Danielle P.'s Profile

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and my man's heart was in rough shape when I stumbled upon Ruffino's at quarter to 9 on Easter Sunday. Luckily, Ruffino's served up the perfect noodles to soothe the soul.

Since I was ordering take out for two I picked the gnocchi in alfredo and the eggplant parm with red sauce over linguini . Something for whatever your feeling. Both were delicious. The red sauce was bright and acidic, a far cry from the muted flavors you find in a jar. The eggplant was thick and covered in sauce an cheese. What we didn't finish that night I ate cold the next morning and it was fantastic. The shortfall of the dish was actually the noodles themselves, which were somewhat chewy.  But OH DEAR LORD, the gnocchi in alfredo. I'm not normally a white sauce gal but I would happily slather every food I ate in Ruffino's. Add to that wonderfully tender gnocchi and I lost track of the number of times my eyes rolled back in my head.

Did I mention they were open at near to 9 on Easter? Oh, I did. Well it bears repeating especially since they were snappy and pleasant about getting my food to me. Other pluses include available parking behind the building, an easy to find location and free bread even with your takeout.

For $22 I got a generous serving of Italian medicine and should I find myself back in Arlington I will definitely go back for another dose.

...mmmm alfredo...

Disappointment (n) - the feeling you get when you expect a spectacular brunch and instead receive flighty service and rotten fruit. See also: Encore Bistro & Bar

When some friends and I were searching for a brunch spot near Matthews Encore came to mind. I knew there had recently been a Yelp event there and saw this as a chance to make up for missing it. To top it off some of the group were really feeling French toast and the menu claimed they had Charlotte's best.

I arrived a bit late (because I didn't realize it would take 45 minutes to get there from Plaza Midwood) and was immediately blind upon walking in the door. I understand low lighting is hip, but in the middle of the day it makes it impossible to see. No sir, I have no clue where my party is.

We ordered two French toasts (one w/whipped cream; one without), two sides of eggs, a Belgian waffle and a steak sandwich with sweet potato fries. Oh and 3 coffees...for which we somehow received 4 separate containers of cream. When a member of the kitchen staff brought out the food neither toast had whipped cream and we were told that they had run out of berries but were going to get more. When our waitress came around we relayed the message and she went to the kitchen, returning shortly with bowls of berries.

Lesson: Low lighting also does not allow you to see that the berries you have just been given are rotten until you put them in your mouth. Eww.

Eventually fresh fruit was procured, the whipped cream situation was straightened out and we settled down to what turned into a fairly decent meal. Both the waffle and toast were tasty and the sweet potato fries were standout.

The bottom line was that the food was not outstanding enough to account for the comedy of errors that preceded it. For me, there will be no encore for Encore.

Hooray, there is finally tasty affordable falafel in University City. And don't worry that lean pricing means lean portions. My wrap was chock full of chickpea, sesame and pickled goodness all for $4 + tax. The flavor is good enough to convince me I don't need to drive all the way down to Sharon Amity every time I have a Mediterranean craving.

Where Le Kebab Grill does slack a little is the service. The gentleman in charge is awesome and attentive, but his counter help isn't always on the ball (or at the counter) and they forgot to add the hot sauce I ordered to my wrap (which I might not have minded if it weren't $.59 extra). Maybe over time they will get with the program or maybe its just a case of college-help-itis. Le Kebab Grill is a welcome addition to the Grand Promenade Shopping Center.

Oh Smalls, you are a gem. With your all NC beer list and your delicious food all served in a chic little dinning room that frequently hosts live music (sans cover). I can't help but love you.

Smalls boasts a wide variety of sliders, which come three to an order. They range from blue cheese and double smoked bacon (which were great) to crab cakes (which were also great) . If i could only give you one piece of Smalls advice though it would be to try the garlic chili mashed potatoes. I literally scraped every existent morsel of flavor out of the classy tureen they were served in. If they had served it in a vessel i could have gotten my mug in, I probably would have licked it clean. Well played, Smalls.

The one thing that is keeping me from 5-starsing them all over this here yelp is that at least two items we attempted to order they were out of. If you are going to have something as tasty sounding as drunken short rib sliders on your menu (seriously, how great does that sound?!) it's a bummer if you are out well before closing.

Either way, I will certainly be returning to Smalls for many a brew and tiny burger. It's just to good to miss.

I had high hopes for Cuisine Malaya since it has a great rating and had been recommended by 2 separate friends but my experience was not beyond adequate. We stopped in about an hour before close on a Saturday night and the place was surprisingly empty. True it's a large space, but still.

We started off with soup and both my Tom Yum and the BF's Hot and Sour were great. Unlike some other Tom Yums you certainly had no trouble finding the chicken and veggies. I ordered the Beef Randang extra spicy (beyond what the little pepper beside it on the menu was already supposed to indicate). What I got was certainly beef. I can't really speak to its randang-ness since I am no expert. I felt like it could have used a vegetable or 10 to break up the beef chunks covered in thick sauce. None were mentioned but they weren't mentioned in the BF's Chicken Basil either and it was teeming with them. What my dish most assuredly was not was spicy. At all.

Our waiter, who was very pleasant, brought me additional ground chili but even they had no zip in them. No veggies and no spice made the meal sort of a downer for me. I'm sure they make other dishes I would like, but there are too many other good Asian fusion places in CLT for me to pencil in a return visit to Cuisine Malaya.

I took me an embarrassingly long time to collect enough visits to Nova's to judge them well. I'm not really sure why because everything I have had there was delicious and they are right in my neighborhood, but better late than never.

Honestly my favorite of their offerings is their straight up coffee. Their flavors are strong and the brew itself is great. That is not to say that when the weather turns hot I will deny myself the indulgence of their mango smoothies. Sunshine in a cup. I picked up some of their carrot cake for a coworker on her birthday and I think the rest of our office thought she was having a very inappropriate time at her desk. It was apparently moan-inducing. I also happen to know their croissants are good, but that is solely due to the fact that they have a $5 credit card minimum. If you are getting coffee expect to get a pastry or bring cash.

Spaces around the side of the building makes it one of the only places in Plaza Midwood with adequate parking so be sure to swing in and pick yourself up...well, pretty much anything.

Taco Mac University is a shining example of the fact that craft beer in Charlotte has come far enough that simply having a good brew list is no longer enough to make you shine. You need to bring in in food, service and atmosphere and I hate to say it but they just don't. The place is loud. Not bustling, not "a little noisy". LOUD NOISES, loud. The staff is not unpleasant by any means, but they don't wow me with either their personality or awareness.

I do have to say that the Queso Poblano was tasty and definitely an appetizer for 2. I would also be remiss to completely gloss over the beer list. It is massive. Bottles, drafts, big beers, lighter beers, probably even Light beers (but I really didn't check). It's all there and it's all decently priced. For me though, there are are too many better places in town to grab a good beer to make Taco Mac a regular watering hole.

If you are looking for a wide variety of sweet treats and a large french press full of coffee then Amelie's is a good choice. If, however, you are looking for a seat actually inside the establishment and internet that actually works I suggest you look elsewhere.

See the thing is, Amelie's is a great concept, a 24 hour bakery/coffee shop/food spot, and they execute pretty well, so naturally they are always mobbed. The sheer magnitude of patrons cripples the net. Also, can someone please tell me why there is always some guy at a packed coffee house who thinks everyone needs to hear him play the same progression on his acoustic guitar 40 times, because I don't understand it, but Amelie's sure has one.

On the plus side, if you get stuck out in the atrium of the strip center where they have extra seating the friendly Amelieans will still bring you your food as if you were actually inside the bakery. I suggest just popping by, however, to pick up a dozen or three salted caramel brownies. Then you can take them elsewhere and eat them all in privacy while surfing the interwebs...that sounds healthy, right?

If we are talking beer (and frankly why wouldn't we be?) The Porter is a top notch establishment. The night of our first visit I counted 28 taps, two casks and I got up to 200 bottled selections before just giving up and asking the bartender how many they carry (around 500). There is no room reserved for brews that are sub-par and the menu provides a thorough description of what you are in for, which is good because even the beer enthusiast is going to find some choices with which they are not familiar. The aforementioned bartender was friendly and helpful even though it was just before last call on a Friday night. He made a pair of out-of-towners feel like they were in their craft beer go-to at home.

Im partial to the rough but (incredibly) cozy feel; give me heavy wood and exposed brick and I am a happy girl, even if I do feel like I'm in a hallway. Don't bring your claustrophobic cousin though. It would end badly.

We stopped back the following Sunday for a few more brews and sampled the mac and cheese. It was deliciously creamy and thick but it could have used a bit more seasoning. Still, I would eat it again and am interested to try some of the other menu offerings next time we are in town.

Overall, The Porter Beer Bar stuck in my mind as a go-to,

The Glass House is a definite case of my expectations being blown out of the water in the very best of ways.

Most of their advertising is wine-centric which makes sense. It's inside FABO which people already knew for wine. And they have lots of neat, interesting wines. If one of the bottles behind the bar doesn't suit you, you can pick a bottle from the shelf stock as long as you intend to buy  2 glasses. Anything left goes behind the bar for others to try.

But besides the wine, Katie, face behind The Glass House, has made sure that craft beer doesn't get lost in the shuffle. She is working without a tap system do to space limitations (which is the only reason I couldn't justify all 5 stars) but she bottle/can list is impressive and reasonably priced (between $4-$6 for 12ozs; larger bottles are obviously more).

The front section of the space has gotten a nice face lift so you will definitely be able to enjoy your potables in style, but me, I like to belly up to the bar and partake in some good old fashioned bartender banter. I see a stool with my name on it.