Babushka's Pierogi

Polish Platter with mashed potatoes. 

A few weeks ago I was invited to try Babushka's Pierogi and the whole family came along. The restaurant is located in south Charlotte on Highway 51. I have very little experience with Russian / Eastern European food, other than my Grandma Sarah's stuffed cabbage, and I truly enjoyed trying the unique and delicious items on their menu.  Everything at Babushka's is homemade from scratch and you can tell! My kids adored the chicken samsa pastries with sesame seeds on top and the pieroshki were so delicious as well, both served warm. The menu includes a variety of soups such as the classic Russian borsh, with some of the soups only served on particular days. Since we were there on the weekend, we were lucky enough to try the solyanka, which contains a variety of sausages and meats - delicious! The Polish Platter is a good choice for first-time diner. I do love my stuffed cabbage, and this one did not disappoint! The potatoes were also very tasty and pierogis round out the plate (see below for more about those!)

Chicken Samsa and Potato and Mushroom Pieroshki. 

 

 Two Soups: Borsh and weekend soup Solyanka.

Pelmeni (L) and Pierogi (R).

My favorite things were the pierogi - where have these been all my life? The only ones I ever had before were back at Oberlin College in Ohio where I went for one year and they tasted nothing like the delicious pockets served at Babushka's Pierogi.You can get potato and cheese, sauerkraut or potato and mushroom pierogi and they come with carmelized onions or butter and chives - yum. The sour cream served in the middle accentuates the flavor even more - I am starting to drool thinking about these! I had never even heard of pelmeni, which are dumplings made with beef and pork. Another kid-pleaser for sure!

Russian meatballs and pierogi with sauerkraut.

Sample size Hungarian goulash. 

 We were able to try a sample of the Hungarian goulash as well - delicious beef stew with vegetables. Definitely a good choice on a cold day. For dessert the chocolate turtle cake was a hit with the kids but I preferred the subtler honey cake. Both cakes have very impressive layers. 

We had so much food that we took some to our Russian friend and she declared it just like home! If that's not an endorsement I'm not sure what is! I encourage you to give Babushka's Pierogi a try. You will be glad you did! They also offer catering services and sell pierogi, pelmeni and cabbage rolls frozen. There is also a small grocery section containing Russian and European products. If you go, let me know what you think!

Honey Cake and Chocolate Turtle Cake. 

Russian and European products for sale.  

Disclosure: The food described was complimentary, but the opinions are my own.

Dinner at e2 Emeril's Eatery in Charlotte

Crawfish at the Crawfish Boil! Each Friday in May e2 offered a traditional crawfish boil for $5 per person. They served 400 pounds of crawfish the night we were there - let's hope they bring this back soon!

I was recently invited back to e2, this time for dinner with my husband and with fellow blogger Malika Bowling from Atlanta Restaurant Blog. Malika and her husband, Glen, came up from Atlanta to check out some restaurants while they stayed with us for the weekend in Charlotte. Friday night started off with a "Bam" - truly - as we dined in style at e2 with fabulous food and service. 

My favorites included the oyster shooter (not pictured but I blogged about the oyster shooter here previously when I had lunch at e2), the gumbo, the gulf coast drum stew, the special fish dish with stuffed kale and the blue corn brioche bread pudding. We also really enjoyed the cocktails, particularly the famous Grasshopper and the wonderful wine selection. e2 is a really good choice for lunch or dinner. Brunch is also offered with specials for Father's Day, coming up this Sunday.

 

Special of crispy Duck Wings - different and tasty.

Housemade Boudin + Andouille Sausage.

 

Special gumbo of the day - delicious!

  

Emeril's signature BBQ shrimp with rosemary biscuit.

  

We enjoyed some delicious cocktails and wine!

 

The famous Grasshopper - everyone really liked this special cocktail.

 

Special seafood dish with fish and mussel-stuffed kale and fried oysters. The stuffed kale was awesome!

 

Gulf Coast Drum Portuguese stew - this was really tasty, love the broth and all the seafood.

 

Trout "Meuniere" - trout is sometimes used in place of the usual founder.

 

Giant and delicious double cut pork chop - it was after this pork chop that I officially made up the Pork Chop Song / Dance for my son, who at age 7 months, ate some of the leftover pork chop! If you ask me I might sing it for you sometime :D

 

Desserts: from top left, clockwise, blue corn brioche bread pudding with coconut-pineapple ice cream, banana cream pie, apple crepes with bacon and ice cream, sweet potato cheesecake. The bread pudding was different from any other bread pudding I have ever tried - and SO good! 

 
 Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Ramen Bowls at Whole Foods - Special on 2/6

To celebrate the New Year and the launch of their new line of Miso Tonkotsu Ramen bowls Genji Sushi and Whole Foods Market Charlotte (6610 Fairview Rd) are thrilled to present Ramen Noodle Night on Wednesday, February 6 from 6-8PM. Guests are invited to bring a friend and enjoy two bowls for the price of one, or one bowl for $4.50.

A few facts about these delicious ramen bowls:

• The Miso Tonkotsu Ramen combines two of the most popular and beloved flavors of ramen: Tonkotsu pork broth and Miso broth
• The bowls comes with two delicious topping options: Shrimp Tempura and Roasted Pork (Chāshū).
• Unlike freeze-dried ramen options, these delicious bowls are made daily by Genji chefs
• These bowls are delicious prepared on-site, or finished at home with hot water 
• Amy on Food will be trying the ramen bowls soon - stay tuned!

300 East

The Usual: chicken salad, asparagus, mushrooms and cheddar baked open-faced.

300 East is a classic Dilworth establishment that has been open over 25 years. Many of the menu items have endured such as the Sonoma salad - one of my favorites and the Usual (above). They used to have an "Unusual" but it looks like that one is no longer regularly available. The setting is quaint and charming in a renovated old house and you must check out the cute signs that mark the bathrooms. A cozy full bar with a generous wine list is downstairs and there is seating upstairs, downstairs and on the patio out front. Lunch, dinner and brunch are served and a kids menu is available as well.

I recently enjoyed the homemade pimento cheese dip as well as a crab cake sandwich. I tried the gazpacho, which was more of a tomato soup with chunks of veggies rather than the blended variety that I like better. On another visit I tried the goat cheese appetizer - delicious with sun dried tomatoes and roasted garlic - and the aforementioned Sonoma salad with chicken - love the Dijon mustard dressing and the inclusion of red potatoes. Desserts are also tasty including the peach cobbler with ice cream that I sampled. 300 East truly has an eclectic menu with several unique salads, pizzas and Mexican inspired options as well as a full sandwich and entree menu. Vegetarians will find plenty including black eyed pea falafel and farro saute. Definitely a fun and different place to dine in Charlotte.

Pimento Cheese appetizer.



Gazpacho.



Crab cake sandwich with rice.



Peach cobbler.

Toast Cafe - Dilworth

Lobster Roll with pesto pasta salad - love this!

Toast Cafe in Dilworth is one of my new favorite spots for breakfast, lunch or brunch. I have enjoyed 4 meals here recently with tasty food and superior service. The prices aren't bad either. Toast also has a location in Davidson and a new Toast is set to open soon in Ballantyne. The menu is diverse yet simple, creative but not fussy. I really like the lobster roll - above - which is not something easy to find in the south. I also dig the omelets including the avocado (not pictured) omelet with bacon and parmesan - so delicious - and the complimentary cornbread and apple butter served during weekend brunch. I love that I can walk to Toast and that they are so busy - we recently waited about 30 minutes for brunch - hopefully this is a sign they will be around for a long time. I look forward to returning again soon to try even more items - if I can bear not to have my favorites!

Delicious quiche of the day with bacon - another favorite.



Portobello mushroom sandwich.



Tofu Fresca salad with blue cheese, apples, walnuts and cranberries.



Veggie wrap with pesto pasta salad.




Egg white omelet with hash browns.

Watermelon gazpacho - great special for a hot day.

DISH

Salad, green beans, tomato soup and mac & cheese served with a deviled egg and a biscuit - a great veggie plate.

Dish is a funky spot in Plaza Midwood that turns out great food including wonderful vegetables. Recently my mom and I had lunch here and truly enjoyed going meatless with the wide selection on the veggie menu. I particularly enjoyed the tomato soup and the green beans and the deviled egg and biscuit really added an extra touch. Dish also has plenty of options for carnivores including burgers (veggie available), sandwiches such as fish, grilled eggplant and grilled pimento cheese, entrees like meatloaf, shrimp & grits and chicken & dumplings, a variety of salads and "South of the Border" items like nachos, burritos and quesadillas. Desserts are also offered including a wonderful sounding vanilla bourbon sweet potato pie - yum! I look forward to returning to Dish again soon. In addition to lunch and dinner service, breakfast is also served on Saturday from 10-3. Dish is closed on Sunday.

Fresh fruit, squash, collards, cauliflower casserole with a deviled egg and a biscuit - yum!

The Capital Grille - New Summer Plates Menu

Seared sea scallops with sweet and sour tomatoes.

I was recently invited to sample the new Summer Plates menu at The Capital Grille. Now that I am in Charlotte, I was able to try out another Capital Grille location and enjoyed a lovely lunch with my mom in uptown Charlotte. This outpost of The Capital Grille was bustling before noon on a Monday. Many business meetings and lunches are held here and the obviously enthusiastic staff kept things running smoothly and truly went above and beyond even with a close to full a house. At lunch parking is validated for the lot behind the Dunhill Hotel, making it a reasonable $2.

The Plates menu features choice of a soup or salad, an entree and a side dish for a set price of $18 at the Charlotte location. For the summer menu, a new entree of seared scallops with sweet and sour tomatoes is available. I love how the scallops are served with a grilled lemon wedge for a citrus taste that goes perfectly with the beautifully presented and cooked shellfish - delicious. The other new additions to the menu include a carrot ginger soup (hot) which I also really liked (the tasty classic New England clam chowder is still available as well) and a tomato and watermelon salad with feta cheese - a refreshing option for a side dish. The Wagyu beef burger with fried egg and crispy onions is back on the menu following multiple requests after it was featured last summer and then removed. My mom ordered this and LOVED it - and she is not usually a fan of burgers at all. The truffle fries go great with the burger, which is really a treat.

The Plates menu is a truly exceptional value for lunch at The Capital Grille. Give it a try this summer while the Wagyu burger and seared scallops are still on the menu.

Outside The Capital Grille - Charlotte.



Carrot Ginger Soup.



Tomato and Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese.



Clam Chowder.



Wagyu Cheeseburger with Fried Egg and Crispy Onions and Truffle Fries.



Grapefruit soda - love that they have an different non-alcoholic option.



Mini-sampler of tenderloin and lobster roll - the chef was kind enough to do this so we could taste these items along with our lunch choices. Both of these are available in larger portions on the Plates menu.



Coconut cream pie - a delicious, rich dessert option with lots of whipped cream!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.