What it's got on the Gin Mill is food. Don't get me wrong...I'm on a first-name, no-credit-card-required-for-a-tab basis with all the folks at the Gin Mill (and have been for 6 years). But at the Gin Mill, you have to take out from Tavern on the Tracks or another spot.

I really hope 1300 does well -- great food and a friendly staff goes a long way...even if it's just for locals. But a few friends of mine went there at 7:00 tonight and opted out because they were the only people in there. I wish the best for the restaurant. I will be living in that neighborhood in only a few months, so I am looking forward to having it there.

[swampfox43]

I ate at 1300 Southend Tavern today. It was completely dead, but the food and service were quite good. The size of the burger, like the salad, was huge. The fries are noticeably freshly cut with good seasoning.

I ate lunch there last Sat and liked it a lot. Any place with good fresh cut fries will get me back a second time.

My favorite item were the Onion Rings though. Yumyumyum, I can't explain it......just order them, you won't be sorry~!

[tozmervo]

Just to add to the chorus, I made it over to 1300 with a coworker for lunch today and was quite impressed - that was a darn tasty catfish sandwich. Their tap selections are piddly, but our server said they're about to add a couple of new ones.

[monsoon]

I am pretty sure it is the owners of downtown's Tin Tin that are opening up a new Asian restaurant in Huntersville called Jin Jin.

[New Name]

hey, villa francesca is open now. despite the look of it from this pic, there were actually a lot of people in there eating dinner.

[ppdd]

hey, villa francesca is open now. despite the look of it from this pic, there were actually a lot of people in there eating dinner.

where is this?

[New Name]

where is this?

right across the street from courtside. caldwell and 7th i think.

[swampfox43]

I noticed while going to lunch at Duckworth's today that a new restaurant is scheduled to open in the site of the former Bertucci's at Park Towne Village on Woodlawn (across from Park Rd Shopping Center) in late Sept.

It is called "The Tavern on Park" [http://tavernonpark.com/].

The website doesn't offer much except for an "apply on line" link which does offer some information on the type of restaurant it will be.

An upscale, casual concept, etc.

Edited August 21, 2008 by swampfox43

[ScottCLT]

hey, villa francesca is open now. despite the look of it from this pic, there were actually a lot of people in there eating dinner.

Just got back from Villa Francesca. Pretty slow in there tonight, but we had a great dinner. This is not a high-end fancy Italian restaurant -- it's a neighborhood Italian comfort food joint. I opted for the Rigatoni Bolognese and my girlfriend got the Three Cheese Tortellini Alfredo. Both were excellent, and way too much for one person to eat. I don't think they have their liquor/beer/wine license yet, because I didn't see anyone inside drinking anything except for soft drinks / water (and usually wine is a given at an Italian restaurant). The waitstaff were noticeably unfamiliar with the menu, but they did a pretty good job and offered quick service. I hope the odd location won't hurt them too much - I just can't imagine too many people stumbling across this place. Hopefully the news about the restaurant spreads.

Edited August 23, 2008 by ScottCLT

[SmellyCat]

I went to Villa Francesca for the first time tonight and decided to test the place out by getting the standard cheese pizza slices. The pizza is New York style, and since I'm from that region, well....I tend to be a bit of a pizza snob. I have to say, I was quite impressed with it. The crust was good, the cheese was just right. Very tasty and I will be going back.

I like the decor...very NYC pizzeria-ish. Even had some pictures of NYC buildings hanging on the walls and of course, the obligatory mural painted on the wall. This one was pretty interesting - it was the Charlotte skyline and even included the Nascar office building and the light rail. Wait staff was friendly and attentive. The only issue I had was that is was hot inside, apparently because they underestimated the heat the pizza ovens would throw off. I was told another AC unit would be installed shortly to address the heat.

Overall, two snaps up!

[swh1972]

I'm really glad to hear that the folks that tried this out already have enjoyed it. I walk past this twice a day to and from work, and have made a mental note to go there once it had opened up.

They were passing out flyers the other day and I see that they do dine in, carry out, and delivery...

[ScottCLT]

The spot formerly occupied by Groucho's Deli (God, I miss it!) has got a new tenant. There are signs in the window for a new burger joing called "NIX: Burgers and Brew." It's another shot at a restaurant from Stephan Latorre -- "now hiring" signs on the window say to go to Latorre's to apply. He's 1 for 3 so far on this street, so I don't know what to expect. He failed eventually with both Daddy's and Menage. But Daddy's did have good burgers, so I would imagine the food will be good at this spot. Plus it's a bit closer to Tryon and Daddy's location was just cursed anyway.