I was going to Discovery Place today with Zack, and decided to go eat beforehand. We looked at several of the other nearby options, including Zink, but it did not seem like an atmosphere that I wanted to take a four year old - especially one that was particularly wild on this day.  We noticed Stool Pigeons Coops & Grill on the corner of Church and 5th Street - directly across from the Discovery Place entrance and parking garage.

I had seen Stool Pigeons before I both this location as well as the Matthews location, and had always wanted to try one.  Due to its atmosphere, price point, and location, today was the day.

When we went it. I was pleasantly surprised. While it has a long bar that runs the length of the restaurant, there were about 15 tables an about 8 booths. The booths were huge compared to most place. Everything had a dark wood stain which made it look.a lot nicer than just your average bar.  There were also tons of TV’s scattered throughout the place to watch you favorite game on.

We were greeted and seated immediately. The waitress was very attentive - although, it was very slow since they had just opened for the day.

Now on the important part, the food. I expected the menu to be made up of a lot of “bar” food, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a mix of a few other things throughout.

They had the standard bar stuff on the “Starters” menu (nachos, wings, onion rings, mozzarella sticks to name a few). They also had a fairly long list of salads (six in all) as well as chilli and soup. They had a lot of Wraps and a few sandwiches and burgers.   In addition to those, they had larger entrees that included mahi mahi and a black angus ribeye. They also had a variety of pizzas. As far as price goes, the appetizers, salads, and sandwiches ranged between $6 and $9. The entrees ranged between $12 and $16.

I got the “Giant Mahi Mahi Pita” which was grilled mahi mahi topped with pepper jack cheese, shredded lettuce and mango salsa stuffed in a giant pita. It also came with fries. The sandwich was delicious. The pepper jack cheese and the mango salsa mixed with the mahi to make a great mixture of complimentary flavors in my mouth. I would recommend it to anyone (well, anyone that eats fish).

My wife got the chicken fingers entree.  It came with three oversized chicken tenders served with tator tots.  She thought they were “ok” but to me they had too much breading on them.

My sons “cheesy pizza” was good (for a bar, but not great for a pizza place). It had both mozzarella and parmesan cheese with a garlic butter crust.  One thing of note is that they do not have a kids menu, but have several non-menu specia for kids. For instance, the pizza that my son got was on the regular menu for $8.99, but was only $4.99 (same size and everything).

Another plus for me was that they had Pepsi products!

All in all, I won’t hesitate to go back there!

There are also locations in the University area and in Matthews; although, I have not visited those.

For the first time in several years, I went to The Capital Grille for dinner. For those unfamiliar to The Capital Grille, it is an upscale restaurant chain with locations in major cities throughout the U.S. Our local location is in the heart of Uptown Charlotte at 201 North Tryon Street. If you are concerned with parking, they have valet service, so you just have to pull up in front of the restaurant on Tryon and they will park the car for you. If you do not wish to valet, there are many parking decks within a few blocks. Make sure you make reservations (704-348-1400).

The atmosphere at The Capital Grille is as nice as any restaurant in Charlotte. It gives me the feeling of a very upscale lodge but is quite beautiful in its architecture. Everything has a dark would finish that enables you to be comfortable and relaxed.

The service was exceptional - easily a 10. The waitress was extremely knowledgable about every ingredient of every dish and how it was prepared. She kept our drinks refilled well in advance of our actually needing them and was always around if we needed to ask a question or anything.

While I normally order a Filet when visiting these types of steakhouses, the waitress steered me toward the Porcini Rubbed Delmonico steak. I was so glad she did. This steak was just phenominal. It was dry aged (as all steaks at The Capital Grille are) and had was topped off with a light drizzling of premium 8-year aged balsamic. I was not sure what they topping on top was as I ate it, but upon reviewing the menu determined it to be the balsamic. This steak was perfect in about every way. It was also very large at 22oz. The broiling process created a thin crust of porcini mushroom that blended perfectly with the other flavors. As stated before, this steak was amazing.

I had two sides with my meal - Fresh Asparagus with Hollandaise and Roasted Seasonal Mushrooms. The asparagus was exceptional, but the mushrooms were simply outstanding. They consisted of a large portion of portabella, oyster, shiitake, crimini and button mushrooms that were slowly roasted with extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, thyme and garlic butter. Like the steak, they were amazing. I am so glad that the waitress recommended them.

After eating all of this, I was quite full. Of course, I am a huge sucker for Creme Brulee and guess what? They had it. It too, was fantastic. Of course, does anyone make bad Creme Brulee? I have never found it.

All in all, The Capital Grille hit a grand slam on this visit. Everything about it was exceptionally great.

Before making your reservations to The Capital Grille, beware that the prices are not cheap. They are an upscale restaurant and charge accordingly ($$$$).

I was uptown today and decided to hit one of my old favorites - Mert’s Heart & Soul. Located at 214 S. College Street, Mert’s is in the heart of uptown. I had not been to Mert’s in at least 5 years because of my infrequent visits to uptown, and was pleased to say that it was just as I remembered it.   Mert’s maintains an extremely clean and jazzy atmosphere with what is perhaps the best low country cooking that Charlotte has to offer.  

The menu is fairly short compared to many restaurants who try to kill you with choices.  Mert’s has a handful of entrees and prepares them just right.    The menu has also not changed much over the years - nor should it have changed.  Any of the entrees from the “Daily Fixin’s” is a winner - blackened pork chops, southern fried chicken, fried catfish or whiting, or barbecue beef ribs.  Today, I had the famous salmon cakes.  These are simply some of the best you will ever get.  Instead of canned salmon like many places uses for their salmon cakes, Mert’s poaches fresh salmon, blends it with Cajun Trinity, adds spices, and serves them to you with their own remoulade sauce.  The end result is quite amazing. 

With any of the main entrees, Mert’s allows you to select from two side items.  Don’t count on getting any canned veggies here.  Mert’s has fresh veggies delivered to them daily and prepares them just right.  Today I had the green beans along with okra and tomatoes.  The green beens were excellent.  They were juicy and tender and had been cooked with bacon - just like grandma used to do.  You could definately tell the difference between these and the kind you get from a can.  The okra and tomatoes included a dash of spice.  They were great too; although, I could have used a bit more okra and a little less tomatoes - but perhaps that is just me. 

My wife had the fried chicken which came out as perfect as always.  Mert’s blends their own seasoning and fries the chicken to perfection.   Obviously, I am not the only person who is a fan of the chicken at Mert’s.  According to their website, they served 73,920 pieces of fried chicken in 2006.  For her side, she had the “award winning” macaroni & cheese.    It too is some of the best I have had. 

Also, many of my readers know that one of my peeves for restaurants in Charlotte (anywhere in the South actually) is bad sweet tea.  Therefore, I must mention that  Mert’s tea is blended perfectly.  Not too sweet (if there is such a thing) but sweet enough. 

Another great thing about Mert’s is that the employees are all so friendly.  They all seem like they love working there and love pleasing the customers. 

Whether you are visiting uptown for business or pleasure, Mert’s is the one place you need to stop if you truly want a taste of Charlotte.