The Charlotte Food Scene

Charlotte does not lay claim to a particular food item, like Philly does with the cheese steak, or Chicago with the hot dog and the deep dish pizza. We're not on the water, so fresh seafood is not abundant. We don't have the quantity or variety of restaurants that you'll find in NYC or San Francisco. We're not even the epicenter of our most famous food, BBQ (try Texas or Memphis.) Still, you won't starve here, that's for sure, and there are plenty of tasty options available.

Restaurants: More and more are opening each month, and the upscale places are spreading south with the housing boom. Johnson and Wales culinary school opened a campus in uptown and a lot of their graduating chefs are staying in the area to work, and opening interesting restaurants. From uptown to the South End, all the way down to the Ballantyne area you can find some great places to eat, in all price ranges. There is still a shortage of quality ethnic restaurants (Indian and Cuban come to mind,) but you'll find great sushi (try Nikko's in Ballantyne) and decent Thai food among the hordes of steakhouses. One of our favorite places for American food with a Southern flair is Sugar Magnolia's in the Blakeney shopping center. It's a bit pricey, but the food is excellent. We've found pretty good pizza (Tony's) and Chinese food, but you have to try a bunch before you find what you like.

Regional treats: Though not specific to Charlotte, you'll find some southern delicacies here you just don't see much up north. Fried okra, when done right, is amazing. Also, you'll find fried pickle chips on some menus here. TRY THEM. Fried green tomatoes are also common. Notice a theme here? My aunt always says "You can fry a piece of shoe leather and it would taste good." Another item that was new to me is pimiento cheese. It's kind of a spread, or sometimes a dip. Not my favorite, but worth a try. They also have a locally bottled cherry soda here called Cheerwine that is everything I always wanted Dr. Pepper to be.

BBQ: Pork rules here, but you'll find beef brisket and chicken too. Be aware, however, that the style of BBQ predominantly served is "eastern style" which means the sauce is vinegar-based, rather than tomato-based. Not my preference, but it's all good. On Saturday's it's common to see people on the roadside or in a parking lot with their smokers, selling home-made BBQ. Definitely worth a try. Down Highway 521 just across the South Carolina border is Southern Spirits--a liquor store where one of these pork purveyors sets up shop. He only sells whole cooked pork shoulders. You have to trim it and shred it yourself at home, but it is unbelievably good. I think we ate 3 meals from the one we bought.

Now, if we could only find good Italian bread and fresh mozzarella cheese everywhere, we'd be all set...[check Ferrucci's Old Tyme Italian Market in Cornelius for that].