Food halls, Italian spots: CharlotteFive’s top 10 food and drink stories of 2019
Charlotte’s restaurant scene is constantly changing, and if it seems like it’s happening faster than ever, you’re not alone. It can be hard to keep up with all the new places to try or remember which places have closed. This year, we started a monthly CliffsNotes series to keep up with it all. Here are some of our favorite food and drink stories from 2019:
(1) Food hall Optimist Hall opens to fanfare, dumplings and gelato
Few announcements excite Charlotte more than food. Cue Optimist Hall, the city’s first food hall. Situated in the Optimist Park neighborhood between Uptown and NoDa, the newest culinary addition to the Queen City opened its doors on Aug. 1. The 147,000 square-foot space is the redevelopment of a former turn-of-the-century textile mill, blending Charlotte’s industrial heritage with modern ideals of innovation, sustainability and urban renewal. Complemented by retail and creative space, the food hall will bring locals and visitors together to enjoy the city’s rich history — and incredible food.
— Jess Swannie
(2) CharlotteFive celebrates our city’s classic restaurants. There’s a reason they’ve stood the test of time.
As new restaurants open every day in Charlotte, it’s easy to forget about the old standbys, the places that have grown up alongside the Queen City. We think they’ll always be there for us, but so many favorites have closed along the way. This makes it even more important to support the ones we love. Our series highlights the classic Charlotte eats that you have frequented for years, reminding us why they have stood the test of time. Check out the following gems restaurants our food writers covered in 2019:
(3) What’s up with all the new Italian restaurants in Charlotte?
Have you heard murmurs of the brand-new Volo? Maybe you’ve had a memorable glass of Sangiovese at Cicchetti? Or snagged a San Lorenzo pizza from Capishe? With the recent opening of a number of Italian restaurants in the Charlotte area, it’s safe to say Charlotte is having its moment in the Tuscan sun. From Capishe’s fast-casual approach to Cicchetti’s curated wine bar experience, these new joints are ready to whet the appetite of Charlotte residents — and their owners are confident there’s space for it all. And while these new Italian spots differ in concept, they are similar in one commitment: Quality.
— A.W. Geiger
(4) James Beard-nominated chef to open Camp North End’s first restaurant
For those watching the transformation of Camp North End, it should come as no surprise that its first restaurant will be anything but standard at the 75-acre adaptive reuse site just north of uptown. Enter Greg and Subrina Collier, just the team to do it. In July, the Colliers announced their Memphis-style juke joint for Camp North End, named Leah & Louise. It will serve dinner, family-style Sunday supper and Sunday brunch. Lunch service will eventually be added. Seasonal cocktails and low- and no-alcohol specialty drinks will be on the menu. The restaurant will have seating for 58, including outdoor sidewalk dining and roll-up garage doors to bring the mild days inside.
— Melissa Oyler
(5) Here’s where Amelie’s French bakery is moving its flagship location
Ending months of speculation surrounding one of Charlotte’s most popular spots, Amelie’s French bakery is finally ready to announce plans for its flagship site. Amelie’s will relocate in spring 2020 to 136 E. 36th Street, occupying the former location of Hart Witzen Gallery. The decision to walk away from the Villa Heights spot, where Amelie’s started 11 years ago, was not made easily, Long said. “There is a lot of emotion around this building. It’s our home and it’s our heart.” The original location will remain open until the bakery moves.
— Melissa Oyler
(6) 5 Places in Charlotte to get fried chicken—other than Price’s
Price’s Chicken Coop wins the undisputed popularity vote for fried chicken in the Queen City. A quick google search turns up fifty-‘leven articles praising its bird recipe that has stood the tastebud test for 55+ years. But the long lines, short hours and relatively high ticket price may have you wondering what else is out there, beyond Bojangles’ and Popeyes. Here are five other options to soothe your fried chicken cravings that give Price’s a serious run in terms of flavor, service and soul.
— Emiene Wright
(7) Chef Clark Barlowe announces move to Oregon
When you’ve found the one, there is nothing or no one that can keep you from being with them. Even if that means putting your award-winning restaurant on the market and moving almost 3,000 miles across the country. Chef Clark Barlowe, owner of Heirloom Restaurant, announced in September he is putting the building on the market. While many would assume that it’s due to issues with the restaurant or something within the Charlotte market, it’s actually neither. “My fiancee has been so supportive in helping me to achieve my goals,” Barlowe told CharlotteFive. “She recently got her PhD and was offered an amazing opportunity in Eugene, Oregon. So, I decided that now it’s time for me to be the supportive one.”
— DeAnna Taylor
(8) 10 best biscuits in Charlotte—and FYI, these were harder to find than you’d think.
For one of the simplest breads you can get, biscuits are complicated. Are they rolled and cut out? Are they flat and crispy or tall and layered? How about the drop biscuits sometimes called “cathead” biscuits, for their size and craggy tops? (Even that definition is disputed, because ... of course it is.) There was a time in Charlotte when people lamented all the biscuits. This was a place where you couldn’t get crusty artisan loaves and real bagels, but you could always count on biscuits at breakfast or lunch. Now it’s almost easier to find a great bagel than it is to find a great biscuit. Good – even great – biscuits are out there, though. We did a tour around town to check out the best contenders.
— Kathleen Purvis
(9) The Batch House opens in FreeMore West
When Cristina Rojas-Agurcia was pursuing her master’s degree in clinical mental health, she was also baking on the side. In 2017, it became apparent she needed a website, so her marketing-minded husband, Pablo Agurcia, set up The Batchmaker. “One person started ordering,” Rojas-Agurcia, 32, explained. “I went from having three orders to being sold out weeks in advance.” In October, The Batchmaker debuted its brick-and-mortar concept: The Batch House. The shop is in the space adjacent to Latin American Contemporary Art Projects.
— Vanessa Infanzon
(10) Sabor has a secret menu—here’s what you should have been ordering all along.
Have you had the Plátanos Maduros con Carne at Sabor? Wait — you’ve never heard of it?
That’s because it’s on the secret menu. Secret menus are all the rage at restaurants around the country, and it’s no different here in the Queen City. At Charlotte’s fast-casual Latin street food joint, Sabor, the secret items have become a bit of an underground hit — so much so that they can disguise them no longer.
— Alex Cason
This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 5:40 AM.
