Hi Tide Poke & Raw Bar Offers a Fresh Take on Charlotte's Poke Scene

Background: 
Hi Tide opened in Dilworth in late 2017 during a poke explosion in the Charlotte area. However, Hi Tide stands apart, as it is owned by Meat & Fish Co. founder Michel LaVecchia. LaVecchia teamed up with Jeff Van Dyke, Jeffery Schreiber, and Raquel Arreola to bring high end meat and fish to the poke scene. Meat & Fish Co. used to be in the spot where Hi Tide is now, but it has moved upstairs. This proximity ensures that all of the fish used at Hi Tide is ridiculously fresh. We have visited Hi Tide on our own and, more recently, as part of a blogger event in mid-August. Below is a combination of items from both visits. 

Eat This: 

Oysters

Oyster Happy Hour runs every Monday-Friday from 4pm-7pm

Lobster Lollipop

Insert praise emoji here

Lobster Avocado Toast

Millenials everywhere are crying tears of joy

Hi-Tide Lobster Roll

Served with seasoned chips or fries. Lobster rolls are only $15.99 all day on Mondays.

Ahi Tuna Burger

Served with seasoned chips or fries

Rainbow Poke Bowl

Salmon, Hamachi, Ahi Tuna, Scallions, Pickled Red Onion, Red Cabbage, Sweet Corn, Cucumber, Limu/Ogo, Carrots, Mandarin Orange, Jalapeno/Serrano Salad, Shuyu Sesame Oil, Seasoned Milky Queen Rice

Build-Your-Own Poke Bowl

All sorts of goodness in this bowl

Poke Nachos

Crispy wontons, Ahi Tuna, Avocado, Scallions, Crispy garlic, Cucumber, Seaweed Salad, Hawaiian Sea Salt, tomato, pickled red onion, Creamy Togarashi & Unagi Sauce

Dessert:
There is only one dessert option, a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. It is dang good, though. Cookie is not pictured since I ate it faster than the speed of light.  

Drink: 
Hi Tide has tons of canned beer options, plus wine. Our favorite drinks are the non-alcoholic drinks on tap--specifically the coconut milk cold brew. They also offer a POG (pineapple, orange, guava) juice, a peach honey green tea, and a strawberry and candied lime juice. 

HAWAIIAN cold brew with COCONUT milk

Life-giving

Atmosphere: 
At Hi Tide, you order at the counter and they bring your food out to your table when it's ready. There is not a huge amount of seating, but I think you will likely be able to avoid a wait, as a large portion of their business seems to be carry out orders. 

Raw Hospitality: 
The team at Hi Tide obviously takes great pride in each dish they serve, and it's clear they aren't solely trying to get people in and out quickly, but rather their focus in on serving a quality product to each customer. We have received impeccable service on every visit. 

Frankie's Notes: 
They have a POG juice, but why don't they have a PUG juice?; That cold brew coffee has gotten me through a lot of sleepy afternoons; There is nothing more exciting to a millennial gremlin than lobster and avocado toast, and when you put those items together, you create a hole in the universe that is a portal to a world where 90s Nickelodeon shows play all day and the skies rain with Fruit by the Foot & Surge; I brought home this tuna burger to Jason for dinner, and that earned me 33 Wife Points. When you reach 75 Wife Points, you get a dinner out and a pedicure. 

 

Omaggio Pizzeria

Background: 
Omaggio means "tribute" in Italian, and Omaggio Pizzeria in the Metropolitan Center in Midtown, Charlotte is just that--a tribute to the simple and flavorful cuisine of Rome. Owner Daniel Siragusa moved from Rome with his family when he was three, and he has maintained a strong connection to his family's roots ever since. 

Omaggio has pizza, pasta, sandwiches, salads, and homemade soups. Recently, Siragusa invited us out to try some menu items, including their seasonal spring pizza. We liked it so much, that we came back the following week with Jason's grandma! At 96, she is the toughest critic we know, and we were sure that Omaggio would pass her strict muster. We were right--she loved it!

On our two visits, we have tried a couple of appetizers, pizza, and pasta. Their pizza is now one of our Charlotte favorites. The thin Roman-style crust is a welcome change from all of the Neapolitan pizza we have had in our lives lately. Check out all of the delicious things we tried below!

Eat This: 

Burrata

Proscuitto San Daniele & Burrata

up close & personal 

Bruschette

originale & truffle

Parmigiana

tomato sauce, homemade Italian sausage, fior di latte (fresh mozzarella), roasted eggplant, shaved parmigiano reggiano

Fior di Zucca

whole milk mozzarella, ricotta, zucchini, zucchini flower, salt, pepper, EVOO

Pepperoni

tomato sauce, whole milk mozzarella, pepperoni (delicious baby pepperoni!)

Ortolana

tomato sauce, whole milk mozzarela, roasted red peppers, eggplant, zuucchini

Bolognese

with spaghetti (sub for rigatoni) 

Garlic Rolls

Hey Mikey! She likes it!

Dessert: 
The tiramisu and cannolis are made in-house, and we tried the tiramisu on our first visit. It was the fluffiest and most flavorful we have had this side of the Atlantic.  We also tried their peach and lemon sorbets, and those were also fabulous. 

A thing of beauty is a joy forever

House-made Tiramisu

as fluffy as a cloud

Peach Sorbet

with house-made whipped cream

Lemon Sorbet

Grandma's favorite!

Drink: 
Omaggio offers soft drinks, beer, wine, and really good Illy brand coffee and espresso. 

Americano

Atmosphere: 
Casual, light, bright, and clean. There is also a lovely patio dining area.  

Roman Hospitality: 
Siragusa and his staff provide top notch service, and this is one of the biggest draws. You are treated like family at Omaggio, and that's a rare and precious thing in our city's rapidly growing restaurant scene. 

Frankie's Notes: 
When Grandma likes a restaurant, you know it is top notch; I didn't share even a bite of those garlic rolls with anyone; We love all of the decorative bikes at Charlotte restaurants; The tiramisu at Omaggio is so good it will make your forget your own name; We are starting a petition for more flowers on pizza; Does Omaggio get the baby pepperoni from miniature pigs? 

Disclaimer: [Some of these] meal[s] were provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are our own, and we were not compensated for this review.

 

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DeSano Pizzeria

Background: 
DeSano Pizzeria is a small chain with locations in California, Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. All DeSano locations adhere to the strict guidelines required to be called Napoletana pizza. There are specifics on crust, type/temperature of ovens, tomatoes, cheese; the process to be a certified Napoletana pizza is intense, and for a good reason: the pizzas are delicious. They are so delicious, in fact, that Tom Brady and Gisele are known to break their strict diets in order to enjoy a pie every now and again. 

There are two DeSano locations in Charlotte, one in Midtown and one in Waverly. We have been to the Midtown location several times, on one occasion we went as part of a blog even hosted by our favorite, Stephanie from LifebyChipsahoyt. 

Certified Napoletana ovens 

Eat This: 
Well, you gotta get the pizza, obviously. Our favorites are the lasagna pizza and the classic marghertia. 

Lasagna 

San Marzano tomato sauce, meatballs, ricotta, garlic, scamorza, mozzarella di bufala, pecorino romano

VERDURA  

Broccoli rabe, mushrooms, Vesuvian cherry tomatoes, garlic, scamorza, mozzarella di bufala, pecorino romano

NAPOLETANA

Broccoli rabe, sausage, scamorza, mozzarella di bufala, pecorino romano

One of the best parts about DeSano is that you can order any pie Carnevale style, which means they bake ricotta into the crust for a classy stuffed-crust experience. It's only fifty cents, so we can't see any reason why you would not take this option. Also, it turns your pizza into an infinitely Instagrammable star shape. 

You're a star

...shaped pizza!

In addition to pizzas, DeSano also has incredible meatballs, calzones, and salads. I often see people grabbing meatballs to take home to add to a pasta, but when we order them, I usually just eat them straight up as a side. 

Spinach salad

For health!

The Midtown location also offers a weekend brunch special where you can get cold pizza and a Bloody Mary bar. If you are not into cold pizza, then they will also heat it up for you, but we think this is such a cool and unique offering!

Cold pizza and a bloody mary

For what ails you on Sunday mornigns

Dessert: 
Okay, ya'll. Here is our favorite thing about DeSano. They will serve you cannoli filling in a bowl. This is ostensibly a gluten-free option, but we really just dig cannoli filling. Proceed with caution, however. As this is an off-menu item, we have found what we get to be rather inconsistent (a giant bowl compared to a small bowl, chocolate chips mixed in compared to on top, cashiers not knowing how to ring this up, etc.), however, it is worth the gamble, because when it's good, it's good. Seriously, we fight one another over these bowls, so I recommend getting two. 

Straight. up.

Cannoli in a bowl

You can also go classic, in a shell cannoli, if you're into that sort of thing. 

Classic cannoli

Image courtesy of Roamilicious 

One thing we haven't tried, and we have major FOMO, is DeSano's dessert pizza. Look at this beauty!

Uh, Yeah

Image courtesy of Austin.com

Drink: 
DeSano Midtown has a full bar, as well as fun specialty drinks like Mexican coke and San Pellegrino sparkling fruit beverages. Molto Italiano!

Bloody Mary

A classic

Atmosphere: 
The DeSano in Midtown is huge. The kitchen is open, and there is a bar and an enclosed patio. You order at the counter. The one in Midtown is not usually very full, as it seems most of their business is from take-out orders. 

Italiano Hospitality: 
The counter service is very friendly, and the pizza makers work quickly to get you eating in no time. 

OMG is that my pizza?!

Trust the process

Frankie's Notes: 
If Tom Brady deigns to get off of his pretentious throne to grab carry out pizza, then you know it's got to be good; We like to get pizza two or three times a week, which inspired our Pizza Wars podcast episode; There are no losers in the game of pizza; Why don't they bake Nutella into the crust of the dessert pizza?!; Why don't we bake Nutella into everything and thus create world peace in our time? 

Disclaimer: [Some of these] meal[s] were provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are our own, and we were not compensated for this review.