Simmons Soul Food Restaurant

Baked chicken with stuffing, mac & cheese and greens.

Following a recommendation we recently tried out Simmons Soul Food Restaurant. When we arrived the place was empty and we found a seat at one of the simple tables. The decor is not much to look at, although some interesting pieces of memorabilia line the walls which contain some famous and not so famous patrons' signatures! The food was definitely not as impressive as we had hoped. The best thing we tried was the baked chicken and the collard greens and mac & cheese were good. The ribs were horrible with mostly fat and the fried fish was just decent. We did enjoy the cornbread, though. Overall I think Charlotte can do better. I am still on the lookout for my favorite Soul Food dining destination!

Cornbread.



Ribs with green beans and fried okra.




Fried fish with mac & cheese and greens.

Zio's Casual Italian

Chicken Piccata served with homemade pasta and vegetables.

Zio's Casual Italian is one of my new Charlotte finds. A friend recommended that we meet here for dinner several weeks ago and I am so glad that I now know about this place! Zio's has a pleasant yet casual atmosphere, good service, and most importantly - delicious food. You enter by going down a short staircase and the restaurant is welcoming to families as well as to groups and couples. The food is truly worth coming back for - especially the grilled pizza (loved the pear and Gorgonzola pie) and the house made pasta. I also really enjoyed the Caesar salad. I look forward to returning here again soon to try more menu items.

Baby Arugula Salad with Asparagus.



Caesar Salad.



Grilled pizza: half Margarita and half Pear & Gorgonzola.

Cluck 'N Cup - South End

Cluck 'N Cup is a cute breakfast and lunch spot where I enjoyed a delightful lunch several weeks ago. I dined at the Southend location just off South Blvd. but there are locations uptown and in north Charlotte as well. The chicken pot pie is very good - I look forward to having this again over the winter. I also sampled the broccoli casserole - also very tasty. Cluck 'N Cup serves a full breakfast menu including breakfast sandwiches (toast, croissants and bagels available), yogurt, oatmeal, muffins and frittatas. A full coffee selection including espresso drinks is also available - yay for serving my favorite, the mocha. Lunch brings several salads, wraps, sandwiches and entrees like the pot pie, lasagna and quesadillas. Lots of chicken is on the menu - hence the "cluck". Every day there is a lunch special including a drink for around $5 - $6 - a nice deal - on Wednesday you can get the pot pie, a side and a drink for $5.99. Also, you can purchase pot pie, broccoli casserole and more to take and bake a home - a nice option. I can walk here from home so I look forward to returning to Cluck 'N Cup soon to try the mocha and more of the menu.

Famous chicken pot pie with fruit salad.



Chicken salad wrap with broccoli casserole.

Zoe's Kitchen - Metropolitan

The Tossed Greek salad.

I was recently provided with a coupon to sample the menu at Zoes Kitchen. This fast casual concept delivers with fresh, tasty food in an upbeat pleasant setting. The patio at the Metropolitan location was particularly lovely last week when we had a bit of cool weather. You go inside and order and pay at the counter, then a runner brings your meal to the table.

The menu focuses on Greek cuisine, with lots of fresh salads, sandwiches and signature "roll-ups". I tried the tossed Greek salad, which was delicious with the right combination of chicken, olives, red onion, cucumber, feta and caramelized onions. I appreciated that the salad was not drenched in dressing - you can add more of the Greek dressing if you like since it sits on every table. Zoes also offers online ordering and you can pick up a grab and go meal for 4. With offerings like kabobs, Greek chicken and the roll-ups, this sounds like a great idea for those times you just don't feel like cooking or going out. Zoes makes its own limeade, which I sampled and enjoyed as well as desserts which I will have to try next time. I look forward to returning here again to try more of the menu!

Outdoor seating.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

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.

Leroy Fox - Fried Chicken Heaven!

Fried Chicken Salad - hits the spot.

Leroy Fox (no relation!) is a recent addition to the Cotswold dining scene, occupying the space which previously housed Hotel Charlotte. The focus here is on chicken and from the above fried chicken salad, Leroy Fox has their chicken recipe spot-on. I also tried the shrimp wrap, which included chopped tiger shrimp and bacon. To me the bacon overpowered the shrimp a bit too much but it was delicious nevertheless and the zucchini fries are really something to try. For dessert I tried the tasty brownie sundae with ice cream - a great choice for sharing. I look forward to coming back soon for the whole pieces of fried chicken. Leroy Fox also offers a kids menu and a gluten free menu. They are open late, serve brunch on Sunday beginning at 10 AM, offer live music Thursday through Saturday nights and have wine, beer and cocktails including special brunch cocktails. Next time I might just have to purchase one of their cute fox shirts too!

The old Hotel Charlotte location... transformed into Leroy Fox.



Shrimp wrap with zucchini fries.



Butterscotch brownie sundae - need I say more?



Bar/dining area.



Patio with TV included!

Anntony's Caribbean Cafe

Quarter white meat with rice & peas and cole slaw.

Anntony's Caribbean Cafe on 7th St. was a favorite of my youth. Back then the dining room was much larger but now the restaurant focuses on catering and take-out with a few tables indoors and on the patio. The tangy sauce here is SO GOOD. The waitress told me they had to take the bottles of sauce off the table because people were taking the whole bottle! I love the combination of rice, slaw, sauce and chicken here. So good. Calvin enjoyed his curry chicken as well although the corn bread was a little dry. Try the swank - a tasty nonalcoholic drink that tastes like a combination of lemonade and iced tea. Wing platters, pork chops, pork ribs, collards, and mac & cheese (Monday only) are also offered. Glad to be back in town so I can come back to Anntony's often!

Curry chicken with calypso rice topped with black beans and potato salad.

Midwood Smokehouse - Charlotte

Carolina Pork Plate with fries and slaw. All plates come with hush puppies and pickled onions.

Midwood Smokehouse is a welcome addition to the Charlotte BBQ scene. Located in the ever burgeoning Plaza-Midwood neighborhood, Midwood delivers on the 'Q while at the same time adding modern flair with dishes like smoked vegetable bruschetta, smoked turkey and sausage and a Cuban sandwich. The pork BBQ was smoky and delicious and I love that they have 4 sauce options to choose from. The mac & cheese was a standout side and the hush puppies were tasty too. I look forward to going back to try the ribs, the pimento cheese fries and the desserts.

Smokehouse Bruschetta made with goat cheese.



Midwood offers decktop, patio and indoor seating and has a full bar.



Special of the day: Fried smoked wings - you can get the smoked wings anytime and on the side, bacon wrapped jalepenos, available as an appetizer or side.




Sauces: Mustard, NC Vinegar, Midwood Signature and Spicy. I liked combining the vinegar sauce with the spicy sauce - yum!



Smoked half chicken Midwood Style with BBQ baked beans and mac & cheese.

Comminity Foods - Fresh Delivery in Metro Atlanta

Delicious, fresh chicken ready to be cooked!

Recently I was offered a 40 lb. box of fresh, hormone-free chicken from Community Foods. Community Foods is a local Georgia company that sells and distributes wholesale, top quality, fresh food, direct from the farm to the consumer. Products include chicken, lean ground beef, tilapia, and seasonal fruits and vegetables.  By eliminating the middle-man of grocery stores andwholesale clubs, and delivering to common pickup points within the community, Community Foods is able to bring customers better prices than they would be able to find anywhere else. Community Foods sold these chicken breasts for $1.69/lb.

I selected my pickup point and easily found the local church in Decatur closest to my home on the appointed day. Kevin Campbell, the president of Community Foods, greeted me and helped load the 40 lb. case of chicken into my trunk. It was surprisingly compact for such a large amount of chicken!

When I returned home I divided the butterflied boneless skinless chicken breasts into freezer bags and even had enough to give away to friends and family. I cooked some delicious orange chicken, some chicken salad and chicken with apple chipoltle barbecue sauce - yum! Community Foods is a great resource for obtaining fresh, quality foods at convenient locations and great prices.

The truck with boxes of chicken loaded up.





Big bowl of chicken!

Stir it Up - Jamaican in Little 5 Points

Jerk chicken - ask for extra sauce for the rice!

After waiting in line at the Vortex for 20 minutes with no table in sight, I persuaded Calvin to try something different: the Jamaican restaurant Stir It Up that I read about recently. I am so glad we tried it! Not only did the waitress accommodate our extreme hunger in a quick way, the food was truly fantastic and the dessert was out of this world. We started with the Coco bread and the Jamaican beef patty. Skip the bread, get the patty. It was hot and the beef had excellent flavor with tasty gravy inside the delicious patty (see below for half eaten photo)!

I'm no expert on Jamaican cuisine but I love spicy food and the jerk chicken did not disappoint. It was a generous serving with rice/peas and cabbage included. The oxtail was also delicious and creamy. Both of these dishes arrived quickly although some of the menu items are cooked to order and require a long wait. When we were leaving the kitchen was just bringing out some fresh macaroni and cheese - it looked fantastic. There are also some great lunch specials offered Tuesday through Friday and surprisingly, several vegetarian options available. See menu here.

Oxtail.



Coco Bread and Jamaican beef patty.



Best chocolate cheesecake - EVER!

Although we were stuffed, the waitress assured us that the cheesecake was really good and really different - she was right! While it has a very rich and chocolatey taste, the cake was lighter and less dense than traditional cheesecake. I would go back just for this! They also have a vanilla version that I want to try next time. Stir it Up is one of the nicer establishments in Little 5 Points and the food is quality as well. Try it!