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Charlotte - 2-3 pull-out-the-stops meals?

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Hello Charlotte hounds.

So, my boyfriend just moved to Charlotte and I'm going to visit him this weekend. He told me to research and pick 2-3 places where I want to go eat dinner. Budget isn't much of a concern, but good food is. We like inventive, well-done classics, or pretty much anything GOOD. Ethnic is fine, we eat anything. We'll dress up, or go somewhere casual and delicious. Open to whatever.

He lives Uptown, but since he's still getting to know the area, we're open to exploring. After a bit of looking online, some of the places I'm considering (to give you an idea) are Halcyon, Soul Gastrolounge and Savannah Red. Also have Vietnam Grille and The Liberty down as lunch maybes. Also to give you an idea, he lives near and loves Dandelion Market, so we probably will be looking for new places. Anything along those lines is cool, though. Or, fancy, pull-out-stops awesomeness is great! Basically we want something tasty!

Any ideas?

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  1. Soul is a good one. I've heard good things about Halcyon but haven't been yet. I haven't heard much about Savannah Red even though it's been around for a while, so I have no opinion on that. In addition to the places you mentioned:

    If you want to do something nice and little on the pricier side:

    Terra on Providence Road in Eastover/Myers Park
    Barrington's on Fairview Road in SouthPark
    Fig Tree on 7th Street in Elizabeth

    If you're looking for something fairly nice, but not as expensive as the above-mentiuoned places:

    Lulu on Central Avenue in Plaza Midwood
    Rooster's in SouthPark
    Good Food on Montford on Montford Road (my good friend lynnlato on these boards is not a fan, but I've been here a lot and always have great meals here.)
    Carpe Diem on Elizabeth Avenue in Elizabeth (the food here is nothing ground-breaking, but it's been a local favorite for quite some time. It has basically kept the same menu for the past 10 years; it's been around for about 20 in different locations).
    Customshop on Elizabeth Avenue in Elizabeth (warning: this place can be hit or miss, but when it hits, it's good. I've been here several times when it's missed, though).

    For laid back and casual:
    Dish on Thomas Avenue in Plaza Midwood (good southern-style food)
    Sir Edmond Halley's behind Park Road Shopping Center (a British-style pub that serves good food, especially the appetizers)
    Alexander Michael's in 4th Ward(decent, not great food, but a nice atmosphere)
    Cabo Fish Taco in NoDa
    Revolution Pizza in NoDa
    300 East on East Boulevard in Dilworth
    Pio Pio in Dilworth (simple Peruvian rotisserie, but oh-so good)
    Krazy Fish (this is a fun place. It's essentially a crazy fusion of Thai and Southwestern cousine. You could potentially get something that doesn't work, but you can also get some very interesting flavor combinations.)

    Other advice:

    Get away from downtown. There is a lot down there, but not a lot of it is all that great. And downtown Charlotte, for the most part, does not have a lot of soul. Places like Plaza Midwood/Elizabeth and NoDa have soul. Dilworth/SouthEnd as well.

    Alexander Michael's
    401 W 9th St, Charlotte, NC 28202

    300 East
    300 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203

    Cabo Fish Taco
    3201 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

    The Fig Tree Restaurant
    1601 East 7th Street, Charlotte, NC 28204

    4 Replies
    1. re: ickymettle

      Thank you so much! I'll check out these places and pass the list along to the bf. He needs some more places to visit.

      1. re: princsoreo

        If I had to choose I would mos def do dinner at Halcyon (foie gras-stuffed burger, roasted marrow bones with short rib marmalade, just to name a few things that are awesome), and Barringtons is another good option.

        For lunch Vietnam Grille is good and I'm a huge fan of Pio Pio, which ickymettle recommended. Get the chicken with the two dipping sauces and the fried plantains and rice & beans. YUM! Also, for lunch check out either Cabo Fish Taco or Crepe Cellar in NoDa. This is a great area of town to walk around. After lunch head down N. Davidson towards town and swing in Amelie's French Bakery for some pastries - their tea cakes are awesome. Enjoy!

        Cabo Fish Taco
        3201 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

        French Bakery
        430 William Hilton Pkwy Ste 201C, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926

        1. re: lynnlato

          Thanks! Thinking about Halcyon and Blue for the two nicer dinners...

          1. re: princsoreo

            Both good ideas, you may want to include Fiamma in Dilworth neighborhood for some delicious Italian. Not the red sauce variety.

            2418 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC 28203

    2. Go to Vivace, classic italian vivacecharlotte.com. Price range is 20 to 30 bucks for a nice dinner. Also visit the Custom Shop customshopfood.com. If you're downtown eat at the pizza joint in the Epicentre next to Strike City. I think its called Liberttos or something like that.

      If you want to eat at a place that was featured in Bon Appetit, go to Prices Chicken Coop. Hole in the wall, no seats but its the best fried chicken in town, the proof is the line that is ALWAYS out of the door.

      Want to eat where the Mayor eats? Go to the Kings Kitchen, best soul food uptown and it's a nonprofit. http://www.kingskitchen.org/

      STAY AWAY FROM Charlotte City Club, Capital Grille, the restaurant in the Omni hotel, Mimosa, Blu Print, Dean and Deluca, Mccormick and Schmidt. There are others but those I would def stay away from.

      Bon Appetit Restaurant
      621 Highway 441 S, Clayton, GA 30525

      Charlotte City Club
      121 W Trade St #3100, Charlotte, NC 28202