BITE-SIZED STO R I E S
Foodie Tidbits on a Small Plate KEVIN ATKINSON has replaced executive chef Robert Hoffman at Angeline’s and Merchant & Trade. A Charlotte native, Atkinson returned from Chicago’s Sable Kitchen & Bar to take the helm at the modern Italian restaurant and oversee the small bites menu at the rooftop bar. A new brewery called MIDNIGHT MULLIGAN opens this month in the space next door to Summit Seltzer in Wesley Heights. Expect IPAs, lagers, sours, stouts, plus a menu of burgers, sandwiches, and flatbreads. CRAV’N CARIBBEAN is the latest ghost kitchen to open in The City Kitch, a commercial kitchen space in West End. Owner and chef Carlos Abrahams makes traditional Jamaican dishes with oxtail and jerk chicken for both takeout and delivery.
(Clockwise, from top) Funfetti Rainbow Cake decorated by Jessie Raye; Blueberry Lemon Doughnut; Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies.
BACKDROP COFFEE is now open in the space beside The Batch House in Station West. Look for espresso-based beverages, blended drinks, and food from local artisan bakers and cooks. —Taylor Bowler
What do you think is an underappreciated flavor? Vanilla or maple. I have a braided yeast doughnut topped with crackly vanilla glaze, and it’s probably my favorite thing on the menu. What’s the most creative dessert you’ve made? Anything involving something savory, like a basil-andberry doughnut. You don’t see a lot of herbs used in baked goods. What’s your favorite thing to cook? Nachos, but I make them interesting with toppings like sauerkraut and hempé. What’s your favorite adult beverage? I like gin because it’s made from herbs instead of corn and wheat, so a gin and tonic.
PETER TAYLOR; COURTESY
Is there one recipe you’d still love to master? A glutenfree yeast doughnut. Like a fluffy Krispy Kreme doughnut but without gluten. What’s the most surprising thing about you? I study human behavior, and as an ADHD adult, I’m a huge advocate for neurodivergent people. I know a lot of ADHD kids who think they can’t own a business or use their talent to make money, and I want to show them they can. That’s my heartbeat right now. Any rules to live by in the kitchen? Slow down. People are always in a rush in the kitchen.
Best Bites Our favorite dish this month, chosen by Charlotte magazine staff
FALAFEL TOWER, $15 PLANT JOY
WHEN I SWITCHED to a primarily plant-based diet, I learned to anticipate underwhelming options and skimpy portions. Restaurants have started to let vegans out of their side-salad prison, but it’s still a luxury to visit a spot where the choices and meals are plentiful. Plant Joy’s bestselling Falafel Tower is a decadent heap of pita chips, falafel crumble, chickpeas, and beet slaw, all topped with smoked hummus. Like the rest of Plant Joy’s menu, this dish is vegan, so it’s good for your body and the planet. But unlike the standard steamed veggies or underdressed salad, it’s also just plain good. —Allison Braden SEPTEMBER 2021 // CHARLOTTE
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