Libretto's - New Parktowne Village location

Il Diavolo (back half) and San Gennaro (front). The Il Diavolo was spicy and one of our very favorite menu items!

Soon after moving back to Charlotte in 2012 I visited the Ballantyne location of Libretto's - post here. Now a third Charlotte location at Parktowne Village (corner of Woodlawn and Park Rds.) joins Ballantyne and Epicentre. I recently had two very enjoyable meals at Libretto's - Parktowne and even had the opportunity to speak with owner Mike Libretto about his restaurants and the restaurant business here in Charlotte. 

All of the food was good and the atmosphere at this location is pleasant, nice for couples and families with a bar available for single diners as well. The eggplant parmigiana remains a personal favorite. However, this was my first time trying the pizza and it was also very good - so many delicious specialty pies to choose from. My husband and I both love spicy foods so the Il Diavolo was right up our alley with pepperoni, spicy sausage, jalapenos and roasted garlic - yum! The stuffed mushrooms were also fantastic as an appetizer and we enjoyed the linguini with clam sauce as well. The best news is that this new location delivers to where we live - awesome! I look forward to returning to Libretto's to try more soon, including the wings, Square pizzas, Calzones and Strombolis. 

 Out front.

 Neat bar/outdoor area. When the weather is nice you can sit outside overlooking the fountain!

Full bar. 

Half of a Roasted Beet Salad - kitchen was nice enough to split this for us.

Linguini with White Clam Sauce - garlicky and delicious!

Florentine (right half) and New Yorker (left).

Display of pizzas and garlic knots. Easy to stop in for a quick lunch.

Tasty garlic knots with the wonderful tomato sauce.

Stuffed Mushrooms with sausage in a creamy alfredo sauce - so good!

Eggplant Parmigiana - a beautiful rendition and still one of my top picks.

Eggplant Rollatini - awesome appetizer - would be enough for small appetite meal.

Side of meatballs. Must try. The baby also loved these!

Cannoli we tried was good! Tiramisu, cheesecake and a brownie are also available to satisfy the sweet tooth.

Brunch at the Mellow Mushroom in Charlotte

Brunch pizzas! I was invited to try both of the brunch pizzas that are offered on Sundays at the Mellow Mushroom. Both the Morning Glory (left), a vegetarian pizza with egg base, spinach, mushroom, onion, green peppers, mozzarella and diced tomatoes, and the Rising Sun (right), a meaty pie with egg base, sausage, bacon, ham, onion, green pepper, mozzarella and cheddar were very tasty. The superior crust really lends itself to combine with the egg base and other ingredients for a different, fun weekend breakfast choice. As always Mellow Mushroom was very accommodating to us as a family. They even brought out some avocado for my little one - one of his first foods! If you haven't tried fresh pizza for breakfast, it's time you took the plunge!

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom with artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and feta - delicious!

The awesome bus in the Mellow Mushroom - you can even sit inside!

Shrimp Hoag-boy - grilled jerk shrimp with pesto mayo, grilled mushrooms and carmelized onions - one of my favorite hoagies!

Half Thai Dye (left) and half Mellowterranean (right), served with a side of tzatziki sauce - yum! I really liked the spice and the addition of cucumbers to the Thai Dye. The sauce was great with the cheesy Mellowterranean.

Key Lime Pie - a sweet ending with lots of tasty whipped cream.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint - Atlanta. Coming soon to Charlotte

Portobello Pesto Pizza.

Just before leaving Atlanta I ventured into Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint to use a free pizza coupon. Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint epitomizes the "fast-casual" option that is popping up frequently now in Atlanta.In addition to pizza the restaurant serves salads and toasted paninis. You order at a long counter where you create your own pizza or choose a specialty pizza combination, pay and a server brings your food when it is ready. Drinks, silverware and other items like parmesan and red pepper flakes are all self-serve. For me this place is best enjoyed by families. There were tons of kids there when we went and as a result the noise volume was high. There is a patio available also at this location, which might be a way to enjoy a quieter meal.

The food was pretty good overall. Our salad was fresh and I enjoyed the goat cheese on the special spinach/strawberry salad. The pizza was tasty especially with the addition of specially requested garlic. Unfortunately the workers making the pizzas/salads were not very enthusiastic, perhaps because just before we ordered a party of 8 including kids took forever to make up their minds. I am also not a huge fan of this style of dining but again, I think it's great for families. Uncle Maddio's also serves Rooster 14 cookies - who can resist one of those to finish off the meal right? Apparently Uncle Maddio's is expanding significantly with franchises opening in Charlotte in the near future.

Strawberry spinach salad.

Anniversary Dinner with Chef Stephanie of Dishes Delicious

White gazpacho with grapes and almonds - so delicious!

For our 1 year anniversary I decided to do something unexpected: no big fancy dinner out; instead a delicious dinner cooked at home by the lovely and talented Chef Stephanie of Dishes Delicious. I met Stephanie at a food event last summer and having always wanted to do a meal at home prepared by a chef, decided to do this for our first wedding anniversary before we moved out of Atlanta.

Stephanie was fun to work with on the planning front - we discussed the menu and settled on the below, which she even put onto a special menu card for the occasion. Since we had bar stools in our Atlanta kitchen we were able to watch Stephanie do the final preparations and the cooking, which made it even more fun - your very own chef's table at home! Everything she prepared was awesome - in particular the white gazpacho. Superb. If you need a private chef for any size home party, I wholeheartedly recommend Stephanie!

Crispy wild mushroom and onion grit cakes.



Sea bass with guava cream and roasted new potatoes.



Chef Stephanie. She can be reached through her website Dishes Delicious.



Lemon curd crepes with raspberry sauce.



One year down!

Miss Crumpy's - Awesome Atlanta Wings with a Memphis Connection

Honey Gold (left) and Mild wings at Miss Crumpy's.

Back in December owner Freda Crump invited me to come try her wings. I was so busy I didn't have time to come by until a couple of weeks ago. As soon as we arrived Calvin (a native of Memphis) discovered that Miss Crumpy's is related to Memphis' Crumpy's chain - in fact Miss Crumpy is Crumpy's daughter! What a coincidence - turned out Freda even knew an old friend of Calvin's from back in Memphis - small world!

We really enjoyed chatting with the namesake owner as well as her best friend and assistant Ron Jones. Both are warm, talkative and welcoming. Miss Crumpy's is located in the Westview neighborhood in southwest Atlanta. Although this is not a neighborhood I frequently find myself in, it is quite convenient to I-20 if you are traveling west out of Atlanta or returning from the Alabama state line. Inside a few tables are available for patron use but takeout seems to be the norm.

Ron Jones and Freda Crump cook up some great wings!

After chatting for a bit we decided to try a sampler of the fried appetizer snack goodness that is offered as well as 3 types of wings. The fried items are hand battered to order, resulting in a rich, thick and tasty crunch. I really appreciate that they hand batter rather than use frozen pre-battered vegetables. All of the snacks we tried were delicious, especially when dipped in ranch or honey mustard sauces!

The wings did not disappoint either. First of all, it must be made clear that Miss Crumpy's serves the WHOLE WING - not the pieces of wing that you normally get. Thus, when it says 5 wings, it is the equivalent of 10 pieces. That's a lot of wing! Of all the options we really liked the Mild seasoned wing. The honey gold and the hot were also good but the seasonings and crispy yet moist mild really knocked our socks off.

Fried green tomatoes, mushrooms and onion rings.



The HOT wings! We didn't attempt the X-Hot or Suicide varieties - no thank you!

Think about giving Miss Crumpy's a try and tell her that you found her on Amy on Food. The restaurant just opened in September 2011 so they are trying to generate lots of fans! You can check out their facebook page here. Miss Crumpy's does catering orders and recently had many Super Bowl orders as well.

Blue Moon Pizza - Buckhead

Delicious Portabella Mushrooms topped with "Grandma's sauce", goat cheese and basil. A great first taste.

I was recently invited to check out Blue Moon Pizza, a local chain with four Atlanta area locations. Owners Kelvin and Mandy Slater have built a fun concept including a delicious variety of "specialty moons" (pizzas) as well as salads, "flatwiches" (sandwiches with bread made from pizza crust dough and appetizers. In addition to the Buckhead location (pictured below), there are locations in Marietta, Smyrna and now Sandy Springs as well. Click here for specific location information.

We had the opportunity to taste the mushroom appetizer (above) as well as several pizzas and one of the salads. Everything was good, with enough spice already added to make red pepper flakes a non-issue (at other pizza places we are always shaking those little glass bottles to try and get more flavor on the food!) I particularly enjoyed the portabella mushrooms, the Santa Fe style pizza and the Cobb salad. I look forward to trying more options on a future visit. We also had a fun time talking with Kelvin and Mandy, who are obviously dedicated to their concept of making Blue Moon "an everyday place that still feels special" for their customers. There is a loyalty program as well as a newsletter.

Casual, pleasing dining area adorned with special blue moon decor. The restaurant also features the amazing Coke machine with dozens of possible flavor combinations. I had fun trying out cherry Dr. Pepper - a rare treat!



Top half: BBQ chicken pizza; below: Jerk chicken pizza - just the right amount of spice!



Top half: Grandma's Pizza; below: my personal favorite, the Santa Fe featuring black beans, avocado and jalepenos - spicy and so delicious.



Calvin enjoyed a blue "moontini" - all locations feature a full bar with $5 martinis every Thursday.



Cobb salad - this is no ordinary salad! All salads at Blue Moon are served on pizza crusts - a neat touch.

Blue Moon also features a special gluten-free pizza crust, which can be used for all of the pies and for garlic bread. There is a list of gluten-free menu items and even a gluten-free chocolate brownie. Additionally, the restaurant offers lunch specials like a slice of cheese pizza, a side salad and a soda for $6.99.

Delivery is available within 3 miles of any location. Blue Moon also features Take-n-Bake: you pick up a pizza that is ready to be cooked in your oven at home. The pizza comes with a special baking tray to help you achieve that perfect crispness!

If you haven't already become a fan, give Blue Moon a try!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary

Local Three Kitchen & Bar

Lamb sandwich.

Local Three is one of my new favorites in Atlanta. Cal and I had a delicious celebratory dinner there a couple of months ago. Since then I've heard great things about their brunch from others and I am excited to go back again for lunch, brunch or dinner as the menu has changed dramatically since our visit. I'd also love to sit on the patio when it cools down again, a really nice atmosphere out there. Inside is great too, with cute photos of pigs and Elivs memorabilia throughout. Our server was on point, as were the busboys who tended to our water needs nonstop.

Highlights of dinner included the lamb sandwich, the razor clams and the dessert. If you haven't been here, go soon.

Popcorn tossed with truffle oil.



Razor clams - evening special.



Menu - the current on is quite different. View it here.



Pork with brussels sprouts and onions.


Lobster pasta.



Key lime pie taste and Boston Creme Pie.


Sign out front. You could easily miss this place if you aren't familiar with the area since it's in an office park.