Global Restaurant

Have you ever had lamb belly? 

Background: 
Global Restaurant has been a part of the Charlotte dining scene for over ten years--first in Ballantyne, and now in their Pineville location. Owners and husband and wife team Bernard & Shannon Brunet came from opposite corners of the world (Bernard is from Nice, France and Shannon is from Boone, NC), and met on a cruise ship where he was the Executive Chef and she was a performer. I don't know about you, but I would certainly love to see the movie version of that--très romantique! It sounds like Dirty Dancing at sea, but with more calories. I can dig it. 

Chef Bernard & Shannon are passionate about bringing high quality, international cuisine to Charlotte, and after a recent visit, we can certainly confirm that they are delivering on that goal. Global is essentially two restaurants in one, in that there is an upscale, white tablecloth dining area upstairs, and a more casual "Bar Bites" menu downstairs. On our visit, we tasted items from their fine dining menu, but we are looking forward to going back soon to try their grass-fed burgers and chicken wings. 

Eat This: 

Ahi Tuna Crudo

yucca crisp, cucumber, compressed cantelope

Pickled Farm Deviled Eggs

beet pickled eggs, Benton's candied bacon

Tega Hills Farm Squash Blossom

Peruvian cherry pepper filling, Chipotle buttermilk

Flash fried, finished in the oven

Rosen Lamb Belly

24 hours braised, ramp pesto risotto, aubergine two ways

Chef Bernard creates this glorious dish by stacking up three pieces of lamb belly to recreate the thickness of pork belly

SC Mahi

summer squash salad with strawberry pesto

Angus Strip Block

corn creamed succotash, Guajilo ketchup

Dessert: 

Milk Chocolate "Pot De Cremachino"

with NC strawberry

Drink: 
Not only is Shannon the front of the house expert, she is also in charge of creating Global's cocktail menu and curating their listed-by-country wine list, which she calls her "first baby" (their second baby is their sweet son Xavier, whom we briefly met at dinner!). Shannon changes the cocktail menu seasonally, and we got to try a flight of three cocktails on our visit. Our trio included: Pineville Punch with rum, rock candy syrup, jalapeno, and Amarena cherries; Lombardi's Limoncello with limoncello, gin, fresh lemon juice, and club soda; and a Drunken Strawberry Margarita with tequila, drunken strawberries, rock candy syrup, and a salted rim. My favorite was the Pineville Punch, because I am a sucker for anything with cherries. These went down way too easily! 

Cocktail Flight

from left to right: Pineville Punch, Lombardi's Limoncello & Drunken Strawberry Margarita

Atmosphere: 
We ate our meal in the downstairs area (even though it was from the upstairs menu), so we can't speak to the ambiance of the upstairs area, but the downstairs was warm and inviting. There is also a lovely (and dog friendly!) patio that would be perfect in the cooler months. Jason and I will not be dining outside until around December, as it is currently the temperature of the surface of the sun in Charlotte. To quote Fitzgerald in the form of Daisy Buchanan: "It's too hot to fuss." Indeed, Daisy.  

Chef Bernard spitting truth about farm to table cuisine while Heidi takes notes

Pineville Hospitality: 
Chef Bernard and Shannon were our main servers for this meal, so to say we had impeccable treatment is an understatement. Service was smooth and the pacing and the tempertaure of all dishes was on point. 

Bonus: Chef Bernard even gave Chrissie Beth and the bloggers photography tips

Frankie's Notes: 
Lamb bellies are similar to pork bellies in that if you rub them three times, you will be granted a magic wish; Frankie had dreams of starring in the stage version of Dirty Dancing at Sea until he broke his paw and couldn't perform; Jason loved that squash blossom until we told him it had cream cheese; The moral of the story is that Jason really does like cream cheese, deep down; It's too hot to fuss until it's time for the Ren Fest, which everyone knows is the unofficial official start of fall; Chef Bernard's photography classes are only offered by appointment only, so don't try to order them from the Bar Bites menu. 

Disclaimer: This meal was 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.

 

Seafood Connection

Background: 
Seafood connection, owned by Chef Jamie Walker, started as a pop-up in Dublin, Georgia. When Walker moved, he moved his pop-up with him to Charlotte, and he operated mainly out of Indian restaurant King of Spicy. Last year, the owners of King of Spicy decided to close up shop, and Walker purchased their space, and he is now operating full time in the Albemarle road location.

Walker and his team of chefs pride themselves on only cooking fresh food (never frozen), and making all of their sauces from scratch. 

We were invited out a few weeks ago to check out Seafood Connection, but it seems as though much of Charlotte already knows about this spot--the restaurant has 45k+ Instagram followers, and Walker and his girlfriend, Yashica Russell, said that they regularly see wait times over one hour. They are open Thursday-Sunday only, and they serve a brunch menu from 11-3 on Sundays. 

Eat This: 

Shrimp & Grits

a classic

Everyone at the table loved this dish. A winner. 

Chicken & Waffles

fried chicken tenders & red velvet waffle

Another solid option. The chicken was spicy and a certain someone at my table said the waffles tasted like "cupcakes." 

Shrimp Tacos

solid

Simple, but flavorful. I liked these tacos quite a bit. They could have used some hot sauce, however. 

Seafood Mac & Cheese

the winner of the night

My hands-down favorite thing we tried. It was rich and cheesy, and it had lobster, shrimp, and crab mixed in. 

C-Port Platter

lobster, crab, shrimp, potatoes, corn, & sausage

Honestly,  although Chef Walker is known for his sauce, I am not quite sure why anyone would put this much butter all over seafood. And I love butter. This actually tasted like margarine to me, and it completely overpowered the taste of the seafood. I don't mind it, but next time I would ask for it on the side. 

Dessert: 
No dessert, but if you go for Sunday brunch, that red velvet waffle could certainly function as a dessert. 

Drink: 
Seafood Connection has a full bar and a wide selection of soft drinks. 

My girls: Katy, Chrissie Beth, & Alex

Atmosphere: 
There is not much going on here in the way of atmosphere. It is a very large space with lots of windows, which was perfect for bloggers trying to get that Insta-worthy shot. My one complaint was an overwhelming smell of cleaning solution throughout the entire restaurant, which decreased my appetite somewhat. I am glad it was clean, but a harsh bleach smell certainly adversely impacts the dining experience. 

Crustacean Hospitality: 
The service, while friendly, is slow. This is more of a function of the food coming out slowly, rather than the servers themselves. Do not come here if you are in a hurry. Diners order at the counter and then receive full service at their table. Russell said to expect an hour to wait and an hour to receive food, at the bare minimum. 

Frankie's Notes: 
I was at this event for four hours without cell reception, and Jason thought I was dead; The fun doesn't start until you put on a crab bib; Chrissie Beth can crack crab legs with her bare hands, and she taught us how to be cool like her; Bloggers flock to a window seat like moths to a flame; Jason and I take a long restaurant wait time about as well as Frankie takes bath time, which is to say: not well. 
 

Disclaimer: This meal was 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.

 

Fork!

Background: 
Fork!, located in Cornelius, NC (right next to Davidson) is a farm-to-table restaurant situated in a quaint old house with a sprawling porch. Tim and Melanie Groody have owned Fork! for about four years, and they recently opened up Ramen Soul in Mooresville. Jason and I ventured here for date night on an unseasonably warm evening in February. Check out what we tried below!

FORKKKKKK!!!1!!!!

Eat This: 

Spicy Chicken spring rolls

Wasabi, plum sauce

Our waiter told us that he recommended the hickory smoked pork dumpling appetizer, but then Jason ordered these. Why would he do that? I don't know. You'll have to ask him. I don't like spring rolls, so I passed, but Jason reported that they were good. I'll eat you one day, pork dumplings. A lot of the menu items had an Asian or island-y flare, which we found interesting for the venue and rest of the menu (mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, etc.). 

Smoked caesar romaine salad

Garlic croutons, shaved artisan cheese

Simple and flavorful greens. They were even nice enough to split this into two portions for us, without us asking. Hospitality plus! 

Grapevine smoked wahoo

Bagna cauda, yogurt, arugula, pickled cauliflower greens

Fresh and citrus-y. 

All natural beef bistro steak

House made worcestershire 

The only dish we didn't like. We both felt the steak was a tad overcooked and lacked seasoning. 

Pan Seared mahi

Sorrel charmoula & basil collard pesto

The mahi had a crispy sear and great flavor. I love that the meats came with the option of sauce on the side. Obviously I ordered two (un-pictured). Because sauce. 

We don't know exactly why, but we didn't order enough dinner. Maybe the above would be enough for mere mortals, but we are hobby eaters. The only thing we didn't like was the steak, but for some reason we didn't feel like ordering anything else. It's a bit of a mystery, even to us. However, we had devised a game plan...

Dessert: 

Whit's frozen custard

...From down the way

I mean, we were only about a mile from Whit's, so...

And Whit's is only a half a mile from Kindred....

Kindred Milkbread

Yeah, that happened 

What have we done?!

We were weird. We know it. We are sure that Fork! has lovely desserts, and we will be back to try them one day. But on this night, we needed custard and some bread. I would recommend that Fork! implements a bread basket. But that's just this blogger's opinion. 

Drink: 
Jason and I stuck with tea (iced for him, hot for me) but Fork! had an inventive cocktail menu we will also be back to try. 

Atmosphere: 
Fork! was adorable, and while we liked the food, the real standout to me was the ambiance. We happened to be here on a gorgeous evening at dusk, but I have a feeling that Fork! just has good and cozy vibes whenever you go. It felt at once relaxed and upscale. 

Heyyy Jason 

Davidson Hospitality: 
Our server was super nice, and we felt awful, because we seemed to spook him with our picture taking. It wasn't his fault that we didn't order enough food and had to go to two more restaurants. That was solely on us. We are strange and we freely admit it. 

Frankie's Notes: 
We made it weird at Fork! and we don't really know why; The siren call of Kindred's milkbread is like a magnetic force field; Getting island vibes in Cornelius is confusing and exciting; Wrap-around porches make everything better; Why does Fork! have an exclamation point in it? 

Rating: 

3 out of 5

 

Hello, Sailor: Exploring One of Eater's Top 18 Restaurants in America

Crisp AF

Background: 
Hello, Sailor is brought to us by Joe & Katy Kindred, the culinary masterminds behind the Davidson favorite and their namesake, Kindred. Hello, Sailor is located just down the road from Kindred in Cornelius, in a space formerly occupied by the Rusty Rudder, a decidedly less upscale seafood joint than Hello, Sailor. This highly anticipated opening (like, for real, for real anticipated...Eater named it in its list of the 16 most anticipated restaurant openings of 2017) in December created a buzz in the Charlotte food community, and as more and more people tried it, the reviews grew more mixed. Hello, Sailor has gained a lot of haters, which is odd considering the success of Kindred. Apparently people are highly upset about loud dining rooms, overpriced entrees, and the loss of their beloved Rusty Rudder (really?). We decided to check it out for ourselves one Sunday night in January with our friends, Tamara and Zan. 

This writer's opinion: photo booths should be free for all to enjoy with the purchase of food & drink

Eat This: 
Former Charleston chef Craig Deihl runs the show in the kitchen, and he has devised some exciting options for seafood lovers. Lobster rolls, oysters, and crab legs--oh my! How could we possibly choose? Here is what we went for: 

Hamachi Poke

Benne seed, lobster roe, macadamia nut

Hands down, the poke was the highlight of the meal. All of the herbs on top made this dish flavorful and there were so many different textures happening. Ten out of ten, would eat again. The kitchen even makes a vegan version using watermelon, and that is what our dear vegan friends Tamara and Zan enjoyed. They loved it, too! 

Oysters

East vs West coast, fernet mingonette

Good oysters--super fresh and the mingonette had a strong acidic bite. Loved the signs designating these as East Coast oysters with the Biggie pic--cute (and v. hardcore, obviously).

Hushpuppies

Yuzu kosho-honey butter

Everyone at the table went wild for these light and crispy hushpuppies. 

Twice Fried Sunchokes & Caviar

Solid dish. 

Grilled Caesar

Parmagiano, breadcrumbs (pictured with shrimp add-on)

Overly dressed, but still a good salad. Jason maintains his preference for the grilled Caesar from Soul. 

King Crab

Broiled with ghee & chili salt

This was my entree, and I loved it, at first. I have never had a restaurant slice the claws in half like this, and easy to eat crab legs are a dream of every fine, upstanding, healthy, normal American [girl]. However, after a while, I noticed just how over-salted the crab was--it made my mouth dry, and it made the crab dry, too. I really didn't want to finish it at around the halfway point. However, it was market price, so you know I finished it. Crab is just too delicious to be ruined with an abundance of seasoning. People should stop being mad about acoustics and start being mad about overly salted food, because this is an issue with have also noted in the past at Kindred. Someone in the kitchen has a heavy salt [bae] hand. 

Is that you, Sous Chef at Kindred & Hello, Sailor?/image courtesy of NBC News

Watermelon

Al pastor, sea salt 

Fine--watermelon. Nothing special happening. 

Avocado Coleslaw

In the words of Jimmy Fallon--ew. Overly dressed in mayonnaise, and where the hell is the avocado? We assume in the dressing, but it really just tasted like mayo. We were also expecting even a small slice of avocado. Do not promise avocado and then fail to deliver! We are millennials. We will riot. We are triggered. Pass on this side. 

Dessert: 
Dessert options include soft serve, a seasonal hand pie and a chocolate poke cake. We went with the poke cake and the hand pie, and while the bourbon pear hand pie was super good, the poke cake blew me away. Under the top layer of chocolate cake was a crumbly, slightly under-baked German chocolate cake situation, and I was living for it. 

Poke!

Grip-able 

Drink: 
The drink selection is so fun--some of the cocktails come in exciting cups, like a tiki man or a shark, and there are bendy straws, too! I was dying over the cuteness. We ordered the uber sweet Cherry Negroni Slushie and the Sea Legs, which was an even more syrupy sweet mezcal drink that was a major disappointment, cool cup aside. I have never found the cocktails at Kindred to be quite this sweet, and I know there is a beachy vibe and all, but cocktails this sweet are just a recipe for a hangover, or at least a killer headache. 

Shhh...tiki man is sleeping 

Atmosphere: 
The Kindreds describe the vibe as "North Carolina Fish Camp meets mid-century Palm Springs," and we were loving the retro color palette (hello, millennial pink!) and fun touches, like a photo booth and a waiting area that makes you feel like you are in an episode of Mad Men. After reading reviews online, it seems that much has been made about the crappy acoustics in here, and yeah, we noticed it. The sound bounces all around the restaurant and the space does not have the coveted intimate feel that Kindred emanates. 

I spy...bananas!

Fish Camp Hospitality: 
Everyone from the hostesses, to the bartender, to our server was super nice and helpful. Our server patiently went over our questions, and the pacing was good. 

Frankie’s Notes: 
I have one question: wtf is a fish camp?; Biggie vs Tupac oysters gave me a measure of anxiety--too soon/am I choosing a side?/I don't want to get popped; Eating with vegans is fun, because you never know what those little rascals are going to order; FYI: Conrad Birdie is coming; Someone call the meme police: Salt Bae is on the freaking loose in the kitchens at Kindred and Hello, Sailor; When millennials don't get their avocado the earth tilts off its axis, dammit; Seriously: what's a fish camp? 

Creep on creepin' on, Scallionpancake friends 

Rating:

4 out of 5

 

Aliño Pizzeria

Background: 
If you read our post on Barcelona Burger Bar, then you already know we are huge fans of Michal Bay's work (not to be confused with Transformers director Michael Bay--we are decidedly not fans of his work). After our awesome experience on the right side of the converted Mooresville mill (AKA the burger side) we were invited to head back on a recent night to check out the left side (AKA the pizza side). Aliño Pizzeria has been serving up authentic Neopolitan-stye pizza since February 2015, and the people are loving it. There are regularly lines out the door, although you won't wait long, as the staff has the process of getting you in and fed down to an art form. 

How authentic is their pie? For starters, every week the restaurant gets shipments from Italy of San Marzano tomatoes, Buffalo Mozzarella, and "00" flour, a designation which means the flour is very finely ground. The pizzas are baked in custom wood-fire ovens for a mere 90 seconds. All of these steps are part of the process of making true Neopolitan pizza that has a signature soft and doughy crust with the perfect amount of chew. The ingredients used are of the highest quality, and it is evident that each pizza is made with a great amount of care. 

Eat This: 
We went with our friends Jess, Andrew, and Lorin, and splitting two pies turned out to be the perfect amount of food. 

Bellucci

Cremini mushrooms, caramelized Cipolline onion, fresh garlic, truffle oil (no sauce)

Sorrento

Pepperoni, San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, fresh garlic

The pizzas were incredible. The crust is like nothing else I've ever had, and the toppings were all flavorful and oh so savory. 

We also tried a caprese salad, and we were so glad we did. I have never tasted Buffalo mozzarella as fresh as this. The spicy greens and the late summer tomatoes drizzled with some high quality olive oil--ugh. I was just in heaven eating this salad. Which is really saying something when the pizza was so delicious. The caprese was the perfect accompaniment to our meal.

Caprese Salad

Fresh, ripe tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil

One of my favorite parts about Aliño was their sauce and condiment bar. As a gal who likes a lot of red sauce for dipping, this allowed me to get as many servings as I wanted without feeling embarrassed. Hooray!

Dessert: 
As we mentioned on the Barcelona post, all of the gelato and the cannoli are made in house. There is also a wide variety of cakes from a local bakery, so no matter what you are craving at the end of your meal, Aliño has you covered. 

Chocolate raspberry Cake

cannoli

Chocolate chip & pistachio

gelato

Drink: 
Like its sister restaurant Barcelona Burger, Alino has a large assortment of wine and beer, and the ever-popular freestyle Coke machine. 

Atmosphere: 
Whether you want to sit outside in Alino's covered patio area, or inside in the spacious dining area, you will be comfy and cozy. 

Napoletano Hospitality: 
Everyone at Alino is so friendly, and everyone always seems to be in a good mood. The folks at the counter who take the order are knowledgeable and efficient and the food runners are fast--seriously, the last time we were here our pizzas beat us to the table because we took so much time playing with the Freestyle Coke machine. 

Frankie's Notes: 
If they can make mozzarella from buffalo milk, imagine what they could make from pug milk; We covered Alino and Barcelona on episode one of the podcast, and you should definitely give it a listen here; Jason plus a Freestyle Coke machine = unbridled joy; If there is a condiment, sauce, or salsa bar, you can rest assured that I will come back with seven to nine varieties just for me; Don't touch my sauce. 

Disclaimer: This meal was 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.

 

The Flipside

Grandma with the skeptical fork stance 

Background: Chefs Jon and Amy Fortes decided to open a restaurant together after years in the business. They own two locations of The Flipside, The Flipside Restaurant in downtown Rock Hill and The Flipside Cafe in Ft. Mill. The Fortes’ also run a very active catering business under the same name, and they have the distinct honor of catering the #javonwedding in December, so, clearly, we are fans. Read on to see why.

Eat This: We have only eaten at the Rock Hill location, so our review will focus on their offerings.

It’s good bread city here. First, they have complimentary homemade peach butter served with their yummy sourdough bread. Eat thirteen pieces of this, then:  

The Greatest Thing to Ever Happen 

MOAR BREAD: You have got to go order the UAV Ricotta & Mozzarella Pull Apart Bread. Seriously. It should be the very next thing you put in your mouth after you read this. Delicious sourdough with PEPPERONI SAUCE and basil oil. You will probably be too full to eat anything after this, so plan accordingly.

Huh?

Also a hit under the appetizer category, Amy’s Pimento Cheese served with warm pretzels.

But my favorite starter, or main dish if you just ate your weight in bread, is their tomato soup. Tomato soup is one of my favorite things and theirs is perfection. It’s well seasoned, and topped with crystallized basil and grilled cheese croutons. Yes, they sandwich cheddar cheese in between two sourdough croutons. The sweetness of the basil paired with the salty soup is simply, heaven in a bowl.

Is that crystallized basil, or are you just happy to see me?

Their burrata salad is also standout, and they usually have a fun twist on it--right now they are offering a strawberry beer-rata version (beer infused burrata cheese). Grandma ordered it and was not impressed, but have you read Grandma’s take on all restaurants HERE? Regardless of Grandma’s feelings on exotic cheese, Flipside is one of the few restaurants she will still agree to visit, so that’s saying something.  

Their lunch sandwiches are also creative and delicious. They have a Pressed Ham and Cheese, served with prosciutto, brie, and fig jam on a pretzel bun and a Crab Cake BLT with arugula fennel salad and tomato jam served on brioche. 

When it comes to dinner offerings, Flipside offers a great deal where you can get an appetizer, main course, and dessert for $30. Not bad at all!

Our favorite main courses have been the Heritage Farms Pork Loin with sweet potato spaetzle (although the spaetzle was on the bland side) and the Hot Coal Grilled NY Strip with tasso ham and mushroom mac & cheese.  

Grilled NY Strip...treat yo self!

Dessert: The desserts are the one area where we feel Flipside can go pretty wrong. We had one particularly awful experience with a chocolate torte with a citrus sauce that just did.not.work. At all. As in, you couldn’t really eat it. Actual Grandma quote: "If I served this to you all, you would think I was creepy." 

On our last visit with our dear friends Tamara and Zander (#tander), we decided to try four of the desserts, which threw our waitress into a vortex of confusion.

Here was the conversation:
Us: We would like [these four desserts].
Her: WOW. Okay.
Us: …
Her: So you want *incredulous tone* [lists all desserts].  
Us: Yeah...

You could try Sears?

Yeah, she said "Wow," alright. LOUD AND CLEAR, LADY. Cue everyone feeling weird over what could only be termed collective fat shaming. Four desserts for four people is not that bad, right? Is that unheard of? We didn’t know how to feel.

Awkward service snafus aside, these desserts were better than on our previous visits. The Maple Bourbon Banana Creme Brulee was a table favorite, as well as the Sticky Toffee and Apple Bread Pudding. We had high hopes for the Strawberry Pistachio Cake, but it was on the bland side, and included a fake, bright red strawberry sauce.

Maple Bourbon Banana Creme Brulée

Drink: The Flipside offers a full bar and some great local drafts.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere at the Rock Hill location is lovely: nice lighting, cozy booths, and shady patio area.

Southern Hospitality: Minus the dessert encounter detailed above, our service at Flipside has been mostly wonderful. We have also seen owner Emily a few times, and she always stops by the table and checks on us (and Grandma, especially). She is super sweet!

Grandma: not amused. 

Frankie’s Notes: Downtown Rock [Thrill] is a throwback to the 1950s; You will tell Grandma that burrata is cheese four times and she will not believe you until the dish is placed in front of her; peach butter is medicinal and should probably be slathered all over everything; When the waitress is shocked that you are eating so much sugar so you go home and do 45 sad crunches; Our wedding is going to have THE BEST food, thanks to Flipside!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Et Cetera:
The Flipside Restaurant:
129 Caldwell Street
Rock Hill, SC 29730

The Flipside Cafe:
3150 Highway 21 North
Ft. Mill, SC 29715

http://theflipsiderestaurant.com/

 

The Pump House

Cheerwine Chocolate Cake

Trout

Filet Mignon

Southern Fried Shrimp & Grits

Calamari

The Pump House!

Thar she blows

Background: The Riverwalk area in Rock Hill is growing like crazy. The walking trail is busy every day and packed on a beautiful weekend. There are new apartments and homes going up at warp speed, a wine bar just opened (a second location of The Grape Vine--a Baxter staple), and a hair salon and a Brixx Pizza are coming soon. Not to leave out the pinnacle of Riverwalk, of course--the shiny, beautiful BNA building.  A close second, however, is the brand new restaurant, The Pump House.

The Pump House is the vision of Ell Close and Colby Mosier, who, along with Jeff Conway, the owner of Napa on Providence and Ruth's Chris Steakhouses in Charlotte, have turned the dilapidated Celanese Textile Factory pump house into the one of the most unique and best restaurants in York County. The restaurant sits directly on the Catawba River, offering 180 degree views of the river. It is a five story restaurant--the top story is the bar, the fourth floor is reserved for special events, and the third floor is the main seating area. The second floor is used for storage and the first floor is where you enter. You can even see the original pump sitting outside of the restaurant!

Full disclosure: Jason's parents are a 1% owner in the Pump House, so we got to go the investor dinner before their official opening. Riverwalk perks!

Eat This: The menu is what we'll call "Modern Southern." Their entrees average around $20 and include three types of shrimp and grits, steak, trout and catfish, and many other southern delicacies.

The calamari was light and tasty. Other appetizer options included a rock shrimp cocktail, tomato soup, and caesar salad. 

The filet and the trout were both served over pureed butternut squash and greens which were seasoned and sautéed to perfection. Also, the filet was cooked a perfect rare, as requested--only good restaurants are willing and able to cook rare steak, so that's a good sign. The southern fried shrimp and grits came with collard greens and house made bacon, and tasted like we imagine great-grandma used to make them (not a Jewish grandma, obvs). 

Dessert: We tried the Cheerwine molten chocolate cake, which might have been the best chocolate cake we've ever had. It was so good that the two of us ate it all and didn't save any for Bernie (The Bern), who was politely talking to the couple next to us while we ravaged it. We then convinced our waiter to let us have another one for the table. Alas, The Bern still didn't get to eat that much of the second one. Oops. You have to be fast with your fork when you dine with us. 

Drink: Some super awesome cocktail offerings--Jason tried the River Water, which was served in a mason jar and made with moonshine, blood orange syrup, and love. 

Atmosphere: Sophisticated country vibes abound. Modern seating and stainless steel combine seamlessly with wood panels and a taxidermy beaver under glass ("Justin Beaver"). It was not open on the night we went, but soon the patio will be open (fifth floor), which will be so lovely for drinks and watching the sunset and wildlife on the river. 

Southern Hospitality: Our bartenders and waitstaff could not have been any sweeter. The owners said that all servers would be attending training at Ruth's Chris restaurants in the next week to further hone their fine dining service skills. 

Frankie's Notes: BNA is where Jason Ackerman IV will work; Just kidding, Jews don't name their kids like that; We hope the seafood is not from Lake Wylie; If only the real Justin Beiber could be preserved under glass; We owe The Bern two chocolate cakes; Expect to find the BNA staff dinning al fresco on a Friday evening in the near future. 

Rating: 3 out of 5

575 Herrons Ferry Rd
Rock Hill, SC 29730
Hours: TBD

http://rockhillpumphouse.com/

 

Kindred

THIS BREAD

Blue Crab Gnocchi

Wagyu Beef Tartare

Speckled Trout

Smoked Duck Gumbo

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

Pork Saltimbocca

Oyster Tartine

Chocolate Birthday Cake

Salted chocolate chip cookies with cinnamon ice cream

Background: Kindred was voted #7 on Bon Appetit magazine’s list of Best New Restaurants for 2015. Yep--Davidson, NC made the top ten list for the whole darn country. Husband and wife team Joe and Katy Kindred wanted to move back to Joe’s hometown after they met on the Chicago restaurant scene. 

Eat This: We’ve gotta come clean about our first visit. Back in August when we first ventured to the charming college town, we were less than impressed with Kindred. It wasn’t that we disliked it, we just didn’t get what the hype was about. Was it good? Yeah. Top ten in the country good? Calm down, bro.

But...maybe the problem was the hype and we needed to manage our expectations? Did they have an off night? Did we? With all of these super important life queries swirling through our heads, we decided to give it another shot before we reviewed it. We dined with our lovely friends Zander and Tamara. They are also: getting married this year and don’t care one bit about spoiling their appetites on bread before the meal. Twins!

Kindred specializes in small plates that rotate seasonally. Top picks this visit included the Wagyu Beef Tartare and the Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. The tartare was served with finely grated dried mushrooms and salty dried fish--absolute perfection. The Bolognese was a table favorite and we agreed it was like something your Italian grandmother would make, if you had one (if you do have one, will you share her with us?) Jason and Zander really loved the Pork Saltimbocca served with grits and red-eye gravy, but Tamara and I just wanted more bread. All the bread. Their bread is “milk bread” served in a round carafe with house cultured butter. The first loaf is free to the table, but you have to pay for additional loaves. Worth it.

Dessert: At dinner, we found out that Zander is kind of a health nut: he drinks bulletproof coffee every morning, engages in intermittent fasting, and eschews dessert. Tamara told us that her other half always acts super non-committal regarding dessert, until it is on the table, practically begging “EAT ME, ZANDER.” And, true to her word, Zander looked at the three of us like we were hungry barbarians when we suggested two desserts after we pretty much had eaten everything on the dinner menu. Then, when it was served he descended upon it like it was a death row meal (disclaimer: Zander is the thinnest of us all, so #judgementfreezone). What did we get, you ask? the Milk & Cookies (salted chocolate chip cookies with cinnamon ice cream) and the Chocolate Birthday Cake. The cookies and ice cream were pretty good, but the cake was the stand-out. On our last visit, we thought it tasted disappointingly similar to Baskin Robbins ice cream cake, but this time we were so glad we ordered it. Top notch.

Overall, we felt the food this time around was much more impressive than at our visit in August. We still aren’t sure it’s “top ten in the whole country good,” but it is definitely great food and easily among the top restaurants in Charlotte.  

Drink: Jason & Tamara each ordered the same girly cocktail (called the Santiago) and gave it high marks. We especially liked the aluminum straw that looked like a dental instrument.

Atmosphere: Kindred used to be a drug store, and they have maintained some original wood elements in the bar area (+ the dental-esque straws). The seating is both upstairs and down, and the kitchen is in the basement, so the servers certainly get a workout! The decor is charming, right down to the sign in the bathroom that says: “Employees must wash their hands...and moonwalk out of the bathroom.” The atmosphere at Kindred definitely feels special--perfect for date night or a fancy occasion.

Southern Hospitality: The service here is laid-back, but helpful. On both occasions, our waitresses have been more than happy to offer food and drink suggestions.

Frankie’s Notes: When you are planning a wedding, you become People Who Only Talk About Weddings--you can feel yourself doing it and yet you are powerless to stop it; Friends don’t let friends feel weird about ordering bread to-go; Dessert is casual until you turn into a T-Rex over some cake; Tamara is planning our honeymoon to Easter Island to see the alien statues; It’s normal to go through a stick of Kerrygold butter a week, right?

Ranking: 5 out of 5

Et Cetera:

131 N Main St.
Davidson, North Carolina 28036
Tuesday-Saturday: 11:00 – 2:30pm and 5:00-10:00pm

http://kindreddavidson.com/