Ok forgive me for I have never actually started a thread before. I couldn’t find a discussion about the best places to eat in Charlotte and the surrounding areas so I figured I would ask everyone here. The wife and I love eating out and this weekend we are looking for somewhere special to celebrate our first anniversary. We have tried many places around the city, particularly on the south side of town and a few downtown but we need ideas. Got any?
Take her to the Penguin, she will LOVE IT!
:shades:
Melting Pot.
We went to the Melting Pot, love that place. That is actually the plan if we can’t figure out something else. We tried Capital Grille a few months ago, and it’s one of the best places I’ve ever eaten, so I was thinking about trying Ruth’s Chris. Anybody been there?
[QUOTE=zepandragefan;415755]We went to the Melting Pot, love that place. That is actually the plan if we can’t figure out something else. We tried Capital Grille a few months ago, and it’s one of the best places I’ve ever eaten, so I was thinking about trying Ruth’s Chris. Anybody been there?[/QUOTE]
Opinions on Ruth’s Chris probably are varied, but I’ve been a couple times and LOVED the steak.
Uptown, my two favorite places are Mimosa Grille (Southern fare) and McCormick and Schmick’s (seafood). IMO you can’t go wrong with either.
Take her to the Penguin, she will LOVE IT! :shades:
we’re talking about anniversary here…come on 
Anyway, if I were in Charlotte, I’d check out these places:
Thai Taste - Dilworth
Mama Ricotta’s - Myers Park Area
Sullivan’s - Dilworth
Del Fresco’s - Southpark
There are some ok places in downtown but for the prices, I’d go to one of the places above.
We went to the Melting Pot, love that place. That is actually the plan if we can't figure out something else. We tried Capital Grille a few months ago, and it's one of the best places I've ever eaten, so I was thinking about trying Ruth's Chris. Anybody been there?
Del Frisco’s hands down over any other steak place
I’ve never had a bad meal or bad service at the Bonefish Grill.
[QUOTE=Savio;415759]we’re talking about anniversary here…come on 
Anyway, if I were in Charlotte, I’d check out these places:
Thai Taste - Dilworth
Mama Ricotta’s - Myers Park Area
Sullivan’s - Dilworth
Del Fresco’s - Southpark
There are some ok places in downtown but for the prices, I’d go to one of the places above.[/QUOTE]
I’d recommend Thai House over Thai Taste. They’re both good, but Thai House has a much larger menu and the prices are a little better in my opinion. There is a new place in uptown called Basil Thai if you like Thai food. It’s a little more upscale I believe.
[QUOTE=UNCCTF;415758]Uptown, my two favorite places are Mimosa Grille (Southern fare) and McCormick and Schmick’s (seafood). IMO you can’t go wrong with either.[/QUOTE]
Good Choices!
Villa Antonio is awesome. I recommended it to someone on here before and it was successful.
you can add another vote for Mimosa Grill in uptown- took my girl there for her birthday- absolutely fantastic- highly recommend it
Another vote here for Mama Ricotta’s.Great food,very nice service,not too expensive(great nightly specials).Can eat indoors or out.
Another vote here for Mama Ricotta's.Great food,very nice service,not too expensive(great nightly specials).Can eat indoors or out.
Make sure you get reservations, I have made the mistake of not making reservations and ended up waiting 45 minutes 
but it was worth it 
It’s been a few years, but I took the fiance` to Bentley’s on 27th for a Valentine’s Dinner. It’s uptown on College St. atop the Charlotte Plaza Building with a great view of the city.
A bit pricey, but nice service including dishes prepared and presented at your table. I highly recommend it.
An excellent choice for special occasions is Pewter Rose in South End. The dining experience is intimate, it’s not like sitting in a big restaurant. Also, Blue, at the base of the Hearst Tower is very good as well.
There are a ton of good places though, Zink, Ruth’s Chris, Sullivans, Upstream, etc. Stay away from the Palm for special occasions. They have great food, but it is noisy, and more casual than you would want for a special night out.
Somewhere I have not been but would be awesome is Bentley’s on 27, it’s rooftop dining, and it’s the perfect time of year to do it. Maybe someone else can comment on how their food is.
Finally, if you are looking for something intimate and like Italian, Verona’s downtown, in the Ivey building is an awesome little venue with good views of a major intersection downtown and it’s very small and has a quaint feel yet still upscale for downtown.
Ruth’s Chris is good, but slightly overrated and incredibly expensive. I personally think Sullivan’s is the best steakhouse in Charlotte.
131 Main (on East Blvd) is fantastic…I’ve never had a bad meal there. Ever.
Lulu is also great…a small French-style restaurant. It’s on Central in Plaza Midwood.
Nikko is great for sushi. Another idea for seafood is LaVecchia’s.
Not been there, but the new Brazilian place uptown is supposed to be incredible.
For upscale Mexican, I would head to Cantina 1511
Mama Ricotta’s is excellent, though for a special occasion if I wanted Italian, I would go to Frankie’s
Those are my suggestions. Hopefully it helps a little.
Frankie’s is good and I’d definitely pick it over Mama Ricotta’s. As far as Cantina, I think they have really good food and have been there to hang out a few times, but I don’t know that I would go there for a special occasion.
The food at Bentley’s on 27th was amazing. Steak was cooked exactly how I like it, not to mention one of the best cuts of meat I’ve ever had. Side vegetables were grilled to perfection. Cheesecake for dessert just topped it all off.
[QUOTE=Savio;415759]we’re talking about anniversary here…come on
Anyway, if I were in Charlotte, I’d check out these places:
Thai Taste - Dilworth
Mama Ricotta’s - Myers Park Area
Sullivan’s - Dilworth
Del Fresco’s - Southpark
There are some ok places in downtown but for the prices, I’d go to one of the places above.[/QUOTE]
I second Sullivan’s!