Wu's Cajun Seafood

Ominous

Background: 
Wu's opened in Charlotte's South End neighborhood in June 2017, and is owned by the same restaurant group that owns Ink N Ivy, Oak Room, Hot Taco, Whiskey Warehouse, Brazwells, Slate, and All American Pub (where Scallionpancake met!), so they definitely know their way around the restaurant scene.

...or they should. We had a not-so-great meal at Wu's. It was our first (and likely last) visit. Maybe our experience was a fluke, but it was so off-putting to our dining companions and to us that we cannot see returning any time soon. 

Honestly, this is a bit difficult to write, as we rarely write negative reviews. However, after long and involved discussions at Scallionpancake headquarters, we decided that we want our readers to trust us, and it is difficult to trust a review blog that only publishes the glowingly positive. And, if Tom Cruise taught us anything in Vanilla Sky (and I believe he taught us so many things), it's that the sweet is never as sweet without the sour. Read on to see what went wrong at this Asian/Cajun fusion restaurant on one sultry August night, not too many moons ago. 

It was as disastrous as Blanche and Stanley, minus the sexual tension

Eat This: 
The menu is a mix of Asian and Cajun, with a healthy dose of seafood, a staple of both cuisines. We had heard good things about the seafood (specifically the boils), the gumbo ramen, and the Kung Pao cauliflower. So, we ordered these items, plus a few others. 

Fried Gator Roll

Tasso ham, cilantro, fresno chili, money sauce, green onion

Kung Pao Cauliflower

Fried, tossed, scallions, sesame, fresno chili

These two appetizers were the highlight of our experience. They came out in a reasonable amount of time, though I think it can be argued that thirty minutes on a Tuesday night in a not-at-all crowded and overstaffed restaurant is not reasonable, we were honestly not fazed at this point. We were catching up with our good friends Daniela and Jonathan, and we were having a relaxed evening. The apps were solid--we really liked the gator roll, and it was our favorite dish of the entire night. The cauliflower had a bit too much breading and not enough spice for my taste, but everyone else at the table enjoyed it. 

Raw Oysters

Kimchi cocktail sauce, white wine gochujang mignonette, lemon wedge

So, a word on what happened before these oysters coming out. Our poor waitress, who truly should shoulder very little blame in all of this, dropped her entire tray filled with our food as she tried to juggle setting up the tray stand and a ridiculously heavy tray of food. Previously, our hostess and the same waitress had dropped a fork and a menu, respectively, in this same spot. This area of the floor was clearly slippery and/or haunted. No one came by to dry it or wave some sage over it, which could have likely prevented Tray Drop 2017. 

I just want to be clear. We were not at all upset with our waitress for dropping the tray. In fact, the three of us traded stories about dropping items in our food service days (the winner was Daniela, who honest to god spilled food on an infant, making him cry). I say three of us, as Jason has led a very cushioned life where he has not had to serve food to the citizens, and for this he is very blessed. We tried to make our waitress feel better about what happened, and told her it had happened to (most of) us before. We assured her it was no big deal and told her we were not in a hurry when she said the kitchen would re-fire our food. 

What was weird, however, was that there were six tables sat in the dining room, and four tables sat outside, and our waitress was in charge of at least five of them. There were about six waitresses and a bartender on duty, and it was hard to understand why our waitress was the sole one harried and stressed out. It even took several minutes for someone to come over and help her with the tray of food on the floor. There were two waitresses standing around talking for most of the night, as we watched our waitress rushing around like mad. Team work makes the dream work, amiright?

Wish Winona was here tho

After Tray Gate, our waitress brought out the raw oysters, as those were always due to come out on a separate tray. Then, a waitress came out (she did not identify herself as a manager, so I will assume she was a waitress and likely a shift supervisor or closer) and apologized for what had happened. We assured her we were not concerned with the tray drop and that these things happen. She said she would offer us all a round of drinks on the house to make up for our delayed food. We told her that as none of us had a drink, we didn't want one, but we would love some water refills. She said she would get us that, and that she would comp our meals.

Our regular waitress came back around with water, as the other waitress straight up disappeared, and after she left we realized that the oysters had not come with plates, oyster forks, or lemons. We didn't want to further stress our clearly very overwhelmed waitress, so I asked another server for these items. She blew me off and no one brought them. Eventually, I asked our waitress for them, and she brought them, though at this point the oysters were basically gone, as we were starving (we had been at the restaurant for an hour at this point). 

Anyway, the oysters. There was no mignonette that I noticed--there was no flavor at all, not in the oysters or the "kimchi" cocktail sauce. That was 100% regular cocktail sauce. This was fine, as we like straight-up oysters and regular cocktail sauce, but it was not the dish the menu promised. We ate them all, because oysters are freaking expensive and again, starving. 

Gumbo Ramen
Gumbo base, andouille, ramen noodles, crawfish, charred cabbage, kimchi marinated soft egg

No picture due to hunger-induced delirium.

Daniela: "I thought the gumbo was more of a noodle dish since there was little to no broth. The flavors were muddied to me, and it was almost gritty in texture." 

The "Wu" Boil with Crab Legs

Seasoned with our signature Wu's seasoning and served with corn, potatoes, and sausage

Daniela: "The boil wasn't bad, although it's hard to mess up crab legs. The shrimp that was added as a peace offering was overcooked and chewy. There were two potatoes and no corn. The spiced butter on the side was pretty tasty." 

Jonathan: "The boil and the gumbo made one hell of a mess." 

Daniela & Jonathan: smiling through the pain

Chopped Kale
Peanut crusted fried goat cheese, carrot, fresno chili, red onion, crispy quinoa, miso-ginger vinaigrette

No picture because, well, at this point there was a mass of confusion and hunger. It was missing the quinoa. Decent salad, if a little overdressed/soggy. I ate it all, however. 

Buttermilk Fried Calamari

Kimchi, lemon butter, cilantro, jalapeno

Came out ten minutes after everything above, even though it's technically an app and we are not sure what took so long in a basically empty restaurant. Didn't taste bad, according to Jason. 

Cajun Fried Crab Roll

Cajun seasoning, money sauce, spicy mayo, green onion, goat cheese, cilantro, fresno chili

Anddd this came out ten more minutes after the calamari. Jason said this roll was good, but that he preferred the gator roll. 

After our meal, our waitress came and took our plates. No one came by to say anything. We waited another forty minutes. We figured this was because they had told us they would comp our meals, but it's super awkward to just leave a restaurant without having a waitress, manager, or really anyone come over and say thank you, have a good night, would you like dessert, please come see us again, etc. We didn't know what to do. Eventually, our exhaustion won out, and we got up from the table and found the waitress who told us she would comp our meals and told her we were leaving. She said, "Did your waitress bring your a check?" (cue all of us thinking: but you said you were comping us?!), and we said no, we had not been brought anything or been addressed at all in the forty minutes since we had finished our food. She said, "Well, I said I would just comp your boils, but I guess you guys can just go." Sidebar, we only got one boil, not multiples. And um, okay. Don't have to tell us twice to leave at this point. We had arrived at 8:00pm and it was 10:00pm. 

Our meal was comped, yes. However, we did not come to Wu's looking for a free meal. We came looking for good food and good service, which is what we always anticipate on a night out. We would have gladly taken the latter over the former. In the words of Jonathan: "It's annoying, because there are so many good places to eat in Charlotte, and we just wasted a night here." 

No manager in sight. No business card offered to contact anyone. We did ask for one, but we didn't use it. We decided the blog could be our comment card. Daniela & Jonathan, however, did email the manager and never heard back. Update: Wu's marketing director did reach out in September, and offered us another dinner on them. We have not taken them up on that offer, however. Daniela & Jonathan never received a response to their email. 

Dessert: 
Yeah, no. Please take me home. I want to get off this ride.

But, because you know how much we love dessert, we tried to stop at Golden Cow on the way home, but they were closed because it was freaking 10 o'clock at night. Wahhh. 

I went to sleep with gum in my mouth, and now there's gum in my hair

Drink: 
As I said above, we all had waters. Daniela and Jonathan were doing a cleanse month, and Jason and I just like to stay hydrated. The water was very good, and we enjoyed drinking it whenever our cups were not empty (which did not happen often, unfortunately). 

Oh sh*% that is fresh

Atmosphere: 
Uh, I am not going to lie. A horror show of over-the-top decor. The slow burn of a Tennessee Williams play dubbed into a Jackie Chan movie. Seppuku on the bayou. Am I beating a dead Asian-Cajun horse? 

We were served Cajun justice, and it didn't have the campy joy of an 80's movie

Confused Fusion Hospitality: 
Uh. See above. 

You know Steph, it was a little rude

Frankie's Notes: 
FYI to Wu's: Seafood is one word, not two; Frankie considers himself very patient as he worked many hard years in the service industry, but unacceptable is unacceptable, and that's right from the pug's mouth; I am not going to lie, Daniela's story of dropping food on a baby made me feel a lot better about the time I dropped lemonade on a pregnant lady at her baby shower; That's a textbook example of schadenfreude; Shoutout to Cincinnati's Bonbonnerie Tea Room and the honest-to-god favorite job I've ever held, minus the lemonade incident of Aught Four; We want to take our waitress out for a drink, because she deserves it after the night she had--girl, it's not your fault! 
 

Rating: 1 out of 5

Charlotte's Best Bites: Guest Post for Off the Eaten Path

Hey party people! Our post for this week is a guest post we wrote for our friend Chrissie Beth's blog, Off the Eaten Path! Click here to check it out! 

The Barcelona Burger & Beer Garden

Once upon a time, in a beer hall in Mooresville

Background: 
The Barcelona Burger and Beer Garden was opened in Mooresville in May of 2017 by Michal Bay, who also owns the wildly popular Aliño Pizzeria, which is located right next door. Basically, Bay is going to have all of your food desires covered in one square block. Bay developed the menu with chef, writer, and TV personality Jenny Brule, and together they have really hit all of the flavor bases on Barcelona's menu. When we were invited the other week to check out this relatively new spot, we jumped at the chance. All of our über-cool blog buddies had already told us how rad it was, so we couldn't wait to see for ourselves. 

Love the font

The kitchen team hard at work

Eat This: 
The offerings are hearty, healthy, and everything we tried was a full-on flavor bomb. My mouth is watering just thinking about all of it again! The main choices are between the burgers and the rotisserie chicken, and for vegetarians and/or people concerned with fiber and things, they offer a killer-sounding black bean and quinoa burger, as well as three yummy sounding salads. 

Perhaps one of my favorite things about Barcelona is that all of their burger offerings are grass-fed, and their chicken is antibiotic and hormone free, which is always something I look for in the meat I buy at the grocery store, but it remains elusive when dining out. We wanted to try both a chicken dish and a burger, so we could be thorough and responsible food bloggers. Or heck, maybe a salad! Soup! However, when it came time to order, well...we both just wanted a burger. We each tried to talk the other into getting the chicken, but no dice. Neither of us would bend on our burger dreams. So, here are our two beautiful burgers, but I promise the chicken was seen and noted as looking most delicious. Get the chicken, people! Live your truth. Our truth just happened to be two burgers and fries, gosh darn it. 

Madrid burger

American cheese, caramelized onion, roasted tomato, spicy pepper sauce

Gibralter Burger

American cheese, avocado, peppadew peppers, lettuce, onion, salsa verde

Bird's eye view (check out that side of Spanish beer cheese sauce and truffle sauce

Loving you is easy 'cause you're beautiful

That cheese melt though

America, America, God shed his grace on theeeeee

The whole spread 

Now with 50% more booze!

Truffle Fries

Classic french fries topped with a creamy white truffle sauce

Everything was to die for. The burgers were upscale, but they were still easy enough to eat with your hands (super important), and they tasted recognizable as a traditional, crave-able burger--sometimes I feel like fancy burgers, while tasty, are so fussy that they cross burger territory into something else entirely. The flavors were straightforward and not muddled. 

And those fries. Wow. They were perfectly crispy and equally good with or without the truffle or beer cheese sauce, although, let's be honest, a little sauce never goes unappreciated (they also offer a brown gravy option). Barceona also offers sweet potato *waffle* fries! I know. We were almost swayed by the waffle fry siren song, but ultimately decided to stick with OG white potato. Other side options include fried pickles, onion rings, baked mac and cheese, kale salad, roasted veggies, and Spanish chicken soup. I swear I almost got the kale salad. I had the intention. But then when I ordered, the phrase truffle fries tumbled out of my mouth, unbidden! I was bewitched by the truffle pig gods. They are always watching. 

Dessert: 
Barcelona offers tons of delicious looking dessert options, some of which are pictured below. However, as we had not yet visited Aliño, we popped over there for a cannoli and gelato, both of which are made in house. You can actually get the same cannolis over at Barcelona, but not the gelato, so it was worth the five step pilgrimage. Does that count as working up an appetite? 

Torte, torte, torte, goose

Chocolat

Crostada nation

Revolving container of gelato dreams

cannoli

gelato

The cannoli and gelato, like everything else, exceeded expectations. The pistachio gelato was so nutty and fresh. As the gelato is made daily, the flavors will rotate. The sweet gal who helped us said her favorite was tiramisu, which they didn't have that night. Just one of many reasons why we will be back to Barcelona and Aliño soon! 

Drink: 
Bay told us that we had to try their El Jefe, a tempranillo wine that pairs beautifully with a wide variety of cuisine. This is also the wine they use in their sangria. I am just now getting (back) into red wine--for many years I abstained as it triggered my migraines. However, I tried a glass a few weeks ago with a delicious Italian meal (had to), and with just one glass I suffered no ill effects. Hoping this is a trend that sticks, because I truly love a good glass of red with a meal. 

The boss (not Springsteen)

Jason, teetotaler that he is, enjoyed the ever-living heck out of this coke freestyle machine! Viva America! 

The dream of every eight year old (and Jason)

Atmosphere: 
Barcelona is so chill. The food hall vibe and long cafeteria-style tables make this a very relaxing environment. We saw many couples on double dates who were splitting a bottle of wine and chatting, and also lots of families with kids enjoying a quick bite. If you feel like sticking around with a beer or a glass of wine, there are lots of TVs (if there is an international soccer game on, they will be showing it) you can watch while you sip. 

Mooresville Hospitality:
The gal we ordered from at the counter was beyond helpful, and told us all of the most popular menu items and was super patient as we had our "who is getting the chicken" debate. There were lots of employees helping to keep all of the tables wiped down and the condiment area clean. The cool folks in the kitchen even gave us a wave! So nice. 

Decorative bikes feeling oh so European

Frankie's Notes: 
We don't always have fights at the ordering counter, but when we do they always end in the death of one more cow at our expense; I am writing this in a vegan café in Kansas City and feeling very guilty for the meat-eating sins of yester-week; Truffle pig gods actually rule everything around us, you just don't know because they are very secretive and good at their jobs; Frankie once applied to be a truffle pig, but they said flat-nose dogs are not helpful in that field; I wouldn't say Frankie handles rejection poorly, but he hasn't gotten off the couch in weeks; Oh wait, that's just how a twelve-year-old pug lives his life; Decorative bikes are cool and all, but I would really like to take that mint green Huffy for a spin around the block, you know? 

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. 

 

Bad Daddy's Burger Bar

Background: 
Frank Scibelli, Charlotte restauranteur extraordinaire, opened the first Bad Daddy's on East Boulevard in 2007. In 2015, Scibelli sold the prolific local chain to Colorado-based restaurant group Good Times. There are already a ton in CO, and pretty soon there will likely be locations all over the country. If you have ever visited a Bad Daddy's then you likely are not wondering what all the hype is about--it's freaking delicious! For years, the OG location in Dilworth has been Scallionpancake's favorite place to grab a burger and tots. A few weeks ago, we were invited in to try some of Bad Daddy's finest so we could share them with you all. Read on to check out what we sampled! 

Eat This: 

Fried Pickles

Served with traditional ranch dressing

Bad Daddy's is known for their fried pickles. They are unusual in that they are long slices instead of chips like you see at most restaurants. The breading is slightly spicy and holds up well on the pickles. We had never tried these, and we loved them! Definitely a new go-to order now. 

Nick's Patty Melt

On rye toast with Swiss cheese, grilled onions, mayo, and Dijon mustard

A patty melt is such a classic burger joint order, and this iteration does not disappoint. I ordered mine medium, and it was cooked perfectly--such a pleasant change from most burger places that overcook their patties. What puts this melt over the top is the inclusion of the sweet and savory caramelized onions. 

We must take a moment, however, to talk about the side: TOTS. Hands down, Bad Daddy's has the very best tater tots in town. We will come back again and again just for these. 

Bad Ass Burger

A massive 10 oz. beef patty with house-made American cheese, buttermilk fried bacon, horseradish mayo, lettuce, tomato, and pickle. Lives up to its name in every way!

The Bad Ass Burger is the ultimate on Bad Daddy's menu. When you have the meat shakes and nothing else will do--you've gotta go Bad Ass. Jason switched out the buttermilk fried bacon for regular bacon because he really is the picture of health. This one simple swap basically makes the order a dry salad, calorie wise. The burger is juicy and savory, and satisfies that craving you get when you need a big fat burger and nothing else will do. 

And again: tots = life. If you get the fruit on the side, well, we will need to talk about that, okay? 

Oh yeah, and see that Bad Daddy's sauce? Dipping your tots into that goodness just takes everything to a whole 'nother level. Bad Daddy's sauce is made with mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, and a blend of spices. Seriously, so good. I dip my burger in it, the tots, my fork--basically everything in reach. 

In addition to their speciality burger options, Bad Daddy's also offers create-your-own burgers, chili, and salads. When I don't feel like going full-on, I like to do a create-your-own salad with a grass-fed burger patty. Another thing I love about Bad Daddy's is that they are one of the few restaurants that offers grass-fed options and unusual protein options like buffalo burgers 

Dessert: 
We didn't get dessert because we were stuffed. However, Bad Daddy's offers soft serve with toppings that we have had before, and it's fabulous. 

Way too full to even think about dessert

Drink: 
I love love love the milkshakes at Bad Daddy's! I went with the Oreo shake, because that's a flipping American classic, you know? 

If you aren't a five year old like me, Bad Daddy's also offers tons of local draft beers and a full bar. 

Oreo Milkshake

Heaven

America's favorite cookie, amiright?

Atmosphere: 
We have been to this location in Dilworth, as well as one in Ballantyne. At both locations, the atmosphere is family-friendly and clean. When the weather is nice, we like to sit outside on the patio--there are lots of fans, so it's usually lovely in the Charlotte heat we get 9 months out of the year 

Also, one of the best parts of the Dilworth location is the door to nowhere. Seriously, it's half connected to a wall, so instead of going through it, you can just walk right around it. It's a mystery to us, but we like to walk through it instead of around, just in case it turns into a magical door to Narnia someday. 

Shady & green patio

Hello. Is it me you're looking for?

Medium Rare Hospitality: 
The servers at Bad Daddy's are always polite and efficient. We have never had any issues with service on any of our visits. 

View of the bar

Frankie's Notes: 
Maybe we would eat more salads if we used Bad Daddy's sauce as a dressing; What if exiting through the door to nowhere made all of the calories from tater tots disappear?; What is it about putting potatoes in a cylinder shape that makes them taste like unicorns prancing through fields of pugs?; How many different ways can you cut a pickle?; Jason and I prefer drinks made from Oreos to drinks made from grain alcohol; Bad Daddy's cured all my meat shakes, and it was glorious. 

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. 

 

Brixx Wood Fired Pizza

Is that sky a backdrop?

Background:
Brixx is well-known in the Charlotte area as a dependable spot for delicious wood fired pizzas, as well as pasta, salads, and sandwiches. In addition to North Carolina, Brixx is in ten other states, including our friends right across the border, South Carolina. Brixx kindly invited us out one afternoon a couple of weeks ago for their grand opening in the new Kinglsey neighborhood in Ft. Mill. Kingsley is seriously lovely--it is owned by the Springs family and the design and architecture calls to mind the rich history of textile factories in this area, the most prominent of which was owned by the Springs family themselves. Kingsley is a mixed-use development with shopping, housing, and several restaurants. The Kingsley Brixx is a standout lunch and dinner spot in this already bustling neighborhood. 

All shiny & new

Brixx recently added seven new sandwiches made on focaccia bread, the recipe for which was developed by James Beard Award winner Peter Reinhart, who is basically the supreme god of bread. Seriously, he has his own TED Talk on bread, so his expertise is definitely to be trusted. Check out everything we tried below! 

Eat This: 
In an effort to order outside of the box, we decided to try the Korean BBQ Meatballs for an appetizer. I truthfully did not have high expectations for these--they were Jason's idea, but they were winners! We devoured them in .25 seconds. 

Korean BBQ Meatballs

House made meatballs sautéed in Korean BBQ sauce with fresh pineapple, green onions, sesame seeds, and Sriracha

Meatballs so good that Jason needed to catch his breath

Of course, we had to try one of their new sandwiches. Jason went with the muffuletta. 

Brixx Muffuletta

House-made olive tapenade, shaved prosciutto, pepperoni, & fontina cheese topped with a fresh spring mix dressed with vinaigrette on fresh-baked focaccia

Fortunately, this new Brixx is super close to Jason's work, so we have both been back again already. Brixx Kingsley is quickly becoming our new favorite lunch spot in the Ft. Mill/Rock Hill area. 

On one of these subsequent visits, I tried the new turkey sandwich. I had not been able to stop thinking about it after my blog buddy Stephanie (LifebyChipsAhoyt on Instagram) posted it--her picture made it look so good. And trust me--it's not just the picture. This is an amazing sandwich and now my go-to order at Brixx. 

Turkey & Pecan-Cranberry Chutney

Thick carved turkey with sliced Asian pears and pecan cranberry chutney topped with honey-herb arugula on fresh-baked focaccia

The dressing on this bad boy really makes it. Some turkey sandwiches can veer into the dry territory, but this one doesn't even come close thanks to the vinaigrette and the chutney. I think next time I might even ask for extra chutney on the side, because that's just who I am. Jason has had the mozzarella sandwich a couple of times when he visited with co-workers (no picture--guess he doesn't want to get too "blogg-y" around his work buds. Rude!), and that's his new fave. 

And we can't forget the pizza! Everyone knows Brixx pizza is awesome, but did you know they offer regular and whole wheat crust, and that both of these options are vegan? They also offer vegan cheese if you want to make your whole pie vegan-friendly. I am a card-holding member of Cheese Lovers Anonymous though, so I went with the classic Margherita pizza. 

Margherita Pizza

Fresh, house-made mozzarella, Roma tomatoes, and fresh basil on an olive oil base

The pizza was so good! Looking at it makes me want another one right now. Very few restaurants make their mozzarella in house, so this is a truly special pizza. 

Dessert: 
We didn't have dessert on our visits, but by perusing their menu, I see they have a S'MORES PIZZA! I am definitely getting this on our next trip. Have any of your tried that?! If so, please leave a comment describing it in great detail. Thanks in advance.  

No dessert pizza, but check out this picture of Jason SMIZING! Tyra would be so proud.

Drink: 
Brixx offers 24 craft beers on tap, most of them local. They also offer 14 different varieties of wine and speciality cocktails. We didn't drink on this visit, but since this location is open until 1 am six nights of the week, this would be a great place to grab an evening adult beverage. 

Atmosphere: 
This location of Brixx is much more bright and open than other locations we've visited--there are lots of windows that allow natural light in the dining area. There is also an outdoor seating area that seats sixty people, and it will be amazing once fall rolls around. 

It was shady under there, but since the temperature outside was approximately 200 degrees farenheit, we sat inside.

Wood Fired Hospitality: 
On all of our visits, not just the one where they were expecting us, the servers and hosts/hostesses were so welcoming and friendly. The food comes out super fast, which makes this a great choice for a lunch break during the work week. 

Where the magic happens

Frankie's Notes: 
A comically blue Carolina sky makes your feel like maybe you are living in The Truman Show; Jason orders his tomato and mozzarella sandwiches without tomato because he is a monster; Does Tyra offer an online course in smizing? If so, I would like to enroll ASAP; Ordering meatballs always feels like a gamble, but those tasted like they were made by your Korean Nona; "Grandma's Cooking"/Asian fusion would be a great concept for a restaurant; I will be getting a s'mores pizza for a lunch dessert in the near future; Lunch dessert is a highly underrated activity that I partake in regularly. 

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.