Mother’s Day Brunch at Zink. American Kitchen

May 15, 2012 By Christin M Leave a Comment

For Mother’s Day my family treated my mother and me to Brunch at Zink! American Kitchen. Previously, we had dined at Zink! only for dinner. You can read the review here.

We ate outside on Zink’s FABULOUS patio. I have a very strong liking for consuming my meals outside if given the choice. In fact, when choosing a place to dine, the presence of and quality of the outdoor space is often more important than the food. Well, maybe not really…. but food being equal, I’ll choose the restaurant with the killer outdoor eating space any day. Zink’s patio is not only expansive and located next to an eye-catching fountain, but it has really cool lounging areas with sofas.

Texas Bloody Mary with jalapeno and chipotle peppers.

It had been a while since I’d hit a buffet and my excitement was such that I really didn’t display any restraint. I took a picture of the food, but there was so much food piled on the plate, you couldn’t distinguish one food from another on the plate. It just looked like a jumbled mess and didn’t do justice to the quality and flavor of the food.

Among my favorites were oysters on the half shell, prime rib, salmon, green bean casserole, and shrimp and grits. It was divine. Probably as good as buffet food can possibly be. Because as anyone who really enjoys good food knows, there IS a limit to how good buffet food can be.

I’ve never been, but Zink also offer cooking classes for $40 a person (includes tastings, beverages, and take-home recipes)

Upcoming Classes

May 19- California Cruzin (Cal Med Cuisine)
June 16- Cookin for Dad’s Day (low & slow ribs, cornbread, and smoked chickens)
July 28- Summer Farmer’s Market -Part 1 (Heirloom tomatoes, summer squash, and melon)
August 25- Seafood Alaska (King Salmon and Halibut)

Zink! American Kitchen is located in the Southpark area of Charlotte, NC in The Village at Southpark (a little ways down from Crate and Barrel).

Visit there website for more info on cooking classes and to see the menu.

Casual Water at Tega Cay

May 4, 2012 By Christin M 2 Comments

Last Saturday we tried a restaurant I’ve been wanting to check out for a long time – Casual Water at Tega Cay located in The Club House of Tega Cay Golf Club. The restaurant isn’t really marked from the outside, but if you park in the parking lot in front it’s in the building on the right. The building on the left is the 6,300 square foot Glennon Ballroom and Verandah. Dont’ let the fact that Casaul Water is in a golf club deter you. The restaurant is open to the general public.

It’s funny that the word Casual is in the name of the restaurant, because to me it seems like one of the more formal restaurants in the Fort Mill area. Definitely a good choice for a romantic dinner or a special occasion. The dining room is spacious and warm with large windows that overlook the Tega Cay Golf Course. Part of the kitchen is open to the dining room and the smells of the chef cooking over an open flame fill the dining room.

We started with oysters on the half shell- always a favorite of mine. For an entrée, I ordered Grilled Pork Chops with red cabbage, potatoes au gratin, and apple cherry demi-glace ($15.95). The cabbage and potatoes were the stars of this dish. Other entrees include steaks, shrimp and grits, and jumbo scallops with corn risotto, chardonnay cream sauce, and grilled asparagus ($21). Any other night I would have ordered the scallops, but I had eaten asparagus 2 out of the previous 3 days and needed to take a break from those long, woodsy spears.

Casual water also has an extensive sushi menu as well as a martini menu. Their dessert menu is the only thing about Casual Water that I think could use a little improvement. It consists of a ‘dessert tree’ of various mousses and didn’t look at all enticing to me and seemed a little out of place in a restaurant that is on the upscale side.

All in all are dining experience was very pleasurable and we are sure to return.

Casual Water is open Tuesday-Saturday from 5-10pm and kids eat free on Tuesday nights with an adult purchase.

This Saturday May 5 kicks off Casual Water’s Outdoor Summer Concert Series with music by The Stranger (Billy Joel Tribute) at 7pm.

15083 Molokai Dr

Tega Cay, SC 29703

803-548-3500

casualwaterattc.com

Filed Under: Restaurants Tagged With: Fort Mill restaurants, Tega Cay

Queen City Q

April 26, 2012 By Christin M Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago we had lunch at Queen City Q, Charlotte’s newest BBQ Restaurant. It’s located in Uptown Charlotte on 6th St in the spot where Lavecchia’s used to be. We parked at my mother’s house in Dilworth and rode the Lynx uptown. The Lynx tracks run right next to Queen City Q and the 7th St Station stop is literally a hop, skip, and a jump away. If you drive, park in the 7th St Station parking deck and Queen City will validate your ticket.

The inside of the restaurant is large and open with red walls and western decor. There is a bar area on the left with flat screens and a large selection of beers on tap including favorites from local breweries (Four Friends I77, Birdsong’s Free Will Pale Ale, Noda’s Noda Ryez’d, and OMB’s Copper are a few). We chose to eat outside and watch the light rail go by.

The menu has your standard BBQ fare (pulled pork, brisket, ribs, and chicken) plus 16 side choices including sweet potato fries, mac and cheese, and multiple kinds of slaw. Queen City Q also serves a variety of tacos including BBQ pork, tuna, and shrimp. All foods are made from scratch daily and hogs are all North Carolina raised. The foods served on the menu were either created by Pittmaster Dan “Boone” Gibson or made from one of his family’s recipes.

The pork is cooked long and slow over fresh-cut hickory and cherry. Sauce is served on the side and there are 4 to choose from : SC Mustard Sauce, PoPo Sauce, Q City Sauce, and Eastern Sauce.

For appetizers we ordered the Onion Rings with Boone’s 57 Sauce ($6) and the Blue Cheese Chips ($7). Both were delicious. Also on the appetizer menu- BBQ chicken over chips with cilantro and Jalapeno Sour Cream ($8).

I had the pulled pork with corn maque choux (nice amount of spice) and Green Bean Casserole (extra cheesy with fried onions on top). The pork was tender and moist and according to my son and brother, the brisket is wonderful. Portions are large, you can easily have enough left over to take home for another meal, especially if you order an appetizer.

Since I saved over half my meal to take home in a doggy bag, I had enough room to share Caramel Bread Pudding with Ted. Bread pudding used to be something I NEVER ordered. Now I think I’ve ordered it the last 4 times I’ve eaten out. Funny how your preferences change. Queen City Q’s Bread Pudding is a little unusual- more like thick, rich slices of French Toast. And it tastes FABULOUS.

A full menu can be found at QueenCityQ.com

225 E 6th St

704-334-8437

Filed Under: Restaurants Tagged With: BBQ Restaurants, Charlotte Restaurants

Restaurant: Fran’s Filling Station

April 23, 2012 By Christin M Leave a Comment

Fran’s Filling Station is a relatively new restaurant in the Dilworth area of Charlotte and is owned and operated by Fran Scibelli, sister of famed Charlotte Restaurateur Frank Scibelli (Mama Ricotta’s, Bad Daddy’s, Cantina 1511). Like her brother, Fran has been involved in the Charlotte food scene for a while having owned and operated The Metropolitan Bakery in the 90s.

Fran’s Filling Station is located on Park Rd in the same strip mall as Run for Your Life and Fiamma (a wonderful Italian Restaurant). The location is not my favorite. The front room is small with only about 10 tables and a bar area. When we went we were seated in the back room which lacks natural light. Our table was right next to the kitchen pick-up window. During the course of our meal we overheard several squabbles between Fran and her kitchen staff. Perhaps they should reconfigure the back so there aren’t tables right next to the kitchen. Actually, who am I kidding? It might have been the highlight of our dinner. I love to have a front row seat for a good dispute.

The food at Fran’s might best be described as eclectic comfort food. For appetizers we had Bacon-wrapped Tater-tots with Rosemary Black Pepper Glaze ($6.75) artistically presented on skewers and Fried Creamy Corn Nuggets with Goat Cheese Ranch Dressing ($6.50). They also have a sweet potato version of the tater tots with a tabasco honey glaze. Hate that my family doesn’t share my affinity for sweet potatoes. The tater tots were very good, but I especially enjoyed the corn nuggets. They were sweet and creamy and the goat cheese ranch was heavenly.

Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots

Corn Nuggets

Not sure the fries are Charlotte’s Best as voted by Observer Readers, but they are definitely pretty darn good. We had them with blue cheese and herbs.

Coconut Curry Mussels

Reuben Chicken Sandwich on Pretzel Bun

For dinner I ordered the Coconut and Red Curry Mussels ($9). The broth/sauce was so good, I literally drank what was left of it once I had eaten all the mussels. My brother had the Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and braised greens ($12.95) and my mother ordered Lamb Ragu with Rigatoni and crumbled goat cheese ($14.95). Chase had the Reuben Style Fried Chicken Sandwich with Thousand Island and Slaw ($8). We all pretty much licked our plates clean.

You know you’ve enjoyed a restaurant when you pick out what you are going to order “next time” before you leave. For me it’s going to be the Meatballs with gooey melted cheese!

Fran’s Filling Station

2410 Park Rd

Charlotte, NC 28203

704-372-2009

Filed Under: Restaurants Tagged With: Charlotte Restaurants, Dilworth Restaurants

Mellow Mushroom Ballantyne

April 19, 2012 By Christin M Leave a Comment

Mellow Mushroom, an Atlanta-based pizza chain, opened a 6,800 square foot restaurant in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte late last year. The decor is quite impressive and there’s a lot to feast your eyes on. A giant mushroom sprouts up from the center of the restaurant with tables underneath. There is a sleek horse-shoe shaped bar with 5 70-inch LED TVs hanging from the ceiling in the middle. Towards the back is a second story loft seating area where you can get a great view of the entire restaurant, including the magic carpets hanging from the ceiling. Several of the tables upstairs have interactive table tops where you can watch videos and play games. The games come with sound effects and can be a little bothersome if you are seated nearby, but they are definitely very entertaining for kids. Although they may be too distracted to eat their food. In addition to the seating options inside, there is a large outdoor patio area.

The menu at Mellow Mushroom consists of pizza, sandwiches, calzones, and salads. They also have pretzels made from pizza dough that are very popular. We were experimenting eating gluten-free during our visit and ordered a gluten-free pizza. Their gluten-free crust is made with bean, rice, and tapioca flour, starch, yeast, and egg. The pizza tasted very unlike regular pizza, but I enjoyed it and it was absolutely loaded with meat. It was rather expensive though.

The pizza dough Mellow Mushroom uses for its regular pizza is quite popular with customers. It is made using spring water, basted with garlic butter and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese after it is baked, and I believe it contains some molasses too.

There is another Mellow Mushroom in the Myers Park area of Charlotte (2820 Selwyn Ave) and plans are to open 2 more Charlotte area locations, most likely in Lake Norman and Concord.

The Mellow Mushroom is open 11am-11pm Sun-Thurs and Fri-Sat 11am-12am. Weekends get very crowded, prepare to wait for a table.

Mellow Mushroom Ballantyne

14835 Ballantyne Way

Suite 150

Charlotte, NC 28277

704-369-5300

Filed Under: Restaurants Tagged With: Charlotte Restaurants, pizza

Mother’s Day Brunch Options in Fort Mill, SC Area

April 14, 2012 By Christin M Leave a Comment

Mother’s Day is nearly upon us and here are some great local restaurants offering Mother’s Day Brunch. Go ahead and make your reservations early as these restaurants usually book up in advance for special occasions.

Fish Market Bar and Grill will have a Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet featuring a medley of breakfast and lunch options. Among the dishes usually making an appearance on the buffet are french toast, an omelet station, she-crab soup, gumbo, a prime rib carving station, shrimp and grits, and fish and pork entrees. Mimosas and Bloody Marys are available to order. You will want to call at least a week in advance for reservations. The Fish Market is located in Fort Mill’s Baxter Village just off of I-77. Call 803-547-4024 for reservations. Open 10:30-2:00. Fish Market Bar and Grill Website

Casual Water at Tega Cay will have a brunch buffet with seatings available at 10:30am, 12pm, and 1:30pm. Buffet will include an omelet station, carving stations, signature dishes, and a dessert display. Cost is $21.95 for adults, $8.95 for kids ages 6-12, and 5 and under are free. Prices do not include tax and gratuity. Call 803-548-3500 to make your reservation. Casual Water is located inside the Tega Cay Golf Club. Casual Water at Tega Cay Website

The Ballantyne Hotel and Lodge will have a brunch buffet including seasonal entrees, salads, seafood, and desserts. There will also be live entertainment. Prices are $59.50 per person, $29.50 for children (5-12), and ages 4 and under are free. Prices do not include tax or gratuity. For reservations call 704-248-4100.

Ballantyne Hotel Website

Zink American Kitchen in the Southpark Neighborhood in Charlotte has Sunday Brunch from 11-3pm. This is not a buffet, but they offer an eclectic menu including salmon frittata, shrimp and grits, Maryland crab cake salad, and The Rock House Farm Wagyu Burger with pimento cheese, smoked bacon, caramelized onion, and herb aioli. They also have $5 Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas. They have an expansive patio that is just gorgeous this time of year. Call 704-909-5500 for reservations. Zink American Kitchen Website

Filed Under: Restaurants Tagged With: brunch buffet, Mother's Day Fort Mill

Roaming Fork Food Truck

April 12, 2012 By Christin M 4 Comments

It seems that food trucks are popping up everywhere nation wide. Shows like The Great Food Truck Race on The Food Network have made dining at a mobile eatery immensely popular. Our local laws applying to food trucks are rather strict and cumbersome and as a result, there are only a handful of food trucks in the Charlotte Area. My favorite among them is The Roaming Fork (The Bistro on Wheels) hands down.

I promise you this food truck is better than most restaurants I’ve been to. The Roaming Fork is owned by Kelli Crisan - she’s a sweetheart. I so wanted to get her picture today but she was completely slammed with business and I hated to ask. The truck moves around to various locations in Charlotte throughout the week. They seem to plan ahead more than other food trucks and have their locations for the month on a calendar on their webpage. They also do frequent Twitter and Facebook updates. If you become a Roaming Fork Groupie like me, you will want to follow them on Facebook or Twitter. occasionally they have truck problems and have to cancel last minute or sometimes they run out of food and close up shop early.

The menu items The Roaming Fork offers rotate daily, usually 5 or 6 items are offered a day. It is best to check their website to see what they are offering before you make the drive to hunt them down just in case they don’t have available that one thing that’s been inhabiting your every dream for nights.

Grilled Cheese with Pulled Pork

Fried Pimento Cheese Balls

The menu is rather eclectic with fish tacos topped with mango slaw, meatloaf sandwiches, BBQ sandwiches, fried deviled eggs, fried pimento cheese balls, and parmesan truffle herb fries. I wanted something light for lunch today and ordered a lemon pepper grilled chicken sandwich with feta cheese. It hit the spot. But…hands down my favorite, favorite thing about The Roaming Fork is their grilled cheese sandwich with pulled pork. Two of my favorite sandwiches combined into one- food doesn’t get any better than this. With three types of cheese this is a super-cheesey sandwich. The exterior is crisp and extraordinarily buttery and the pulled pork is some of the best I’ve had and perfectly complements the cheese.

Be prepared though. Once you have one of these sandwiches, you too will be a Roaming Fork Groupie. But luckily The Roaming Fork is usually in Ballantyne one day a week, just a short drive from Fort Mill, SC.

Filed Under: Restaurants Tagged With: Charlotte Food Trucks, Charlotte Restaurants

Regent Park Cafe

April 9, 2012 By Christin M Leave a Comment

Regent Park Cafe is a relatively new restaurant located across from the entrance to the Regent Park Neighborhood on Highway 21 in Fort Mill, SC. Numerous short-lived restaurants have been at this location, but Regent Park Cafe seems to be developing a following. After just 1 visit, I think I know why. The portions are huge and the prices very reasonable.

Inside, the restaurant is large with numerous tables and booths. You order at the counter and self-serve your drinks. The Greek-American menu is enormous with choices from fried chicken to buffalo wings to homemade pulled pork BBQ. Daily specials are available ranging from Pot Roast (6.75) and Fried Pork Chops ($7.25) on Tuesdays to Flounder Plate ($7.75) and Souvlaki Plate ($7.50) on Saturdays. All dinners are served with 2 sides and a roll or hushpuppies.

I tend to get a little nervous when restaurants have very large menus, especially when they don’t do a very high volume of business. It just doesn’t seem like a kitchen is going to be able to do that many different things well. There are bound to be some hits and misses.

Sorry about the sideways picture!

For the most part everything we ordered was a hit. I decided to go with the vegetable plate and chose fried squash (one of my all-time favorite foods), potato salad, and green beans. The squash was excellent- thinly sliced with a nice, crisp coating. It was nice and sweet, just the way fried squash should be. The green beans were nicely flavored with sautéed onions and seasonings. The potato salad was so-so, but I’m really picky when it comes to potato salad. In fact I can’t remember the last time I ate one I REALLY liked.

I had a bite of my son’s Super Cheeseburger with chili and slaw and it was quite good and very large. The onion rings, while I believe they are of the frozen variety, are still very good. Mac and cheese is yummy.

For a limited time (don’t know how long) Regent Park Cafe is offering free 16-oz drinks with a meal (and they have Cheerwine!). When you factor in that their meals are already very well priced, this is a fantastic deal.

All in all, Regent Park Cafe is an economical way to get the whole family fed with a warm, “home-cooked” meal. Visit the Regent Park Cafe website to see the full menu.

Regent Park Cafe

3071 Hwy 21 (Next to DMV)

Fort Mill, SC 29715

803-802-2233

Filed Under: Restaurants Tagged With: Fort Mill restaurants

Cloud 9 Martini and Tapas Bar in Baxter

April 6, 2012 By Christin M Leave a Comment

Now that the pollen season is over, there is no excuse to not enjoy the beautiful spring Fort Mill, SC weather. Cloud Nine Martini and Tapas Bar on Market St in Baxter Village is just the spot to meet a few friends after work and enjoy the cool evening breeze while watching the passersby on Market St. The inside of Cloud Nine is a little dark and uninviting. The only seating options are uncomfortable bar tables at the front and oversized couches and chairs at the back. Fortunately, the outdoor patio area more than makes up for the awkward indoor space and since you can order outside, there’s no need to even go inside.

The drinks at Cloud Nine are a little pricey, but they offer frequent $5 Martini specials. My favorite martini is the Bloody Mary Martini which has copious amounts of black pepper. I always order it as my “dinner” martini to go with whatever tapas we order.

Among the tapas we have tried are the Shrimp and Grits (what it lacks in flavor, it makes up for in presentation), the steak tenderloin pieces (whats not to love about a plate full of red meat?), the sausage sampler with assorted mustards (very spicy), the crabcakes (delicious), and the grilled cheese with tomato soup dip (probably my favorite, but be warned- the tomato soup is very sweet).

I always follow-up my savory dinner martini with a sweet martini. They have plenty to choose from. Lemon drop and Raspberry Cosmos tend to be my favs.

Cloud Nine Martini and Tapas Bar

940 Market St

803-396-1436

Hours

Mon-Thurs 3pm-midnight

Thurs-Sat 3pm-2am

Closed Sunday

Filed Under: All Things Baxter, Restaurants Tagged With: Baxter Restaurants, Fort Mill Bars, Fort Mill restaurants

Restaurant: The Yolk in Rock HIll, SC

March 25, 2012 By Christin M 1 Comment

I often hear people complain that there are not enough restaurants in the Fort Mill, SC area that specialize in breakfast. With the opening of The Yolk just last week, breakfasts options have expanded. The Yolk is located on Mount Gallant Rd in Rock Hill in a small strip mall part way between Cherry Rd and Celanese Rd. It is a small restaurant with a few tables, a few booths, and ample counter seating.

When we went on Saturday, we opted to sit at the counter and watch chef/owner Gregory Collier do his stuff. We watched him cook for a while before we placed our order. All of the food is prepared by Chef Gregory. With each dish we watched him prepare, our order changed. Each one looked better than the last one. I finally settled on an order of chorizo chili, a crisp tortilla, fried eggs, and salsa verde and was not disappointed.

The Yolk is a family business, being run by Collier, his wife, and sister. Something that is nice to see in this day and age. All three were attentive and friendly in their service.

Owner Gregory Collier’s goal is to do breakfast foods, and do them well. He wants to use as many local food sources as possible. Currently, The Yolk is serving farm fresh eggs, Aunt Rachel’s sausage(Lancaster, SC), Clover Organics Mushrooms and Wild Turkey Farms Chorizo (China Grove, NC). You will find all of the basics on the menu: buttermilk pancakes, southern waffles, cheese grits, omelets, and bacon. The plan is to also do one lunch special a day. Last week’s special was chicken and waffles.

The Yolk is located at 1204 Mount Gallant Rd in Rock Hill, SC. Hours are Mon-Fri 6:30am-4pm and Saturday 8am-2:30pm. Closed Sunday.

Filed Under: Restaurants Tagged With: places to eat breakfast, Rock Hill Restaurants