Charlotte area restaurant recommendations for dinner

[JToobe]

This sunday going to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art (420 S. Tryon St.) for my daughter's 17th Birthday (her request, she went to the High Museum in Atlanta a couple weekends ago and loved it). May be looking for a good place to eat nearby or on our way back to Greenville SC for dinner. Any strong recommendations? She hasn't expressed interest in a specific type of food yet so anything is an option!

 

[tgadd]

You are in luck! It is restaurant week in Charlotte through Sunday. $35 for a three course meal. Usually expensive places are included. Check out www.charlotterestaurantweek.com

 

[tgadd]

If you like seafood, I highly recommend Rock Salt. They have amazing raw oysters, amazing fresh grilled fish, amazing sides, and amazing desserts.

Another good place is Seoul Food Meat Market, Asia / BBQ fusion place. Lots of meat choices (make sure to get a beef rib, it's a giant 1# beef rib). Good Asian inspired sides. Great beer choices for you.

@JohnVee turned me on to Dogwood Southern table and bar. Excellent American restaurant!

 

[tgadd]

If there is a certain cuisine you want, I'll probably have a good spot to recommend. But those are my top three.

 

[JohnVee]

Bentley's on 27 if your pockets are reeeallly deep. Damn fine place. Definitely a special treat place. Fancy. 27th floor views are great at sunset. Walkable from Bechtler.

Bonterra is excellent and a very nice place. A bit less expensive than Bentley's. Anthony is a great server if he's working that night. Fancy. Used to be a church. Maybe 2-3 miles away.

Seoul Food was really good last week. Scott is right on about that. Menu isn't huge but is designed to be sharable. Hip and trendy. Also 2-3 miles away.

Mert's Heart & Soul is a Charlotte soul food staple and easily walkable from where you'll be. Really good stuff.

I'll think of some others. I don't get out too often at home so restaurants often close or change between my visits.

 

[JohnVee]

The Cowfish Burger & Sushi Bar is near Southpark Mall, about 5 miles from Bechtler. It's close to Dogwood that Scott mentioned. Very trendy but very good. Reservations are pretty much required if they're open. The wait can be well over an hour without. Everything I've had there is very good.

 

[tgadd]

Another great one will be Farenheit, 21st floor (top) of a hotel downtown. They have a rooftop patio where you can sit and drink/eat or look. Really good cocktails and again Asian fusion.

 

[JohnVee]

Blue Restaurant & Bar is also walkable from Bechtler. Very trendy but been there for almost 10 years. That'd be a great place to do a Restaurant Week meal. They're usually fairly pricey.

 

[joyRidaz]

Pls Yelp any of these places before showing up, it'll give u an idea of what the locals order and who takes reservations and who doesn't etc.

I don't get out much, too many kids... But luckily I have a foodie brother-in-law

There's a neat place that has a good social cause behind it called Kings Kitchen, right in uptown. I believe some well know restauranteur started it as a non for profit place to give back, and he only employees people who Went through hard-times and are getting back on their feet(homeless, ex prisoners etc) It's also affiliated to a church that escapes me. I've been and it's good, not cheap but not as painful as some of the other places mentioned. Kinda classy.

As for Southpark: big fan of wolfgangs pizza... Really awesome vibe inside and amazing thin crust pizza and other creative dishes...

For a really great burger, I'm a big fan of bad daddy's, I've been to Ballantyne location but the original is in dilworth I think. Super casual with sports on the tube, kinda loud but great beers

My big ticket anniversary spot is and likely always will be Good Food, but it's a bank acct emptier. It's outstanding. They even had smoked bourbon, not sure how that's possible but it was delicious. It is trendy but amazingly creative small plates(porkbelly Asian buns, sausage pasta, truffle fries, . Not sure what part of town it's in, just off park road, maybe Southpark.

Cheers

 

[JohnVee]

Fuel Pizza in Uptown for a good low dollar option. Walkable from Bechtler.

The Asbury in the Dunhill Hotel is a local farm-to-table place. I've only been there for brunch or lunch, but it's good. Also walkable.

Alexander Michael's is probably just beyond walkable. Maybe not. Been there a long time. Old house. Nothing fancy. Just good American stuff.

Duckworth's has a very wide selection and is good. Walkable.

 

[JToobe]

Thanks for the plethora of options guys! I appreciate your input and feel well armed with some good options! Will be interesting to see if she has a preference that day (at age 9 her favorite place to eat was the Golden Corral.....she discovered it with a friends family)...we are having brunch with my dad and his wife at the Tupelo Honey here in downtown Greenville and then will head to Charlotte. I don't consider myself a "foodie" but have been fortunate to eat at some pretty nice places over the years. Probably one of my all time favorite places is Bern's Steak House in Tampa, FL....anyone else been there?
I think i will start a new thread asking folks to name their top 3 favorite places to eat anywhere!

 

[JohnVee]

Bookend the day with Tupelo Honey here in CLT. One mile from Bechtler. Almost a straight line from there.

 

[joyRidaz]

I have a lot of yelping to do this weekend! I'm learning of a lot of good places from this thread.

 

[pawwright]

It all depends if you want to drive after going to the Bechtler or if you want to walk. If you stay walking, I would second King's Kitchen, their food is usually consistent and good. If you want to drive about 4 miles, you can always hit up Plaza Midwood and the Diamond - always great food and drink there......

 

[cruiser4life]

Fig Tree. Always excellent.

The Fig Tree Restaurant |

 

[JToobe]

Just got home.....downtown Charlotte is pretty nice! Daughter enjoyed the museums (ended up doing both the Bechtel & the Mint) but she and everyone else in our group loved the Cowfish Sushi & Burger Bar!!! Got seated within 5 min at 5:45pm....Thanks @JohnVee ! Sad to say i only spotted 1 200 series while in NC.
Thanks again for all the recommendations! Have put them in my phone for future reference.

 

[tgadd]

Just got home.....downtown Charlotte is pretty nice! Daughter enjoyed the museums (ended up doing both the Bechtel & the Mint) but she and everyone else in our group loved the Cowfish Sushi & Burger Bar!!! Got seated within 5 min at 5:45pm....Thanks @JohnVee ! Sad to say i only spotted 1 200 series while in NC.
Thanks again for all the recommendations! Have put them in my phone for future reference.

Cowfish is good. Impressive that there was a short wait. Unless we sit at the bar, there usually is a 20+ minute wait.

 

[joyRidaz]

Okay, after seeing all the solid feedback on dogwoods(@JohnVee @tgadd ) I decided to give it another try. I went when it first opened and was dissappointed and haven't been back till now.

Wife wouldn't stop raving about their happy hour burger special, for $5 between 5-630pm any weekday in the bar area only. I was skeptical, but we decided to pack the car full of kids and head over for some cheap eats.

Wow! I try to pretend to be a burger snob, and it might be my new favorite in Charlotte! Especially at the $5 price point... Much to my surprise they also have a good kids menu, at $8.

Beer selection was stellar both seasonal a on tap and a great bottle and can selection of crafts.

Got a triple c baby maker in a 16oz can, and of course the witer made some jokes as he saw our posse... "It worked!"

All and all I am happy to have gone back and discovered the bar food. The fancy side of the restaurant might deserve another try.

 

[JohnVee]

Man, I forgot about the $5 burger thing! We haven't been back there since spring. Maybe next week.

Brio, along with Georges (both at Piedmont Town Center) also offer some great bar menu specials at happy hour. Georges has a cassoulet made with duck confit that is one of my favorites. They even start the bar menu special at 3:00pm on weekdays and continue to offer it on weekends, but for less time. Hmmm, maybe that's gonna be dinner tonight.

Edit: I went to Georges the other night. Cassoulet was not good. Damn.

 

[joyRidaz]

I'm a day late on this one, but mark this down for future weeks.

JJ Red Hots has $2 dogs and $2 drafts on Tuesdays. It's a chill hotdog joint with some wacky dog creations that only a stoned college kid could invent at 3am... But they're usually fantastic no matter how bizarre.

$6 for 2 dogs(Chicago style dog and a Weiner the Pooh - pb, bacon, honey and sirrachi) and a goblet of triple c baby maker.

Good spot to take the kids and wear a teeshirt.