Weekend in Charlotte

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (EatingTheRoad)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:22:03 GMT

Only the M&C looks appetizing...that looks like a sad meal...too bad.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (buffetbuster)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:11:39 GMT

Last stop in town was Chicken Box Cafe,

a soul food restaurant in an African-American neighborhood. The shape of the building

made me think it used to be a fast food joint. Even though we were past the usual lunch time rush, they were still very crowded. You place your order at the counter, have a seat in the waiting area, until they call you to let you know the food is ready. Honestly, the scene is chaotic and disorganized and it seemed to me that the food took a really long time.

With a name like Chicken Box, of course I had to get the fried chicken.

Unfortunately, I didn't care for it. The skin was so brittle,

it just fell away when touched. And the meat was rather dry to my taste. The sides of fried okra

and macaroni and cheese

(which was nice and creamy) were better, but still nothing special. I also ordered a dessert of the banana pudding, which they forgot and I had to go back up with my receipt to get. Does this look like homemade banana pudding to you?

Me neither. I only ate a couple of bites and threw the rest out.

From here, I drove to the Charlotte airport for my flight home.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (appycamper)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:55:54 GMT

in shelby, add alston bridges bbq to the list as well. 620 east grover. i don't know what if any connection to bridges bbq there might be. the "q" is equally as good. i actually liked it a bit better because their chop was a little coarser. and if you like a bit of bark added order it "brown."

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (appycamper)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:40:34 GMT

shelby cafe is on south lafayette southwest of the town square. they serve a good breakfast (including livermush) and if i recall correctly will serve it all day for a $1 premium after breakfast hours. good burgers and fries and sandwich offerings. the club is great and they may still do the burger club.

they rotate a pick-a-meat plus veggies special daily (usually like 5 meats daily): roast turkey, stew, country steak and the like with good sides of mac and cheese, dressing, rice, mashed potatoes, fried okra, the stewed squash mentioned earlier in this thread, potato salad, sliced tomatoes, peas*, greenbeans, pinto beans, greens. with cornbread (southern unsweetened) or a roll.

*in the south we'll differentiate between peas. they come in english or green and field peas. for field peas think black-eyed peas but a bit less earthy in flavor.

they do their own baked goods. and everything is good. check out the chocolate cake with a tall glass of cold milk.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (Howard Baratz)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:10:37 GMT

buffetbuster

I do remember the Coffee Cup reopening, but I thought I read that it has closed again. If I had known it was open, at any location, I would have definitely stopped in.

I got "Traveling Manned" last December at the first re-opened Coffee Cup but, according to the article, this is a re-re-opening. If it is near as good as the original it is definitely worth a stop.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (mr chips)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:17:24 GMT

As always, a report well worth reading. See you later this month.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (buffetbuster)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:55:16 GMT

appycamper

i recently moved to oklahoma from the shelby area and love this thread featuring shelby and gastonia. add the shelby cafe and the clock to your to-visit list.

Please tell us more about the Shelby Cafe!

TJ-
I do remember the Coffee Cup reopening, but I thought I read that it has closed again. If I had known it was open, at any location, I would have definitely stopped in.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (buffetbuster)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:51:23 GMT

Howard Baratz

BB,

While I like Bridge's (like you I dig the "frozen in time" feel and the very friendly staff) I have never really found the food to be near the level of Lexington #1. Since a meal at Bridge's is stylistically a carbon copy of a meal at Lexington #1 I always find myself somewhat disappointed.

I wholeheartedly agree about the comparison between Bridge's Barbecue Lodge and Lexington #1. As much as I like BBR (I give it about a 7 1/2), Lexington #1 might be my all-time favorite bbq joint. Still, as someone who lives in a bbq deprived area, I will take good 'que anytime I can get it!

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (Nancypalooza)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:16:37 GMT

appy, that's a nice summary. You gotta love something that'll stand up to both grape jelly and mustard. :)

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (TJ Jackson)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:47:34 GMT

BB: there is a new location of Coffee Cup somewhat north of town

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/18986155/detail.html

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (appycamper)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:33:06 GMT

i recently moved to oklahoma from the shelby area and love this thread featuring shelby and gastonia. add the shelby cafe and the clock to your to-visit list.

on the difference between braunschweiger and livermush, i love braunschweiger and am indifferent about liver mush. braunschweiger has a silky texture with a slightly sweet note and rich mouth feel. livermush has a much stronger liver taste with a grainy texture from the cornmeal. think the texture of an unsweetened southern-style cornbread that the liver and other ground pig bits hold together. you know if it was just the bits and pieces (minus the liver) ground up and mixed with the cornmeal i'd probably love it. go sweet or savory with it by choosing your condiment: grape jelly or yellow mustard.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (EatingTheRoad)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:02:33 GMT

More great photos, the orchid conservatory looks gorgeous, I would love to visit there.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (Howard Baratz)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:28:55 GMT

BB,

While I like Bridge's (like you I dig the "frozen in time" feel and the very friendly staff) I have never really found the food to be near the level of Lexington #1. Since a meal at Bridge's is stylistically a carbon copy of a meal at Lexington #1 I always find myself somewhat disappointed.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (buffetbuster)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:59:33 GMT

The next stop was at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens.

I read good things about this place in my guide book and it turned out to be a really nice stop. Certainly, late March isn't the best time to see everything in full bloom, but there was still lots of things to look at. I like the photo of this little girl,

who is is really excited to see what's ahead. The prettiest part was inside the orchid conservatory.

They had several topiary sculptures, like the small dinosaur

and the dog,

who apparently has mange.

But my favorite part of DSBG was an innocent looking little pathway. There are two little ponds, with water spouts pointing at the pathway that divides them. At random times, they start shooting water. You have to decide to walk through it or walk around it. I walked through it and didn't get wet. But the two women and their kids right behind me

didn't get as lucky. Actually, the kids enjoyed it so much, they ran back through the water. While walking around the gardens, I saw several people get soaked.

I spent a couple of hours here and enjoyed it thoroughly.

http://www.dsbg.org/%3C/a...ont%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/a%3E

Next, I spent about an hour exploring the Mint Museum of Art.

Unfortunately, it has been so long since my visit, I can't remember too many of the details. While I was driving around, I also went to see the original location of that old Roadfood classic place, Coffee Cup.

Somehow, I managed to never eat here, which is a disappointment. As far as I know, the second location is also closed now.

After all of this, I was finally ready for one more meal before I left town.....

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (Carolina Bob)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:02:44 GMT

Cliff, that BBQ sandwich at Bridges looks like a real winner. I've been meaning to get over there for years, but after seeing your photos, a visit to Bridges just took a big leap priority-wise. Great trip report.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (buffetbuster)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:56:07 GMT

Captain Morgan

BBuster, if you have more pics like these,

GET TO WORK!

Aye, aye Captain!!!

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (Nancypalooza)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:54:35 GMT

Cheesehead I can't tell you--I don't really eat any of that stuff, not even the scrapple. Once Ort. Carlton is all mended up and back on the boards, he's the guy you should talk to.

Cliff I think she really liked it--said the meat was good. I'm gonna have to go looking through her pictures to jog my memory. She was on a brewery tour with some other WFM people and they actually took their leave at the brewery early to get to this place before it closed.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (NC Cheesehead)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:42:36 GMT

Nancypalooza

Can I attempt to buy back my credibility with this find? Yankees in SC need no longer despair of not having their favorite pork byproducts available. This was taken in the cooler at the Farmers' Shed, Lexington SC: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nancypalooza/3449413859/

Nancy,

I grew up on Braunschweiger Liver Sausage and have been very tempted to try some liver mush. I loved fried liver sausage sandwiches as a kid. This transplanted "Yankee" wants to know how similar it is.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (Captain Morgan)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:59:17 GMT

BBuster, if you have more pics like these,

GET TO WORK!

This is great stuff. It's funny when I was studying the pink
menu, I said I'd definately get a pimento cheese sandwich
to go....I love those things.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (buffetbuster)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:31:39 GMT

Nancy-
Did she like BBL? More than just about any other bbq parlor I can think of, this place just seems frozen in the 1950's. And I mean that in a good way.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (Nancypalooza)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:29:32 GMT

I think my friend Michele just went there; there's a brewery nearby? That pimiento cheese looks scrumptious!

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (buffetbuster)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:15:51 GMT

Sunday March 29, 2009 cont.

It is hard for me to come to this area of the world without a visit to Bridges Barbecue Lodge in Shelby. The fact that they are one of the few bbq parlors to be open on Sundays also makes this very easy.

Lots to like about this place. First, they have a classic old 1950's style sign out front.

They also have a pig (not a real one, it probably wouldn't stay up there) on the roof.

Out back, you can see the wood and the chimney.

The only thing we were missing is some smoke pouring out. As do many bbq parlors in the South, Bridges is filled with porcine decorations. Some are cute, like this case

of delicate figurines. Others are well, bizarre, like this sign

on the men's bathroom. Their catering vehicle

is also painted up nicely.

When you are seated, you are given a pink slip of paper,

which acts as your menu. You simply circle what you want and the waitress collects it. As always in the South, I was drinking sweet tea. And even if you are dining alone, here you still get a whole pitcher,

which is fine with me. This is good, strong sweet tea.

Since I had come here straight from Tony's Ice Cream, I didn't have my full appetite. So, I ordered light.

The chopped pork bbq,

which you can see comes with the vinegary barbecue slaw right on the sandwich, is excellent! And for a bbq parlor, Mama B's cheese pimiento sandwich

was quite good, too. It was like a super charged grilled cheese. A large cup of extra bbq sauce comes with the meal, but is almost unnecessary.

Service at Bridges has always been exceedingly friendly. If you can't tell, I am a big fan of this place.

http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/192-192/bridges-barbecue-lodge

By this time, I was very full and needed to do some sightseeing before the next meal.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (EatingTheRoad)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:00:21 GMT

A few years in the making....impressive. I love Tony's logo, very creative.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (sizz)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:26:19 GMT

buffetbuster

I am trying my best to complete some of the many unfinished trip reports I have lying around. Hey, this one is only from March!

Bar-B-Q King
and place your order through the speaker. A few minutes later, the car hop brings your food out. By the way, this place looks great at night with all the neon.

I thought that sign looked familiar................... nutin new under the sun....
I

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (buffetbuster)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:19:15 GMT

Sunday March 29, 2009

You never know how or when you are going to get a good Roadfood recommendation. A few years earlier, my cousin Johnny and I were dining at Bridges Barbecue Lodge in Shelby, NC. The fact that I was taking multiple photos of my pork barbecue tray and sweet tea attracted the attention of the young couple at the booth next to us. Once they realized that this obviously deranged person with the camera was not a danger to their kids, they started up a conversation with us. We explained the idea behind Roadfood and they seemed very interested. They even told us that we absolutely had to go to Tony's Ice Cream in Gastonia. I filed it away for the next time I was in the area. Today was that next time.

I liked Tony's Ice Cream even before I left on the trip when I saw that not only are they open on Sundays, but they open as early as 10:00AM. Just a few minutes after ten, I pulled up to find a very crowded parking lot. Are all of these people here to eat ice cream this early? If so, I am impressed! But, as soon as I opened my car door, the smell of sizzling country ham and biscuits was overpowering. Now, I knew why everyone was here.

Tony's is a big brick building, with an attractive curve in the brick work.

Sitting outside is a sign

reminding you they have been in business since 1915! As soon as I walked, there was a long line of at least 15 people waiting to place their order for hot foods. Since I had originally come here for the ice cream and there was no line for that, I grabbed a couple of scoops. Tony's has a large roster of available flavors. I settled on a scoop of the grape

and one of the peanut butter ripple.

As you can see, they give you a sheet of wax paper with your ice cream, which is unusual, but it came it handy when it came to dealing with the inevitable spillage. Since all the seats were taken, I ate it in my car. The ice cream was on the hard side (which I prefer) and subtley flavored. Not the best ice cream I've ever had, but still very good.

I started the engine to my car, but there was no way I could leave without trying a ham biscuit. Upon reentering, the line was now mostly gone. I placed my order at the register and just a feminutes later, my sandwich was passed out through the window into the kitchen. I grabbed my sandwich and unwrapped it in the car.

Oh, that wonderful smell! The biscuit was still very hot and though mostly soft and crumbly, had a crunch in some places. The country ham was plenty salty, with that rugged chew that makes country ham stand out. Excellent ham biscuit! The only complaint was that there could have been more ham on there, but considering it was only a couple of bucks, it was fine.

Now I could leave fulfilled!

http://www.tonysicecream....%3E%3C/font%3E%3C/a%3E

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (TJ Jackson)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:28:09 GMT

My favorite three meals in Charlotte have been

1) Coffee Cup

2) Penguin Drive-In (which really isnt a drive-in)

3) Frankies (a somewhat corporate-looking place serving very good americanized italian dishes) which is just south of downtown Charlotte

I should probably give Lupie's and Price's another chance - was not impressed with either

Has anyone been to this rather suspiciously named place?
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/473482

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (EatingTheRoad)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:30:32 GMT

That neon sign is great. I love the addition of slaw on the pork sandwich. I'm a huge proponent of slaw on most anything...it's kind of like what chili is for others (although I'm becoming more of a chili fan). I like the crunch and bite that the cabbage adds, the textural addition is always nice...chili doesn't have that benefit. Plus then you get your veggie serving taken care of

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (buffetbuster)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:59:36 GMT

I am trying my best to complete some of the many unfinished trip reports I have lying around. Hey, this one is only from March!

I stayed in my room to watch college basketball, with special interest in the Pitt-Villanova Elite Eight matchup. Despite a furious late rally to tie it for my Panthers, a Villanova bucket at the buzzer was the game winner. I was very disappointed, but looking back on it now, nothing was going to stop the Tarheels this year. They were just too good.

Needing something to cheer me up, I decided to go out for a late night meal. Something open late and close to my hotel was preferrable and I settled on Bar-B-Q King. Cousin Johnny and I ate here about five years earlier and we weren't particularly impressed.

Bar-B-Q King is strictly a drive-in. You pull up to one of the slips, check out the menu

and place your order through the speaker. A few minutes later, the car hop brings your food out. By the way, this place looks great at night with all the neon.

I got my food and took it back to the hotel.

The greasy, crispy, tangled onion rings got a thumbs up.

The pork barbecue sandwich was a revelation!

This is what I had on my previous visit and didn't like, but this was an excellent sandwich. Extremely moist, tender chopped meat in a nice vinegary red bbq sauce. Note the slaw on the sandwich, which I always enjoy.

Wanting to try lots of different things, I also ordered a 1/2 Fried Shrimp plate.

The french fries were nothing special, but the finely chopped cole slaw was quite good. The fried shrimp

were big, lightly coated and were delicious. Who would have guessed you could get such good fried shrimp in Charlotte? Needless to say, my opinion of Bar-B-Q King has completely changed and I'm so glad I gave it another try.

http://www.roadfood.com/R...w/139-139/bar-b-q-king

After eating, I called it a night.

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (jellybear)

Fri, 08 May 2009 08:30:34 GMT

Why do People ruin BBQ by smothering it in sauce?

Re:Weekend in Charlotte (brentk)

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:03:55 GMT

I have never been a big fan of the BBQ at Old Hickory House. As can clearly be seen in the photos, that ain't North Carolina BBQ. Looks more like Georgia style to me.