Good New Restaurants

[ScottCLT]

I went by Luigi's beside the East Blvd. Harris Teeter today for lunch. The place was dead at 12:30. There were 3 other people at a single table in the whole restaurant. I was about to order two slices of pepperoni for lunch...until I noticed the size of the slices. They are gigantic - if you eat two slices at Fuel, you'll be stuffed with one here. They are cut from a 24" pizza. The pizza was good, but since Libretto's has been in town, it's tough for me to say that any other pizza is great, except for Donato's (and that's just an entirely different type of pizza - another league). I would go so far as to say that it matched, but wasn't better than Fuel. They do have a lot of a lot of other Italian food - sandwiches and pasta dishes - and the other 3 guys there were eating sandwiches and loving them. I'll give it another shot for sure - meatball parm sandwich next time. One thing that surprised me is that there was no delivery available. Without that, I don't see this place lasting much longer than Italian Village did, even though I wish it would just for the sake of having a store in this spot.

[HopHead]

I went by Luigi's beside the East Blvd. Harris Teeter today for lunch. The place was dead at 12:30. There were 3 other people at a single table in the whole restaurant. I was about to order two slices of pepperoni for lunch...until I noticed the size of the slices. They are gigantic - if you eat two slices at Fuel, you'll be stuffed with one here. They are cut from a 24" pizza. The pizza was good, but since Libretto's has been in town, it's tough for me to say that any other pizza is great, except for Donato's (and that's just an entirely different type of pizza - another league). I would go so far as to say that it matched, but wasn't better than Fuel. They do have a lot of a lot of other Italian food - sandwiches and pasta dishes - and the other 3 guys there were eating sandwiches and loving them. I'll give it another shot for sure - meatball parm sandwich next time. One thing that surprised me is that there was no delivery available. Without that, I don't see this place lasting much longer than Italian Village did, even though I wish it would just for the sake of having a store in this spot.

They must have just opened. I had been out of town for the last 9 or 10 days and noticed they were open today. I'm pretty sure they weren't open two weeks ago. Sounds like a good place... Will definitely give it a try this weekend. Do they have any beer specials or TVs to watch games?

[ScottCLT]

They must have just opened. I had been out of town for the last 9 or 10 days and noticed they were open today. I'm pretty sure they weren't open two weeks ago. Sounds like a good place... Will definitely give it a try this weekend. Do they have any beer specials or TVs to watch games?

I am not sure about specials, but they have 24 beers on tap. Only 2 (maybe 3) TVs, but it's not a bar-like atmosphere. No stools at the bar and just the same tables from when it was Italian Village (and maybe even from when it was Mellow Mushroom). If this place had a more cozy, bar-like feel, it would certainly be better. But now it's very quiet and somewhat sterile...no music or live TV audio or anything. Not a good spot to watch a game, unless they change.

[Charlotte_native]

I wish Luigi's well, but just can't understand why anyone would put a pizza place in a spot that has already killed two of the same.

[fulcrumsf]

So I heard a rumor that Lang van was going to be the restaurant that will open in the former Creation spot. Of coarse this is just a rumor but would be a nice addition to that neighborhood.

[Guest]

So I heard a rumor that Lang van was going to be the restaurant that will open in the former Creation spot. Of coarse this is just a rumor but would be a nice addition to that neighborhood.

That would be phenomenal. I would love to not have to go all the way down eastway to get some Vietnamese when I'm actually in town!!! I love Lang Van, one of the true treasures of Charlotte!

[nonillogical]

i heard the same rumor. i love lang van, and loathed creation...this would be awesome news. they'd do very well there.

[tozmervo]

I'll go to Lang Van a lot more often if that happens, it's kind of a haul out there on Eastway right now.

[voyager12]

Luigis Pizza is open in Kenilworth Commons on East. They won the O's best pizza award. Any good? Just want to get reviews ahead of time. Their predecessor, Italian Village was mediocre. And good luck to them, maybe their apparently established local following won't doom the latest pizza place in the space after MM and IV.

[DigitalSky]

Luigis Pizza is open in Kenilworth Commons on East. They won the O's best pizza award. Any good? Just want to get reviews ahead of time. Their predecessor, Italian Village was mediocre. And good luck to them, maybe their apparently established local following won't doom the latest pizza place in the space after MM and IV.

Luigi's is very good for that new york style pizza taste, I'd rank them up there with Portofino's

[kermit]

Has anyone ever been to Brooks Burgers in NoDa at the end of Brevard (at Mallory)? It looks like an old school baitshop when I drive by in the mornings, just curious about what its like when busy.

Forgive the slightly OT post.

[Charlotte_native]

Has anyone ever been to Brooks Burgers in NoDa at the end of Brevard (at Mallory)? It looks like an old school baitshop when I drive by in the mornings, just curious about what its like when busy.

Forgive the slightly OT post.

Yes! Great old time basic burgers. All the fixin's you'd want like chili, slaw, etc

[tozmervo]

Got to check out Real Foods Charlotte over in the former Tea-Rex location. Verdict? That place is gooood. I had the mushroom-stuff pita, which I will totally get again - if its still on the menu. Its a small menu, I think designed as such so they can rotate items and keep the selection top notch (ala Zada Janes). Everything but the breads is raw, and the breads are made there in-house. They have a very strong sense of textures and combination, which comes through because the ingredients are so damned good. It looked like food+drink will set you back around $10-13 - at least for their lunch menu. I need to go back and try a breakfast item soon (they serve the breakfast stuff at lunch, too.)

Happily, I can report that I have a new favorite veggie burger. It's a special and not a regular menu item, and damn that was tasty. It's not just a mash-up of beans that's over-seasoned like many restaurants, this one actually had wonderful texture and simple flavors. I also think that their prices have come down a little bit, it didn't seem as expensive as before.

realfoodclt.com

[New Name]

Has anyone ever been to Brooks Burgers in NoDa at the end of Brevard (at Mallory)? It looks like an old school baitshop when I drive by in the mornings, just curious about what its like when busy.

Forgive the slightly OT post.

I live in NoDa and I've never been there. Actually, most of my neighbors have never been there either. It's because it's only open when we all at work. Opens late, closes early. I always forget that it's part of my hood.

[kermit]

The Cluck n Cup (across from Southborough between Magnolia and McDonald -- directly behind eq3) is an interesting new neighborhood joint. A coffee shop which has breakfast (sandwiches, bagels, frittatas) and lunch (sandwiches, salads and chicken pot pies which my wife says are great). The lunch menu appears to be very oriented to changing daily specials. They close at 4.

Cozy spot, pleasant staff and an interesting place. Its nice to get the local business vibe in this new part of 'Dilend'. Best of luck to them in a tough location.

[voyager12]

The Cluck n Cup (across from Southborough between Magnolia and McDonald -- directly behind eq3) is an interesting new neighborhood joint. A coffee shop which has breakfast (sandwiches, bagels, frittatas) and lunch (sandwiches, salads and chicken pot pies which my wife says are great). The lunch menu appears to be very oriented to changing daily specials. They close at 4.

Cozy spot, pleasant staff and an interesting place. Its nice to get the local business vibe in this new part of 'Dilend'. Best of luck to them in a tough location.

Sounds good, I will have to stop by. I like "Dilend" will have to borrow that....much easier than Dilworth/Southend. They really do blend together in that area.

[nonillogical]

Eggheads (or something to that effect) looked to be open when I drove by this morning. its the end spot in Brevard Ct. fronting Church St.

i'm going to try and go this weekend. being open on saturday/sunday will be the first test!

[kermit]

So from my point of view (middle class family guy in Dilworth) it looks like there has been an explosion of new locally owned restaurants since the recession hit. Places like Good food Charlotte, Brazwells, Andrew Blair's, Frans Filling, Cluck n Cup, that vegan place, Crepe Cellar etc. Have rents decreased to the point where this scale of entrepreneurship is possible? Are Johnson and Wales students making their mark? Or am I simply distracted by the yumminess of the new arrivals and overlooking a larger number of closings?

Forgive the ramblings, I am just wondering if Charlotte is FINALLY becoming a decent restaurant town for the non-expense account set, or if my standards have been eroded.

[fulcrumsf]

Not new, but East Blvd Bar & Grill has opened in their new location next to 131 Main.

[atlrvr]

Went the The Liberty Gastropub in the old McIntosh's space in South End this weekend....I believe it was their first week open.

All the food ranged from Very Good to Excellent, with good flavoring that didn't try to hard, and very tender food. Also, the fries were excellent.

Service was great as well, which was surprising considering how new they are.

Interior decor is....ummmm....different. Think South End brewery meets trendy architects office.

Overall, it was not what I expected. I had kids in tow and was looking for a quick/mid-priced meal and was envisioning Harpers part 2 (the owner of The Liberty is the ex-head chef of Harpers). Instead it was pricier (entrees $17-$21) with smaller portions than I was expecting. That said, the food was well worth it, but just keep that in mind when you go.

I definitely will go back with just the wife, and plan for a longer/slower dinner.

Also, the menu will change weekly, though there are apparantly certain staples (including the delicious fries )

[nonillogical]

^ how does it rate as a place to just go drink? i heard there is an extensive beer list but it sounds like they may not be cheap either?

[atlrvr]

I didn't do any more than peek in the bar area, but it was large and attractively designed. Probably more open than many bars, but not akward. I honestly didn't look at how much the beers were costing, but I'd guess in the $5-$6 range.

[Niner National]

Eggheads (or something to that effect) looked to be open when I drove by this morning. its the end spot in Brevard Ct. fronting Church St.

i'm going to try and go this weekend. being open on saturday/sunday will be the first test!

I ate at Eggheads on Saturday morning. It's a nice place to eat for breakfast with good prices. Menu is what anyone would pretty much expect out of a Breakfast/Lunch spot. They have very good breakfast potatoes

[HopHead]

I ate at the Liberty the other night. It was actually pretty good. We had the blue cheese potato chips to start off which, which were excellent. My wife had the mussels which she thought were just ok (she's had better). She also had a yellow squash bisque which she liked though. I had a mixed greens salad which was good, but what I really liked about it was the goat cheese balls that were covered in some sort of nut breading. I also had this pork shoulder lettuce wrap dish. It was marinated in some kind of maple tasting sauce and came with jalapenos, bbq sauce, spicy peanuts, corn bread and lettuce wraps. There were some other intriguing menu items that I'd like to try, most which are reasonably priced. The beer select was pretty solid I thought. Most were in the $4-6 range. They also had the Old Mecklenburg Brewery Amber Ale on tap. I had a couple of those, which I've become a big fan of.

As far as the interior decor, yes it's definitely "different" if not a little cheezy. The bar area is great though. Definitely a nice place to meet with friends for happy hour after work or just to do a little socializing. I will definitely head back there.

Edited November 2, 2009 by dbull75

[ScottCLT]

My girlfriend and I ate at Zoës Kitchen at the Metropolitan today for lunch. I have to say - WOW, what a great experience! I was expecting something along the lines of Panera, but found something much better.

I had the Greek chicken marinara with orzo pasta and a very fresh side Greek salad with pitted olives and a pepperoncini, and my girlfriend had the spinach roll meal with grilled chicken and a side of the Greek pasta w/ feta. Zoës puts a nice spin on what we typically think of as "fast Greek food". There are no gyros, but the food there is fresh, tasty, and pretty much healthy. The chicken and pasta dish that I had was awesome, and I tried my girlfriend's spinach roll w/ chicken, and it was equally tasty.

I saw at least 10 things that I wanted to try today on the menu - it was hard to pick. It's obvious in every sense that this is not a local place - it's a chain. But nevertheless, I love it after only one visit. They did try to bring in a little local flair on some of the walls, with mentions of NoDa, Panthers, Bobcats, etc. onto some of the art in the place. Excellent, attentive service just topped it off for me.

All in all - great spot. Can't wait to go back. This will probably become a new weekly lunch place for me. But if I make it weekly, I may go for something a little bit lighter next time. I was stuffed after leaving there today!