I had a quick lunch at the new location of The Hickory Tavern in Ballantyne and was pleasantly surprised. I had only been to the Carmel Road location before and my memory of it was that it was very smokey. It looked fairly nice from the decor but the smoke was pretty bad the night we went. The Ballantyne location was not smokey at all. It was extremely clean and the service was exceptional. The atmosphere was very upscale for a bar/tavern. I was amazed at the level of service I received not just from my waitress but also the other waitresses within the restaurant in making sure my drink was full, etc.

There were more televisions lining the walls than I could count without physically walking around the restaurant and counting them. I don’t think there is a bad seat in the place to watch a game. Please correct me if I am wrong, as I have not actually gone there to watch a game.

I tried something that I had never had before - a Folly Beach Reuben. This was basically a Reuben with the corned beef/pastrami substituted with whitefish. It was really good; although, not as good as if I had gotten the corned beef/pastrami version. Of course, I am sure the whitefish was much more healthy than corned beef. Would I get it again? Probably - if I were in a more healthy mood. If not, I would elect for the corned beef.

Next time, I will probably get something entirely different though. Their menu is fairly large - containing your typical bar fare like chicken wings, burgers and other sandwiches to pizza, calzones, chicken and steaks. Years ago, the Carmel Road location had a oyster night with 35 cent oysters. I am not sure if this is still going on, but I am sure the price is probably higher now any way.

All in all, I enjoyed my visit to The Hickory Tavern. The service was exceptional and the food was good. Feel free to comment about your own experiences with The Hickory Tavern.

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.

There is really only one word for this place: Spectacular!

I have been a frequent visitor to McCormick & Schmicks for well over a year now - having tried virtually every item on the menu.  At one time, I had tried everything on the menu but they change the menu frequently.  The prices are more than what I typically spend on dinner but the lunch menu is very similar and much cheaper - although not cheap.  Lunch will run about $15-$17 per person.  A full dinner with appetizers, entrees and dessert will run around $50 per person, before any alcohol.

My wife and I went there the other night in what was planned to be a pre-Indiana Jones meal.  Unfortunately, we engorged ourselves so much and took so long doing it, we did not feel like a movie afterward. 

The ambiance is very upscale and the staff very professional.  The staff is always very knowledgable and willing to ablige whatever desire that you have. 

On this visit, I had a decided to splurge a little.  I had a 2 lb Whole Main Lobster stuffed with lump crab meat.  It was outstanding.  It was pre-split down the middle for me so that the meat was extremely easy for me to get to.  As I said before, it was simply amazing. 

My wife had a Steak and Shrimp Combination, but as you may recall from prior post, she does not eat seafood, so the shrimp were for me.  The combination also came with McCormick & Schmick’s Signature Creme Brulee - again for me, my favorite dessert.

The shrimp were large and also stuffed with lump crab meat.  This was the first time I had had these, and as usual, I was very pleased - delicious.

One thing I usually do is to order the Potato Croquet as my side item.  I did so this time, and it was cooked to perfection.  As you take a bite of the croquet, you have to wonder how the chefs at McCormick’s are able to prepare food this amazing while competitors can not.   

When it was time for dessert, I was still excited to see the Creme Brulee placed on the table along with the Cheesecake that my wife ordered.   Again, the Creme Brulee was outstanding.  I will stop short of saying that this is the best Creme Brulee I have had, because it is not.  But, it is near the top of the list.   Of course, I do not recall ever getting a bad Creme Brulee. 

My wife throughly enjoyed her Filet Mignon as well.  I routinely go with friends that do not eat seafood and they all rave about the steaks.  For those who have ever heard the phrase, “never eat steak at a seafood place”, can throw that advice out the window at McCormick & Schmicks.    I will agree with most seafood places, but not McCormicks.    Of course, if you eat seafood - get seafood. 

Since I have literally visited this restaurant 100’s of times, I will list out some of my favorite dishes too:

Oysters On the Half Shell - always extremely fresh, and always extremely delicious.  This is one of the few restaurants that I will actually eat raw oysters at.  I do not trust most restuarants to handle the oysters properly - especially some of the “dives” around town that proclaim to be raw bars.   Don’t get me wrong, I will drink a few beers and eat a bucket of steamed oysters at those places, but I am not eating a raw one.

Ahi Tuna - Sesame Seared
Halibut, with Roasted Garlic Butter
Swordfish, with Boiled Red Potatoes and Lemon Butter
Atlantic Salmon, Roasted on a Cedar Plank with Northwest Berry Sauce (THE BEST SALMON I HAVE EVER HAD, BAR NONE)
Yellowtail Flounder, Permesan Crusted with Lemon Caper Butter

Desserts:  Pretty much all of them are great

Upside Down Granny Smith Apple Pie
Cheesecake
Cholocate Bomb
Creme Brulee

A new Salsa’s Mexican Restaurant just opened in Ayrsley (I-485 and S. Tryon Street), so I decided to check it out.  I can only assume that it is related to the other two Salsa’s in Charlotte: one in Carmel Commons near Pineville and the other in Galleria Village in the Matthews area.  As of today, the new location is not listed on their website but the logo looks the same as the others.

The decor and ambiance seemed much more upscale to me than the other two locations - not they they are not nice.  All of the locations have a much nicer decor and appeal than most other Charlotte Mexican Restaurants.  The good news is that while the decor and ambiance appear to be increasing to a more upscale appeal, the prices are still very reasonable.  Most of the meals on the menu were under $10.

I think the service that I had on this particular day was some of the best I have had.  The waitress was very attentive and had no problem keeping us supplied with ample amounts of tea. 

I ordered a combo that allowed me to select two of the following:  enchilada, chili cheese burrito, taco, or chili relleno.  As usual, I was able to select beef or chicken for the entrees.  It also came with Mexican rice or refried beans, a baby green mix and sour cream.  The cost was $6.79.  I chose the enchilada and the chili relleno.

First, the good news. The chips and salsa were well on par with expectations.  The Mexican rice was exceptional.  It was some of the best that I have ever had.  It had a very small tinge of smoked flavor that added a perfect touch to the rice.

Now the bad news.  The chicken in the enchilada was a bit dry.  This seems to be rare with Mexican because of the sauces/spices, but in this case it was.  The chili relleno was good except that the cheese was not all of the way melted.  It could have stood another minute or so in the “cooker.”

All in all, it was only an average experience on this visit.  The ambiance and the services were very good, some of the food was great, some of it not so great.  Perhaps they are just ironing out some rough edges in the kitchen since the location is new.  I have always gotten great food at the other two locations.  I am sure I will give them another shot – primarily due to the location and my experiences with the other two locations.