Kids on the train
by b1bob
As I alluded to in my transportation tip, a group of 117 students from Harrisburg (Cabarrus County, NC) Elementary School together with teachers and chaperones boarded the southbound Carolinian from Raleigh through to Kannapolis (the penultimate stop for the run). Why didn't I move from the car taken over by the 4th graders? The train was packed and the only other available seat was my original seat next to a guy with a cold. I reasoned I could get rid of any headache faster than a cold. Instead of letting it get me down, I made the best of it. I saw the teachers really earned their pay and the chaperones the appreciation from the school system. I tried to keep their minds off causing their teachers Maalox moments by challenging them with mathematical story problems such as, "I was born in 1969. I never failed a single year in school and I graduated from university on time. What year did I graduate from university?". I kept this kind of thing up and listened to them from Raleigh through to Kannapolis. I only had about 30 minutes from Kannapolis to Charlotte to decompress from that interesting adventure. Mark will bear witness that I arrived to Charlotte frazzled. To be honest, it was more from lack of sleep the previous two nights than anything else. The experience with the fourth graders brought me back to my own fourth grade (1978-79) experience.
The Coffee Cup
by etfromnc
Sad to see the Cup has finally lost it’s battle with Atlanta-based Beazer Homes.
When the doors of the Coffee Cup first opened in the late 1940's Charlotte was still segregated. In its final days of operation, the Coffee Cup was proudly recognizable as the oldest and most integrated restaurant in the city. What made the Coffee Cup so memorable? Consistency!!! The passing of the proverbial baton not only included the restaurant name, menu, counter, stools, tables, booths, and recipes but, most importantly, the atmosphere. Each new owner amazingly embraced the culture and found it important to maintain and protect it. The face of Charlotte is changing. Taller buildings, neighborhoods are now communities-but one thing remained the same for over 60 years: The Coffee Cup. A (sadly) lost piece of Charlotte's history. A place where different ethnic backgrounds came together on a common ground for one main reason….Good Food and Friendly Conversation.
Nuevo Latino Cuisine
by FreeCloud about La Torre’s
A place with modern and pleasant deco and live music (one gentleman was singing Latin songs on a Thursday evening). This could be a romantic place to enjoy gourmet food with your loved one. It has a large parking lot next to the building. My waiter was very pleasant and ready to help.
La Torre’s has a very interesting menu (see their website) and the dish I tried was excellent.
According to their own promo card (I asked if I could have a copy of their menu, as a result I got a beautifully designed card with lunch menu on one side and dinner, the other) “We offer an extensive selection of South American wines and tropical martinis and cocktails.”
Further, “Friday sand Saturdays, dance to the hottest Latin music and take free Salsa dance lessons starting at 10:30 pm”.
I decided to try their signature dish as I was attracted by the photo of this particular dish on Night and Life in Charlotte brochure (many restaurants provide photos of their dishes, but often, they failed to keep the quality, which reflects unstable quality level). I was very pleased by the presentation and well calculated flavors of the signature dish. Signature Dish
Escalope y Attoz con Coco $24
“Amber seared jumbo sea scallops over coconut rice, black beans, and sweet plantains with mango-mojo”
The base layer is the coconut flavored rice, then black beans, crispy green beans, slightly seared succulent scallops, with fried sweet plantain adding the 3-D effect also gives a different texture, the tier is finished with a sea of mango sauce. Scallop, plantain, coconut and mango, all have a sweet but different type of sweetness. Together with black beans and crispy green beans, they produce a very harmonic and pleasant dish. I tried each ingredient separately and any combination of any two or three, any way is very tasty.
China Express II
by etfromnc about China Express II
A hole-in-the-wall fast food Chinese restaurant which offers free delivery for orders of $10 or more. I do not really have a favorite here. They have 26 lunch and 26 dinner specials, 13 chef's specials, and 110 other items on their menu. The food is not going to make Southern Living magazine but it is good, served hot, and is better than most of the fast food Chinese restaurants which I have tried.
The last time that I was there, I had Kung Po (Yes, "Po.") chicken. It was excellent except for the fact that the peanuts seemed to have been added almost as an afterthought after everything else was cooked. These little idiosyncrasies may be typical but if you are sitting watching a movie or a ball game and want something other than pizza with minimum effort, this might be the way to go.
Better Chinese pretty quick Food
by etfromnc about The Wok #2
The Wok has two restaurants in Charlotte and they are as different as night and day. #1 is way north in the University areawhile #2 is way south in the Ballantyne area. #1 was relatively poor while #2 was very good. I live miles from either of them and am very unlikely to return to #1 but would very eagerly return to #2. At The Wok #2, I had Hunan Chicken and it was excellent. It was served piping hot, but not lawsuit hot, and was seasoned to perfection. The service at #2 was very good but not quite as good as good as it was at #1. The people at #2 were just a bit less attentive and helpful. They did all that they Should have done but did nothing extra.
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Partial albino Red-tailed hawk
"Pho Chicken"
clock outside bank building
1800's Historic St James Catholic Church
