We've Moved

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Hope to see you soon!

The Wife

Hi! The wife here... I'm finally getting into this blog thing and am trying to learn my way around. Once I do, you'll see many more posts to include our many travels over the last few years.

See you soon!

Mac's again.

My wife's family and I went to Mac's again today.

I'll just give an update, as I have already written 4 other blogs today, and quite frankly, I'm getting a little tired of writing!

The service was far better than the last time we were here.  

I had the BLT, which was awesome.  It was two layers of lettuce and bacon, and four layers of tomato, served on Texas toast.  We also had the obligatory hushpuppies, which tasted a lot like superballs, and the brisket quesadilla, which was a remarkably pleasant surprise.

Also, I noted that Mac's was rated one of the 10 "Must See's" in Charlotte by the Charlotte Observer.   They are pretty good at tooting their own horn; not that it's not well-deserved.

Happy dining.

Waldhorn

There is exactly one German restaurant in Charlotte, as far as my wife and I can tell. We try to go there about once every two to three months. It's good German food. It's called Waldhorn. Since we had visitors, we asked them if they'd like to try it. No surprise, they did.

My recommendation: If you want real German food in Charlotte, I don't know that you have a choice. The food is pretty authentic (mind you, my wife and I were in Germany over the holidays), and the atmosphere rocks. Check it out.

Overall: Since it really doesn't have any competition, it's hard to award the Waldhorn first place. But even from the outside, you can tell that an authentic experience resides within. Fun friendly, but distinctly non-German service brings you exceptional meals and full litres of beer.

Ambiance: All the trimmin's you might expect from Germany. There is German music. The building is built to look like a Brauhaus, both inside and out, with large exposed wooden beams, and a distinctly Bavarian look. Fridays and Saturdays, they even have live entertainment.

Menu: All things German: spaetzel, bratwurst, Wiener Schnitzel (I know it's Vienese, but it's LIKE German), knockwurst, sauerkraut, etc. etc. etc. It's all there, and it's all good. They also have a great selection of German beers, including my favorite German beer, Spaten (pilsner und dunkel). They have also begun carrying Mecklenburg's authentic German beer from the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery.

Something you won't find on most menus: If the uniqueness of the cuisine itself isn't enough, you are offered pretzel bread while you wait for your meal. It's like a pretzel baked in the shape of a roll. I have never seen it in Germany, but it's awesome in Pineville.

Service: If I had to pick out a weak spot for the Waldhorn, it would be the service. To be clear, the servers are friendly and attentive, but they are about as authentic as "Molly" who helped me with my United flight reservation over the phone last week. They simply do not know much about the cuisine. Frequently, if you ask them something, they need to go ask someone that knows (the chefs).

Food: I have begun to settle on the Schweizer Schnitzel (Swiss Schnitzel). It's a pork cutlet stuffed with black forest ham and swiss cheese, and lightly fried. It's served with a vegetable and spaetzel, but I usually swap the vegetable for sauerkraut. Or I just get a side of sauerkraut in addition to the spaetzel and the vegetable.

BTW, if you don't know what spaetzel is, you're really missing out. In Germany, it would be akin to french fries or chips as a side (in terms of frequency). It is effectively small potato dumplings served with a light butter sauce, and it's awesome.

Waldhorn

12101 Lancaster Hwy

Pineville, NC 28134

Dennis Vineyards

Since we had the family in town, we thought we would go check out some of what North Carolina had to offer.  We really hadn't taken the time to go see any of the NC vineyards, yet, so we found a couple that were reasonably close and popped out for the afternoon.

Dennis Vineyards

24042 Endy Road

Albemarle, NC

Tour cost:  $4

The first place we came to was Dennis Vineyards in Albemarle, NC.  We arrived around 1:15 pm, and were dismayed to hear that they have two tours a day on the weekends; 11 and 3.  It was 1:45 until the next tour, and the tasting room was not large enough to keep us occupied for that length of time.  I was beginning to think maybe we hadn't thought this vineyard thing through.  

While we were discussing what our options were, a young lady came out and asked if we wanted a tour.  We said yes, and she said that normally they didn't do tours at off hours, so the vintner had time to get some things done, but if she asked nicely, maybe he'd squeeze us in.  She came back in about two minutes and said that he'd be right out. 

Well, the head vintner, Sandon Dennis, came out to give us the tour.  He was awesome.  His excitement for his trade was evident.  I knew, academically, how wine was made, and knew it was far more complicated than "Pick 'em, squeeze 'em, rest 'em, and drink up."  Sandon answered all our questions, showed us his entire operation, and candidly discussed how each process worked.   It was nice to see such a personal touch throughout the tour.  We were impressed how a weekend hobby had expanded into a quarter-million bottle (annually) operation.    

After our tour, which included a look at some parts of the vineyard not included on the "normal" tour, we went to the tasting room.  We were able to taste every wine we wanted while we were there.  They primarily deal in the varieties of grapes that grow in North Carolina, so their wines are sweeter than the traditional European wines, and also include a couple fruit wines (blackberry, strawberry, blueberry, etc.).  

In addition to the wide variety of wines, the wines were highly decorated with awards from competitions from throughout the southeast.

If you have an opportunity to check out the vineyard, make a short afternoon of it, and try a tour and tasting.

The Flying Biscuit

With my siblings-in-law in town, along with their respective spouses, we needed a fun place to go to breakfast before our day of North Carolina vineyards. We decided to head to the Flying Biscuit in Stonecrest. As it was almost noon when we got there, it was probably nice that they had lunch available, too.

My recommendation: A fun place to go, and certainly "different," and if you like eggs, they have a great selection of egg plates. I would generally recommend it for its novelty before recommending it for its food, though.

Overall: The menu is extensive, the servers are friendly, and they do have hearty biscuits, as the name MIGHT suggest.

Ambiance: Funky. With a name like the Flying Biscuit, you would probably be thrown off if you walked in an everyone were wearing suits and ties. The walls are decorated with interesting murals, and even the drop ceiling tiles are all painted in a continuous ceiling-scape. The ambiance is completely consistent with what you might expect from the name.

Menu: Mostly natural selections of biscuits and eggs. There are also selections of sandwiches and pastas. My wife would say it's healthy food. I, however, do not equate natural with healthy. Butter is not healthy. Butter is not margarine; I understand that, but it's not healthy. It's just different.

Something you won't find on most menus: Creamy, dreamy grits. The grits are particularly creamy (made with some kind of dairy product).

Service: The service is a little slow, but nothing frustrating. The servers are knowledgeable and personable.

Food: I had the special, which was a biscuit with egg and gravy on it. It was awesome. I had a taste of a lot of the food on the table, including my wife's scrambled eggs with sausage, spinach and pasta in it, and my sister-in-law's multi-grain peach pancakes. Everything else was fine, and tasty, but the biscuit and gravy with the egg was dyn-o-mite.

The Flying Biscuit

7930 Rea Rd.

Charlotte, NC 28277

Salsa's Mexican Cantina

My wife's sister and brother-in-law came to town this evening, and we wanted someplace close that we could walk to for a meal. They suggested Mexican, and since I had just been to Don Pedro's, my wife recommended Salsa's in Ayrsley.

My recommendation: It's nothing spectacular. In fact, I probably would recommend Don Pedro's over Salsa's, although Salsa's is a distinctly nicer restaurant on pretty much every account.

Overall: While the food is of good quality, and the service was good, I can't say that it has really left much of an impression with me. It's not a bad restaurant... just lackluster.

Ambiance: Salsa's is a Mexican restaurant that's still seeking it's an identity. The free-flowing fountain, and somewhat elegant decor is somehow undermined by the flat screen TV showing Latin American soccer, as if the restaurant WANTS to be a sports bar. The outdoor seating area perhaps supports this assertion, but the flat screen displaying MSNBC Money somehow undermines the sports bar intentions. And the free salsa and chips simply reminds you that it's neither a sports bar or elegant restaurant, but just a Mexican restaurant.

Menu: Mexican. While standard Mexican is certainly available, including burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, and tacos, the prices are not reminiscent of the authentic inexpensive Don Pedro's up the street.

Something you won't find on most menus: $6 guacamole. It's tasty, but I'm not sure it justifies it's $6 price tag.

Service: Prompt and friendly, but nothing spectacular. I drink water like a fiend, and they were good about keeping me topped off.

Food: I had the combination platter with two cheese enchiladas and a beef burrito. It came with Mexican rice and refried beans, and it was all very good. In general, the food is very good, and I feel like the ingredients are of generally high quality, which is perhaps inconsistent with what I normally expect from a Mexican restaurant (too much Taco Bell, I guess). The bill was a little steep at $37 (no alcohol, no dessert).

Salsa's Mexican Cantina and Bar

2015 Ayrsley Town Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28273