The Cellar At Duckworth's - Prohibition Day and New Menu Items

My favorite dish - tuna tartare with guacamole.

I have been meaning to blog about The Cellar at Duckworth's for a while - in fact I have been meaning to blog for a while... forgive me, dear readers!

The Cellar has quickly become one of Charlotte's best dining and drinking destinations, with its speakeasy, 1920's look, fabulous cocktails and delicious food. Some of my favorite mainstay items are the tuna tartare, the flat breads and the brussels sprouts.

Just last week I was invited to come taste the special 21st Amendment Cocktail Menu, which is available TONIGHT, December 5 ONLY! This is in celebration of Prohibition Day.

The Cellar’s mixologist Ron Oleksa has created a menu of exclusive vintage cocktails with a modern-day twist, including: 

The Corpse Reviver #2016, a twist on the popular Corpse Reviver family of cocktails, features Bluecoat Gin with Yellow Chartreuse, Amaro Montenegro, an absinthe rinse, lemon and cherry.

Not-So-Silent Mary Pickford, inspired by the 1920s favorite, includes Mt. Gay Silver Rum with Luxardo Maraschino, Solerno Blood Orange, house-made Grenadine, pineapple, lime, house-spiced cherry and a clove sprinkle.

Brooklyn Bridge, a cross between a Brooklyn and a Manhattan cocktail, mixes Knob Creek Rye with Amaro Montenegro, Dolin Dry Vermouth, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth and a lemon twist.

In the photo above, the Not-So-Silent Mary Pickford is on the right, the Corpse Reviver is in the middle and the Brooklyn Bridge is on the left. I enjoyed the Not-So-Silent, which had a lighter and sweeter taste, but my husband favored the other two which were both less sweet and strong!

Tacos including octopus and fish.

New menu item - asparagus salad. I relly enjoyed this dish; the feta and asparagus really go nicely together. We also tried the new ground duck flat bread which I ate before I could photograph! It has a balsamic glaze and was sodelicious. I would definitely order it again.

New menu item - candied jalepeno bacon. This was sweet, yet spicy and savory all at the same time. Delicious - a real treat!

Mellow Mushroom - Uptown Charlotte

 Philosopher's Pie at Mellow Mushroom - olive oil & garlic base, grilled steak, artichokes, olives, Portobello mushrooms, feta, provolone and mozzarella.

I recently had the opportunity to try the newest Charlotte location of the Mellow Mushroom - uptown near the new Knights baseball stadium and Romare Bearden Park. The space is airy and modern with a long bar on one side as well as booths and tables. There is also patio seating. My family really enjoyed our experienced and we sampled quite a few different items. My favorite thing by far was the Maui Wowie pizza (below) - definitely some strong flavors going on with it, which I love - especially the banana peppers and jerk chicken! The bruschetta and wings were excellent, as always, and our little one enjoyed the kids mac & cheese as well. To top things off we tried several of the freshly baked cookies - delicious. Mellow Mushroom is a wonderful addition to the uptown dining scene. They have a full bar and are open LATE too - until 11 PM Sunday - Wednesday, until midnight Thursday and until 3 AM Friday and Saturday. Definitely a great place to keep in mind for a late night snack! 

Maui Wowie Pizza - now my personal favorite! Pesto base with ham, pineapple, jerk chicken, banana peppers, smoked bacon and mozzarella - yum!!
 

Bruschetta - I could not resist ordering this even though I have had it before! Love the basamic glaze.

BBQ wings - very good!

 

Ceasar salad.

Kids mac & cheese with broccoli - the little guy loved it.

Can you tell who is behind the water wall?!
 

Patio, facing Knights stadium.

Peanut butter cup cookie.

After lunch we spent time at the new Romare Bearden Park adjacent to the new baseball stadium. It has some neat features including this waterfall that kids can play under and a fabulous view of the skyline!
 

 Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

La Tagliatella - Epicentre

The Tagliatella signature pizza with eggplant. 

I have been meaning to blog about La Tagliatella for quite some time so I am glad I am finally able to post about this relatively new Italian option in Charlotte. La Tagliatella is a chain restaurant, but unlike most that we know, most of its locations are in Spain with only 6 locations in the US. The Charlotte location opened early last fall and we enjoyed a friends and family night and media night. A few weeks later, we took my mom for a special birthday dinner and had a very enjoyable meal. The above pizza, actually called the Tagliatella, is one of my favorite menu items - how could it not be delicious with fried eggplant and drizzled with honey and balsamico glaze? We also really enjoyed the Caesar salad and several pastas - I can't recall exactly what is in every photo but we did enjoy everything. For dessert, try the bocconcino - a cheesecake topped with delicious custard. There is a lot to choose from and the dining room has a neat, unique European feel. There is a special lunch menu, kids menu and bar menu and regular specials including some great specials in March - see the website for details. I encourage you to try La Tagliatella if you are uptown - it is definitely a great option at Epicentre. 

Beef Carpaccio with pierina.

Caesar Salad - very good!

Pasta with red sauce and meatballs. There are a variety of handmade pastas including several stuffed pasta options. 

Garlic Shrimp with Ravioli - much of the pasta is made in house. 

Risotto.

Another tasty pizza - you fold it over so you taste all the components. 

Desserts including the special cheesecake (right) - one of my favorite cheesecake renditions ever!

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.

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.

East Boulevard Bar & Grill

Cobb Salad - love this version.

I had the pleasure of dining at East Boulevard Bar & Grill recently for lunch. This place is quite nostalgic for me even though it is now located a few blocks west of the old location on East in Latta Pavillion. As a kid my dad and I used to dine here with some frequency and I remember the salads, the round fries and the tuna melt - all still available. Lucky for me the Grill is even closer to my house! I also love that the new location allows the front windows to be raised, opening the restaurant up to the street, which is perfect for people watching and an urban touch not seen enough in Charlotte. Definitely a great place to have a beer and watch a game, too.

The menu includes lots of great appetizers (think nachos, wings and quesadillas among other items) sandwich options including the popular oven roasted grinders, a French dip and a Reuben, burgers and salads. The below fish tacos are another option. Entrees, including fried shrimp, grilled or blackened fish, pot pie and fish and chips are also available. If you haven't tried East Boulevard Bar & Grill you definitely should! I look forward to returning soon to try more menu items.

Signature round fries - brings back memories!



Fish Tacos with Slaw.

 

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.