The Truth is Out There: Siggy's Good Food

Background:
When we first heard of Siggy’s, we weren’t sure what to expect. The name and logo came off as a bit kitschy, and the alien theme threw us off a bit. But we had heard good things, especially from New Yorkers who went to the original locations in Brooklyn Heights and the Village. And if a New Yorker says something is good, we always believe them. So we headed on over to Belmont, an up and coming neighborhood in Charlotte in between NoDa and Plaza Midwood, to see if the alien hype was to be believed. Whether you believe in aliens or not, Siggy’s Good Food does indeed have good food, and it’s worth a visit.

Siggy’s is owned by Siggy Solitto, a feisty Israeli who isn’t afraid to tell you how it is, like that Charlotte needs some good bakeries, or that the NYC restaurant scene is becoming too expensive for small restaurants like hers to survive. Her restaurant is 100% organic, and she doesn’t accept crappy produce. Quality shines through in her simple and thoughtfully prepared menu. You think you’ve had a good beet and goat cheese salad? Wait until you’ve tried Siggy’s. The flavors and textures of her dishes are outstanding, craveable, and left us wanting more days later.

Eat This:
Siggy opened up her first restaurant in Brooklyn in 2005, her second in lower Manhattan in 2012, and she decided to move south in 2018 for a better lifestyle. In Belmont, she is recreating the neighborhood feel of her first location in Brooklyn. Her menu has changed somewhat from its NYC iteration, most notably missing is her famous Happy Burger, which she says she might reprise once the restaurant settles in.

The current menu is broken up into three main sections: Salads, Sandwiches, and Bountiful Earth Sides. We haven’t tried everything on the yet, but what we’ve tried has been great.

Artichokes

Siggy serves baby artichokes with the stems intact. These were tender and simply flavored with oil oil and salt.

Red Beets, almonds, & Goat Cheese Salad

tender beets, sliced almonds, baby greens, creamy goat cheese, in lemon vinaigrette

The beets were perfectly al-dente. The combination of the crunchy almonds, creamy goat cheese, and earthy beets made for a healthy and delicious combination.

All Mighty Tuna - Wild caught

in olive oil, lemon & paprika, clover sprouts, tomatoes, baby greens, and vegan mayo.

This is not your average tuna sandwich. We’ve all had crappy canned tuna, and I wouldn’t wish that upon my worst enemy.

Organic steak sandwich grass fed

Marinated in rosemary, sautéed mushrooms, onions, baby greens, and herbs vegan mayo

Try and find a better $12 steak sandwich, I dare you. The magic here? It’s the marinade, which makes the steak so juicy.

Drink:
Siggy’s is known for their organic smoothies and juices, which range from Jason (all fruit) to Yvonne (all vegetables). All are made right in front of you with all natural, organic ingredients.

Raw Almond Protein Shake & Flu Shot

I tried the Raw Almond Smoothie, which had raw almond butter, dates, banana, and almond milk. It was delicious, and a meal in itself. Yvonne tried a Flu Shot juice, which contained greens, lemon, ginger, cayenne pepper, and echinacea. Yvonne had one sip of my Raw Almond Smoothie and claims she has been thinking about it since.

Atmosphere:
Siggy’s designed the restaurant herself, and the vibe is very relaxed and inviting. There are floor to ceiling windows and a very large patio. You order at the counter, and you can sit and relax or take your order to go. Siggy told us she’s happy when people hang out, and she’d love it if people would treat Siggy’s as the neighborhood hangout. Of course, keep an eye out for all the aliens—they’re everywhere.

Alien Hospitality:
Siggy, her niece, and the rest of the alien crew are fantastic. They treat you like family from the moment you walk in and remember you the next time you show up. What more do you want from a neighborhood spot?

Frankie’s Notes:
Belmont is up and coming, but definitely not quite there yet; Make sure you stop and look both ways at the stop sign in front, because it’s not a four-way stop sign, and we almost killed ourselves twice; We are 100% Ancient Astronaut Theorists, I mean, how were the pyramids built?; We didn’t even talk about the parsley hummus, but that stuff is good, too; Never mess with an Israeli, because they can kill you in less than seconds.

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.

 

Soul Gastrolounge

Background: 
Soul Gastrolounge is the crowning jewel of Plaza Midwood. Soul is owned by Lesa & Andy Kastanas, who also own The Diamond. What makes Soul so special, other than their creative cocktails, unique tapas, and a peacock on the wall? Well, it just so happens that Soul is the spot of Scallionpancake's first date. We started with pork belly watermelon tacos and ended with a kiss in the CVS parking lot (and then, ya know, a wedding)--so Soul holds a special place in our hearts. What makes Soul worth waiting two-plus hours for on a Saturday night? Check it out!

Check out that huge peacock!//image courtesy of Charlotte Magazine

Eat This: 

Serrano ham & Manchego on toast

Soul is a tapas joint, so we always get a lil' bit of everything. Our favorite menu items are often the specials, and we never neglect to order the sushi roll of the day. Soul's most notable dish is the Asian Glazed Pork Belly Taco, which is a perfectly cooked cube of pork belly with a piece of watermelon, rolled up in a flour tortilla. We don't often order this, but it's definitely a dish you should give a try on your first visit. 

Roll of the day

roll of the day

Another day, another roll

roll of the day

We love the roll of the day...can you tell?

salmon nigiri

Pan con tomate

Shrimp ceviche

In coconut milk and lime, with plantain chips

Asian Glazed pork belly taco

Image courtesy of Yelp

hummus of the day

Miso

Ahi tuna skewers

With sesame and soy drizzle

chimichurri beef skewers

With chimichurri sauce

grilled caesar

Garlic-oil romaine, toasted sourdough crouton

Vanna White sushi hands

Dessert:
Soul offers rotating dessert specials, and they are always awesome. On one of our earliest visits, we had a fig hand pie that I am still thinking about!

guinness chocolate cupcake

Sometimes, though, we head on over to Jason's favorite place of all time--Fu Man Chu Cupcakes. 

Jason's mothership//image courtesy of Charlotte Agenda

Drinks: 
Soul's cocktail menu is, on its own, a reason to visit the restaurant and brave the crowds. The menu changes seasonally, and I always want to try literally every option they offer. I often leave Soul a little on the tipsy side just for this reason. 

Take shots/drank

Tiki Taboo

Atmosphere: 
Soul is the ideal spot for a date--it's romantically lit, and loud enough to cover any weird silences. Also, the people watching is almost as central to the experience as the food. We often run into people we know at Soul, and, this is one of many reasons why you should sit at the bar. The bar is going to be your best bet for eating and imbibing relatively quickly, and, as one of the buds we ran into at Soul pointed out--sitting at the bar offers a glimpse into the changing vibe of Soul throughout the night. Hint--it gets younger and rowdier as the night goes on. Not that Javon can stick around for much of this portion of the night, as we usually turn into pumpkins around 10:00 when we come home, have tea and watch The History Channel. 

Oh--and fun fact! The billboard currently up just around the corner from Soul by artist Scott Partridge is a replica (with slight variations) of the print that we commissioned for our wedding. It's pretty surreal to see what's above your bed also on a billboard. The one above our bed has little versions of us and the two pugs though, duh. 

Above our bed--check out us and the pugs, bottom left!

And on a billboard, sans pugs

Javon's First Date Hospitality: 
The service is great--all of our servers have been able to navigate the chaos of how busy they can get and the close quarters of the tables to ensure that we always have a special dining experience here. 

Frankie's Notes: 
Kissing in the CVS parking lot is classy as hell, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise; So is kissing on the first date, when the feeling is right; We have Scallionpancake stickers all over the Plaza now--check us out!; Sometimes, after dining in P.M. we like to head over to Common Market so that we may be stared at judgmentally by hipsters; I love the Goldfish at the Common Market, because the serving is solid, even when they are a little stale; Jason is the one who stole the letters out of the Comida sign--shh, don't tell; Just kidding it was Ollie; Just kidding x2, don't prosecute us. 

Rating:  5 out of 5