QC Exclusive - No. 33 - 2016 Issue 5 - The Food Issue

VOL. 5 / No. 3 | A NEW TABLE

THE QUINTESSENTIAL CHARLOTTE MAGAZINE

VOL. 5 | No. 5

FO OD & D R I N K I SSUE

A NEW TABLE Charlotte’s emerging eateries, the city’s tastiest sandwiches, a Carolina culinary road trip, food festivals and much more.

AUGUST 2016

QCEXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE QCEXCLUSIVE.COM | @QCEXCLUSIVE

THE 33 With the additon of these young and impactful restaurants, Charlotte’s food scene is coming of age.

P. 144

PLUS+

An Arcadia Home / Elizabeth Bradford’s Art / Christopher Warren-Green / The Brice Hotel Marcy Gregg’s Calling / The Outer Banks / Edia Maps / Hannah Blanton’s Sozo / Large Marge

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The EXCLUSIVES 126 Plates that Demand a Road Trip

AUGUST

2016 A NEW TABLE

134 Quintessential Sandwiches

144 Miller’s 33 Young but Impactful Restaurants

146 Local Catch Straight from Sea Level, NC

150 Southern French Fare at Aix en Provence

154 Refreshingly Slow Fast Food at Yafo Kitchen

158 Southern Twang Meets Korean Flavor at Seoul

The Darling Oyster Co. Flounder Sandwich featured in A Tasteful State: Plates That Demand A Road Trip on pg. 126.

Cover shot of Sea Level oysters

by Jamey Price on pg 144.

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The DEPARTMENTS

AUGUST

2016 A NEW TABLE

86

134 The CULTURE

68

Elizabeth Bradford: Painting Home • 44 Warren-Green: Part I • 50 Matt Myers’ Imagine • 56 Hannah Blanton’s Sozo • 60 Edia Maps: Chasing Adventure • 64

The SPREAD The Old Way: Great Wagon Road • 68

104

Undaunted Authenticity: Tapas 51 • 75 Aix en Provence’s Yellowfin Tuna • 78 Kindred’s Ravioli • 80 Seoul’s Keep Pounding Punch • 82 Moo & Brew’s Large Marge • 84

The FOLIO Marcy Gregg’s True Calling • 86

46

Meet Magnolia Emporium • 92 Curated: Top Designer Picks • 96 Beautiful Vignettes • 98

110

Arcadia Custom Homes’ Blue Print • 104

The EXPLORED The Brice: A Proper Welcome • 110 Carolina Towns: Nags Head • 116 Dispatch: In Search Of Speckles • 120 Carolina Food Festivals • 122

50

Note • 31 | Eventist • 31 | Exclusives • 126 | Index • 162 | Stockists • 162

18 • QCEXCLUSIVE.COM • AUGUST 2016

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The NOTE

PINKIES UP

W

We’re full. We probably should’ve thrown in the towel weeks ago, but we didn’t. We just kept gorging ourselves. We ate things called the Big Skinny, Pig Mac, and Oh! Schnitzel in an attempt to determine the best sammie in town. We visited countless new Charlotte restaurants to experience our city’s culinary evolution fi rst-hand. We spent weeks in the car, on our own culinary pilgrimage, sampling dishes from some of the best restaurants in the Carolinas — from Asheville through the Piedmont to the coast.

Along the way, there were quite a few highlights. Seeing (and smelling) the inner workings of a trout farm was quite interesting. Reeling in fresh lowcountry fish was heart-pounding. Then there was the satisfaction of tasting soju at Seoul for the fi rst time, smoking Noble brisket at 3am, sipping Irish American single malt, watching one of our own beat Bobby Flay, tasting the city’s biggest bloody, the Large Marge, and even blow-drying a grilled cheese just to melt gooey goodness for the perfect photo.

It was a truly delicious couple of months, but thankfully, for our bellie’s sake, we’re finally through the last course. The diet starts now! Enjoy, and until next issue, cheers.

Sincerely, Jon-Paul Grice and Brett Barter, Publishers

20 • QCEXCLUSIVE.COM • AUGUST 2016

Publishers JP Grice and Brett Barter devour the Oh! Schnitzel, a delicious pork sandwich from the newly-opened Moo & Brew in Plaza Midwood.

Photos by Lunahzon and The Plaid Penguin.

EST. 2011

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28 • QCEXCLUSIVE.COM • AUGUST 2016

The EVENTIST EDITOR’S PICK TIME + TERRAIN 8/13/16 - 11/19/16 - Renowned North Carolina artist Elizabeth Bradford’s Fall Exhibition Time + Terrain is on display from August 13 - November 19. On September 1, the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum on Chestnut Street in Blowing Rock, NC will be hosting the opening celebration. This event is presented to the community by Wells Fargo.

• www.blowingrockmuseum.org

SOUTHERN WOMEN’S SHOW • 36 | GATSBY GALA • 38

2016

POTTERS INVITATIONAL • 32 | FESTIVAL X • 34

AUG/SEPT

The EV ENTIST

AUG/SEPT 2016

EDITOR’S PICK POTTERS MARKET INVITATIONAL

9/10/16 - More than 50 North Carolina potters gather on the lawn of the Mint Museum Randolph to sell their creations. There will be pottery demonstrations, food, live music, and more. Your ticket is also valid for museum admission. The Potters Market Invitational is presented by the Delhom Service League, ceramics affiliate of The Mint Museum, and helps fulfill the Delhom’s mission to promote ceramic arts and education. Since 2004, the Potters Market Invitational has raised more than $250,000 and now attracts close to 1,500 people each year. The reputation of PMI continues to grow each year attracting local, regional, and national collectors.

• www.mintmuseum.org

YOGA AT THE MINT

8/3/16 - Check out the galleries during the Mint Museum’s free Wednesday evenings, and also enjoy an hour-long yoga class with NC Yoga Bar. Mint members enjoy yoga for free and non-members can buy a yoga class passport.

• www.mintmuseum.org WINE ON WEDNESDAYS

8/3/16 - Enjoy four hours of free gallery access, plus additional events, at the Mint Museum Uptown including a cash bar and a chance to sip, shop, and save in the Mint Museum Shop.

• www.mintmuseum.org MID-CENTURY MODERNISM

8/4/16 - The Museum hosts a special lecture on mid-century modern architecture and interior design

by Ron Crider. Crider is a teacher at The Art Institutes of Charlotte and Philadelphia, a former art gallery owner, and a fashion industry

32 • QCEXCLUSIVE.COM • AUGUST 2016

veteran with a passion for and deep knowledge of mid-century modern architecture. Crider will use the work of renowned architects to illustrate the key tenets of the mid-century modern aesthetic and relate them to the homes featured on the 2016 Mad About Modern home tour. A reception will follow the presentation.

• www.charlottemuseum.org JOEDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

8/5/16 - 8/6/16 - The Joedance Film Festival, held annually in Uptown Charlotte’s Historic Fourth Ward neighborhood in the 10th Street Townhomes Courtyard, honors the late Joe Restaino to raise funds for rare pediatric cancer research and clinical trials at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC. Joedance is also committed to supporting Charlotte fi lmmakers, producers, writers, and directors by screening their fi lms at the fi lm festival.

• www.joedance.org

THE ART OF LIVING FIT + WELL

8/6/16 - By learning to balance what you eat, how you exercise and how you nurture yourself, you’re providing a lesson that will serve you and your family well for a lifetime and the Gantt Center wants to do their part to help support you.

The Gantt Center invites you to join them on Saturday, August 6, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for a full day celebration designed as an intergenerational program that will engage, inform, inspire and promote the joy of living fit and well for the body, mind, and spirit.

• www.ganttcenter.org THE UNITED STATES OF ANIMALS

8/6/16 - Animals have long represented the ideals of patriotism, democracy and freedom in our country. Visit The Schiele to learn how eagles, bison, and even rattlesnakes have come to symbolize the spirit of America.

• www.schielemuseum.org

The EV ENTIST

AUG/SEPT 2016

CAROLINA BRIDAL FAIR

NEWSIES

MINT TO MOVE

8/7/16 - Visit Carolina Bridal Fair and meet wedding professionals from both Carolinas that can help you start planning your wedding.

Taste cakes and catering options, see amazing flowers and fi nd new ideas in our inspiration area.

Registered brides get $1,000 in Carolina Bridal Bucks to spend like cash with participating exhibitors at the show. They are also eligible to enter the bridal fair’s amazing contests and win prizes throughout the day. New for the August 7th show, the contest entitled Spectacular Wedding Giveaway, will give brides the opportunity to “win what they still need for their wedding”...more than $15,000 in approximate retail value in prizes.

• www.carolinabridalfair.com

8/9/16 - 8/14/16 - Direct from Broadway comes Newsies, the smash-hit musical from Disney.

Winner of the 2012 Tony Awards® for Best Score and Best Choreography, Newsies has audiences and critics alike calling it “A musical worth singing about!” (The New York Times). Filled with one heartpounding number after another, it’s a high-energy explosion of song and dance you just don’t want to miss.

• www.blumenthalarts.org

8/12/16 - Enjoy Afro-Cuban and Latin Sounds with “Hot Summer Salsa” and line dancing with DJ Pepito, live Musicians, and live painting. Also, free salsa dance lessons start at 9 p.m.

• www.mintmuseum.org

SUMMER AGILITY EXTRAVAGANZA

8/13/16 - This annual event features classic to modern Chevys, Pontiacs, Buicks, and much more.

Corvettes, Camaros, Firebirds, Impalas, Bel-Airs, and many more classic cars will be on display.

• www.nctrans.org FESTIVAL X

8/13/16 - In August of 2006, the U.S. National Whitewater Center opened its door for the very fi rst

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8/11/16 - 8/14/16 - The Greater Monroe Kennel Club is showcasing some of the top K9 talent with four AKC licensed agility trials hosted at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center.

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The EV ENTIST

AUG/SEPT 2016

time. A lot has changed over the years, but the USNWC has stayed true to its mission of promoting the active, outdoor lifestyle. Celebrate 10 years with the folks at the USNWC with live music, craft beer, and outdoor adventure.

• www.usnwc.org

Arts with free lunch hour museum tours offered by docents of the Mint Museum, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture.

• www.mintmuseum.org

Truck and Beer Fest, presented by Performance Therapy, is the area’s premier 10K running event. The OrthoCarolina Classic will also feature a challenging 5K run/walk and a kid’s dash.

• www.orthocarolinaclassic.com

THE JAZZ ROOM

CONEXIONES

8/14/16 - Visit the 18th Century Farm as interpreters reenact the promise and confusion of the backcountry folk in 1775. Don’t miss the reading of the Tryon Resolves that features names of 49 local patriots who bravely signed for freedom.

• www.schielemuseum.org

8/19/16 - The Jazz Room @ The Stage Door Theater, part of Blumenthal Performing Arts Center — at the corner of 5th and College in Uptown Charlotte — is swingin’ through the summer with a tribute to the legendary trumpeter Chet Baker played by the acclaimed Jon Thornton.

• www.blumenthalarts.org

8/21/16 - Join local artists for a mural-making workshop that celebrates the images and spirit of NUEVOlution. The event is free to attend but registration to Conexiones: Exchanges Across Cultures With Art is requested.

• www.museumofthenewsouth.org

ARTBREAK

ORTHOCAROLINA CLASSIC

8/18/16 - The community is invited to experience Levine Center for the

8/20/16 - The 7th Annual OrthoCarolina 10K Classic - Food

THE TRYON RESOLVES

SOUTHERN WOMEN’S SHOW

Architecture

•

Planning

•

Interior

8/26/16 - 8/28/16 - A creative, festive, and entertaining show to enjoy with your family and friends,

Design

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The EV ENTIST

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the Southern Women’s Show features some of the best vendors from a variety of lifestyle genres including fashion, health and beauty, culinary, and more.

• www.southernshows.com FALL BOAT AND RV SHOW

8/26/16 - 8/28/16 - This event will bring together Marine & RV dealers for the fi rst time in one location.

During the event the dealers will pass along huge savings to their customers just before the beautiful Carolina fall season ahead.

• www.midatlanticfallboatshow.com GOD SAVE THE QUEEN CITY

8/27/16 - This year, God Save The Queen City will take over the August residency at Snug Harbor.

Every Wednesday night, GSTQC

38 • QCEXCLUSIVE.COM • AUGUST 2016

will have a lineup comprised of national, regional, and local talents. All proceeds from the August residency will benefit the Save The Milestone campaign. GSTQC will also have their ticketed main event at the Fillmore Charlotte on August 27th. The main event will put an exclamation point on six epic nights of bands with headliners Black Pistol Fire, Nikki Lane, Promised Land Sound, and Serfs!

• www.gstqc.com GREAT GATSBY GALA

8/27/16 - The award-winning 1920s-themed event returns for its 28th year. Dance to the 15-piece Russ Wilson and his Famous Orchestra, enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres from Charlotte’s most celebrated restaurants, open bar with wine

and beer, a fantastic silent auction, and much more. VIPs enjoy exclusive access to the Speakeasy Lounge offering a private pre-event reception, exclusive hors d’oeuvres, signature cocktails from the private bar, and a gift! Funds benefit the National MS Society Greater Carolinas Chapter. Attire is black tie or 1920s.

• www.gatsbygala.org MATTHEWS ALIVE

9/2/16 - 9/5/16 - The Matthews Alive Festival is a Labor Day weekend celebration dedicated to the support of local non-profit organizations. Alongside Matthews Alive board and key volunteers, community groups volunteer their time by working the festival areas. This dynamic produces a festival packed with family activities, great food,

The EV ENTIST

AUG/SEPT 2016

arts, and fantastic entertainment.

100% of the proceeds go back to these non-profit organizations in order that they may provide services to enhance the quality of life in the Matthews and greater Charlotte area.

• www.matthewsalive.org GIPSY KINGS

9/7/16 - Melding deep-heated flamenco, rumba, salsa, and pop to the tune of 20 million albums sold, the Grammy Award-winning hit-makers behind “Bamboléo” celebrate in their very own, blistering tradition — entertaining audiences with flamenco guitars and booming Spanish vocals.

• www.blumenthalarts.org SOUTHERN IDEAL HOME SHOW

9/9/16 - 9/11/16 - Charlotte’s most trusted marketplace for everything building, remodeling, decorating, and landscaping. Whether your interest is in what’s trending in home improvement, enhancing your outdoor living space, refreshing your interiors, or creating an improved kitchen or bath, the Show brings hundreds of experts together under one roof for comparison shopping and professional advice.

• www.southernshows.com EAT FROM A TRUCK

9/10/16 - Be a part of the Carolinas’ largest food truck festival ever. The Creative Loafing “Eat From A Truck” festival will feature over 100 local and regional food trucks from all over the Southeast. They’ll also have bouncy houses, obstacle courses, and a climbing wall for the kids. The

40 • QCEXCLUSIVE.COM • AUGUST 2016

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The EV ENTIST

AUG/SEPT 2016

adults can enjoy great live music all day and a beer garden featuring some delicious craft beers.

• www.eatfromatruck.com PURPLESTRIDE

9/10/16 - PurpleStride is back and this year their 5K run and family-friendly walk will take participants on a lovely route at Marshall Park. Register now and join the race for a day fi lled with hope and inspiration to raise funds, awareness, and support for pancreatic cancer.

• www.purplestride.org MINT MUSEUM’S POTTERS MARKET INVITATIONAL 2016

9/10/16 - The Potters Market Invitational (PMI) is presented by the Delhom Service League, ceramics affiliate of The Mint Museum, and helps fulfill the Delhom’s mission to promote ceramic arts and education. Many works have been added to the Mint’s wellknown ceramics collection, and to the Delhom-Gambrell ceramics library through PMI funds. This year, the event’s 12th anniversary, more than 50 NC potters gather at the Mint Museum Randolph to sell their creations. There will be pottery demonstrations, food, live music, and more.

• www.mintmuseum.org TOSCO MUSIC PARTY

9/10/16 - Tosco Music Parties, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been enhancing the Queen City’s community through music, outreach, and youth scholarship fundraising for over 25 years.

• www.toscomusicparty.org

42 • QCEXCLUSIVE.COM • AUGUST 2016

The CU LTU RE

MUSINGS

PAINTING HOME Elizabeth Bradford captures the natural world around her, giving new life to her subjects and to herself.

T

BY COREY MILLER | PHOTOS BY DIEDRA LAIRD AND JAMEY PRICE

The Bradford farm is sacred. It could be full of Native American spirits with a fondness for porch rocking chairs. The ground’s been blessed, maybe, because of the Godfearing folk who’ve tilled it and revered it for generations. Somehow, these groves and fields are hallowed. Heir to the land and resident painter Elizabeth Bradford can feel it, and her art channels it.

Elizabeth’s half of the farm isn’t (strictly speaking) farmed anymore, and much of the green has reclaimed her plot on the outskirts of Davidson — a boon for Elizabeth and her massive, detailed studies of southern wildernesses. Now a tree farm and wildlife haven, Elizabeth’s land serves as inspiration and as nourishment.

“I’ve gone afar in the past,” she reminisces, “but I always come back — I’m drawn to this place.” A Huntersville native, Elizabeth was raised in town, but her childhood happened on the farm. Her grandparents lived off the land, and her upbringing was better for it. Starched and ironed sheets every night and homemade biscuits at each meal were just perks: The outdoors hid all the farm’s grandest secrets. The henhouse and barn offered their wonders, and the woods beckoned, promising still more.

The pastoral bliss of weekends with her grandparents was heightened by her mother, who taught Elizabeth how to really look at things around her. “She was the kind of observant, visually sensitive person who points the little things out to you,” Elizabeth explains, “and I did the same with my own children: ‘Look at this charred wood, or the drops of rain on this leaf.’” Arrayed together, those details are a painting, and this painter compiles them animatedly.

The CULTURE GALLERY • 60 | CRAFTED • 64

MUSINGS • 44 | MARQUEE • 50 | PAINTING • 58

“Painting is the perfect antidote to boredom. You can never, for one moment, say that you’re bored.

There’s always work to be done, problems to solve… and when there are no problems, you make them.”

- Elizabeth Bradford

The CU LTU RE

MUSINGS

“Painting is the way I process grief…and the way I realize joy.”

A seasoned artist, Elizabeth’s skill with acrylic is organic.

Every stroke seems precise, but she makes them quickly and without hesitation so that nothing in her work is still. Blue Ridge pine needles are constructed of tiny, sharp lines; together, they’re little explosions of rich green. Even her creek pools are alive with movement, their cloudy, white reflections like dancing spectres of the trout hiding somewhere within them.

Like her subjects, she refuses to stop moving and growing.

She’s done plenty of traveling, but Elizabeth doesn’t need to leave the farm much these days. “The best food in the county” is just across the street at The Bradford Store, her brother’s local food reappropriation of the family’s 1912 general merchandise retailer. While he and his wife manage the store and their crops, Elizabeth can usually be found in the tranquility of her garden or her studio — one of the old Bradford barns, remodeled. When she does leave, she’s backpacking and camping all over the Southeast, from the Everglades up to Harper’s Creek. Elizabeth’s never with a lack for something to do, as long as there’s a world around her to be discovered.

The one time she was trapped within some cinderblock walls at a desk, it was just after her father’s death, and she was whiling away her days in his old office. Her remedy for that gray place, of course, was painting, but she doesn’t think

46 • QCEXCLUSIVE.COM • AUGUST 2016

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MUSINGS

of art as simple therapy. “It’s just so close to the bone,” she stresses. “I couldn’t really segregate it from myself, or think of it as some bandage that I put on a hurt. Painting is the way I process grief…and the way I realize joy.” In that stark, colorless office isolated from movement and life, Elizabeth rediscovered what color and shape and movement were to her.

It may have been there, confined within those walls, that she learned what had always made the family farm so elemental. “I felt that the world — the natural world all around me — was my home,” she muses. Whether she’s immortalizing a moment on the bank of the Edisto, building mountaintops with brushstrokes, or recreating her canopied backyard, she’s painting home.

The farm is just one part of her household, just one sanctuary, and it’s a sanctuary because she chose it. Elizabeth Bradford’s devotion to the out-of-doors gives these spaces their significance, their permanence. Her farm is sacred because she paints it.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.elizabethbradford.com

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“I felt that the world — the natural world around me — was my home.”

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WARREN-GREEN PART I

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INTERVIEW BY COREY MILLER | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director Christopher Warren-Green loves music, but he’s also a bold proponent of well-rounded education. We had the immense pleasure to briefly sit down with this champion of the arts. A profound philosopher of music, his fiery passion for the classics is contagious, and our Q&A doesn’t quite do him justice: For a man who spends a great deal of his time in precise silence, physically steering two orchestras, he’s a damn fi ne speaker.

What are your full titles, where are you from, and how did you end up in Charlotte?

I was born in Gloucestershire, England. I came to guest conduct the orchestra here in 2008, and upon returning home, I told my wife that I really liked this orchestra. Her reply, of course, was something like, “Well that’s nice, darling,” and I said “No, no, I really like this orchestra.” A year later they rang up in search of a new Music Director and, well, here I am. With orchestras, it’s like a marriage in a way — you gel with some, and some you don’t. There was just a feeling I had with this orchestra. I decided this orchestra was for me. I

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can work with them...and I love the city! You’ve got two great theatres, a summer symphony park, a great ballet company, a great opera company — I’m like a child in a sweets shop, really. I’ve found that the city’s really lovely, the people are great, and it’s just a great place to live.

What was your first exposure to

back then, they could hand us violins and the schools would teach us how to use them. Times have changed, drastically and dramatically, and it’s not good. The first generation coming out of schools right now have had no education in drama, or music, or dance…and that’s a disaster. It’s a disaster for the future of humanity, not just the classics.

music, in general?

Church choir. In those days, most local parish churches had a church choir and a choirmaster with a diploma. It was the best music training — singing in the choir. My family really wanted us to play instruments.

They knew it was important and,

No kidding — I was never taught to read music. How did you discover the classics?

Well, a little later, I moved on to classical guitar. I discovered The Beatles, who I thought were wonderful, so I picked up an electric guitar and held

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everything. I use the word “catholic” when I describe my tastes, and I’d use it to describe him — meaning he played everything. We all did.

Becoming a conductor was an accident, really. I did study conducting when I was young, and I was assistant conducting for a long while, but I truly wanted to be a Concertmaster.

I wanted to be a great one, in one of the best theaters. At a point, though, I was doing far more conducting than I was playing, so I finally put the violin down, and accepted the Music Director role. I never chased the career, really. I chased the music.

It just happened to me. You don’t really become a conductor until you’re almost sixty, anyway.

So, before sixty, you’re just sort

“All art, as they say, is brainfood, and I love that Charlotte is hungry for it. ”

of playing along?

in primary school, as a youngster, as well as in church choir. At some point, though, the Church of England decided in its wisdom that it needn’t pay male singers, that they weren’t going to pay for organists and choirmasters, and the choirs slowly disappeared. And, oddly enough, their congregations dropped. Funny that, isn’t it?

No, no, that’s not entirely true. [laughs] There are some incredibly talented young conductors. When Muti [of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra] was a young conductor, he was really exciting...but even he would say, since he passed sixty a while back, that that is when you really mature as a musician. And your experience really matters — an orchestra can tell a charlatan in the first two minutes of him standing on the rostrum. They really can. And it doesn’t go well. That’s a whole other story — I won’t lecture you on the art of conducting.

time you learned to read music?

You entered the scene at just the

Since you’ve been with the Char-

Yes. It’s incredibly easy to learn in a choir. You’re following the choirmaster’s hand up and down and you see the notes going up and down. It’s easier to learn to read music, really, than it is to learn to read and write.

In my day, I was taught to read music

right time, then. Do you think

lotte Symphony Orchestra, what

there was always some inclina-

have you changed?

tion within you toward classical

The big thing I’ve helped create is the “KnightSounds” series. That came with me — we started doing what I call “entry level” shows. You see, the trouble with classical music is that

onto the classical. The violin came later, and the piano also, of course.

Then someone played me a piece on a record player, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, and I decided, “I want to play that. I want to be in that.

When I heard that…I just… I became a musician, in that moment.”

During church choir was the first

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music, or was that something that just sparked?

It was in the family. My uncle was a violinist, but he played practically

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“There is something powerful in classical music.

It makes you think with the heart.” people feel threatened by it. They think that you need to understand it, to know about it going in. And yeah, it’s not going to be as easy to listen to as a four-minute pop single. A composer will take a tune shorter than four minutes and turn it into a symphony that lasts half an hour. It can be complex, and you do need to focus on it, and listen to it more than once. So what we’ve tried to do with “KnightSounds” is put on a series that’s slightly more accessible. You can bring your beer in. It only lasts an hour. We play classical music, but we play sections. We might play a movement of a symphony but not the whole thing.

How else have you tried to introduce the uninitiated in the city to the Symphony Orchestra?

In addition to KnightSounds, I’ve brought people to the classics, to really complicated symphonies, big pieces played by huge orchestras.

I’ve taken many people who’ve never been to the symphony before.

When I ask them how they liked it, the response among young people is always “totally awesome,” or “it gave me goosebumps.” And they insist they’d go again, because the threat’s been taken away. It’s getting them in there in the fi rst place that’s tough. Classical music isn’t something you put on in the background; you actually have to sit and focus on it. I’m not saying that rock music isn’t on that level. For instance, my music was The Beatles.

Years ago, my twelve-year-old son

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came home with The White Album.

That’s classic — classic rock. As far as I’m concerned, it’s classical music. It’s stood the test of time, and another generation has picked it up at the same age I did. I couldn’t understand it at the time. I thought, “That’s my music. Why is he listening to my music?” It doesn’t date, you see, and that’s what makes it classic. But you can sort of trip out and dance around and yell and let your hair down at a rock concert.

You’re not going to get away with that in a symphony concert, that’s for sure! [laughs] Lots of people assume that the audience for classical music is older now. Well, I’ve been doing this for 43 years, and the audience has always been older. It’s a little bit like religion: People come to it later in life. The problem we’ve got at the moment is that people used to be exposed to it when they were very young. And we’re not doing that anymore. The symphony is doing it — we’re doing as much as we can, but the schools aren’t doing it because governments won’t give them money to do it. What we’ve tried to do is provide a broader selection of music, so that we’re not turning anyone away. I believe you could take anyone to any of the concerts, who’s never been before, and they’d come away thinking, “Yeah, I could do that again.”

crime rate was really high. In a rather interesting experiment, the city started pumping out classical music on the station’s speakers, and the crime rate dropped considerably. You could look at that two ways. Either the criminals couldn’t stand classical music and they all ran away…or it just calmed people down, in some ways. When I was younger, I didn’t like explaining to everyone how the classics are good for you. But there is something powerful in classical music.

It makes you think with the heart, and that’s true of all music, really.

Exposing young people to it at an early age is vital. All art, as they say, is brain-food, and I love that Charlotte is hungry for it. A few years ago, I put on Vaughan Williams’ A London Symphony here — not an exceptionally well-known work in America. As I was leaving the stage after the fi rst rehearsal, one of the custodians at the Belk stopped me and asked, “What is that music? It’s absolutely beautiful.” She looked at me, almost confused, and she said, “I was in tears.” And I just gave her a great big hug. That, I think, is what classical music can do for people.

can do for young people?

TO BE CONTINUED The second part of Corey Miller’s interview with renowned conductor Christopher Warren-Green continues in Vol. 5, Issue 6 of QC Exclusive, on shelves early September 2016.

Let me put it this way: In Pimlico Station in London not long ago, the

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: charlottesymphony.org

What do you think classical music

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Matt Myers paints his next imaginative piece in his Plaza Midwood studio. Sentinel of the Foothills - 48x30 inches, Oil on masonite, 2015. Watchman of the Lea - 40x30 inches, Oil on masonite, 2012. The Great Age of Steam a collaborative work of oil on an existing print.

IMAGINE Charlotte artist Matt Myers paints colorful and intricate pieces that ignite the imaginations of children of all ages.

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BY KATY REYNOLDS | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

Great art starts with an idea and an imaginative artist with the ability to express his or her idea. Looking at an illustration by Matt Myers will ignite the imaginations in children of all ages. If you’ve visited the ImaginOn Children’s Library and Theatre, you may have seen Myers’ children’s books on display, or even had the chance to meet Matthew in person.

His gift for illustration has broad reaches, from a fierce bunny rabbit, to “Clink”, a robot character so intricate that it leaves one wondering how a person could illustrate so accurately a character and give the character a life of its own. Stop into the Frock Shop in uptown Charlotte

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and you might catch a glimpse of a Myers masterpiece on the wall.

A self-proclaimed introvert, Myers is originally from rural Oregon and has a formal education in art.

He studied at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, where the emphasis was finding individual expression rather than learning technique. Although he did receive formal training, most of his techniques are self-taught. Growing up in an inspired household where both of his parents were artists, Matt felt driven to create. These days, he’s changed his focus from being a serious artist to having fun with his work. “Over the years I real-

ized that being more involved in life makes my art better. Therefore, I can produce more quality in less time. Art now gives me joy in a way it never did before. It adds to my life, but it’s not what life is for.” Myers describes his artwork as “representational,” not overtly humorous, and his picture books as “cartoony.”

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Matt has been a resident of Seattle and New York, where he worked in advertising. In 2010, he realized he could still do what he loves from a smaller city, and so he settled in Charlotte. He’d never been to Charlotte before he moved here, but he instantly fell in love. The trees remind him of his home state of Oregon and the Queen City has its own little similarities to Portland.

Matt Myers’s illustrations are often fueled by momentum; he has better results the faster he works. Starting with an idea, then a sketch, Myers begins his art on an illustration board or masonite, and using a three-quarter inch flat brush he creates his masterpieces with acrylic and oil. With his artwork on an easel, he uses a simple paper plate as his palette. He gradually switches to smaller brushes as his piece progresses. Myers’s pieces show intricate details and the brushwork in vivid color.

J.C. Leydendecker and John Singer Sargent are two of the “commercial” artists that have inspired Myers over the years, as well as the artistic statements by George Grosz and the phenomenal use of color by Shaun Tan. Myers says that going forward he wants to continue to “fuel the imaginations of kids and adults.” He wants

“to make a picture book in which all the illustrations are perfect, to make fi ne art that adds to conversations in people’s homes.” Looking at his artwork, he’s doing a good job of that and the Queen City is glad to have him share his talent here.

Matt’s work can be found in Charlotte at ImaginOn, Park Road Books, at the Frock Shop, and more. You can visit his website to see more of his work, browse a gallery of prints or his library of books for purchase.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.myerspaints.com

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SOZO Hannah Blanton’s introduction to the art world came as co-founder of the Carolina Art Soirée, an art auction to fund research for Gullain-Barre Syndrome. With Sozo, her uptown gallery in the Hearst Tower, Blanton focuses on adding to Charlotte’s vibrant art scene with her keen curating eye.

BY SUNNY HUBLER PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

O

One of the many burgeoning new galleries in Uptown Charlotte, Sozo sits at the base of the Hearst Tower where it can attract an eclectic array of traffic and provide a welcome daytime office escape or a perfect accompaniment to a night out. The gallery showcases the work of one featured artist every 6-8 weeks, as well as their regular display of gallery artists – both modern and classic.

Owner and director Hannah Blanton opened Sozo just over two years ago. A South Carolina native, her love of art started early but her introduction to the art world began in earnest in her adulthood. In 2003, Hannah was paralyzed from her chest down from Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS/ CIDP) — a rare autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks nerves. After her recovery, her out-

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look on life changed dramatically. She turned to faith, yoga and art to “soothe her soul.”

In 2010, with help from Nancy and John Maloney (who also survived the autoimmune disorder), Blanton co-founded the Carolina Art Soirée, a nonprofit art auction created to fund research on GBS/CIDP. Since its start, the Carolina Art Soirée has grown into one of Charlotte’s largest annual galas and has, with the help of exhibited works from over 50 regional artists, raised over $100,000 for the GBS/CIDP Foundation International.

To further soothe her soul and share art’s transformative effects, in 2014 Blanton opened her gallery Sozo, aptly meaning “to save” in Greek. The small uptown gallery focuses on sharing the vibrant Charlotte arts scene through Blanton’s keen curating eye. The com-

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Azulado 3 | Leonor Demori Neisler | Pigmented Ink On Wood at Sozo Gallery.

bination of world-class art and Sozo’s welcoming atmosphere make Blanton’s gallery a true Queen City gem.

“Quality investments are influenced by the texture, medium, composition, color, and most importantly a visual resting place,” she explains of her process. “We connect with artists that work well with our buyers and we are approached daily from artists all over the globe.”

Sozo carries local, national, and international art, much of which is abstract or representational abstract.

Blanton explains that at any given time, Sozo features two-dimensional works on paper, canvas, aluminum, and wood along with locally-made pottery and jewelry.

Moving forward, Blanton hopes to continue as part of the fabric of the Charlotte arts community. “[My goals are] connecting performing artists, galleries and museums uptown with our community and creating more cohesiveness, drawing in our community to experience art on all levels,” she says. “We also want to continue partnerships with other businesses uptown. We’re all in this together.”

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.sozogallery.net

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CHASING ADVENTURE If you’re looking to turn everyday into a Carolina adventure, EDIA Maps can help you find your way.

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BY LESLIE BROOKS | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

We like our map apps. After all, the digital age conveniently puts information at the tips of our fingers.

However, the artistry of the original cartographer’s craft is still very much alive and well today. EDIA Maps has taken a fresh and modern approach to the age-old practice of map making by coupling it with a desire to convey authenticity through diligent research, accessible formatting, artistry, and creative design.

The beautiful maps they create connect geographical information with the living spirit of the culture they endeavor to chart.

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Hailing from Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, Amanda Bright and Paul Fisher’s origins are saturated with the sincerity of the Old North State’s rural countryside. As the creators of EDIA Maps, they are in the continual pursuit of new adventures, drawing the way for others to do the same. Their hand-crafted, vintagestyle maps act as a catalyst for exploration, transforming everyday life into something extraordinary.

By providing a medium that gives people an opportunity to unearth the new and authentic in familiar places, EDIA Maps is traditional yet

innovative. Be it BBQ, craft beer, or a more intimate look at the Queen City herself, EDIA has the map for those wanting to discover or rediscover North Carolina.

Amanda’s background in English, creative writing, and studio art enables her to sift efficiently through all of the research needed to create each map. As the Creative Director, it is her duty to write much of the content found on the maps — a clever intersection “between a map and a guidebook.” It takes Amanda about “a year to research,” and this process is, in her opinion, the most cumbersome part of the project.

Through tireless efforts, she has to comprise “everything from finding the points to include, to gathering all the information about each location, to doing all the historical, scientific, or other research that is included in the maps” before the rest of the team can be brought on board to finish the map.

Paul Bright, the Chief Cartographer, handles all of the difficulties in mapping the region that each particular project highlights. He is responsible for everything from “plotting points” to “selecting what

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roads and towns will be included.”

While this task might seem daunting for some, Paul has worked in the storm water department for the City of Charlotte. He’s had plenty of experience charting the stormwater system throughout the city, as well as delineating wetlands and streams for an environmental consulting firm. Thanks to his varied experience, he is intimately familiar with both the Queen City’s streets and the science of plotting them. For Paul, the most rewarding aspect of being a part of EDIA Maps is working “on something that’s our own that we can feel proud of.”

Behind the scenes, this incredible duo sits at the helm of a team who “lives and breathes the subject matter as much as we do.” Amanda and Paul’s company is artistic inspira-

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tion, cartographic science, and entrepreneurial drive all rolled into one enterprise. Their diverse set of skills can be seen in the imaginative assembly of art, design, and utility that each map has. Together, they make “old-school road maps with a modern spin,” but their passions extend beyond the design itself. With each new map they create, they seek to remain local at every stage of production. From artists to graphic design, and even

down to the choice of print shop —each map is deeply rooted in the geographic area it highlights.

What you can expect to find when you snag an EDIA map for yourself is threefold: a fun, utilitarian, and artistic piece that can either be taken on your next adventure or displayed on a wall in your home — after it has some miles on it, of course.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.ediamaps.com

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THE OLD WAY Ollie Mulligan of Charlotte’s Great Wagon Road Distillery is crafting a gathering place with a beverage that gathers.

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BY TYLER D. POWELL | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

Oliver “Ollie” Mulligan can vividly recall times in his past when Irish villages were self-sufficient. Neighbors were benevolently interdependent, which created a sense of community among the locals. It was the Irish way of life. “In the old days, everyone made their own bread and butter, grew veggies, and had livestock,” explains Ollie, “and my grandfather Patrick Quinn made some of the best poteen whiskey on the island.”

Ollie, who hails from a long line of whiskey makers, has always wanted to make certain he commemorates the camaraderie that his grandfather and Irish ancestors upheld. With that amiable and entrepreneurial blood in his veins, Ollie was basically destined to make great whiskey. He opened the Great Wagon Road Distillery and The Broken Spoke Bar with the purpose to provide his Charlotte friends, family, and whiskey advocates alike with some of the best spirits and genuine Irish hospitality you’ll be able to fi nd in the states. He may not make whiskey the old fashioned way — in a barn or a kitchen — but Ollie has perfected many traditional Irish techniques that have been passed down through generations, giving his spirits that unequivocal Irish taste.

Being the proud County Kildare native and whiskey lover that he is, Ollie never cheats his spirits on the time it takes to mature. He’s learned that with maturity comes growth, and time has defi nitely taught Ollie about the latter. He’s watched his business grow out of the smaller distillery in Pineville and relocate across town to a 8,800 square-foot warehouse on Southside Drive. A bar has grown on the side of his new distillery. He’s also outgrown the old electric still he was using and upgraded to a handmade, 3,000-liter steam-powered kothe still: That’s the bronze eye catcher that towers in the distillery windows. The still uses two columns that continuously heat and redistill the whiskey four times. Once the whiskey is fi nished being distilled, Ollie really begins to lean on his heritage to give his whiskey that rigid Irish complexity.

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“Charlotte is finally a blossoming debutant.

I’m proud to call the city my home.”

“We have very modern equipment, but we do things the old way. Our whiskey is patiently aged in American oak barrels. We don’t sing to them, we don’t sail them around the Cape of Good Hope, we don’t spin them or shake them. We put a fi ne quality spirit into the best quality barrel.”we can fi nd and we wait.”

The whiskey sits in oak barrels in the back of the distillery — where temperatures reach over 100 degrees at times — for at least 9 months. The whiskey soaks in savory flavors from the oak wood, providing the whiskey with that well-known natural caramel color. The ingredients that Ollie uses are all-natural, no caramel coloring or flavoring added. His Irish whiskey recipe is simple: Great “mash” (courtesy of Olde Mecklenburg Brewery), 100 percent premium malts, artesian water from ground wells in Yancey County, and aged spirits.

Great Wagon Road distills three different types of liquor: Rua (meaning red), a single malt whiskey, Ban (meaning white), a vodka, and Durmlish, a poteen named after the town where his grandfather was born and raised. Ollie’s grandfather Patrick dealt with many legal troubles for making poteen on his farm. Similarly, Ollie goes to ridiculous lengths just to get his bottles

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back to their place of origin. These liquors are distilled and bottled at Great Wagon Road, put on a pallet, and sent 170 miles to the LB&B warehouse in Raleigh. Then the bottles are sent right back to Charlotte and distributed to ABC Stores, where Ollie goes to pick up several bottles at a time for Charlotteans to finally enjoy next door to where they were made: The Broken Spoke Bar. Great Wagon Road is where the best Irish spirits are configured, but what makes this distillery so distinct is the fact that it’s the fi rst distillery in North Carolina with a full service bar connected to it. Keeping with the theme of the distillery, the in-house mixologist makes great Irish cocktail impressions the old-fashioned way — with crushed up ice and sugar cubes. The ambiance of The Broken Spoke is stellar. Ollie gives all the credit for the beautiful aesthetic of the bar to his interior designer and wife Lorraine Mulligan. “Interior design is what she does for a living, and she’s been doing it for a long time,” he laughs. “She knew exactly what I wanted and what would work around here.” Hand-crafted chandeliers made out of empty bottles drape from the ceiling. The dark-stained wood of the Irish pub melds beautifully with Mrs. Mulligan’s rustic modern sensi-

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bilities. The second floor is accented with a second bar and cozy couches that give the space a welcoming feel, and a vintage Yamaha piano sits in the center of the bar, making Open Mic Wednesdays and Jazz Tuesdays even more enjoyable.

With nightly attractions like distillery tours, Classic Movie Monday, and a fully functioning phone booth that can make free calls to Ireland, The Broken Spoke brings an authentic Irish pub feel to the expanding Charlotte bar scene.

“Locals have finally become proud of a city that was lost for some time,” explains Ollie as he reminisces of a time when Charlotte lacked a social and cultural identity. “Charlotte is finally a blossoming debutant.

The huge growth of bars, breweries, and distilleries that draw people to a place has been amazing to witness. I’m proud to call the city my home.”

Irishman Ollie Mulligan understands the ingredients for close-knit community: good whiskey and a comfortable place to share it.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.gwrdistilling.com

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720 Governor Morrison Street, Suite 120

•

Charlotte, NC 28211

•

704.365.7130

W W W.YA F O K I TC H E N .CO M

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T

South of the border in Fort Mill, Tapas 51’s chef Aaron Rivera is bringing authenticity back to Hispanic food.

STORY BY JENNY COSGROVE | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

Tapas 51 , just “south of the border” in Fort Mill, South Carolina, isn’t your typical Latin American-inspired joint. There aren’t sombreros hung on the walls, guacamole isn’t served in large plastic bowls, and nachos are notably vacant from the menu. Instead, the restaurant offers an array of unique cuisine from Mexico and Central and South America, carefully crafted by a cultural heavyweight.

The man behind the plate, owner and chef Aaron Rivera, rejects any stereotypical take on Hispanic food, trading the usual for rich history and bold flavor. This history, both of the food and its creator, is one certainly worth preserving. Rivera, a Phoenix native, grew up in the kitchen. Son of a single mother in an immigrant family,

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Aaron would often cook dinner for his siblings while their mother worked. At the age of 15, Rivera began a job as a dishwasher at the local Hyatt Hotel. At just 16 he worked under the wing of Executive Chef Anton Brunbauer.

Now, after 20 years of long days in hot kitchens, Aaron Rivera is reaping what he sowed. His Chrome Toaster food truck was a huge hit, his Provecho Catering has been well received, and his restaurant, Tapas 51, in just one short year, has become the talk of the town and for good reason: his refreshing Latin American food is absolutely delicious. He’s even garnered national attention and deservedly so, recently appearing on an episode of the Food Network show “Beat Bobby Flay,” where he came out victorious over the celebrity chef with his brisket empanada.

At Rooster’s, we remain relevant without being trendy; we aim to impress without being pretentious.

That is because we are driven not by the food itself but by the people who enjoy it. Taking good care of people is fundamental to every pursuit we undertake.

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“The menu is based on the neighborhoods I grew up in and loved traveling to — the Southwest where Hispanic food is prominent and street food is a daily ritual.”

After travels to Honduras and the Southwest, Rivera became inspired to start what is now Tapas 51. Drawing from the distinction of food trucks in Los Angeles and the refinement of Las Vegas dining, Rivera dubs Tapas 51 an “East LA meets Vegas” restaurant.

However, this blend of influences is anything but apparent upon entering the restaurant. A simple interior boasts overtly neutral yet modern décor. No unnecessary displays of culture hang from the ceiling. Rather, the environment is nostalgic for simple home dining, as is the attention-to-detail and hospitality. Rivera highly prioritizes a service oriented approach for Tapas 51.

The staff offers proper wine service, new silverware between courses, and the promise that a manager visits your table at least once during your visit. According to Rivera, each customer should leave “feeling like they just left a friend’s house.”

For Rivera there is so much more to Hispanic cuisine.

“We don’t have fajitas or nachos or diet coke - we only use non-corn syrup sodas. Much of the menu is based on the neighborhoods I grew up in and loved traveling to all over the Southwest where Hispanic food is prominent and street food is a daily ritual.”

Rivera’s vision at Tapas 51 is specific, and his exacting measures are part of what have made him a successful restaurateur. In addition to taking a risk and becoming one of the only area restaurants serving modern Hispanic

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food, he also maintains a focus on locally sourced fresh ingredients. Tapas 51 uses a variety of sustainable options: produce from local farmers, fish from Tim Griner, and coffee roasted by Pure Intentions. Rivera is equally concerned with ensuring high service standards, and on sustaining a laidback, inviting atmosphere “where you can hang out all day long.”

When it comes to Tapas 51’s cuisine, the hominess of the restaurant is momentarily set aside, allowing for the diverse roots of the menu to manifest in bright, bold, immaculately presented plates of food. Rivera’s pupusa, one of his personal favorites, is a plate nostalgic for his past.

What he once feverishly ate as a child has been revamped to include Peruvian yellow pepper sauce, grilled shrimp, and pickled red onions stuffed with local mozzarella.

Another favorite, the Bok Bok Chicken, presents skewers of tender chicken accompanied by pickled red onions and honey guajillo sauce. The sauce — sweet with the occasional hint of spice — brilliantly elevates the dish, creating a magical dichotomy that is robust in flavor and light in feel.

A dish somehow unmentioned by Rivera, perhaps a testament to the consistent high quality of his food, is the 51st Street Corn. The corn is cooked to a crunchy perfection and accompanied by garlic aioli, parmesan cheese and herbs. This simple yet delightful dish is truly greater than the sum of its parts. That can be said about Tapas 51 in general though. The combination of the best local ingredients, a comfortable atmosphere, colorful presentations, and Aaron Rivera’s undaunted take on authenticity make his little restaurant just over the border a true destination.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.provechorestaurantgroup.com

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AIX EN PROVENCE’S

YELLOWFIN CRUDO Soy and lemon vinaigrette unite in this beautiful rendering of yellowfin tuna, fresh garden cucumber, green onions, and chives. Chef Nicholas Tarnate’s sprinkling of coconut snow elevates this dish from seafood art to summery masterpiece.

RECIPE BY NICHOLAS TARNATE | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

• 1 1/2 lbs Yellowfin Tuna • 3 tbsp Chopped Chives • 1/2 cup Soy Sauce • 1/2 cup White Vinegar • 1/4 cup Green Onions • 1 can Coconut Milk • Lemon Vinaigrette • Thinly Sliced Cucumber • Coarse Sea Salt to taste • Black Pepper to taste

To start, pour one can of coconut milk into a shallow pyrex dish and place into the freezer. As it freezes, scrape the surface every 15 minutes with the fork creating shaved coconut snow. Place shaved coconut snow into freezer and set aside.

Place the sliced cucumbers in a container with

chopped green onions, soy sauce and vinegar. Refrigerate for two hours.

Cut tuna into small diced sizes. Transfer tuna to a bowl and add three tablespoons of lemon vinaigrette, a large pinch of salt and 10 turns of cracked black pepper. Gently mix and fold in chopped chives.

Using a ring mold place equal portions of the tuna

mixture in the center of the mold and gently press down, removing the ring mold. Then place thin slices of cucumber on top of the tuna mixture.

Garnish the crudo with coconut snow, chopped chives or micro greens, and serve to your guests.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.aixenprovenceclt.com

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KINDRED’S

RAVIOLI The James Beard-Nominated chef Joe Kindred of Davidson’s restaurant Kindred shares his delicious and delicate ravioli recipe.

RECIPE BY JOE KINDRED | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

• 3 1/2 cups “00” Flour • 5 Egg yolks each • 1 Whole Egg • 1 qt Whole Milk • 1 oz Lemon Juice • 1/4 lb Diced Turnips • 1 oz Water Cress • 1 Garlic Clove • 1 oz Parsley • 1 tsp Salt and Pepper • 1 stick Butter

In a mixer, using the dough hook, mix together flour and eggs. When the dough forms a ball, turn onto a floured table and kneed for 10 minutes.

Wrap with plastic and set aside for 1 to 2 hours.

Place the milk and lemon juice in a saucepan and heat to a simmer.

When you see curds, remove from the heat and strain through a cheesecloth. Refrigerate until cold. Then mix the fresh

ricotta you just made with salt, pepper, minced garlic, and chopped parsley.

Roll the pasta dough out until it reaches the 1/16 inch thick. Cut into 12 inch lengths. Spoon one teaspoon of fi lling every two inches on one pasta sheet. With a pastry brush and water, brush around each fi ling pile. Fold dough over so the fi lling is covered.

Press out all the air pockets and cut with a

fluted pasta wheel. In a sauté pan add the butter and diced turnips. Cook on medium heat until turnips are soft. Boil the raviolis in unsalted pasta water until they float. Add the raviolis to the butter and turnips. Cook an additional two minutes.

Place the cooked pasta and turnips in a bowl and fi nish with fresh cress.

Serve and enjoy!

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.kindreddavidson.com

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POURED

KEEP POUNDING PUNCH PHOTO BY JAMEY PRICE

Seoul Food Meat Company recently opened on Church Street to huge praise.

Their Carolina-Korean barbecue is a major draw, but their cocktail menu, featuring a variety of different Soju cocktails as well as other fun and inventive libations, rounds the place out nicely. This issue, in honor of the upcoming Panthers football season, Seoul shares their Keep Pounding cocktail, a colorful tropical drink perfect for late summer.

INGREDIENTS

1 oz Rum Grenadine Blue Curaรงao Pineapple Juice Cordial Cherry Freshly Sliced Orange METHOD

Pour rum into a 16 oz mason jar.

Layer equal parts grenadine, pineapple juice, and Blue Curaรงao. Garnish with a cherry and a freshly sliced orange wedge and serve.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.seoulfoodmeatco.com

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THE LARGE MARGE PHOTO BY LUNAHZON | STYLING BY THE PLAID PENGUIN

There’s a beautiful order to this chaos: Angus burger, grilled cheese, applewood bacon, Wisconsin cheese curds, fried green pickled tomatoes, jalapeño firecrackers, and the biggest, tastiest Bloody Mary in the Queen City. Accompanied by your favorite light beer, Moo & Brew’s The Large Marge is the solution to last night. Or maybe it’s just the solution.

JUICE INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • • •

1 - 48 oz Can of Tomato Juice 3 tbsp Hot Horseradish 3 tsp Worcestershire Sauce 2¼ tsp Celery Salt 3 tsp Garlic Salt Tabasco Sauce Freshly Ground Black Pepper Your Favorite Vodka

TOPPING INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • • • •

Grilled Cheese Burger Sliders Jalapeño Firecrackers Fried Green Pickled Tomatoes Small Bag Of Cheese Curds 8 Spanish Olives 4 Carrot Sticks 4 Celery Stalks Favorite Light Beer Wooden Skewers

METHOD

In a large container mix tomato juice, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, garlic salt, Tabasco, and black pepper. Fill a large 20oz glass with ice. Add your desired amount of vodka, preferably Tito’s. Top off with the juice mixture. To add toppings, run a skewer through the middle of each grilled cheese burger slider, then add 2-3 slices of fried green tomatoes followed by one slice of bacon.

Stick the skewer into the bottom of the glass and lean off to one side. On another skewer, add 4-6 cheese curds and lean to the other side of the glass. Add celery stalk stirrer stick and carrots to the glass. Then cut one skewer in half and run through the middle of the Jalapeño Firecrackers. Add a few olives to the skewer as well and place horizontally across the top of the glass. Serve with a sidecar (or in the Midwest they say Snit) of your favorite beer.

To order the Large Marge stop by Moo & Brew in Plaza Midwood at 1300 Central Avenue or visit them online at: www.mooandbrew.com. For full recipes of the Grilled Cheese Burger Slider, Jalapeno Firecrackers, and Fried Green Pickled Tomatoes visit: www.qcexclusive.com.

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AUGUST 2016 • @QCEXCLUSIVE • 85

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ART

TRUE CALLING Art is Marcy Gregg’s one true passion, a prevalent and powerful medium that, coupled with her faith, helped her regain what was lost and start anew.

BY SUNNY HUBLER | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

M

In 1990, everything changed.

Marcy Gregg was in the hospital for the delivery of her and her husband’s third child when she contracted a life-threatening case of bacterial spinal meningitis.

She went into a coma, and doctors warned her family that there may be no chance of recovery.

“The last thing I remember is looking into a doctor’s eyes and asking him to help me,” Gregg recalls. “But the next thing I remember was being surrounded by people and being told that I was in a hospital, that I needed to be still, that I had a baby.”

Though Gregg miraculously awoke from the coma, she had lost significant years of her memory. Upon awakening, Gregg believed herself to be a seventeen-year-old, and was convinced that the doctors telling her she had just delivered a child were wrong, — they had the wrong patient. She couldn’t even remember getting married. All of those memories that included her husband and children were gone, wiped clean.

“Fortunately, although I didn’t remember being married, I did think the guy hovering over me [when I awoke] was very cute and sweet,” she says. “We eventually returned home to our six-year-old, three-year-old and the newborn — but I have never fully recovered all of my lost memories. That’s when we set about putting our life back together.”

As Gregg and her family worked through the challenge of rebuilding a family identity, she eventually launched back in to work, starting a corporate training and development consulting firm. But by 2006, her innate passion for art called. She had put off her painting for far too long and she couldn’t ignore it any longer. She sold her business, freeing her to pursue the medium that she had pushed aside for years.

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MARCY GREGG ART • 86 | FOUNDATIONS • 92 | CURATED • 96

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“The last thing I remember is looking into a doctor’s eyes and asking him to help me.”

-Marcy Gregg

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ART

“Every day I paint I am grateful for the opportunity to pursue that which I love.”

Art is Marcy Gregg’s one true calling. Her oil paintings are textured, abstract designs full of wide swaths of color, unexpected perspectives and imaginative lines. She began her work years ago painting landscapes and barns, but as her style has developed she found herself drawn to letting the viewer interpret the piece more fully.

Born in the small East Texas town of Jasper, Gregg studied studio art at Southern Methodist University. It was also there, in 1980, she met the man who would become her husband. By 1988, his work brought the couple to Charlotte where they have resided since.

Gregg is something of a pious artist: she brings a deep gratitude to her work and rises each day before the sun. In her studio by 9:30 a.m., she paints diligently until the evening. Her unique art perspective is gleaned from her life-altering experience, one that shook her, changed the course of her life, and equipped her ultimately with the clarity that paved the path to exactly who she is today.

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What will you create?

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Tile & Stone Showroom 2116 Hawkins Street Suite 500 Charlotte, N.C. 28203 704.583.7000

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ART

Both the joy and seriousness she brings to her painting have been hard-earned, and the gravity gives each piece an inexpressible depth. Gregg draws inspiration from all around her — colors, architecture, old buildings — and says she genuinely believes she was given a second chance at life. It is one she intends to seize fully, a sentiment expressed at least in part through the stunning pieces of art she creates.

“Every day I paint I am grateful for the opportunity to pursue that which I love,” she says. “I experience great joy when I stand in front of a canvas and I hope that each one portrays a bit of the joy and gratitude I feel.”

This September, Marcy Gregg will be painting for a one-man show at Gallery 1401 in Chattanooga, TN. You can also find her work at Anne Neilson Fine Art, Huff Harrington Fine Art, and Street Studios.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.marcygreggart.com

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FOUNDATiONS

MAGNOLIA EMPORIUM Randolph Gareth James of Magnolia Emporium in the revitalized Gold District area of Historic Southend shares his design influences and aspirations for his international business.

INTERVIEW BY COREY MILLER | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

What prompted you to start Magnolia Emporium?

I was vacationing in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, trying to decide what the next chapter in my life would be. I called my mom back in Palm Beach and asked her what I should do. She asked me, “What’s your passion?” I said, “Well it’s always been in design.” She stated, “Well there is your answer! It’s time to make a name for yourself again and do what you do best!” My mother, Thelma, came up with the name and

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my Godmother, international model Louise Diane, was the inspiration behind our logo. She was a dear friend and house model to the late Emilio Pucci and the main colors represent that. I can also tell you when the two of them get together it’s like Thelma & Louise in the movie!

How do you define the style of your design?

Anything that I have in the way of style has been gifted to me by the strong influences of my mother and

Godmother. I have always felt the design should be what our clients want.

Many times over, experience has shown me that some designers will only provide what they like and not listen to their clients’ wants, needs, or desires. I try and give them that.

Ultimately my influence comes from the many cultures and styles from around the world that I have been exposed to, from an early age.

Why did you decide to locate the firm in Charlotte?

I had witnessed the incredible growth in Charlotte over the past few years and found myself with an unexpected volume of projects in this area. I was spending more and more time in the region. However, I have been fortunate enough to maintain our studio in South Florida.

How has your past experience influenced your style today?

I have changed and grown in how I perceive style and how I impart it in my own projects. I’m far more relaxed and less formal. I try to anticipate how the space can evolve as my clients’ needs alter, in years to come.

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FOUNDATiONS

TOP: Robert B. Naylor, cFO, and Randolph Gareth James, founder, stand proudly in Magnolia emporium’s transformed alleyway named after count chevalier vincent de Rivafanoli,of italy, who walked the path in the early 1800’s.

BOTTOM: Magnolia emporium dons a gorgeous mural promoting charlotte’s Gold District.

“Everything old at some point becomes new again.”

- Randolph James How would you describe Charlotte’s unique style?

Charlotte’s become more cosmopolitan and refined while still imparting a relaxed southern flavor and charm.

The city has become a resurrection of history with a modern approach to Boho chic, and a dash of sweet southern tea for good measure.

What are the most important elements in design?

First and foremost, it needs to be functional! Second, it needs to impart the owner’s sense of style and hidden whimsy. Lastly, the space should in some part be an oasis away from day to day life.

How has the commercial aesthetic changed throughout the years and where do you see it going?

Everything old at some point becomes new again, if it was good! A clear example has been the resurgence of mid-century modern in the hospitality industry. I hope to see far more restoration and designs that fit within each unique community instead of a standard box.

How does Magnolia Emporium adapt to today’s changing market for design and decor?

We are constantly researching and sourcing the latest in design influences, unique to the specific markets and regions. It is a standard for us to find handcrafted items before we reach out and source mass-marketed items.

We also have a constant desire to recycle pieces whenever it’s possible.

How do you balance the wants of your client with your own personal aesthetic and vision?

At Magnolia Emporium, in the revitalized Gold District area of Historic Southend, we try to separate out the clients’ wants, needs, and dreams. I would like to say we just magically throw it all together and it’s done, but in fact every design must grow organically for it to be a success. Our job is to put the ribbon on the box of dreams and make sure our clients are able to afford it at the end of the day.

What is the defining characteristic of southern style?

I think in the past it could easily have been described as formal, traditional,

and graceful. However, in today’s melting pot of life I find that people are breaking with those traditions of “what my neighbor has” or “what my mother said it should look like” and just simply creating their own unique look that suits their lifestyle, whether southern or not.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Dorothy Draper said it well when she stated, “I believe in doing the thing you feel is right. If it looks right, it is right.”

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.magnoliaemporium.com

AUGUST 2016 • @qcexclusive • 95

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FURNiSHeD

CURATED Four Charlotte designers recommend their favorite late-summer home accessories.

SELECTED BY LAUREN NICOLE DESIGN, MAGNOLIA EMPORIUM, TIFFANY LEE DESIGN, AND THEORY DESIGN STUDIO

FeATHeReD Goose feathers surround the vita copenhagen eos Pendant to make for a humane, sustainable statement piece. magnoliaemporium.com

THe BiGGeR THe BeTTeR A well lit room is a beautiful room and this elena lamp is the perfect size and color for almost any home. laurennicoleinc.com

FiSH WARe These are perfect as a stand-alone end table accessory. laurennicoleinc.com

NeO-clASSicAl ARMATHWAiTe Neo-classical details have been updated to perfection in this Armathwaite arm and side dining chair. tiffanylee-design.com

cOlORFUl cReDeNZA Make a statement by adding a piece of the unexpected, fun, and bold. tiffanylee-design.com

PeNDANT ART

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This traditional and timeless damask never goes out of style. tiffanylee-design.com

viNTAGe iNSPiReD The unique quality and finish of this mirror makes a space feel beautiful, bigger, brighter, and happier! laurennicoleinc.com

Rustic meets floral with this converstaion-starting pendant light. tiffanylee-design.com

BeTH KUSHNicK BAR cART This modern bar cart features four serving tiers, an antiqued gold finish, casters for easy mobility, and a place to display your stemware. theory-designstudio.com

DAMSel cORAl

cONTeMPORARY iN cOGNAc MARvel iN MARBle This marble cheese tray is perfect to serve charcuterie alfresco. laurennicoleinc.com

This Phillips collection chair in cognac is a unique contemporary option to the classic quilted look. magnoliaemporium.com

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BeAUTiFUl viGNeTTeS

KITCHEN GRANDEUR Modern elegance combines with rustic wood features and statement stained glass in this gorgeous Grande custom home.

BY JENNY COSGROVE | PHOTOS BY DUSTIN PECK PROVIDED BY GRANDE

If the living room is the heart of a home, the kitchen is the soul of it.

And luckily for Charlotte residents, Grande Custom Homes makes a mean kitchen.

As a builder, Grande Custom Homes is notably flexible in style and relishes the opportunity to work with every client to make their vision a reality.

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Playing off the emerging trend of rustic modernity, this space cohesively draws in various mediums, fusing a cool yet homey palette of colors.

Wood, marble, stone and steel blend seamlessly accenting the industrial edge of the kitchen. The glossy tile backsplash and nordic white cabinetry contrast in a successful emphasis on the flooded natural light.

Dangling stained glass provides a distinct focal point, pulling from the myriad of elements to create one unifying aesthetic.

With this space, Grande Custom Homes has achieved a great feat: a subtly rustic space that is also clean, elegant, and understated.

FOR INFO: www.grandebuilders.com

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BeAUTiFUl viGNeTTeS

SET THE BAR A Liquid Design bar embraces the modern design elements of California.

T

BY LESLIE BROOKS PHOTOS PROVIDED BY LIQUID DESIGN

For a luxury home that channels West Coast style, the design has to have a few basic requirements — ample space to entertain guests, discreet storage, and a sleek, modern aesthetic. There’s no crown molding, no busy architecture, just opulence in vast, open spaces ushering in the radiance of natural light. With practicality and finesse, Michael Williams of Liquid Design takes Californian inspiration and applies it to Charlotte homes. Exem-

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plified in this wet bar, Michael has paired a sense of high design with practical functionality.

For day to day use, warm gray “shades extend down to hide the homeowner’s collection of spirits” and can be quickly retracted once the night’s party begins. Recessed lighting in the shelving offers versatility and allows the owner to control the ambiance of the space. The focal point of this space is the gorgeous, reclaimed-wood bar. The choice of

Monkeypod wood from Costa Rica, “custom-made for the home by Björnling Grant,” adds a rich quality that is contrasted by a stark white palette.

To Michael Williams, designs that enliven “contemporary living on the West Coast” are what he strives to create. With such practicality and gorgeous aesthetic, Liquid Design is producing a sense of West Coast living in the heart of the Carolinas.

FOR INFO: www.liquiddesign.net

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BEAUTIFUL VIGNETTES

TEEMING WITH DETAILS

B

This classic kitchen, a team effort from Ashley J Design and Pheasant Hill Design, is chock-full of details and personality.

BY JENNY COSGROVE | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ASHLEY J DESIGN

Behind every unique design is a creative fi rm and individualistic client. Ashley J Design has teamed up with Pheasant Hill Designs to cater to Charlotte’s confident clientele, yearning for ingenuity in every space they create.

This kitchen is a skillfully executed reflection of the homeowner’s lifestyle. A crafted cool

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blue island adds subtle personality with detailed exterior and vast Perla Venata quartzite counter space, providing an ideal spot for entertaining. The custom zinc oven hood extends down from the paneled ceiling, forcing the eye along the crisp, linear elements of both the kitchen and the home itself. Light penetrates the space

from all angles, with both natural and focused tones highlighting the dynamic palette of the room. The pendant fi xtures have the classical complexity of a chandelier with edgy geometricity, the conclusive dichotomic theme of the kitchen.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.ashleyjdesign.com

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BLUEPRINT

ENGLISH COUNTRY This Weddington property by Arcadia Custom Homes embraces painted brick, natural stone, and fresh neutral colors in a curvy, stylish update of English Country architecture.

INTERVIEW BY JENNY COSGROVE PHOTOS BY DUSTIN PECK BUILDER: ARCADIA CUSTOM HOMES INTERIOR DESIGNER: TRACI ZELLER

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BLUEPRINT

T

This Weddington property by Arcadia Custom Homes embraces painted brick, natural stone, and fresh neutral colors in a curvy, stylish update of English Country architecture. Traci Zeller’s gorgeous, rustic interior brings out the best in Arcadia’s flowing structure. We sat down with Jeremy Schumacher of Arcadia Custom Homes to discover the home builder’s design choices that allowed for this communion.

What were the main mediums used for the exterior? From where are they sourced?

What led to the decision to vary the size and linear forms of windows in the home?

The exterior of the home is a wellbalanced combination of painted brick, natural stone and stained cedar timberwork, all harvested and crafted in North Carolina.

The windows of the home were designed to complement each facet of the home in style and in function. In keeping with the English Country style of architecture, both

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arched and square windows were used to blend with the building’s form while subtly emphasizing this variance in shapes.

What inspired Arcadia’s general mixture of curved surfaces with straight edges?

The combination of curved and straight surfaces in this home was inspired by our desire to create an elegant and stylish feel while remaining efficient and functional in our design. Where appropriate, more stylistic and curved elements were integrated into the overall efficient and thoughtfully utilized space.

“Nestled in the heart of Weddington, the home was designed with the distinctly natural character of its surroundings as its primary inspiration.�

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BLUEPRINT

What is the color palette of the home and how did you select it?

The overall color palette of the home is soft and clean, grounded in fresh neutrals yet punctuated with the thoughtful use of subtle color.

Why did you decide to integrate the wood and windows throughout the home?

The use of wood accents as well as expansive windows along the rear of the home were designed to integrate the serene, natural setting into the interior of the home, creating a natural yet elegant commingling of the interior and exterior spaces.

What influenced this English Country home’s aesthetic and how did Arcadia’s use of materials impact the aesthetic?

Nestled in the heart of Weddington, the home was designed with the distinctly natural character of its surroundings as its primary inspiration. From the natural stone and wood accents, to the open and light floor plan, this home was designed to gracefully balance the country estate surroundings with the elegance of a private, gated community.

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Is the outdoor living area an extension of the indoor spaces or a break from the more formal elements of the home?

The home’s outdoor living space was designed to provide a casual escape to the outdoors while feeling as if you haven’t left your home. The expansive sliding doors provide a seamless transition from the elegant interior to the tranquil outdoor setting.

Are any elements of the home signature to Arcadia?

Arcadia takes pride in building homes that we describe as livable luxury and we believe this home epitomizes that concept. In concert with the design team and our clients, we aim to create luxurious custom homes that are just as comfortable as they are elegant.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.arcadiahomesinc.com About the Interior Designer: Traci Zeller has been beautifying spaces since childhood, something she pursued even in college dorm rooms and during her law career afterward. She went full-time with her business, Traci Zeller Designs, in 2010, and in 2013, she began developing her own line of textiles and home accessories. Her interiors are defined by inviting light, elegant color combinations, and touches of tradition with a modern twist. For more information visit www.tracizeller.com.

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WEEKENDER

A PROPER WELCOME If you’re searching for southern hospitality and charm with a modern twist, look no further than Savannah’s The Brice.

I

BY SUNNY HUBLER | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE BRICE

It’s Memorial Day weekend when we arrive at The Brice in Savannah, a stately-looking three-story building sitting on the corner of East Bay Street. It’s perched right on the edge of the lush historic district. Just across the road from the hotel the Savannah river flows. The location made the stay perfectly walkable, with a host of historic markers, parks, cafes, and restaurants all within a short stroll or bike away.

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WEEKENDER

The building itself dates back to the mid-1800’s and has served a variety of different purposes, including acting as a cotton warehouse.

Today, it’s been updated into one of the Kimpton Hotel chain’s newest properties, with 145 rooms and 26 suites. The hotel thoughtfully blends distinctive design with just the right touch of cheerful southern hospitality.

Inside, you’re greeted by the bright gray and white color scheme that ties together The Brice’s signa-

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ture vintage-meets-modern style.

The fi rst floor, where check-in and the valet reside, offers a gathering area and living room dotted with a quirky curated art collection and — my favorite touch — an impressive library of color-coded books.

Pacci Italian Kitchen & Bar is also downstairs. It’s a spacious, wide open restaurant with a rustic kitchen theme that serves all three meals a day, including offering room service to hotel guests. They serve classics, like handmade lin-

guine, along with their own twists, like the popular Coca-Cola glazed short ribs. By 5 p.m. on Saturday night, the tables and bar are buzzing; there isn’t an empty spot in the dining area. The place is full with a mix of Brice guests and locals.

The suite in which we stayed, the Premiere King on the second floor, is a bright, spacious setup with a well-designed, on-trend sitting area, a roomy gray-scheme bathroom with a large European shower and soaking tub, and a

The EXPLORED

WEEKENDER

bedroom featuring a four-postered king bed and a large desk.

On one side are the views of the historic downtown and on the other The Brice’s light-strung brick courtyard, with tables, benches, and cozy chairs, which the suite overlooks. Outside, there is also a large swimming pool surrounded by palm trees and bright yellow awnings, and a small 24-hour fitness center.

The Brice itself and the suite are detailed with thoughtful little amenities that make for a memorable stay. From the seersucker robes and the yoga mat outfitted in each room to the hosted happy hour each evening with free wine and snacks to the colorful art decals (butterfl ies, a horse and

stable) that grace the walls, details abound at The Brice.

With its brick buildings, cobblestone walkways, eclectic restaurant scene, and historic landmarks, Savannah is a popular southern destination for a reason. Whether

Be our guest.

Plan your next getaway, and experience a fun-filled stay packed with amazing amenities, including complimentary access to the Charlotte Athletic Club, as well as fine dining and much more!

704-377-0400 • omnihotels.com/charlotte

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you’re traveling from afar or you’re a resident of the Queen City looking for a perfect weekend escape, the hospitality, style, and comfort of The Brice can’t be beat.

FOR MORE INFO: www.bricehotel.com

Luxury R E D E F I N E D

Image by: Ciarlante Photography

A place of ultimate beauty surrounded by the best of nature.

Enhanced by a visionary who understands the importance of design and the smallest of detail.

Years in the making... to be enjoyed for a lifetime.

Visit today and you’ll discover our beautiful, countryside setting is the perfect location to build your new luxury home.

• Conveniently Located inside of I-485 • Minutes from Shopping and Dining • Estate Homesites, some with an Optional Private Barn Sites • 5 Community Parks with Gathering and Picnic Areas • Walking and Equestrian Riding Trails Featuring Charlotte’s Top Home Builders:

Image by: Dustin Peck Photography

Arcadia Homes • Arthur Rutenberg Homes Classica Homes • Evans Coghill Homes Grandfather Homes • Traton Homes New Old Luxury Custom Homes • The Ullman Group

Homes from the $550’s to $2.5M+. Homesites from the $100’s to the $900’s.

ChevalNC.com Cheval Sales & Information Center Open Daily 888-573-2932 Monday-Friday 10-5 • Saturday 11-5 • Sunday 1-5 6809 Joli Cheval Lane • Mint Hill, NC 28227 No federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property.

Void where prohibited by law. Prices subject to change without notice.

Developed and Managed by:

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Interior by:

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The EXPLORED

CAROLINA TOWNS

THE BANKS Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills are the boast of the Carolina coast.

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BY CORDERIUS ALLEN

The sweet pleasure of warm sand under your Tar Heel toes can give you life. Find your state’s barrier islands, and bask in the opulence of a coastal experience only found here. Soaking up that Carolina sunrise on the vibrant shores of the Outer Banks is an ideal highlight to a perfect summer vacation. Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills, both quaint and intimate vacation attractions, are home to luxurious amenities for the entire family. Nothing says rest and relaxation like a refreshing mimosa and cool oceanfront breezes on the Carolina coast. Lined with luxury vacation homes, the Nags Head beach offers an exclusive proximity to the coastline and an amazing ocean view.

Located in Dare County, Nags Head was the first real vacation destination in the Outer Banks. The folklore and rich American history have always drawn Carolinians to the coast. From the legends of Captain Blackbeard to the

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mysterious tale of the Lost Colony, these shores have been contoured by their history. Nags Head allegedly received its name from a “Banker” (an Outer Banks native) who tied a lamp to the neck of a nag (a horse), signaling merchant ships from the dunes.

This poor excuse for a lighthouse was allegedly made on Jockey’s Ridge, a home to beautiful sand dunes that border the Outer Banks bypass. Locals and tourists alike congregate at Jockey’s Ridge to experience the coastal winds and endless family fun. The geography is ideal for hang gliding, kite flying, and bathing in the natural beauty of the Atlantic. The newest attraction here is the Outer Banks’ first distillery. The festivities would not be complete without a stiff shot of Kill Devil Rum. “From molasses to glasses,” Kill Devil Rum was crafted to satisfy that sweet desire to drink your dessert on the beach. Locally owned and bottled, Kill Devil Rum is refining an already refined vacation spot. Here among the dunes and palmettos, indulge responsibly while enjoying the catch of the day.

If you are planning on seafood, the regionally renowned succulent blue crab can be found at many of the local restaurants. For an amazing view and fine dining experience, Miller’s Waterfront Restaurant is the place to go.

Nags Head is known for its beautiful coastlines and lively winds, but the Nags Head Woods Preserve showcases a decidedly different landscape in this dynamic getaway. The Woods Preserve was established for natural landscape and habitat conservation. You don’t have to be an experienced outdoorsman to trek this wilderness. The most popular path, Sweetgum Swamp Trail, is an easy adventure perfect for viewing wildlife with the kids. Couples will find a new love for the outdoors on the naturally alluring Discovery Trail. The advanced nature of this hike

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The EXPLORED

CAROLINA TOWNS

guarantees greater rewards: It’s a paradise of twayblade orchids and water violets during the warmer months. No hopeless romantic can resist the pure aesthetics of this visually stimulating expedition.

And of course, vacationers have to explore those historical landmarks that have shaped the culture of North Carolina’s inlets and channels — lighthouses. One of our favorites, the Bodie Lighthouse, located south of Nags Head, is a piece of Carolina history and a must-see attraction for every generation. Erected in the late 1800’s the lighthouse stands about 156 feet high. It’s approximately 213 steps to the top. You’ll want to pack some refreshments with your binoculars. When you tire of these towers, you’ll want to check out the Wright Brothers’ National Memorial to learn about a couple men who were tired of sea travel.

Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills are regionally diverse with their alluring natural beauty and local gems. It’s late summer, sure, but there’s no better time than now: Find your inner beach bum and surround yourself with Carolina blue.

FOR MORE INFO: www.outerbanks.com

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Based in Charlotte, NC, Richard and Kristen Magliocca’s New Life Building Supplies, LLC is a leading supplier of windows, doors, cabinets and hardware, custom closets, counters, and flooring. We also offer interior design, window treatments, painting and faux, concrete and stain, sound and central vacuum, power washing, vinyl siding, roofing, pools, decks, landscaping, hardscaping, and a wide variety of other services.

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The EXPLORED

DISPATCH

IN SEARCH OF SPECKLES For a fly fisherman, summertime in North Carolina was made for stalking the elusive speckled — the state’s only native trout — on gorgeous unnamed Appalachian feeder creeks.

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STORY BY JP GRICE | PHOTOS BY BRYSON STALNAKER

Rivers like the Mitchell, Davidson, Watauga, and Wilson’s Creek are heralded by locals as premium trout water. For eight months of the year these are probably the most productive streams within a two hour drive of Charlotte. They are easily accessible, well maintained, and stocked full of large rainbow, brown, and brook trout ready to eat

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just about any fly. However, after the fi rst Saturday in June these rivers and their trout are free for the taking. The fish get cleaned out pretty quickly and the water becomes packed with people enjoying other activities like kayaking, tubing or swimming.

When these dog days of summer make it harder for fishermen, there’s

only one solution: Start searching for speckles — the Eastern brook trout, the Old North State’s only native species.

Blue lining is a term that should undoubtedly appeal to the adventurous. Just open a map of Western Carolina and select one of the countless squiggly blue lines — the higher the elevation the better — for your next trip. These feeder creeks, prongs, and tributaries, often unnamed, truly represent what the sport of fly fishing in North Carolina is all about.

These places are natural, pristine, and off-the-beaten-path homes to our state’s prized fish. To find this water is difficult, to access it even more challenging. At these wild places there are no parking lots or gravel trails, there are no crowds, and there are no easy fish, if there are even fish at all. Instead you’ll find amongst a canopy of green, many cascading waterfalls, massive boulders, gin-clear Blue Ridge pools, and if you’re lucky: a native trout taking topwater flies.

For many out there, chasing the unknown probably doesn’t seem very appealing, but for those outdoor enthusiasts searching for the truly authentic, it can be found at one of those blue lines.

Lucky Clays Fresh is an innovative aquaponics farm located in Norwood, North Carolina that provides locally raised and grown fish, vegetables and herbs to area restaurants. Our onsite Chef prepares an array of unique dishes using local meats and produce from area farms,

Where Business & Nature Meet

luckyclaysfresh.com

as well as our own Fresh produce to accommodate each private business function or corporate retreat held at Lucky Clays Farm.

Luckyclaysfarm.com

For more information, or to book your next corporate event, please contact us at 1-855-858-LUCK (5825)

The EXPLORED

FeSTivAlS

REVEL

These Carolina food festivals are musts for adventurous foodies searching for fine food, wine, and spirits.

BY leslie brooKs PHOTOS COURTESY OF euphoria GreenVille

euphoria Greenville sept 22 - 25 | Greenville, sC

During four electrifying days in September, Euphoria will tantalize you with a multitude of exclusive tasting events and multi-course dinners. You’ll have the chance to enjoy a lineup of intimate musical experiences with renowned singers and songwriters, thrilling food truck rodeos, informative cooking demonstrations, wine seminars, and the opportunity to interact with master chefs and expert sommeliers.

There’s more to lure you to this festival than the food, wine, and music: Euphoria doesn’t just highlight Greenville’s culinary and artistic

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community, but it also promotes a charitable cause. All proceeds from the food festival will be donated to Local Boys Do Good, which was created to benefit numerous local nonprofit organizations. Charity, good food, superb wine, and live music— what’s not to love?

For more inFo: www.euphoriagreenville.com

music to your mouth august 11 | Charleston, sC november 16 – 20 | bluffton, sC

This year, the Music To Your Mouth festival is celebrating its tenth year and because of that the festival is

going all-out. Both the Charleston and Bluff ton festivals will feature some of the South’s best chefs, winemakers, vintners, brewers, and cocktail pourers to pay homage to the glory that is southern food and spirits. Along with all the great culinary talent, some of the South’s best music and performers will be on display.

For more inFo: www.musictoyourmouth.com

asheville Food & wine Festival august 19 - 20 | asheville, nC

The Asheville Food & Wine Festival is akin to a multi-course dinner. Each course-themed event allows you to sample all the tantalizing flavors Asheville has to offer. The Grand Tasting is arguably the highlight of this festival, hosted in the heart of downtown Asheville. You can expect to see a massive gathering of the area’s talented wineries, alongside international names, regional breweries, restaurateurs, chefs, farmers, artisan food producers, beverage

The EXPLORED

FeSTivAlS

makers, cookbook authors, and a showcase of local crafters.

Above all, there will be a delectable assortment of food and wine to try. For one price, festival goers can choose their own culinary adventure as they see fit. Whether you’re looking for savory or sweet, wine or beer, get ready to expand your palate with some of the best cuisines from the best chefs in Asheville.

For more inFo: www.ashevillewineandfood.com

the barbecue Festival october 22 | lexington, nC

Lexington is the self-proclaimed “Barbecue Capital of the World”.

With such a prestigious title, it’s no wonder they’re home to one of the most popular food festivals in the

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States. Each October, hundreds of thousands of people pour into this small Carolina town to snag a taste of tender slow roasted pork for themselves. At this one-day BBQ fest, you will be sure to get your fill of barbecue and so much more.

There’s something for everyone; over four hundred arts and crafts vendors each year, live music at five separate stages, street performers, and even competitive lumberjack games, including an ax toss. Or you could just focus on the amazing Lexington style barbecue — slow smoked pork shoulder doused with a red vinegar sauce and topped with mayonnaise-based slaw.

For more inFo: www.barbecuefestival.com

For more carolina food festivals visit www.qcexclusive.com

AUGUST 2016 • @qcexclusive • 125

The EXCLUSIV ES

A TASTEFUL STATE Carolina Plates That Demand a Road Trip

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COMPILED BY Corey miller

Every now and then on our adventures we’re introduced to a purely unforgettable dish outside of the Queen City.

Texture, flavor, and profi le all combine in an entrée that’s everything we never knew we’d always wanted. We often feel a kind of ownership over these discoveries: There’s always that nagging selfishness that implores us to tell no one about them. Fortunately for our readers, we’re in the business of sharing. These are our favorite Carolina dishes outside of our beloved Charlotte…excepting a few secrets that we may have kept for ourselves. We could list them all, but where’s the fun in that? These dishes have captured our hearts, minds, and stomachs, but they’re just guidelines.

Enjoy our picks, and then get out there and fi nd your own heaven-on-a-plate.

pulpo a la GalleGa

cúrate Asheville, Nc Served warm, this dish from Cúrate pushes boundaries.

At the heart of this audacious platter is Galician style octopus, warmly flavored by sea salt, paired with the sumptuous heat of Spanish paprika. The dish is expertly cooked, boasting a chewy exterior with a subtly salted, tender texture beneath. A Yukon gold potato puree delivers the fi nishing touch, grounding the soft flavor of octopus and spice with the richness of root vegetables.

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Photo of Cúrate’s Pulpo A La Gallega by Christopher Shane

The EXCLUSIV ES Grilled Lamb Chops

The Oak Table Columbia, SC Served with a mix of roasted Cabin Branch baby squash and fairytale eggplant, these chops rank among the most colorful lamb entrées we’ve seen. The white bean puree, carrot top chimichurri, and hearty brown lamb jus top it off with more color while complimenting the meat with shepherd’s pie-inspired decadence. The Oak Table’s pork chops are also probably the best in Columbia, but the fatty richness of these lamb chops is a savory belt-loosener we can’t seem to forget.

Mac and Cheese

Poole’s Downtown Diner Raleigh, NC

of sherry, this small plate is a perfect balance of crispy, fried, savory meat, and acidity. Augmented by pinenuts, capers, and oyster mushrooms, this dish has an earthy flavor expertly paired with that firm succulence innate to sweetbreads.

Fried Quail

The Townhouse Restaurant Georgetown, SC Served with ham gravy, creamy grits, and squash casserole, our Georgetown favorite is the sporting man’s dream dish. With a perfectly seasoned and browned, crisp exterior complemented by the juicy white meat inside, this bird will have even the most collected of huntsmen jumping the proverbial gun.

Fried Flounder Sandwich

When it comes to indulgence, baked mac and cheese reigns supreme.

Poole’s Downtown Diner is paying homage to the American classic with a rendition that’s over the top — literally, a crispy cheese forms on the top that oozes over the sides of the dish. There are layers of decadent parmesan, white cheddar, and gruyere, baked to gooey perfection atop tender elbow noodles. Ashley Christensen does comfort food justice, and this mac and cheese is sure to evoke memories of home.

Mollejas

Mateo Bar de Tapas Durham, NC Sweetbreads are a crispy delicacy, made palatable for even the most unadventurous by Mateo Bar de Tapas. Served on a bed of cauliflower puree and brightened with a splash

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The Darling Oyster Bar Charleston, SC After an indulgent day in South Carolina’s food city, take a step back to simplicity and enjoy a fried flounder sandwich from Darling. It’s mixed pickles, lettuce, fresh-caught fish, and a little tartar sauce on a golden roll. Locals and regulars recommend getting classic, southern-style grits on the side.

Grilled Swordfish

BLU Folly Beach, SC Besides beautiful views of the Atlantic, Blu’s visitors can also enjoy some damn good seafood. We had the grilled swordfish, a gorgeously presented dish, perfectly golden, and served over hearty summer succotash and a celery corn purèe.

Grass Fed Beef

Herons Cary, NC The Umstead is known for its superior hospitality, wide variety of amenities, and overall experience. The restaurant at The Umstead is an extension of this quality. With a reputation that precedes itself, Herons truly delivers the goods. Their beef entree is a stand out, presented elegantly and executed to perfection. The beef literally melts in your mouth.

Hen

The Chef and the Farmer Kinston, NC Our favorite Chef and the Farmer dish is chicken, but this isn’t your typical Sunday fried goodness.

A whole Cornish Game hen, panroasted, is served up with a mountain range of farro salad, kale, and beets, and garnished with mint and a divine buttermilk sauce. This renowned Kinston kitchen wants to feed you, and they want to feed you well: Their incredible hen has you covered for multiple meals.

Softshell Crab

Vin Rouge Durham, NC Vin Rouge has a plethora of excellent cuisine to offer alongside its three-star wine list. Beyond ordering tender, softshell crab from the menu, it is featured in seasonal dishes that are downright astonishing. On burger night, you may find crispy crab piled high on a house bun with a slice of heirloom tomato, boqurones aioli, and fresh greens from the farmer’s market.

Photo of Darling Oyster Co.’s Fried Flounder sandwich and BLU’s Grilled Swordfish

by Jamey Price. Photo of Heron’s Grass Fed Beef provided by The Umstead.

The EXCLUSIV ES Old Danger Pizza

The Obstinate Daughter Charleston, SC A warning label should come with the Old Danger Pizza from Obstinate Daughter, as addiction is likely.

A light, thin crust provides the canvas for a layer of a smooth, white sauce. Salty pancetta, mozzarella, an over-easy farm egg, scallion, black pepper, and parmesan are on top to create a deliciously coherent and decadent combination. This pizza will have you coming back for seconds...and thirds.

Beggar, the kitchen is going above and beyond to amplify this innately opulent cut of steak with traditional French seasonings and a generous helping of lemon-parsley butter.

delight to contrast with the lusciousness of the fish. The last element is a decadent dijon cream sauce, which draws all of the flavors together with deft finesse.

2-Piece

Salmon

Leon’s Oyster Shop Charleston, SC

A Noble Grille Winston-Salem, NC

When at Leon’s, a restaurant known for their poultry and oysters, we obviously opted to try both. The half shells were delightful but the stand out was the steaming hot, crispyon-the-outside yet extra juicy and tender 2-piece.

Jim Noble’s a celebrity around the QC these days — if you haven’t been to Rooster’s or The King’s Kitchen, you’re not really Charlottean. Once you have, head on up to Winston Salem. The original Rooster’s, A Noble Grille, offers one of the tastiest salmon entrées in the state. Good salmon is a matter of just the right seasoning and timing. Ask for it grilled — the good folk in Winston will know what to do.

Prime Filet Mignon

Ryan's Restaurant Winston-Salem, NC

Seared Lyonnaise Salad

Rhubarb Asheville, NC

Filet mignon has always been revered as the most tender cut of steak, and Ryan’s Restaurant of Winston Salem is honoring this truth with simplicity. With a choice of five or ten ounces, the steak is seasoned to perfection and seared to a gorgeous char. Should you desire it, you can even order your filet with the addition of steak butter, bernaise or hollandaise sauce, a bourbon demiglace, blackened seasoning, au poivre sauce, or oscar-style.

The local, hydroponic lettuce from Green Rows Farm serves as the foundation for Rhubarb’s take on traditional, southern greens. Tantalizing layers of pickled potatoes and tasso trout sardines elevate this homey dish with complimenting notes of tangy vinegar and brine. Crowned with a soft-yolked Sunny Farm Egg and Cruze buttermilk ranch, these greens offer an extraordinary fusion of flavor and texture.

Cote de Boeuf

Grouper

Bull and Beggar Asheville, NC

Frank’s Restaurant and Bar Pawley’s Island, SC

The well-marbled flavor of a 36ounce bone-in ribeye is a temptation that not many can resist. Due to the bone, a hearty flavor is suffused throughout tenderly cooked beef.

Inherently, the thickness of the cut creates a palatable texture that cannot be matched. Down at Bull and

Dipped in a cornmeal crust and pan-fried, the grouper at Frank’s Restaurant and Bar is a cherished staple by the locals. A sumptuous layer of stone-ground grits underlies the tender, flaky, filet of grouper. Appetizing shrimp pepper the plate, offering a firm textural

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Jonah Crab Claws

167 Raw Charleston, SC 167 Raw made landfall a few years back, but dishes like their Jonah Crab meat is so full of flavor that they’re still breaking Charleston ground. You’ll need to get there early if you want to try these magnificent claws. The jumbo label isn’t a joke— they’re massive.

Tagliatelle al Ragu

Mother and Sons Trattoria Durham, NC In the depths of the kitchen at Mother and Sons Trattoria, Josh Decarolis creates loads of pasta every day.

Our favorite has to be the tagliatelle.

Similar to fettuccine, tagliatelle is a flat, wide egg pasta that is served with a delicious ragu and a sprinkle

Photo of Rhubarb’s Lyonnaise Salad and Leon’s Oyster Shop’s 2Piece by Jamey Price. Photo of A Noble Grill’s salmon by Lunahzon.

The EXCLUSIV ES of freshly grated parmesan. The acidity of the tomato sauce is complimented pleasantly by well-seasoned beef. With the additional richness of the cheese, it’s simply heavenly.

Ham and Egg Pizza

All Souls Pizza Asheville, NC Even though it’s only one of the many inventive pies the artisanal menu offers, the Ham and Egg is beloved by customers. A light faintly charred crust complements the warm richness of a runny egg with a crunchy texture. Salted ham and fresh mozzarella provide the balance in this pizza’s unorthodox harmony. Breakfast for dinner has never tasted so good...or been so filling.

Bone Marrow

Death and Taxes Raleigh, NC At Death and Taxes, Ashley Christensen gifts us with another remarkable eatery. This stellar menu offers the perfect beginning to a night out in Downtown Raleigh. While it’s renowned for its exquisite and unique menu, we haven’t been able to top the bone marrow. Covered in capers, shallots, and served up on crispy bread, the marrow is a rich and flavorful delight. These divine flavors will make any night memorable.

Okonomiyaki

Xiao Bao Biscuit Charleston, SC Renditions of vegetable fritters can be found on every continent. Even so, Xiao Bao Biscuit is serving up a fritter that stands apart. It starts with a batter comprised of cabbage, carrots, kale, and scallions. The Japanese pancake is then griddled to a delicious crisp and served with a soft yolk egg on top. Pork candy and an indulgent drizzle of Kewpie mayonnaise and sriracha make for a delightful intersection of sweet and spicy.

Chicken Skins

American Grocery Greenville, SC Who needs the whole chicken when you could just order the skins? Live a little with these decadent, crispy honey-sriracha bites flavored with the right amount of sweet and spice.

Seared Foie Gras

Fearrington House Restaurant Pittsboro, NC The Fearrington House Restaurant expectedly delivers a five-star, knock-out plate at every course, but the most undeniably succulent dish on this varied menu is the foie gras. Divine, fatty liver is seared to perfection, producing a delectable,

caramelized crust while maintaining a moist interior. The foie gras is accompanied by the tang of pickled apricot, pecans, pearl onions, and beech mushrooms to create dynamic yet coherent flavor.

Bergamot-Crusted Lamb

Artisanal Banner Elk, NC Artisanal offers up a unique, seasonal lineup of spectacular dinner items.

One of the most stunning dishes we’ve had the chance to experience is a luscious bergamot-crusted lamb, cooked to tender perfection. Accompanied with flavorful, autumnal Kuri squash and infused with smoked black trumpet mushrooms and sumptuous chestnuts, earthy flavor permeates this dish.

Flank Steak

The Westendorff Charleston, SC The varied history of the Westendorff building and family is best summarized in an elevated rendition of a rustic classic — flank steak. The distinct flavors of a skillfully seared (and properly sliced) flank are paired with expertly baked fingerling potato confit. Adding a splash of green to the beautiful plate, simply dressed sprouts offer an amazing depth when paired with a vibrant tarragon aioli.

SOME CHARLOTTE FAVORITES No time to road trip for food?

Lucky for you, there are plenty of world-class dishes right in our own backyard. There are way too many to list them all, but here’s a few that you’ve got to try.

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Kindred’s Tagliatelle

Global’s Pork Cheeks

Heritage’s Duck Breast

Passion8’s Short Rib

Rooster’s Hanger Steak

Fahrenheit’s Short Rib

Kid Cashew’s Octopus

Fig Tree’s Beet Carpacio

Barrington’s Corn Soup

Beef & Bottle’s Filet

Georges’ Mussels

Customshop’s Deckle

Tapas 51’s Lobster Roll

Corkbuzz’s Burger

5Church’s Lamb Burger

Evoke’s Yellowfin Tuna

Aqua e Vino’s Porchetta

BLT Steak’s Porterhouse

Photo of Westenforff’s Flank Steak and Xiao Bao Biscuit’s Okonomiyaki by Jamey Price. Photo of American Grocery’s Chicken Skins photo by Aaron Greene provided by American Grocery.

The EXCLUSIV ES

Charlotte’s QUINTESSENTIAL SAMMIES

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COMPILED BY CorEy miLLEr, JP griCE, AND StEPHEn PHiLPott PHOTOS BY JamEy PriCE, LunaHzon, AND Conor mErrigan

The Queen City is home to a quickly expanding array of evening-time feasts, but what are Charlotteans to do when they want something quick and fresh — something lunch-sized? Sometimes, the best thing we can do is throw some stuff between a couple slices of bread and hope for the best. And sometimes, in this city of food artists, the best is exactly what we get.

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VA Oyster Po’Boy THE KING’S KITCHEN

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New Orleans jazz bounces around Tryon on weekends, creole spices can be found on just about any southern-inspired menu, and suddenly, Charlotte’s got its own Po Boys. These messes of meat and bread are Louisiana food, but Charlotte’s always been a bit of a refuge — for people and their cuisines. Nonprofit uptown eatery The King’s Kitchen, itself a refuge for challenged Charlotteans, is dredging up some of the best that the Deep South has to offer.

Crispy battered oysters, B&B aioli, Tega Hills lettuce, and tomato on a grilled potato bun make for Charlotte’s richest Po Boy. otHEr notaBLE SammiES: cajun Yard Dog’s Fried catfi sh Po’Boy Po Boy’s Fried Whole croaker Po Boy

Photo by Gucci merrigan

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The Big Skinny

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RHINO MARKET & DELI

Around noon on just about any given weekday, we’re faced with an existential crisis — choosing which Rhino Market sandwich will fuel the rest of our afternoon. The ABLT, Raw Rhino, Hot Sicilian, and the rest are truly equally delicious. There’s one day of the week, though, that we can walk up to that counter with confidence: Big Skinny Day. Cornmealdusted, pan-fried pork tenderloin, dill pickles, whole-grain honey mustard, lettuce, and house-made slaw on a golden brioche roll make for the perfect penultimate weekday lunch.

It’s a signal that the weekend’s almost here, the Holy Grail of the Rhino Market and Deli menu. A temple of a sandwich, Rhino’s Thursday special is the bane of indecision. otHEr notaBLE SammiES: Block & Grinder’s cubano | moo & Brew’s oh! schnitzel

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Grilled Cheese PAPI QUESO Grilled cheese isn’t simple. Just the right burn and just the right melt are always the intention but rarely the outcome...unless you work for Papi Queso. The good folk in this little orange truck get it right every single time. We don’t need to know their secret, as long as we’ve got access to a menu and the truck’s location. Try them all — while they’re hot. otHEr notaBLE SammiES: common market’s Pimento Deluxe | North Harbor club’s Grown up Grilled cheese

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The EXCLUSIV ES

Catfish Reuben

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SEA LEVEL

The reuben is a quintessentially American sandwich, but one created decidedly north of here, in some New York deli, no doubt. Some regions claim the pastrami melt, while others insist on corned beef like religious doctrine, but the south can’t really claim its own reuben. Sea Level in uptown hopes to right that ship, giving Carolina its very own hot cheesy mess on rye. The Catfish Reuben features blackened Carolina cat, melty gruyere cheese, fresh slaw, and creamy remoulade piled high on rye bread. Sure, it’s not the first catfish reuben to grace southern shores, but this Charlotte fish sammie is poised to outswim the competition. otHEr notaBLE SammiES: Reid’s Fine Food’s salmon BlT Price’s chicken coop’s Fish sandwich

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Photo by Jamey Price

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#6 LE’S SANDWICHES & CAFE

Tucked away on the outskirts of NoDa in what may easily be the most overlooked shopping center in Charlotte is the best bánh mì in town. Le’s is home to the #6, a length of wax paper-wrapped heaven. Caramelized pork, thinly sliced and roasted to juicy perfection, shares a French baguette with carrots, jalapeños, cucumbers, and pickled daikon. Topped with what could very well be an entire cilantro plant, this sandwich is packed with mouth-tingling flavor. Paired with some of Le’s Sugar Cane Juice, it’s well worth a trek through the city’s most treacherously cratered parking lot. otHEr notaBLE SammiES: Yummy Banh mi’s lemongrass Pork | co’s caramel Pork

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Pulled Bacon BLT

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THE MANDRAKE

It’s a bit like sweet ham, but with the texture of Carolina barbecue and the downright salty goodness of bacon. We don’t really know how to describe this Chef Donnie Simmons original, and we’re not even sure if it is a BLT. The pickled “bacon” is pulled into strips barbecue-style. The accompanying fresh spring greens, garden tomato, and house-made garlic aioli sauce make for a flavor and profi le unlike any other pork sandwich in the city. Honestly we’re just here to tell you that it’s real good. otHEr notaBLE SammiES: The Flipside cafe’s Hobnobber’s BBq sloppy Joe The Bodega’s Ham & cheese

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Noble’s Fried Chicken Sandwich

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There’s plenty of excellent fried chicken in town. Charlotte’s oldest chicken joints have made their respective little nests in Charlotte history, but not all of them wrap their wellbattered meat in still more delectable bread. For deep-fried glory on a bun, turn to Chef Jim Noble’s chicken sammie.

One gorgeous buttermilk-lathered chicken breast, battered and fried to golden perfection, is cooped up under crunchy honey mustard slaw on a ciabatta bun. Where does the enterprising lover of birds find this legendary sandwich, though? Well, ask Jim — there have been sightings at both The King’s Kitchen and Rooster’s.

OTHER NOTABLE SAMMIES: Rhino Market’s Chicken Torta | Workman’s Friend’s Open-Faced Turkey

Photo by Lunahzon

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#BEC

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LITTLE SPOON

There’s something feel-good about littleSpoon’s breakfast sandwiches. They speak to the heart, or the belly, and they say: You are hip because you eat here.

Maybe it’s the acronyms. The #BEC is crispy bacon, the runniest of cage-free eggs, and molten white cheddar on a grilled roll that’s just the right amount of chew. This is an early morning richness that’s also perfect for those not-so-early mornings, when you’re in desperate need of some #R&R. OTHER NOTABLE SAMMIES: Local Loaf’s Chicken And The Egg Poppy’s Lox Bagel

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Photo by Lunahzon

Lowcountry Smoked Pork Belly Buns

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FUTO BUTA

Futo Buta is a wildly popular ramen bar on the lightrail tracks, yes, but it’s also home to some delicious, Asian-inspired sandwiches.

This isn’t Tokyo or Seoul, but these soulful little buns have us longing for no other city.

Sticky, dissolve-in-your-mouth steam buns overflowing with sesame slaw and sweet gochujang barbeque, Futo Buta’s pork belly buns are comfort food, condensed.

OTHER NOTABLE SAMMIES: Fahrenheit’s Kobe Beef Short Rib Buns A Bao Time Food Truck’s Pulled Pork Buns

Photo by Jamey Price

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Plaza Midwood’s Comida, Block & Grinder Langtree, The Gallery, Yafo Kitchen, Tapas 51, Futo Buta, Inizio.

A NEW TABLE

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In the last 365 days, Charlotte food has seen a bit of a growth spurt. We’re stuck in a bit of a bizarre foodie cycle, and we’re hoping it’s one that doesn’t end.

Restaurants keep popping up, we keep trying them, and they keep surprising us. Menus are somehow designed to be shareable, art galleries and cafes can’t seem to remain separate entities, and this weird cucumber mint juice is our preferred summer beverage. Cuisines are fuzing, cocktails are smoking, and Charlotte is changing. We’ve compiled the evidence.

COMPILED BY COREY MILLER PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY JAMEY PRICE, LUNAHZON (YAFO) MICHAEL HERNANDEZ (BLOCK & GRINDER)

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A NEW TABLE With the additon of these young but impactful restaurants, Charlotte’s food scene is coming of age.

SEA LEVEL Charlotte’s new uptown oyster bar is serving up delicious catch straight from the rural Carolina coast.

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STORY BY MARGARET GRATON | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

Sea Level, North Carolina has a population of 450. This tiny marker on the Old North State coastal map is made up largely of fourth and fifth generation watermen. Long, wet days on Core Sound earn them their livelihood, and recently, have earned Charlotte its own chic oyster bar: Paul Manley’s Sea Level. An oyster lover and admirer of the rural-coastal lifestyle, Paul has spent years on the Carolina coast building relationships with watermen, fishermen, oyster farmers, and other seafood specialists. These relationships not only give him access to a ton of industry know-how, but also the freshest ingredients possible for his Sea Level.

Sea Level is known for its half-shell concept, a farm-to-fork oyster experience straight from the coast. Here, the oysters are delicious and the restaurant experience is unique. The briny, silky oysters, glistening in their liquor, are the perfect shareable item. If you’re not in the mood for raw oysters, try the Oysters NoDa, served with spinach, coppa, and brie in the shell. Guests can choose the bar or the long, thin Friendship Table. There are booths, too, if the community tables are full. Paul says that the “whole idea here is eating oysters, enjoying company, and being able to socialize around the oyster tray. Eating oysters is a very social experience. Nobody sits and eats oysters alone. You’ll never see anybody sadly eating oysters — it’s just happy food.”

KID CASHEW Whether you come for the unique interior or the patio space, the incredible octopus dishes and that crazy goat milk cocktail will have you coming back. This new Mediterranean joint is named after a goat. We rather like its character. kidcashew.com INIZIO With woodfired pizzas that have everyone talking, Inizio is becoming one of Charlotte’s most raved-about pizza joints. Bearing hearty portions and huge desserts, the staff are talented and friendly and make it all worth the 90 second wait. iniziopizza.com MOO & BREW Boasting a killer tap selection, Charlotte’s most notorious Bloody Mary, and lots of tasty burgers, Moo & Brew is an inspiring new haunt for beer and burger lovers. mooandbrew.com NELLIE’S SOUTHERN KITCHEN A token of the famous Jonas family, Nellie’s in Belmont is serving up generational southern cooking. These

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A NEW TABLE savory biscuits, greasy burgers, and fried chicken will make Charlotteans feel right at home. nelliessouthernkitchen.com

“You’ll never see anybody sadly eating oysters — it’s just happy food.”

Owner Paul Manley in front of the ”oyster wall” at uptown’s Sea Level

COMIDA Deep flavors and high standards perfectly summarize this modern Mexican dining experience.

Table side guacamole, notably colorful cocktails, and labor intensive entrees make any meal at Comida jam-packed with excellence. comidaclt.com CO Co has succeeded in channeling Vietnamese and Korean cuisine without compromising either culture.

Regulars rave about the sake selections and the amazing portion sizes, but we just love that awesome interior. eatatco.com MEAT & FISH COMPANY Committed to supporting local meat and seafood producers, the people behind Meat & Fish Company believe that quality is the best ingredient for any dish. With an ever-flourishing business, it’s a fast growing landmark for Charlotte. meatandfishcounter.com THE BROKEN SPOKE At the Broken Spoke, “there is no such thing as a quick drink.” Operating as a private

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The menu isn’t just about the bivalves, though. For Paul, who grew up in New England, the Squid Chow Chow pays homage to the fishing industry in Rhode Island. The Lobster Roll is another decadent northeastern treat that Sea Level takes seriously. “People will travel for a good lobster roll,” and Paul’s has a “cult-like following.” This reception isn’t surprising, considering Paul flies in live Maine lobsters.

Paul has also hung around these parts long enough to gain an appreciation for Carolina cooking. There’s some of the South here too. The savory corn fritters are decidedly “hard to find up North.” When Paul’s craving freshwater, he reaches for the catfish reuben, a “decadent and crazy good” sandwich. It’s honestly quite a feat that the kitchen keeps this entrée stocked — it’s that tasty.

Paul isn’t alone in his love of the Sea Level menu, either. Talented Head Chef and Charlotte native Jonathan Moore enjoys choosing, crafting, and devouring the fish of the day, which changes based on what the boats bring in. He then heads to local farmer’s markets with an open mind, and these excursions result in local produce to perfectly complement some of the other menu items.

Sea Level prides itself on delighting the taste buds with fresh ingredients and local catch, all while celebrating the rural Carolina coastline. Walk through the doors of Uptown’s new oyster den and sit at the bar or the Friendship Table.

Here, you’ll surely find salt in the air and Atlantic flavor, elevated.

FOR MORE INFO: www.sealevelnc.com

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A NEW TABLE club and a whiskey distillery, the warm and familiar atmosphere make it the perfect place to enjoy a local brew, cocktail or some of Ollie Mulligan’s Irish whiskey. brokenspokenc.com

AIX EN PROVENCE

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Southern French cuisine meets Mediterranean flair in the new Providence Road eatery.

STORY BY LAURA SHINN | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

Seamlessly flowing between business conversations and playful side notes, the dynamic trio behind Aix en Provence are as extraordinary as the traditional Southern French and Mediterranean cuisine on the menu. Soon after meeting at Lumiere, co-owners Bryan St. Clair, Patrick Garrivier, and Chef Nicholas Tarnate conspired together to bring the taste of something distinctly European to the Queen City.

Each member of this trio rounds out one another, like most families do, to bring a homey atmosphere to the table while simultaneously serving up a taste of time-honored flavor profi les. United in the dream of running their own establishment, the three unlikely friends set out last winter to break ground on Aix en Provence. Bryan is the Queen City local, keeping the spirit of this French provence grounded in Carolina, Chef Nick is the charismatic, self-taught plate artist, and Patrick is the in-house Frenchman, whose European-kitchen sensibilities keep Chef Nick humble.

“I’m good at taking constructive criticism,” Nick laughs, “and Patrick is good at telling me when a new idea is crap.” If a new idea doesn’t go as planned, “Bryan’ll whip out the gin, and by the end of the night, it’s all worked out.” It’s this attitude that makes Chef Nick far from the pompous stereotype of an aloof kitchen-god. While a titan behind the stove, he was

TIPSY BURRO Cool margaritas, oven roasted tacos, and great drink specials make the Tipsy Burro Saloon & Cantina the perfect for a relaxing and delicious end to any day. facebook.com/tipsyburro BLOCK & GRINDER LANGTREE Block & Grinder’s Lake Norman location fulfills its farm-to-table mission with adventurous wild game and tamer options selected from their in-house butcher shop. blockandgrinder.com 204 NORTH From their starters to their sorghum sticky bun dessert, the team at 204 North pride themselves on their creative culinary masterpieces and delightful cocktails.

204north.com UPPER CRUST BAR & SOCIAL CLUB Upper Crust, the younger sibling of downstairs Millstone Bakehouse and Provisions, is a modern speakeasy that offers a raw bar and daring cocktails. Davidson’s finally got its own nightlife, and

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A NEW TABLE Upper Crust makes for the perfect bookend to long summer evenings.

BABALU TACOS AND TAPAS Crashing the tapas party in Historic Dilworth is Babalu, a Jackson, Mississippifounded venture that plans to bring the hip and hungry of Charlotte into the East Boulevard fold. babalutacos.com THE MANDRAKE Bar food, southern food, Hispanic food — The Mandrake serves up just about anything the kitchen’s feeling, but they’re creative about it. Some of the most colorful seafood and soulful country cooking we’ve seen comes out of this place. It’s a restaurant with an elusive identity, and it’s better for it. themandrakeclt.com DOGWOOD SOUTHERN TABLE Brian Lorusso pours delicious cocktails at this South Park gem including his Legends of the Fall: a Ceylon cinnamon bark smoked glass filled with rye whiskey, spiced simple syrup, house bitters, and orange zest. Order that first, then follow with their baked pimento cheese, bacon jam, the quail, and the short rib.

Then make your way back to Lorusso’s bar for a postsupper libation. dogwoodsoutherntable.com

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“There’s no such thing as talent—it’s obsession.” born in Cabarrus County, and wasn’t raised in the kitchen with his grandmother. “My childhood wasn’t very food-oriented. My culinary world amounted to spam, rice, and soy sauce,” he jests. It wasn’t until he was a line cook that he fell in love with cooking and decided to make dishes that met a standard much higher than those training him. His love of food drove him to teach himself as he worked his way up the ladder to become the master of French food and Mediterranean spices that he is today. He is the relaxed, hilarious, whiskey-loving Carolinian with whom we can all relate.

It’s no wonder Nick turned out so well, with a guide like Patrick Garrivier.

Born in Lyon and raised in Vichy, the restaurant’s resident Frenchman spent his summers as a child in the Southern French town, Aix en Provence. The name, to him, sings with memories of comfort and excitement. It’s this familiarity and warmth that he seeks to recreate in Aix en Provence’s menu, through the use of the selfsame herbs that line the patio just outside. “You can’t just throw them in the pan,” Patrick explains. “You have to understand it to make it authentic. The level of care we take to be truly authentic is what sets us apart.” And that is just what this taste of true, light Southern French cooking provides, challenging the perception that the whole country’s cuisine is “drenched in butter.”

Despite the exotic feel of the cuisine, the restaurant is deeply entwined with locals. Fresh vegetables come from local farmers, a fisherman brings in the daily catch, and only a few foreign goods are shipped in from Europe. Bryan wanted to “serve a diverse list of drinks that their customers could enjoy before their meal,” known in France as an aperitif. The spirits that have inspired this cocktail menu are “predominantly French, such as Lillet Blanc and Lillet Rouge.” As a native to Charlotte, Bryan’s newfound experience with French cocktails and cuisine paired expertly with his experience in the Queen City.

With his prolific career working in high-end restaurants since the early 90’s, no one could serve as a better liaison to the city. While more reserved than his partners, Bryan helps cultivate an elevated sense of dining within the intimate quarters of Aix en Provence.

These three men have channelled their distinct skill sets into a cuisine and a business that’s bent on redefining Charlotte French food. Chef Nick, perhaps the most outspoken of the three, insists that their experience in the industry is everything: “Nothing’s in blood,” he swears. “There’s no such thing as talent — it’s obsession. If you’re interested in something, you’re going to get good at it.”

Try Aix en Provence’s lamb ratatouille, a dish as beautifully presented as it is delicious, and see what that diehard obsession has wrought.

FOR MORE INFO: www.aixenprovenceclt.com

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A NEW TABLE FUTO BUTA Bar none our favorite brussel sprouts in the Queen City.

Start with those, follow with the pork belly bun, and end with some homemade and uniquely flavored ice creams.

Dine outside so you can take in the people watching along the light rail. futobuta.com

YAFO KITCHEN Serving up bold bowls and overflowing wraps, South Park’s emergent Middle Eastern joint introduces a refreshingly slow fast food.

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STORY BY JENNY COSGROVE PHOTOS BY LUNAHZON | STYLING BY THE PLAID PENGUIN

Shai Fargian was born and raised in Israel. He grew up revering the wholesome tradition of local meals. The food was laborious, principally vegetarian, and dynamic in flavor. Shai’s grandmother spent long days in the kitchen preparing the cuisine, and as Shai began cooking, he understood why. But the daunting nature of Israeli food did not intimidate Shai. After completing seven years in the army and a degree in economics, he was determined to return to the kitchen. Shai went to the best restaurant in town, asked for any job they had, and began to work his way up. One of the few things seemingly able to distract Shai from this inescapable passion was his wife. Following shared years in Tel Aviv, the couple decided to move to her hometown of Charlotte. Needless to say, when Shai landed in the United States, he was perplexed by the numerous deficits in the American diet. He recalls observing grocery shoppers one day, thinking, “What are you going to do with only two tomatoes?” Then and there, Shai began to form the blueprint for a fast-casual middle eastern eatery — a restaurant that would bring the pace, complexity, and flavor of his beloved Israeli food carts to the tables of Charlotteans.

As serendipity would have it, well-known restaurateur Frank Scibelli was also looking to deliver exoteric Middle Eastern food. Frank’s own unbreakable affinity for the cuisine developed in college, when he and his roommate began to trade food — Frank’s italian cooking for his roommate’s Persian food.

Frank’s new Middle Eastern obsession would endure through the creation

THE GALLERY The white canvas of the painted brick walls makes for an excellent art showcase, but the chicken salad on a buttery croissant is the thing that’ll have you coming back.

Choosing which bottle of wine to share is undoubtedly a friendship-destroying crisis, but the Lady M crepes and Stumptown coffee make for good peace offerings. fb: thegallerysouthend PEARLZ OYSTER BAR The renowned little raw bar from Charleston recently opened a location in the Queen City, bringing some of the Low Country’s tastiest half-shells. Pearlz has always been one of our Lowcountry favorites, and it’s about time these Holy City seafood recipes made their way inland. pearlzoysterbar.com THE PICKLED PEACH With a simple menu full of fresh garden ingredients and an exquisite screened-

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A NEW TABLE in porch, everything about Davidson’s new incredible sandwich spot feels southern, and thus feels right. With coffee, specialty teas, and an impressive beer and wine selection, this excellent lunchtime favorite may just make for Lake Norman’s favorite new dinner spot. thepickledpeach.com TAPAS 51 Aaron Rivera’s south-of-theborder spot is humble, but his tasty reappropriation of Hispanic cuisines are anything but simple. We’re proud to have him in the area — this guy’s empanadas bested celebrity chef Bobby Flay on television! provechorestaurantgroup.com CORKBUZZ Laura Maniec brought her well-respected restaurant concept Corkbuzz to South Park from New York City and from day one has garnered accolades. The wine selection is unreal and the experience only gets better when you pair your selection with one of Corkbuzz’s thoughtful and perfectly executed dishes. charlotte.corkbuzz.com ROCK SALT We’re cheating a bit here — Rock Salt’s not incredibly new, but they’re always doing new things with their

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“Hummus in Israel is like barbeque in North Carolina.” of Mama Ricotta’s, Midwood Smokehouse, Paco’s Tacos, and Bad Daddy’s. It eventually, almost inevitably, led him to Shai Fargian.

On the brink of signing an independent contract, Shai was told of Frank’s similar interest in opening a Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant. Shai immediately left the deal and joined Frank to begin constructing their vision, seamlessly manifesting as the new Yafo Kitchen.

Yafo Kitchen serves high quality food at a convenient street food pace. The atmosphere is modern, clean, and colorful — a token of Frank’s industry expertise. Upon entrance, aromas of flavorful and fresh ingredients lightheartedly taunt the senses, a product of Shai’s native culinary aptitude. Words from their mission statement line the walls in phrases like “eat honest” and “eat authentic.” But this decor is not an adeptly marketed series of buzzwords: it’s policy.

Each day, the chefs go through 40 pounds of cucumber, four gallons of ripe tomatoes and four gallons of lemon juice. If you rank amongst the few who are “hummus certified,” you’ll be soaking chickpeas for 12 hours, cooking them for three, and cooling for another three. “Hummus in Israel is like barbeque in North Carolina,” Shai laughs. While his hummus does hog an inordinate amount of time, almost every item on the menu requires extensive preparation. Natural ingredients also mandate a high turnover rate. Hummus is prepared daily, falafel every 15 minutes.

As Shai has known since childhood, the effort put into Middle Eastern food does not go to waste. The hummus is perfectly creamy and subtly flavored by Israeli tahini. Crispy chickpeas boast the texture of fried brussel sprouts with the salty, savory taste of popcorn. Their signature grain and hummus bowls don’t blend together in monotonous taste, but instead highlight the tenderly seasoned profile of the meat. Another phenomenal option, the cucumber mint limeade is heavily condensed flavor resulting from pureed cucumbers and fresh mint. While Shai casually suggested the drink, it was refreshing, addicting, and will warrant repeat visits. One of Frank and Shai’s personal favorites, the Sabich wrap, is the Israeli equivalent of a cheeseburger. It deliciously combines eggplant, hummus, hard-boiled egg, and various other unexpected components in a more than palatable cohesion. It’s the quintessential Middle Eastern street food.

Behind each quickly arranged plate is a lifetime of preparation. Shai Fargian and Frank Scibelli, with their decades of experience, have delivered a Middle Eastern concept with patent flair, combining the simplicity of Mediterranean fare with bold, street food flavors. Yafo Kitchen is serving up food that’s fast, and even better, it’s not fast food.

FOR MORE INFO: www.yafokitchen.com

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A NEW TABLE menu. This place serves up classic seafood dishes, but they do it well. A river raw bar and craft cocktails round out this Park Road Shopping Center restaurant. Try the Oysters Rockefeller, and get them with salt. rocksaltrestaurants.com

SEOUL FOOD MEAT CO.

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Southern Twang Meets Korean Bite

STORY BY CORDERIUS ALLEN | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

Our Southend gems are being lost in the concrete jungle of condominiums.

Every now and then, though, a new one is unearthed. Located at the intersection of W. Bland and S. Church street, Seoul Food Meat Co. is also the intersection of two cuisines, a trendy conglomeration of comfort food and Asian culture. This new, modern spin on Korean barbeque is effortlessly translating Korean vernacular into the dialect of southern cuisine.

In Seoul Food Meat Co., southern twang meets Korean bite. “We love to eat,” laugh the young couple behind this swanky and upbeat new restaurant, Timothy and Lisa Chun. Timothy Chun was born in Los Angeles but raised in Charlotte. He was drawn back into country living and couldn’t resist the enticement of southern food. Lisa deemed it necessary to incorporate his Korean origins into his passion for eating, and the Chun food baby was born.

The name “Seoul Food,” primes your mouth for a taste of down-home glory.

However, this play on words showcases the inspiration of Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, and denotes the company’s pride for “southern” authenticity. This restaurant is coining a new food language for Charlotteans by combining the essence of Carolina soul food and the flavors of Korea.

The couple embarked on this culinary adventure to ease Charlotteans into becoming more accepting of authentic Korean cuisine. By combining their unique styles, the Chuns have designed the restaurant to showcase

PIZZERIA OMAGGIO Another Neapolitan pizza joint serving up lightningquick craft pizza pies in addition to sandwiches, pasta, & starters. The beer & coffee are just pluses. pizzeriaomaggio.com MURPHY’S KITCHEN AND TAP The Irish kitchen on West Trade pays homage to the stories and success of Irish Immigrants in America through a delicious menu featuring traditional fare including savory pies, sausage pies, stews, coddle, and Shepherd’s pie. murphyscharlotte.com HART’S SODA SHOP This tricked out 1971 Volkswagen bus serves up hand crafted sodas made with all natural ingredients, floats made with local ice cream, and indulgent sundaes loaded with toppings. Like most Charlotte food trucks and pop-ups, the bubbly people behind this little business love what they do. There are

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A NEW TABLE whisperings of a permanent location popping up soon.

Stay tuned! hartssodashop.com HABERDISH It’s coming soon, NoDa! A new neighborhood hashery serving delightful southerninspired food and drink is taking over an old spot in the eclectic district.

Haberdish hopes to channel spirit of a cuisine that defines this region. fb:haberdish STOKE Coming off a creative stint at The Asbury, Chris Coleman’s doing something wood-fired, at the Marriott City Center and we couldn’t be more thrilled. stokecharlotte.com O-KU O-Ku meshes authentic Asian cuisine with a southern approach. Their menu focuses on unique ingredients from around the world including Norway, Scotland, and Hawaii. Their dishes are known for their sophisticated presentations. o-kusushi.com NOBLE SMOKE 2017 can’t come quick enough. Jim Noble’s barbecue restaurant will blend the best of Carolina barbecue with Texas brisket, cured meats, and more.

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the fluidity of Timothy’s laid-back masculinity and Lisa’s feminine flare. The industrial chic design of the restaurant allows for an avant-garde and modern atmosphere. Cold steel walls and honey-brown accents exude the rustic nature of the restaurant’s decor, while the pumping sounds of K-Pop music videos surround diners with the sensational urbanity of the South Korean music scene.

The restaurant’s simplicity authors a space between eloquence and plainness.

This may have been the central idea behind the name and design of Seoul Food Meat Company. As for the cuisine, the Chuns want to take you down south, where the story tells itself in a jargon we all understand — barbecue.

Your southern tongue, often laden with the hearty flavors of collards and sweet potato pie, may be perplexed at the idea of a southern-Asian fusion. We Charlotte natives feel the best thing for our barbeque is a topping slaw and our favorite sauce. We couldn’t have been more wrong, y’all. The barbecue of Seoul Food is masterfully infused with a Korean marinade technique; this aids in defining the taste of an authentic Seoul dish. Although the preparation is Korean style, much of the menu is easily recognizable to southerners.

Carolinians can’t resist the flavorful temptation of pulled pork, beef ribs, and fried chicken. The Chuns translate the traditional essence of Carolina barbecue into an impeccable course of Korean-influenced deep-south comfort food. The mouth-watering crispy pork belly and fried whole tilapia add eclectic variety to the menu while embracing a summer-in-the-south food fantasy.

Brunswick stew is given an innovative twist when amplified with kimchi pork.

If this festival-sized spread of spicy food is too much for you, cool down with some Doenjang collard greens — you’ll thank us later. The sweet potato bird’s nest is reminiscent of a crunchy funnel cake style treat. Cooked in rice bran oil, all of the fried menu options are lower in trans-fats, healthier, and ultimately more guilt-free.

Their diverse selection of drinks ranges from local beers and foreign wines to the essential Korean beverage Soju. Coinciding with the distinctly Korean tradition of family-oriented dining, Seoul is quickly becoming known for its group-sized drink portions: “We love to drink, too,” the Chuns playfully admit, almost in a chorus. Soju, Korea’s most popular alcoholic beverage, is paired with succulent fruits and familiar flavors. The visually stimulating yogurt soju is one of the more mysterious cocktails in the city. Crafted with dry ice, this smoking drink lends itself to a light and sweet aftertaste. The colorful watermelon and pineapple belong in a modern art gallery somewhere: Served straight from the hollowed core of the fruits themselves to enhance the hip presentation and accentuate the melodic flavors, these beautiful cocktails are carved out of summer taste.

With food and drink that’s both nostalgic and foreign, the individuality of Seoul Food Meat Company is writing a new chapter for the barbecue state.

Study the food language of Korea while enjoying those dishes we were raised to love. Indulge in the Chuns’ new tradition of Carolina barbecue — this food speaks to your soul.

FOR MORE INFO: www.seoulfoodmeatco.com

The INDEX

AUG/SEPT

2016

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Aqua e Vino ...........................................62

Diamond Springs ................................81

New Life Building Supplies............... 119

Arcadia Custom Homes.................... 43

Diamonds Direct ................Back Cover

Oasis Pools Plus................................... 63

Ashley J Design.................................... 22

DwellNova ...............................................8

Omni Hotels & Resorts....................... 114

BLT Steak............................................... 79

Elizabeth Bruns, Inc ............................23

Perry’s Estate Jewelry ........................24

Ben Bowen Properties....................... 55

Epicentre ...............................................83

Piedmont Town Center ......................77

Bird Decorative Hardware................ 90

Fahrenheit .............................................71

Pink Hanger ..........................................40

Blackhawk Hardware........................ 101

Fiber-Seal............................................. 58

Premier Sotheby’s............................... 10

Blowing Rock Arts & History............ 53

Frank Smith Residential Design........ 12

Re Salon................................................. 26

Blue Ridge Mountain Club................ 27

Global ....................................................125

Remax Exclusive ....................................4

Bridgewater Capital......................... 123

Good’s Home Furnishings .................91

Rolle Oral & Facial Surgery...........117

Bruce Julian .........................................124

Grande Custom Homes .....................30

Rooster’s Wood Fired Kitchen......... 75

Cadenza Granite & Marble................ 99

Hearth and Patio................................. 66

Sally’s Optical Secrets .......................67

Carolinas HealthCare System.......... 33

Ivester Jackson..................................... 61

Schiele Museum................................. 125

Cellars South ........................................58

J. Landon Decorative Lighting......... 65

Sea Level ................................................85

Charlotte’s Boutique......................... 26

KBN Interiors ........................................48

Simonini Luxury Homes...................... 21

Cheval ....................................................115

KLM Massage....................................... 42

Sisters Cove ..........................................113

Chiott Custom Homes........................ 39

Kingswood ...........................................35

South End Kitchens .............................29

Classic Attic ..........................................40

LaCa Projects....................................... 38

Splurge ..................................................42

Clean Catch Fish Market.................... 73

Lake Norman Realty............................ 14

Stark Carpet........................................... 17

Clifton Larson Allen............................. 51

Land Rover Charlotte......................... 25

Stickley Audi & Co. ...............................97

Cococo Home ......................................47

Lauren Nicole Designs....................... 93

Subzero Wolf Showroom ................103

Coffey & Thompson........................... 118

Lindley Law........................................... 37

The Sporting Gent.............................. 163

Corkbuzz ...............................................85

Liquid Design....................................... 36

Theory Design Studio......................... 95

Cottingham Chalk Hayes................... 41

Lucky Clays Farm................................ 121

Walker Zanger...................................... 89

Cowbridge ............................................95

Majestic Bath ........................................57

Windsor Jewelers................................ 19

Craft Tasting Room .............................72

Metrolina Auto Group.......................... 6

Yafo Kitchen.......................................... 73

David’s LTD ..............................................2

Movement Mortgage......................... 59

Dewoolfson.......................................... 34

Nestlewood Realty............................. 49

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162 • QCEXCLUSIVE.COM • AUGUST 2016

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