9/4/2010 The Wren House, Charlotte NC

maybe i should've thought to call the wren house for a table earlier than noon this saturday, but they said they could seat us if we were there by 1:30. there were a couple tables upstairs in the back but yes, we could have lunch there. so wow, they must be busy but it is lunchtime on saturday and a holiday weekend, and they are not open on sun or monday.

the wren house was built in 1839. the wrens, a brother and sister, moved into the house in the early 1900s and only lived there for about 10 years. i guess the name stuck.


when we got there there was no one at the front door, so in we went. the place was empty. hhmmm we can put you upstairs in the back, yet there's not a soul around and the tables are all set up. can you say private party?


a server shows up and confirmed that there was indeed a party. a wedding was going to happen about 2:30/3:00 and they had booked the wren house for the reception.  but instead of sitting upstairs if we want to sit at 1 of the tables outside we could do that instead. we jumped at that. it was a really nice day. (the table we sat around is just below the edge of the photo).

here are pics of 2 of the rooms.

so this review gets both a thumbs up and a thumbs down. i might as well confess that now, upfront. the server was nice, but not as attentive as i think she'd have been normally. can you say distraction due to the party later?

the food was good once it arrived, but they messed up my order and i did have to wait what was really a bit too long for the repair. i think the kitchen was a bit slammed with food for the reception.

auntie had the grilled chicken salad - salad greens, grilled chicken, bell peppers, red onions, feta cheese, parmesan cheese, mandarin oranges, pineapple and lime, rice noodes.

well, they were out of the chicken, and the particular lettuce they use for that dish. they could substitute greens or a different lettuce. and auntie swapped the chicken for little shrimps.

she said it was good, and it was big enough.

matt and i both had the western cowboy burger - grilled burger, bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and red onions.

however we both ordered our with no mustard.

he opted for fries

i decided to try the house-made chips.

mine came with mustard on it as well as the BBQ sauce which is why i sent it back.  all they had to do was swap the bun and lettuce but it took 10 minutes i think to bring it back out.


so thumbs up in general, we'd go back if we want to pay a little more than normal for a burger, but thumbs down to the owner/mgr for the decision to keep the restaurant open when they have a party of this size.

so yes, once we had our food and it was correct it was quite tasty. you pay a little more because you're at the wren house. none of us were in any hurry. we didn't have to be anywhere until 5pm for the wedding and it was a very nice day.

but i do question the decision to have opened a few tables for the general public when an event that large is in the works. when we got there 1 of the 3 outside tables was full. the 3rd filled up and a couple other families stopped by. 1 was told (i'm guessing) to check back in X amount of time for 1 of these 3 tables. but they waited too long as i overheard the wife telling the husband "they 1st said xx minutes until a table's free, but now they say we'd have to wait over an hour for service". i guess the kitchen decided it was too close to party time or came to their senses. seriously, when a server has to tell a patron they are out of something on the menu because of a private party..?!

so good and bad. if you go, and i suggest you do, make sure you call ahead and make sure there's a table - and if it's a summer or holiday weekend that there's no private party happening that could interfere with your meal.

9/2/2010 McNinch House Charlotte NC

who says there isn't fine dining in NC? well, if you are one who does, listen (or read) up. this was a fantastic meal!

matt and i knew we were going to be in NC for my cousin's daughter's wedding, and we looked into getting a table at McNinch House - it's reservations only, so don't plan on dropping in. while i've known Doodle all her life, i don't know what they do and don't already have, and we didnt' want to risk getting a duplication of something or worse, gift them something that would end up collecting dust on the top shelf of a closet in the back room! matt and i came up with the idea of taking them to dinner with us. we knew no one else would take them here. as long as they were open-minded and willing to try food they most likely would not have ever had before, it would be fun, interesting, they'd learn if they liked or didn't like various things, and it'd be an adventure. happily they were up for it! yay! let the joyous gorging of food commence!


we booked the chef's table. of course they have a dress code for this place - jackets for men and "women, something classy, please". i had no idea what their wardrobes consisted of but figured if i warned JP needed a jacket that D could find a nice but inexpensive LBD if she needed to. Then there was a question of food allergies. as we were at the chef's table we're having whatever chef wants to prepare for us. but if he's planning on lobster for the main and someone's allergic to shellfish he wants to know about it. i don't think that's unreasonable. but trying to find out specifics on this - as it turned out JP couldn't eat seafood - and still try to keep the restaurant slightly a surprise was difficult. i was afraid to tell them too much JIC they got hesitant and cold feet, but i didn't quite get 'seafood' really meant all things from the ocean and not a category like shellfish. so bummer, but oh well. when i called to confirm the reservations on the 1st i actually spoke with chef. he asked our likes/dislikes. i let him know that the soon-to-be newlyweds had never, to my knowledge, had a meal like this before, and that matt and i were good for him to surprise us.

we arrived straight up 7pm, when our reservation was. we were invited in after handing over the car keys - it's valet only guys! - and given a little tour from Mr. Wesley, our sommelier. the restaurant is housed in an old queen anne style home. originally purchased in 1891, sam mcNinch (son) was the mayor of charlotte in the early 1900s. President Taft visited the house, and it stayed in the possession of the family until 1978. the lady who purchased it refurbished and turned the downstairs into a restaurant, and now lives upstairs.

            

left: the original dining room

middle and right: just 1 of the original gas (converted to electric) light fixtures in the house

left: ceiling with original fixture

middle: tic tac toe

right: 1 corner of the Chef's Table Room

left: 1 corner of the Chef's Table Room

middle: our place setting

right: i had to over-expose - vent cover in floor

chef chris coleman is younger than i expected. he was named Exec. Chef when he was 21, and that's only a few years ago. he's a charlotte native and believes in using fresh, local ingredients as much as possible. after dining on his food i think he'd fit into seattle quite nicely if he decided to relocate.

our dinner menu. of course we got the wine pairings. for those of you who've never dined at a chef's table, it's way cool. you have to be willing to eat whatever chef prepares, of course, but he is usually one of your servers, and will also describe each course as it's presented and answer any questions the diners might have.

Amuse Bouche: cucumber sorbet with chopped cucumber and lemon zest

Mr. Wesley poured the

Zocker Paragon Vineyard Gruner Veltliner,'09, Edna Valley, CA

1st Course: Summer Vegetable 'Pasta' with Pecorino Romano and EVOO

this plate consisted of 3 varieties of heirloom tomatoes - green stripped, japanese brown, and red mortgage lifters, along with english zucchini

served chilled, this was quite lovely. i was surprised at the amount of flavor that exuded from the combination of tomatoes. my respect for heirloom (or even fresh garden grown) tomatoes is growing with every new dish.

I want to remember Doodle saying this was her favorite course, but i could be wrong.

2nd Course: Seared Diver Scallop with Sweet Corn Panna Cotta and Small City Farms Shiso

shiso is the leaves you see - think basil mint. and there's also a black pepper tuile. that took us a little by surprise. we weren't expecting pepper. but it was good when eaten with the scallop or panna cotta. maybe a little strong if taken on it's own.

the scallop was perfectly prepared. in fact it might've been the best seared scallop i've had. as for the panna cotta - chef, could i have the recipe please?

sadly JP can't eat seafood, so the scallop was left off his plate. hhmmm i wonder if chef gobbled it up as a taste test for the rest of us? :-)

3rd Course: Chilled Carolina Sweet Potato Vichyssoise with Creme Fraiche and Cracked Black Pepper

served with: Mezzacorona Moscato Vigneti della Dolomox '09,  Italy

in NC, we learned, sweet potatos and peanuts are harvested year round.

the little flowers are from the chive plant, and boy could you taste it. they are yummy! served chilled, this surprised me. i've never been a big sweet potato person but wow. unlike any sweet potato i've tasted, it reminded me more of the few squash/gourd soups matt and i have had recently. 

i'm also getting used to cold soups. there was a time i would never have been willing to taste one. not sure if that's age, naivitee (darn how do you spell it?), or stupidity LOL.

served with dinner was a warm buttermilk biscuit. after the soup i was telling doodle and JP about the meal we had with my parents in texas - and the flower the chef placed on the plate, - you can read it all for yourself on the post for Cat City Grill if you're interested. i'm going to summarize here - and how i hadn't known orchids were edible. well not long after chef comes out of the kitchen with our

4th Course: Fried Green Tomoato Salad with Frisee, Chevre Mousse, Praline Peppered Bacon and While Balsamic Dressing - and orchid!

the same orchid variety, in fact. as i learned that night, all orchids are indeed edible. just make sure you don't eat the ones that you find in the garden store! or at the flower stand in the farmer market. find a reputable *food flower* person and try theirs.

served with: Almira Los Dos Grenache/Syrah '08, Campo de Borja, Spain

this was the 1st time i've had this dish and it was definitely a winner with me. we got a new fork for this dish. it was so lovely i had to take a picture of it. it's the fork on the left in the photo. (click to see larger view for detail)

anyway, this might've been my favorite dish if for no other reason than it was fried green tomatoes. chef said this was actually his spin on the dish, so it's not the 'standard' preparation of the dish. hearing the differences i'm not sure i'd like the other, but i'd be willing to give it a try. again, chef, i'd love the recipe but i seriously doubt i could get mine to turn out like yours. and yes, Doodle and JP tried the orchid. yay.

5th Course: House-made Lime and Basil Sorbet (palette cleanser)

it was real hard to get a good pic of this. notice the glass is rimmed with yellow sugar. the sorbet was almost white it was so pale and wow the lime hits you! 

the flower in the glass is a snapdragon. never had those before. if you don't like bitter don't eat snapdragons. i found it very bitter.

6th Course: Pork Loin with Vanilla Potato Puree, Caramelized Fennel, Crispy Proscuitto and Valencia Orange

Mr Wesley poured the Stephen Ross Pinot Noir, '08 Central Coast, CA

this was JP's plate as this course was actually a seafood dish. he claims this was the best pork loin he's ever had and might've been his favorite of the night

the rest of us had Day-boat North Carolina Red Snapper  with Vanilla Potato Puree, Caramelized Fennel, Crispy Proscuitto and Valencia Orange

this was tasty but i only had a few small bites. as you can see the portions have been very generous and while i haven't totally finished off any course, there are still 4 to go! i turned 95% of this dish over to matt to finish off for me.

7th Course: Roasted Maple Leaf farms Duck Breast with Yellow Corn Polenta, Braised Red Cabbage and Spiced Port Reduction - and a Tarragon sprig

this was quite lovely. the reduction was good and thick but i'm not a huge fan of polenta. maybe 1 day i'll have one that'll win me over but so far, sorry chef! i don't refuse to order a dish if it has polenta on the plate, and i'll taste it but usually it just gets moved aside.

i took my leftover duck home

8th Course: Rack of New Zealand Lamb with a Rosemary-Mustard Crust, White Beans, Sweet and Spicy kale, and roasted Shallot Marmalade and there's a sprig of rosemary there, too

my goodness this was yummy! this is one of ellen davis (the original chef and owner)'s recipes with a slight twist on it by chef chris. 

by now i'm barely eating 1/2 of my food. but don't worry, i took home leftovers of this one, too!

(they made a nice snack for matt and me the next day)

9th Course: Imported Gorgonzola Terrine with Dried Fig Preserves, Wildflower Honey, and Baguette Croutons

i like that - baguette croutons, instead of bread or crostini... sounds a bit more, well, upper crust. ok, sorry. i couldn't resist.

this course was served with: R.L. Buller Premium Fine Tawny Port, N/V Victoria,Australia

the gorgonzola was mixed with a mascarpone and gave it a very creamy and mild blue taste. which is good because i ate not quite all of it but if it had been a strong blue i would've probably handed most of it off to matt.

10th Course: Chilled North Carolina Blueberry Soup and Fresh Lemon Mousse

there was a fresh rose on each of our plates, too.

served with: Warres Quinta D.A. Cavadinia Vintage Porto, '89, Portugal

this was so good. i can't begin to describe it except think thick, cold blueberry soup. i mean really thick. again i'd love to have the recipe for this. i might actually be able to reincarnate this dish better than the others, definitely better than the FGT dish. i will definitely be going online and looking what's out there recipe-wise for this idea.

we also had local grown coffee with our dessert. well, we made it!

ok, not quite...

Mignardise: Chocolate Covered Cherries

that's what i wrote down, but we were talking with chef and somewhere along the way he stopped us and told us to "eat it's melting". so my notes may be wrong. if chef is reading this perhaps he can clarify for me.

but it was quite yummy.

we'll definitely go back, and i highly recommend this restaurant to others who are going to be in or live in the CLT area.

JP, Chef, & Danielle (who are now married (JP and Danielle, not chef (he's married but to someone not pictured LOL))).

9/1/2010 College BBQ Charlotte NC

we got into salisbury NC early this am. we stopped at the starbucks in the airport to get a coffee and snack for the drive up to salisbury. for lunch i took matt to College BBQ a few blocks from my aunt's place. sorry, there's no website of this place. matt and i both swear i took a photo of the front of the place but lo and behold it didn't transfer over if it was on the chip! ok, we'll deal with it. maybe i took a photo last year when i was there. if i find one i'll post it up later.


anyway, the place was packed, as it has always been the few times i've gone there. luckily a table had just been cleared so we didn't have to wait. there isn't a lot of space, booths occupy 3 of the walls, tables the 4th and the little bit of floor space in the middle of the room. plastic red and white checkered tablecloths cover the tables.

we ordered the chopped Bar-B-Cue Sandwich which comes with slaw and sauce. the sauce is already on the table. you have hot or hotter. 


looks kinda pale - that's the slaw on top of the chopped pork. the sauce gives it a little color, but not much. 


you won't find any tomatoes in this dish. the sauce is vinegar base. it is quite yummy, but i can see how some may have issues with the slaw on the sandwich itself. i did the 1st time. but then it took me off-guard. 




college BBQ - when in salisbury you really should try this.

8/21/2010 Staple & Fancy Mercantile

sadly we were in TX when the grand opening of Ethan Stowell's new place Staple and Fancy Mercantile opened. but we went the 1st saturday after we returned. if you were expecting another Union, guess again. SandF is more along the lines of wolf in decor and eating options. in the fact that the decor is a little minimal but all the more to draw the diner's attention to the food.  if you are looking for a sign on a building you won't find it, either. pictured right is their building, it's the set of doors on the left, under the MFG sign.

their door









we started with wine. hopefully i will be reminded via a comment on what this single glass was. i really love that pic. :-)

and if you can't read the bottle here's a slightly better pic. but i thought the color of the wine was just amazing. velvet maroon.

dinner selections looked fantastic. from chantrelles and zucchini and a mussel brodo to tagliarini lamb ragu and halibut with controne beans, olives, radish and purslane. what did we order..?

did you expect anything less? we had 3 of these plus an extra dish for 'the little guy'.

sweet cream ricotta with heirloom tomatoes, grilled bread. as this was the little guy's main dinner i didn't try any, but it sure looks good!

veal rillette on bread - yum! it was really tasty. definitely gave matt a run for it with his pork rillette trio he made in june.

sockeye salmon crostini.

the guys said this was good. it was ok but i'm not a huge salmon fan so i didn't care for it as much.

crab cakes with aioli and purslane

these were quite yummy and i've had quite a few crab cakes. usually the sauce is too much for me but the aioli with these (basically glue so they wouldn't slide around on the plate) was just the right amount.

greenbeans with reggiano parmagiano

veal belly, tuna aioli and watercress.

i took the end pieces with the smallest amount of aioli. the guys said they didn't really get the tuna - it's the lumpy looking stuff in the aioli sauce. i got it just fine. i enjoyed this which surprised me, i'm not a huge tuna fan. but the little bit of aioli i had with the veal worked.

gnocchi, lobster mushrooms, sweet corn and fried egg

man the sweet corn this year has been fantastic! here, and at cafe juantia it's been wonderful. and of course ethan's gnocchi is always top-notch.

chilled heirloom tomato soup with basil olive oil.

this was a nice surprise. sweet, creamy, smooth...give me more

grilled durad with pearl onions and a puree

i didn't care for this. it was too 'fishy' for me. the guys thought it was just fine.

grilled striploin with broccoli rabe.

the flavor of the beef was fantastic. the slice i had was a wee bit on the tough side, but the flavor made up for it.

chocolate avalanche with walnut ice cream

this was pretty darn terrific. you can see the ice cream's literally melting off of the cake.

ricotta cheesecake with blueberries

this was my favorite. it was so light and fluffy.

and of course there was coffee to go wtih.










way to go ethan, i think you hit it out of the park for dinner, thank you!

yup, the jury is back; this one's a keeper.