Mellow Mushroom - Fun Pizza!

When we travel I don't always plan on blogging the restaurants we go to.  Sometimes, though, it's just too hard to resist when the food comes to the table!  This was exactly the case when we hit Mellow Mushroom for our Saturday night dinner in Charlotte.  My brother sold it as a pizza place that had a good bar nearby.  When we walked in, it felt like Woodstock in the 60's, complete with the tie-dye decor and atmosphere, but when I looked at the pizza menu I got excited!

My eye was immediately drawn to the Magical Mystery Tour pizza with its pesto base, button and portobello mushrooms, Mozzarella, spinach and feta, all topped off with jalapeños.  Before I even spoke up my brother recommended this pizza, so I was sold.

Magical Mystery Tour Pizza

Pinky's Westside Grill - Ding Dong Style!

On Sunday, following a big day of boating and night of drinking, Nick, Reed and I were a little worse for wear.  After some coffee and lounging by the pool, food was (very) necessary.  The day before, Reed was telling tales of a restaurant that served a sandwich ding dong style.  That name had us convinced, and we knew we had to go.  Pinky's Westside Grill is housed in what used to be an automotive repair store, which has maintained the auto body shop feel while making it eclectic and funky.  We sat in the indoor/outdoor area in what used to be the car bay area, garage doors intact!

Upon sitting and looking over the menu we could tell straight away that this food was going to be fun and adventurous.  When I eyed the Crab Puppies on the menu, I knew they would have to be ordered - hush puppies are a must when in the south.  The crab took them to a whole other level.  The outside was a perfect golden crispy brown that had just the right amount of bite to them.  Even from the picture, you can tell these were also overflowing with crabmeat - there was some in each mouthful.  Served with a cool, creamy tartar sauce, these were an amazing start to our meal.

Crab Puppies with sweet crabmeat folded into golden fried hush puppies 

e2 Emeril's Eatery in Charlotte (Who Knew?!)

When you think of Charlotte, you may primarily think of the banking industry that is a major employer there.  However, over the last 5 years the city has really exploded, and visiting my brother has given me a first hand view of all the changes.  With the expansion of the city came a lot of restaurants, including ones you would expect to find in a much bigger city.  Most recently Emeril Lagasse opened up a new eatery - e2 Emeril's Eatery.  Like most people, I have heard a lot about Emeril but never actually had eaten at one of his restaurants, so when I was told we had reservations there on the Friday night of our arrival I was excited!

Next to the new Theatre in the Uptown area of Charlotte, e2 is sleek but comforting, with its huge open kitchen where you can watch the staff cooking up your meal.  We were sat straight away and immediately perused the cocktail menu.  With some fun combinations, Nick and I couldn't resist trying one.  Both were tasty without being overly sweet.  Could you imagine getting a moonshine cocktail up here in Boston?!

Prickly Moon - Local Moonshine, prickly pear juice, hibiscus syrup, lime juice and maraschino  liquor

Southern BBQ at Mac's Speed Shop

On our last day in Charlotte, in order to help us recover from the previous day's festivities as well as indulge in some southern fare (its only right, after all) my brother took us to Mac's Speed Shop.  While completely different from our great Friday night dinner at Cowfish, it was really fitting considering we were south of the Mason-Dixon line, and Nick's only request for our brief vacation.

When we pulled into the parking lot of Mac's I really wondered if were in the right place because it basically looked like a pretty nice garage.  Seriously - there was a carport 30 yards long with motorcycles under the entire thing.  Also, there were loads of picnic benches in the front with people eating away and a fence that hid the table tops, but I trusted my brother.  We walked in and were greeted with a what you always thought a Southern BBQ place should look like: plenty of beers and BBQ.  Add bikes to that and you have Mac's motto. 

Quote reads, "where bikers stare at cowboys, who are laughing at the hippies who are praying that they'll get out of here alive..."

Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar - totally crazy but amazing!

This past weekend Nick and I headed to North Carolina to visit my younger brother - it had been way too long since I had been down there! Charlotte is a nice city, and with the addition of the EpiCentre there is a ton to do right downtown, which, in my opinion, was lacking a bit previously.

For a nice intro to the weekend my brother took us down to the South Park area of Charlotte.  Because my brother knows me well - I love burgers and I love sushi - when it came time to decide what to do for dinner on Friday night, The Cowfish seemed like the most natural choice.