Jason Ackerman 1/30/18 Jason Ackerman 1/30/18

Franceschetta 58

Background:
I went to Italy this fall for the ten year anniversary of when I studied abroad in Florence. I went with two of my good friends, Vishnu & Ravi, who had to deal with my crazy picture taking of food, and for that I am forever grateful. We did a lot of good eating on this trip---so much so that I think I turned Vishnu into a little bit of a foodie. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: If you haven't listened to the podcast Vishnu and I did on our entire trip to Italy, check it out here.

One day I arranged for a day trip from Florence to Modena, about an hour and a half's drive away, for the sole reason of going to one of Massimo Bottura's restaurants. I've been obsessed with Bottura ever since he was on the first ever episode of Chef's Table listening to parmesan reggiano cheese like I listen to a good episode of Fresh Air with Terry Gross (aka--very intently--love you Terry!). We tried to get into Osteria Francescana, but it was completely booked, so we "settled" on the more casual Franceschetta 58. After the success of Osteria Francescana (currently ranked #2 in the world), Massimo Bottura decided to open up Franceschetta 58, a more modestly priced, less fancy restaurant in Modena. We all three agreed this was our favorite restaurant of the trip.

Eat this:
There are two options when you go to Franceschetta 58, you can pick between two fixed price menu (the 48€ Tradition in Evolution Menu or the 65€ I <3 Modena Menu), or you can go a-la-carte. Everyone at the table can choose what they want, so I went with the I <3 Modena Menu while Vishnu and Ravi went a-la-carte. After the meal we all decided that a-la-carte was the way to go, because we feel you actually got more value that way, plus you got to choose what you wanted.

The menu itself is highly focused on local ingredients found in the Emilio Reggiano region of Italy, the two most famous being parmesan reggiano and balsamic vinegar. You think you know what good parmesan and balsamic taste like, but you have no idea until you come and taste them here. The flavors are more pronounced, with no bad aftertaste that you can get sometimes, especially with cheaper parmesan. This brings us to the first dish of the night:

b%ZuamcmRE2YlHVj4bjTAA.jpg — **Pumpkin with Parmesan Reggiano and Bacon**

This was the best dish of the night, hands down. The sweet, smoothness of the pumpkin combined with the rich, strong parmesan and the salty, crispiness of the bacon was an epic combination--one that I don't think any of us had had before. Who would have thought to put parmesan over pumpkin? Pure genius. In addition, Vishnu really liked this because it was the free appetizer of the night. "The best dish was free!", Vishnu kept saying.

**Cheese Plate**

I am normally not the biggest fan of cheese plates, but when you are in the home of parmesan, well then, you get the cheese plate. This parmesan was made from white cows from Modena and aged for 30 months. So good. The other cheeses were good as well, but let's be real--we're here for the parmesan.

wlPDAH%WSpuNGEGndvPb6g.jpg — **Low-temperature cooked egg, Parmigiano Reggiano fondue, black truffle, and Jerusalem artichoke**

What if god was one of us? Answer: he'd eat this dish, probably every day. If you are seeing a trend here, almost every dish has parmesan in it, because why not? Can you go wrong with a combination of black truffle, crispy Jerusalem artichoke, and parmesan fondue? I think not.

**Creamed cod, Chickpea Purée, Hazelnuts, “Crusco” Pepper, and Mushroom Broth**

This was a modern take on a traditional Italian fish dish. The creamed cod had a mashed potato like consistency in the mushroom broth, which made for a great combination, especially when you got a crunch of the hazelnuts. The red pepper seemed to be more for show, because it didn't really have too much of a taste.

rEajauOESnO%Z6d8+3Zrgg.jpg — **Emilia Burger by Massimo Bottura**

This was, to our surprise, the one disappointment of the night. We were thinking that the burger by Battura would be the best because this was the one menu item with his name on it. Unfortunately it kind of just tasted like a burger from McDonalds (note from Yvonne--"Um, that sounds excellent! Don't diss the McD's!").

**Tortellini with Parmigiano Reggiano Sauce**

Now we've moved on to the pasta courses, or the primi piati, if you are following along in Italian class. Seriously, this parmesan sauce was so good when Vishnu and Ravi went to the bathroom I licked the plate. Don't tell them.

**Orecchiette with “Burrata” Mozzarella, Anchovies, Confit Tomatoes, Thyme and Bottarga**

What was super cool about this dish was that the anchovies were ground up and used like a salt on top of the pasta. How smart is that? The one complaint most people have about anchovies is that they are to salty, so why not play on that and turn them into the salt portion of the dish? Magnifico!

**Pork Belly with Balsamic Vinegar Sauce, Carrot and Ginger Puree, and Sautéed Spinach**

Here comes the balsamic, which complimented the fattiness of the pork belly like Dwight Howard compliments Kemba Walker. A pick and roll dunk if i've ever seen one. The carrot and ginger puree added a nice, earthy kick as well.

**White Sea Bass, Marinated Cucumbers, Yogurt and Bell Pepper Ice Cream**

A trend we saw on this trip to Italy was vegetable flavored ice cream. Here it was bell pepper, at Per Me in Rome it was tomato. As Yvonne knows, I will basically do anything to not eat vegetables, but putting it in ice cream is a good way to get me to like it. The cold, sweet and salty ice cream really mixes well with the fish. I'm always a big fan of mixing opposites, like sweet and salty, or hot and cold. To a certain extent, this dish kind of sums of Franceschetta 58. There is a way to take familiar, traditional Italian flavors and turn them into something modern and fresh.

2epxLQ7AR+is62pLuUPe1w.jpg — **Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Crumble and Warm Morello Cherries**

We're on the home stretch. At this point we were almost bursting with the amount of food we'd eaten, but rule #1 of Scallionpancake is that we always have room for dessert. What was excellent about this was the warm cherries, which made for a nice compliment with the cold vanilla ice cream. Just a pure, classic dessert.

**Cold Coffee and Orange Custard, Cocoa Brownie, Rhum and Raspberries**

Oh did I forget to mention it was my birthday? What a way to end the night, with a little magical brownie with some coffee and orange custard. So good, and it left for a great taste in our mouths for the drive back to Florence.

Atmosphere:
Franceschetta 58 had a very modern, warm feeling. The restaurant is very small, and is located in an old automobile repair shop, so it's very long and not very wide. There are plates of different colors and shapes on the main wall - a modern homage to rustic Italian cooking. Black tables with no table cloths cement that this is not going to be a traditional Italian meal.

Italian Hospitality:
The waiters and waitresses were very nice and attentive, answering all the random questions we had with a smile on their faces. Vishnu and Ravi even arranged for a candle on the last dessert, which was a very nice touch.

Frankie's Notes:
It's fun to see friends from the past and hang out for a week together in Tuscany; If you aren't eating gelato three times a day in Italy, you aren't doing it right; "Rome wasn't built in a day" seems like something that should be obvious; Aziz Ansari--fellow NYU Alum from South Carolina, aka TWINNING; PSA #2--we do not believe the current allegations against our beloved Aziz; We saw a pug that day in Italy and I almost caused an accident crossing the road to pet it; #puglife.

*Bonus* Vishnu's Notes:
Hello my little pancakes. GFOP (Good Friend of the Pancake) Vishnu here. I want to take a quick moment to thank Jason, my fam from another ma'am, for being the driving force behind our pilgrimage to Franceschetta 58. Best idea ever. He already broke down our wondrous meal with the zeal and attention to detail of a prepubescent Brad Stevens breaking down game film so all that's left for me to do is yammer away about literally whatever comes to my mind. I promise you'll only regret this a little, SP!

Since our meal I've decided to refer to Massimo Bottura as il piccolo mago. Because he's short in stature and long in magic-making (that's your Italian lesson for the day, you're welcome). Good magic conjures up something unexpected, right? Let's talk about that parmesan pumpkin starter. I'm not a foodie but I love food, so I'm not used to sitting down for a meal and being genuinely surprised. I order a chicken parm or a pad see ew and I already have a basic outline in my head of what I'm getting. My taste buds are already preparing to compare that order to past iterations. This starter knocked me on my ass. At first glance it looked liked a standard cheese fondue but when I sunk my spoon in, see, that was the magician's turn. The pumpkin puree spilled out from underneath its blanket of Parmigiano-Reggiano sauce and suddenly it's, well, magic. When was the last time a dish genuinely surprised you? When was the last time you felt that unique moment when surprise gives way to joy? It's a beautiful thing. It was a beautiful meal.

One more thing, I'd like to take this opportunity to offer some foodie advice from a non-foodie: if you can, in preparation for a meal that you expect will be pretty special, walk around Modena for a bit. Preferably with dear, old friends. What do you mean you can't find a quaint, sleepy Italian town to wander around before all your meals!? Alright, fine, if you can't then just do something that gets your soul stirring a bit. Maybe peruse your favorite book store, or walk down your favorite street or through your favorite park, or talk to someone you love. It gets the juices flowing, digestive and otherwise. Trust me on this. Allora, buon appetito!

RATING:

5 OUT OF 5

Jason Ackerman 1/23/18 Jason Ackerman 1/23/18

Lincoln's Haberdashery

Background:
Lincoln's Haberdashery opened just this month in South End, right down the road from Chef Michael Shortino's first restaurant, Futo Buta. Futo Buta has long held as my number one favorite restaurant in Charlotte--in fact, it was the very first post here on our little corner of the internet--check it out here (and also see our our style has changed since August 2015!). We also talk more in depth about Lincoln's on this week's episode of the podcast!

Lincoln's Haberdashey feels like it belongs in a much larger city than Charlotte, and that's one of the many things I love about it. It is part restaurant, coffee shop, retail space, ice creamery, wine bar, well--you get the idea. It reminds me a lot of Bi-Rite, one of my favorite San Francisco spots. The vibe is hip, yet cozy, and I can't wait to spend an afternoon there reading or doing blog work. The other night, Scallionpancake was absolutely honored to be invited to their media preview, and although we had already visited once the previous week, the media night gave us even more to love about Lincoln's Haberdashery. Read on to see what this new space has to offer Charlotte.

Eat This:
Lincoln's Haberdashery makes all of their bread in house, as well as their ice cream. Whatever they don't make from scratch, they source from the best of the best. For example, the olive oil they use on "The 13th" sandwich is from award-winning Queen Creek Olive Mill in Arizona, and the mozzarella on that same sandwich is made in-house. It's all just a wonderful amalgamation of the best things--both made and curated. By the way, that olive oil is the absolute best I have ever tasted--it's so spicy and fresh! We were given a bottle to take home, and I finished a quarter of mine in approximately four days. A bottle of that, some flaky salt, and a fresh loaf of bread makes for a great breakfast the morning after your visit. Here is a snapshot of everything we sampled, from both our solo visit and the media night:

Mornin':

**Mary's Muffin**

*Scrambled egg, tomato, Duke's mayo, with a choice of "protein" (Hickory Nut Gap ham, bacon, or avocado)*

**Sticky Biscuit**

*Hickory Nut Gap ham, rosemary cheddar biscuit, and wildflower honey butter*

**Stuffed Flapjack**

*Lemon ricotta, pure maple syrup, and berries*

**Avocado Toast**

*Lemon EVOO, baby arugula, shaved onion*

**Take it to the Bridge**

*ACME smoked salmon, house toast, dill, red onion, capers, and Ikura (salmon caviar)*

Sandwich & Soup:

**Grilled Cheese**

*Gruyere, shallots, and thyme*

**The 13th**

*House-made mozzarella, La Quercia prosciutto, fresh basil, Queen Creek EVOO*

Dessert:
Oh my god, the DESSERTS. Ugh, all of the pastries are made in-house, and they are beyond delicious.

Are you drooling yet?

I want to live in this pastry case, thanks

Assorted ice creams

Ice cream flavors rotate, and the flavors range from the classic (vanilla peach) to the adventurous (mushroom! bacon!).

Drink:
Lincoln's Haberdashery offers a small selection of wines by the glass, and some beers and local favorite Updog Kombucha on tap. They also have an enormous selection of bottled and canned beer and bottles of wine for purchase. And don't forget the beer float--you can get a chocolate porter with vanilla fig soft serve and have the best float of your adult life.

**Stovepipe Latte**

Pure Intentions espresso, steamed milk, honey, & cinnamon

And don't forget the coffee! They have two signature espresso drinks, the Stovepipe (espresso, steamed milk, honey, & cinnamon) and the Mary Todd (espresso, steamed milk, lavender, & house-made lemon sugar). And they sprinkle cinnamon on top in the shape of Lincoln's head. Well then.

Atmosphere:
The marketplace portion of Lincoln's Haberdashery offers so many fun things--pet treats and accessories, candles, magnets, keychains, mimosa kits (!!!) and more. Also, there are tons of cool details, like a refurbished bureau with tiny "thumbs up" knobs.

Two thumbs up for Lincoln's Haberdashery

Shortino Hospitality:
Just like at Futo Buta, Shortino's staff is gracious and quick to offer suggestions and recommendations. You can tell that everyone enjoys working here, and the vibe is chill and relaxed.

Frankie's Notes:
2015 blog was so yesterday, so yesterday--just like Hillary Duff says; Is it wrong to drink olive oil straight from the bottle?; I still haven't finished Stranger Things Season Two--does Barb come back from the Inside Out, or what?!; If Abraham Lincoln and Barb had a baby, would it be a ginger?; We think they should sprinkle a cinnamon pug's head on at least one beverage.

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.

Jason Ackerman 1/16/18 Jason Ackerman 1/16/18

Charlotte Gets Social

This article also appeared in the January/February 2018 issue of Epicurean Charlotte magazine.

All images courtesy of the QC Social Lounge Instagram page.

If you ask any Charlotte native just how far our city has come in recent years in terms of dining and recreation, they will tell you without hesitation that Uptown has evolved substantially from what it used to be, that is--a ghost town outside of the hours of 9-5pm. Now, we have a rapidly growing dining scene bolstered by the proliferation of high-rise apartment buildings and hotels. However, anyone who frequents Uptown after dark knows there is still a need for something more in order to put us in true competition with larger cities. However, Charlotteans can rejoice in the New Year, as we now have the perfect player to capture our city’s enthusiasm and desire for innovation in our city’s nightlife. Enter: QC Social.

QC Social is, at its essence, an “enthusiast’s lounge,” describes General Manager Morgan Leitert. Every moment of a guest’s experience at QC Social is curated and finely tailored, from the drinks to the culinary selections. At once a bar, lounge, and venue, QC Social draws on collaboration from its creative team, staff, patrons, and our city’s local talent to ensure each visit offers a snapshot of the Queen City at its very best. This ethos is evident everywhere from the innovative cocktail menu to the vision for the lounge’s place in the community. QC Social will feature local artists and artisans everywhere--from their menu and talented bar staff to their walls and stage area, where they will host artists, musicians, and performers. “We want to highlight people's’ talents and what they can bring to the table,” says Bar Director Jade Finn. The feel of the lounge is above all intimate (think: cozy lounge seating), but the vibe can change night-to-night, depending on whether QC Social is hosting live music or showcasing a local artist.

Charlotte’s storied history will also take center stage, from the design of the building to the cocktail menu. In the building process, QC Social worked to preserve the history of their space rather than tearing it all down and starting fresh; the team sought out local metalworkers and woodworkers to enhance the original exposed brick and wood in the open and airy lounge. Celebrating Charlotte’s past is central to QC Social, and this philosophy is realized most fully in their graphically designed libations and elixirs menu. Going far beyond a simple description of their cocktails, Finn crafted a vision for a menu that is at once an illustrated history of Charlotte and an inspired list of libations whose creativity and style goes well beyond what we have seen from any cocktail menu in the Queen City.

Part cocktail menu and part graphic novel, the list of drinks is sorted into sections, each inspired by a piece of our city’s history. The opening part of the innovative menu describes Charlotte’s founding days and is titled after our city’s most famous (and infamous) descriptor by General Cornwallis of our city as a “hornet’s nest of rebellion.” The cocktails in this section draw from a well-curated spirits list and are inspired by Charlotte’s fiery beginnings, like the Yeoman’s Uprising and the Whistle-Belly Vengeance. Finn describes this section of the menu as drinks you would find “in a tavern in colonial North Carolina, but with a modern twist.”

Although just that amount of originality would be enough to impress, the cocktails are even more than their clever names and adherence to the local theme--they take the art of mixology to a new level. For example, rather than using only egg whites, the Yeoman’s Uprising incorporates a whole egg, and all of its ingredients are shaken with whiskey barrel aged wood chips which imparts a woodsy, smoky flavor profile to the finished product. Cocktailers create their own shrubs, cordials, and barrel-aged spirits for all of the 32 cocktails spread across four menus. The themes of the other menus relate to the ascendency of Charlotte as a banking empire and celebrate our city’s diversity with globally inspired cocktails.

Each cocktail is made using an advanced ice system--purified water is used to create hand-cut ice cubes for each drink. QC Social’s attention to each detail, right down to the ice, ensures that each cocktail’s flavor profile is well-balanced. Sometimes, the ice even is used to enhance the flavor of the drink, like in the Uptown Cavalier, which uses a hopped grapefruit bitters-flavored ice cube to add both flavor and chill. Another cocktail, the Mecklenburg Farmer #4, uses hand-shaved ice flavored with sage, cucumber, and Aviation gin.

Beyond cocktails, QC Social serves a variety of wines and beers. The tap beer menu is “regional and rotational” says Leitert, and the bottle menu is also regional, unique, and includes Belgian and Trappist beers. The feel of the menu is “curated and not overwhelming,” says Leitert. The wine selection is focused on small Italian producers and unique varietals. QC Social is passionate about highlighting smaller producers on all of their menus, and there are plans to host tastings to introduce the Charlotte community to their selection of wine and beer.

The Shareable plates menu will adhere to the finely curated feel of the beverage menus. Food options are small plates with a focus on local and seasonal items, many of them plant-based. Leitert and Current Culinary Olympic Team member Master Chef Jason Hall developed the menu to incorporate items from local growers and producers. Their charcuterie plate will feature cheeses from their neighbors at Orrman’s Cheese Shop, and their produce will come from local farms. Look for inventive shareable plates like a polenta and white bean tart, or a beet and apple mille feuille. The menu items will surprise even those already familiar with the North Carolina farm scene--like a vegan cheesecake made with (wait for it) North Carolina passion fruit (when in season). Their signature dessert is also plant-based and pure decadence: a chocolate chestnut tart with shortbread crust. QC Social’s small plates menu has an attention to detail and excellence writ large in the experience of the lounge as a whole.

25017272_913288032178552_2532242086984417280_n(1).jpg

With their grand opening this at the end of this month, QC Social is breathing new life into Uptown Charlotte, and its creative and management team believes in the Charlotte community, “We feel strongly about promoting our scene and talent here,” says Finn. He recognizes that many people from larger markets are moving to Charlotte, and they arrive and want that same dining scene that they are accustomed to. People are ready for creative food and drink options, and they do not want to be limited in their choices. “It’s a good time to be in Charlotte,” says Finn, “and we want to be a part of that movement.”

QC Social is ushering in a new era with their social lounge concept by providing a place for patrons to enjoy great drinks, small plates, and music in a relaxed atmosphere. Gone are the days when Charlotteans have to venture out of town for an experience that is a cut above--QC Social provides something for everyone. Each evening at QC Social, the team will go out of their way to ensure guests have an experience that is at once unique and focused on excellence, and that philosophy is ultimately what will put Charlotte on the map as a destination city.

QC Social is located at Northside Station 300 N College Street Charlotte, NC 28202

Jason Ackerman 1/9/18 Jason Ackerman 1/9/18

Top Five Dishes of 2017

Listen to this post in audio format on our podcast!

Scallionpancake Travels:
In addition to our top five restaurants of 2017, we decided to spice things up and rate our top five dishes of 2017. Sometimes, we really love a particular dish at a certain restaurant, or something smaller at a casual place that is worthy of the title of "best dish," when "best restaurant" doesn't quite make the cut. Without further ado, here are our top five dishes of 2017!

Jason

**1. Wasabi Langoustine**

**Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin, Germany**
**This, to me, is the most perfect dish in the world. It's the best thing I've ever eaten, hands down. Enough said.**

**2. Z-Man Sandwich**

**Joe's Kansas City BBQ, Kansas City, KS**
**The Z-man was a revelation--one BBQ sandwich to rule them all.**

3. **Confit Suckling Pig**

**Astrid & Gaston, Lima, Peru**
This was the outstanding dish of Peru to me. The suckling pig mixed with dark Peruvian chocolate in a peanut broth just combined perfectly together. I would have never thought that the rich chocolate would have gone together with the suckling pig, but it did, and it was great.

**4. Sportskage**

**La Glace, Copenhagen, Denmark**
The single dessert I think about the most from this last year is the sportskage from La Glace in Copenhagen. This is the oldest and most famous bakery in Copenhagen, and their signature cake dates back to 1891 when it was first made for the debut of the play, *Sports Man*. It consists of crushed nougat, whipped cream, a macaroon bottom, and caramelized choux pastry. It had the consistency of a cream pie, but with almost a health bar taste with the nougat. So good!

**5. Mac & Cheese with Crispy Chicken Skin**

**Haberdish, Charlotte, NC**
**The Mac & Cheese at Haberdish is cheesy perfection. The key to this dish is the hot sauce that adds a slight kick to the chicken skin. I could eat it every day!**

Yvonne

**1. Mussel Dessert**

**Maido, Lima, Peru**
Although Maido didn't make either of our best restaurant lists, we both really loved so many of the dishes there. This dessert had local Peruvian elements, like granadilla, mandarin sorbet, and lucuma ice cream. Also, you can't go wrong with an edible bowl made out of sugar!

**2. Doner kebab**

**Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap, Berlin, Germany**
I would gladly wait another hour in line to eat this perfect sandwich again. The meat was juicy and well-seasoned, and the vegetables were fresher than you could ever imagine from a food cart. This kebab was certainly a part of what made our culinary adventures in Berlin special!

**3. Tomato soup and rolls**

**Indio Feliz, Aguas Calientes, Peru**
Jason wants to kill me for this choice, but after a seven hour hike through the Andes to Machu Picchu, this tomato soup brought me back to life. I loved the little town of Aguas Calientes, which is completely devoted to tourists visiting Machu Picchu--it felt like a mining town in the American west, only Peruvian style. Also, maybe, just maybe, I picked it partly because it gets under his skin. Shhhh, don't tell.

**4. Ribs**

**Joe's Kansas City BBQ, Kansas City, KS**
**I am usually more of a pulled pork kind gal, but these ribs were everything to me. The flavor was 10/10, and I loved the atmosphere in the gas station at the original Joe's location.**

**5. Hummus**

**Mamoun's, New York, New York**
I love when Jason takes me to NYC and shows me all of his old college haunts, like the tiny, counter-seating only Mamoun's location he took me to last March. I wish we had a quick & cheap Lebanese spot like this in Charlotte. Their hummus was tangy, fresh, and had the perfect texture.

Jason Ackerman 1/4/18 Jason Ackerman 1/4/18

Top Five Restaurants of 2017

Listen to this post in audio format on our awesome blossom podcast!

What a year! Scallionpancake traveled three continents in 2017, and during our travels we visited some of the best restaurants in the world. Like years past, both of us have come up with our top five restaurants for 2017. SPOILER ALERT: Next week we will publish our top five dishes of 2017. Stay tuned!