Well Surprise, Surprise!!

In case you wondered where we've been, Dave and I picked up and moved to Charlotte, NC back in September.  After a "wonderful" cross country drive we were here and all settled in on October 1.

We've been eating really well here in Charlotte which is sort of funny. I think both Dave and I were a little concerned when we decided to move here, that we might find our choices limited to "southern food". Ummm, stupid us. We didn't realize that a LOT of southern food has always been Farm to Table, has always been LOCALLY GROWN and has always been SLOW FOOD. Duh!!

There is and will always be great food in San Francisco, but it's really busy trying to outdo itself. Here, the food is real, fresh, honest and rich with tradition. Yes, there are innovative restaurants doing new things, but those aren't the ones that impress us.

The places we have really loved; Harvest Moon Grill, Kings Kitchen; New South Kitchen and Halcyon are serving "country food". Traditional dishes; like fried chicken, shrimp and grits or braised ribs; done in new and fresh ways and using fresh, local and in season ingredients. Their food is wonderful, the ambiance is great and their chefs accessible - without the rock star attitudes one frequently finds in the Bay Area.

It's not uncommon for Cassie at HMG come out and chat up the room during the dinner rush or to have the kitchen at King's Kitchen prepare a special veggie plate just for Dave when they learn he's a vegetarian and all the "veggies" they have on menu are prepared with pork back, duck fat or chicken stock. There are restaurants in San Francisco that would show you the door for requesting something off menu. Not so here in the south. Hospitality is real and your welcome to the table is sincere.