Good New Restaurants

[voyager12]

Nikko, especially on the weekend is only fun if you are in the right mood for it. Don't go there for a nice quiet meal. Mez can be a good time but it does feel a little smushed together and when movies break it kind of feels like a train station with so many groups going in various directons. It can be a little pretentious but that's their image. The bathroom attendants freak me out. I don't like getting my hand sprayed with lotion without giving any indication of wanting it. I can figure it out by myself. And I can get my own hand tissue. Just back off. It's so annoying. I don't see how people enjoy that service.

Edited March 19, 2009 by voyager12

[cltcardfan]

Mez has to enforce a tighter dress code to maintain decorum for the theater and the later lounge hours. Off-peak Nikko and peak Nikko are like apples and firetrucks. Peak Nikko is the third circle of hell...and the sushi at any hour is awful. Anyone who has actually had really really good sushi can attest to this. And even if it was good, it wouldn't excuse the horrible service and attitude.

Bathroom attendants are more about keeping cleanliness and order in the restrooms of a really busy place than squirting soap for you. I've been to similar places that didn't have an attendant, and it was chaos in the bathroom....multiple people in a stall doing drugs or who knows what, drunk people hanging around for no reason, backing up the line. One time a fight broke out behind me while I was at a urinal and someone crashed into me, taking out my legs. It wasn't pretty. These things basically never happen if you have an employee keeping an eye on things.

[voyager12]

^ I get that. It would have been nice to asked first though. They just ran up and squirted it onto my hand without any prior warning and tried to make me take something from the candy bowl. It's all about getting tips but sorry I don't tip for something I did not want in the first place.

Edited March 19, 2009 by voyager12

[fulcrumsf]

Hello all! I'm going to be bringing my girlfriend with me to Charlotte next Friday night. To my knowledge, she's never really experienced the city (just continued on 77 to SouthPark ). I plan on showing her around Uptown on foot and getting some dinner later on. Are there any recommendations for a specific place? I've looked through this thread and found some potential places, but I thought the locals might have a better idea of where to go. Preferably, the ideal restaurant would be in an urban setting (Uptown address isn't a necessity), great food (of course), indie, and doesn't have a large bar scene. Thanks guys!

Go to the Ratcliffe on the Green. It's basically follows the Alice Waters "Slow Movement" philosophy, excellent date atmosphere, not a bar scene. Their specialty is French influenced Carolina Farm to Fork, they support our local farms for a lot of their ingredients including meat.

http://www.ratcliffeonthegreen.com/

[nonillogical]

Mez has to enforce a tighter dress code to maintain decorum for the theater and the later lounge hours. Off-peak Nikko and peak Nikko are like apples and firetrucks. Peak Nikko is the third circle of hell...and the sushi at any hour is awful. Anyone who has actually had really really good sushi can attest to this. And even if it was good, it wouldn't excuse the horrible service and attitude.

*shrug* i've had a wide range of higher-end sushi, just not in Charlotte. i'm not putting Nikko up in that category but the specialty rolls i got were really good, the standards were, well pretty standard. and i don't think Mez needs to do anything to such a degree. i still go there and enjoy it a lot, i just think it mirrors the peak Nikko complaints.

[UrbanFuture]

Go to the Ratcliffe on the Green. It's basically follows the Alice Waters "Slow Movement" philosophy, excellent date atmosphere, not a bar scene. Their specialty is French influenced Carolina Farm to Fork, they support our local farms for a lot of their ingredients including meat.

http://www.ratcliffeonthegreen.com/

Great suggestion... I forgot (gasp) about Ratcliffe. Its also in one of the few historic buildings left in central Charlotte.

[Charlotte_native]

Nikko is god-awful...I stopped going there after I decided Charlotte isn't ready for horribly snotty hostesses, way too loud music blasting out of poorly placed speakers, and $15 drinks during the endless wait for a table. It used to be the best date place in Charlotte in the old space, now it's overdone and trying way too hard to be South Beach. And if I hear Joanna scream into her wireless mic one more time I'll literally jump through the plate glass window into South blvd traffic.

I can't agree more. Some people obviously love they new Nikko, I hate it. Joanna is bizarre and annoying -- the Mao like portrait near the bathrooms is the best example of her ego. We refer to her as the Kabuki Clown. It ruins the meal for me, and that's a shame because I like their food.

[queensguy06]

Stopped by Basil Thai yesterday and chatted with the new manager. I was just peeking in the door to see what it looked like and he came right over and started talking to me - really friendly guy. They officially open for dinner this Monday, the 23rd. You know I will be there!

[voyager12]

Great news This was one of my favorite haunts in Charleston and I have high hopes the quality will be just as good here.

[Mobuchu]

Basil threw the Ave residents a free pre opening party on Thursday. This was the first time I've had Thai food, so I have nothing to compare it too, but the food was awsome! I expect to be eating there at least every other week...

The space itself turned out great too, I loved that they kept with the Ave theme and left the exposed concrete pillars The floor is sunk lower then 5th street so the giant windows give it a nice urban feel when you look up to see pedestrians walk by on the sidewalk. The kitchen is completely exposed to the dinning room behind glass so you can watch your food get made, they even added seating along the glass, all a nice touch. Only thing I didn't like was the high back booth seating along church street that covers the windows, probably could have come up with a better seating configuration for the bar area.

[New Name]

Is Basil open normal hours now? Also, how big is it - would I need a reservation for 4 on a weekend night?

[voyager12]

Walked by today and they are only serving dinner for now. Lunch is supposedly coming soon. I would definitely call ahead on a weekend to see if they take rez. I am planning on going tomorrow.

[New Name]

Walked by today and they are only serving dinner for now. Lunch is supposedly coming soon. I would definitely call ahead on a weekend to see if they take rez. I am planning on going tomorrow.

I think I'm going to go on Sat nite. Be sure to give a report if you can...

[voyager12]

I went to Basil last night. At 8:30 we only had about a 15 minute wait. They were busy but not slammed. It's first come first serve. I really like the design. They don't have a large space but you don't feel too closed in or cramped. The modern style is cool but not overdone, similar to Charleston.

Similar setup to the original and you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. The soups are all great and made to share between couples. The satay is very tasty and the basil rolls. I had the masaman curry with chicken, which is what I always used to get in Charleston, so I fell right back into my rut. It's all great.

The service was good and all I spent was $25 which is a good deal for an Uptown restaurant. Go now and often

[New Name]

I went to Basil last night. At 8:30 we only had about a 15 minute wait. They were busy but not slammed. It's first come first serve. I really like the design. They don't have a large space but you don't feel too closed in or cramped. The modern style is cool but not overdone, similar to Charleston.

Similar setup to the original and you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. The soups are all great and made to share between couples. The satay is very tasty and the basil rolls. I had the masaman curry with chicken, which is what I always used to get in Charleston, so I fell right back into my rut. It's all great.

The service was good and all I spent was $25 which is a good deal for an Uptown restaurant. Go now and often

Excellent! Thanks so much, I'm going tonight.

[ScottCLT]

I ate at Lebowski's Bar and Grill today - it's in the old location of Restaurant i, beside Rock 'n Lobster. First off, I have to say that the name is great...

"Where are you guys going tonight?"

"Oh, we're going to Lebowski's to grab some dinner and a few beers"

Right? Has a nice ring to it.

But, I must say that it was a disappointment, even though I didn't have any real expectations going in. The menu is OK, but nothing better than OK. Burgers, a few sandwiches, salads, and some appetizers. The ONLY thing that stood out about the menu was the top shelf White Russian drink list (throwback to the movie The Big Lebowski, of course). There are some fantastic-sounding drinks on there, but it was lunch on a work day after all, so I didn't partake. I got a burger. It was good, but there aren't many burgers that I have ever eaten that were bad. It wasn't huge and there was just nothing special about it. Our choices for sides were chips, fries, or garlic fries. The latter sounded interesting, so that is what I opted for. But there's nothing special about that either - it's just a pile of normal fries with a scoop of minced garlic on top. I ended up scraping most of it off...it was just a little too much for me.

There are better places on the same street to get a burger and fries. The atmosphere is nothing special - very generic. If it were a true "bar," then my opinion might change - if there were a bunch of TVs to watch a game, cheap beer, etc. then I could see myself maybe going back. But it's not a bar - it's a restaurant with a small bar with 5 stools at it. It's the kind of bar you see at a restaurant that does NOT claim "bar and grill" in the title.

If this spot were out in a suburb, it would probably do OK. But I cannot imagine it lasting more than a few months on East Blvd - recession or no recession. I just can't imagine that after the first time going there that someone would say "Hmmm...I'd like a burger, and I'm near East Boulevard - Let's go to Lebowski's!". Why not Big Daddy's, East Blvd. Grill or Picasso's. There are better options, with better atmospheres, and better food.

Severely disappointing.

Edited April 4, 2009 by ScottCLT

[New Name]

^Bowling theme? German Krautrock theme? Nihilist theme? Anything?

[InitialD]

Got a tour of the new Crepe Cellar today. Very nice inside but not as big as I expected. They hope to sell crepes on the street in the future at some point (which means reworking one of the windows). I'll post some photos soon.

[Charlotte_native]

I ate at Lebowski's Bar and Grill today - it's in the old location of Restaurant i, beside Rock 'n Lobster. First off, I have to say that the name is great...

"Where are you guys going tonight?"

"Oh, we're going to Lebowski's to grab some dinner and a few beers"

Right? Has a nice ring to it.

Sure, cute name...but places that are opened with a fad theme and nod to someone's inside joke name or fun beer drinkin' movie theme tend to die quickly. If you open a place so you and your buddies can high five that you really did it and referred to your favorite movie, get ready to close unless you have a GREAT idea, not a mediocre idea. I've heard from others the review you gave -- nothing that stands out at all.

Maybe they are just hoping for spill over for when Rock n' Lobster is packed (if it iever is?).

On a different note -- Daddy's Burgers down the street seems packed to the gills all the time.

[Mobuchu]

Thanks for the review ScottCLT. That sucks though, I'm really intrigued by the drink menu since I LOVE me some White russians!! But if the rest is just mediocre at best then I'll save my $ and just make one at home next time I get a craving.

[nonillogical]

Sure, cute name...but places that are opened with a fad theme and nod to someone's inside joke name or fun beer drinkin' movie theme tend to die quickly. If you open a place so you and your buddies can high five that you really did it and referred to your favorite movie, get ready to close unless you have a GREAT idea, not a mediocre idea. I've heard from others the review you gave -- nothing that stands out at all.

Maybe they are just hoping for spill over for when Rock n' Lobster is packed (if it iever is?).

On a different note -- Daddy's Burgers down the street seems packed to the gills all the time.

which reminds me, how IS rock n' lobster? i'd hate to be missing a decent (medium-priced?) seafood place just because it has the dumbest name and logo on earth.

also, i went to Basil Thai the other night. the food was perfect, more traditional than i expected, as when you walk in it looks like an upscale fusion place. you'll pay a little more for the same dish than other thai places nearby, but its very reasonable since you're also getting a fairly classy dinner experience, and their ingredients seem a little higher in quality.

Edited April 6, 2009 by nonillogical

[voyager12]

Has anyone been to Crave yet? It's the new late night dessert bar attached to Cans. I don't like the bar, too much of a keg party scene. That should be left behind after you graduate college. Sounds like Crave is more lowkey and mellow though. I have a huge sweet tooth so I may have to venture out.

[Charlotte_native]

which reminds me, how IS rock n' lobster? i'd hate to be missing a decent (medium-priced?) seafood place just because it has the dumbest name and logo on earth.

It's strange. We went there with friends to see a band a month or two ago. The food was decent with a definite bend towards stuff with lobster in it, but nothing exceptional or that I'd go back for. I'd go see a band there or enjoy the rooftop deck for a drink, but otherwise the lobster themed deal is just sort of odd.

[UrbanFuture]

Has anyone been to Crave yet? It's the new late night dessert bar attached to Cans. I don't like the bar, too much of a keg party scene. That should be left behind after you graduate college. Sounds like Crave is more lowkey and mellow though. I have a huge sweet tooth so I may have to venture out.

My girlfriend went with some friends this past weekend and really enjoyed it. Said its the same concept as Kaminsky's (Charleston) but laid back and definite Charlotte version of a lounge. Got high marks from her for atmosphere, "yummy looking desserts" and general non-CANS'ness. I plan to check it out soon.

[voyager12]

Thanks for the report. I moved here from Charleston and was a huge fan of Kaminksy's