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charlotte’s best bites | kaitlin’s picks

September 22, 2015 by Chrissie 2 Comments

Filed Under: all, charlotte, nc, charlotte's best bites Tagged With: Charlotte's Best Bites, Futo Buta, Kaitlin's Picks, Lumiere, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Sushi Guru, The Flipside Cafe

Last week AJ took us on tour of Charlotte through beer (thanks AJ for telling us where we could grab some good food and cold brews). This week, Kaitlin has us traveling all over the world, without having to leave Mecklenburg County (albeit, a brief jump over the border to South Carolina to a must visit spot). Kaitlin, a foodie with a cool and impressive resume. She’s also one of the folks behind Phyrefly, a cool, new, foodie app in Charlotte that allows diners to up to 40% off with flash sales from the best locally-owned restaurants (sorry, I just may have over used the word cool, but Kaitlin is cool, so there you go). Kaitlin picked some great Charlotte restaurants, so I’m excited to share Kaitlin’s Charlotte’s Best Bites with you!

What is Charlotte’s Best Bites? You can read more about the collaborative dining guide here, read my picks here, and can sign up to contribute here. 

Best German Food
Old Mecklenburg Brewery

charlotte's best bites olde mecklenburg brewery

My German grandmother, my “Oma,” came to the US when she was in her late 20s and when my dad was a baby.   For all of the positives and personality she possessed, she was not a good cook.  We ate nothing but traditional German food when I was at her house.  Sauerkraut, weird organs, and something-wursts (which by the way, anything with the word “wurst” in its name is terribly foreboding for a six year old).  Needless to say, I grew up thinking all German food was soggy, sour, chewy, and altogether gross.

charlotte's best bites olde mecklenburg brewery

What I like so much about Old Mecklenburg Brewery is the fact that they make German food so approachable.  It’s simple and, wait for it… wait for it… it’s actually really good!  Such a surprise to my six year old self!  The atmosphere is traditional to a German style Biergarten, with lovely a dark paneled interior that contrasts beautifully with the light and airy feel of the outdoor dining space.  There is something for everyone at Old Mecklenburg Brewery making it the quintessential German-inspired spot in Charlotte.

charlotte's best bites olde mecklenburg brewery

Stripmall Surprise
The Flipside Café

charlotte's best bites the flipside cafe

The Flipside Café is hidden in a stripmall just outside of Regency Park over the border in South Carolina and if you blink for a second, you just might miss it.  The Flipside is a passion project for famed Charlotte chef, Jon Fortes and his wife Amy.  Proud members of the Piedmont Culinary Guild, Jon and his wife, are avid believers in quality, local fare at an affordable price.  They elevate common comfort foods with unique twists and beautiful presentations.  

charlotte's best bites the flipped cafeMy standard M.O. is to order several plates – tapas style – and split them with my husband.  Their menu changes frequently based on what’s in season, but our current loves include the burrata and beet salad, warm asparagus with a fried egg, cast iron shrimp and grits, and brussel sprouts with balsalmic and smoked bacon.

charlotte's best bites the flipside cafe

 

Best Sushi
Sushi Guru

charlotte's best bites sushi guru

You think you know Charlotte’s sushi scene but haven’t been to Sushi Guru?  Then you know nothing, my friend.  Conveniently tucked behind Rooster’s South Park location, Sushi Guru, boasts impressive, fresh sushi-grade fish that they fly in on a daily basis.  What I find particularly exciting about Sushi Guru is the way that they excute upon their product.  My favorite dish is their smoked sashimi tuna.  Chef Cy Santos smokes his beautiful cuts of tuna with tea leaves and coffee beans.  It’s delivered to the table in a glass jar which makes for an impressive presentation, especially when entertaining first time guests.  The Guru roll topped with crispy fried garlic, the refreshingly spicy Hamachi Jalenpeno roll, and the savory South Park roll are other go-tos at this must-visit sushi spot.

charlotte's best bites sushi guru

Food that Could Be Mistaken as Art
Lumiere

charlotte's best bites lumiere

It’s hard to compare French fare to any other in my book.  I really love the heart and soul that goes into perfecting French cooking.  When going to Lumiere, don’t get caught up in the décor.  It feels a little stiff for my personal taste.  But DO get ready to “ohh” and “ahh” at their painstaking and perfectly plated dishes.  charlotte's best bites lumiere

Is the food delicious?  Of course.  But it is also a downright beautiful and sensory experience that I haven’t seen elsewhere in Charlotte.  In today’s Instagram/photo-op society, you will not find a better place to snap your next frame-worthy shot than at Lumiere.  

charlotte's best bites lumiere

Restaurant that You’ll Want to Brag About to Your Friends
Futo Buta

charlotte's best bites futo buta

I was so excited about trying Futo Buta that I went on the second night of their soft opening.  I went in thinking that there would likely be some mishaps as is common with all new restaurants and that the food might not be up to par, but excited nonetheless.  Not only did Futo Buta KILL it on the service, ambience, and execution of their food during that visit, it was such a memorable and interesting experience that I rushed home and posted about it on every social media channel that I could think of, texted my friends, AND made plans to visit the following week.  

charlotte's best bites futo buta

If you haven’t tried a traditional ramen house before, be prepared; it’s a little messy as everything is served in soup bowls and without traditional utensils.  The payoff though is well worth the mess (and you can always ask for utentsils if necessary).  My go-to starter is the pork buns.  I really like the texture that Futo Buta gets on the bun itself and the pork belly is always cut and cooked just right.  In terms of the ramen, the Fire & Ice cannot be beat.  I’m not a huge fan of salmon, but the way that they pair it with mint and a kimchi broth makes for a very unique and interesting hot/cold combination that is difficult to parallel to any other restaurant in Charlotte – so much so that I dare you not to Tweetstagram all of your friends and get them to go with you.

charlotte's best bites futo buta

I can’t believe I’ve never been to Sushi Guru before!!! Where’s the best sushi in Charlotte?

png+kaitlin+tileKaitlin has lived in Charlotte for over 15 years and is proud to consider it her home.  She got into the culinary industry via her love of wine.  She studied and worked in the wine business in Queensland, Australia where she attended University.  Kaitlin’s eclectic taste in food ranges from innovative concepts like Soul Gastrolounge and Bang, Bang Burgers to classics like Barrington’s and Lumiere.  Her passion for the culinary industry has recently manifested itself in the creation of foodie-centric Phyrefly.  Phyrefly helps diners to save on the city’s best restaurants and discover something new in the process.

Follow Kaitlin and Phyrefly on Instagram and Twitter!!!

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Comments

  1. Leigh Powell HInes says

    September 23, 2015 at 9:05 am

    Charlotte has some great places to dine.

    Reply
  2. Julie @ Running in a Skirt says

    September 23, 2015 at 10:15 am

    These look like some seriously good eats! I’ll add them to my list the next time I’m in Charlotte!

    Reply

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chrissie off the eaten path blog
Hi! I'm Chrissie: a pizza and sushi loving, craft beer and red wine drinking, restaurant exploring and traveling home cook who's been taking pictures of my food since 2013. To learn more about Off the Eaten Path, click here!

Get in touch: offtheeatenpathclt@gmail.com

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@leah_and_louise is hosting such a creative and de @leah_and_louise is hosting such a creative and delicious event benefiting the Charlotte community today. their pay what you can soup kitchen (with a suggested donation of $20) brought together 16 local chefs to make really freaking good soup with all proceeds benefiting @myhealcharlotte an organization "created to support dialogue and relationship building between urban youth and families, the police, other divisions of government, and community partners." They "strive to engage a diverse group of youth to create stronger neighborhoods and a better city." In the wake of the pandemic, Heal Charlotte is on a mission to provide a safer and healthier living environment for the communities they serve.

We got two orders to go, so we got our choice of four pints plus rolls from @dukesbread to take home. It was SO HARD to pick just four from so many great chefs but we ended up with celery root soup from @chefwhitneythomas, brisket chili from @lewdon4, vegan curry sweet potato soup from @chefccoleman and Virginia peanut stew from @jbarnes757.

If you're jealous of our lunch and dinner today (yes we're eating soup all day) there are a few limited walk up tickets available, so swing by @campnorthend before the event ends at 3pm. I love the kindness and creativity of the Charlotte food community! 

#soupseason #soupweather #soupforthesoul #soupoftheday #soupfordinner #soupfordays #nosoupforyou #cltfood #cltfoodcommunity #charlottefood #charlottenc #charlottecommunity #clt #queencity #givebacktothecommunity #cltfoodie #cltfoodbloggers #mlkday #soupszn #soupbowl #supportlocalrestaurants
Just in time for you to watch the playoffs on your Just in time for you to watch the playoffs on your couch this weekend ( #gopackgo ) I wrote a post all about the best wings in Charlotte 🤗

Local businesses are tagged and  leave a 🐓or 🍗 if you want me to send you the link!

#wings #buffalowings #chickenwings #buffalowing #cltfood #cltfoodie #cltfoodbloggers #cltfoodies #charlottenc #charlottefood #charlotteeats #clteats #eastcoastfoodies #eastcoastfeastcoast #eatclt #ncfoodfinds #ncfood #ncfoodie #northcarolina #northcarolinafood #dinelocal #foodiechats #supportlocalrestaurants #gamedayfood #gamedayready #footballfood #chickenwing #hotwings
hi my friends, lets talk takeout. are you still lo hi my friends, lets talk takeout. are you still looking for local takeout inspiration? we've found that over the past ten months, one of the easiest ways for us to support local restaurants and eat delicious is by ordering takeout once a week (sometimes more if we can't get to the grocery store or don't feel like cooking). our take out routine is a mix of new to us places as well as some tried and true trusty standbys, and I'm going to try to highlight some of our favorite spots more often. (like a #takeouttuesday situation but since I'm not super organized I cannot promise a new post every tuesday!)

it seems very appropriate to kick of this takeout series (whatever you want to call it!) with a classic: pizza! @iniziopizza is one of our favorite restaurants in charlotte and we order from them a lot (confession: we always get two pizzas because we are greedy and don't want to share with each other). while I'm always and forever on team pistachio pesto pizza, we tried their two new seasonal pies this week: the Pizza Di Pera (with cider poached pears, toasted walnuts, fior di latte, buffalo mozzarella, topped with a gorgonzola cream) and Porchetta Pizza (slow roasted Italian porchetta made in house, broccoli rabe, lemon zest, pecorino, fior di latte, buffalo mozzarella, topped with a salsa verde). they were both delish but we agree we can't get enough of that gorgonzola cream 

this is a 🚨free food alert🚨 post. inizio graciously let us take home their new seasonal specials at no cost to us, but as avid pizza lovers we do exercise our wallets a lot at their dilworth location (inizio is included in my best pizza in charlotte post which I just updated you can read on my blog...if you want the link leave a 🍕). and please don't forget to tip, even with take out!

#pizzagram #pizzanight #pizzanapoletana #pizzaporn #pizzalove #pizzaday #pizzaislife #cltpizza #charlottepizza #cltfood #cltfoodie #clteats #charlottenc #queencity #eatlocal #feastagram #eastcoastfeastcoast #charlotteeats #charlottesgotalot #eatclt #pizzatime #ncfoodfinds #ncfood #supportlocalrestaurants #dinelocal #foodiechats
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I wear a mask to protect my family, friends, neighbors and strangers I've never met.

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What happened at the US Capitol yesterday was white supremacy. It’s the same white supremacy that this country was founded on and has plagued the US for centuries. It’s the deep-seated, extremist right-wing ideology that underlies US policing and the Republican Party.

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i feel like i should have something profound or re i feel like i should have something profound or reflective to say, but i don’t. aj picked up this piece of pie for me when getting our breakfast takeout this morning and i can’t wait to eat it while i watch anderson and andy get drunk tonight.

goodbye 2020 and happy almost new year my friends. i like hanging out with you on the internet and maybe we can see each other and eat pie irl in 2021.

(pie by @thesoutherly, festive plate courtesy of our airbnb, and many thanks to @cnn for drunk anderson cooper and andy cohen on my tv)

#cherrypie #cherries #fruitpie #pie #sliceofpie #bakedgoods #bakedgoodies #bakingfromscratch #bakinglove #dessertsofinstagram #dessertporn #dessertlover #dessertpic #dessertoftheday #dessertgoals #dessertlovers #dessertlove #piegram #ncfoodfinds #ncfoodie #carolinabeach #nceats #northcarolinacoast #ncfood #explorenc #explorenorthcarolina
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