P.F. Chang's Summer Seasonal Menu

 Grilled Prawns with Chilled Peanut Noodle Salad.

I recently had the opportunity to sample P.F. Chang's summer seasonal menu at the Phillips Place location in Charlotte. This location, along with several others, have been recently remodeled, with the new dining room now lighter and brighter, with a comfortable feel. The large horses inside are gone but there are still terracotta statues around the restaurant. We had a fabulous server for our meal - very upbeat, nice and attentive without being overbearing. The summer menu can be found here and includes several dishes in addition to what we tried such as Korean BBQ Chicken stir fry, Quinoa "fried rice", Smoked Duck spring rolls and sushi selections. 

We tried the heirloom tomato and basil salad to start, which was very tasty and fresh. That, along with the grilled prawns dish (above) were my favorites that we tried. The sauce on the swordfish was also very good - I think they could add a bit more of it to go over the rice. For dessert we tried the mandarin key lime sweet treat, a delicious after-dinner selection that is essentially key lime pie with a twist. I like that P.F. Chang's has these smaller desserts since you are often too full to enjoy anything too substantial after partaking in all of their other tasty dishes. 

Wine pairings and seasonal cocktails are available as well to complement the summer dishes offered. Come try the summer menu before it is too late!

Inside shot - love the remodel!

Heirloom tomato and Thai basil salad with avocado.

Grilled Pineapple-Citrus Swordfish with Summer Rice.

Mandarin Key Lime Sweet Treat.

 Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

e2 Emeril's Eatery

Outside patio and entrance.

Corn muffins served with lunch - moist and a good way to whet your appetite but save room!

I was lucky enough to be invited to try e2 Emeril's Eatery in uptown Charlotte just a few weeks ago. Most folks know Emeril from television but now he owns more than a dozen restaurants across the country in places such as Orlando, Las Vegas and New Orleans. Charlotte's  e2 is located on the Levine Avenue of the Arts between the Mint Museum uptown and the Bechtler Museum. Inside is a full bar and plenty of table seating. There is also a nice patio for al fresco dining. We sat at the bar (there is also a "Food Bar" where you can sit and watch the food being prepared) and enjoyed tasting portions of several of the most popular dishes. My favorite dishes that we tried include the oyster shooter, the signature barbecued shrimp, the pasta with housemade sausage and the apple crepes (photos below). The burger was also good and I enjoyed the corn muffins (above). Other lunch options include chicken and waffle, fresh fish sandwich (this sounded really good!), shrimp and grits and NC Rainbow trout. Several salads and soups are also available including a "gumbo of the day" and there are gluten free items available. 

I did not indulge in any of the stellar looking drinks, although we did sample the house made limoncello - delicious! e2 has a nice drink list, which includes not only classic cocktails, beers and an impressive wine list but also special signature and New Orleans style drinks executed by mixologist Miki Nikolic. His soon to be famous Grass Hopper cocktail includes wheatgrass, hendrick's gin, jalepeno simple syrup, lime juice and cucumber water - yum! Other signature options include a Bacon + Maple, a Pumpkin Spice, and a Prickly Moon with prickly pear juice. New Orleans cocktails include a Sazerac, Bijou, Ramos Gin Fizz and more. I look forward to returning for dinner so that I can sample some of these! 

e2 takes reservations for lunch and dinner and is a great place for a business lunch, a special occasion or a "just because" let's go out! A special 3 course "lunch crunch" menu is offered for $24 with a guarantee of a 40 minute lunch. Adjoining the main restaurant is e2Go, a place where you can grab a sandwich, salad or soup for an even quicker lunch. 

During lunch I had the pleasure of chatting with General Manager Jeff Wakem who also made sure we had everything we needed and were able to taste lots of different dishes. Jeff has worked directly with Emeril in different locations and Emeril himself visits each of his restaurants from time to time. Check out e2 and you never know, you just might see him there yourself!

Oyster Shooter - with spicy New Orleans style Bloody Mary mix and a pickled haricot vert. This was unique and so good - for all you raw oyster fans!

Wood Oven Oyster on the Half Shell - with bacon, onions, spinach and parmesan reggiano. A great choice - love this simple preparation.

The bar, including several homemade liquors. 

Emeril's New Orleans Barbecued Shrimp served with rosemary biscuits. Delicious taste - one of my favorite options - after devouring the large shrimp, the sauce paired so well with the tasty biscuits.

Yellowfin tuna tartare with cucumber, jalepeno, avocado, cilantro and ponzu. Fresh and simple.

Pasta course: with housemade fennel sausage, broccoli rabe and parmesan reggiano. Loved the sausage in this delicious warm-you-up dish.

Chef de Cuisine, Brian Mottola.

Half of "The Burger" with fries.

Special side of the day - warm potato salad.

Honey crisp apple crepes with bacon-maple syrup and house made vanilla ice cream. Utterly scrumptious! I also snagged a piece of the famous banana cream pie to go. It has chocolate shavings and delicious caramel sauce - definitely a good one to share. My family ate it before I could take a photo! Other dessert options include blue corn brioche bread pudding, espresso pudding and (what I want to try next time) - sweet potato cheesecake!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary. 

Dilworth Neighborhood Grille

With free entree coupon in hand we decided to check out Dilworth Neighborhood Grille. After all, we live in Dilworth and it's always fun to try a new place. The space is attractive and has a lot of seating, with a large bar area and lots of TVs for superior sports watching. Service was also pleasant and prompt. Unfortunately the food we tried (other than the house salad, which was fresh and good) was nothing special. The slaw on the BBQ platter was not very flavorful and the BBQ itself didn't have any kind of smoky appeal. The mac & cheese was OK but not great. As for the shrimp and grits, to me it was way too cheesy/greasy- some may like all the cheese but definitely too rich for my taste and not enough distinct grits flavor separate from the sauce/cheese. This would be a fun place to watch a game and definitely good for the drinking set. Of course I only tried a few items from the menu, but from what I tasted the food is not the draw here.

BBQ plate - a bit skimpy on the meat.



Shrimp & grits - a bit too cheesy for me!



House salad - fresh and tasty.

Krazy Fish

Salmon tacos with Jalepeno Cheddar Cheese Grits Souffle.

Krazy Fish is a unique and fun Plaza Midwood restaurant that opened just over a year ago in April 2011. The focus is on seafood and spice and the global menu includes a multitude of tacos, roti (flour tortillas stuffed with a protein of choice, rice and a chosen "roti sauce"), sandwiches and salads as well as entrees like fried seafood platters and shrimp and grits. The decor is quite entertaining including lots of nautical chotchkes that put you in the mind of a beachside seafood shack.

For lunch I was able to try both the special salmon taco - delicious with a tasty sauce - and the fried shrimp taco, which was also very good. The jalepeno cheddar cheese grits souffle was awesome and should not be missed. Many of the other side options look like great choices as well, especially the cactus salad which I didn't yet try. Service was friendly and fairly quick and our waiter steered us in the right direction with several recommendations. I look forward to returning to Krazy Fish to try more menu items - in particular the wings and the shrimp and grits. Also to note: every day tacos are half price from 4-6 PM - a great deal - and on Tuesdays bottles of wine are half-price as well.

The patio / tiki bar - open late!



Chips & Salsa sampler - 7 house made salsas are available.



Funky decor abounds.



Shrimp tacos with the same cheese grits goodness.



Fish Tacos with black eyed pea salad.



Strawberry shortcake - a sweet ending to the meal.



Specials board.

La Paz

Steak & Shrimp Veracruz.

La Paz, now located at the Metropolitan complex, has taken a downturn since it moved from the South Boulevard location. Even when it was on South I felt much of the authenticity had been lost following the move from the original location in a charming house in Myers Park off Providence Road. Now it feels like another big box chain - without being a chain! My recent dinner was ho-hum, nothing fantastic, nothing horrible. The waitstaff was obviously green and despite the huge space being close to empty on a Sunday evening it took a long time for us to find our waitress to pay our check. I appreciate that La Paz has a diverse menu including salads other than a taco shell with iceberg and several vegetarian dishes but I am on the hunt for an authentic, good and inexpensive Mexican staple in Charlotte. I have a few places I plan to try coming up - what's your favorite and why?

Veggie fajitas.



Chips - the salsa was tasty.



Char-grilled Chicken Salad.

Portabella and spinach tamales with goat cheese - interesting but lacks zing.

Calabash Seafood Hut and Calabash Creamery + Crabbing

Platter of fried goodness (and cole slaw!)

In early June we spent a wonderful week at an oceanfront house on Ocean Isle Beach complete with sun, sand, waves and crabbing. We cooked up fresh boiled shrimp most nights but one evening we did venture into Calabash for some fried seafood. Calabash Seafood Hut is classic Calabash fried goodness and the tiny dining room was filled to capacity by 5:15 PM. The shrimp and oysters were my favorite; the hush puppies could be better.

After dinner, despite being stuffed, we headed over to Calabash Creamery where they serve up delicious ice cream with creative flavors. I enjoyed the chocolate peanut butter and we had fun resting on the creamery's rocking-chair filled porch. A fun evening for all!

Sunset view from our house.



Basket of hush puppies.



Clam chowder.







Cute front porch of the creamery.

Calvin crabbing!



Crabs we caught!



Crabs we ate!