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Deals aplenty:
All Applebee's (and there are about 2,000 of them) plan to honor veterans and active-duty military with a free meal Nov. 11: Just bring proof of current or former U.S. military service and you'll get a free entrée from a special menu. It's offered from lunchtime through dinner (dine-in only). See www.applebees.com/vetsday for details.
Uno Chicago Grill offers a free entrée or individual pizza with the purchase of another to all members of the military that day. Arrive in uniform, or bring a photo of yourself in uniform or a military or veteran's ID. Charlotte's Uno is at 401 S. Tryon St.; 704-373-0085.
Sole celebrates its seventh birthday with $7 dinner entrees before 7 p.m. Sunday-Thursday throughout November. 1608 East Blvd.; 704-343-9890.
Cosmos Café also is celebrating. It's been uptown for 12 years now, and is offering a three-course $12 menu and $12 bottles of wine Nov. 9-14 at its uptown site (300 N. College St.) and Ballantyne one (8420 Rea Road). Among the dishes are sea scallops with red pepper sauce; chicken paillard with garlic mashed potatoes; grilled marinated flank steak and more.
Mert's Heart and Soul (214 N. College St.) now offers a birthday club program, with a free entrée of salmon cakes or barbecue to members on their birthdays. To join, go to www.mertscharlotte.com/birthdayclub.html.
More tart frozen yogurt
Tasty Yo, the tart frozen yogurt place in NoDa, plans to open a second location in south Charlotte Nov. 27. Michelle Goldstein and family will offer two flavors at all times there of the tangy delight - original "tart" and a rotation, beginning with green tea. You top these with fresh fruit, nuts, candy, cereal, and my personal favorite: mochi, a chewy form of glutinous rice cut into bits. (Trust me.) The new one will be at the Village at Robinson Farm (between StoneCrest and Blakeney); the original is at 3116 N. Davidson St.; 704-333-4551.
N.C. catches featured
Pewter Rose has new winter menus for lunch, brunch and dinner, emphasizing local foodstuffs and N.C. coastal catches - with nothing over $13 on the lunch lineup and an under-$10 bar menu. Among the new: Grateful Growers cider-braised pork shank and grilled tofu steak for dinner; two-bean chili for lunch; smoked salmon hash, Italian omelet and Oscar Benedict (crabcakes) for brunch, and lamb lollipops on the bar menu. 1820 South Blvd.; 704-332-8149.
Duck special
Tomi offers a duck special (breast sliced and stir-fried with Chinese fagara, aka Szechuan pepper) for $14 the first two weeks in November. The restaurant's new winter menu is out, also, including beef in a Taiwanese black bean sauce and some new seafood dishes. 7741 Colony Road; 704-759-1288.
Server do's and don'ts
The New York Times ran a story recently on 100 things a server should never do. They're mostly logical and appropriate, though there are several I could go either way on. See what you think here. And don't miss the comments - more than 1,000 when last I looked - since they are the most entertaining part. Personal fave: "Bruce (the author), you seem like the kind of diner whose food would get spit in." Most surprising: "Profanity in a nice restaurant is almost a guaranteed extra 5% (tip) from me." Really?
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Find news as it's happening on my blog. For weekly updates, follow Helen on Twitter @helenschwab .
